Disclaimers: I own none, I repeat, NONE of these characters, places, or events in my story! I don't even own Escaflowne (wow, what a shocker.... )!!! I can't afford to be screwed over in a federal lawsuit by Bandai Entertainment and Sunrise Entertainment's angry mob of creators and animators out to kill, kill, kill!!!!!
Author's Notes: This story takes place six moths after Van and Dilandau's first battle (the one from where Dilandau gets that nifty little scar... ^_^ ) in an alternate reality-type-thing of my own device.... (device... what a cool word.... device... ::giggle:: )
Notes: ~....~ indicates a thought; *....* indicates a memory or flashback. Get it? Got it? Good. Now, read, dammit!!! _
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part One: Discovering
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dilandau looked up to the ceiling with a sigh, lying on the sparsely decorated bed in his room. It had been a satisfying three hour long exercise break, the kind that left him sweating profusely and nearly gasping for air. The adrenaline rush he got from practice was very fulfilling, though not as a swordfight or a splendid battle. Scarlet eyes flickered shut for a second before he sat upright on his nearly king-sized bed. ~Couldn't I use a nice little battle about now....~
Suddenly, he rose to his feet, sweeping back his silvery bangs from his face as he looked about, ears pricked as usual. Silence was all anyone ever heard on the Vione this late, and silence Dilandau heard. ~But what was I expecting to hear?~ Drunken shouts of joy and ecstatic moans in the throes of passion were the usual, especially from his Ryuugekitai after they had had a nice drink from the bar. And, knowing them, there they probably were. He could imagine the scene before him as if he were there with them: Dallet and Guimel brandishing their katanas wildly at each other, shouting slurred challenges as they "fought"with each other, Gatti flirting with anything remotely female and pestering those poor serving wenches -~Silly fool.... lucky he hasn't been impaled by one of them yet...~-, Viole more than likely discussing the latest in news with that sordid old bartender, and, of course, Miguel and Shesta blushing incredibly as they both ran off to some secluded room hand in hand....
Dilandau's eyes flickered with annoyance as he leaned back into the pillows. It was becoming more and more challenging to keep their little relationship from the eyes of the superiors, and to themselves.. especially after what Miguel had tried to do that one night. Yes, Miguel was clearly drunk, as he tried to...to kiss Dilandau. It was bad enough when Dilandau had to hear Viole or Dallet burst into his room and announce that the two were in some private room...... Occasionally, he didn't need a warning from others; Shesta and Miguel were impossibly loud when they moaned. Luckily, none of the superiors heard or stumbled upon them.~ That would've been my head on a silver platter~.....he thought with a scowl. The Strategos and Dornkirk-sama expected teenaged boys to ignore physical wants and needs, because it "obscured their goals, and it ultimately caused more pain than it was worth"....
A small yawn broke the silence of the silver-haired boy's chambers, and he rose again, sitting on the side edge of the bed. He looked up to the small pendulum clock upon his wall. 2:30 AM. It was getting incredibly late, and soon, Dilandau's eyelids felt as though iron weights were attached to them. Without thinking, his feet lead him into the attached, spacious bathroom, then to the large porcelain shower. A pale hand grabbed and twisted the water knob as, seconds later, billowing steam rose into the air and hot water fell down in a warm torrent. Dull magenta eyes shut again as he felt the warm steam about his face, his neck, all around him. ~Perhaps a nice shower will make me feel better.... wash this smell off....~
Steam filled the bathroom by the time he had begun to remove his golden, single-stoned diadem with a shake of his flipped, silver bangs. He then discarded his lavender tunic, dripping with steam and perspiration, and removed his black exercise pants as he threw them over his shoulder. He stepped into the hot shower with a shudder of relaxation, breathing in the steam again. The water streamed and trickled down his perfectly pale, smooth skin as he leaned into the warm stream of water, scarlet eyes shut in pure ecstacy. Then, almost all too shortly, Dilandau stepped out from the shower, drying himself off with a fluffy white towel before wrapping another around his waist as he headed toward his dresser. Finally settling on a long white nightshirt, he slipped it on, then plopped down onto the bed with a sigh of contentment.
Absently, a finger traced the length of the scar stretching out across his right cheek. A low growl of anger escaped him and a grimace of hatred twisted his pale visage. ~Vaaannnn........he marred my face, my beautiful face!!! He'll pay for it....~ It had been over half a year since the two faced off for the first time, but Dilandau remembered the whole thing as if it were only yesterday. He could still see a lock of silvery hair fall to the ground, landing in a pool of deep red blood on the floor, hear the ring of a sword being sheathed again, the shrieks of fury.... *"I hate you, Van!!! I hate you!!!!".....*
"Vannnnn......."
Then, a small sound of dissent echoed somewhere from within his mind, and a feminine voice with a concerned lilt spoke.
"You know, you really shouldn't be so mad all the time.... it's not really good for your health."
He suddenly became very awake as he whirled about the room, magenta eyes widened with apprehension and anger. "What the hell-?!?!?!?" Nothing. His ears remained pricked for any sound of someone in the room, or even near it. ~Great.... I'm hearing voices.... Am I that tired??~
"Don't worry," the voice chided."I'm not going to hurt you.... I really can't, for that matter...."
"What do you mean? Explain yourself!!! Come on out, intruder.... give me an explanation....." he growled under his breath as he continued scanning the room with his piercing ruby stare, his hearing fine-tuned for any slight movements.
As in answer to his demand, he suddenly felt a crescendo of sharp pain rise through him, and familiar, distant voices rang in his mind softly....
*"Serena!!! Serena, NOOOOO!!!!! You can't do this to her!! SERENA!!!"
"Jajuka!!!! Please, don't let them take me!!! Let me GO!!! JAJUKAAAA!!!!!"
"Come on, Jed!!! Help me get her.... We need to take her to Dornkirk now!"
"JAJUKAAAA!!..."*
Dilandau collapsed to the floor at his knees, clutching at his head as he howled in pain and agony. Then, miraculously, the pain stopped. His shallow, ragged breathing slowly returned to its normal tempo, and he rose again to his feet, eyes wide with terror. "Jajuka... Who are you?!?!?" he called out to the strange voice, almost feeling stupid in asking such a question to no one visible.
The voice sighed, almost exasperatedly. "Haven't you gotten it yet? I'm Serena. That was only a memory from the past.... our past......"
He blinked in mild confusion. He had expected whoever this disembodied voice was to be Serena, but he was in the dark about something.... ~Our past..... what does that mean?~
"I mean that we are the same person..... You were me, you know, before the Madoushi took me...." Serena muttered in a soft, almost pleading tone.
~Gah!!! She can read my thoughts!!!!~ "Same person..... Tell me what you mean, dammit!!! You're speaking in riddles!!!" he growled softly, still looking around the room feverishly, as if looking for something to pop out from some crevice or from behind some door any second.....
"Just.... trust me on this!!! Oh.... how can I explain it..... Oh! Quickly, go to a mirror!!! I know how to explain...." Serena sounded rushed and flustered as she barked out the strange request.
Dilandau frowned and cantered his head. ~What sort of explanation will I get from staring at myself?~ he mused bitterly as a flat expression of annoyance crossed his pale face. "Well, how are you going to help me by making me look in a mirror-"
"Just do it.... Trust me!!" she growled irritably back.
"Trust you?? Hm, let me see, why should someone trust a disembodied hallucination of a voice, especially at 2 in the morning?" Dilandau retorted sarcastically.
"Do it!!!" Another surge of pain coursed through him and a wild cry of pain again rent the silence of the chambers.
"All right!!! Fine.... I'll play along... for now. I thought you said you couldn't hurt me...." Dilandau muttered grumpily back as he stepped back into the cavernous bathroom, heading toward the large gilded-framed floor length mirror in the small alcove.
"Well, isn't that what everyone says? Just look in the mirror now...." she sighed.
He nearly opened his mouth again for another sarcastic retort, then quickly shut his lips with a click of his teeth, still somewhat reeling from the previous outburst of pain he had received at Serena's anger's mercy...
"This is it?" he frowned after spending nearly a few minutes staring into the steam-fogged mirror. A tall, slender-framed boy of about sixteen stared back through the mist, scarlet eyes narrowed behind a fringe of silver and a scowl tugging at his pale lips. Then, before he even had time to brace himself for another rush of pain, something happened to his reflection. It was.... changing. The boy's frame became less angular, curving at the waist, rounding at the shoulders. Flowing white cotton rippled and, in its place, a long aquamarine dress was draped over the shoulders, cascading to the floor in a delicate ripple of silk. And his face..... the delicate lines on his visage were softened even further, and his eyes changed from a vivid scarlet to a deep azure. His hair curled gently, the silver fading into a sandy blonde. His reflection was no longer of himself, but of a girl his age.... a girl..... The reflection blinked, then smiled to him with a calm, almost pleading look.
All Dilandau could think of doing was merely stare back with a slack-jawed look, half-scared, half-awe-stricken.
Then, before he knew it, the room turned very dark, and somehow, the floor rose to meet his side with a fierce slap.
*****************************************************
Miguel bit his lip, slowly shoving himself away from the large doors of Dilandau's chambers. It was too quiet.... and it had been that way for over an hour. The cinnamon-haired Dragonslayer was beginning to worry for Dilandau-sama's health. It had started innocently enough; natural curiosity took over at the faint scream of pain and fear he had heard echoing from behind the doors. It was a rather unusual sound, different from the usual shouts of fury and the breaking of glass against the walls, all of Dilandau-sama's rage and hatred of Van. But this was different, panicked, desperate.... very unlike the Dragonslayer captain.
Though only for a minute, he could've sworn he had heard footsteps approaching him and voices growing louder..... ~Only my imagination.... that's it....~ He sighed with relief, leaning against the doors on his back. Miguel had been extremely fortunate that no one had passed him just then; it would have been rather questionable for someone to see him with an ear pressed to Dilandau-sama's doors. Folken would have had him, for sure..... then, Dilandau.... Miguel shuddered, wiping sweat from his forehead. It seemed that Dilandau had found more and more reasons to punish Miguel, some were merely for a look.... a funny stare.... uttering things out of turn.... even blushing in his presence. ~But, how could anyone help but blush when he's in your face.... especially after that night....~ He grimaced as though in pain.
How foolish he was for downing that bottle- ~the whole bottle!!!~- of Asturian vino..... Alcohol was very infamous for releasing one's inhibitions and setting hidden emotions free, and that certainly applied to Miguel. He should've just passed out... like Shesta did. Poor guy..... passes out with just one sip, he thought endearingly. He was certainly passed out that night, when Dilandau had come down to the bar. Lucky thing, too; Shesta would've gotten really jealous and violent toward Dilandau when in that drunken state.... That whole fiasco of a night seemed like it happened only yesterday.
A deep scarlet blush seared his cheeks; of course it seemed like only yesterday since he had replayed that night over and over in his head.... True, it was his own fault for letting it happen, but that was the one night Miguel felt special, singled out from the others. After all, Dilandau shared his fears, dreams, and wishes to him.... if only in terse whispering over a wine glass. Miguel almost felt unworthy of such attention from him....
Unworthy. Exactly how he felt for the past week. Very often, during the morning and afternoon briefings, Miguel was caught staring at the Dragonslayer captain with a look of pure, starry-eyed desire and, very often, as well, was that dream state crushed by a withering glare from Dilandau. Those angered ruby eyes were enough to pierce Miguel's heart with fear and adoration every time he saw them. And every slap he received from the silverhaired captain was like a stake in his heart. He had lost Dilandau's trust after he was confided in. He was blunderingly stupid enough to lose that precious trust. He didn't deserve Dilandau's ultimate confidence. ~Maybe I never did deserve it.....~
Suddenly, Miguel's train of thought was broken as an unmistakable sound of footsteps echoed in the corridor to his right, and the distinct sounds of a heated conversation rang in the air. Panic washed over the boy as he looked up and down the corridor for any sign of a hiding spot. Finally, his wide navy eyes stopped on a broom closet across the hall. ~Perfect!~ He bolted across the slick floor toward that small steel-clad door, nearly falling as he skidded to a halt. His bare hand clutched at the handle, pulling it down as, slowly, the door opened with hardly a sound. Quickly stepping into the empty closet, he shut the door behind him slowly, careful not to make a sound. He let out a sigh of relief as he pressed himself against the door, trying his best to get a glimpse of the outside hallway through a small crack at the doorframe as the voices got louder...
"Shhh.... be quiet!!! This is Dilandau-sama's personal chambers.... I think he's asleep. We shouldn't disturb him-"
"You 'shhh' yourself, baka.... I'm not the one who's barking commands and bossing people around."
Miguel suddenly tensed as he heard the two bickering whispers. ~Oh, gods!!! That HAS to be Dallet and Gatti!!! I just know it!!! Damn.... If they catch me-~
"Listen, Dallet! If you want to be decapitated tonight by Dilandau-sama, then go ahead and shout down the halls, but, as I think you don't want your pretty hair to be messed up, I suggest you shut up...." Gatti growled softly. Miguel could just barely see Gatti scowling at the shorter brunette with his arms akimbo.
"Fine, have it your way. At least Shesta's being quiet, right, She-?" Dallet suddenly turned around, looking back to the direction they had come from with a curious look on his pointed, narrow face.
"Odd." Gatti, too, whirled about on his heel, a deep frown crossing the blonde's visage. "He was just there a few minutes ago, wasn't he?"
"Yeah... he was....." Dallet shot a thoughtful look to Gatti; then, his eyes widened, and a grin replaced that small frown. "We passed by the guymelef hangar, didn't we?"
Gatti's frown merely deepened as he furrowed his brows. "Well, yeah.... but what's that got to do with-"
"Wonder if Miguel's going to meet with him...." Dallet interrupted with a thoughful air.
A stupid look contorted Gatti's visage as he looked back to Dallet. "Why would Miguel meet with him there??"
"Isn't it so obvious?!?" Dallet exclaimed, throwing his hands up into the air impatiently, then turned around on his heel to make sure no one else was within earshot. "Shesta and Miguel.... haven't you noticed some odd... affection passing between the two? A softness?" he whispered harshly. ~Oh, damn.... I should've taken his word for it when I asked him to keep it a secret....~
The tall blonde looked up to Dallet with a frown. Then, a sudden look of comprehension dawned on his face. " 'S a matter of fact, I have.....You mean... Ohhhhh....."
"About time you figured it out, you dense lout. Honestly, Gatti, if I didn't know you better, I'd think you were as stupid as an Asturian villager...." the brunette flipped back a shoulder-length strand with a casual air as he sneered to Gatti teasingly.
"And this has been happening.... and I didn't see it?!? Does Dilandau-sama know this? Those two could get in serious trouble with Dornkirk-"
"Don't worry your pretty, empty little head about it, Gatti-san. Dilandau knows," the brunette deadpanned.
"But.... but how?!?" Gatti questioned with a hiss, leaning slowly away from Dallet.
"He caught them in a rather compromising situation, to say the least, about a month ago... I think it was in the flour pantry. From what I heard, they were going at it like rabbits..." Dallet added with a smirk. ~Great... now I'll have to suffer Gatti's teasing...~
Gatti let out a small laugh, then, his expression became more serious as he turned again to his comrade. "But.... he hasn't told the superiors, has he?"
"Oh, no!!! He doesn't want a word of this spilled to any of those Madoushi, nor to Dornkirk..... says they don't understand..."
The pale-haired boy's face relaxed as he let out a small sigh. "Man.... I didn't think anything would ever happen between those two.... then again, I probably should've known......"
"Well, now.... has that wench of yours been giving you trouble? Again? I thought I heard some unusual activity in your room, Gatti...." Dallet smirked again devilishly as he set foot, heading in their original path.... ~About time!!!~
"Dallet!!! You sneak!!! Don't you have anything better to do than spy on people constantly?" Footsteps echoed again in the corridor, and the two Dragonslayers disappeared from Miguel's narrow line of vision.....
"Well, I do manage to have time to gossip....."
And finally, the footsteps faded, and the boys' conversation decrescendoed into silence. Miguel paused for a few seconds, as a precaution, before he slowly twisted the door knob and shoved the door open. Quickly shutting the door behind him, he wiped the perspiration that had collected at his forehead and sighed, leaning against the wall. Then, an almost animal-like growl escaped him and he clenched his teeth in a fierce scowl. ~Dallet was told that in pure confidence!!!~ He stood upright again, then headed to the guymelef hangar with lightning speed, a blush rising on his cheeks.
"Dallet's going to be in for it when we spar tomorrow......."
******************************************************
"Dilandau.... wake up...."
Scarlet eyes flickered open slowly with a groan of pain. He could barely remember that dream.... or was it a dream? Suddenly, a flash of aquamarine, a calm blue stare, and a mirror flashed before his eyes, and echoes of the discussion rang in his mind, and he sat upright, looking around wildly. ~Ok...~ He was in the bathroom.... lying on the floor. ~Exactly where that....... left off.....~
He rose to his feet, heading for the bedroom beyond the doorway connecting the two rooms. Then, with a soft plop, he sprawled out onto the bed, looking up at the clock on his wall again. Nearly 5 AM. He had time for a small nap....
"Dilandau!!!" ~That.... voice. That was the voice I heard in that.... dream... Serena, she said was her name.....~
Then, before he knew it, he was being pulled down into darkness, the whole room dissolving around him as he began to slowly fall down.... down......
Soon, he landed in a sitting position atop a bare feather mattress lying on a cold stone floor. Widened scarlet eyes looked about the minimalistic room; the walls were, too, grey, old stone, and only chains, corroded with rust and, seemingly, cut off, decorated them. A flutter of aquamarine silk caught his attention from the corner of his eye, and his vision turned to the girl.... that same girl he had seen....
"About time I learned how to get you down here...." she muttered softly to him as she stepped into the large circle of light, whose source seemed to be nonexistant. Serena stopped only inches from Dilandau with a small, calm smile on her face.
He rose to his feet, soon towering over her with a sneer on his pale face as he began to circle around her threateningly.
"Who are you, really? And how did you manage to get me here?" he growled through gritted teeth.
Serena nearly trembled with fear as he continued to pace around her, growling viciously.
"I already told you!! Serena.... Serena Schezar...."
Dilandau froze suddenly, then turned around to face Serena with a look of curiosity and apprehension. "Schezar?..... Allen...-"
"Is my brother." She nodded shakily, soon, the color remaining in her face drained. "You know him..... you've fought with him before..."
His sparkling ruby gaze passed over her slowly as he resumed pacing around her. ~Yes..... She certainly has the family's looks.... Typical Schezar blonde.... and those eyes....~ His thoughts stopped. ~Those eyes, indeed.....~ He had seen those eyes somewhere else, those same deep azure blues.... Of course, they were always alive with a fiery hatred, burning through Dilandau with a passion almost rivaling the reciprocated furious ruby stare as they were both locked in battle.... *"You're a strong one, Allen.... I like that...."*
He shook those thoughts away, and stopped again only inches from Serena's face, smirking cruelly as he leaned in. "Ha..... a Schezar.... worthless! If you're anything worse than your brother," he sneered softly, "I could easily take care of you..... get you out of the picture and out of my mind...."
"You're wrong, Dilandau. You need me.... We are one and the same person. If you kill me..... you kill half of yourself," she whispered timidly, staring up at him with a deadly, almost defiant, calm. "Don't you get it? The Madoushi made you from me.... I am the original, you're just an 'improved' version....."
Suddenly Dilandau felt an irrational anger boil up inside him, as old memories resurfaced from the long buried past..... The bright light flooding everything around him while he was strapped onto a slab.... the whispers, and muttering in the background, referring to him as "Test Subject 62A-3" ........ his isolation in a dark cell, and Jajuka telling him it was "for his own good" and that "the Madoushi just want to be sure...". Almost all his life, he was treated as a lab rat... an object of pure destruction created by the superiors. An object made to be bent to their will and do their bidding obediently, no questions asked. He snarled, raising his hand slowly; then, his hand met her face with a loud slap, and she swayed on her feet, her head rolling with the slap, then snapping back to meet his enraged glare with her brows knotted in fury.
"You'll never be useful to me.... as long as you're related to that Schezar brother of yours, you'll never be useful to me....." he snarled, leaning into her face even further.
Serena glared back, looking him directly in the eye with that fiery blue stare. "Listen, you arrogant, egotistical baka.... You do need me, whether you like it or not.... And you can't do anything about me!!! You're stuck with me, as am I with you.... so deal with it-"
Before Dilandau even considered the option, his hands encircled her neck, wringing it tightly underneath his pale, thin hands. A sickening crunch of bone echoed in the room, and she slumped in his grasp like a limp ragdoll. He shoved her roughly to the ground, and she lay on the bare stone floor with a trickle of blood streaming down her forehead. He was tired of her... tired of everything she had said. He was fed up with watching that icy-cold blue stare pierce through him. Most importantly, he was fed up with everything he had been reminded of.
Scarlet eyes fluttered back down to Serena's lifeless form. She was still breathing, sprawled on the cold flagstone floor, and bruises encircled her neck. Ten oval, dark purple bruises. A coldly amused smile crossed his visage, and a cold, high-pitched cackle of laughter rang through the prison-like quarters, even as the room about him dissolved into blackness, and his own chambers slowly faded back around him.
And that laughter echoed in the halls of the Vione that morning.
******************************************************
"Yaaaaaaahhhh!!!!!"
Miguel threw back Shesta with a fierce shove of his katana as their blades met again crossed before their faces. Shesta flew back awkwardly, almost stumbling to a fall, cursing softly under his breath.
"Come on, Shesta!!! Go on the offensive for once!!!" Miguel cried out as he spun gracefully away again, jumping away as he waved his blade tauntingly in the air at the small blonde Dragonslayer.
Shesta ran headlong toward Miguel with a cry of fury, arcing his own katana upward to the brunette Dragonslayer's sword in the hopes of disarming him. He knew this trick all too well, and skipped back just in time as he heard the sharp whistle of the blade cutting through the air. Shesta paused for a minute, panting, and Miguel wiped back sweat from his eyes while he brushed back cinnamon-brown strands of hair, already soaked with perspiration. As soon as the small blonde boy regained his bearings, he lunged to Miguel again with an exasperated grunt, the blade this time aiming for his neck. Another graceful pirouette later, and the brunette boy managed to escape the sharp katana by a few millimeters. Again, Shesta broke into a leaping run as he raised his sword above his head, the blade's destination being the middle of Miguel's head.
He barely had time to raise his sword upright; then, a shower of sparks swarmed around them both as the two swords collided inches from their faces. Shesta panted again as he tried to shove Miguel back with his katana, though nearly knocking himself over in the attempt. Before he knew it, Miguel had his back against the wall, staring back at a sweaty grin of triumph spread across Shesta's fair visage.
"How's this.... for offensive...?" he managed to growl between grunts of effort. Then, Shesta dived in over the crossed blades and kissed Miguel, nibbling gently on his lip as a plea for Miguel's participation. He obeyed, and soon he had the blonde's mouth parted as his tongue gently swirled around Shesta's own. They both felt electric sparks fly between them both as the kiss was prolonged; it seemed like forever before either of them stopped and pulled away. A few starry-eyed seconds passed between them as they stared back to each other with genuine affection sparkling in their eyes. Then, Shesta flew backwards, landing on the slick floor as his katana slipped from his already sweaty grasp, flying away in the air in an arc of silver. A blur of navy and black sped to his side, and minutes later he found Miguel's katana at his throat as he hovered above the bewildered blonde, a smirk of joy on his lit-up face.
"I told you, Shesta.... that never works. It always backfires on you. I do hope you won't try that with Allen next time he goes for the kill-"
"And I certainly don't want to see that in battle, either, Shesta!!!!" a cold, angered shout echoed in the sparring arena, punctuated by the clatter of Shesta's sword in the distance.
Both of them looked over their shoulders as Dilandau stepped into the circle of light slowly, a look of utter disappointment and anger upon his typically arrogant face. Miguel slowly sheathed his katana at his side as the silverhaired captain slowly made their way toward the pair, arms crossed over his chest and rumpling the lilac tunic at his chest. Black pants rustled, then ceased as he came to a stop only a foot away from the two with a click of scarlet boots. Miguel felt a blush searing at his cheeks again as he fell to the ground in the traditional kneel of the Dragonslayers, Shesta following suit quickly.
"Dilandau-sama!" they both shouted breathlessly.
"Save it.... both of you." An uneasy silence fell upon the room as Dilandau began pacing before the two, his boots only visible to the two as they stared to the ground, careful to avoid Dilandau's stare.
"Do you know.... how long I've been here, watching you two?" he growled softly.
Neither of the two boys dared to even make a sound as the captain continued pacing before them, snarling down at them with his hands folded behind his back. Miguel felt that blazing hot stare bore through him, and his scarlet tint rose further as he stared to the floor obediently.
"I've been in here for the whole two hours you've been using to... ahem... 'practice'...." he sneered, scarlet boots still tapping against the marble floor. "Now, I ask you, do you know how long I've been watching and wishing that I wasn't so damn bored?!?!?"
"Iie, Dilandau-sama!!!" Shesta shouted impulsively, then blanched. Miguel was trying with all his might to keep his curses to the foolish boy at bay. Then, a scarlet blur arced upward to connect with Shesta's jaw, sending him flying through the air and landing meters away in an awkward heap.
"Did I ask you to say anything?!?!?" Dilandau shouted as Shesta scurried back up, rushing back beside Miguel as he fell back into his kneeling, grounding his fist into the floor. A small tear fell to the floor, and a pool formed at Shesta's feet as Dilandau went back to his pacing again, growling dangerously.
"Your sparring was horrible!!!! Absolutely TERRIBLE!!!! I was going mad from counting how many mistakes I saw in your parrying, Miguel!!! And you, Shesta......" Scarlet feet stopped right before the subdued boy as the captain crossed his arms over his chest, his scowl deepening the lines on his face as his scarlet eyes bore right through Shesta.
"That had to be the worst exhibition of swordfighting skills I've ever seen!! I really should've taken your word for it when you said that it wasn't your forte! And you call yourself a DRAGONSLAYER-?!?!?"
"Stop.... please...." Miguel softly muttered as he slowly raised his navy eyes to meet with Dilandau's furious and shocked stare. His blazing red glare pierced through Miguel's heart. ~How can something like that stare be so beautiful and repelling at the same time?....~
Suddenly, it felt as if all the air in his lungs escaped him and a dull pain rose through him, and he rolled over to his side, clutching at his lower stomach desperately. A pale hand reached down and took hold of the navy collar of Miguel's tunic, jerking him up to meet Dilandau's enraged stare. He felt paralyzed with fear under the captain's stare, and he began trembling with fear involuntarily, his indigo eyes widening to the size of saucers.
"What's this....? Insubordination?..." he hissed, leaning into Miguel's wan face with a sneer. The brunette looked from the delicate face contorted in anger before him to the kneeling form of Shesta, shaking with muffled crying. The small blonde's head slowly rose, shooting a watery look of apologetic pity as tears welled up in his bright blue eyes, threatening to trickle down his cheeks. Dilandau shook Miguel roughly, and his stare whirled right back to the enraged face before him again.
Before he knew it, Miguel felt a painful sting at his cheek as Dilandau's hand slowly lowered back to his side. His head reeled briefly, and he was shoved back away from his commander forcefully, nearly falling onto the floor again.
"Shesta!!" The silverhaired commander shot a coolly annoyed look to the blonde, and Shesta immediately stood up in a stiff position, staring directly back with a deceptively calm expresion.
"Hai, Dilandau-sama!!!" he shouted militaristically.
The brunette Dragonslayer felt more than saw the fierce stare of the captain, even before his own wide, panicked stare met with Dilandau's. A cruel, domineering smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes spread on his face as he stared back to Miguel, who was still shaking with fear.
"You're dismissed."
Shesta released his stiff salute, then made his way to the door slowly, wiping the stream of tears coursing down his cheek. The pathetic blonde looked back once with a sadly apologetic look dimming his eyes as he slid out the door, shutting it behind him silently. Dilandau slowly approached Miguel with a snarl on his face, fury raging like an inferno in his eyes; the sheer anger pierced through Miguel like a poisonous arrow. Then, the silverhaired boy stopped, his face only inches from the Dragonslayer's. He was paralyzed with fear, paralyzed by Dilandau's beauty... trapped because of his mixed emotions. Slowly, Miguel felt a blush sear at his cheeks again as he was jerked closer into his face, tugged in by a hand at his tunic front.
"Never again.... Never again do I want to hear you say those words to me........ you hear me? The next time you try to undermine my authority like that, Miguel, so help me, I'll make sure that-"
Suddenly, Miguel swooped up into his face, his lips easily finding Dilandau's within seconds. The silverhaired boy's scarlet eyes widened further as Miguel tried desperately to part his mouth, but soon relaxed as the brunette's tongue darted into his mouth. He nervously ran his tongue through Dilandau's mouth, searching and exploring every part of it, then, seeming satisfied, his tongue settled on swirling delicately around Dilandau's. ~What the hell am I doing? I'm.... I'm kissing my commander.....~
As though he picked up Miguel's discomfort, Dilandau shoved Miguel back roughly with a scowl. He fell back onto the floor, skidding a few feet from the scarlet-clad feet. Garnet eyes twitched slightly as a grimace spread over the pale face, and, before Miguel could register what had happened, Dilandau turned on his heel and ran to the door, only looking back once with a faintly hazy stare. The door shut closed, and Miguel was left alone in the sparring arena, looking after Dilandau with a confused and desiring look in his eyes.
******************************************************
Author's Notes: This story takes place six moths after Van and Dilandau's first battle (the one from where Dilandau gets that nifty little scar... ^_^ ) in an alternate reality-type-thing of my own device.... (device... what a cool word.... device... ::giggle:: )
Notes: ~....~ indicates a thought; *....* indicates a memory or flashback. Get it? Got it? Good. Now, read, dammit!!! _
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part One: Discovering
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dilandau looked up to the ceiling with a sigh, lying on the sparsely decorated bed in his room. It had been a satisfying three hour long exercise break, the kind that left him sweating profusely and nearly gasping for air. The adrenaline rush he got from practice was very fulfilling, though not as a swordfight or a splendid battle. Scarlet eyes flickered shut for a second before he sat upright on his nearly king-sized bed. ~Couldn't I use a nice little battle about now....~
Suddenly, he rose to his feet, sweeping back his silvery bangs from his face as he looked about, ears pricked as usual. Silence was all anyone ever heard on the Vione this late, and silence Dilandau heard. ~But what was I expecting to hear?~ Drunken shouts of joy and ecstatic moans in the throes of passion were the usual, especially from his Ryuugekitai after they had had a nice drink from the bar. And, knowing them, there they probably were. He could imagine the scene before him as if he were there with them: Dallet and Guimel brandishing their katanas wildly at each other, shouting slurred challenges as they "fought"with each other, Gatti flirting with anything remotely female and pestering those poor serving wenches -~Silly fool.... lucky he hasn't been impaled by one of them yet...~-, Viole more than likely discussing the latest in news with that sordid old bartender, and, of course, Miguel and Shesta blushing incredibly as they both ran off to some secluded room hand in hand....
Dilandau's eyes flickered with annoyance as he leaned back into the pillows. It was becoming more and more challenging to keep their little relationship from the eyes of the superiors, and to themselves.. especially after what Miguel had tried to do that one night. Yes, Miguel was clearly drunk, as he tried to...to kiss Dilandau. It was bad enough when Dilandau had to hear Viole or Dallet burst into his room and announce that the two were in some private room...... Occasionally, he didn't need a warning from others; Shesta and Miguel were impossibly loud when they moaned. Luckily, none of the superiors heard or stumbled upon them.~ That would've been my head on a silver platter~.....he thought with a scowl. The Strategos and Dornkirk-sama expected teenaged boys to ignore physical wants and needs, because it "obscured their goals, and it ultimately caused more pain than it was worth"....
A small yawn broke the silence of the silver-haired boy's chambers, and he rose again, sitting on the side edge of the bed. He looked up to the small pendulum clock upon his wall. 2:30 AM. It was getting incredibly late, and soon, Dilandau's eyelids felt as though iron weights were attached to them. Without thinking, his feet lead him into the attached, spacious bathroom, then to the large porcelain shower. A pale hand grabbed and twisted the water knob as, seconds later, billowing steam rose into the air and hot water fell down in a warm torrent. Dull magenta eyes shut again as he felt the warm steam about his face, his neck, all around him. ~Perhaps a nice shower will make me feel better.... wash this smell off....~
Steam filled the bathroom by the time he had begun to remove his golden, single-stoned diadem with a shake of his flipped, silver bangs. He then discarded his lavender tunic, dripping with steam and perspiration, and removed his black exercise pants as he threw them over his shoulder. He stepped into the hot shower with a shudder of relaxation, breathing in the steam again. The water streamed and trickled down his perfectly pale, smooth skin as he leaned into the warm stream of water, scarlet eyes shut in pure ecstacy. Then, almost all too shortly, Dilandau stepped out from the shower, drying himself off with a fluffy white towel before wrapping another around his waist as he headed toward his dresser. Finally settling on a long white nightshirt, he slipped it on, then plopped down onto the bed with a sigh of contentment.
Absently, a finger traced the length of the scar stretching out across his right cheek. A low growl of anger escaped him and a grimace of hatred twisted his pale visage. ~Vaaannnn........he marred my face, my beautiful face!!! He'll pay for it....~ It had been over half a year since the two faced off for the first time, but Dilandau remembered the whole thing as if it were only yesterday. He could still see a lock of silvery hair fall to the ground, landing in a pool of deep red blood on the floor, hear the ring of a sword being sheathed again, the shrieks of fury.... *"I hate you, Van!!! I hate you!!!!".....*
"Vannnnn......."
Then, a small sound of dissent echoed somewhere from within his mind, and a feminine voice with a concerned lilt spoke.
"You know, you really shouldn't be so mad all the time.... it's not really good for your health."
He suddenly became very awake as he whirled about the room, magenta eyes widened with apprehension and anger. "What the hell-?!?!?!?" Nothing. His ears remained pricked for any sound of someone in the room, or even near it. ~Great.... I'm hearing voices.... Am I that tired??~
"Don't worry," the voice chided."I'm not going to hurt you.... I really can't, for that matter...."
"What do you mean? Explain yourself!!! Come on out, intruder.... give me an explanation....." he growled under his breath as he continued scanning the room with his piercing ruby stare, his hearing fine-tuned for any slight movements.
As in answer to his demand, he suddenly felt a crescendo of sharp pain rise through him, and familiar, distant voices rang in his mind softly....
*"Serena!!! Serena, NOOOOO!!!!! You can't do this to her!! SERENA!!!"
"Jajuka!!!! Please, don't let them take me!!! Let me GO!!! JAJUKAAAA!!!!!"
"Come on, Jed!!! Help me get her.... We need to take her to Dornkirk now!"
"JAJUKAAAA!!..."*
Dilandau collapsed to the floor at his knees, clutching at his head as he howled in pain and agony. Then, miraculously, the pain stopped. His shallow, ragged breathing slowly returned to its normal tempo, and he rose again to his feet, eyes wide with terror. "Jajuka... Who are you?!?!?" he called out to the strange voice, almost feeling stupid in asking such a question to no one visible.
The voice sighed, almost exasperatedly. "Haven't you gotten it yet? I'm Serena. That was only a memory from the past.... our past......"
He blinked in mild confusion. He had expected whoever this disembodied voice was to be Serena, but he was in the dark about something.... ~Our past..... what does that mean?~
"I mean that we are the same person..... You were me, you know, before the Madoushi took me...." Serena muttered in a soft, almost pleading tone.
~Gah!!! She can read my thoughts!!!!~ "Same person..... Tell me what you mean, dammit!!! You're speaking in riddles!!!" he growled softly, still looking around the room feverishly, as if looking for something to pop out from some crevice or from behind some door any second.....
"Just.... trust me on this!!! Oh.... how can I explain it..... Oh! Quickly, go to a mirror!!! I know how to explain...." Serena sounded rushed and flustered as she barked out the strange request.
Dilandau frowned and cantered his head. ~What sort of explanation will I get from staring at myself?~ he mused bitterly as a flat expression of annoyance crossed his pale face. "Well, how are you going to help me by making me look in a mirror-"
"Just do it.... Trust me!!" she growled irritably back.
"Trust you?? Hm, let me see, why should someone trust a disembodied hallucination of a voice, especially at 2 in the morning?" Dilandau retorted sarcastically.
"Do it!!!" Another surge of pain coursed through him and a wild cry of pain again rent the silence of the chambers.
"All right!!! Fine.... I'll play along... for now. I thought you said you couldn't hurt me...." Dilandau muttered grumpily back as he stepped back into the cavernous bathroom, heading toward the large gilded-framed floor length mirror in the small alcove.
"Well, isn't that what everyone says? Just look in the mirror now...." she sighed.
He nearly opened his mouth again for another sarcastic retort, then quickly shut his lips with a click of his teeth, still somewhat reeling from the previous outburst of pain he had received at Serena's anger's mercy...
"This is it?" he frowned after spending nearly a few minutes staring into the steam-fogged mirror. A tall, slender-framed boy of about sixteen stared back through the mist, scarlet eyes narrowed behind a fringe of silver and a scowl tugging at his pale lips. Then, before he even had time to brace himself for another rush of pain, something happened to his reflection. It was.... changing. The boy's frame became less angular, curving at the waist, rounding at the shoulders. Flowing white cotton rippled and, in its place, a long aquamarine dress was draped over the shoulders, cascading to the floor in a delicate ripple of silk. And his face..... the delicate lines on his visage were softened even further, and his eyes changed from a vivid scarlet to a deep azure. His hair curled gently, the silver fading into a sandy blonde. His reflection was no longer of himself, but of a girl his age.... a girl..... The reflection blinked, then smiled to him with a calm, almost pleading look.
All Dilandau could think of doing was merely stare back with a slack-jawed look, half-scared, half-awe-stricken.
Then, before he knew it, the room turned very dark, and somehow, the floor rose to meet his side with a fierce slap.
*****************************************************
Miguel bit his lip, slowly shoving himself away from the large doors of Dilandau's chambers. It was too quiet.... and it had been that way for over an hour. The cinnamon-haired Dragonslayer was beginning to worry for Dilandau-sama's health. It had started innocently enough; natural curiosity took over at the faint scream of pain and fear he had heard echoing from behind the doors. It was a rather unusual sound, different from the usual shouts of fury and the breaking of glass against the walls, all of Dilandau-sama's rage and hatred of Van. But this was different, panicked, desperate.... very unlike the Dragonslayer captain.
Though only for a minute, he could've sworn he had heard footsteps approaching him and voices growing louder..... ~Only my imagination.... that's it....~ He sighed with relief, leaning against the doors on his back. Miguel had been extremely fortunate that no one had passed him just then; it would have been rather questionable for someone to see him with an ear pressed to Dilandau-sama's doors. Folken would have had him, for sure..... then, Dilandau.... Miguel shuddered, wiping sweat from his forehead. It seemed that Dilandau had found more and more reasons to punish Miguel, some were merely for a look.... a funny stare.... uttering things out of turn.... even blushing in his presence. ~But, how could anyone help but blush when he's in your face.... especially after that night....~ He grimaced as though in pain.
How foolish he was for downing that bottle- ~the whole bottle!!!~- of Asturian vino..... Alcohol was very infamous for releasing one's inhibitions and setting hidden emotions free, and that certainly applied to Miguel. He should've just passed out... like Shesta did. Poor guy..... passes out with just one sip, he thought endearingly. He was certainly passed out that night, when Dilandau had come down to the bar. Lucky thing, too; Shesta would've gotten really jealous and violent toward Dilandau when in that drunken state.... That whole fiasco of a night seemed like it happened only yesterday.
A deep scarlet blush seared his cheeks; of course it seemed like only yesterday since he had replayed that night over and over in his head.... True, it was his own fault for letting it happen, but that was the one night Miguel felt special, singled out from the others. After all, Dilandau shared his fears, dreams, and wishes to him.... if only in terse whispering over a wine glass. Miguel almost felt unworthy of such attention from him....
Unworthy. Exactly how he felt for the past week. Very often, during the morning and afternoon briefings, Miguel was caught staring at the Dragonslayer captain with a look of pure, starry-eyed desire and, very often, as well, was that dream state crushed by a withering glare from Dilandau. Those angered ruby eyes were enough to pierce Miguel's heart with fear and adoration every time he saw them. And every slap he received from the silverhaired captain was like a stake in his heart. He had lost Dilandau's trust after he was confided in. He was blunderingly stupid enough to lose that precious trust. He didn't deserve Dilandau's ultimate confidence. ~Maybe I never did deserve it.....~
Suddenly, Miguel's train of thought was broken as an unmistakable sound of footsteps echoed in the corridor to his right, and the distinct sounds of a heated conversation rang in the air. Panic washed over the boy as he looked up and down the corridor for any sign of a hiding spot. Finally, his wide navy eyes stopped on a broom closet across the hall. ~Perfect!~ He bolted across the slick floor toward that small steel-clad door, nearly falling as he skidded to a halt. His bare hand clutched at the handle, pulling it down as, slowly, the door opened with hardly a sound. Quickly stepping into the empty closet, he shut the door behind him slowly, careful not to make a sound. He let out a sigh of relief as he pressed himself against the door, trying his best to get a glimpse of the outside hallway through a small crack at the doorframe as the voices got louder...
"Shhh.... be quiet!!! This is Dilandau-sama's personal chambers.... I think he's asleep. We shouldn't disturb him-"
"You 'shhh' yourself, baka.... I'm not the one who's barking commands and bossing people around."
Miguel suddenly tensed as he heard the two bickering whispers. ~Oh, gods!!! That HAS to be Dallet and Gatti!!! I just know it!!! Damn.... If they catch me-~
"Listen, Dallet! If you want to be decapitated tonight by Dilandau-sama, then go ahead and shout down the halls, but, as I think you don't want your pretty hair to be messed up, I suggest you shut up...." Gatti growled softly. Miguel could just barely see Gatti scowling at the shorter brunette with his arms akimbo.
"Fine, have it your way. At least Shesta's being quiet, right, She-?" Dallet suddenly turned around, looking back to the direction they had come from with a curious look on his pointed, narrow face.
"Odd." Gatti, too, whirled about on his heel, a deep frown crossing the blonde's visage. "He was just there a few minutes ago, wasn't he?"
"Yeah... he was....." Dallet shot a thoughtful look to Gatti; then, his eyes widened, and a grin replaced that small frown. "We passed by the guymelef hangar, didn't we?"
Gatti's frown merely deepened as he furrowed his brows. "Well, yeah.... but what's that got to do with-"
"Wonder if Miguel's going to meet with him...." Dallet interrupted with a thoughful air.
A stupid look contorted Gatti's visage as he looked back to Dallet. "Why would Miguel meet with him there??"
"Isn't it so obvious?!?" Dallet exclaimed, throwing his hands up into the air impatiently, then turned around on his heel to make sure no one else was within earshot. "Shesta and Miguel.... haven't you noticed some odd... affection passing between the two? A softness?" he whispered harshly. ~Oh, damn.... I should've taken his word for it when I asked him to keep it a secret....~
The tall blonde looked up to Dallet with a frown. Then, a sudden look of comprehension dawned on his face. " 'S a matter of fact, I have.....You mean... Ohhhhh....."
"About time you figured it out, you dense lout. Honestly, Gatti, if I didn't know you better, I'd think you were as stupid as an Asturian villager...." the brunette flipped back a shoulder-length strand with a casual air as he sneered to Gatti teasingly.
"And this has been happening.... and I didn't see it?!? Does Dilandau-sama know this? Those two could get in serious trouble with Dornkirk-"
"Don't worry your pretty, empty little head about it, Gatti-san. Dilandau knows," the brunette deadpanned.
"But.... but how?!?" Gatti questioned with a hiss, leaning slowly away from Dallet.
"He caught them in a rather compromising situation, to say the least, about a month ago... I think it was in the flour pantry. From what I heard, they were going at it like rabbits..." Dallet added with a smirk. ~Great... now I'll have to suffer Gatti's teasing...~
Gatti let out a small laugh, then, his expression became more serious as he turned again to his comrade. "But.... he hasn't told the superiors, has he?"
"Oh, no!!! He doesn't want a word of this spilled to any of those Madoushi, nor to Dornkirk..... says they don't understand..."
The pale-haired boy's face relaxed as he let out a small sigh. "Man.... I didn't think anything would ever happen between those two.... then again, I probably should've known......"
"Well, now.... has that wench of yours been giving you trouble? Again? I thought I heard some unusual activity in your room, Gatti...." Dallet smirked again devilishly as he set foot, heading in their original path.... ~About time!!!~
"Dallet!!! You sneak!!! Don't you have anything better to do than spy on people constantly?" Footsteps echoed again in the corridor, and the two Dragonslayers disappeared from Miguel's narrow line of vision.....
"Well, I do manage to have time to gossip....."
And finally, the footsteps faded, and the boys' conversation decrescendoed into silence. Miguel paused for a few seconds, as a precaution, before he slowly twisted the door knob and shoved the door open. Quickly shutting the door behind him, he wiped the perspiration that had collected at his forehead and sighed, leaning against the wall. Then, an almost animal-like growl escaped him and he clenched his teeth in a fierce scowl. ~Dallet was told that in pure confidence!!!~ He stood upright again, then headed to the guymelef hangar with lightning speed, a blush rising on his cheeks.
"Dallet's going to be in for it when we spar tomorrow......."
******************************************************
"Dilandau.... wake up...."
Scarlet eyes flickered open slowly with a groan of pain. He could barely remember that dream.... or was it a dream? Suddenly, a flash of aquamarine, a calm blue stare, and a mirror flashed before his eyes, and echoes of the discussion rang in his mind, and he sat upright, looking around wildly. ~Ok...~ He was in the bathroom.... lying on the floor. ~Exactly where that....... left off.....~
He rose to his feet, heading for the bedroom beyond the doorway connecting the two rooms. Then, with a soft plop, he sprawled out onto the bed, looking up at the clock on his wall again. Nearly 5 AM. He had time for a small nap....
"Dilandau!!!" ~That.... voice. That was the voice I heard in that.... dream... Serena, she said was her name.....~
Then, before he knew it, he was being pulled down into darkness, the whole room dissolving around him as he began to slowly fall down.... down......
Soon, he landed in a sitting position atop a bare feather mattress lying on a cold stone floor. Widened scarlet eyes looked about the minimalistic room; the walls were, too, grey, old stone, and only chains, corroded with rust and, seemingly, cut off, decorated them. A flutter of aquamarine silk caught his attention from the corner of his eye, and his vision turned to the girl.... that same girl he had seen....
"About time I learned how to get you down here...." she muttered softly to him as she stepped into the large circle of light, whose source seemed to be nonexistant. Serena stopped only inches from Dilandau with a small, calm smile on her face.
He rose to his feet, soon towering over her with a sneer on his pale face as he began to circle around her threateningly.
"Who are you, really? And how did you manage to get me here?" he growled through gritted teeth.
Serena nearly trembled with fear as he continued to pace around her, growling viciously.
"I already told you!! Serena.... Serena Schezar...."
Dilandau froze suddenly, then turned around to face Serena with a look of curiosity and apprehension. "Schezar?..... Allen...-"
"Is my brother." She nodded shakily, soon, the color remaining in her face drained. "You know him..... you've fought with him before..."
His sparkling ruby gaze passed over her slowly as he resumed pacing around her. ~Yes..... She certainly has the family's looks.... Typical Schezar blonde.... and those eyes....~ His thoughts stopped. ~Those eyes, indeed.....~ He had seen those eyes somewhere else, those same deep azure blues.... Of course, they were always alive with a fiery hatred, burning through Dilandau with a passion almost rivaling the reciprocated furious ruby stare as they were both locked in battle.... *"You're a strong one, Allen.... I like that...."*
He shook those thoughts away, and stopped again only inches from Serena's face, smirking cruelly as he leaned in. "Ha..... a Schezar.... worthless! If you're anything worse than your brother," he sneered softly, "I could easily take care of you..... get you out of the picture and out of my mind...."
"You're wrong, Dilandau. You need me.... We are one and the same person. If you kill me..... you kill half of yourself," she whispered timidly, staring up at him with a deadly, almost defiant, calm. "Don't you get it? The Madoushi made you from me.... I am the original, you're just an 'improved' version....."
Suddenly Dilandau felt an irrational anger boil up inside him, as old memories resurfaced from the long buried past..... The bright light flooding everything around him while he was strapped onto a slab.... the whispers, and muttering in the background, referring to him as "Test Subject 62A-3" ........ his isolation in a dark cell, and Jajuka telling him it was "for his own good" and that "the Madoushi just want to be sure...". Almost all his life, he was treated as a lab rat... an object of pure destruction created by the superiors. An object made to be bent to their will and do their bidding obediently, no questions asked. He snarled, raising his hand slowly; then, his hand met her face with a loud slap, and she swayed on her feet, her head rolling with the slap, then snapping back to meet his enraged glare with her brows knotted in fury.
"You'll never be useful to me.... as long as you're related to that Schezar brother of yours, you'll never be useful to me....." he snarled, leaning into her face even further.
Serena glared back, looking him directly in the eye with that fiery blue stare. "Listen, you arrogant, egotistical baka.... You do need me, whether you like it or not.... And you can't do anything about me!!! You're stuck with me, as am I with you.... so deal with it-"
Before Dilandau even considered the option, his hands encircled her neck, wringing it tightly underneath his pale, thin hands. A sickening crunch of bone echoed in the room, and she slumped in his grasp like a limp ragdoll. He shoved her roughly to the ground, and she lay on the bare stone floor with a trickle of blood streaming down her forehead. He was tired of her... tired of everything she had said. He was fed up with watching that icy-cold blue stare pierce through him. Most importantly, he was fed up with everything he had been reminded of.
Scarlet eyes fluttered back down to Serena's lifeless form. She was still breathing, sprawled on the cold flagstone floor, and bruises encircled her neck. Ten oval, dark purple bruises. A coldly amused smile crossed his visage, and a cold, high-pitched cackle of laughter rang through the prison-like quarters, even as the room about him dissolved into blackness, and his own chambers slowly faded back around him.
And that laughter echoed in the halls of the Vione that morning.
******************************************************
"Yaaaaaaahhhh!!!!!"
Miguel threw back Shesta with a fierce shove of his katana as their blades met again crossed before their faces. Shesta flew back awkwardly, almost stumbling to a fall, cursing softly under his breath.
"Come on, Shesta!!! Go on the offensive for once!!!" Miguel cried out as he spun gracefully away again, jumping away as he waved his blade tauntingly in the air at the small blonde Dragonslayer.
Shesta ran headlong toward Miguel with a cry of fury, arcing his own katana upward to the brunette Dragonslayer's sword in the hopes of disarming him. He knew this trick all too well, and skipped back just in time as he heard the sharp whistle of the blade cutting through the air. Shesta paused for a minute, panting, and Miguel wiped back sweat from his eyes while he brushed back cinnamon-brown strands of hair, already soaked with perspiration. As soon as the small blonde boy regained his bearings, he lunged to Miguel again with an exasperated grunt, the blade this time aiming for his neck. Another graceful pirouette later, and the brunette boy managed to escape the sharp katana by a few millimeters. Again, Shesta broke into a leaping run as he raised his sword above his head, the blade's destination being the middle of Miguel's head.
He barely had time to raise his sword upright; then, a shower of sparks swarmed around them both as the two swords collided inches from their faces. Shesta panted again as he tried to shove Miguel back with his katana, though nearly knocking himself over in the attempt. Before he knew it, Miguel had his back against the wall, staring back at a sweaty grin of triumph spread across Shesta's fair visage.
"How's this.... for offensive...?" he managed to growl between grunts of effort. Then, Shesta dived in over the crossed blades and kissed Miguel, nibbling gently on his lip as a plea for Miguel's participation. He obeyed, and soon he had the blonde's mouth parted as his tongue gently swirled around Shesta's own. They both felt electric sparks fly between them both as the kiss was prolonged; it seemed like forever before either of them stopped and pulled away. A few starry-eyed seconds passed between them as they stared back to each other with genuine affection sparkling in their eyes. Then, Shesta flew backwards, landing on the slick floor as his katana slipped from his already sweaty grasp, flying away in the air in an arc of silver. A blur of navy and black sped to his side, and minutes later he found Miguel's katana at his throat as he hovered above the bewildered blonde, a smirk of joy on his lit-up face.
"I told you, Shesta.... that never works. It always backfires on you. I do hope you won't try that with Allen next time he goes for the kill-"
"And I certainly don't want to see that in battle, either, Shesta!!!!" a cold, angered shout echoed in the sparring arena, punctuated by the clatter of Shesta's sword in the distance.
Both of them looked over their shoulders as Dilandau stepped into the circle of light slowly, a look of utter disappointment and anger upon his typically arrogant face. Miguel slowly sheathed his katana at his side as the silverhaired captain slowly made their way toward the pair, arms crossed over his chest and rumpling the lilac tunic at his chest. Black pants rustled, then ceased as he came to a stop only a foot away from the two with a click of scarlet boots. Miguel felt a blush searing at his cheeks again as he fell to the ground in the traditional kneel of the Dragonslayers, Shesta following suit quickly.
"Dilandau-sama!" they both shouted breathlessly.
"Save it.... both of you." An uneasy silence fell upon the room as Dilandau began pacing before the two, his boots only visible to the two as they stared to the ground, careful to avoid Dilandau's stare.
"Do you know.... how long I've been here, watching you two?" he growled softly.
Neither of the two boys dared to even make a sound as the captain continued pacing before them, snarling down at them with his hands folded behind his back. Miguel felt that blazing hot stare bore through him, and his scarlet tint rose further as he stared to the floor obediently.
"I've been in here for the whole two hours you've been using to... ahem... 'practice'...." he sneered, scarlet boots still tapping against the marble floor. "Now, I ask you, do you know how long I've been watching and wishing that I wasn't so damn bored?!?!?"
"Iie, Dilandau-sama!!!" Shesta shouted impulsively, then blanched. Miguel was trying with all his might to keep his curses to the foolish boy at bay. Then, a scarlet blur arced upward to connect with Shesta's jaw, sending him flying through the air and landing meters away in an awkward heap.
"Did I ask you to say anything?!?!?" Dilandau shouted as Shesta scurried back up, rushing back beside Miguel as he fell back into his kneeling, grounding his fist into the floor. A small tear fell to the floor, and a pool formed at Shesta's feet as Dilandau went back to his pacing again, growling dangerously.
"Your sparring was horrible!!!! Absolutely TERRIBLE!!!! I was going mad from counting how many mistakes I saw in your parrying, Miguel!!! And you, Shesta......" Scarlet feet stopped right before the subdued boy as the captain crossed his arms over his chest, his scowl deepening the lines on his face as his scarlet eyes bore right through Shesta.
"That had to be the worst exhibition of swordfighting skills I've ever seen!! I really should've taken your word for it when you said that it wasn't your forte! And you call yourself a DRAGONSLAYER-?!?!?"
"Stop.... please...." Miguel softly muttered as he slowly raised his navy eyes to meet with Dilandau's furious and shocked stare. His blazing red glare pierced through Miguel's heart. ~How can something like that stare be so beautiful and repelling at the same time?....~
Suddenly, it felt as if all the air in his lungs escaped him and a dull pain rose through him, and he rolled over to his side, clutching at his lower stomach desperately. A pale hand reached down and took hold of the navy collar of Miguel's tunic, jerking him up to meet Dilandau's enraged stare. He felt paralyzed with fear under the captain's stare, and he began trembling with fear involuntarily, his indigo eyes widening to the size of saucers.
"What's this....? Insubordination?..." he hissed, leaning into Miguel's wan face with a sneer. The brunette looked from the delicate face contorted in anger before him to the kneeling form of Shesta, shaking with muffled crying. The small blonde's head slowly rose, shooting a watery look of apologetic pity as tears welled up in his bright blue eyes, threatening to trickle down his cheeks. Dilandau shook Miguel roughly, and his stare whirled right back to the enraged face before him again.
Before he knew it, Miguel felt a painful sting at his cheek as Dilandau's hand slowly lowered back to his side. His head reeled briefly, and he was shoved back away from his commander forcefully, nearly falling onto the floor again.
"Shesta!!" The silverhaired commander shot a coolly annoyed look to the blonde, and Shesta immediately stood up in a stiff position, staring directly back with a deceptively calm expresion.
"Hai, Dilandau-sama!!!" he shouted militaristically.
The brunette Dragonslayer felt more than saw the fierce stare of the captain, even before his own wide, panicked stare met with Dilandau's. A cruel, domineering smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes spread on his face as he stared back to Miguel, who was still shaking with fear.
"You're dismissed."
Shesta released his stiff salute, then made his way to the door slowly, wiping the stream of tears coursing down his cheek. The pathetic blonde looked back once with a sadly apologetic look dimming his eyes as he slid out the door, shutting it behind him silently. Dilandau slowly approached Miguel with a snarl on his face, fury raging like an inferno in his eyes; the sheer anger pierced through Miguel like a poisonous arrow. Then, the silverhaired boy stopped, his face only inches from the Dragonslayer's. He was paralyzed with fear, paralyzed by Dilandau's beauty... trapped because of his mixed emotions. Slowly, Miguel felt a blush sear at his cheeks again as he was jerked closer into his face, tugged in by a hand at his tunic front.
"Never again.... Never again do I want to hear you say those words to me........ you hear me? The next time you try to undermine my authority like that, Miguel, so help me, I'll make sure that-"
Suddenly, Miguel swooped up into his face, his lips easily finding Dilandau's within seconds. The silverhaired boy's scarlet eyes widened further as Miguel tried desperately to part his mouth, but soon relaxed as the brunette's tongue darted into his mouth. He nervously ran his tongue through Dilandau's mouth, searching and exploring every part of it, then, seeming satisfied, his tongue settled on swirling delicately around Dilandau's. ~What the hell am I doing? I'm.... I'm kissing my commander.....~
As though he picked up Miguel's discomfort, Dilandau shoved Miguel back roughly with a scowl. He fell back onto the floor, skidding a few feet from the scarlet-clad feet. Garnet eyes twitched slightly as a grimace spread over the pale face, and, before Miguel could register what had happened, Dilandau turned on his heel and ran to the door, only looking back once with a faintly hazy stare. The door shut closed, and Miguel was left alone in the sparring arena, looking after Dilandau with a confused and desiring look in his eyes.
******************************************************