Chapter 20: Revenge

Van concentrated, carefully bring the sword around in an arc. He straightened, then dropped into a crouch, whipping the blade around to stop it perfectly perpendicular to his body. He repeated the motion in the opposite direction.

Hitomi sat in the chair by the desk, watching him. It was like a ballet, she mused, a dance with death. She watched him for a few minutes more, admiring the carefully choreographed movements. She knew he was just trying to work off the tension from this afternoon and wished she could go running to do the same. Instead she stood and walked to the window, staring at the bushes below.

Van had not spoken to her since they had returned from the park and she was getting tired of the silent treatment. Merle had made sure they were left alone together, practically shoving them in Van's room and locking the door behind them. As much as she appreciated the cat-girl's efforts, sometimes things just needed to be worked out on their own.

Hitomi noticed Dryden and Millerna strolling through the garden, Dryden pausing to pick a flower and present it to Millerna. She watched them stand close together, gazing into each others face before they began walking again and moved out of sight.

"I envy them," she said softly, making Van pause in his exercises. He joined her at the window, catching a glimpse of Millerna and Dryden as they rounded the corner. Silent, they stood together for a moment, then Hitomi bowed her head.

"I envy them so much, "she said, tears forming in her eyes. "They can be together. There isn't any reason why they shouldn't." She turned to look at him, the tears running down her cheeks. Van sheathed his sword, pulling her into his arms. He held her close, letting his presence comfort her. He tilted her head up, kissing her softly, then studied her face. Intimacy did not come naturally to him, but the more he was around Hitomi the more he wanted to touch her. Her eyes were closed, the tears slipping from beneath her lids. He gently wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs, cradling her face in his hands. He kissed her closed eyes before moving back to her mouth.

Hitomi tasted the salt from her tears on his lips. She kissed him desperately, wanting nothing more than to remain in his arms where she was safe.

Van stepped back, holding onto her hand. "Hitomi, will you stay? Will you marry me and stay?"

Hitomi looked in his eyes, seeing the hope and love there and knew how much courage it had taken him to ask her. She sighed, stretched up and kissed him gently.

"No."

Van held her hand, staring with shock at her face. "No?!?" He dropped her hand and turned his back to her, the hurt radiating off him in waves.

Hitomi sighed again and, gingerly taking her arm out of the sling, wrapped her arms around him, resting her cheek against his back. She felt his rigid muscles, the trembling of his body as he tried to hold his disappointment in check.

"Van, I love you. I love you more than life itself. But this would not be right. As much as I want to, I can't just stay here. My family and friends back home would worry. I need to finish my studies. I want to learn more and get my degree. And Fanelia would not be safe if I stayed unless we know more about these enemies and why they want me here. I am not going to stay just for my happiness at the expense of so many others."

The tension went out his muscles, and he said in a small, sad voice. "But I want you here." He turned around in her arms and held her tightly against his chest. He felt the wetness of her tears through his shirt. He looked down and raised her head with his hand. He wiped away the tears from her eyes and bent to kiss her. As he did so, a knock came at the door. Hitomi smiled despite the painful lump in her throat. "Duty calls," she whispered. He let go of her and went to open the door. Through it, Hitomi could see Phiat in the hallway. Van stepped through and closed the door behind him.

Hitomi slumped against the window frame, wiping away her tears and putting her arm back in the sling. She knew that was the hardest thing she had ever done. She took a step towards the bed, wanting nothing more than to sob into the pillows.

As she did so, the vision struck. Red swirled around the edges of her vision as she watched a cloaked Guymelef appear in the sky outside the balcony window and shoot as Van reentered the room, killing him and turning the room into a charred pit. Hitomi gave a strangled cry as the image left her and she staggered to the door.

She turned the key in the lock with the illogical thought that if she could prevent Van's entrance into the room, the vision couldn't happen. She then turned to the balcony and looked out over Fanelia. There were no signs of a struggle, but she knew it was coming. As she turned to return to the room, a cloaked figure jumped from the roof in front of her, blocking her entrance.

Hitomi screamed and struck out with her good arm, trying to push past him. Behind her, she sensed the guymelef approaching. The man easily evaded her blow and raised his arms to grab her. She kicked him in his exposed belly and slammed him against the wall with her body. The fight made the cloak fall away from the man's head, revealing a long narrow face with a rugged scar running the length of his left cheek. The pain of the impact on her shoulder made her vision blacken around the edges; she evaded the stunned man and ran back into the room. She could hear him follow her into the room and she began to panic. Grabbing her duffel bag from beside the bed, she used it as a club, hoping the books that Celena had given her would be enough weight to do the man some damage. The heavy end of the bag collided with him, stunning him briefly. But he recovered quickly and evaded her next swing to grab her by the arm.

As Phiat left, Van slumped against the door, fighting the overwhelming sadness Hitomi's words had brought. Phiat had reported strange disturbances outside of town and was on the way to investigate them, taking the guards from the hall with him. Van straightened, preparing to face Hitomi again when he heard the muffled call from the room and a second the later the sound of the door being locked. He turned and tried to open the door, calling Hitomi's name. There was no answer, but then came a scream and sounds of a struggle. He threw himself against the door, trying to unsuccessfully break it open, and finally withdrew his sword and used it as a lever to pry the lock off the door. As he forced the door open, the roar of a guymelef filled the room. Van burst in to see a man struggling to carry Hitomi out the window to a waiting guymelef.

Hitomi bit the man's hands as he tried to cover her mouth and saw the door to the bedroom starting to open. No! She thought in a panic. I will not let this happen. Van will not die. Fanelia will not suffer! I will not allow it!

A mechanical voice came from the guymelef, shouting. "Bring her to me, Veris!"

Van raced forward to rescue Hitomi but was only halfway across the room when the guymelef took hold of her. "Let Hitomi go!" Van screamed, raising his sword and running forward. The cloaked man blocked his charge and pushed him backward as the guymelef roared away from the window. The screen covering the pilot's face slid up, revealing scarred features twisted into a malevolent grin.

The pilot crowed triumphantly, "Who is in charge now, o noble king? You shall pay for your crimes against me. For five years I have waited for this, planning and preparing. You were her instrument; you killed the only family I knew- my brothers, my leader - and now you will join them. Before you die, know that she will tortured at my hands!"

Van cursed out loud, recognizing the man's voice as the one who had offered Hitomi water in the park. He briefly gave thanks that Hitomi did not drink it, knowing that it probably was poisoned. Pressing the sword-fighter back to the window, Van risked a glance at Hitomi, who was pale but struggling in the guymelef's hand, her bag still clutched in her hand. He glared at the pilot, looking into his mad eyes. "Who are you really? Why are you doing this?"

The man laughed. "You don't recognize me, do you? You wouldn't after the explosion left my entire body a scarred hunk of flesh. You left me for dead in the smoking wreck of my guymelef. But I survived the explosion. Survived to return and take my revenge on the one responsible for my suffering: the woman from the mystic moon. Too long I have waited for this."

With that he reached out the guymelef's other hand. Veris shoved Van back and turned to leap onto the hand. Saluting Van sarcastically, Veris leapt to the shoulder. The guymelef moved back from the window and pointed his weapon at the king. The scarred pilot prepared to blast the king into oblivion when suddenly he heard a voice. Looking down he saw a young woman in the courtyard below. Her pale face stared up at him as her hair and skirts whipped around in the wind.

Celena stared in horror at the guymelef above her. It was just like from her memories, or rather, Dilandau's memories. The sight of it was enough to drive her mad with the horrible recollections it brought to the surface. But it was on the pilot she focused.

"I know you!" she screamed. "I KNOW YOU!" In her mind she saw him, heard his voice from the park. One of a select few under Dilandau's command; one of a group of boys who had followed him loyally and without question. But now she saw nothing of the eager boy in this madman's eyes, no recognition. Just a lust for death and pain. "VIOLE!" she screamed, her throat hurting with the force of the word being ripped from her. "DON"T DO THIS!"

The scarred man cursed. Who was she and how had she known his name? No one alive knew his name. He leveled his flamethrower at her and fired.

Celena screamed as the fire shot towards her. She covered her head with her arms when she felt someone run into her, pushing her out of harm's way. The fire shot to the side of her, singeing but not burning her. The person covered her as they lay on the ground, using his body as a shield to keep the heat from hurting her. When the blast had stopped, she looked up and found Phiat looking down at her with an anxious expression.

"Are you all right?" he gasped, the smoke from the now burning buildings searing his throat. She looked at him with wide eyes filled with terror. He tried to smile reassuringly as he jumped to his feet, hauling her up. Grasping her hand, he pulled her at a run away from the burning buildings and into the safety of a nearby doorway.

"Stay here." he ordered, leaving her to rejoin the other samurai. Celena stood, her entire body shaking. Her mind churned as alien memories boiled to the surface, threatening to tear her sanity to pieces. The dragonslayers were dead. As Dilandau she had seen them die at Van's hands and Jajuka had told her they were dead. She, no, HE, had sought Van's life in revenge for their deaths. But here was Viole, seeking his own revenge on Hitomi and Van. She tore at her hair, trying to stop the thoughts that assaulted her mind like poisonous darts, ripping her apart.

Someone ran into the doorway and Celena screamed and jumped back, then began to weep at the sight of Millerna's worried and soot smudged face. With the sobs racking her body, she collapsed into Millerna's arms, letting her lead her away from the battle.

Van watched as the guymelef paused at Celena's scream. Viole? He never knew the names of the soldiers he had fought, and hadn't thought of them for five years except in nightmares. Van watched helplessly as the pilot shot fire at Celena, then closed his eyes in thankfulness when Phiat pushed her out of the way.

He looked up to see the cannon now leveled at him. Viole's face twisted into a triumphant smile and he howled "Goodbye, you murdering bastard!"

Van closed his eyes, knowing he couldn't escape the range of the fire. But instead of the blast, he heard Hitomi scream.

"No, NO!" She couldn't believe this was happening. She wouldn't let it happen. This was all her fault - if only she had heeded Varie's warning not to come, to rethink her hasty decision. Van was not going to die. She wished with all her being. She saw the pendant on Van's chest flash a split second before the column of blue light splashed down around the guymelef.

Van saw the flash of the pendent and instinctively knew what was going to happen. He raced forward as the light swooped down. But before he reached the balcony, they were gone, carried away to an unknown destination. Van paused briefly, then ran to the desk and opened a panel under it, revealing the energist of Escaflowne. Tucking it into his shirt as he ran, he headed out of the castle, passing panicking servants and citizens whom had seen the guymelef and were fleeing from the fires that were spreading. He sprinted towards Folken's tomb, where Escaflowne rested undisturbed.

Merle caught up with him as he exited the castle, and gasped, "Where is Hitomi? Where are you going? What is going on? Lord Van!"

Van did not slow down, but responded shortly, " Evacuate the city. I think the attack on the city is over but the fires need to be controlled. They have taken Hitomi. I am going to follow in Escaflowne." He sped up and entered the woods behind the castle.

"Lord Van!!" wailed Merle as she fell behind. "Wait for me!"

Van ran through the quiet forest, reaching the tomb in record time. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the shattered roof of the dome allowing sunlight to illuminate the smoking heap of rubble surrounding a cavernous hole in the floor of the building. Van cursed again, hearing Merle's voice echo in his mind "He was an architect and was instrumental in the dome's design."

Escaflowne sat frozen and unchanged from when he had left it to try and live a peaceful life. Van jumped up onto the leg, withdrawing the energist from his pocket and placing it in the heart of Escaflowne. The heart lit up and the hatch opened. Van jumped inside and stood the guymelef up. Transforming Escaflowne into a dragon, he took off. He held tight to Hitomi's pendent with one hand and called aloud for Escaflowne to take him to her. Merle reached the tomb in time to see the dragon streak across the sky.

"Lord Van," she whimpered as he disappeared from view.