Escaflowne of the Sky
Cynic X
"..."- dialogue
'...'- thoughts
..... - scene change
Chapter 5- The Attack
"Hitomi!"
"Hitomi, come on we have to go!"
Hitomi opened her eyes and was shocked to see the sight before her. Van had grabbed her by the shoulders and was shaking her awake.
"V...Van?" Hitomi asked as her eyes focus. She knew it had to be early since the sun had not yet risen.
"Hitomi, you have to get up!" Van cried as he threw her clothes at her.
"But it's not even morning yet!" Hitomi protested as she threw her pillow at him.
"Hitomi, Zaiback is outside the city. I ordered Fanelia to be evacuated so when they do attack, it is empty and no one gets hurt or dies. That means that we have to leave too. Now will you please hurry up and get dressed." Van said breathlessly.
"I...I didn't know." Hitomi said startled and got dressed in the matter of minutes. "What happened Van, why are they attacking?" Hitomi asked as she followed him down the hall. The whole castle had an eerie feeling about it since it was so quiet, and she knew that they were the last to leave. 'That's good' Hitomi thought, 'at least everyone will be safe, and maybe if they see that the city is empty they won't do as much damage since there is no one here to destroy.'
"The sword Hitomi...You knew about it and it came true. Zaiback got the sword from Freid. It was the key, we think it is the last piece to awaken the power of Atlantis!" Van cried as they ran out of the castle and to where Escaflowne was.
"I...I was right?" Hitomi asked not believing that she had predicted something and it came true.
"Yes, from now on, you have to tell us if you see anything else; they might be premonitions as well." Van called as he got into Escaflowne.
"Van, are you going to fight them?" Hitomi asked as she watched. Van made Escaflowne stand and walk outside.
"Not here. I don't want to cause any unnecessary damage to the Kingdom. Allen is going to meet us a short distance outside of the city with Scherazade. Allen will attack from the ground as we attack from the air." Van called from the open facemask of Escaflowne.
'The air?' Hitomi thought with confusion. 'I thought your guymelfs couldn't fly.'
"Ready Hitomi?" Van called down. Within seconds Escaflowne had transformed from a looking like a knight in armor to a dragon.
"So that's why they refer to Escaflowne as a dragon?" Hitomi asked as she looked at the guymelf with confusion. Somehow Van had transformed Escaflowne into a white dragon, and he was standing on its back holding what appeared to be controls that looked like kite strings.
"Yes." Van said extending his hand and helping her on. "Come on, we have to meet up with Allen." Hitomi climbed on Escaflowne behind Van as he started to raise it off the ground.
"Van!" Hitomi cried as she almost lost her balance.
"Hold on tight." Van called as he raised Escaflowne into the air. Hitomi grabbed him around his waist and held on with all her might. They soon soared above the trees, and after flying for a short time, Hitomi could make out another shape on the ground.
"Look, it that Allen?" Hitomi asked pointing as Van descended with Escaflowne.
"Yes, and look, here comes Zaiback." Van called looking over his shoulder as he made out Zaiback guymelfs off in the distance.
"Van" Allen called as they landed on the ground. "Did you and Hitomi make it out alright?"
"Yes, remember to stick with the plan Allen, they should be here shortly. Hitomi, you are going to come with me since I don't want to leave you on the ground where they could kill you." Van said as he gave Allen the signal and ascended back into the sky.
"They are attacking Fanelia because they have the sword?" Hitomi asked since she still did not understand the significance of the sword, nor the reason why they were attacking.
"They needed the sword to have all the pieces to complete their fate alteration machine. With the machine, they will have the power of Atlantis and be able to change destiny and fate to suit their will." Van called as he assumed his position in the sky. "They are attacking Fanelia because we refuse to bend to their will."
"Oh..." Hitomi said as she pushed her hair behind her ear. "And Van, I know it is not the best time, but, about yesterday, I'm sorry I acted like such a jerk. It was wrong, and I know that I hurt your feelings."
"Don't worry, you are forgiven Hitomi. If you want, we can talk about it later." Van said giving her a smile.
"Thanks." Hitomi said and turned away so that he couldn't see her blush. 'I can't believe he cares about my well being after what an ass I was to him.'
"Look! There is Zaiback!" Van called manuvering Escaflowne.
"Where did they go?" Hitomi asked as she looked ahead of her. The guymelfs had been there one minute, and the next they were gone.
"They went invisible." Van growled.
"Where...Where...There! Van they are over there!" Hitomi called pointing in a direction to their left.
"What?" Van asked as he tried to turn around and look at her. She had her eyes closed, and was gripping the red stone on her necklace.
'What is she talking about? The guymelfs aren't to the left.' Van thought as he turned back around. Sure enough, within a second, a shot of liquid metal came at them from the left.
"Shit!" Van cursed under his breath. He released Escaflowne's sword and it dropped into its right claw. He had had to act quickly to deflect the attack.
"Hitomi! You can see them?" Van asked in shock.
"Van! That way." Hitomi pointed, and this time Van heeded her warning. Van continued to block the attacks with Hitomi's help.
With a sharp turn of the sword, Van plunged it right into a Zaiback guymelf destroying it. "Escaflowne's pain is my pain, the pain of war!" Van called as he drove his sword into another guymelf destroying it.
"Van!" Hitomi called with worry.
"If this war won't end, I alone shall shoulder the burden, along with the sorrow of the dead!" Van growled with anger as he continued to dodge attacks and destroy guymelfs.
"Look!" Hitomi pointed. A new guymelf had entered the battle, one that she had seen before.
"The Red Guymelf!" Van cried seeing the new player on the scene. "You won't leave here alive!" Van turned Escaflowne in the direction of the red guymelf and went at him with full speed.
"Van watch out!" Hitomi cried, as she as the other guymelf raise its arm and shot a liquid metal spike surrounded by fire at Escaflowne.
"It will take more than that to bring me down!" Van called as he dodged the attack. "Take that!" Van was able to drive Escaflowne's sword into the cap on the red guymelf preventing it from going invisible any longer.
"Now you can't use any of your toys!" Van cried as he gained speed hoping to catch up with the red guymelf that was rapidly flying away from him.
"Huh? Where did it go?" Van asked as the guymelf was suddenly gone from in front of them.
"Behind us!" Hitomi cried, but she was too late, and the blast hit Escaflowne with full force. "Van!" Hitomi screamed as she saw him lose his footing and was about to fall off the side of Escaflowne.
"Van!" Hitomi cried as she dove in his direction, grabbing his wrists before he went completely off the side.
"Hitomi!" Van said as he looked up and was surprised that she was fast enough to grab his arms before he went over. "Hitomi, you can't hold on, you have to let go!"
"No, I won't! I won't let you die Van!" Hitomi cried in between clenched teeth. It was taking everything she had to hold on to him, and she didn't think she could do it much longer.
"Hitomi let go!" Van argued with her, but he saw the determination on her face, and knew she wasn't letting go until she couldn't hold him any longer.
"No Van, I don't want you to die. If I let go, you'll fall!" Hitomi cried as her fingers started to slip. "Van, you have to do something, I don't think I can hold on much longer!" Anxiety was written all over Hitomi's face as she tried to hold him.
"Hitomi let go!" Van twisted and turned his wrists until her hands finally gave way and he started to freefall to the ground.
"No! Van! I'm so sorry!" Hitomi's eyes filled up with tears and blurred her vision. 'I let him die. I let him fall off Escaflowne and plummet to his death. Oh Van, I'm so sorry! How will I explain this to anyone?' Hitomi thought as she continued to cry.
The breeze tore at Van's hair, and the wind howled in his ears, as the ground rapidly approached. 'Hitomi, I'm the one that is sorry...' With a gasp, Van inhaled; his back felt like it was on fire as two white appendages started to form. They shred his red shirt to pieces as they tore forth from his back, stopping his decent. Van moved his wings up and down a couple of times to steady himself in the air, as he turned around, and started to ascend back up to where Escaflowne was.
'The guymelf was too fast. We didn't see it coming. If I had just told him a little sooner, he would still be here with me right now.' Hitomi cried softly into her hands as she mourned the lost of her friend.
"Hitomi! Come on, we have to get out of here."
'That sounds a lot like Van, but it can't be. I saw him fall to his death.' Hitomi moved her hands away from her face and gasped. She rubbed her eyes because she didn't think she was seeing clearly. Hovering in front of her was Van with wings.
"Van, I'm so sorry I let you die, and now you've come back to haunt me." Hitomi cried, thinking that the figure before her was an apparition.
"Hitomi, what are you talking about?" Van asked as he landed in front of her.
"You died, and went to heaven, and now you're an angel, and you've come back to haunt me because I let you fall." Hitomi cried softly.
"But I'm not dead Hitomi."
"I saw you fall Van, you have to be dead!" Hitomi turned away.
"I didn't die Hitomi." Van cried and made her turn around; his wings were gone.
"Van, I don't understand, I saw you fall." Hitomi said barely above a whisper.
"I fell but I didn't die." Van said. Hitomi's eyes went wide.
"Van! Watch out! It's that same guymelf again!" The guymelf had risen in front of Escaflowne and was getting prepared to attack.
Van did the only thing he could do; he grabbed Hitomi around the waist and jumped off Escaflowne before the blast hit them.
"Van!" Hitomi screamed as she felt her feet leave Escaflowne. "What are you doing?" Hitomi shut her eyes and waited for the impact, not wanting to watch her own death. "Van, we are going to die!"
"No we aren't Hitomi." Her eyes flew open and looked at his face.
"I'll never let you get hurt." Van said mustering a smile that soon turned into pain as he inhaled sharply.
"Van...Van what's wrong?" Hitomi cried, forgetting that they were freefalling to their deaths. She watched as two pure white wings sprouted forth from Van's back, as the air filled with feathers.
"Hold on Hitomi." Van said as his wings grew to their full size and stretched outward. Suddenly the wind stopped slashing at her face, and the ground remained where it was.
"Van..." Hitomi said softly, tightening her hold on him.
"I'm sorry Hitomi. No one was supposed to know." Van said, turning away from her.
"Van I don't understand." Hitomi said and she could see tears forming in the corner of his eyes.
"Hitomi I..." But he was cut off as everything around them went black.
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