Here's the next chapter. I'm not sure if I'll be able to update tomorrow, it depends when I come home from the Birthday party I'm going on. I just heard a thunder outside, and that is a sign for me to turn off my computer.
Have fun reading... and if you have any ideas I'll be happy to hear them.
To Macky-your reviews are my inspiration, and the latest one was soooo grate! Keep sending them! And don't get angry cause of this. OK?
Van flew to the balcony and ran in the room seconds before the sword smashed into it. Van sighed, he avoided death once again. But when he turned away from the windows he saw a small figure lying on the bed. If candles haven't illuminated her face Van wouldn't recognized that person to be Hitomi. It was hard for him to believe it was here as it is.
He walked closer to the bed, his heart sinking with every step he made. The girl he worshiped looked dead. Only thing that gave him the hope she isn't lost jet were the small movements the cover would make as she breathed. But even her breathing wasn't the way it should be.
The room around Van shakes as the Ispano guymelef once again strike to the wall of the chamber in the attention to kill the empress.
"Empress Hitomi…" Van whispered the words that caused so much pain to both of them.
Another strike shakes the room making the candles fall from their place and lit the carpet. It didn't take long for the fire to spread, but long enough for Van to pick Hitomi up from the bed and hurry to the door.
"Merle!" he was surprised when the door opened and he saw the cat-girl standing on the other side.
"Hurry up Van! Bring Hitomi out of there!" she ran down the hallway with van following her as fast as he could.
They turned behind the corner when a loud crash echoed in their ears. The chamber was completely destroyed.
With the mission accomplished the guymelef changed back to a dragon and was about to fly away when his pilot saw something from a corner of his eye. There she was, the girl they were waiting for so the family would be complete again. His masters will be satisfied with the news.
Allen watched as the dragon fly away after achieving to destroy the chamber Hitomi was in. The knight could only hope she wasn't in the room anymore, that van had carried her out on time.
He brought his guymelef back in the Crusade and got out of it. His men were standing around and as much as they wanted to ask him what just happened no words would leave their mouth.
"We owe you out life's." Usul said as Allen walked back to the palace.
"How is Hitomi? I mean… empress Hitomi." after saying those words he realized that it wasn't that hard.
"She is fine. In a way. We should better go inside." he said looking at the sky expecting to see the dragon returning.
"What's wrong with her?" Merle asked when she saw the old man.
"None of us know." Anirul answered instead of him "She didn't complain to anything."
"She never did." Van said softly kneeling next to the pallet they placed her on.
Usul looked at the young king. He saw him only once before on the day the coronation and that wasn't an encounter he would want to remember. But now the king seemed completely different. Fear was hidden in his eyes; fear not for his life but for the life of a girl now called empress of Zeibach.
Millerna was the first who noticed Celena was still standing at the entrance looking at the sky and she pointed that to Allen.
"Celena, what's wrong?" his sister turned to them, horror showing on her face.
"That mad on the dragon. I saw him before." she mumbled.
"Where?" everyone asked at the same time terrifying her even more.
"I… I can't remember…" she looked down.
"It's alright." Usul said "It doesn't really matter who he is. I'm afraid there is someone behind him and his actions."
"An guymelef like that isn't something you can simply build out of remains. Only people from Ispano can make those." Millerna said remembering the time Escaflowne was damaged and Van almost died.
They were all confused, not knowing what to do next, what to say next. Van was sitting next to Hitomi holding her hand. But that suddenly changed.
Her weak hold that showed him she was still there was gone and her hand slipped out of his.
"Millerna!" he called for the princess not knowing what to do to help Hitomi.
Millerna's medical knowledge didn't help much either. Only thing she could do is telling them Hitomi's heart is slowing down even more, but she didn't know why.
"All the tries are useless…She is in our hands now… Join us and we will release her mind from our hands…You can not escape your faith… Dilandau"
"Who is Dilandau?" Celena asked out of the blue making everyone turn to her.
"Where do you get that name from?" Allen asked seeing his hope Celena will never find out about 'him' fading slowly away "Did the voices from your dream told you about him?"
She nodded "They are responsible for Hitomi's condition.".
Her words shocked everyone. Elders pulled away to agree on something when her words reach them. That made their decision final.
"You need to take the empress in safety." Usul said walking back to them.
"Define safety." Van said lifting his eyes to the old man "They are after her, want her dead. No place is safe. Not anymore."
"Van…" Allen didn't want to hear what he was to say.
"War is returning on Gaea." Van looked at Hitomi again "And she is in it's middle once again."