Ancient Visions
Previously: Van lands in a dark cage with a mysterious rebel named Linea (who looks like Hitomi!) Linea is dragged away while Van is sent to be executed. Hitomi is almost crushed but is saved by a man who looks a lot like Van. They rescue Van and then find Linea who is badly beaten. Hitomi has a vision while she touched Linea. Linea reveals that her father was Newton and her mother was...hitomi kanzaki!chapter 12
Linea lifted her chin arrogantly. "Hitomi," Linea said haughtily, "My mother's name was Hitomi Kanzaki, seeress of the mystic moon."Hitomi's world reeled and she staggered back. Spots danced before her eyes as she tottered on the verge of blacking out. The implications of what Linea had just said were slamming into Hitomi's mind: if Newton was Linea's father and Newton killed Linea's father and if Linea's mother was Hitomi then that means that...
Van rushed forward, apparently having understood the implications as well, and grabbed Linea by the collar of her shirt.
"You're lying," he snarled angrily, "You're lying! That can't be true! It can't be!"
Ren, angered at Van's sudden violence, grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him backwards. "Get your hands off her!" Ren yelled.
Linea trembled under the sheets. She hadn't expected such a violent reaction. Van slammed against the wall. His face was contorting with anger and frustration. What could all this mean? Linea looked from VAn's frightening face to Hitomi's shocked face. Hitomi's eyes were fixed on Linea. She studied her, trying to keep the panic from controlling her. Green eyes, brown hair, pointy nose, red pendant, clairvoyant powers. Could Linea be Hitomi's daughter...by Newton?
Linea watched as Hitomi shut her eyes. Green eyes, thought Linea. A thought tickled Linea's mind. If that man was really Van de Fanel, could that woman be...
"What is your name?" Linea asked Hitomi desperately, "Please, tell me your name!"
Hitomi opened her emerald eyes. "Hitomi Kanzaki," she whispered, "And I am the seeress of the mystic moon."
Linea gasped. "Mother?" she breathed, "Are you my mother? But he killed..."
"I haven't had any children," Hitomi said flatly, "I know I haven't"
"And it didn't happen," Van stated angrily, "Hitomi can't be your mother. Look - you're the same age."
"And," Ren added, "Hitomi Kanzaki was murdered by Newton right after giving birth to Linea."
Hitomi and Linea kept staring at eachother, neither taking their eyes away. A bond seemed to have formed between them. But it was much more than just a mother-daughter bond. They seemed to know eachother much deeper than that. Hitomi sensed something so very familiar in the girl and Linea felt it also.
"But," Linea said quietly, her eyes still on Hitomi's, "The Van standing before us was also supposed to be dead - fifteen years ago."
"And," hitomi continued, "Fanelia was supposed to have been destroyed."
"They came unexpectedly."
"We came to a world already in Newton's hands," hitomi thought outloud, "Where she's my daughter, Van and I are dead...."
"You must have come from the past of Gaea-"
"And into the future!" hitomi concluded.
"What?" Van yelled, hardly controlling his rage.
"The column of light didn't take us to another world," Hitomi said thoughtfully, "It took us to another time - the future of Gaea."
"This is Gaea's future?" Van growled, his knuckles white with anger, "WHere people live like zombies, Newton terrorizes and where he..." Van's voice trailed off and he looked at Hitomi forlornly. "And where he raped..." Van was unable to finish. Instead he walked over to Hitomi and hugged her to himself, trying to rid his mind of the horrible thought. Linea was watching them thoughtfuly.
"The castle servants who were kind to me when I was a child always told me that my mother was beautiful. They told me that even though she didn't want a baby by my father, that she would have loved me." Linea paused as everyone looked at her, "They said that my mother loved the boy-king of Fanelia. That Newton, my father, killed her because she refused to give in to him. That he made her have me so that he could use my powers and just get rid of her." Linea's eyes filled with tears.
Ren slowly sat beside her on the bed and wrapped an arm around her. Linea stared at Van and Hitomi.
"I'm sure," Linea whispered, "That my mother and her true love should be together again. I'm sure they would have wished to be together again - what's the power of Atlantis for anyway?"
Hitomi stared at the girl. She felt strange all of a sudden, almost weightless. Another revelation began to form in her mind.
"But," Linea's voice suddenly rang out, more confidently than before, "I have a secret that will bring down Newton's dictatorship!" Everyone stared at her. Linea looked at Hitomi and Van meaningfully. "It works out perfectly since you come from the past. The reason you were defeated is because you didn't have escaflowne when you were attacked."
Hitomi and Linea stared at eachother. They seemed to read eachother's minds. "escaflowne!"
"Yes" Linea said, "by dowsing, I have learned the whereabouts of escaflowne! It's here - this city was actually built over the ruins of Fanelia. If we can get escaflowne, we can defeat Newton!"
Ren rushed to the door and motionned for the others. "Come on!" he yelled, "What are we waiting for? Let's go get it!"
Van raised a hand regally, "No -don't be rash. Let's do this right and think first."
Hitomi turned to Van in surprise. The words 'don't' and 'rash' coming from Van? Incredible. She nudged Van's ribs playfully.
"Don't you think he's just like you used to be?" she whipsered in Van's ear.
"What do you mean?"
"You know," hitomi said mischieviously, "rushing into things without thinking about it."
Van scowled at her in mock anger. Ren stood impatiently by the door. Hitomi raised an eyebrow. Come to think of it, they did look and act almost exactly alike. The thought in Hitomi's mind grew.
"we will leave before dawn tomorrow - before first light," Van announced, a tone of command in his voice, "By then Linea will be rested. We also need to go when there is no light. For now, let's map out the city and come up with the weapons."
Ren nodded and ran out to call his men together. Hitomi sat by Linea, staring at her. Linea stared back. To ease the uncomfortable silence, Van sat right in the middle.
"So you ladies seem to know eachother pretty well already, "he volunteered.
hitomi's eyes became slightly troubled, "yes but it seems to run much deeper than that."
Linea nodded slowly.
"Linea," hitomi said carefully, "This sounds strange but, if you are my daughter and I...never got to raise you, I know I would have wished that I could have stayed to take care of you."
Linea smiled gratefully. Van sighed. Ren came bounding back into the room, a goofy smile plastered onto his face.
"Ready to plan?"
A sudden knock interrupted hitomi's thoughts. She opened her door a crack.
"Hitomi," Van whispered from the crack, "Can i come in?'
Hitomi opened the door just wide enough for Van to squeeze through and then closed it quickly after him. Van stood uncertainly in the center of the room. Hitomi wandered up to him.
"Van,"she said in a low voice, "What are you doing here?"
"Hitomi, "he answered, his voice cracking, "I just wanted to tell you that...well, when Linea talked about Newton and you...you know...it just..I mean, I don't want that to happen to you."
Hitomi sighed and gently placed her head on Van's shoulder.
"You know," she said softly, "Maybe we can stop that from happening."
Van bowed his head and gently wrapped an arm around her. hitomi looked up at him, a soft smile on her lips. Van looked down at her. he edged his face closer to hers. Hesitantly, and almost fearfully, they lifted their faces closer and let their lips touch. Hitomi felt the gentle pressure from Van's lips on hers and relaxed, letting herself lean deeply into Van's body. The young king felt her body against his and, with a determined breath, eased his lips more fully onto hers. They drank eachother in, savoring each moment - though still with an air of nervousness. Van pulled away for a moment to gaze at Hitomi. His brown eyes drank in her green ones, and they communicated silently. Suddenly, and with no further hesitance, Van wrapped her in a warm embrace. Hitomi wrapped her arms around his neck and they kissed freely. hitomi pressed into Van. Unable to resist, Van gently slid his hands up and down her body, exploring. Hitomi sighed softly. She stroked his face as he kissed her, encouraging him. His lips travelled from her lips to her eyes. Then he buried his face in her neck and pulled her body up to his. hitomi shuddered gently as his hands wandered over her. Pulling away reluctantly, Van looked at her lovingly then glanced up in the direction of the bed. Hitomi smiled softly back.
The next morning, all four (Hitomi, Van, ren and Linea) crept through the streets. It was still dark. They had decided to leave the rest behind so as not to attract attention. So far, they had encountered no one. Linea led the way determindedly, without hesitance. Ren walked beside her, letting his fingers brush hers every so often. hitomi and Van walked behind them, their hands clasped and the memory of the night before still fresh. Linea stopped suddenly.
"There," she whispered, pointing to a large metal building, "escaflowne is in there."
The group nodded to eachother and crept silently up to it. Ren tried the handle of the large metal door. It swung open easily. The four people walked in quickly. Looming at the far side of the hangar was escaflowne, sitting regally. Ren gasped as he felt something tingle inside him. Van looked as if he had felt the same. They all rushed silently forward and stopped right before the mighty guymelef. Van shifted uneasily.
"It seems," he said quietly and the others lost their triumphant smiles," It seems too easy."
"That's right!" a mocking voice boomed from behind them. They spun around. Another white guymelef stood there, flanked by dozens of red-uniformed soldiers.
"Come and meet my revenge now!" Newton shouted fiercely, "fAce me, Slanzar!"
to be continued
