Author's note: here ya go. Hope you like it, plz review! ^.~ *PLEASE*
Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, I do own any original characters.
Alone in Blood part 5
The world swam before him. There were voices, he could hear people around him talking. The room was dim. Where was he? Had he died? Was he in hell? Dilandau tried to sit up and pain flared all over him, it seemed like he was experiencing it for the first time. Well he hurt too much to be dead. Letting out a low agonizing moan he dropped back down.
"He's awake..." The voice was soft and quiet. Was it his angel?
"Let's see what we can do for this lad." This voice held age and wisdom. Why couldn't he see properly? His vision seemed blurred.
"Where..." he stopped. Dilandau hadn't expected to be able to speak. Someone, a male answered his question.
"You're safe. Rest. Don't worry about it. You'll be taken care of." He turned his head and sent silver strands of hair over his vision. There were three people in the room. A tall blocky person he assumed was the male voice he'd heard earlier, a bent over woman with long white hair cascading down her shoulders, and a small figure sitting in the corner. It was hard to see the child, they had sort white hair also.
"Open your mouth," the woman stepped forward. "That's a good boy." She poured syrup into his mouth. It tasted horrible, like something sour covered but by sweetening. His body almost rejected it.
"Uh... yuck..." after only a few words he was tired. The woman and the man laughed. The child watched. He thought that maybe they were smiling too. The woman and the man talked to each other and then the left the room. The child came to sit with him. She was not really a child, but a young woman. Her hair was grey in the dim lighting. She smiled down at him.
"Shhh... sleep. You need your strength, you need your will to live. You need to want to? Can you do that Ginsan?" he winced and looked at her, she smiled and laid her cool hand on his forehead. "Shhh... rest Ginsan. Rest... I will stay by your side the whole time. I won't leave you..." Dilandau drifted into a peaceful sleep once again.
He was floating, standing in no where, in blackness. There was nothing but black. It was all around him. It was everywhere. It wasn't an evil black. In fact white would have been the same. Maybe it was white? It was both at the same time. Somehow he saw them both, all around him, black and white. Dilandau had not a single wound on him. His hand reached up and stroked his cheek. The scar was not there. There was nothing. He was radiating with perfect health. But was he alive? Ginsan... Dilandau heard his name. Ginsan, you're straying to far. Come back Ginsan. Dilandau turned around, searching for the voice. A white light flickered. The distance was irrelevant. It could have been a million miles away or right in front of him. Ginsan? Come back to me. Come towards this light. The light was warm, and welcoming.
A cold breeze wrapped around his ankles. He turned around to find a dark hole behind him. It wasn't a colour it was nothing. An emptiness, a void, that's what it was. Niether the light nor the dark was evil or good. Ginsan... Dilandau heard his name again, the light was calling him. The dark didn't. It didn't have to, he knew why it was there and what it wanted. If he had have been conscious he would never have considered the dark one's calling but now he looked at the emptiness with thought. He would not have to be alone ever again. He would not feel pain, suffer, or deal with the trivialities of life. Death would be peace. He took a step towards the hole, something seemed to pull at him from behind. The light. Ginsan! No! Ginsan don't leave! Come back! People need you! It's not yet your time! Dilandau paused.
The dragon slayers walked with a careless step. Their heads turned down, each one remembering something about their leader, their commander. None of them wore their uniforms, they were dropping them off at the fortress tailor. Migel dropped a rose out the window of his room watching it fall down and disappear. Chesta sat on his bed looking at a picture of the dragon slayers in a water fight. They were all laughing and smiling, even Dilandau. Refina was practicing her swordplay holding back tears.
Folken sat a meeting with the generals and sorcerers. He wasn't paying attention. His eyes stared out past the people to the window. Naria and Eriya were sprawled across their beds with looks of deep thought. Dilandau's throne room was empty. An unfinished glass of wine sat on the floor at the foot of the throne.
"What... what were those?" Dilandau asked the nothingness. But he knew. It was Zaibach without him, his people without him, his friends without him. I still have time, I can go back, I'm not finished yet. Dilandau withdrew from the dark hole of death. He turned around and walked into the warm light.
****
Migel knocked on the door. Gatti stood anxiously beside him, Dalet looked calm and relaxed as always. Refina looked depressed and was acting very mellow. Migel knocked again.
"Chesta? Open up. You're in there aren't you?" Migel asked. The door opened and the short blonde boy looked at them grim faced. His eyes were cast down.
"Chesta why did you leave like that? And you didn't you answer?" Gatti asked pushing past Migel. Gatti and Chesta were close friends.
"No reason." He said quietly. Gatti was looking somewhat hurt. Dalet looked down at Chesta like a bigger brother and said.
"What did you get for your new position?" Chesta sighed. He was, like the rest of them, wearing his own clothes and not the dragon slayer uniform.
"You guys might as well come in." Chesta said stepping away from his door. Migel pushed open the door. There were clothes everywhere. Belongings wrapped neatly in packages and a bag open on the bad. Gatti's face went pale.
"What are you doing?!" He shouted.
"I'm leaving." Chesta continued to pack things away. "I was given leave. He nodded to a pink sheet of paper on his nightstand.
"And, you're just going to...to..."
"To leave?" Chesta finished. He stood up and looked at Gatti with sad blue eyes.
"Damn you! How can you!" Gatti shoved Chesta roughly into the wall then he turned and ran out of the room. Chesta slid down the wall and rested his forehead on his drawn up knees.
"Why did everything have to change...?" Chesta cried quietly. Migel stared off into nothingness and Dalet looked at Chesta irritably. Refina crouched down and pulled Chesta against her, letting him cry.
"We all miss him Chesta…" She stroked his straight hair. "Don't worry, we just have to stay together."
"We can't, not any more. General Aldelphos saw to that." Dalet said, his eyes narrowing angrily.
"If he despised the dragon slayers so much why didn't he just break us up when… before now?" Refina asked. Dalet shrugged.
"Because, although Dilandau was of a lower rank than Aldelphos he held a sort of… commanding air about him that suppressed even the general. Many people outside Zaibach's mainstream admired him and were in awe of his destructive powers. He was like a war banner for the Zaibach Empire." Migel finished and the other three stared at him. "But now… he can divide and disperse us as much as he wants. It truly isn't fair." All that time Migel had been looking down, now he looked up at their sad and surprised faces. "We've got to stick together."
****
Folken headed down one of the dark corridors quickly. He was in no mood what so ever to talk to anyone. The day had been nothing but endless arguments and meetings with sorcerers who sneered at Folken. He had received a copy of the dragon slayer's reassignments earlier that day. Now after pulling a few strings he managed to keep them from getting rid of the girl, Refina. As for the boy, he hadn't come up with a good enough argument to get him out of that position.
"We've got to stick together." Folken slowed, the voice was that of Dilandau's companion Migel. He was an exellent pilot and swordsmen. As he walked closer he saw the back of the tall fighter known as Dalet. Folken walked up beside him. The dragon slayers hurried to greet him formally.
"There is no need for that now. I come to you as a friend." They looked at him. Folken returned their looks, he notice Refina holding the quiet blonde boy. It looked as though he'd been crying. Their ranks and ages were different but they all had an unspoken connection now. Even if it wasn't a good one and somewhere inside of him, Folken felt compelled to protect them. They had all shared the same loss.