Parts of these passages were inspired by Fuu-chan's The Other Side of Twilight and Night Painted Hearts. They are great Kenshin x Tokyo Bablyon crossovers, and the plot is very intriguing and dark. Its one of the most in depth stories I read. Very strongly recommended.. uhh.. I don't have the url at the moment, but I'll add it to the next story when I find it.
Uhh.. I know my author notes are unusually long... gomen gomen. I'm posting a lot lately, usually, I'm a lurker. Anywayz. I'm trying to get this story out of my system so I can finally get the archive going. This chapter was a bit rushed....
Flames are great, I don't mind them. But if you start flaming me about how my bangs love to "express" themselves during dry weather, then you and me got some issues to settle... privately.... }>[ Any comments and reviews are always welcome! Thanks for all those reviews!
Standard disclaimers apply.
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Crash and Burn - chapter 3
by Jenn aka Rubie
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Hitomi laid out her tarot cards again, her hands confident and sure. After years of sitting alone in her room, reading fortunes at night gave her an exceptional sixth sense. She knew that she should have given up her cards. But she found it hard to let go. To her, reading the future was a game. It was interesting. It was enjoyable. And it was her only window to the outside world.
It was addicting. It was a drug. And she had to have more.
But what was starting to bother her that Gaea gave her heightened senses. She did not need her cards anymore when she wanted to read fortunes. But if she closed her eyes and gently blended the coldness of her room, the hardness of the unforgiving metal walls, the sharp yet icy lights that filled her small, confined room, she could see it in her mind's eye. She could feel the world around her. And if she spread her fingers in front of her closed eyes, she could feel the illness of people's hearts, the sickening death in the air, and the frustrations eating away. She could feel the delicate strings of fate, gently yet firmly guiding everyone to the imminent outcome. It did not yield. It did not break. It twisted itself around anything and everything. And it was beautiful.
Possessing such power was something she never experienced before. She felt a strange wave of ecstasy. That knowledge that she knew all, that she felt all. No one could keep any secrets from her. The future was so obvious, it became absurd.
A man is going to walk past the door angrily. Right now.
He is going to the room behind that corner. It belongs to Zaibach. The door is going to shut... now.
He is going to speak to Van's brother, the emperor of Zaibach through a jewel in his ear.... now.
They're going to discuss how to deal with me.
At that point, she felt laughter rising within her. Those men thought that they had privacy, but shutting and locking doors. They call us fools... yet they're to ones who are foolish. To think that they have authority. To think that they are in control. No... everyone is strung in webs of fate. They are unchangeable. And they're the ones with true power.
But that joy turned into horror as she realized she was tangled in the web of fate. Horribly and hopelessly so. She tugged at her throat, at her face, clawed at her arms so frantically that crimson beads appeared, but she could not remove it. And when she saw and felt what those beautiful strings led, she was terrified. She did not want to know the future. She didn't want it anymore. She wanted it go away. She wanted everything to go away.
***
Van dragged a large bag of shredded paper to the door of his office and sighed. What was he thinking? These documents will have to recopied, provided that the original was not lost. Things will be hopelessly delayed. A complete waste of time...
He smoothed out his navy blue shirt. The sleeves were bothering him and it felt confining. But it never bothered him before. What's wrong with him lately?
He returned to his desk and set the silverware from his lunch aside. Usually, he would eat in the privacy of him room, but today, he did not want to face her. He preferred silence anyway. The food was barely touched; he made a mental note to pour some soup into the drain, just to not upset Merle. He leaned over to reach across his desk, picking up the light glass bowls. It was ice cold, but his hands were burning. No, his arms were burning. His back... his head... The room dimmed with a crimson hue and a loud buzz filled his ears. He blinked in confusion. The buzzing grew louder, until he could feel them pounding at his temples. The room swirled like a disturbed reflection from a pool of water. The glass windows were dilating, stretching, growing strange arms that reached across the rooms to tear at the ceiling. They melted together like ice, and rose with the pulsing in his head. What was going on? The bowl in his hands struck the silver tiles with a loud crash, and the glass fragments scattered across the floor.
It hurts.
The metallic floor swayed before flying up to hit him. Glass dug into his arms, and something was tugging at his chest. His neck tensed and snapped back. He could hear a sickening crack. The glass cups slid and rocked off his desk, shattering on the unforgiving tiles. Something was clawing at him from within, tugging at his nerves and shredding his veins. He could barely contain a scream. He fell forward again, this time on his face. The pain intensified, and he gasped for air. He heard some voices and a flutter of noise, but he could not tell if it was merely the tricks of his mind. He tried to see, but there was only an endless sea of blood. He leaned forward on his hands, trying to steady himself. Something moist struck his hands.
Water?
A knife grinded in his chest and he retched.
***
"Hitomi!!"
The jade eyed girl stared at her as if she had been expecting her for some time. She was thickly dressed for the spring cold, but the room was uncomfortably warm. She looked like she was ready for a journey, Merle noted. There was a distant look in her eyes, as if her thoughts were not with her body.
"I know..."
Merle was instantly annoyed, and Hitomi's indifference made her angry. "How could you say that? He's dying, and that's all you can say?! I've called you back for nothing!"
She shook her head, as her comments did not affect her. "It is not his time just yet. But...," her eyes became hesitant, "could you do something for us?"
***
Merle pressed her back against the unsteady boxes, her breath caught in her throat. The mechanics were examining the contraption now, trying to figure out what was wrong with it. The sorcerers looked annoyed and approached them. One opened his mouth to say something that she couldn't hear, and they began to loosen the machine and pull it away from the ivory giant.
Yes... move away. Move away from Escaflowne.
They had begun taking apart the Ispano Guymelef shortly after the sun had set. Merle scowled... They lied. They said two days... Van-sama said they'll give him two days... and it was barely a day since the ambassador told them about the upcoming situation. They lied! Or did Van-sama lie...just so she wouldn't be sad?
She fingered the metal bolt. Everything happened just as Hitomi predicted. Van's recent situation.... their future obligations... everything... Everything to the last detail. But Hitomi didn't tell her about what will happen after she stole the bolt. That disturbed her. She glanced at the men again, waiting for them to move further. They were gathered in a circle now, pointing to the spot where the bolt was missing. They were speaking softly, eyeing the room incredulously. Merle could feel her muscles tense. They're suspecting.... Something above her creaked in agreement.
"There! Behind those boxes!"
Shit!!
Merle dropped to her feet and launched herself forward as fast as she could. She instinctively sprinting for the small crack on the side of the Escaflowne shrine, where she made her entrance. The sky outside was pitch black, veiled by stormy clouds. The night was her allay. Its shadows enveloped her protectively. Be calm, she told herself. Be calm. What was there to lose? Zaibach will not dare kill her.
But I'm going to die...
I'm really going to die...
She rounded a sharp turn, her feline eyes quick in distinguishing detail in the shadows. There were several tall trees here; she'll be safe. She scrambled up the closest one she saw with cat like agility. She must hide. Hide as deep and far as she can. Voices passed beneath her, and she relaxed slightly. A light was blazing from a nearby window, sending streaks of brightness across the branches. Flames licked at the windows, leaving scorched marks. The interior was almost entirely consumed. The fire looked for more to fuel its fury. Merle grimaced. Van will never be able to restore his room from that.
"There! In that tree!"
Merle cringed. She hadn't been paying attention to the people around her. She threw herself at the castle roof, a final and desperate attempt to escape. Her paws connected with the metal sure and firm, but it skid on the slippery surface. Her legs gave out under her, and she frantically groped at the metal with her hands. But there was no stone, no crack, or even an uneven surface to aid her. A frightened cry escaped her lips. The sky pulled away and the stars grew distant.
She was falling.
End of chapter
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Just when something started happening, I cut this chapter short. URG!
Hitomi still has a breakdown coming. Uhh.. Merle's fate is still a mystery until I can toss more coins. Dilly-sama will come soon... This chapter was going to extend longer, but I cut it short since Merle fall was a nice ending. uhh... okay... in other words I was lazy so I took a short way out. This chapter was a bit rushed, since I hit writers block. I got out of it by hurting people... uh... writing inner monologues is really easy.. when it comes to dialogue... >.< Well..anyway.... moving on..... uhhh...
I swear I did NOT intend to make Hitomi sound insane!!! Uhh.. *eats chocolates* uhh... uhhh..... uhhhhhhhhhhh.....
I promise I'll work on the archive! It's getting way behind and all those authors I've emailed are no doubt getting impatient. Gomennasi!!!!! I WILL work on it, right after I'm done with this chapter. Chapter 4 will probably be very much delayed... but the archive will be receiving some updates... Then once I'm done loading those fics, I can get around to emailing more authors... =}
Ohhh... a side note: I'm trying to put together an escaflowne fanficition
awards site for 2001. The web page is up, but no info is added. url:
www.geocities.com/aoiawards If you're interested in being a judge or
helping me with my crappy html, please email me. Uhh.. I'm not sure if I
should post the info here on the fanfiction list.... humm.... try looking on the
info section of the site. If its not on there, then you can stick little
acupunture needles in my back. Uhh... nah.... Otherwise, go to
www.egroups.com/messages/escaflownefanfiction there's info posted
there, post # 2067