Chapter 5: Arrival
Allen, Phiat, and Celena watched as Van approached Escaflowne. The guymelef sat in majestic silence, gleaming orange and yellow as it reflected the setting sun. Van stared up at it, then turned around to face the others as he adjusted the pack on his back. Gripping his sword with one hand, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to calm the butterflies in his stomach.
Allen put his arm around Celena, as if to prevent her from bolting after Van and following him to the Mystic Moon. She looked up at him, knowing the thoughts that were running through his head. "I'm not going to follow," she said, exasperated. "I've given up."
He nodded in satisfaction. The pleased smile disappeared from his face, however, when she added under her breath "But Merle hasn't."
Allen looked at Celena sharply, then glanced around for any sign of the cat woman. Unable to find her, he looked down at Celena's innocent face. She smiled sweetly up at him. "I bet Millerna and Dryden are sorry they are missing this." she said to distract him.
He grunted. "They have their hands full as it is. That child of theirs is a magnet for trouble. And Dryden is going to be busy enough with running the kingdom in King Aston's stead. His illness took them all by surprise, even though they had been expecting it."
Celena nodded, pleased to have sidetracked him from asking about Merle's absence. "Well, you and Phiat are going to get a taste of that while Van's gone." She turned back to face the king, who had pulled the pendant from beneath his shirt.
"Ready?" Van called out to them. They waved at him and he smiled. "Wish me luck!" he called. Celena yelled back "Good luck! Bring her back fast!" He grinned and raised the pendent, bowing his head and closing his eyes.
Celena gasped and Allen's arm tightened around her as light began to splash down around Van. Van opened his eyes, relieved at his success, and lifted his eyes to the sky. He began to feel the familiar weightlessness of the column and concentrated on reaching the Mystic Moon.
From out of the corner of her eye, Celena saw a blur of pink and silver. She cheered as Merle leapt and attached herself to Van, whose feet where just leaving the ground. The light flashed brightly, then disappeared, talking Van and Merle with it.
Celena laughed at the outraged expression on Allen's face and the shocked look on Phiat's. They glared at her.
"You thought you could keep her away?" she said, snickering. Allen shook his head in disgust, turning to stalk back to the castle. She grabbed his arm, trying to swallow the giggles. Allen tried to maintain his frosty attitude, but caved in and grinned back at her.
"Never get in the way of a determined cat-woman," he said ruefully. Phiat stopped to stare at the glowing planet floating in the sky. "May the Gods preserve those people from the efforts of that cat-girl." Celena snickered some more and pulled them both in the direction of the castle.
Van blinked as the light cleared from around him. Merle was clutching his arm in sudden fear, as if she hadn't believed that she would actually make it with him. She looked around with wide eyes. "Is this it?" she stuttered, pulling her hood back a little to get a better look. He turned to glare at her, jerking his arm away so he could turn the full force of his glare on her. "I thought I told you to stay!"
She grinned. "You thought you could lock a cat in a room? You should know better. You weren't going anywhere without me. Now, are we in the right place?
Van nodded, looking around. "I think this is where I left her last time," he said cautiously. "But where is she?" He looked around at the field, recalling the destruction he had caused it two years ago. But now it looked as if nothing had happened, the track pristine and smooth in the fading sunlight. Hearing footsteps, he turned around quickly, hand on his sword.
A man approached him, clad in shorts and a sleeveless shirt. He looked startled as Van whirled around and he put up his hands to show he didn't mean any harm. "Where did you come from?" he asked "And what was up with the spotlight?"
Van relaxed, judging him not a threat, but frowned in aggravation. The man sounded like he was speaking gibberish. Van studied him for a moment, then nodded in greeting.
"I don't understand you," he said to the man, demonstrating that he spoke another language. The man stared at him, then ran his hand through his hair in confusion.
"I am looking for Hitomi." Van said, trying to speak distinctly. The man started, looking apprehensive.
"Hitomi." Van said slowly again. "Hitomi Kanzaki." He was horrified when a spasm of grief crossed the man's face. Merle clutched his arm, feeling the sudden tenseness in his body. "What's the matter?" she asked, her voice going shrill. "What's going on?"
The man stared at her, not understanding the words, but hearing the worry. Turning from them, he shouted, "Yukari!"
Yukari slowly catalogued the track equipment. School was the last place she wanted to be, but she knew that Amano was trying to occupy her mind so she wouldn't constantly dwell on Hitomi's disappearance. This was the first time she had been away from her phone in two days. Amano had practically ordered her to go finish her manager duties and had dropped her off with the cell phone, promising to call her if anything, no matter how insignificant, came up. He was trying so hard to maintain an optimistic attitude, telling her that maybe Hitomi had left with Van early, but the fanciful thoughts weren't even convincing him.
Yukari finished recording the number of hurdles when she heard her name shouted. Looking up, she stared at the two figures standing next to one of the senior team members at the far end of the track. She examined them, rising to walk closer. Her eyes widened as she saw the clothing, and then narrowed again as she recognized Van. Fury darkened her face as she strode over to him. Reaching Van, she suddenly struck out, raining blows on him.
"Two days," she hissed. "Why couldn't you have been here two days ago? Why did she have to meet you at all? Then she would have been a normal person and this never would have happened."
Van looked at Yukari, shocked at her outburst. He recognized her as Hitomi's friend and her anger was obvious, even though he could not understand her. Dread settled like a rock in his stomach as she began to weep. He caught Yukari's wrists to stop her assault and held them as she collapsed to her knees. He released her and she covered her face, crying so hard that she could not breathe. The man looked back and forth between them, unsure what he should do, then backed off when Yukari told him harshly to go away. As the man disappeared into one of the nearby buildings, Van knelt before her, pulling her hands away from her face.
"Hitomi," he said pleadingly, looking into her eyes. She looked at him, feeling drained and hopeless. No matter how much she had outwardly denied Amano's optimistic claim that Hitomi had left early with Van, she had maintained a slight hope that it was true. But with his presence before her now even that small chance was gone. She looked at his face, seeing the fear and worry battle on his face and she tried to smile. But her face wouldn't respond. She let him help her to her feet, then pulled away.
Reaching into her pocket, Yukari pulled out the phone. She dialed Amano's number, greeting him in a tired monotone when he answered and telling him to come pick her up immediately in her car. Amano did not ask any questions, just told her he would be there in five minutes. She hung up and looked at Van, noticing the cloaked girl clinging to his shadow.
For a second Yukari felt a stab of pity for the two strangers, unable to understand anything that was going on and their only link to the world missing. She motioned for them to follow her and led the way to the parking lot.
Allen, Phiat, and Celena watched as Van approached Escaflowne. The guymelef sat in majestic silence, gleaming orange and yellow as it reflected the setting sun. Van stared up at it, then turned around to face the others as he adjusted the pack on his back. Gripping his sword with one hand, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to calm the butterflies in his stomach.
Allen put his arm around Celena, as if to prevent her from bolting after Van and following him to the Mystic Moon. She looked up at him, knowing the thoughts that were running through his head. "I'm not going to follow," she said, exasperated. "I've given up."
He nodded in satisfaction. The pleased smile disappeared from his face, however, when she added under her breath "But Merle hasn't."
Allen looked at Celena sharply, then glanced around for any sign of the cat woman. Unable to find her, he looked down at Celena's innocent face. She smiled sweetly up at him. "I bet Millerna and Dryden are sorry they are missing this." she said to distract him.
He grunted. "They have their hands full as it is. That child of theirs is a magnet for trouble. And Dryden is going to be busy enough with running the kingdom in King Aston's stead. His illness took them all by surprise, even though they had been expecting it."
Celena nodded, pleased to have sidetracked him from asking about Merle's absence. "Well, you and Phiat are going to get a taste of that while Van's gone." She turned back to face the king, who had pulled the pendant from beneath his shirt.
"Ready?" Van called out to them. They waved at him and he smiled. "Wish me luck!" he called. Celena yelled back "Good luck! Bring her back fast!" He grinned and raised the pendent, bowing his head and closing his eyes.
Celena gasped and Allen's arm tightened around her as light began to splash down around Van. Van opened his eyes, relieved at his success, and lifted his eyes to the sky. He began to feel the familiar weightlessness of the column and concentrated on reaching the Mystic Moon.
From out of the corner of her eye, Celena saw a blur of pink and silver. She cheered as Merle leapt and attached herself to Van, whose feet where just leaving the ground. The light flashed brightly, then disappeared, talking Van and Merle with it.
Celena laughed at the outraged expression on Allen's face and the shocked look on Phiat's. They glared at her.
"You thought you could keep her away?" she said, snickering. Allen shook his head in disgust, turning to stalk back to the castle. She grabbed his arm, trying to swallow the giggles. Allen tried to maintain his frosty attitude, but caved in and grinned back at her.
"Never get in the way of a determined cat-woman," he said ruefully. Phiat stopped to stare at the glowing planet floating in the sky. "May the Gods preserve those people from the efforts of that cat-girl." Celena snickered some more and pulled them both in the direction of the castle.
Van blinked as the light cleared from around him. Merle was clutching his arm in sudden fear, as if she hadn't believed that she would actually make it with him. She looked around with wide eyes. "Is this it?" she stuttered, pulling her hood back a little to get a better look. He turned to glare at her, jerking his arm away so he could turn the full force of his glare on her. "I thought I told you to stay!"
She grinned. "You thought you could lock a cat in a room? You should know better. You weren't going anywhere without me. Now, are we in the right place?
Van nodded, looking around. "I think this is where I left her last time," he said cautiously. "But where is she?" He looked around at the field, recalling the destruction he had caused it two years ago. But now it looked as if nothing had happened, the track pristine and smooth in the fading sunlight. Hearing footsteps, he turned around quickly, hand on his sword.
A man approached him, clad in shorts and a sleeveless shirt. He looked startled as Van whirled around and he put up his hands to show he didn't mean any harm. "Where did you come from?" he asked "And what was up with the spotlight?"
Van relaxed, judging him not a threat, but frowned in aggravation. The man sounded like he was speaking gibberish. Van studied him for a moment, then nodded in greeting.
"I don't understand you," he said to the man, demonstrating that he spoke another language. The man stared at him, then ran his hand through his hair in confusion.
"I am looking for Hitomi." Van said, trying to speak distinctly. The man started, looking apprehensive.
"Hitomi." Van said slowly again. "Hitomi Kanzaki." He was horrified when a spasm of grief crossed the man's face. Merle clutched his arm, feeling the sudden tenseness in his body. "What's the matter?" she asked, her voice going shrill. "What's going on?"
The man stared at her, not understanding the words, but hearing the worry. Turning from them, he shouted, "Yukari!"
Yukari slowly catalogued the track equipment. School was the last place she wanted to be, but she knew that Amano was trying to occupy her mind so she wouldn't constantly dwell on Hitomi's disappearance. This was the first time she had been away from her phone in two days. Amano had practically ordered her to go finish her manager duties and had dropped her off with the cell phone, promising to call her if anything, no matter how insignificant, came up. He was trying so hard to maintain an optimistic attitude, telling her that maybe Hitomi had left with Van early, but the fanciful thoughts weren't even convincing him.
Yukari finished recording the number of hurdles when she heard her name shouted. Looking up, she stared at the two figures standing next to one of the senior team members at the far end of the track. She examined them, rising to walk closer. Her eyes widened as she saw the clothing, and then narrowed again as she recognized Van. Fury darkened her face as she strode over to him. Reaching Van, she suddenly struck out, raining blows on him.
"Two days," she hissed. "Why couldn't you have been here two days ago? Why did she have to meet you at all? Then she would have been a normal person and this never would have happened."
Van looked at Yukari, shocked at her outburst. He recognized her as Hitomi's friend and her anger was obvious, even though he could not understand her. Dread settled like a rock in his stomach as she began to weep. He caught Yukari's wrists to stop her assault and held them as she collapsed to her knees. He released her and she covered her face, crying so hard that she could not breathe. The man looked back and forth between them, unsure what he should do, then backed off when Yukari told him harshly to go away. As the man disappeared into one of the nearby buildings, Van knelt before her, pulling her hands away from her face.
"Hitomi," he said pleadingly, looking into her eyes. She looked at him, feeling drained and hopeless. No matter how much she had outwardly denied Amano's optimistic claim that Hitomi had left early with Van, she had maintained a slight hope that it was true. But with his presence before her now even that small chance was gone. She looked at his face, seeing the fear and worry battle on his face and she tried to smile. But her face wouldn't respond. She let him help her to her feet, then pulled away.
Reaching into her pocket, Yukari pulled out the phone. She dialed Amano's number, greeting him in a tired monotone when he answered and telling him to come pick her up immediately in her car. Amano did not ask any questions, just told her he would be there in five minutes. She hung up and looked at Van, noticing the cloaked girl clinging to his shadow.
For a second Yukari felt a stab of pity for the two strangers, unable to understand anything that was going on and their only link to the world missing. She motioned for them to follow her and led the way to the parking lot.