Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne...
Dedication: To those who love me and my stories.. =^^=
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~Demons Within
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~Chapter 2~
**The First Prey...**
Van glanced down at Hitomi quickly after she went still. He could tell that she was still alive, she was still burning up with a fever and he could feel her heart beat against his chest as he cradled her gently. He carefully walked up the long flight of stairs and stood in front of his bedroom.
Van reached out and turned the knob. He kicked the door open and walked into the suddenly cool room. He shivered as he walked over to the bed and laid Hitomi down gently, sitting down beside her afterwards. Van looked down at her and watched as she began to shiver. Her lower lip trembled as her teeth chattered together loudly.
Van reached out and placed a hand to her forehead to yank it back and then rest it back on her forehead again. He knitted his brows together. Something wasn't right with her. He knew it from the beginning when he had spotted her in Cecil's arms in the front hall.
Hitomi's fever was suddenly gone, just disappeared and replaced by the complete opposite of warmth. Van ran his hand down the side of her face, stopping to trace her cheekbone as Hitomi let out a soft sigh. Her brow crinkled up into a frown and her hand suddenly shot out to grasp Van's tightly, catching him completely by surprise.
" Whoa.... "
' Something's not right here.... ', Van thought as he gave Hitomi's hand a gentle squeeze, telling her that he was here for her.
There was something about the two marks on her neck that bothered Van greatly. One, he had seen those marks before, two, he didn't know how she got them, and three... was the change in her appearance due to the marks? Van shook his head and gently scolded himself for thinking that.
' Of course not! Why would those marks have caused her to become more.... beautiful...? '
Hitomi groaned lightly and then her eyes fluttered open to stare up at the ceiling. A light glaze slid over her eyes and Van quirked an eyebrow as he leaned down towards her to examine it more carefully. Hitomi suddenly let go of his hand and it fell to lay on the pillow beside her head.
" V-van? ", Hitomi called out, her voice almost inaudible and hoarse.
Van nodded, " Yeah! I'm here, Hitomi.... what's the matter? "
Hitomi shook her head and slowly sat up with Van's help, " I... I don't know. I'm so... cold. And... hungry... ", she murmured softly as she crossed her arms over her chest, bringing her knees up to her chin as she hunched over.
Van sat back and tilted his head to the side, " You're hungry? And... cold? "
Hitomi just nodded and stared off into her own little world. Van followed her gaze to the other side of the room and frowned.
" Ah... Hitomi? What are you looking at? "
Hitomi blinked a few times and then turned her head to the side so she could look at him, " N-nothing... I was just daydreaming I suppose... "
Van nodded, " I see... would you like me to get you something to eat? "
Hitomi turned her head back around and then nodded absentmindedly. Van reached out and gave her knee a gentle pat as he got off the bed and left the room, glancing over his shoulder at Hitomi before he closed the door and made his way down to the kitchen.
As soon as Van left the room, Hitomi quickly uncurled herself from her ball of warmth and lifted her wrist to her face so she could examine the strange marking. She blinked and brought a fingertip to her tongue that she darted out quickly. She then brought the moist fingertip to the marking and ran it over it.
A soft hissing was heard in the room and Hitomi bit back a loud scream of agony as pain flared to life in her arm, shooting it down swiftly to every other part of her body. She wrapped a hand around her wrist and then brought it to her chest. Hitomi clenched her teeth together tightly as she waited for the pain to die down, but it didn't.
In an instant flash, the pain went straight to her head and she let out a soft moan that quickly raised to a ear-splitting scream. It echoed off the walls and probably made it's way throughout the castle. Hitomi laid down quickly, thinking that it would help, but it only made it worse.
Spots of red danced before her eyes, even as she closed them, they only came brighter and bigger. Hitomi arched her back off the bed, raising her lower torso off the bed and into the air. She pushed the top of her head down into the pillows and a loud strangled sob left her lips as her stomach and heart felt like they were being wrung out tightly, as if trying to get water from a cloth.
Small beads of sweat rolled down the sides of her face and Hitomi swallowed thickly, only to gag. She quickly turned onto her side, putting her face over the side of the bed incase she had to throw up. There was a soft sound that floated through the air, mingling with her screams and moans of agony. The sound of something pushing it's way through flesh or something moist and soft.
Pain now took ahold of her mouth, setting it on fire, causing her to open her mouth wide and scream out loud as something inside her mouth came to life, wanting to be known. Breathing heavily and bathed in a light sweat, Hitomi rolled off the bed and landed on the ground with a light thud.
Almost as soon as it started, it stopped completely. The pain was all gone, only to be replaced by a small headache and large stomachache. Hitomi propped herself up with an elbow an closed her eyes as she tried to calm her breathing and heartbeat.
' What's happening to me? Why am I going through this? Why am I feeling all this pain? I don't want it anymore.... no more! '
" Hitomi?! Are you alright? Why are you laying on the ground? What happened? ", Van asked, his voice full of concern as he rushed into the room carrying a small plate with a sandwich.
Hitomi grimaced as she felt another pang of pain in her mouth. She lifted her head up to look at Van's worried expression.
" I-I'm alright, Van... don't worry... ", she murmured softly as she sat up and leaned back against the bed.
Van placed the plate on the nightstand beside his bed and gently knelt down in front of Hitomi, taking her chin gently in his hand. He lifted it and looked at her, a strange look gleaming in his reddish-brown orbs.
" Hitomi... I'm always going to worry about you. Don't you ever forget that. It won't matter how bad things get for me, I'll always end up worrying about you... no matter what. ", he replied softly, drawing a small smile from her ruby red lips.
" Thank you, Van... I'll always worry about you too... ", she whispered against the pad of his thumb as he brushed along her bottom lip.
" Hitomi... there's been something I've wanted to tell you. I've been wanting to say it since you left a few years ago... but... I Just never got the courage... the strength. Hitomi... I-- ", he began, but the look of pain was evident in Hitomi's eyes as her chin trembled in Van's hand.
Tears sprang to her eyes and she closed them, causing them to slide down her cheeks and trail down Van's arm as they slid over his hand. Hitomi grimaced and Van crinkled his brow.
" What is it? Are you scared or something? "
Hitomi sucked in a sharp breath of air and shook her head, letting it out slowly, " N-no, Van! I'm not scared of anything at the moment... only of the p-pain! ", she cried out she twisted her chin from Van's hand as she suddenly wrenched her head to the side.
" Hitomi?! You have to speak to me... you have to tell me what's going on! Why are you in so much pain? Is it because of me? ", Van demanded as he reached out with both hands, cupped her face and brought it around so that he could look at her.
As soon as Hitomi felt his hands on her face, she opened her mouth and bared her teeth as she quickly jerked her mouth close upon Van's thumb that had accidentally grazed her bottom lip. Her teeth pierced his flesh and sweet tasing fluid quickly seeped into her mouth to pool underneath her tongue.
The more she sucked, the more sweet fluid she received. Van's eyes went wide in surprise and he went to yank his hand back, but Hitomi had her mouth attached securely, sucking away at him. Hitomi wrapped an arm around his forearm, bringing his arm to rest against the top of her chest as she slowly turned around in his arm and eased herself into his lap.
Van blinked and then felt his eyelids slowly droop. He rested his forehead against the back of Hitomi's head as she continued to take the sweet fluids. He wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close.
" H-hitomi! Stop... what are y-you doing?! ", Van hissed into her ear as he felt her bite down harder, wanting more.
' What are you doing!? Stop... don't you realize that it's -- '
" Van! ", Hitomi cried out, completely forgetting about the blood pooled underneath her tongue and in her mouth, causing her to choke as she tore his thumb from her mouth, letting his hand fall to the ground with a light thud.
Van tried to blink away the white flashes of light that attacked his eyes, leaving him blind. He heard Hitomi's voice far off in the distance, and he shook his head.
" H-hitomi? Where are you? C-come back! Don't leave me a-again... ", he whispered hoarsely as felt himself get more and more lost.
Hitomi quickly turned around at the sound of fear in his voice. She looked into his face and noticed that it was completely pale, as pale as her pale blonde hair. She reached out, grasped Van's broad, wide shoulders and gave them a mighty shake.
" Van! Wake up... ", she hissed at him as she watched his head flop up and down like a ragdoll.
" H-hitomi... ", Van whispered softly as she stopped shaking him, his head falling to rest against her shoulder.
Hitomi felt her chin dimple in and out as she fought the sobbing. She wrapped her arms around him and rocked back and forth slowly and gently, stroking his pitch black hair the whole time as she whispered into his ear.
" V-van... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen. I don't even know what happened! Please.... wake up... ", she whispered as she stopped rocking and just sat still with him in her arms....
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" sssssssshe issssss learning? "
" Yes! At least one of us is. Now... what did I ask you to do for me? "
" To go get her.... the girl... "
" Good! And why isn't it done yet? "
" Problemssssss.... "
" Problems?! What kind of problems? "
" The girl isssssss.... not done yet.... "
" What do you mean?! "
" Ssssssshe issssssn't done feeding yet... "
" How do you know? "
" Watch, Massssster.... you will sssssee in time. "
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Merle giggled lightly as she felt Cecil gently tickle her stomach. She watched him and tilted her head to the side as he began to trace little drawings that only he could see in his mind on her stomach.
" Cecil? What's wrong? "
Cecil shook his head and brought his eyes up to look at her, " Nothing, darling... nothing at all. I was just thinking of one day when this little stomach of yours will be big and full... "
Merle grinned and shrugged, " Well... you never know when that could happen, now do you? ", she replied as she reached out and gently poked his nose.
Cecil wrinkled his nose and then sneezed lightly, " Bless me! ", he murmured. " Where do you suppose Lord Van and that girl went? "
Merle shrugged again and then sighed heavily as she looked up at the stark white clouds floating by overhead, " What girl? Hitomi? "
Cecil nodded, " Yes... that girl from the Mystic Moon... "
" I don't know. Perhaps they went to the family burial grounds to be alone or something. I think they deserve it though... "
" You're right, Merle. Just as we deserve our time alone... ", Cecil murmured as he sat up and stretched, his dark gold fur gleaming softly in the sunlight.
Merle sighed and sat up as well. She turned around to face Cecil when she spotted someone running at full speed across the courtyard. She only one person who could run that fast, match the speed of gusting wind or lightning that strikes the planet.
Merle jumped up and cupped her hands over her mouth, " Hitomi! Where are you going?! ", she shouted as she watched the woman continue to run, glancing over her shoulder once before disappearing into the de Fanel family burial grounds.
" Cecil! Something's wrong... ", Merle whispered.
Cecil stood up and gently placed a hand under her elbow, " I know... you felt it too? "
Merle shook her head, " I didn't feel it... it just... this doesn't seem right... "
" What doesn't? "
" Hitomi running off... Lord Van not chasing after her... "
Cecil blinked, " You don't think? "
Merle shook her head hard, " No! No... I don't want to even go there. Hitomi would never do anything to harm Lord Van... she loves him too much.. "
Cecil pursed his lips, " Well... how about we go to see if he's alright? "
Merle slowly nodded her head as she turned her attention back to where Hitomi had last disappeared, " Y-yeah... I think that would be a good idea... "
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It was cold one minute and then it was warm, like a sauna the next. All around, white fluffly clouds floated in the air and swirled all around as he tried to figure out where he was and what he was doing there.
Van shook his head, trying to brush aside his dark strands of hair from his eyes as he continued to wander around aimlessly.
' Where am I? Where did Hitomi go off to? ', he thought as his foot hit something and he was thrown to the ground as something hit him square in the back and landed on top of him, pinning him to the ground.
" Get off! ", Van grounded out through clenched teeth as he tried to push himself off the ground, only to be pressed down more.
Warm breath fanned over his ear and he froze instantly underneath the thing that sat on top of him, " You think you can get away? No more, Fanel... no more. Ssssshe will be oursssss.... ", a deep, raspy voice hissed into his ear.
Van growled deep in his throat and then lifted his lower half off the ground, lifting his rear into the air, causing the thing on top of him to float up into the air slightly and then drop down onto Van as he flipped onto his back.
" What do you want? Who are you? ", he demanded as the thing floated down and sat on top of his stomach, watching him intensely.
" I am from the passssst. I am from the future. I am... nothing... ", it simply stated as Van scowled and then made a move to push it off him.
The thing intercepted him by grabbing his forearm and slamming it's palm into Van's elbow, snapping it the opposite way, " Don't messssss with me. I'm not to be fooled with.... neither issss sssshe! ", it hissed as it leaned down towards Van's face and peered at him, its deep gold eyes gleaming dangerously.
Van grunted against the pain in his elbow and looked at his broken arm, taking in the blood that trickled down his arm from the bone that protruded greatly.
" You won't get away with this! ", Van roared as he squirmed beneath the being.
The being sneered and then bared it's long, pointy, sharp, shiny fangs, " You ssssssee thesssse? Thesssse will kill you, Fanel.... jussssst asssss they kill her... "
Van grimaced as he felt his arm go numb, " What do you mean?! Who's ' her '? "
" The chosssssssssen one..... "
Van closed his eyes and then sighed heavily, " Hitomi... ", he whispered, hoping that she would hear him as he tried to ignore the intense pain.
" Yessss! That issssss her.... the chossssssen one! "
Van's eyes snapped open and he shook his head hard, " No! I won't let you take her.... you can't have her. Do you hear me?! "
" We already have her.... ssssshe isssss ourssssss! "
Van shook his head, " No! You can't have her... she's alright, she's alive, she's not one of.... you... "
The being shook it's head, " You are wrong, Fanel! Sssssshe isssssss one of usssssss. Ssssssshe issssss the chossssssen one, the one who will lead ussssssss into the world of darknesssssss, into the world of fear.... "
All around, Van saw spots of bright colour flash in front of his eyes. Voices, high, low, loud, soft called out to him from all around, called out his name, pleaded, begged him to just fall into the darkness and never awaken.
Van closed his eyes and managed to push away the pain in his broken arm as he felt himself begin to drift off.
' What's to happen? Hitomi? I know you can hear me... ANSWER me!! Hitomi... ', Van thought to himself as he sucked in a sharp breath as he felt something sharp and sleek pierce his neck and enter his vein, sending his blood on fire...
{Author's Note: Well? I'm sorry this is taking long... I truely am sorry... *chuckles* Whatcha think so far? Is it not as you had expected for a normal Vampire story....? *shrugs* Ah well... *giggles* I'm trying... read and review!!}
