Kings and Traitors: Chapter 4
AN: THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR REVIEWS!! I REALLY APPRECIATE IT!!! ^__^
Disclaimer:
I do not own Escaflowne
Van
slowly got up after being dropped quite roughly while landing on Gaia. He
looked around in the moonlight and saw Hitomi.
"You
okay?" he asked.
"Oh,
I'm just fine!" Hitomi muttered while rubbing her backside. "I ENJOY
being dropped on my butt after flying through space in a beam of light just to
get to Gaia so I can attempt to stop another war while risking my life every
five minutes while you go almost getting yourself every time I turn my
back and- Yukari?!?"
"Huh?
Oww….where am I….?"
Yukari
was standing up slowly after landing in a patch of tall grass. Hitomi hadn't
noticed her before now, and judging by the look on Van's face, he hadn't
either.
"Y-Yukari?!"
Hitomi stuttered, wondering why and how the pendant had brought her along with
them back to Gaia.
"Yeah?
Hitomi…where are we…..AHHHH!!!"
"What?!
What is it?!" yelled Van, who was already jumpy after Yukari's "surprise".
"T-t-t-t-the
Earth!!" Yukari said as she pointed a shaking finger to the Mystic Moon.
"Yes,
Yukari," said Hitomi, trying her best to be understanding. "We're on Gaia now.
What I told you was true. Please believe me."
"B-but
I-I was just on Earth…and that guy…that dragon…before…the light…YOU'RE AN
AILEN?!"
"…"
"Umm…Yukari,
maybe we should talk…"
~~~
Tiger was still searching the castle grounds
when he saw a blue column of light appear in the sky.
"That
must be Van! Maybe he can help find Merle!! It looked like the light landed
somewhere in the middle of Dragon Valley…not that far away…I'd better hurry.
Merle could be in trouble! Every second counts!!"
~~~
Erebos
glanced out the window and saw a blue pillar of light, just like the one Van
left in.
"Ah,
so the king finally returns. Tonight is the night. I shall soon regain what
should have been mine to begin with. With the power of the Heart Stone I shall
soon turn the Gaia to darkness. Then I alone shall have the power to rule the
universe!!! Mwahahahahaha!!!!" [AN: Sorry, I just had to add at least one evil
laugh =Þ]
At
the sound of his laugh, full of the purest of evils, Merle's fur stood on end
and the atmosphere in the room suddenly seemed a lot colder.
'Van,
where are you? I'm scared…'
~~~
As
Van, Hitomi, and Yukari slowly trudged back to Fanelia, Hitomi noticed that
Yukari was still looking at Van strangely and keeping her distance. 'She
probably still thinks of him as an alien…,' thought Hitomi.
Without
warning, there was a loud rustling in the bushes. Van quickly drew his sword,
making Yukari jump back even further.
"Who's
there?!" yelled Van.
"It's
me, Tiger!!" said the cat-boy as he jumped out of the bushes. "You weren't
really gonna slice me with that, were you??" he asked uneasily.
"Depends
how long it took you to answer me."
Yukari
stepped back another two feet, making sure she was out of reach of Van's sword…just
in case…
"What's
wrong, Tiger?" asked Van.
"Merle's
gone!! Me and Erebos can't find her anywhere!!"
"What?"
shouted Hitomi. 'What if my vision is already coming true?…did the darkness
already get Merle?'
"Who
are you?" Tiger asked uneasily.
"Whoa,
be nice Tiger. This is Hitomi. She's come to help…we think Gaia might be in
danger again," said Van.
"Hitomi?!
THE Hitomi?? From the Mystic Moon? Who helped save all of Gaia from
Zaibach?!" squeaked Tiger.
Hitomi
blushed. "Uhh…yeah, that's me I guess…"
Yukari
whimpered.
Hitomi
turned around to see what was wrong with her friend.
"C-c-c-c-c-cat
p-p-p-person!!"
"You
know," interrupted Van, "We really should be trying to find Merle. She could be
in trouble."
"Yeah,
but I've already searched the whole castle!! She's not there!!"
"No.
She isn't." Said a cold voice as a figure stepped out of the shadows.
Van
reached for his sword but just then a cloud covering the moons parted.
"…Erebos?"
"Sorry
to surprise you, Van," said Erebos, his tone much lighter and friendlier. "I've
been searching for Merle ever since Tiger told me she had disappeared. She's
not in the castle, or on any of the grounds nearby. Trust me."
"K,
Erebos, if you say so. First thing tomorrow, then, we'd better start a search party
for the fields and town. It's to dark now, and I'm sure some of us could use some
sleep." Said Van, glancing at Tiger, who looked exhausted from searching for
Merle all day.
"Fine
by me," said Tiger gratefully.
"By
the way, Van, who are these two?" asked Erebos, nodding to Hitomi and Yukari.
"This
is Hitomi and her friend Yukari of the Mystic Moon."
'Hmm…,'
thought Erebos. 'Seeing as it is not just Van and I as I had anticipated,
perhaps I should postpone my plan for a better time. But, delay or not, it
shall be I who has the Heart Stone in the end.'
"Oh!
It's a pleasure to meet you!" said Erebos with a forced grin. "Van, I'd better
be going. I have some work to do. See ya tomorrow, ok?"
"K,
sure Erebos. Goodnight."
As
Erebos ran off towards the castle, a bad feeling nagged at Hitomi's sub-conscious.
'I don't trust him,' she thought.
AN:
Ok, that one was a little bit longer. Did you like it? I'd love to know what
you think so please review. It seems to me the plot's moving a little slow, so
if you agree I'm probably going to speed it up a little. Unless you like it at
this pace. I don't mind either way, really. Also, I added some humor in this
chapter (or at least me feeble attempts at humor when I'm half-asleep) please
tell me if you like or dislike the change.
Thank
you for reading!!
Merle
Vanz_cat@yahoo.com