~Author's notes~
~linay
Ancient Visions
Previously: Hitomi leaves Fanelia with Allen and the Crusade to look for the other pendant she saw in her vision. At the castle, Rawlin pushes for an engagement between Shana and Van. Van and Shana have a private talk but are interrupted. A man who took over Cesario threatens Fanelia. Van rushes to escaflowne. Hitomi lands on the dragon's nest island but...chapter 6
"Where are the dragons?" Allen repeated."Maybe they're napping!" Hitomi laughed, trying to ease the tension. But her high-pitched nervous laugh only echoed on the island, grating on everyone's tense nerves.
Allen nodded to Teo and Gaddeth, who moved to stand on either side of Hitomi. Though she frowned at them for being so protective, she inwardly sighed with relief. It felt better to have the two friends stand close to her.
"we might as well start looking," Allen said.
Hitomi lifted the pendant up and closed her eyes. "That way," she said suddenly, pointing straight ahead into the thickest part of the jungle.
Allen rolled his eyes. "It had to be that way," he muttered, drawing his sword.
They entered the dense forest. Hitomi shivered slightly. The forest was so eerily silent. Nothing moved but the leaves on the trees. The group trekked through swiftly and as silently as they could. Gradually, they reached a clearing. hitomi gasped.
"There!" she cried softly and pointed to a large cave. The cave seemed too symmetrical to be natural, almost resembling a small stone pyramid with a large gaping hole for an entrance. Hitomi started forward with renewed determination written on her face. She was stopped by Allen's outsretched arm. He turned to her and frowned.
"Allen?" she questionned, looking up at him in surprise.
"Caution, don't be rash." Allen whispered.
Hitomi nodded, downcast because of her hasty reaction. The group spread out slightly as they approached the cave. As they reached the entrance, Allen stepped in and gasped in surprise. A strange blue light was emanating from the blackness. What can be causing that light? , Allen thought to himself. The group entered the cavern. As they walked, Hitomi found herself latching on to Allen's arm. The cave, like the forest, was eery and their footsteps echoed loudly.
"What?!" Allen muttered softly. The group was suddenly facing a huge shape that they had not noticed before. The light coming fom behind the form made it difficult to see its identity but everyone could guess - a dragon! The shape did not move; in fact, it seemed to be sleeping.
"Maybe," Hitomi suggested weakly, "We could just creep around it?"
Allen considered it. There was no way - the dragon's body was covering the whole passage. "Men!" Allen shouted, "Prepare to fight the dragon --we cannot go back or forward so we must face it."
Allen's men drew their swords. "Attack!" shouted Allen. The men rushed forward yelling and rammed their swords into the dragon's flesh, bracing themselves for the dragon's angry reaction. But it never came. All ten men stood with their swords lodged into the dragon but the dragon had not moved. They all pulled their swords out. Allen climbed on top of the dragon and slid down to the other side.
"DEad!" he cried from the other side, "This dragon has been dead for a long time."
Teo nudged Gaddeth and muttered, "And I thought they all smelled like that."
Hitomi wrinkled her nose. "Well," she called out, "what do we do now?" "Gaddeth," Allen called, "Help the lady Hitomi over the dragon will you?"
"Certainly," Gaddeth grunted as he unceremoniously picked Hitomi up and started climbing the dragon.
"Hey!" she complained.
"Little lady," Gaddeth grunted again, "Please don't wriggle. it makes climbing harder."
Hitomi blushed as the other men laughed and climbed quickly over as well. Gaddeth jumped down onto the other side and put Hitomi down.
"Hmph," Hitomi grunted as she brushed herself off.
The blue glow had suddenly become unbearably bright. Allen started to inspect the dragon and called Teo and Gaddeth to look also. He began to discuss something with them urgently, unaware that Hitomi was being drawn towards the light. Hitomi walked, shielding her eyes, towards the light source. She managed to make out an indentation in the cave floor that looked like a long, shallow hole. The light is coming from there, she reasoned, That must be where the pendant is... She approached slowly, and could hardly open her eyes. She reached the hole and discovered that the light was shining from the rims of the hole. So as she leaned over the hole, the light no longer burned her eyes. As she looked, her eyes opened wide and her mouth dropped open in shock. She saw the skeleton of a tall man with wings and...and the pendant...
Allen was thinking softly aloud. "This dragon," he said, "This dragon was killed...that means that someone..." He trailed off. Allen suddenly whipped around. "we've got to get out of here fast!" he screamed, "Hitomi!"
Hitomi didn't hear her name. "The pendant," she whispered,then turned around and screamed "the pendant - it's gone!"
From outside the bright light, strange hands grabbed Hitomi's arms and yanked her backwards. Hitomi cried out in sudden pain.
"Hitomi!" allen yelled.
A strange soldier, wearing the strange red armor, held Hitomi hostage and positioned his long curved sword at her throat.
"Let her go!" Allen said fiercely.
The soldier dragged his sword across her neck, pressing down ever so slightly. A thin trickle of blood dripped down the blade. Hitomi whimpered softly.
"Stop it," Allen raged, "In the name of chivalry, I challenge you now. Let the woman go and fight me!"
"I don't believe in chivalry," the unknown soldier sneered.
Allen clenched his teeth. He was too far away to attack without risking her life. A sudden movement from behind the soldier caught his attention. Allen lowered his eyebrows...all he had to do was...
"What do you want with her?" ALlen demanded.
"What a stupid thing to say," the soldier said hatefully, "I'd almost think you were trying to stall-" He was cut off by a rush from above. Gaddeth had sneaked behind him and flew at him from an boulder from behind. In surprise, the soldier let go of Hitomi, who tumbled to the ground and ran into Allen's arms. Allen hugged her protectively. The soldier had reacted too late; Gaddeth's dagger had already found its mark and the soldier lay in a pool of blood. Hitomi shuddered. Allen gently pressed his sleeve on her still slightly bleeding neck. He looked up.
"Let's go," he ordered, "We must leave immediately."
He picked Hitomi up and they quickly scaled the dead dragon and then ran for the opening.
How foolish, Allen scolded himself, There were no dragons because they were all dead! Indeed, it was only as they were rushing back through the jungle to the Crusade, that Hitomi began to notice huge, still forms that she had thought were boulders. Now, in the light, it was obvious that they were the forms of dead dragons. The crew quickly preped the Crusade for flight. In record time, they were off the ground, speeding back towards Fanelia. Hitomi was huddled in the corner, shivering slightly. We should've stayed back... she thought, Why did I insist? Allen approached her quivering form slowly.
"It isn't your fault," Allen said softly, "It's not your fault that the pendant was gone."
Hitomi remained silent. Allen lifted up a damp cool cloth and gently pressed it to her neck. Hitomi took the cloth and held it there but said nothing. Sighing, Allen stood.
"Sir!" Gaddth yelled, "Unknown guymelefs approaching from the west!"
Both Hitomi and Allen turned to look out the window. Six red guymelefs were quickly flying right at them. Hitomi's eyes widened in fear.
"Those guymelefs," she thought aloud, "they look just like that soldier." and the ones that attacked me that first night... she added to herself.
Allen squinted at them. It was true. The guymelefs were all red with thick shoulder armor. Hitomi began to tremble in fear. Allen strode decisively towards Scherezarde's hangar.
"Get my guymelef ready," he barked.
"Allen," Hitomi stood and cried after him, "You can't go out....there are too many of them..you'll be killed!"
Allen turned to look at her sadly, "there are certain things we must all do, and sacrifices for those we love."
Allen continued to head for the hangar. Hitomi backed up against the wall, aghast. She stood there and after a few minutes she felt the shift in weight as Allen positioned Scherezarde on the most sturdy part of the Crusade's hull. Hitomi heard the explosions begin as the red guymelefs closed in. Slowly, with her back against the wall, she sank down, eyes filling with tears. sacrifice, she thought, sacrifice, protection, caution. This is all because I was rash...and I rushed into this without thinking. A tear slid down her cheek. She thought of the two Atlanteans, Mia and Slanzar, she had seen burning in Atlantis. I am sorry Allen, I am sorry Van. All this sacrifice and I could not save us...
The pendant began to give off a red light. Hitomi looked down in surprise. A soft red glow surrounded her and Hitomi let it, closing her eyes. She was somewhere warm, huddled in a ball.
"Seeress"
Hitomi refused to open her eyes and remained curled in a ball
"Hitomi, seeress"
"No!" Hitomi whimpered softly, "I failed. I couldn't save us."
Again, you are being too rash the voice scolded softly.
Hitomi opened her eyes slowly and lifted her head, her soft brown hair matted. Before her stood Mia, her long brown hair waving lightly in the wind.
"Look," Mia said as she draped one of her wings over Hitomi. Hitomi, for a second engulfed in the whiteness, couldn't see a thing. But gradually her eyes adjusted and she could make out two forms from behind. She gasped. Was it Van? No, it was only a man that bore a striking resemblance to Van. He looked exactly like the man she had seen walking away from her the other time -- metal armlets and black bell-shaped pants. Beside him was a young woman holding his hand with shoulder-length, brown hair. Mia raised her wing again, ending the scene.
Hitomi looked up at the woman in wonder. "But what does that mean?"
Mia smiled softly, "That you have not failed"
"But all the sacrifice!"
"Sacrifices were necessary" Suddenly, Mia unfurled both her wings and beat them forward, causing a rush of air to hit Hitomi, sending her into another vision.
Hitomi stood alone in a pavillion in the magnificent city of Atlantis. Hitomi gasped. Semi-transparent figures began to appear around her. A few feet away a chubby little girl with long brown hair was kneeling on the ground crying. A rock was thrown in her direction.
" That's the one!" a childish voice taunted, "The one that sees things"
"Yeah," said another, "Don't touch her. She might put a spell on you!"
Another stone was tossed at the crying child, this one hitting her shoulder. The child whimpered. Cruel laughter filled the air.
"Stop!" a boyish voice commanded. A small boy approached the crying child. Her green eyes looked up at him pleadingly.
"Why slanzar?" a snickering voice asked, "She brings bad luck on people by predicting things."
"I don't believe that" the young slanzar said, kneeling beside the crying girl, "What is your name?"
Shyly the little girl extended her arm towards him, " Mia".
The figures swirled into wind and reformed into the ones she had seen before. Now before Hitomi's eyes were the Slanzar and Mia she had seen flying. Slanzar was holding Mia in his arms.
"Slanzar," Mia murmured, "Please don't go."
"Someone must stop Kasal, Mia," he replied softly.
"But I know what will happen to us if we defeat him," Mia said sadly.
"He must be defeated," he repeated firmly, "even if it costs us our lives."
"When he dies..." Mia whispered.
Slanzar looked at Mia carefully, "We know what we must do and the sacrifices we must make."
A sudden tongue of flame wrapped itself around the couple. Hitomi ran forward, screaming to warn them. This time neither of them paid any attention to her. They simply gazed at eachother while the flames envelopped them. Mia's soft voice travelled softly around Hitomi, " I wish that this memory and pendant be taken to the new world, to help us there and that someday we would... Her voice was lost in the sound of the crackling flames. Hitomi fell to her knees, tears stinging her eyes. Sacrifices were needed. She huddled herself into a ball, hugging her knees and wept quietly as the flames rose again.
"Hitomi!!" voices screamed, "Hitomi get out of there!"
Gaddeth struggled to get closer to the girl. She was still curled up and there was fire all around them. Damn those guymelefs, Gaddeth cursed, Now we have a fire on board and that girl is trapped and she won't wake up!. Hitomi began to choke but she didn't get up.
"Land the ship!" GAddeth yelled, "We can't stay in the air much longer!"
On the hull, Allen was fighting of the guymelefs but they were slowly getting the better of him. He cursed. The ship began to descend quickly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a white speck approaching quickly. Another one?, he thought. The ship crashed into the sand and Allen jumped off in Scherezade, fighting the guymelefs all the way. A familiar shout sounded in his ears. He looked up.
"Escaflowne!"
Van, in Escaflowne, landed on the other side of the ship. The battle began again. This time, red guymelefs began to fall.
Inside the ship, Gaddeth barked orders for more water, to put out the fire. Hitomi was still unreachable and the fire was creeping closer to her. Why won't she wake up?, Gaddeth thought,If this keeps up...
Van charged the last red guymelef, ripping it in two with escaflowne's sword. He then paused and panted. Van looked down at the crusade. why are those men running back and forth with buckets? he asked himself. Suddenly he opened the cockpit and jumped out. "Hitomi!" Van yelled, heading for the Crusade's doors. What he saw stopped him dead in his tracks. Allen, looking down from Scherezade, gasped in horror. Van's mind reeled and his head spun. He was frozen in place, watching in a horrified stupor as Gaddeth walked toward him from the Crusade carrying a limp and charcoal-blackened body in his arms.
To be continued...
