Disclaimer here… none of escaflowne belongs to me… hope you enjoy it… Escaflowne rules… Please review…
Hitomi looked at planet Earth laying elegantly in the sky surrounded by stars. She wondered what her family, Yukari, and Amano were up to. Had time gone by? Did they think she was dead, or had run away? No, maybe they thought she had never existed. Whatever it was, she started feeling bare inside and lonely, only to be described as homesickness.
She thought back at the night that she saw Allan kissing Princess Mirlana. Her heart shattered, and still was. How could she be so blind? Since when does the gorgeous and noble knight leave his princess for a stranger, worst of all, a girl from another world? Amano. The day she was about to leave, Amano was about to tell her something, that was before Yukari entered the room. She had been so engrossed into the moment. Now it all had evaporated before her.
Van was busy practicing with his sword a few meters away. He had grown closer to her the past few days. She felt so sorry for him, not having any parents, his home destroyed. He suddenly caught her glance and she looked away, reddening, she could still feel his gaze upon her.
She turned and looked at Merle who was busy fidgeting with something rectangular.
"My pager!" she screamed, after catching on, "I told you to stay away from my things you cat burglar( this name has been used so many times!?)!"
"What do these things do?" Merle said playing around with her Discman and her pager.
She grabbed it violently, " Don't touch these things."
"What are they for?" Merle asked again.
Van had walked over to tem, as if interested in what she had to say. " A pager… is something for communication, and the disc man is just for listening to music," she explained to them without looking directly at them.
"What?" Merle simply asked.
"Never mind!" Hitomi said laughing, turning her stare back to the Earth.
" Whatever weirdo!" Merle said jumping off.
Van came and sat right next to her. "You miss your home, don't you?"
"Yes. You must miss Fanelia also!" she said softly.
"I'll destroy Zaibach for what they've done. I'll make Folken pay for what he did," he said increasing his voice and clenching his fist tightly.
He looked at her; she had been quite shocked by the tone he had used. He had used it several times before, but never as fierce, not even in battle. He knew what she was thinking. "Sorry," he said lowering his voice.
"The Mystic Moon must not be that different from here," he said.
"Well, there's no escaflownes or other Guymelefs. People are just like you and me. Our world is quite more technologically advanced," she said giggling.
"What does that mean," he asked grinning.
Hitomi was so impressed by seeing him smiling for the first time, "Well, I'll show you if you'd stay in my world for at least a few days! I can imagine the expression on your face when eating pizza, going to see a movie, or how about a "king" going to a dance or a prom." He laughed, not understanding what she was talking about.
"I sort of lost you at "pizza"," he said laughing, seem to be having quite a good time talking to her.
"You'd surely get along with Amano!" she said. Merle jumped from above and landed between them with her usual annoying face, "Who's Amano?"
"Amano," Hitomi replied blushing, " Is a very close friend of mine. He's only a few years older than me." She looked dreamily at the stars and she mumbled, " I wonder what he was going to tell me that day…
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Hitomi thought back to that day…
He was looking at her sort of seductively, " Hitomi, the truth is this has taught me how much you mean to me."
Right at that moment Yukari walked inside the room.
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"Hello?" Merle screamed in her ear, pushing her on the ground. "Do you always go for older guys? First "Amano" than "Allen"?"
Van looked at the expression on her face, trying to make out her emotions.
"Shut up! It's not true, so what if I only care for Amano?" she said calmly to her. Both Van and Merle were each very surprised at her response about Allen.
The sound of horses advancing caught their attention. Van got up quickly with his sword in position. "Stay behind me!"
They calmed down when they only saw Allen and his men appear from the bushes. Allen slowly got off his horse, " Van, so we finally caught up with you!" He glanced behind him and found Hitomi, glaring at the ground.
"Hitomi," he called out to her softly.
"Allen," she simply replied, without any emotion.
Van groaned and interrupted them, " Thanks for helping us get out of Palais!"
"No problem, you know that I would never hand over Escaflowne to Zaibach," he said, still watching Hitomi.
"You should have seen Hitomi, she was day dreaming about," Hitomi quickly threw his hand over her mouth but Merle bit her, " What? I was only going to say Amono, your boyfriend on the Mystic Moon!"
Hitomi sighed, and whispered " I would be going to the first school dance right now with him if I wasn't here."
"Amano? Can we talk for a few minutes please?" Allen asked quietly, undergoing a cold glance from Van.
She felt like swearing at him to f--- off. "I'm busy, another time Allen," she said walking off and leaning against a tree. She grabbed her Discman and put a CD in.
"Hitomi?" he called out to her. Van simply gave a little laugh, liking the way she had ignored Allen instead of gawking over him like she had been doing the past few days.
She pressed the play button and raised the volume level. Everyone turned and looked towards her, when they heard the sound come out of the mysterious machine.
"What is that," one of Allen's men asked.
"Music, Tonic, American Pie, you'd love that movie, if you understood it…" she said laughing to herself.
"What?" Merle asked.
Hitomi shook her head and continued listening. Allen, who was quite upset about Hitomi not wanting to talk to him, started to talk to Van about Zaibach's plans. Van just simply listened to him, while keeping a close eye on Hitomi whom had her eyes closed, and her back slumped against the tree. Allen took a few breaks to listen to what Hitomi was listening to.
Love is tragic
Love is bold
You will always do what you are told
Love is hard
Love is strong
You will never say that you were wrong
I don't know when I got bitter
Love is sure better when it's gone
Because you wanted more
More than I could give
More than I could handle
And a life that I can't live
You wanted more
More than I could bare
More than I could offer
And a love that isn't there
Love is color
Love is love
Love is never saying you're too proud
Love is trusting
Love is honest
Love is not a hand that holds you down
You wanted more
More than I could bare
More than I could offer
And a love that isn't there
I gotta pick me up when I am down
I gotta get my feet back on the ground
I gotta pick me up when I am down
You wanted more
You wanted more
More than I could bare
More than I could offer?
Because you wanted more
More than I could give
More than I could handle
And a life that I can't live
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Meanwhile, Hitomi felt something take hold of her body and take control over her. She tried to open her mouth to scream, but nothing happened. She tried to move her body, but couldn't. It was as if she was frozen in side someone else's body. She could only see what was happening directly in front of her: Van looking straight at her and Allen talking to him. Allen seemed to have called out Van's name and Van looked back at him. She suddenly felt herself rise to her feet unwillingly. She started to scream, nothing coming out, the others around her not hearing. She turned around and walked like a zombie into the woods.
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Van looked back to where Hitomi was sitting, hoping to find her, but instead found her walking into the forest funnily. He got up slowly and cried out, " Hitomi!" Allen looked towards her direction. Van started running towards her, his sword in his hand, feeling that something was wrong. Allen started running behind him, getting the same feeling.
"What's happening?" Merle asked, watching them running towards her.
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Hitomi was only a few meters from where Van was when a strange laugh was heard and than a purple light surrounded Hitomi. Van ran as fast as he could, hoping it wasn't one of Zaibach's plans, to take Hitomi and use her. He grabbed on to her hand, trying to pull her out of the glowing purple light which was sucking her into an unknown dimension. It blinded his eyes. He felt burning sensations reach his hand but he still kept holding her hand. The purple light started to lessen he thought he had won the battle, but he was wrong. Hitomi's hand disappeared and he was holding nothing but air.
"Hitomi," he breathed.
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Hitomi found herself lying helplessly on a grand bed with satin red sheets. She was afraid that she might not be able to move.
"Doesn't matter, you can move," she heard a familiar male voice say. She got up slowly, and looked around. She knew right away that she was on Zaibach grounds.
A figure in the corner of the room caught her attention. "Dillandau!" was all that came out of her mouth.
"For a girl from the Mystic Moon, you've come to know your surroundings pretty well!" he replied annoyingly.
"What do you want from me," she said shaking, as he approached her.
"Doesn't matter you're in my room. I wanted to know why you're so precious to Allen and Van. Oh, and why you always seem to get in my way when I'm trying to destroy Van Fanel!" he shrieked at her, now sitting at the corner of her bed.
"I'd try to save anyone who wasn't a slug like you!" she replied, catching hold of herself.
He slapped her across the face. A tear rolled down from her eye. She held on to her cheek as the pain spread all over her cheek.
"You shouldn't have said that!" he said proudly.
"Tell Folken to come inside!" he ordered a soldier who had just come inside the room.
"Yes sir!" he answered before going off.
A few minutes later, Folken, Van's brother stepped into the room. He walked over to the bed where Hitomi was lying on.
"Maybe you can figure why she's so precious to your brother!" Dillandau laughed before walking behind Folken. "If you ask me, I think that we should kill her, and than watch Van suffer. A real nice torture to your little brother! He might just lose his mind if he finds out that his little princess from the Mystic Moon is dead!" he continued laughing, taking his sword out.
"That's enough!" Folken screamed at Dillandau, surprising him. He looked at Hitomi who was shaking extremely, moving away from Dillandau on the bed. "Don't be so frightened. Dillandau was just leaving!" he said sternly. Dillandau growled before walking off.
" You must certainly have a name besides " Girl from the Mystic Moon"! Don't worry, no one else is listening to us, Dillandau should know better than to do that!" Folken said reassuringly.
"My name is Hitomi. What do you plan to do with me?"
" That is quite simple actually. You'll be a trap for Van," he replied, showing no emotion at all.
"How can you kill your own brother! Your own flesh and blood!" she screamed.
He looked at her and smiled, " I gave him the choice to join Zaibach by my side, but since her declined the offer, I have no other choice. I once was like Van, I had to visit the mystic Moon to slay the dragon as one of the rituals to become King of Fanelia. The rest is a long story, I don't want to bore you, now do I?"
Hitomi shook her head, not believing what he had just said. She jumped up, when she saw his metallic hand reaching out for her forehead. "What are you doing!" she shaking.
He pushed her hair behind her ear and looked at her in a way, which made Hitomi blush. "Hitomi is a beautiful name for a beautiful girl," he said touching the side of her face. Hitomi could feel her blood freeze, feeling the cold metallic hand touching her face.
"You're bleeding. You must have gotten hurt during the transportation," he said getting up and getting a wet cloth from another room. He wiped her face with a wet cloth, humming slowly a song, which she had once heard Van hymn (it's the Fanelian song).
She felt the cold wet cloth wiping across her face. "That's a very interesting amulet, you have," he said looking at her amulet. "It must mean a lot to you.'
"Thanks, yes it does," she replied softly. She closed her eyes, feeling a little tired. He kept on wiping her face, and she felt him put a bandage over the cut.
She suddenly opened her eyes when she heard Dillandau's voice, " Folken, you make me sick! I told you we should just get rid of her!"
"I do not take orders from you, Dillandau. Our plan is to set her as a trap, and kill Van when he comes to save her. Dornkirk did not say anything about killing her. I shall keep her with me right after we kill Van!" he said angrily, softening his tone when he looked back to Hitomi.
"You can't kill him! And no one is going to keep me!" she yelled, feeling helpless around them because of their weapons.
" My dear Hitomi, it seems that you may be a little tired. I can't let you sleep through the whole moment now can I?" he approached her and kissed her on her cheek. He looked around and seeing a dark room. "This doesn't seem too much of a comfortable room? Does it? Come follow me."
He took her by the hand, and Hitomi automatically got up, feeling weak inside as if her soul had been drained out. Folken held her for support as the walked down the hallway towards another room. Before closing the door, he kissed her and whispered in her ear, " Hitomi, you shouldn't be so frightened of me!"
She walked more inside the room. It seemed that Folken had given her his room. She finally saw her vision blur as she reached the bed. Hitomi felt herself collapse onto the bed.
The door slowly opened in the door and Dillandau walked in, " Everything is working perfectly fine!"
"Let her sleep," Folken said pushing him out of the room.
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"We need to get her back!" Van said angrily running over to his Escaflowne. Allen pulled him back by his shirt.
"Zaibach is probably planning for us to just arrive there, we have to surprise them!" he said back..
"They have Hitomi, and they might kill her!" Van screamed back at him
Allen looked at him abruptly, " I want to get Hitomi back as much as you but we have to keep our heads on our shoulder. Once we find out where they are located, we'll go and spy on them, and see how things look, it's the only way."
Van growled. "Do you hear that?" Merle said jumping up and pointing towards the woods. Everyone looked, wondering what she was talking about, only later hearing the movements of a carriage and a few horses approaching them at a small speed.
Van and Allan and his men took out their swords, since they were not expecting any visitors. The carriage stopped in the middle of the campground and the door opened.
"You thought you'd easily gotten away from me, Allen!" said the young bright voice of Princess Mirlana.
"Mirlana!" Allen replied shocked, putting his sword away. " I told you to leave!"
Van looked at them and sighed before walking off and sitting in escaflowne with Merle, while listening to the conversation.
"Allen, you should know by now that I don't give up easily!" she said smiling (in her annoying way!"
"I told you not to follow me, you'll only end up getting hurt," he said sternly. "Zaibach has already captured Hitomi, and I can't have anyone else to worry about when saving her!"
She looked away, a little hurt by his comment. "Princess Mirlana, you must understand! It's my job as a knight (and as a man…hehehe)to save Hitomi!"
"Forget about her!" she blurted out, as Van shot her a cold glance. Mirlana looked back at Allen.
"I'm not going to forget about her! You have to leave now!" he screamed angrily.
"Well it'll surely interest you to know that while we were riding here, we noticed the Zaibach empire flying over head, around ten kilometers from here!" she said grinning, feeling that she might win Allen back with this.
"Are you sure?" he asked getting his men ready.
She nodded and Allen said, " You stay much behind us, I don't Zaibach to know you're there, you understand?"
She agreed, crossing her fingers behind her back, as they started getting ready to attack the Zaibach Empire.
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"Is it all set up?" Folken asked Dillandau, who was standing near him.
"Of course it's set up, I made all the verifications so that Van would be destroyed once in for all! She'll be tied up, around the obstacle, which will almost kill her. Van will come to save her, and than we'll blow the whole thing up!" he said laughing.
"I told you that we're not blowing it up with her along! I'll make sure of that!" he said walking away.
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Escaflowne was approaching the site where Mirlana had told them to go to. The others were going to fight Zaibach off while him and Allen looked for Hitomi. Van had much preferred the job to himself, but Allen decided it was best for them to go together.
It seemed perfectly clear that Zaibach was planning to get a visit from them. Van heard Allen yell from behind his name. He turned around and found Allen fighting with some of the Guymelefs.
"Van go on! I'll catch up!" Allen screamed at him.
Van started searching the Zaibach fortress for Hitomi, calling her name melancholy. He found her lying tied to a pole, her lands tied to the sides. A Ring of Fire that was growing closer to her by the second surrounded her. Her head was bowed, as if she was dead.
Van froze for a second. She can't be dead. "No, why would they put the fire around her?" he asked himself. It may be a trick.
He slammed his fist against something, when he saw a figure appear in front of him and spread his wings and fly over the Ring of Fire and land near Hitomi.
The pain ran all over Van when he saw his brother, Folken walked over to Hitomi, pushing her head against the pole delicately, making her wake up. She seemed to be quite lost. She looked at Folken and whispered something. It took a few seconds for Van to figure out what, "Folken."
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Hitomi didn't know where she was, but she thought she could see Escaflowne a few meters away. Folken blocked her sight and looked at her seductively before raising her chin to reach his height before he lowered himself. Is he going to do what I think he is. I can't kiss him…She felt a delicate touch of heat touch her lips. He wrapped his arms around her and tried to encourage her by his movements to kiss him back. He suddenly plunged her with a deep kiss. She couldn't resist it. It felt as if he was controlling her. It felt that he had been controlling her the whole time.
_______________________________~~~~___________________________________
"No!!!!!!!" Van screamed before flying towards the platform at a great speed and jumping on it.
Folken released his dark tempting silverfish lips away from her lips leaving a cold feeling tickling sensation all around her body.
"What kind of brother are you?" Van yelled, taking his sword out while watching Hitomi's head drop to the side.
"How can you hurt her, I'll make you pay!!!!" Van said charging at him with all his might.
"I told you and will tell you again, join me in the Zaibach Empire! You'll get her back, but not completely," he said charging back with his sword, a twinkle in his eye.
"Never!!!!" Van said continued fighting. Allen had reached the platform, and did not suspect that Mirlana had followed him.
Merle jumped out of no where, above of the fire and started untying the rope around Hitomi's hands.
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What had she done? How could she have kissed him? Van was about to kill him. There's something in his voice, Van's voice. He seems to have so much hatred after Folken kissed me. Could it mean anything. No of course not, it's stupid to think about that.
She felt herself drop into Allen's arms as soon as the rope was untied from her hands.
"Hitomi, are you all right, answer me," he said taking her into his completely into his arms.
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"I hate you! Why did you have to become like his," Van screamed, charging at an unexpected force. Folken tried to duck the sword coming his way but did not succeed. The sword pierced him as he fell to the ground. Van took it out quickly and watch him hold on to his wound, still alive.
Van ran to where Allen was holding Hitomi. "Is she alright," he asked loudly.
"I don't know, it seems that she unconscious," Mirlana said.
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Hitomi thought,
Oh Van. It can't be all a dream. It just can't be. Though I still wish I was at home, in my room, instead of this world. This world is destructive. If only you could stay in my world.
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Van held her close to him. What happens if I lose her? She may be from the Mystic Moon, but she has saved me so many times. She as close to me as Merle is. I need her.
They all watched her, hoping that she might come back to them. Folken was not moving but was still alive.
A tear all of a sudden rolled down her cheek. It turned a bright pink and lighted her face besides the glowing firelight surrounding her. Before they could stop it, her amulet glowed vibrantly and a pink light surrounded them throwing them all of them on the platform into the sky.