Points of Authority Chapter 1: You love the way I look at you, an escaflowne fanfic

Points of Authority

You love the way I look at you

While taking pleasure in the

Awful things you put me through

You take away if I give in

My life

My pride is broken

"How's this damn thing supposed to work!" Larissa hissed, more a complaint than an actual question.

Ayanna laughed. "Liss, you always get worked up over the little stuff. Just hook it over the gold buttons. It's just the uniform."

Larissa rolled her eyes. "Yeah. The uniform that tells the world: "Look! We signed up to get beaten to death!"

Ayanna slapped her lightly upside the head. "And you wonder why I tell you daily you're going to get us kicked out."

Larissa smirked. "This is our first day staying with the slayers, now shut up."

Ayanna shook her head, laughing. "This is our first day, meeting Dilandau. We have no guarantee we won't be thrown back in a cell for another week, just because you set him off."

Larissa frowned. "So I'm not supposed to mock him, like you do?"

Ayanna blanched. "So my first meeting with him was left assuming I'd never see him again, ok?!" she replied angrily.

Larissa raised her arms in self defense. "Hold it, Aya. I'm your one ally here, remember? Don't go alienating me!"

Ayanna took a deep breath, and nodded. Under her breath, she muttered, "Let's see if we can get out without a flogging."

Dilandau idly traced designs on his throne with his gloved finger. Today he'd face that Ayanna baita. Not a thought he enjoyed, but one that was necessary. Under the fact that Folken had never seen fit to tell him every one of his slayers had been beaten by two girls, he had given the duo a year to prove themselves.

He intedended on making every hour pure hell.

Dillan entered, bowing. Dilandau's eyes flicked up with curiosity. "Nani."

Dillan paled. "Folken demands you take the two out of the dungeon."

Dilandau sprang from his throne. "Nani?!" He backhanded Dillan severely before he could control his breathing again. "Kuso yo, Folken." He muttered, walking away. He waved one hand. "Bring them in." He smiled.

Now the fun begins.

Ayanna took the steel hilt, and swinging it a few times to get its feel, she abruptly turned on Larissa and gave the leather armor it's first scratch.

Larissa glared. "And that was for?"

Ayanna continued sheathing her sword, and pulling it out, practicing on speed and grace. "Just thought you'd like your first scratch from me, not some ignorant slayer."

Larissa's lip curled to make a small smile. "Oh? And you?"

Ayanna laughed. "We both know you don't want to try that. Besides, we're facing Dilandau in minutes, I'd assume. You might want to make sure you can at least hold your sword when he goes after you."

Larissa's smile turned into a smirk. "I didn't make him want to kill me. That was your doing, Aya."

Ayanna shrugged, looking straight into Dillan's eyes as she spoke. "Nonetheless, he'd like nothing more than to send us back dead."

Dillan nodded, finally completely down the stairs, and unlocking the door.

Larissa eyed him oddly. "Have I seen you before?"

Dillan paled. "Hai. I was one who—lost against the two of you."

Larissa smiled. "Oh? Then you're one of Dilandau's pets, then. Come to fetch us for him, puppy?"

Dillan had his sword at her throat instantly. "I would watch your tongue around here, country girl, or it just might get cut off," he hissed, "and then where would you be?"

Larissa's face paled slightly, but she smacked him. "If we're on the same side, why do you have your sword drawn against me?"

Ayanna finished twisting her hair into the leather thong she'd smuggled in. "You instigated him, Liss. He knows that as well as you do. And he's right, your mouth's going to get us both into nearly as much trouble as mine will."

Dillan turned his sword on her for leaving the cell before he was ready, but she kicked his hand, sending the sword skittering across the ground.

Her eyes flashed. "Nonetheless, Albot. You would do well not to attempt harming her while in my sight. You're liable to get your head lopped off 'accidentally.'" The lethal edge to her voice on the last word gave Larissa shivers down her spine.

She went ahead of them, murmuring words to a song:

Forfeit the game

Before somebody else

Takes you out of the frame

Puts your name to shame

Cover up your face

You can't run the race

The pace is too fast

You just won't last

Larissa smirked, and muttered to Dillan, "You watch. Just to prove that verse wrong, she'll outlast anything Dilandau puts her through."

Dillan shook his head, in disbelief. "And you?"

Larissa blushed in shame. "I'm nowhere near her. If one of us dies, it'll be me. If either of us is broken, we both know who it'll be."

Dillan sighed. "Women do underestimate themselves."

Larissa kicked him hard in the side. "You want me to watch my mouth, and yet you do otherwise? That would indicate hypocrisy, soldier."

Dillan just glared at her.

Ayanna whapped them both in the foreheads. She smiled. "You two are getting along too well."

They both fixed their glares on her.

When the door opened, every eye was attached to Larissa and Dillan, their anger making them seem to glow red as they glared at each other. Dilandau smiled, turning to Ayanna, who regarded him coolly. The calm fire wasn't as delicious as her unrestrained rage was. He decided he would keep her angry at all times, it would make things more unpredictable.

Ayanna's gaze turned to a glare. "What is it you wish, Dilandau sama." She demanded in a forced calm voice.

With his glare, he dragged her forward into the range he could backhand her. "You are not here to demand answers," he coolly replied, smacking her face again. "you are here to learn under your commander."

Ayanna's glare intensified, and he recognized the rage growing in her eyes. He memorized it, savoring it. Training would be sweet bliss, antagonizing her into attacking him foolishly.

Larissa watched with barely restrained rage. She didn't realize she was squeezing the life out of Dillan's arm until he lifted it to get her attention, with raised eyebrows.

Dillan worried for Larissa. Dilandau had chosen Ayanna as his newest toy to break, and if Larissa intervened as he knew she would, she would be broken, too.

For some reason, he didn't think that fair.

When Dilandau's arm came back up to slap her again, Ayanna caught it, bending it backwards. Looking at his glove as if it were mildy intriguing, she threatened, "Do as you wish to me, but if either of these knuckles touch her face, I will kill you." She murmured so softly only he could hear.

He loved the lethal edge to her voice. He wanted to hear her begging him to stop, stop beating her, stop breaking her. He knew she wouldn't do it, but if he touched Larissa, he could push her too far. He smiled. "You will be fun to play with, girl." He yanked his arm away from her, and kicked her to the ground.

Ayanna landed in a crouch, and came up, fire in her eyes, but he knew she wouldn't release it. Ayanna cursed.

He can tell when I'm going to try. Doing it here will only get Larissa in trouble. At least he knows my threat was sincere.

Migel cleared his throat. "Dilandau sama, where are they to go next?"

Dilandau glared liquid fire at the slayer who had dared to interrupt him, but lessened, as he considered the question. He smiled cruelly at Ayanna. "They will be treated as the rest. They will eat in your mess hall, they will sleep in your bunk room. They will take Akai and Ranei's place in every way." His eyes penetrated Ayanna's every defense. "There will be no exceptions—in ANY case."

Only then, did Ayanna fully realize what was intended, and then she please Dilandau by shivering.

Miguel nodded, and to Shesta, yet unseen by Dilandau, nodded. Shesta silently strode off to prepare arrangements Dilandau was too important to be bothered with.

A few minutes later, when Dilandau demanded to be left alone for the first's training session, Dillan took Larissa's arm, and with clenched teeth, took her to a corner he'd found in the vione to think.

He forced her to turn towards him. He examined every inch of her face, reading every detail.

She was terrified.

In her fear, she did something she'd never done before. She hugged Dillan, shivering.

Dillan blinked, unsure of what to do. He slowly eased his arms around her, confused by millions of things.

"She's scared. Oh God, she's scared! What the hell am I going to do now!"

Dillan smiled. "Larissa, is Ayanna frightened often?"

Larissa shook her head furiously, her head still leaning on his chest. "Never. We've fought men four times our size put together, who have been training twice as long as we've been alive. And she's never scared. Never."

Dillan bit his lip. How did he tell her that Ayanna might survive, now that Dilandau knew she was frightened of him? Dilandau thrived on fear. If she hadn't shown fear, she might be dead right now, her throat slit.

He didn't know how to put that into words, and didn't think she'd understand even if he could, so just held her.

Dilandau smiled, kicking Ayanna's body on the floor. "You don't like it down there, do you?" Her glare was answer enough as he kicked her again. "Good."

He'd ordered her to lay on the floor, and enjoyed stepping on her.

Ayanna's breath rushed out as he kicked her in the ribcage. "You need to understand submission, Ayanna. If you don't, you'll get killed in battle."

Ayanna merely smiled.

Dilandau didn't like that smile.

He yanked her up by the hair. "You don't have permission to kill yourself in battle!" he screamed at her, kicking her in the stomach. "You are my property! Damnit, you FOUGHT to become my property! It's your own fault you're here, not mine!"

Ayanna smile didn't diminish. "You fought to have us."

Dilandau cursed. They both knew she was right.

Ayanna still had one weapon, and she didn't intend on giving it up without a fight.

Dilandau wasn't sure he wanted that fight.

A/N: More for Eraya. Or maybe just because I wanted to write more. *shrugs* I'm not sure where to take this fic yet.