Name: Androgene (formerly known as Cyberoid13)
Title: Escaflowne: Before the Movie 'Missing Scenes'
Summary: A missing-scene tale of how did Van join the Abaharaki. Set before the movie 'A Girl in Gaea'.
Category: Drama, angst, missing-scene
Rating: PG (for violence)
Author's notes:
Took a break from writing as 'Androgene' to watch 'Girl in Gaea'. It is absolutely beautiful and nothing short of epic. Allen is SO drop-dead sexy in that black leather outfit and long hair, plus that cool bad-ass attitude *drool*. Wish he had a larger role though *sigh*. Okay, enough female hormones. Anyway, when I watched the movie, Van's tragic past kept nagging at me (I'm such a sucker for angst). The movie did not explore his history in details, so I thought I'll help fill in the blanks. Hope it is as close to the movie as possible. This is a non-yaoi fic. The title of this part is taken from the English translation of the movie theme song.
Disclaimer:
Bandai owes all Escaflowne characters. I don't owe them and make any profit out of them.
We Will Seek Together Destiny
Another city burned tonight.
The red fiery glow lit up the night sky and cast its bloody shadows against the uncaring mountains. Black columns of smoke spiraled towards the heavens as if celebrating victory. The air was thick with the smell of fire and blood; the cries of the helpless and the victorious scored the night.
This was war and in its aftermath, burning devastation and absolute misery. This was hell, one that would stay in the minds of the civilians for many years to come. This was domination, as the powerless people stared helplessly at the black airship hovering menacingly over their beloved city.
The Black Dragon Empire had arrived and brought with them chaos and death, misery and hatred.
It was a modest city, with no remarkable source of wealth to boast of. Because of its humble economy, its inhabitants had thought the Black Dragon Empire would give them a miss, since they were too insignificant to be noticed. But they were wrong. If they knew how the mind of the conqueror worked, they would have fled the city a long time ago.
But they didn't, secure in their mistaken belief, and they paid the price, for the Black Dragon's Clan took no prisoner and took no slave. By dawn, it would be a dead city.
In the chaotic fighting spilling through the streets, a tall sinewy-muscled man ducked into an alley and dashed out onto a miraculously empty street. His short spiky dark hair was matted with sweat and his form-fitting clothes splattered with blood. He held two swords, both blades blackened with blood.
"Boss!" Gaddes yelled into the bloody night. "Where the hell are you?"
From the corner of his eyes, he caught a flash of gold. Immediately his feet turned in that direction and he ran towards the sounds of fighting. Skidding to a halt around the corner, he was just in time to see the swordsman took down the last of the soldiers with a finesse that was both devastating and graceful. The swordsman calmly flicked the blood away from his long white-hilted sword and walked over to Gaddes, as though he had all the time in the world.
This swordsman, lean and graceful, wore black leather coat. A sheathed short sword and an empty scabbard hung from his belt. His knee-long platinum blond hair was held back by a slim circlet and tied in its customary loose ponytail. Grim amusement lurked in sky-blue eyes as he approached the harried-looking Gaddes.
Gaddes relaxed visibly. He should've known that his Boss was more than capable of taking care of himself.
"Have the others gotten out yet?" Allen, clan leader of the Abaharaki warriors, asked calmly.
"Yeah. We're meeting up beyond the mountain road."
"Good. We should go as well."
"You have my vote on that, Boss."
Together both Abaharaki warriors stole through the chaotic streets, using stealth to escape detection and violence when they could not. It was a long while before they managed to escape, slinking through the night as they left the stricken city far behind them.
"That's the last city on this coastline to fall to the Black Dragon's Clan," Gaddes said grimly as they ran through the wilderness.
"His power grows mightier everyday," Allen noted with his usual cool.
"Che, why isn't he satisfied yet?"
"Conquerors are insatiable, Gaddes. The Black Dragon would not stop until he has the entire world in his grasp."
Close to the city, yet far enough to be unreachable by the invasion, a lone figure stood on a rocky outcrop. The tattered cloak, whipping about in the wind, concealed his appearance under its cover. He was motionless, expressionless as he stared at the burning city. Only a pair of reddish-brown eyes hinted at the emotions raging within him. Those red eyes were angry and bitter, full of black hatred.
Silently he turned away from the burning city, agilely making his way back to firm ground. "Let's go," he said to his companion.
Together they moved off into the darkness, vanishing as silently as they had come.
~ to be continued ~
Author's post-script note:
So what do you think? Should I continue?