Chapter 5

He lifted the drink to his lips and took a small sip. The wine went down his throat and he could feel the tingle in his toes. He loved drinking. It made everything seem so surreal and good. It took his mind off of everything and right now he didn't want his mind anywhere but on scantily clad (AN: by scantily clad I mean, Oh My God! You can see their ankles!) bar maids rushing around serving drinks. In fact it looked like one was heading his way right now.
"Hey, I don't think I've seen you around here before, what brings you to Torushina." That was probably something she always said to unfamiliar patrons in order to start short lived conversations that always ended in somebody's room the next morning but this had a completely different effect on this man. He looked over at the pretty woman standing in front of him and knew that she had just ruined his night by asking that. He brought his hand up to his cheek and started to rub it slowly, up and down, as he always did when he was thinking.
"I'm hear to help save everyone." He said this quietly with irony dripping from his voice. Then he gave a little laugh and stood up. Dilandau looked over at Chesta, Gatti and Ryuon, " Why ruin their night." He said to himself and walked out of the bar to wander the night streets of Torushina and see if he could pick a fight.

Win dain a lotica
En vi tu ri
Si lo ta
Fin dain a loluca
En dragu a sei lain
Vi fa-ru les shutai am
En riga-lint

She was dreaming again. It was always the same, when it was about her. "Tsubasa no Kami." Sora was in front of Hitomi floating on what looked like a rock or something. "You must go with them. The Dragon will not want to but you must convince him. The world needs your help, you must become the Goddess that you are."
"What? What are you talking about? Where must I go?" Hitomi sometimes wished Sora would stop speaking in riddles.
"Remember, the powers are within you and only you can protect them, only you can protect him. Your power comes from your heart and from your wings so you must learn to soar."

Win chent a lotica
En vai tu ri
Si lo ta
Fin dein a loluca
Si katigura neuver
Floreria for chesti
Si entina

"We have no idea what's going on and we're short on soldiers and I have a very bad feeling about this. We could really use your help." After Van had explained who Allen and the rest of the Abaharaki were the villagers of Adon were only to happy to treat them like honored guests. Now, the day after the bon fire celebrating the end of the war Allen was asking Van to put a stop to his finally peaceful life and come and help him fight another war. Van's answer was easy.
"I like my life here. It's quiet and peaceful and I don't hate myself for killing people everyday so that I can take revenge on my destroyed country and kill my brother. No, Allen I cannot come with. I am no longer a soldier, I came here to escape fighting."
"But don't you see, what were fighting now isn't human. I stabbed a man in his neck and he lived through it. That's not human Van that's...something else and we need to get rid of them, we need your help." Allen had to convince him, the Abaharaki needed the power of the Dragon Clan and the power of the newly returned Goddess. "Why do you think Hitomi's come back? To live happily ever after with you. She's here to help us in this fight but she can't do it alone. The Goddess needs her Dragon."
"Stop." Van's voice was quiet but firm and threatening. "Don't refer to Hitomi as if she's just something that should used then tossed away."
"You're right, I'm sorry. But the fact still remains that we need both of you, now will you come with us or not?"
"No." Van stood up from the little table that he and Allen had been sitting at and walked out of the dark hut, into the bright morning sun.
"I think we should go." Van nearly jumped out of his skin when Hitomi seemed to jump out of nowhere and start speaking. "I had another dream last night. Sora told me to convince you to go with them. She said they needed my protection." Hitomi had finally gotten around to telling Van about her dreams last night. Now, after having another one Hitomi was sure she was here for a specific reason and as Allen had said, it wasn't so she could live happily ever after with Van. God, did she ever want to though.
"Hitomi, I," Van stopped and sighed upon seeing the look on her face. "Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Alright, we'll go."

Hitomi looked out the open window at the passing scenery. The Abaharaki was on its second day of the five day long journey to Torushina and right now they were passing rather close to an absolutely stunning mountain range unlike anything Hitomi had ever seen. As Hitomi stared at the mountains and the wildlife of Gaea with absolute rapture she missed the fact that someone was staring at him with absolute rapture. Van had come into the kitchen to get some water and had found Hitomi staring out the window as if the world would end if she missed any of the passing scenery.
"Van, good morning." Hitomi had turned around and felt a little embarrassed to find Van staring at her. "What are you doing...uuhg"
"Hitomi!" Hitomi had suddenly reached up and grabbed her head and then slid down to the floor. Van rushed forward and held her head in his arms.
"What's wrong Hitomi?" Van whispered as gently as he had ever whispered anything, worry shining in his dark eyes.
"Something bad is going to happen. Van, there's so much pain and death it won't go away." Hitomi whimpered out some of the feelings that were rushing through her head trying to take over and destroy her mind.
"Van! Soldiers approaching! Get up here now!" Gaddeth yelled out to Van from some unseen place on the gigantic landship.
Van looked down at Hitomi and saw her looking up at him. Looking like she was in so much pain, he couldn't leave her. "Go Van, they need you. I'll be fine."
Van had grown up with Merle and knew that there was no arguing with women on certain issues, this was one of those issues. "I'll find Merle and tell to come and make sure you're okay."
"Alright, hurry."
After finding Merle in the stables and alerting her to Hitomi's present condition Van rushed through the panic on the ship, up to the main deck where Allen and Millerna were waiting for him. "What's going on?"
"Soldiers same guys we ran into in Freid. We stayed behind to warn everyone who left that the only way to kill them is to decapitate them. If you do anything else they just come back." Allen hurriedly explained to Van while rushing around getting the ship to a stop so that they didn't leave anyone behind in this fight.
"Alright, I'll go."
"We'll be out soon." Allen yelled as Van jumped off the ship
Van had never been in a battle like this one. In fact no one had ever been in a battle like this. Although everyone knew that the only way to kill these enemy demons was to cut off there heads there was still some walking around missing arms or with knives in their throats and those seemed to be the most gruesome fighters. They would do anything to bring there opponent down from breaking a bone to biting a leg they did not give up.
Van drew his sword and was ready for battle before his feet touched the ground which was a good thing because as soon as they did he was attacked at all sides by these demon soldiers. Van swung his sword at the one in front of him and its head was flung to the ground. Then he stabbed the sword into the one behind him, which slowed it down, decapitated the one beside then brought the sword back to the one behind him and got rid of its head. Van had dealt with the monsters in his immediate area in a matter of twenty seconds and was ready to move on when, "Oh hell," the first one he had got had somehow managed to get its head back and had stood up again ready to fight some more. Decapitating them didn't kill them; it just took them longer to get back up from it. "What the hell do I do now."
Suddenly Hitomi's headache stopped and she could finally think clearly again and she knew just what to do.
"Your power comes from your heart and from your wings so you must learn to soar." Sora's voice rang through Hitomi's mind and guided to the right place.
"Hitomi what are doing?" Merle was upset again. Van-sama was out fighting demon soldiers and Hitomi looked like she was in a trance. "Hitomi!" Merle yelled as Hitomi leaned out the window as if she was going to jump. "Hitomi stop!" She was going to jump! "Hitomiiiiii!" She had jumped! Merle was definitely upset again.
Van didn't know why but in the middle of all this fighting he looked up at the sun in the sky and saw the scariest thing he had ever seen. Hitomi was falling from one of the windows of the Abaharaki ship. Van was just about to spread his wings and fly up to her but then he looked again and saw Hitomi's wings sprout from her back. The same wings that had brought her away from Gaea, and the ones that had brought her back.
As Van looked up at her, Hitomi started to glow and Van noticed that everyone was looking up at her even the demon soldiers had put a stop to their endless fighting and were staring at the beautiful vision if Hitomi.
"Tsubasa no Kami." Allen whispered, startling Van who hadn't realized he was so close.
The glow surrounding Hitomi got brighter and brighter, it was just like the glow that had blinded Van for a short time right before Hitomi had appeared on Gaea for the second time. He once again had to bring his arm up to his eyes to shield himself from the intense light. When he did this Van remembered the smooth pink jewel that had appeared at the same time. The jewel that had turned into Escaflowne the last time Hitomi was here. The jewel he had left in Adon. All of a sudden the glow stopped and Van brought his arm down and looked around. Hitomi was now standing right in front of her wings glowing behind her. "Is this what your looking for?" Hitomi held out her hand, which was holding the little jewel, which contained such a powerful weapon. "Take it, it's yours." Hitomi whispered. Van reached put and grabbed the jewel when he did so Hitomi's wings disappeared and she collapsed in front of him.
"Hitomi." Van caught her before she fell to the ground.
"Van look." Allen was beside Van gazing around in wonder, Van to looked around and saw that all of the demon soldiers were gone.

"It didn't work Lord." He whispered it to the dark. In return the dark seemed to turn and spasm around him.
"Yes I know. She stopped it. We must get rid of her.'
"How?"
"Don't worry, I know exactly what to do."