Standard disclaimer applies, doesn't belong to me. Devout Hitomi fans may want to only scan this chapter.
At the Crusade, casualties were still being tallied up. So far 7 men had been injured defending the ship outside, two had died. Three more had been damaged in the control room, Gaddes among them. Merle had received a singed tail, which even she wasn't sure how that had happened. Allen had a dislocated/relocated shoulder while fighting in Scherezade. Millerna was dashing all over the place, administering medical aid. Escaflowne had never been moved, thanks to large beam falling on it and the delay Dilandau had provided.
Van was relatively unhurt, save a few scrapes and bruises. He was now searching the ship for Hitomi and solace. The whiteness of the Dragonslayer's skin lingered on the edges of his consciences, threatening every unguarded second. Van was just thankful that he had never gotten to see the Dragonslayer's face. 'My first kill, an accident. I don't know if I should feel ashamed or laugh. Not that it's really funny…I'll just find Hitomi, she always knows the right thing to say'
Van's musings were interrupted when something crackled underneath his boot. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was one of Hitomi's fortune cards; a picture of tower breaking was on it. Looking up, he saw several other cards neatly lined up, forming a trail that led down the hall and into a storage room.
'What the heck? Something's wrong, this doesn't feel right. Way too deliberate…' Van drew his sword before opening the door, battle ready for anything that cared to jump out of the darkness. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, they alighted on figure lying on the floor, slightly curled. Van lowered his sword.
"Hitomi? What are you doing in here?" Hitomi's eyes stared at Van, silent, her face relaxed. "Are you okay?"
It was then that Van noticed that she was lying in blood. The sword clattered to floor, the resounding off the walls.
"HITOMI!" Van cradled the girl's head in his lap, shaking his head slightly. "Hitomi, please Gaia no, look at me, say something, don't do this, you can't do this don't go please Gaia don't go don't go don't go don't go." Van rocked back and forth gently, his previous hysteria evolving to something more advanced. The blood on the floor slowly began seeping through his pants, dampening his legs and butt, blooding seeping through her shirt, from her shirt… Frantically, Van ripped her shirt away, exposing a gaping hole below her left ribs. 'Single sword thrust, no signs of struggle, very clean.' Even in shock, Van's mind processed the information dutifully. Van wrenched his eyes back to her face, her eyes that had once held that beautiful combination of curiosity and trust and fear…were now just blank. 'Like blasphemy, like the way cows look, all stupid and blank like. Shut…down. I'm sorry. I said I'd protect you.'
Van wasn't quite sure why he was thinking like this, but his reason had jumped ship, his hands were trembling, and cold aluminum was sloshing around his stomach.
'Blood, so much blood, it's all red, everywhere, on everything. On my hands and on her shirt and on my pants, and black…and red, and more blood,…on her cheek…what the…'
On Hitomi's left cheek, a crescent-shaped cut had been carefully traced from her hairline to the end of her face.
Then Van really did see red, his shaking became uncontrollable and he began to hyperventilate. "Omigod no, no this can't be …Bastardly son of a, son of a,…" 'How could he, what the heck, this can't be happening, this isn't real…Everything's red, and…black…like his eyes, the way they look the way they laugh he's laughing right now right now I know it I'll kill him I'll murder the bastard dog with my bare hands I'll rip out his insides I'll carve so many pictures and words into his double damned skin and his bones with my sword…I'll make him pay oh yeah baby you can bet the ranch on that darling I sure will, and he'll wish…, he'll wish…' By this time, Van's sanity had also temporarily jumped ship, and the aluminum came roaring up his stomach, tearing up his esophagus
…and something inside Van snapped.
Outside the Crusade, Allen and company jerked up, as a promise of a single name rang out from inside the ship, and echoed off the surrounding trees.
TBC
*Peeks out from under desk * That wasn't too bad, was it? Sorry if I offended anyone, feel free to flame. I just couldn't have Hitomi in this story, it wouldn't have worked. I don't plan to have anyone else die anymore, and Van does go to kill Dilandua. Review please, next chapter comes soon.