Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne©...
Dedication: To anyone and everyone....
~~~~*~~~~
Author's Note: This chapter is going to turn out weird in the end if you don't read it carefully. I'm sooo sorry that it's sooo long. I tried to shorten it (yeah... right! ^~) but this is how it originally ended up. Don't worry. I haven't ditched my other Escaflowne fics out there, including Whispered Promises. That one I'm going to work on tonight and will have in either tonight or tomorrow afternoon, it all depends if my dad gets rid of that Choke.exe virus that had gotten into my computer... I'm on a laptop... one of my friends, spending the night at her house, I begged her to use it... *grins wickedly* Ciao for now! Remember! Read carefully!! And don't give up if it suddenly gets boring in the middle... :p
~~~~*~~~~
~Chapter 2~
.:The Death Card:.
~~~~*~~~~
Hitomi groaned lightly and slowly opened her eyes. She found herself staring up at a dark maroon canopy and she suddenly chuckled to herself as she sat up quickly only to fall back down onto the pillows, wincing and biting her lip hard to keep from screaming out in pain as fire flared to life throughout her upper torso and lower.
She closed her eyes and began to breath deeply, trying to get the pain to go away. Hitomi clutched the blanket tightly in her hand and waited as the pain subsided slowly. She then opened her eyes and blinked away the tears that were caused by the unbelieveable pain she had just felt.
" My God... what the hell happened? Where am I? This doesn't look like home... " she muttered to herself as she pushed aside the blanket and welcomed the cool breeze coming in from the open balcony doors, the white transparent curtains swaying and rippling in it.
Hitomi slowly and carefully got up and and out of the bed. She stood up and then looked down at the strange looking nightgown she was wearing. She frowned and then slowly padded bare foot to the cabinet in the far corner of the room that looked like a closet.
Hitomi pulled open the door and was suddenly hit with a sweet musky scent that only men would wear. She wrinkled her nose and then reached into the dark closet to pull out a heavy velvety black robe. She draped it over her body and tied the sash at the middle to fit her smil figure nicely.
She then made her way towards the door, loving the smell of the robe as she tried to bury herself into it's warmth and fullness. Hitomi sighed lightly as she pulled open the door and walked out into the hallway, wincing as she banged her arm up against the doorframe, causing a line of pain to shoot up her arm.
Hitomi suddenly sneezed quietly and then began to make her way through the dimly lit and long hall. She examined the pictures that hung on the walls carefully, as she slowly made her way to the end of the hall. She came to a stop in front of a wall with a picture of a beautiful woman with pitch black hair and ruby coloured eyes.
Two red small dots stood out on her forehead just above the beginning of her dark eyebrows. Her eyes seemed to follow Hitomi's every move and Hitomi cocked her head to the side as she continued to examine the picture. There was a light whispering throughout the hall and Hitomi whirled around a couple of times, trying to figure out what and who it was.
" To your right... look... " the voice softly whispered into her ear.
Hitomi whirled to the side to find herself facing a door that was slightly open. She walked up to it and pushed it open and then walk out into the open, wrapping her arms around her chest as she walked. Birds chirped softly in the distance and the voices of some men floated through the air to her.
Hitomi slowly and quietly made her way towards the voices and found herself standing behind a tree, looking at a bunch of men drinking from mugs. They all sat around a bonfire, all but one man who sat off in the far corner, leaned up against a tree, arms crossed over his chest, nose crinkled, brow furrowed and lips pursed as if deep in thought.
She cocked her head to the side and then shook it, " What am I doing here? I should be inside... where is here, anyway? " she muttered to herself as she turned to make her way back to the castle but a twig snapped under her feet.
" Who's out there? " one of the men shouted as he stood up quickly and began to make his way towards the tree where Hitomi was standing behind.
Hitomi froze and then cursed herself before suddenly with great effort taking off at a rather fast pace considering her chest still hurt. They followed her. She was already panting as soon as she reached the middle of the courtyard, but she could still hear their footsteps behind her, following her.
She hit her big toe on a large rock and a soft cry of pain escaped her lips, as she stumbled forward. The man following her quickly caught up and tackled her to the ground from behind. Another cry of pain escaped her again only this one was louder and more agonised as she hit the ground hard, her chest being crushed into the ground from the heavy weight on top of her.
Hitomi groaned and then tears came to her eyes as she felt something inside of her rip. The man on top of her quickly got off and yanked her off the ground to look at her. When his eyes trailed from her pain contorted face to her chest where blood was beginning to seep through her nightgown and soak the robe. He knitted his brows together and then began to shout to the other men over his shoulder.
" Come!! Hurry... quick. Sire!! She's injured.... " he cried as Hitomi felt her eyes close as she slumped against him.
Van's ears twitched slightly and he blinked from his thoughts. His head shot up as he heard the shout for help and he felt Allen's eyes on him, " What's going on? " he asked as he stood up quickly, brushing the dirt from his pants.
Allen shrugged, " I don't know... "
Van began to make his way, following his guards as they led the way to where the soldier who had tackled Hitomi stood with her slumped against him. Van blinked hard and then rushed over to her, grabbing her under the arms as she began to slid down the guards body and lifting her up into his own arms.
" What happened here? " he asked the guard.
" I thought she was an intruder, Sire, so I followed her and called out to her. She didn't answer, Sire, so I tackled her and this is how it happened.. " he replied as he nodded to the robe.
Van shot a nasty look at him, " Next time be more careful! "
The guard bowed deeply, " Sire! I'm sorry... "
" Alright. I understand... "
Allen came up behind the guard and caught sight of Hitomi. He whistled low and deep, " Whoa... "
Van held her up with one arm. With the other, he reached out to brush aside some strands of long hair from her face.
" I think she should be alright. Let's get her inside and then clean her up again... " he told them, wrapping his arm around her thighs now as he held her to his chest.
' That smell... where have I smelt that before? The robe... closet... ' Hitomi wondered as she slowly opened her eyes to find herself staring into a pair of deep reddish-brown ones.
" Are you alright? " Van asked as he searched her face, looking for any other signs of trouble.
Hitomi winced and tried to shift in his arms, but she ended up crying out. She closed her eyes against the tears and slowly shook her head.
" I-it hurts all over.... " she whispered in a soft pained voice.
Van nodded, " I know.. I'm sorry about that... " he replied lightly as he began to walk across the courtyard to the castle. " We're going to have you cleaned up in a second... "
Hitomi nodded and rested her head against his chest, a very small smile on her lips, " Where am I? "
Van looked down at her again, " Fanelia... "
" Where's that? I've never heard of it. Am I in America? Cananda? "
Van blinked and then chuckled low in his throat. Hitomi smiled again as she felt it vibrate nicely in her ear.
" What's Canada? What's America? I have never heard of those strange names before... "
Hitomi opened her eyes and looked at him, " You mean... we're not in America? "
Van shook his head.
" Canada?! "
Van shook his head again.
" Then where are we?! " Hitomi demanded, completely panicking now." Fanelia... I already told you that. "
" No! " she snapped. " What do you mean, ' Fanelia'? Where's Fanelia? "
" In Gaea... " Van replied slowly.
Hitomi closed her eyes and then sighed heavily, " I think I need some more sleep... what's your name? "
Van cocked his head to the side as he watched her, " Van Slanzar de Fanel... who might you be? "
" Hitomi... Hitomi Kanzaki... "
~~~~*~~~~
" Sire? What do you think will happen to her? " one of the personal advisors asked softly, leaning over the arm of the throne, peering at the king of the Ispano Clan.
Emil LaIspani pursed his full lips, propping his chin on his hand, staring out straight ahead at the pure gold figurines that adorned the long, large walls of his chambers. He glanced over at Miko and Mika, his right-hand and left-hand advisors.
He sneered, " I don't think, Miko, I know what'll happen to her if she stays with that Fanel guy... "
Miko crinkled his nose, " But, Sire! How do you know for certain that she's with him? I mean... you do remember what his mother said right? "
Emil looked at Miko and frowned deeply, " No... I don't know. What did she say? "
Mika bit his lip, " She said that the one who will bring death upon Gaea will be upon us before we know it. If we allow her passage onto our planet, all things will die and remain dead... "
Emil snorted, " I was never informed of this... "
" Well, Sire... that's because you... never asked... " Mika replied in a quiet voice.
Emil's head jerked in his way, " What was that?! Are you telling me that you've been keeping this from me for how long...? "
" Uh.... ten years, Sire... " Miko answered.
Emil nodded, " Thank you, Miko. Ten years, Mika! " he bellowed. " Ten whole damn years. Why else was I never informed of this? " he demanded, sitting back in his throne.
" Because you weren't crowned king at the time, Sire. You're father, deceased king Palroe LaIspani was... Sire... " Miko added.
Emil rolled his completely clear blue eyes, " Right... " he muttered softly, exasperated. " The great old king Palroe. It wasn't my he's dead so early, it's Lig Vista's! "
" Sire... Lig Vista is dead. He's been dead for over precisely twenty years now... " Miko said.
Emil jumped up from his throne and crossed the room to stand in front of the window, his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes narrowed as he watched a bunch of birds fly by. Mika and Miko exchanged worried glances before Miko gave Mika a shove towards Emil.
" S-sire... what will do about her? "
Emil glanced over his shoulder at him and smirked, " What do I normally do when I want something that I can't have? " he simply replied.
Now was the time for Mika and Miko to worry, which is exactly what they did as they stared at their king's broad back, their green eyes wide in horror...
~~~~*~~~~
Van nearly fell over with her in his arms. Hitomi's arms shot out and she encircled them around his neck, holding onto him tightly in case he dropped her. She tried to look at him, get a glimpse of his expression, but he held her tight to him, keeping her from seeing him, but Hitomi was persistent.
" What's the matter with you? " she asked, suddenly slipping her arms from his neck to place them against his chest to push him slightly away from her.
' By the Gods.... ' Van thought to himself in shock.
" Van? Are you alright? " Allen asked, coming to his side to take Hitomi from his arms in case he fell back.
Hitomi frowned at Allen and shot a hand out to push him away. She didn't want to go with the blonde guy, she wanted to stay with this one... for now.
" No... don't. Just leave me alone... " she said, slapping away Allen's gloved hands as they reached for her.
" He'll drop you... " Allen warned, reaching for her again, only to have his hands slapped away again.
As Hitomi launched a hand at him, going to throw his hands away now as they began to slide under her body, she felt another rip inside of her and this caused funny looking bright spots of colours to dance in front of her eyes. She suddenly arched her back from Van's arms, her head thrown back as she moaned loudly, tears coming to her eyes.
Van blinked, feeling the suddenly movement in his arms, snapping him back into reality from his thoughts. He saw Allen pulling Hitomi from his arms, but something made him pull away, his own arms tightening their hold on Hitomi's body as he took a step back from Allen.
" Just let me deal with her, Allen... " he said calmly, eyeing the older man before shifting Hitomi to the other side.
" Hitomi.. " he whispered to her, catching sight of the small crystals that fell down her cheeks in silence.
Hitomi bit her lip and then broke down, sobbing, turning her face towards Van, burying it into his chest. Allen watched in silence, eyeing Hitomi suspiciously. Van swallowed and then shifted her again so that she was almost touching the ground.
" Hitomi. Listen to me... spread you legs, bend your knees and then wrap them around my waist. Alright? You understand? " he whispered to her.
Hitomi crinkled her nose and did as she was told. Once her legs were wrapped around Van's waist, Van placed his right forearm under her rear as a seat and then wrapped his other arm around her back, pressing her close for some reason. Hitomi buried her face into the crook of his neck, inhaling the sweet musky scent that he carried.
" I-is this... better for you, Hitomi? " Van asked softly into her ear, slowly beginning to make his way towards the castle from the courtyard.
Hitomi closed her eyes and nodded, " Yes... thank you, Van... " she whispered into his neck, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Allen blinked and then sighed, " Well... this is going better then planned... " he muttered under his breath before following them from the courtyard...
~~~~*~~~~
" So what's this all about, Ceasae? I'm suppose to be in bed now.... " Merle said, yawning loudly as she watched the frail old woman sitting across the long dinning table.
Ceasae Freska crinkled her nose and leaned towards Merle, her small beady black eyes kind, yet hard at the same time, " Child... you don't know of the dangers that lay ahead... do you? " she asked lightly, her frail, wrinkled fingers laying on top of a stack of cards.
Merle tilted her head to the side, " No.... what do you mean? "
Ceasae blinked and then reached up to brush aside some fire red hair that was still turning gray, but slowly, " The talked about one has arrived, Merle. The prophecized one... the one the Draconians feared... "
Merle nodded slowly and then reached over to cover Ceasae's hand with her paw, " Please... go on, Ceasae... " she said softly, her light blue eyes serious.
Ceasae nodded and gave Merle's hand a gentle squeeze, " Five thousand years ago, Merle... about three centuries after Gaea had been created, there had been a horrible battle. The battle consisted of the Draconians, the Gonglise and the Dopplegangers. You see, Merle... the Draconians and the Gonglise were cousins... "
" Then why were they fighting if they were related? "
" It wasn't the Draconians who started it. It was the Gonglise who started it. A member of the Gonglise betrayed them all by going to the Dopplegangers. That one Gonglise was the cause of the pain that our planet still feels to this very day, Merle. It was because of him that the Draconian's don't exsist anymore, that's why they're so rare to find... "
Merle frowned deeply, " I still don't understand, Ceasae. How'd that one Gonglise betray the Draconians and his clan? " she asked, leaning forward on the table, watching the older woman, completely captivated.
Ceasae chuckled, " In good time will you understand, my child. All in good time... that one Gonglise betrayed his clan an his cousins by sneaking off to the dopplegangers, making a deal with them that if they were to kill all their members, all but one, the leader, the Gonglise were going to share the secret to Atlantis with them... "
" So... if the dopplegangers killed off all their members, but the leader, the Gonglise were going to share with them the secret to unlocking the power of Atlantis? "
Ceasae nodded, " Yes! Now you've getting somewhere... "
Merle waved a hand through the air, " So then... what did the Draconians do about it? "
" Oh, they were mad, Merle. They were mad.... "
" What'd they do? "
" They cast eternal darkness of Gaea... "
" Really?! Wow! So what about the battle... "
" The battle? Well.. after the Draconians found out that their own cousins had deceived them, they were extremely angered by this and then cast eternal darkness on the planet. That's when the fighting began. The Gonglise weren't at all that skilled as the Draconians... "
" How so? "
" Well... the draconians were beautiful people. They had their angelic-like wings, their slim figures... everything that resembled an angel. While the Gonglise had the opposite, resembling something more that lived underground for the past twenty or so centuries. The Gonglise had large fangs, no wings, stumby legs and they were also hairy... "
Merle shuddered and then glanced at the stack of cards, " What are those, Ceasae? "
Ceasae followed her gaze and smiled softly, " They're the holders of the future, child... "
" Really? What do they do? " Merle asked, crossing her legs under the table.
" Would you like a reading? " Ceasae asked lightly, getting ready to flip the top card.
Merle looked uneasy. She bit her lip, eyeing the cards before slowly nodding, " S-sure... it won't scare me, will it? "
Ceasae shrugged, " That's not for me to know, Merle. It'll be your future that will be told, not mine... "
Merle nodded and Ceasae flipped the top card, placing it face-up on the side. Merle furrowed her brow, looking at it strangely, while Ceasae sat there, watching it, a faraway look in her eyes.
" Child... " Ceasae whispered, causing Merle to look at her.
" What is it, Ceasae? How come you're so pale? " Merle asked, watching Ceasae's pale wrinkled face as small beads of sweat slid down the sides of her face.
" Child... let the card stay like this. Don't you ever move it until I say. U-understand? " she asked, her voice slowly turning into a raspy gasp.
Merle jumped up from her chair and ran around the table to crouch beside the old lady, her hand on her thigh and the other on her back.
" Ceasae?! You're going to be alright.... hang on, I'll go get Puck... " she said, getting up to leave, but Ceasae shot out a hand and grabbed Merle's wrist, bringing her back.
" T-there's more to tell y-you about the Pre-destined War, child, but so little time... " she tried to continue, but her voice was nothing but a soft whisper that still couldn't be heard.
Merle blinked and frowned, " I don't understand it though, Ceasae! You have to stay with me, don't leave me yet... " she pleaded, clutching the old woman's hand in her own tightly.
Ceasae smiled softly and then reached out to bring Merle's head to her lips. Pressing her lips to Merle's forehead, she let out her last breath and then slowly pulled away to fall to the ground from the chair, the cards falling along with her to scatter around her, all face-up.
Merle swallowed and shook her head, tears brimming her eyes, " C-ceasae? Ceasae?! N-no! By the Gods... this can't be happening... " she whispered as she backed away from the chair, her watery eyes skimming along the table to come to a rest on the card that sat there by itself.
Merle swallowed and then swipped at her eyes to brush aside the tears, as she leaned over to get a better look at the handwritten letters. She frowned slightly and then reached out to pick it, completely forgetting about Ceasae's warning to not touch the card.
" L-la... huh? " she whispered to herself, trying to figure out what it said, but couldn't understand the last word...
~~~~*~~~~
' I'm dead... yeah. That has to be the only reason for this... this isn't real, or else I'm dead, gone. Where am I anyway? This doesn't look like home... ' Hitomi thought to herself as she stood up off the ground and began to walk around the dark area, not knowing at all where she was going until she hit something hard, her forehead tingling with pain.
" Son of a -- " she muttered, but then stopped as a sudden burst of light flashed overhead and rained down in front of her, causing her to jump back to safety.
Out from the light, emerged a peculiar looking person or... thing. Long white wings, beautiful, feathers all fluffy and stark white, stretched out behind them. Their deep green eyes found hers and she stiffled a gasp as the person walked towards her, their hand outstretched.
" I'm not going to hurt you... " they said softly, their voice soft and melodic, carrying lightly in the wind that blew past them.
Hitomi swallowed and then slowly outstretched her hand, feeling the soft, almost alien-like fingers wrap themselves around her hand. She was surprised when she was yanked roughly towards them, her face right underneath theirs as they stared at her as if trying to see into her very soul.
" This is the one! " they shouted. " She has betrayed us all, she is the one who wishes to do evil with the secrets, the power! What must we do to betrayers?! "
" Destroy!! " a bunch of voices shouted from all around, the scene of darkness suddenly changing into that of a world of red.
Hitomi felt her heart gripped by fear as she stared wide-eyed at the one who still held her hand clutched tightly. She gave a tug to get her hand back, but they pulled her closer, their mouth resting on her forehead, something warm, moist darting past the rough lips to caress her smooth forehead.
" Stop it! " she screamed, squirming, trying to get away. " Let me go... "
" Destroy! Destroy! Destroy! "
That's all the voices said from all around. Repeating the same thing over and over under it was permenantly implanted into Hitomi's brain. She felt a burning on her forehead and she grunted from it as she curled her hand into a tight fist and then let it fly at their chest, hoping to inflict damage.
The blow didn't hurt them. It hurt her more. Hitomi was pushed away slightly, her forehead feeling strange to her as the grip on her hand was gone to be replaced by nothing but the heavy air swirling around her. She looked at the person who had touched her forehead with their tongue and they grinned at her, lifting a hand in the air, their palm facing her.
" Now... you have been revealed to the world... you will die... " they said simply, a strange looking almond shaped object suddenly appearing in the middle of his palm and then closing to be opened again.
Hitomi took a step back, her foot hitting nothing but air as her hand had done. She screamed out as she felt herself falling back and then...
Flash!
Something grabbed her forearm and brought her back onto steady ground, not letting her go either afterwards. Hitomi swallowed thickly, trying to force back the tears that had slid into her eyes as she lifted her head to find herself staring into a pair of clear blue eyes.
" Ah! So nice of you to drop by... isn't it? " they asked.
Hitomi nodded slowly, swallowing again, " W-who are you? What do you want? "
" Must you really need to know? "
Hitomi nodded again, " Of course I need to know! " she snapped.
" Well in that case. You're going to die. " they stated simply, staring her dead in the eye. " You're going to die and there's not a damn thing you or I or even anyone else can do about it because, well... we'll all be dead along with you... "
Hitomi's eyes were wide and she blinked a few times, shaking her head, " No. I will not die and neither will anyone else. Tell me... tell me who you are, " she demanded.
They shook their head sadly, " I'm sorry that I can't say. But what I can say is that.... you will be mine shortly. In time... I wil have you and no one will come to rescue you, not even the little king... " he whispered into her ear after pulling her close.
Hitomi was dumbstruck. She suddenly opened her mouth to say something but she was catapulted back through the air, suddenly falling to her death that awaited her below, the face of the person who had thrown her over the edge, staring down at her, a nasty leer on their face...
" Ahhh! " Hitomi screamed, bolting up in the bed, her hair flying to a rest in her face, matting itself down with the sweat that bathed her body completely as she sat there, heart pounding viciously against her ribcage as if wanting to get out.
Van blinked and watched her, " Are you.... alright, Hitomi? " he asked, leaning forward in the chair that sat by the bed, his arms crossed over his chest.
Hitomi turned her head to the side and then closed her eyes as she let out a long, big breath of relief for knowing she ws still alive and not completely mangled and torn from the rocks that had been laying below her as she fell to her death. There was a light touch on her shoulder and she jumped, completely startled.
" Hitomi? " Van called out her name slowly and firmly. " You're in bed. You fell asleep in my arms while I was carrying you up. You've been asleep for four hours... "
" You don't have to talk to me like I'm a small child and not going to understand you... " Hitomi murmured softly, reaching up to plow a hand through her hair, grimacing as the pain in her abdomen acted up again.
Van sighed heavily and watched her, watched how the light of the moon shining into the room casted eerie looks to her soft, beautifully featured face, watched how the look of stress and lots of tension brought an older appearance to her face.
" Are you alright? " he asked again.
Hitomi ran a hand over her face and then turned in the bed to face him, grimacing again," Y-yeah... I'm going to live.. " she assured him. ' I hope... '
Van nodded and smiled lightly, " That's good to hear. Look, Hitomi... I'm sorry, and I'm sure Allen is as well for.. well, for injuring you the other day... " he apologized softly, watching her.
Hitomi waved a hand through the air, " It's alright, Van... so I'll have a few scars on my body, at least it didn't kill me... "
Van knitted his brow as he watched her, taking her in, taking in how the clothes clung to her nicely figured body because of the sweat. Hitomi blinked and then giggled, grimacing, drawing a curious stare from Van.
" What? " he asked, completely baffled.
Hitomi giggled even more now from the look of innocence on his face, " N-nothing... " she said through giggles.
Van rolled his eyes, " Riiiiight! If you weren't injured, I'd probably tackle you right now to that bed and make you laugh harder at something that isn't even funny.... " he threatened jokingly.
" I'd like to see you try to, Van. You wouldn't be able to catch me if your life depended on it! " she vowed, sliding the blankets back to reveal long well toned legs that were pale in the moonlight.
Van stared at her legs, completely captivated. He gave himself a mental shake and then shook his head, slowly standing up from the chair.
" Where do you think you're going? You're injured... "
Hitomi chuckled and then slipped off the bed, pulling down the shirt she guessed was his. She looked at him and tilted her head to the side before running towards the door.
" It's doesn't take a stomach and back to run, Van... " she called out to him before slipping from the room in nothing but one of his shirts.
Van blinked and then blinked again, completely stunned by her. He glanced at the rumpled sheets and then over at the open door before sighing heavily, unhooking his sword from his belt, placing it on the bed and then taking off after her.
" Catch me if you can! " her voice echoed throughout the hallways.
Van smirked and then shook his head smiling, " Man... I'm going to be outrun by a girl... " he muttered as he turned a corner and bumped head on into Allen.
" What the -- " he cried out, stumbling back.
Allen blinked and then brushed aside some hair from his eyes, " Van! What are you doing? "
" Don't have time for chitchat, Allen... gotta go catch someone... " he called over his shoulder as he took off again, nearly tripping over the carpet that covered the long length of the long hallway.
" Hey! Hitomi? Where did you go? " Van shouted out, stopping to catch his breath.
Something poked him in the side hard, causing him to whirl around wincing, his hand on his side as he spotted Hitomi running away from him. Van chuckled in his chest and took off after her. Hitomi glanced over her shoulder to see if he was coming and let out a squeal as she spotted him catching up quickly.
' So, he does know how to run... hmph! ' she thought as she turned a corner to find herself in front of a dead end.
Van snorted, " She's in for it now... dead end! " he shouted, just about to turn the corner, following her, but was shoved back as she lunged at him, pushing him away as she giggled and ran the way they had came.
" Ha ha! Think again, mister king of all Fanelia! " Hitomi shouted over her shoulder, wincing as she felt her lungs feel like they wanted to burst.
Van pursed his lips and once again took off after her, noticing she was slowly down. He let out a silent victory shout inside his head as he caught up to her quickly and tackled her from behind, sending her to the ground, him on top of her, his chest rising and falling rapidly against her back, feeling thei hearts mingle, going along with the same beat.
" Oof! " Hitomi grunted as she hit the ground, a weight slightly heavier then hers pressed down against her, making her feel strange.
Van licked his lips and then slowly got off of her, but not completely, only enough to flip her onto her back, he sat on her lightly straddling her.
" How do you like that for someone who wouldn't be able to catch you, huh? " he asked, slightly amused by this game.
Hitomi smirked and licked her own lips, " Well... there are... many others.. " she said, slightly breathless. " But, I'll teach them to you sometime later on... "
" Oh? " Van asked with the jerk of his left dark brow.
Hitomi nodded, watching him watch her. Van suddenly lowered his upper half to hers, supporting his weight on his elbows as he looked at her, his eyes roaming over her slightly flushed skin, watching the small beads of sweat collet on her brow.
" Is something... wrong, Van? " Hitomi whispered, suddenly feeling herself trying to inch away from him.
Van shook his head, " Shh... " he whispered, inching his face downwards slowly." Shh, what? " she whispered back, her eyes lingering on his lips that were so tantalisingly close.
" I'm looking... " Van's reply came back soft and tender as he brought his mouth to Hitomi's, but didn't press it to hers.
Hitomi swallowed and then lifted her head upwards slightly so that their lips brushed across each other in a soft feathery touch that made her toes curl in wonder, excitement. Van felt the brush of her lips and then felt himself kissing her back, but she began to pull away as if uncertain. He slid a hand behind her neck, bringing her mouth back to his in new hunger, slowly lifting himself off of her, bringing her into his lap in the middle of the hallway, their lips never leaving each other.
Hitomi pressed her hands to his chest, taking in handfuls of his red shirt that hung loosely on his broad chest nicely. She pressed her lips to his over and over, suddenly feeling the fevered touch of his tongue as the tip brushed across her lower lip, asking her, begging for admittance which she gave immediately.
They tongues met halfway, slowly moving towards each other with uncertainty to where this would all lead, but Van didn't want to go there just yet. He was just dying to taste her when he had first seen her there, kneeling in front of him, his and Allen's swords embedded in her body.
There was a loud gasp behind them and Hitomi was the first to pull away. Van's eyes snapped open and he saw Merle standing behind Hitomi, her hand clenched tightly around something. Hitomi slowly slid off of his lap, but he wrapped an arm around her small waist, holding her still, holding her against the stiff bulge that strained against his pants, making him die with need, making her squirm uncomfortably.
" Merle? What is it? " he asked, looking at her, taking in the matted orange fur of her cheeks, taking in the streaks of tears.
Merle shook her head and then dropped what she was holding in her hand on the ground beside Hitomi face-up before whirling around and running away, her sobs trailing after her. Hitomi looked at Van and then down at what was placed beside her thigh. She gasped and picked it up, bringing it up to her face to read it.
'The Death card? B-but... how? I left my tarot cards back on Earth... '
Van watched as Hitomi's face paled. He brought a hand to the side of her face, cupping it, bringing her eyes around to meet his, but they didn't reach his, oh no they didn't. They were seeing something entirely different then his face, his worried eyes, his slightly parted mouth.
Flash!
She was there again. Walking up and down the hallways, her hands bound behind her back tightly, painfully, her head hung low, her hair falling in front of it, curtaining it from view. She heard someone to her right, but she couldn't turn her head to look at them, to ask for help. She was all alone, lost and all alone in a world that she didn't belong in.
She felt something run through her shoulders, pass right through her bone, pass right through her muscles, everything. It was like she didn't exsist to them, but then why could they see her and talk to her? Why couldn't she talk back to them this time? It was because of him. He had asked her to come.
She remembered in her dreams that he had cried out to her to help him. But... help him with what? And how? She didn't even know where he lived to begin with until the link had made it's way through, all the way to his world.
" C-can you hear them? She's crying... she's sad... " a small, sad voice spoke out from behind her.
Flash!
They shouted at her. Loud and hard. Telling her to burn. Tell her to leave them alone. Hard objects were thrown at her, hitting her everywhere, making her body go completely numb, making it bleed as two strange looking creatures came up to her, grabbing her tied wrists roughly and then lifted her up into the air, tying her bounded wrists to something behind her that she couldn't obviously see.
It suddenly went dark as she was blindfolded. Intense pain followed from her shoulders as she felt her arms being ripped off, soon to follow, her legs and then her head. She sobbed. Low tortured sobs that rose to be greater then the shouts for her to die.
Suddenly the pain was gone and the shouting had stopped... but for one single voice...
Flash!
" Hitomi?! Dammnit, Hitomi! " Van shouted as he yanked her off the ground and stood her up, her body slowly beginning to slide down his until her held her up by placing his hands under her arms.
" Hitomi, wake up! Come back to me, now! " he shouted again, this time in her ear.
Hitomi's eyes flew open and she let out a loud scream, completely slipping from his hands to crumple to the ground at his feet on her knees, her head in her hands, her hands over her ears, trying to push out the shouts. Van immediately followed, grabbing her shoulders roughly and giving her a hard shake.
Hitomi's head snapped back and forth like a simple ragdoll until Van got ahold of himself and just sat there in front her, his hands gripping her shoulders tightly, his reddish-brown eyes wide and scared for what he had just done to her and saw from her.
" H-hitomi? Are you alright? " he asked, blinking, his eyes going back to their normal size as he searched her face.
Hitomi looked at Van before bringing the card up to look at it.
' Death card... it can't possibly mean that.. no! It can't, it wouldn't! ' she thought before suddenly feeling lightheaded.
Van watched as her sea-green eyes rolled back into her head, her head thrown back as she went completely limp in his hands...
~~~~*~~~~
Author's Note: I told you so! I told you it would be weird...