Author: Jav_chan

The Witch of Gaea

For a long time she didn't say anything. He wondered if she even spoke. Allen hadn't said anything about her, what she was like, or why she was so important. Her mid-length hair was tied off into a tight braid, and the clothing she wore was as revealing as any of the other women that worked here. The expanse of pale skin that he could see was enough to make him swallow…at least until he saw the faint bruises that littered her shoulders and arms. For some strange reason he felt uneasy about those blemishes. His stomach churned as his mind skirted around the possibilities of how she could have gotten those bruises.

"The Tower. Seperation. Change." She finally turned to address him, holding a strange card up in her hand as she stared at him. "This is what you represent."

Her voice was even and strong and it really didn't match the expression on her face. Something about her green eyes were bruised and dull, and as he studied her hands he noticed that the strange card shook in her grip.

Van knew that she had to be the woman that Allen had sent him into the border territories to retrieve but for some reason he couldn't equate the picture that the knight had painted of her with the faintly tanned woman that stood in front of him.

"You…"

"My name is Hitomi." She said softly before turning back to the desk. Without uttering another word she started to gather up her cards. "Kio wouldn't tell me yours."

"Kio—you never spoke to Allen?"

When Hitomi turned around she gave him a smile that was indulgent, the type that a mother would give a demanding child. Something about that irritated him and if they weren't so pressed for time he would have said something.

"A former Knight of Caeli and the military strategist of the Abaharaki prancing around Zaibach's border towns?" She shook her head, turning around abruptly and reaching for a strange pale blue bag.

Van had a rather distinct feeling that she was laughing at him. He didn't pay too much attention to Hitomi as she put her cards into that bag. It wasn't until she reached for a bow and a quiver of arrows that he realized how much they would stick out.

"You can't bring that. We have little enough time as it is. We'll stand out to much if you carry a weapon. The bag is bad enough as it is."

"Oh hush." Hitomi snapped, her back still turned to him as she pulled a crumpled roll of leather and a clunky cedarwood cane out. "You have a sword."

"But I'm a man. You aren't."

"Such observation skills, dear sir. Don't worry. Now do you think you could tell me your name?" It was almost curious, the way her tone and words were so easy and yet she held herself too stiffly, as if she was painfully aware of what little time they had to leave.

As if she was afraid.

She unscrewed the silver head, an elegant etching of a cluster of feathers, and he watched as she pressed at the top and bottom arc of her bow. The wood suddenly straightened, and it was only then that he noticed the pieces of brass against the dark wood. He blinked, more surprised then he should have been, when the neatly collapsed bow slid easily into the apparently hollow confines of the cane. Several arrows quickly followed, and then she was screwing the feather top back on. She laid the cane down briefly, before undoing the ties of the leather roll.

The leather roll, it turned out, was nothing more than a less obvious version of her blue bag. She stuffed her bag, along with a quiver of arrows, into this leather monstrosity. Before she could reach for the shoulder straps, Van stalked over to her and picked it up. He knew that his own expression was just as stubborn as hers as he hoisted the bag over his shoulders. The weight was enough that it made him stagger slightly. How could she carry it so easily? That alone was enough to make him reassess her supposed frailty.

He wanted to know why she looked so bruised, so broken, even underneath the obvious steel in her personality. It just wasn't the time for it. They needed to leave—

A sudden commotion from downstairs had him swearing as his hand moved towards his sword. He hated travelling without the sword that was his family heirloom but if they were stopped it would make it much too obvious. He listened hard and tensed at a familiar, raspy voice.

Damn Dragon Slayer.

For a moment he forgot about his duty. For a moment he wanted nothing more than to try his luck at spilling the blood of the man downstairs. Then slim fingers wrapped around his wrist and he was suddenly reminded of his priorities. Her face was paler, almost white, and he could feel her fingers tremble slightly.

It didn't surprise him that the Dragon Slayers were the cause of her tension and distress, but he did wonder if there had been more chaining her to this brothel besides a duty she felt towards the Abaharaki. If perhaps she felt a need to…protect the women who worked here.

"The back." She whispered. The sharpness of her tongue seemed to have disappeared, as if withering under an old, debilitating fear. "There is a back stair that should allow us to leave without them noticing us. We need to hurry."

She held back at first, as if she needed some sort of shield between whatever could possibly await them in the hall. The possibility made him uneasy, but thankfully the hall was as dark and quiet as it had been when they had first arrived. The way she peeked out around him grated a bit, and made him think that there was some truth to Gaddes' theory that there is no creature more puzzling than that of a woman. Although he appreciated her sense of caution he would have appreciated it more if she was less timid about it. It was only for a very short time that she hid behind him but somehow it almost seemed like an eternity.

She made a small sound, it might have been a sigh but it was probably the loudest sound that she would allow herself to make as she carefully led him down the back stairs. She froze only once, her slim fingers wrapping around his wrist as she froze. Her eyes had suddenly gone wide and her mouth was almost colorless. It was only when he stopped to ask her what was wrong that he heard Dilandau's harsh, grating voice.

"Bring her to me. She knows something."

Instinct had him reaching for his sword, but it was the tightening of those fingers around his wrist that stopped him. A shiver snaked down his spine when the surprisingly soft pad of her thumb brushed lightly against the receptive skin of his inner wrist. She tugged at his hand in a manner that was so faint he would never had felt it if he wasn't suddenly concentrating on her. Her too wide eyes were regarding him and something told him that this woman knew. She knew who it was that was responsible for the scar that was almost directly over his heart, for the reason that Fanelia had burned. She knew all of these things and others that she just couldn't.

He didn't understand this sudden knowledge, but it was seeing the silent plea in her eyes, the wordless beg for him to stay his hand this one time. There would be time enough for vengeance later.

Seized by a sudden impulse, Van pulled her close and he only noticed the faint tremors as he wrapped an arm securely around her waist. A thought that was too wicked, too Allen-like, came to him when he glanced down and saw her pale cheeks colored with a faint blush. It appeared that whatever it was that she feared was right on the other side of the wall beyond the secret stairs. It also appeared that she was the type who needed to be distracted to be kept from thinking about things that would one day break her. For some odd reason he felt rather grateful that distracting her was a simple matter.

"Hitomi." He lowered his head so that he spoke very close to her ear. She stopped and shivered a way that he just knew that had nothing to do with fear.

"Midori!"

For a moment he forgot that he was in enemy territory. Van jerked and looked up, feeling a bit like a child who had just been caught doing something wicked.

Although that certainly wasn't too far from the truth.

The madam of the establishment hurried towards them. He eyed her warily. She was called Eries, after the late princess of Asturia. Her hair was the same pale gold, but the way her ears pointed at the tips had nothing to do with the golden caps that the princess had been so found of. A bruise marred her cheek and Van knew that it hadn't been there when he had arrived. Hitomi pulled away from him suddenly and something about her changed. Her green eyes narrowed, almost angry, as she rushed towards Eries.

"He hurt you." It was said simply and when her voice shook Van couldn't tell if it was from anger or fear.

The elvish madam gave Hitomi a rather sardonic smile. "He's looking for you, Midori."

"He'll tear this establishment down."

It irritated Van how she could go from being so clingy to concerned and foolish. While he certainly couldn't dismiss the injury Dilandau had inflicted upon the madam, they just didn't have time for this. Allen was convinced that this woman was a very important key to winning the war. A witch with abilities even someone as sensible as the former knight could believe in. He really didn't care about that at the moment. What he did care about was getting this woman to safety as he had been advised to.

With that bastard so close, too close, they needed to leave now.

"I know you don't want to stay here, Midori. You've always hated it here. Not surprising though all things considered. You may care about me and my girls but you don't care about what this place stands for."

Hitomi took a step back, almost as if she had been slapped. He didn't care for her hurt expression and found himself stepping forward to stand by her side before he was even aware of what he was doing.

"We know better then you do," Eries continued, "the risk that we are taking. We knew it the day we took you in at Dryden's request. You've done a lot of good here, and helped us to stem Zaibach's influence in this area, but there isn't anything more that you can do. Besides you promised Allen, didn't you? That when the Abaharaki came you would go. Now leave. We both know what will happen if he finds you. This man," He couldn't help but flinch when her eyes darted over to him, "is sworn to protect you."

Van really didn't remember making any such vow, but he something about those words felt strangely right. His fingers curled around the hilt of his sword and something inside him, something that he hadn't even been aware of, shifted. It was almost as if there was something that had been missing since Fanelia had fallen two years ago, and he had found it.

Eries led them out to the stables where a horse was already saddled and ready to go. Van busied himself with settling and tying Hitomi's bag on the horse. He didn't say anything when the madam pulled Hitomi aside to say a few final words of farewell.

"Leave Midori here. She has no place outside a brothel." The woman's lips lifted up when Hitomi's twisted down in disgust and the younger woman shuddered at the memories of the past year and a half. "Become Hitomi once more and let Midori become nothing more than a shadow."

When Van looked over his shoulder to see if Hitomi was ready to go her expression was unreadable. She didn't utter a sound as she walked over to him and he helped her into the saddle. It was only when he snapped the reigns and the beast suddenly took off that she gasped and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.

It wasn't an unpleasant feeling.

XXX

They had almost reached the edge of the dense woods where Escaflowne was hidden when they heard the sounds of pursuit. Dilandau's grating voice carried along the wind shouting orders for his dragon slayers to cut them off.

"Bring me his head!" His spine stiffened when he noticed the all too familiar edge of insanity that laced Dilandau's voice. Hitomi's hand twisted in his tunic suddenly and he could feel her press her cheek against his back. It was the next words that made her shiver, "And you will bring her to me!"

Even as he urged the horse faster, Van couldn't quite stop himself from wondering just what this woman was to Dilandau, and what he had done to her to make her fear him. The possibilities were endless and each one made him ill. Gripping the reigns in one hand for one bone jarring moment he placed his hand over hers where they were clasped around his waist before taking the reigns again and snapping them.

"Just a little bit more. I promise," He hesitated a moment before continuing. Van just didn't know what spurred him to say it, and he only hoped that he didn't sound like a fool, "I won't let them touch you."

He almost didn't hear her softly whispered word of thanks.

XXX

It had been easier than he had expected to lose Dilandau's men. They had abandoned the horse not long after entering the forest, and Hitomi had pulled a small satchel of dried flowers from the pocket of her dress and swiftly tied it to the saddle. Van had no idea what it was, and he didn't care. Whatever it was, it was enough to keep the Dragon Slayers—the finest stealth warriors Zaibach had to offer—chasing a riderless horse. He could only hope that the horse would keep going long enough. Hitomi had assured him that it would, but that didn't reassure the unease that churned in his gut.

The forest was dark, the trees thick enough to drown out most of the sunlight, and there was no noise. No sounds at all. He wondered at how Hitomi walked behind him so soundlessly. If it wasn't for the hand that trembled faintly in his grasp it would have been easy enough to forget about her. Van kept his sword ready. It would take some time to get to Escaflowne, especially now that they had been forced to relinquish their horse, and he didn't dare think that their luck would hold that long.

It was only a short while later that they were discovered.

Dilandau was never one for subtlety, but his appearance had still taken Van completely by surprise. The way Hitomi had curled her fingers until her nails were digging into his skin had been the only warning.

"I've found you Van!"

The half crazed shout had him dashing to the side, pulling Hitomi with him as a sword sliced through the air at them. His landing was less than graceful and dirt and decayed leaves filled his mouth and blocked his vision. Just behind him Hitomi emitted a strangled sort of sound and when he finally managed to brush the leaves and dirt away he just barely noticed the way she was scooting back until her back was pressed against a tree. There was a rush of sound and instinct had him rolling away from the spot even though a leaf in his hair was still obscuring his vision. There was a whispered word, he couldn't quite catch it, and then the air was thick with the feel of something and Van could suddenly see again.

"You bitch!" This time it was Dilandau who was distracted, fury etched into every line of his pale face. "You stupid, traitorous bitch!"

Van didn't have time to glance over at Hitomi to see if she had moved away from the tree or to wonder why the leader of the Dragon Slayers suddenly rushed towards her, his crimson eyes glinting with a crazed light. They were close, much too close to the tree that Hitomi was huddled against by the time his blade met Dilandau's wild swing. Those red eyes focused on him, a look of confusion briefly crossed that face, as Van used his momentum to send him stumbling back.

He needed to finish this quickly. Although there was a strangeness in the air that seemed to prevent the sounds of their battle from carrying, and even though he knew that—for the time at least, Dilandau's subordinates were distracted, he needed to get Hitomi to Escaflowne and get back to base.

He didn't hesitate to dart forward meeting Dilandau's wild return strike. A chill snaked down Van's spine at how inhuman Dilandau looked at that very moment, snarling with his eyes a bloody red. He looked like an animal, the muscles in his neck straining as he tried to push Van back. It was as if he was gripped with a single minded determination that was focused on getting to the woman just behind them.

Dilandau wasn't seeing him at all.

Another time he would ponder that, but right now the murderous bastard was a wild enough fighter that Van needed to fight him with everything that he was.

"Out of my way, Van!"

Sparks jumped up from where their blades connected as the young king met every one of those thrusts. It was nearly overpowering, the way it way it vibrated from the tip of his sword all the way down to his bones. If the situation wasn't so desperate then he might have laughed at the nearly ticklish sensation.

Balgus had always chastised him for letting simple things distract him from a battle. It was those words of reprimand that flitted through his mind when he heard a scream behind him. His grip faltered only slightly, but it was enough for Dilandau to take advantage of. The nearly insane force of his blade sent Van stumbling back, his own sword flying from his grip as he fell back. Something thrummed in the air, something that made his back, just below his shoulder blades itch but there was no time to think about it. No time to think at all. He was rolling, going through the motions of training that had been ingrained in him ever since Folken had disappeared, his mind focused on one thought. Get the damn sword.

"Look out!" His hand closed around the hilt of his sword at the same time the shrill, feminine shriek rent the air. He was turning, his sword swinging in a desperate attempt to block whatever attack it was that was coming his way. The strange heaviness in the air seemed to grow thicker and it made his movements feel sluggish. He did finally manage to turn fully to face the attack that he just knew was coming. It was the dark material that was so very different from the Dragon Slayer armor that made him pause. It really wasn't time, and it certainly wasn't the place for it, but for some reason Van really couldn't help but notice the way that her bodice seemed to push her chest up.

It was a soft, almost pained gasp that diverted his attention from the brief expanse of pale skin and made him look up at her. Her green eyes were startled, wide. Everything felt strange, almost surreal. Then his gaze went down until it landed on the blood stained, silver tip protruding from just under her breasts. He couldn't look away from the dark stain growing on her dress. Hitomi let out a soft, pained cry as the sword was pulled from her body with a sickening squelch. The soft cry echoed in his ears with all the force of a shriek. Even as his hand tightened reflexively around the hilt of his sword he couldn't bring himself to look away as she started to fall.

XXX

"Why do I need to go?" It was a struggle but Van just managed to keep his voice neutral. "Just because his kingdom had been razed to the ground didn't make him any less a king. He wasn't some errand boy that Dryden could order around, leader of the Abaharaki or not. Besides weren't these escort missions more Allen's style?

Dryden's brown eyes were solemn, something about the way he gazed down and idly touched the flat top of the ruby embedded in the center of the ring that was a gift from his now estranged fiancée made Van realize just why Allen wasn't being asked for this. A look that could have been regret shadowed his face before he finally spoke. "We didn't know what to do with her."

"Her?"

"By the time Allen came across her too many people had seen her and rumors had spread. Bad rumors. The type that drew the attention of Dornkirk and the Dragon Slayers." Dryden ignored the way Van stiffened at the names and continued. "They were scared of her gift, of her Sight. She's a Seer, Van."

"Seer?" "Van was starting to feel like a parrot.

"We needed to hide her. We thought where we put her she would be safe."

"Who is she?"

"If Zaibach were to discover who…what she really is and where she came from it would spell disaster for us. A Seer is one thing that we can't let them get their hands on."

He resisted the urge to sigh and resigned himself to the fact that he really wasn't going to get the answers that he wanted. He had forgotten that birth didn't really matter to this man. Once a merchant by trade, Dryden valued talent against all else. If it wasn't for Dryden's own personal issues with Allen then Van might have taken some pride in the fact that he had been selected.

"Where is she hiding?" Most likely it would be some back water village that was far away from the fight as possible. His hands clenched into fists at the thought.

It was only then that Van realized that Dryden hadn't answered him and—was he wringing his hands?

The leader of the Abaharaki was indeed wringing his hands. If Van hadn't known him for so long then he wouldn't have noticed the tiny nuances in Dryden's usually self assured expression that indicated that he was embarrassed.

"A brothel in one of the border towns near Zaibach Proper."

It was several moments before the former king could find the words to speak.

"You left a Seer—someone who could possibly change the course of this damn war—at a whore house on the outskirts of the original Zaibach kingdom?"

Averting his gaze, Dryden tapped his lower lip thoughtfully, his voice careless. "Yes, we did. It wasn't until later when I recalled a rumor I heard that unless it is done with proper ceremony a Seer can lose her gift once her virgin's blood has been spilt."

XXX

He couldn't remember what had happened to Dilandau, something that Allen berated him for once they were safely behind the walls of the Abarahaki fortress. He had just reacted, as was his tendency. One hand had just reached out for Hitomi, catching her as she fell, as he lashed out with his sword. Whatever he had done had been enough to make the Dragon Slayer shriek in pain and rage. When Van had looked up again, once Hitomi was braced against his chest, he had seen Dilandau stumbling back, shrieking as he clutched at his cheek. The memory of the burning of Fanelia was still fresh in his memory and now, someone he was supposed to protect was bleeding because of that bastard. It had been so very tempting not to give chase. It was the way her blood was already soaking through his tunic, that he could feel it's wetness against his skin which quelled that urge. He would never be able to forgive himself if he let her die.

Van drove his sword into the soft dirt before settling her down on the ground. She let out a pained gasp at the sudden jostling, even though he tried to be as careful as possible, and her eyes opened slowly to watch him. She was silent, her breath pained as he shredded his tunic on the edge of his sword. A strange sort of calm settled over him—it nearly evaporated when his fingers brushed over the soft curve of her breasts as he untied the laces of her bodice, his face had never been so hot—as he wrapped the strips of fabric over her wound. Aside from her breasts—his thumb brushed against a curve as he tied the final strip and despite the situation he couldn't help but marvel in their softness—it wasn't that different from dressing the wounds of someone on the battlefield.

His stomach rolled when he sat back and looked down at his gloves. They were wet and completely soaked with her blood. He shuddered and resisted the urge to rip them off. He would need them to fly Escaflowne.

Hitomi cried out when he gathered her up in his arms. Her fingers clenched before laying flat against his chest.

"They're coming." She gasped and turned her head so that her cheek was resting against his shoulder. "We need to go now. I can delay them a bit, but you need to hurry."

It was awkward but somehow he had managed to pull his sword out of the ground and sheathe it.

The heavy sound of hooves coming their way was just reaching his ears as he moved into the thick undergrowth that obscured the trunk of a nearby oak. He held onto her tightly as he tried to make them as small as possible as a horse came to a stop right in front of them.

"They'll leave soon." Hitomi whispered so faintly that he could hardly hear her. He wanted to ask her what the hell she was talking about, but he couldn't speak. It had nothing to do with worrying with whether or not Shesta and the other Dragon Slayers heard him. Did she really have to move her head so that her mouth was pressing against him like that? She was making it really hard to listen to what it was that they were saying, and it didn't help that undergrowth was muffling the sounds of their voices.

At least he was pretty certain it was the undergrowth.

For all of the legends that surrounded his mother's blood line, Van had never been one for magic. The closest he had ever gotten to magic was at the rite of dragon slaying and the blood pact needed to awaken Escaflowne. Dryden's talk of seers, mystics, and the powers of a mermaid's flesh was something that he had always tried to stay far away from, but even he could admit that there was some strange, mystic quality to this forest. Even that strange pressure was back.

A whisper rustled through the trees and the horses shifted, causing the Dragon Slayers to mutter uneasily.

"I've found him! I've found Dilandau-sama!"

He didn't recognize the voice, but then with the one exception of the time when he had stayed in Fort Costello and the Dragon Slayers had accompanied Zaibach's Strategist and the Asturian King, he had never known who the individuals who made up Dornkirk's pet group were. That had been several months before Fanelia had been razed to the ground, and King Aston had already been reduced to little more than a puppet.

It didn't long for them to leave the clearing after that, and it was only Hitomi's pained breathing that forced him from their hiding spot the moment the sound of horses' hooves had started to fade away.

"Come." She turned her head away from his chest—Van wasn't certain if he was grateful for that or not—and looked across the clearing. Branches snapped, causing his grip around her slender form to tighten in reflex, and it was a full heartbeat until a nose pushed its way through, and the intelligent brown eyes of their horse stared back at them. It didn't hesitate the way Van did and made it's way over to them as if it knew that time was of the essence.

Grabbing the reins he wasn't as careful with Hitomi as he should have been, they had wasted enough time as it was. He gave her a soft murmur of apology and with a snap of the reins the horse took off into a quick gallop. They needed to reach Escaflowne before Dilandau found it in the next village otherwise they would never make it in time.

"Next time," He looked down at her as their horse ran through the forest. Her mouth, tight with pain, was curved into a smile. "Next time, pay attention to the battle, Your Majesty. Not my breasts."

When had he told her that he was a king?

XXX

He couldn't stop staring at his hands. Van had known that her blood had soaked through his gloves but he hadn't expected it to be so much that it had stained his skin red. His stomach wanted to be violently ill, but he owed her this much at least. He had to stay here and make sure she survived.

Word count: 4,997

Well, Suils spoils all my fun. She wouldn't let me keep this tidbit:

Van gasped and arched into that delicious touch. "Gods." His voice was rough as the calloused fingers slid over his skin. He reached for that dear face, twinning is fingers in that golden hair, and moaned at the sensations.

"Gods, Allen!"

Be thankful to her.

Shameless Pimping: Also there was a whole section with a quote from Golden Girls in which Allen is referred to as a ho. I will be posting that to my own ffn account as a separate piece.