Author's note: oh geez I'm soo sorry! I took way to long to write this! Anyway here it is. And just to let you know there is some spoilers and this whole story is like not along the same story line as the episodes. It's different. Yeah… so anyway tell me what you think of it!! ^.~
Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, I do own any original characters.
Alone in Blood: VII
Strange Meetings
Dilandau stepped out of the small wooden house. Leah followed behind him. She was a lot shorter than her was. Sunlight streamed down warming his face. The afternoon light was beautiful. He wondered why he had never noticed it before. It must be some side affect of his… wounds… well maybe not that. He inhaled deeply. It was good to be outside he felt almost giddy. His body seemed new to him. The boy stretched and started walking in the direction of the forest. The little mouse girl a few steps behind him. The strange energy grew inside of him, he felt like it was bottled up about to explode! Finally he couldn't take it anymore and he leapt into a run, dashing down the forest trail. The wind blew in his face and he felt his heart beating faster, blood pumping through his veins, allowing his muscles to breath. He felt the burn of his lungs. It was exhilarating.
"Ginsan!" he heard the little mouse girl. She was calling from somewhere behind him, but he wasn't ready to stop yet. Only when he burst into a meadow scaring the birds into the trees and panting for breath did he stop. His legs trembled they way they did when he had overexerted himself. He knew that they would probably be stiff the next morning. He sighed loudly and dropped onto the ground, rolling onto his back. The meadow grass waved ever so slightly in the wind. Birds sang in the trees and clouds drifted lazily in the blue sky. He heard footsteps and a moment later the gentle face of Leah was peering into his.
"Wow you sure can run fast!" she panted out of breath. She collapsed beside him. "Woah.. tired…" he cracked a sly grin. He knew that unlike the little forest girl he was well trained and fit. She smiled as she watched the birds flit about.
"Leah I have to leave soon." She sat up and looked at him her eyes were sad.
"Where will you go?"
"Back." Something twisted inside of him. A part of him felt almost discussed at how 'nice' and friendly he conversed with Leah. She will never see me again after I leave, it doesn't matter. She might as well think I'm a nice person. Dilandau propped himself up on his elbows.
"Where is back?" she asked.
"Somewhere far from here."
"You don't want to tell me? That's okay."
"Nothing personal." He kicked himself mentally, why did he keep going out of his why to be nice to this rodent girl? He took back the thought instantly. What was he doing wasting time here? He sighed and stood up.
There came a feral scream and from the trees leapt down a creature. The person sliced at Dilandau in quick clean motions. He jumped back and reached for the sword he didn't have. Leah watched in horror. The attacker struck again in another series of slashed and Dilandau's trained took over from his initial shock. He reached out and snatched the creature's wrist. Who ever it was they wore a mask shaped like a roaring lion. The person hissed and cursed under their breath.
"Die soul burner!" he recognized the voice as female and it surprised him. The second was enough for her. She kicked with amazing speed hitting his shin. He let go of her and backed away from her. She was taller than him, with long tapered ears and a white tipped plume of a tail. Her weapon of choice was a dagger. Dilandau was unarmed and her cursed under his breath, getting into an attack stance. She did the same.
"Dddiiieeeeeee!!! She called and she charged him her ran at her and dodged at the last second, she had prepared for this and slashed back as she past leaving a shallow cut across his arm. His fingers touched the blood and his magenta eyes burned like fire. He felt adreniline flowing through him. This was personal.
"You bitch… you're going to pay for that."
"I'm not finished with you devil!" she snarled. "When I am you'll be nothing but dog meat, but not even they will touch you because of your foulness!" she leapt for another attack. He waited until the last moment then feigned a dodge, she fell for it and he grabbed her arm throwing her surprisingly lightweight over his shoulder and onto the ground. Before she could realize what happened his kneeled on her back wrenching her arm behind her and retrieving the dagger. She growled and he jerked her arm making her yelp.
"Well look who's going to be dog food now." He pulled off the mask and a fox face glared back at him, her long auburn hair pulled into a ponytail. Dilandau laughed,
"Stupid woman what did you think you were doing attacking me?"
"I know who you are!" she said, it came out sounding like a threat.
"Why should I care if you know who I am? You're going to die right here when I slit you beautiful throat."
"You killed everyone! You bastard! I'll get my revenge! In this life or the next!"
"There is only this life my beastly little pet." He stroked her cheek with the dagger and she shied away from it. He flipped the dagger preparing to stab her before killing her but he felt small hands touch him shoulder. Leah, who had been forgotten, looked at him with her own crystal pink eyes. Dilandau suddenly felt embarrassed, like a child being caught playing with toys they were much too old for.
"Please Ginsan don't kill her…" she looked at him pleadingly. The boy stared at her. He sighed giving her an annoyed glare.
"A life for a life." He muttered sitting up. The vixen scrambled to her feet retrieving the fallen mask and glaring hatefully at him. The mouse girl looked at the much taller woman, she had a worried look on her face.
"Tadia please don't attack him… he did spare your life." The fox girl Tadia didn't take her eyes off Dilandau.
"Spared mine maybe… for a second time it seems." Dilandau showed obvious signs of confusion. The vixen smiled wryly and Leah looked at the both of them. "Never mind. It's all-fine… I can get along with the boy." Dilandau seemed about to say something but decided against it, instead he said,
"I don't know who you are but I'll find out. Let's leave." He stalked off without waiting down the path he had come. The peace of the morning disturbed. Leah sent Tadia an apologetic look. The tall girl smiled wryly once again and watched the little girl run after Dilandau.
"She doesn't know what she's doing… and neither does he. Her heart is so innocent, too innocent for this world." The vixen sighed almost regretfully, then disappeared into the forest.
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A little girl was crying. She turned around and looked into the kind face of a beast man. Her beautiful hair had been cut short, tears streamed down her cheeks. Later the same little girl walked in the gardens on a spring day, cherry blossoms snowing down on her. The beast man watched her dance and laughed, trying to catch them all. Then the little girl was taken away. The beast man fought to keep her but she disappeared within the depth of war.
Jajuka sighed. Had it all been so long ago? When was it that she had left him? She had become the leader of the dragon slayers. Finally Jajuka had become under the dragon slayers command. The little girl was gone leaving only the defiant boy Dilandau. But to Jajuka it didn't matter. He still felt compelled to protect this person. The truth was he hated Zaibach, but he stayed for Dilandau. Now what would he do? Dilandau was gone.
"I wish I could go home… but home isn't there anymore." He said quietly.
"Jajuka?" the dog man looked to the door with surprise. Naria stood there.
"Naria?" he said without understanding the reason for her being there.
"I need someone to talk to." He turned from the desk he had been sitting at.
"What about your sister? I though you always talked to her. You and her are partners, best friends and on top of that sisters." He said quietly no real meaning behind the words. That's all they were words to waste time, to distract himself.
"I- I can't. She wouldn't understand." The silver cat woman smiled ruefully. "Or maybe she would and that's why I couldn't." he smiled weakly at her.
"Come in then." Naria relaxed visibly and sat on the bed pushed into the corner of the room. Jajuka turned his chair to face her.
"What's bothering you?" he asked.
"It's Folken. I didn't see it… how could I have been so blind." Jajuka's eyebrows knitted together as she spoke. "Folken loved Dilandau like a brother and I never saw it."
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