Kings and Traitors: Chapter 9
AN:
In case you didn't see the author's note at the end of the last chapter (I
added it on later), Hitomi is not dead. I repeat, Hitomi is
NOT dead.…………..N E wayz, sorry for the long wait! Here's chapter 9! I
made it extra long!! Hope you like!!
~~~
Disclaimer:
I do not own Escaflowne.
~~~
'I will make you pay, or I will die trying. Mark my words.'
He raised his sword, then he charged.
"Yahhhhhhhhh!!!!!"
Van ran right through Mokoi and turned around slowly. It was as if the creature were made of nothing but a black mist. The place where Van hit it swirled slowly, then fused back together. It was like trying to stab smoke.
Mokoi laughed wickedly. "Foolish human. Your mere sword cannot harm me!"
"We'll see about that!" yelled Van as he charged forward again.
~~~
"W-where am I?" said Hitomi shakily as she stood up. She looked around, but couldn't see anything. It was too dark. 'Wait a sec, it's not darkness, it's just black. Black that seems to go on forever…'
She heard a noise behind her and spun around.
"So, the little girl is finally awake…" Skadi chuckled evilly.
"Where
am I?" Hitomi demanded, sounding much braver than she felt.
"You
don't recognize this place?" the shadow-bird mocked.
Hitomi
was silent. As a matter of fact, this place did seem vaguely familiar to her…
"Yes,
yes…you have been here before…a long time ago. As I understand, you're heart
stopped last time you were here. That time I believe it was a doppleganger that
brought you." He grinned (if you could even call it a grin…after all, he's only
a giant bird-shaped shadow with eyes…) at the look of shock on her face at his
words.
"H-how
did you…What are you?! Where am I??"
"It
doesn't really matter, you'll be dead soon enough…," said Skadi as he took a
step toward her.
Hitomi
was frozen with fear.
~~~
Van
began to charge at Mokoi again but suddenly found himself being held back.
"Let
me go Merle! Stay out of this!!"
"No!
No, Van-sama!! I won't let you die, too!!" Merle screamed through tears.
"Merle…..let……me……go!"
Van said, trying to struggle out of the cat-girl's death grip (Yes, "death grip"…years
and years of glomping experience does pay off in the end =Þ), but all
the while, never breaking eye contact with Mokoi.
"Calm
down, Van-sama!! Even if you do stand a chance, there's no way you're gonna win
when you're so angry!! Please!!!"
"Calm
down? Calm down?! THEY KILLED HITOMI!!"
"No!
They didn't!!" said Tiger, who had snuck over to Hitomi's side in the midst of
all the action. "She's still alive, but just barely. Her pulse is extremely
weak…She might be alive, but not for long…"
The
news hit Van like a bus. "She's a-alive??" Dazed, he slowly walked toward her,
Merle releasing her grip and staying back. 'I can't believe it! She's alive!'
Van thought as he began to rush toward her.
But
he never made it. Mokoi had shot a ball of energy at Van and sent him flying
through the trees.
"Van-sama!!"
~~~
Hitomi
froze. Skadi glided slowly toward her. 'I'm going to die,' she thought. 'This
is it. This is the end……'
Suddenly,
a vision flashed before her eyes…Van…getting hit by the ball of energy…flying
into the bushes…hitting his back on the trunk of a large tree…slumping over unconscious
as a shadow creature advanced toward him…
'No!
I have to help him!!'
"Van!!"
Hitomi screamed and her pendant glow, brighter than ever before, the light
penetrating every corner of the dark realm she was in.
"No!!
What is that light!! Aaugghhh!! My eyes!!!" Skadi screamed as the pink light
engulfed him, causing his shadowy form to evaporate leaving nothing but a small
wisp of smoke and a foul smell.
Hitomi
looked disbelievingly at the place where Skadi had just been, coughing weakly
as the foul smell filled the air. 'Oh, I just want to be out of here…right now!
Van's in trouble!'
And
with that, the pink light shown once more and she was lifted out of that dark
place and brought back to where she was needed in the real world.
~~~
Merle
ran over to Van, shaking him, urging him to wake up as Mokoi slowly advanced
towards them. "Van-sama!! Please wake up!! Hurry, please!!! PLEASE, Van-sama!!!
Wake up!!!!!!!!"
Hitomi's
eyes snapped open and Tiger just about jumped out of his fur. "H-Hitomi! You're
awake!…You're alive!!!"
Tiger
didn't get to say anymore because he was interrupted by Merle scream.
Mokoi
was now just a few feet away from Merle and Van. Merle had given up on trying to
wake Van up and was now curled up in a ball quivering beside a bush. She didn't
realize that her scream just then had brought Van back into consciousness. But
it wouldn't matter because there was no way that Van would be able to get up
before Mokoi reached them. And Hitomi realized that.
"Van!!!!
No!!!" She screamed as she ran towards him.
Mokoi's
shadow form took shape and the bird's wings he had previously had now became
wolf-life paws. He raised on enormous paw to slash Van with, but just as it was
about to connect with it's target, Hitomi jumped in front of Van and took the
blow. She skidded across the ground with a yelp of pain.
"Huh?
Hitomi?? Hitomi!!" Van yelled, just fully regaining consciousness.
'Oh,
no! Hitomi got hurt because of me! I have to distract this guy…lure him
elsewhere…away from Hitomi…'
"Merle!
Tiger! Take care of Hitomi! I'll deal with this guy!" Van said as he spread his
wings and began to make his way through the trees toward the open sky, Mokoi
taking off after him.
"No!!
Van-sama!!" Merle shouted, but Van was already gone.
~~~
After
what seemed like forever, Van broke through the highest branches and soared out
into the open sky, sustaining only a few cuts and bruises from his hazardous
takeoff. However, he didn't have much time to relax as Mokoi was almost
directly behind him.
He
veered to the right as Mokoi fired arrows of energy at him. Mokoi threw another
one, then another one. Van's mind raced, trying to keep track of what was
flying towards him. Left, right, left again, dive…Mokoi's assault continued
relentlessly. Right, up, left, up, right…Van was starting to get dizzy. An
arrow grazed his shoulder. 'I have to find a way to beat him…I can't keep this
up forever!! But what is his weakness? ….of course!! He's a shadow, so he can't
go into bright lights! Why didn't I think of that before?!'
Van
swerved and began flying straight upwards, Mokoi in hot pursuit.
'C'mon!
Faster!…Faster!!' Van thought to himself as he flew, Mokoi gaining rapidly.
"I
must say, you being a draconian was quite a surprise, but it doesn't really
matter in the end, now does it? You're still going to die. I'm gaining on you…how
long do you think you can keep that pace up? At this rate I'll catch you in a
matter of minutes…awww….too bad, I was hoping our little game could last a
little longer…" Mokoi taunted just before firing another round of arrows at
Van.
Van
was able to dodge most of them, but one of them scraped his left wing. He faltered,
only for a second, but that was still enough to allow Mokoi to gain another 10
feet.
"Aww….did
I hit youuuu?" Mokoi teased.
Van
ignored him. He was almost there. He was almost above the clouds. Just another
20 feet or so.
But
Mokoi had put on speed. He was now less than five feet behind Van…and still
gaining.
15
feet to go.
Mokoi
fired another round of arrows, and Van was just barely able to dodge them all.
10
feet.
"You
can't run forever, you know. It's only a matter of time before I catch you…."
5
feet.
"…And
there's no time like the present, right?!" Mokoi lunged at Van and caught hold
of his leg, trying to drag him down.
Van
beat his wings harder than ever…slowly gaining ground… 'Just a little bit more…,'
he thought.
"Persistent,
aren't ya? Oh, well, all the more fun when I get to watch you d……...huh…….what?"
Van
broke through the clouds.
"AAAAUUUGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Mokoi
disintegrated.
Van
barely had time to catch his breath when a sudden wave of cold washed through
him and chilled him to the bone. He could feel Hitomi's fear. She was in
danger. He dove towards the forest below.
~~~
Merle
and Tiger were unconscious on the ground. Hitomi was being held up by the neck
by Erebos as he tried to choke her.
"Nooooooooo!!!!!"
Van screamed as he dove from above at Erebos, knocking him over and setting
Hitomi free from his grasp.
Erebos
coughed, having had the wind knocked out of him. Van drew his sword. Erebos
looked up at Van and realized he was too injured to even stand the faintest
chance against the Fanelian King. But then he remembered what he held in the
palm of his hand.
Erebos
slowly stood and recited a spell under his breath.
Van
raised his sword up to Erebos's throat. "Give me a reason not to kill you right
now."
"Oh,
Van, don't be silly!" Erebos laughed. "You couldn't kill me now even if you
wanted to! Don't you get it? Now I have everything I need to turn Gaia to total
darkness. Then I and I alone will reign supreme. You couldn't possibly stand a
chance against me…now that I have the legendary Heart Stone," Erebos said
coldly as he held up Hitomi's pendant for Van to see.
"Why,
you…"
Van
lashed out at Erebos with his sword, but hit only air as the image of Erebos
faded away.
"Good
bye Van…," came Erebos's voice from nowhere. "I hope we meet again. I would be so
horribly disappointed if I didn't get the privilege of killing you myself……"
AN:
What do you think? Was it worth the wait? Please, Review!
Thanx,
Merle