Synchronize Chapter 1: Ryuujin, an escaflowne fanfic

Title: Synchronize

Chapter Title: Ryuujin

Author: A Navy Brat

E-mail: catnmouse90637@yahoo.com

Part: 1 of 2

Rating: PG-13 for language

Warnings: Contains spoilers for those who have not watched up to Episode 11, "A Prophecy of Death", in the Escaflowne series.

Summary: A short piece on what Van may have been thinking as he's performing CPR on Hitomi after her encounter with the Deceptant Zongi, disguised as the Freidian mystic monk Plactu.

Disclaimer: All characters in this piece are owned by Bandai and whoever took part in the creation of Escaflowne. This is an original piece that does not intend to infringe upon their copyright and is strictly a non-profit endeavour. All characters are used without permission. Characters and stories are in no way affiliated with, approved of or endorsed by Bandai. All other materials copyright by A Navy Brat, 2001. All rights reserved. If you wish to post this piece at some other website, please inform me first at the e-mail address given above. Constructive criticism and reviews are appreciated. Personal criticisms should be sent to the address above. Thank you.

Author's Notes: "Ryuujin" means "dragon god" or "dragon king" in Japanese.[1]

My thanks to: Sherry and Mai, two fantastic readers. Without their support and advice, this piece would not have been what it is. Also, Lyra of Destiny, whose wonderful piece "Angel's Wings" inspired me to write this.

Synchronize

Chapter 1: Ryuujin

By A Navy Brat, March 28, 2001

I hate this feeling of not knowing. Here I am, stuck in this cell while that Plactu is doing God-knows-what to Hitomi. What's going on in there? If they hurt her, by the gods, they'll never make it out of this corridor alive.

What?! What was that scream? Why is everyone running? What's going on? I grab one of the guards and shake the answer out of him.

"One of the prisoners has died! One of your friends has died!" he cries. I let go of his arm. One of the prisoners…the gods, that's Hitomi! I yell at them to let us out. She's dying in there and I can't do a single damn thing. I yell again and rattle the bars in the desperate hope that somehow one of them might give way. Hitomi…

Chid comes running by. She needs me. Chid looks at us. He pants breathlessly and stammers out something about Hitomi. "Hitomi…she…Plactu…trance …dead!" I ask him to let us out. More like begging him, really. He just stares at Allen. How can he be thinking of Allen right now? What the hell is he doing? Let us out!

All of a sudden, Allen leaps up and grabs Chid by the neck. Allen's holding something against Chid's throat; I'm not sure what it is. Boris comes running up at that second. He isn't willing to take a chance. He calls us something—I think it's "Bastards"—but he lets us out anyway. I couldn't care less right now if he called me a traitor of Fanelia; Hitomi's dying and I need to go help her.

The second my feet touch the floor of the corridor, I'm sprinting down the way Chid came. I assume it's the Interrogation Room. I burst into the room and the only thing I see is Hitomi. Lying eerily still, with her head turned at a funny angle, her arms and legs all sprawled out. But her hair, spread out around her like a halo. Gods, she's so pale…And those huge clear aquamarine eyes just staring out. Eyes the colour of Jichia's. Even her lips are white. Gods, she can't be dead; she's not going to die.

Millerna's trying to restart her heart. She isn't having any luck though, and I can tell she's quickly getting tired. Propriety or no, I have to take over. Hitomi can't die. Oh gods. Millerna's undone Hitomi's blouse and she's lying there in her brassiere. I can't think thoughts like that right now. I place my hands over Hitomi's chest in the same position as Millerna's. Geez, if Hitomi had been so freaked out about my putting antidote on her leg, what would she do now? Okay, must pay attention to what Millerna's saying. Synchronize my pumps with my heartbeat. I listen carefully, slightly straining to hear the blood that's pumping through my ears right now.

Pa-thump. Pa-thump. Pa-thump. Pa-thump. I finally get the beat. I begin pushing against Hitomi's chest in tandem with my heartbeat. C'mon, Hitomi, wake up! I concentrate on matching my pushes with my heartbeat. A minute passes. Then another. She's still not waking up! I fight down the panic that's seeping into my mind. She's going to be okay. She'll wake up. I repeat those two sentences as if they're my mantra. She's going to be okay. She'll wake up. She's going to be okay. She'll wake up. She's going to be okay. She'll wake up.

Damn it, she can't die! What will I do? How can I ever hope to defeat Zaibach? Without those tarot cards of hers, how can we defend ourselves from Zaibach attacks? And her visions. How many times has she saved me with those visions of hers? It's so much more important than that! Her smile, that look she gets when I've made it back in one piece again. I can't do without those either. Hitomi, don't leave me. I need you. We need you. She's not just a weapon or an advantage. She's an… I care for her so much.

Concentrate! Back to Hitomi. Why won't she wake up? Damn it…she can't die. I yell at her to wake up. I don't think that'll help but I feel so helpless. I hate that feeling. I felt that way when Zaibach burned my kingdom and I feel that way now. They are the cause of both of these things. Zaibach's minion Dilandau burned Fanelia and it's because of him that we're locked here in this hellhole struggling to save Hitomi. Anger floods me, and I pump a little harder. I can feel the beads of sweat prickling my face and trickling down my back. Merle yells something at Hitomi. I can't make out what it is. I can't do this for much longer. Hitomi… Wake up!

Suddenly, she blinks and sits up. I see the fright in her eyes when she sees me and restrain myself from clasping her against me. Gods, I just want to hold her close to me, her head tucked under my chin, my face in her hair. I want to hold her to make sure that I'm not dreaming, that she really is alive, that I won't have to go on without her, I don't know how to go on without her. Millerna gathers her up and rocks her back and forth like a little child while Hitomi sobs. Slowly, my surroundings come back into focus. I glance over at Allen. I don't think "relieved" really expresses it. It's more of a "Thank-god-she's-all-right-I-don't-know-what-I'd-do-without-her" look. He lowers whatever he's holding from Chid's neck, then tosses it to Merle. It's her nail file. It's Merle's damned nail file. I nearly break into hysterical laughter. The comedy of it all—Hitomi's dying, her coming back to life, Merle's nail file, it's her stupid nail file—strikes me as the tension sweeps away.

The guards are on us in an instant. They remind me of flies on carrion. Allen doesn't fight; he just lets them bind him like a trussed grouse. I let them do the same without much of a fight either. The vicious hilarity is suddenly gone and I'm numb from relief. Hitomi's okay.

Chid watches us with wondering, clear eyes. The only thing he can say is "Allen."

Suddenly, Hitomi's head shoots up. "H-he's…He's going to die!" she nearly shrieks. That gets everyone's attention. Hitomi goes on. "H-he's a Deceptant and he's going to die." Boris tells Prince Chid not to listen to our "stories." Only Allen and Merle and I know just how accurate her "stories" are. Chid asks where Plactu now is. I notice for the first time he's not in the room. He must have slunk out while everyone was milling over Hitomi. Boris says that he cannot be located. Don't they understand? The Deceptant must have already escaped; he must be on his way to Zaibach, to tell them Hitomi's secret!

Chid looks at Allen for a long time, then draws that small sword of his. Gods, the boy's going to kill him. His young face scrunches up for a long moment, then he reaches down and cuts the ropes that bind Allen. He says he's going to follow Freidian law and let Allen prove his innocence. I notice for the first time how closely Chid resembles Allen. Those same eyes, same coloured hair, almost as if they were brothers. Allen's old enough to be Chid's father, though…Allen stands up, but quickly sags. As much as I don't like him, I have to help, and volunteer myself in his place. Hitomi interrupts, saying she's going to come too. My heart gives a leap. I can't tell if I'm relieved or infuriated. Probably a little of both. Relieved that I'll be able to keep an eye on her, relieved that she cares enough about…life to help that damn Deceptant that tried to kill her. Infuriated because she's sticking her neck in the middle of the chopping block again, just waiting for Dilandau to swing the blade. Damn her! I open my mouth to protest, but the look on her face stops me. I shut my mouth stupidly, then nod my assent.

In order to track down the Deceptant, we'll need to use Escaflowne. Tracking him on foot is plain stupid. I realize that Escaflowne will never be able to fit in the corridor and there is no other way in or out than the door that I burst in through. That means Hitomi will have to run with me down to the hanger. I tell her so, and ask if she is strong enough to walk that far. Stupid question. I know she can, but still, I'm so worried about her. I am not greeted with her typically sharp answer to such a question. She simply nods, stands up from where she's sitting and moves towards the door. She blushes furiously when she realizes her uniform is still unbuttoned. Allen, Chid, Boris and I and, after a glare from me, the guards, turn away while she buttons up her blouse.

"Okay," she says. "Let's go." The guards lead us down the hallway and through a tortuous path winding through other hallways. We finally end up in a large, dark room, and there, propped up against a wall and surrounded by guards, is Escaflowne. I climb into Escaflowne, then lean down and gently lift Hitomi to my Guymelef's shoulder. The guards pull open the giant doors and I stride out into the dusty courtyard. Allen, Millerna, Prince Chid and Boris are all there, waiting for us. I take Hitomi down from my shoulder, then leap out of Escaflowne. I bow low to Prince Chid and Boris, promising them that we will return, climb back into Escaflowne, put Hitomi back on my shoulder, and metamorphosize Escaflowne into its dragon form. I jerk the reins up and, gathering strength, Hitomi and I soar into the night sky.

She rests comfortably in my arms and says nothing during our ascent. I wonder briefly what she's thinking, then turn my attention back towards tracking the Deceptant. The moment we clear the cloud cover, Hitomi concentrates on the pendant. After a moment, she points, saying that there is a tower to the east. I nod and steer Escaflowne in that direction. We fall silent once again.

She suddenly looks up at me. "Thank you, Van," she says softly. I am startled. I ask what for. She answers, "For saving my life." I shrug and tell her that she had done the same for me, that I was only repaying my debt. She smiles and nods. I wonder if she understands. I wonder if she understands how important she is to me. I wonder if she understands that I…

Suddenly, her face contorts as though she were in pain. I ask if she is all right. The fortress comes into view. "No!" she shrieks. I catch a brief glimpse of Dilandau before he enables the invisibility cloak. "No! No!" she screams twice more and slumps in my arms. I yell her name and turn Escaflowne into the clouds as blood-stained liquid metal screams through the air. There, we will have some cover. I try to rouse her again. There is still no response. I pray that she is still alive.

Suddenly, her eyelids flutter and she murmurs something. She's alive! I can barely catch the words. "Concentrate. Project strongly in your mind." She seems to fade back into unconsciousness. Here? Now? In the middle of an attack? "You can do it. I trust you, Van." Her soft voice catches my ear. She…she trusts me?

I close my eyes and picture her pendant in my mind. Something…something behind me. Escaflowne grasps the sword in its claw and swings toward it. I swing the blade once and Escaflowne's sword slices neatly through his firing mechanism. There are more. Two more, down on the ground level, are firing sheets of liquid metal. I dispose of them as well. Then Dilandau. He charges toward me. He's after Hitomi! I block his blow, but his sword is too close to Hitomi's face. I punch his pilot compartment and soar skyward again.

Hitomi is still not awake. She's breathing, though, and at this point, that's all that matters. It means she's still alive. I steer Escaflowne back toward the castle. Dilandau must have killed the Deceptant. That's probably why Hitomi blacked out again. Their minds were may have been still connected from the trance, and when the Deceptant died, Hitomi felt it—felt the terror and the pain—and passed out. Damn it! Dliandau's managed to hurt her again. Nobody hurts Hitomi if I can help it. Another black mark...

Hitomi stirs slightly against my shoulder, but does not awaken. It feels so natural to have her in my arms like this. Her earlier words return to me. She trusts me… A slight smile lingers on my lips as we return.

[1] Courtesy of EVA from the Poet's Project at Kyoto Notre Dame University. http://poets.notredame.ac.jp/cgi-bin/jedi-inon.