I don't own Gundam Wing or Escaflowne. These are my interpretations of their characters. I don't want to make any money. Etc........
Here is some Van and Hitomi for you as well as some Noin and Une in case we have anyone who is a fan of those two. Oh and some Dryden and Millerna for a change. I am kind of surprised honestly, I thought there would be more people eager for Zechs and Noin and/or Treize and Une related romance but everyone seems totally devoted to the Van and Hitomi couple. Am I the only fan of the other ones too? Anyways, here's the next installment. Things are really heating up and I am really looking forward to the ending (you aren't going to believe how it's all going to turn out so keep checking for updates.) I'm a freshmen in high school and we've got finals coming up soon but hopefully I will find time to write. I am just as eager to get to the end as you are so I hope I'll find time. OK... you can read the story now if you haven't skipped this and gone right to it all ready. ^_^
Wing Zero soared towards Van as Escaflowne rushed forward, sword raised high. The King of Fanelia felt his blood pumping adrenaline throughout his body, filling him with uncontrollable energy. With an angry yell he swung his blade towards his foe just as Zero reabsorbed its wings into the body. The enemy Guymelef hit the ground with a thunderous crash but, instead of stopping, continued to rush forward as a result of its momentum. Van's blade connected with Heero's with a clang but the king was unable to stop the other Guymelef's movement. The shoulder of Wing Zero connected with Escaflowne's chest and with a terrible boom. Van was jerked forward, his charge abruptly halted, in a painful movement which wrenched his whole body. Escaflowne tumbled backwards and Van grunted in pain as the suit fell agonizingly to the ground.
As the splotches faded from his eyes and his vision cleared, Van almost failed to see Zero raise its sword with the tip pointing downward. Allowing his quick reflexes to take control, Van rolled Escaflowne out of the way- barely avoiding the blade which stabbed deep into the ground where his head had been. The Fanelian was on his feet immediately but to his surprise saw that Wing Zero had already pulled its blade from the ground and was ready for his attack. With a cry, Van pushed himself forward, wielding his weapon to the best of his ability as he began a series of vicious attacks.
As he fought in vain to try and score a hit upon his foe, two things made an impression on the warrior king. The first was that Heero was a very skillful fighter which seemed to recognize every feint and block every blow. The second was that Wing Zero was fast! It seemed to move almost in a blur as it sidestepped his blade and swung its own weapon. Even with all his focus on the enemy suit Van found himself having trouble following its movements. "Are you afraid, Van?" Heero asked, his voice taunting and scornful.
"I will not lose!" the king thought as acidic sweat burned his eyes. Finally, Van saw an opening. Several quick thrusts and swipes forced Heero to put more weight on his left foot. Without giving his enemy a time to recuperate, Van raised his sword vertically in front of his face and charged forward. Heero brought his own blade up to protect him, but his weak footing betrayed him. Remembering the loved ones he was fighting for, Van found a burst of renewed strength and plowed into the enemy Guymelef. Wing Zero fell backwards, landing hard on the rocky ground. "This is for Hitomi!" Van thought, stabbing downwards without giving Heero time to recover. "It is a cruel way to gain victory," Van thought, "but Heero must be stopped."
To his shock, though, when his blade connected with a solid, it was only earth. Even in its supine state, Wing Zero was able to scoot backwards to avoid Van's sword. Growling angrily, the proficient warrior raised his blade again but Wing Zero was already rolling to safety. Though it was not the most impressive maneuver, it was fulfilled its purpose and Van was forced to shift his grip and move in pursuit. "Damn you, Heero!" he thought furiously.
The king remained confident of his victory, however, and advanced firmly. If he gave the other Draconian no chance to reorganize himself, he would be able to end the quickly. As he fought, Van gradually became aware of the taste of blood and realized that he had been biting his lip so hard that blood had begun to trickle from the wound. As he pushed Heero backwards, the skilled teenager realized that soon the skirmish would be finished. He was driving his foe towards his doom. In front of him, a steep ledge meant that Heero would be out of places to run. As they neared the sheer incline, his enemy seemed to realize it as well.
"This is your last chance to surrender!" Van yelled, tightening his grip on the blade as he moved in for the kill, "Give up, Heero!"
To his shock even as the King of the Draconians backed himself into a dead end, Heero began to laugh. It was a cruel, awful sound that seemed to offend Van's ears and pierce his mind. It infuriated him further and the drive to end the repulsive noise took over. Van raised his blade for the final stroke, though he kept enough wits about him not to leave himself open to attack. As Wing Zero ran out of room Heero turned its back on him to face the wall, as if noticing it for the first time. "Die!" Van screamed in rage, for the laugher reminded him too much of Dilandau, the deranged murderer which had almost completely destroyed Fanelia over a year ago.
"You fool!" Heero yelled, even as Van swung his blade for the lethal blow. As the sword sailed through the air towards the enemy Guymelef, out of the corner of his eye Van noticed a blur of movement from Wing Zero's back. With a force that knocked the wind out of him and caused Van's vision to go dark for a few seconds, Escaflowne was thrown backwards. The Guymelef actually flew through the air for a few seconds before landing agonizingly on its back and sliding several yards down the slope of the alps. The crash could be heard all across the mountain.
As his vision cleared, Van slowly raised his head, groaning in pain. "What happened?" he murmured, glancing down to assess his injuries. Van wasn't sure how, but he instinctually knew that he had broken several ribs. A dampness on his neck told him he had taken a head wound though how severe he wasn't sure. A thundering sound slowly brought his attention back to the battle and the king looked in front of him to see Wing Zero running towards him with its sword ready in hand. On its back, the huge pair of wings allowed to the suit to almost glide across the ground.
Van quickly became aware of what had happened and was filled with disgust for his overconfidence. Heero had been aware of the dead end the entire time. He had tricked Van and lead him into a trap. When Wing Zero had turned its back on him, it hadn't been giving him an opening. It had been preparing to expand its powerful wings into Escaflowne. And he, being too eager to end the fight, had fallen for it like an amateur. Not only had he allowed himself to get hit by the unfurling appendages, he had jumped into them, thus causing himself further damage. "Die, Van Fanel!" Heero screamed. His voice was crazed and dangerous and it resembled a hawk's shriek as it dove towards its prey. For the first time since the attack on Hitomi, Van felt a surge of real fear.
With a roar, Heero closed the distance between the two Guymelefs and Van barely had time to get to his feet before he was battling for his life. Somehow Heero seemed to have gained new strength and he came at the Fanelian with new and increased vigor. As Van found himself warding off blow after blow, he felt his strength being drained away. He needed a chance to reorient himself, to find new strength and power. And then he would be able to stop Heero once and for all.
"Hitomi," Van thought, ducking under a deadly stroke of Heero's sword, "I will win this duel for your sake. I will not give up!"
Then, seizing a strength that came through desperation, Van pushed suddenly on the offensive. Stroke after stroke, he hammered away at Wing Zero which blocked each blow, though not without effort. The other suit gave way, startled at Van's unexpected aggression. "I can feel you slipping, Van!" Heero called out to him even as he battered Escaflowne's blade aside.
It was time, Van decided, having pushed Wing Zero back in a defensive position. After a particularly powerful stroke, the King of Fanelia suddenly pulled back. Having careful driven the battle near a ledge, Van suddenly retreated towards the drop. Even as Heero moved forward to attack, Escaflowne leapt off the edge. For a moment nothing happened and Van could feel the wind whipping by him as he fell. Then he spurred Escaflowne to change, to transform. The suit seemed to twist and bend in ways Van was never able to follow and suddenly it had achieved its metamorphosis. Unlike any other Guymelefs, Escaflowne had the ability to transform into a dragon-like suit. The large ruby which powered the suit and was normally positioned at its chest became its eye and wings also formed. The pilot was no longer inside the suit and Van found himself standing on the dragon's back holding the reigns which he used to control the suit along with a close mental connection.
To his relief, Escaflowne's decent came to a quick halt and suit shot forward, rising up past the ledge. Van felt a surge of relief, for a moment he was unsure of whether he would be able to escape Heero. "A temporary escape," Van reminded himself. He would be back to continue their fight once he had a chance to recuperate and find new strength. A sudden blast of heat startled Van from his thoughts and he glanced behind him. To his shock he saw a second dragon suit following close in pursuit. It was dark gray and as he looked closer, Van recognized its pilot.
"Did you think you could escape that easily, Van?" Heero called out to him, "Escaflowne isn't the only suit with transformation capabilities! Wing Zero and I will crush you, Van! We will defeat all that stand in our way!"
As if to punctuate the statement, Wing Zero launched a column of flame from its jaws, the fire clearing the distance between the two dragons in moments. Van leaned to the side, giving a sharp tug on the reigns. Even with his quick wits, the king was barely able to escape the searing blaze which shot by him. Van could feel the blood on his face drying under the heat and he felt panic threatening to take over. "Wing Zero can shoot fire?" Van thought in almost disbelief, well aware of his own Guymelef's limitations.
Glancing behind him again, the weary warrior could see Heero's eyes glowing with a dangerous gleam all their own. His smile was savage, like that of an animal- no, worse! For surely an animal's eyes did not contain such cruelty, such evil. As Escaflowne turned sharply to avoid another blast of flames, Van was almost thrown off. "This can't be happening!" the king thought desperately, weaving in the air in a futile attempt to throw off his pursuer. As if to emphasize his statement the ominous clouds which had been forming let loose their tears and a heavy rain began to fall. A roll of thunder closely accompanied by a flash of lightening all too close caused Van further apprehension as he ducked and weaved among the peaks. With Heero's laughter and the occational deadly pillar of fire close behind him, Van realized that things couldn't get much worse. "Hitomi!" Van cried out.
Hitomi stared up the dark mountainside to the distant battlefield where hundreds of men contended against one another, fighting for their ideals. Even from the distance she was at, the girl from the Mystic Moon could see the crimson glow from the fires which burned relentlessly, sending the souls of the dead on their journey into the heavens. Occasionally the mountain would shudder and Hitomi couldn't help but wonder whether it was Van who had taken such a great fall.
Beside her, Dryden and Millerna also gazed into the distance. Before he had been king, Dryden had been a rich merchant who traveled all over Gaea making transactions and meeting with clients. Because he had never had proper instruction in the art of war, the Asturian King had stayed behind and, like Hitomi, watched the distant scene apprehensively. Millerna was the youngest princess of Asturia before she was married to Dryden and became queen. She was a proficient healer and a great help in the Gaea War. Though she had originally been in love with Allen, Millerna eventually found it in her heart to love Dryden and the two had been married for quite some time. The triad was standing on the railing of an Asturian sentry outpost at the very base of the mountains.
"It seems strange that up on those peaks Gaea's entire future is being decided," Dryden mused allowed. "How ridiculous that this has happened a second time. War causes nothing but needless waste! It does nothing but destroy and kill."
Millerna took a step over to lean against Dryden. The king wrapped one arm around her as she replied, "It is tragic that this endless cycle of destruction must repeat itself once again. All those who are righteous grieve at the sorrows and devastation created by needless battles. That is why I know you are a good man. When I see the sadness in your eyes I know that my husband is an righteous and noble person and, though I too mourn the repercussions of war, I am proud."
Hitomi was about to respond when suddenly a familiar voice crying her name caused her to stop short. "Hitomi!" she heard Van scream, though whether it was out loud or in her mind she could not tell.
"Van," Hitomi exclaimed, jerking her head up. Even as Dryden and Millerna turned to look at her, the girl's sight blurred and she tumbled backwards. As her vision refocused, Hitomi was standing about half way up the mountain at a relatively flat clearing. In front of her, Allen was standing directly in front of her, partially blocking her view. "Allen!" she cried out to him but he ignored her and began to run forward. As he moved out of the way, Hitomi could see two winged figures in the center of the clearing.
One of them she recognized immediately as Van, on his back, wings sprawled awkwardly to the side. A closer look showed that he was injured, bleeding from a nasty wound to the head and several deep gashes in his arms and chest which was bear. His wings appeared to be damaged as well, and blood was beginning to seep from a nasty cut, defiling the pure white with its growing red stain.
The King of Fanelia was holding his sword weakly in one hand and even as she watched, the other figure swung his own blade to send it flying out of his grasp and landing several yards away. Hitomi ran forward, identifying the other teenager as the boy in her previous vision, Heero. He was grinning fiercely and his eyes seemed to glow with a fire of their own. As Van leaned back, obviously growing feint from lack of blood, Heero shifted his grip so that the end of his blade pointed down. Raising it high, he prepared to stab Van through the chest, a blow that would no doubt be fatal. As Hitomi continued to run forward, her eyes widened and she realized that neither she, nor Allen would get there in time. "No!" Hitomi screamed as Heero tightened his grip and began to bring down his weapon.
Hitomi jerked straight up, startling Dryden and Millerna who had been propping up her head and looking down at her with concerned looks. The teenage girl quickly glanced at her surroundings, her eyes darting fearfully. It had only been a dream- no, a vision. But a vision of the future or the present? "Hitomi," Millerna exclaimed, "Are you all right?"
"I had a vision," Hitomi quickly exclaimed, getting quickly to her feet. The sky had grown darker and a heavy rain began to fall even as a flash of lightening briefly illuminated the scene, followed quickly by a deafening crash of thunder.
"What happened?" Dryden quickly asked, his voice showing both his almost child-like curiosity and a deeper concern.
"It was Van," Hitomi explained, "he and Heero were fighting. And then..." The sixteen-year-old trailed off, letting the short silence emphasize her unsaid words. "I have to find Van before it's too late!" she told them, moving towards the stairs which led to the base floor and the sturdy door which led to the outside and the battlefield.
"Hitomi, don't go!" Millerna exclaimed, "It's too dangerous!" Ignoring the other girl's pleas, Hitomi continued to dash towards the stairs. Surprised that the king wasn't trying to stop her, the teenage girl chose to look back. Behind her, Dryden was looking at her with an alert, deliberating expression on his face, as if he were assessing her actions and trying to decide something. "Say something to her," Millerna pleaded with her husband, "convince her to stay where it's safe."
"I have been hiding," Dryden murmured, causing the Queen to falter, "I have been avoiding my responsibilities as king."
"What are you talking about, darling?" Millerna asked him, her voice full of anxiety.
"Here I am, King of Asturia," Dryden continued his voice growing in strength with each passing word, "and I am hiding in safety while others die protecting my country! It isn't right!"
"But Dryden!" Millerna attempted to reason with her determined husband even as he began to walk over the wet and slippery balcony towards Hitomi, "you don't have any experience!"
"I will do everything I can to protect my country and you, Millerna. Even if it means I die on the battlefield. I refuse to cower in fear while others fight my battles for me."
"But darling!" Millerna's voice began to quiver as she realized she wasn't going to be able to reason with her husband, "You also have a duty as king to live so that you can help your people when the war is over as well as while it's going on. They need you! I need you!"
Dryden turned now, to face his wife and his face softened. Hitomi felt uncomfortable, and not just because of the rain and her already wet clothes. She felt as if she was intruding on a private moment between the royal couple. "I know. But even though I am a king, and a merchant before that, I am still a man. And I will fight alongside every other able man in Asturia with an righteous heart. Besides," he added, smiling at his wife even as a flash of lightening threatened to ruin the moment, "I will come back alive. You have the word of the King of Asturia."
"Well then," Millerna pursed her lips, "I guess that will have to do." As Hitomi turned around and walked quickly down the stairs with Dryden close in pursuit, Millerna called above the sound of the wind, "I love you!"
Dryden paused for a moment and Hitomi waited somewhat impatiently as he yelled back, "I love you too!"
Then the very odd pair ran down the rest of the stairs and, pausing only long enough for Dryden to get in the King's personal Guymelef, a suit which had been handed down for generations but hadn't seen very much use, went forth into the darkness. With the large Guymelef carrying her carefully in its hand, the two people proceeded up the mountain. "Van," Hitomi thought desperately, "Please hold on. I am coming!"
Noin tightened her grip on the Mercurius's sword as she stepped back from the doomed Melef. The suit quickly collapsed, liquid metal poring from the wound she had just inflicted. Glancing to both sides of her, she saw the rest of her soldiers struggling to hold the last remains of the line which separated the enemy and the peaceful city of Palas below them. As she watched, one of the young Asturian soldiers was cruelly knocked to the ground and then stabbed through the chest by a Baslam warrior. Another one of her students had been killed. But then most of the people fighting alongside her had been her students at one point or another. Baroness Noin had been in charge of training the next generation after the Gaea war though it appeared that much of that generation would not survive their first real battle. It had begun to rain and the water came down in sheets, mixing with the blood of the fallen.
"Hold the line!" the determined young woman yelled out to her subordinates over a thunderclap which almost drowned out her words. Trying desperately to rally her troops, Noin rushed forward to assist a nearby Guymelef in its duel. As she moved to help, the Guymelef bearing Asturia's colors leaned too far forward in one of its thrusts, leaving it open to attack. Knocking the suit's weapon down, the enemy swung its own sword just as Noin arrived on the scene. "No!" the Asturian knight cried out in anguish as the attacker sliced through the head of the Melef, leaving a spray of blood and liquid metal in its wake.
The dying screams of the many promising youths which were dying all around her and the knowledge that they would never again see their families or lovers who were no doubt waiting anxiously for a homecoming which would not occur infuriated Noin. As the other suit turned to face her, Noin screamed in rage. "Too late!" the young woman yelled angrily as she rammed into the Guymelef with her blade held tightly in front of her. Mercurius's sword impaled the enemy suit, going straight through and destroying both it and the pilot instantly.
Pulling back from the remains, Noin watched as the suit collapsed with a small burst of liquid fire. Clenching her jaw, the normally level headed young woman felt fiery tears running down her tears. Though she disliked violence and war... well it was her friends and colleagues that were dying around her, damn it! Baslam had shown its bloodthirsty side when it had launched the energist bomb during the Gaea war, an ill advised attack which had caused massive casualties on both sides. Now it was once again responsible for a great loss of life and she would not let those crimes go unanswered.
"For Asturia!" she screamed, sheathing her sword and grabbing a large Asturian flag on the end of a spear from one of her departed comrades. "Charge!" Her battlecry seemed to bring new life into the cause and her forces fought on with renewed strength. To Noin's joy she saw that the tide of the battle, at least in the area around her, was beginning to change. With Mercurius's large shield in one hand and banner waving in the other, the Asturian knight led her troops as they pushed back Baslam's forces. Noin was half way up the rise with her regiment closely behind her when a large Guymelef came into view in front of her. As she watched, the suit raised a large hand held cannon and aimed it at the incoming militia.
"Look out!" Noin cried out desperately, but once again her words were drowned out by a crash of thunder. As the enemy Guymelef fired, Noin dropped to one knee and raised shield to cover herself. The ground shook violently from the explosion which followed and despite her firm footing, Noin had to struggle to keep from being blown backwards. Clenching her teeth and grunting under exertion, the knight closed her eyes as a blinding light threatened to blind her. When the light and pressure was gone, Noin lowered the shield and got to her feet. To her horror she saw that she was alone in a wide dent in the ground. All around her were the remains of the soldiers who moments before were so full of life. All were scorched and the ground itself was black and charred. Her shield was almost completely worn through and even as she tossed it aside it broke into several useless pieces.
Drawing her sword, Noin looked up at the single Guymelef which had caused the death of so many good men and women. And it had been done in such an impassionate and cold-blooded manner. They hadn't even been given a chance to defend themselves! "Damn you!" she screamed in frustration as unbidden tears formed at her eyes. All of her colleagues, all of her friends and pupils; all were gone in a matter of seconds. Unadulterated hatred filled Noin and her hands trembled with rage as she stared at the single cause of all her pain and anger.
The dark blue suit raised the cannon in one hand and tossed it aside. The mask opened and to her surprise Noin saw a woman's face staring at her. "An energist cannon, as powerful as it is, can only fire one shot before it overheats," the woman explained, "A pity really but never-the-less it is a useful weapon don't you agree?"
Noin opened her own visor and stared into the eyes of her foe. "How could you?" she asked, her voice coming out both angry and shocked at the same time, "How could you kill those people so cruelly and then talk about it casually?"
The woman's triumphant look faded quickly and she grew serious as she looked at Noin as if she were assessing her. "I will do whatever is necessary to support Duke Treize," the ruthless officer replied, "even if it means using weapons which his Excellency does not condone."
Noin shook her head, her disbelief quickly turning to contempt and fury, "No... You are wrong! You are a monster! I will put an end to your cruel acts right here and now. Not to avenge the lives of my people, though I do grieve for them, but to prevent future loss of life do I challenge you."
The woman's cold smile sent a chill up Noin's spine as she drew a wicked looking sword from her back. "I am curious to the identity of my opponent," the Baslam officer smirked, "so that I will know what to tell the mason to put on your tombstone."
Noin struggled to retain her composure as she responded, "My name is Lucrezia Noin. Remember it well, for it will be the last thing you ever hear."
"Noin?" the woman repeated back in surprise. Then her smile returned and she grinned fiercely at the Asturian knight. "Ah, so you are the woman that has stolen Sir Merquise's absolute loyalty from his Excellency."
"What?" Noin's eyes widened at the mention of her missing beloved.
"Yes, I recognize you from his description. You are the one who is preventing Zechs from giving his complete allegiance to Sir Khushrenada. Because of you he has been reduced to an indecisive, useless excuse for a soldier. And his Excellency cannot afford useless soldiers."
As she spoke, the woman was slowly moving forward but Noin was too preoccupied to notice. So Zechs hadn't betrayed them after all! At least, not fully. They might still have a chance at happiness. Though he would have to tell her the complete truth and rearn her trust, the young woman was certain that she could find it in her heart to forgive the man who had won her heart. Had he not said in the letter that he loved her and would return to her side? Her rage quickly fading replaced by relief, Noin barely saw the other officer's attack in time to dodge out of the way.
"I am Trieze's most trusted and respect aid and assistant; nicknamed the Fiery Une by my enemies! I am Colonel Une and for the sake of Lord Treize and ideals he fights for I will kill you!" Une shouted, holding her blade confidently in front of her.
Soon Noin found herself on the defensive, putting all her skills to the test as she blocked and parried blow after blow which threatened to destroy her. Her brief fury had faded and was replaced by thoughts of Zechs. All she could think about was her desire to see him again. To tell him that she understood and that they could still live happily ever after as in the storybooks they had both read as a children. As Noin brought her blade horizontally above her head to block a downward chop she realized that she wanted to live. She had to survive to tell her beloved that she had forgiven him. And more than that, she wanted to live for herself! She still had things she wanted to do in life, places she wanted to go, things she wanted to see.
Letting the acknowledgement of her desire give her strength, Noin launched on the attack, slashing and stabbing at her foe. "I want to live!" she thought, swinging her blade with renewed strength and trusting her well developed skills to bring her victory.
As if sensing her change in attitude, Une backed off, readjusting her footing and stance. "Well, it looks like I am in for a fight after all!" the other warrior proclaimed, "But I will not be defeated. I will serve Duke Treize to the very end and live to see his ideal future brought about."
"It is a pity that things turned out this way," Noin replied almost regretfully as she too braced herself, "for I could respect someone as loyal and skillful as you are."
"Yes, a pity," Une replied and for a moment, the Asturian knight thought she detected a hint of sadness in the other woman's voice, "but I will show you no mercy."
"Neither will I," Noin replied back tightening her grip. Then, after a moment's pause, she rushed forward, her feet leaving muddy imprints in the blackened ground.
"Asturia!"
"Baslam!"
"I will win, Zechs," Noin thought as the two blades met with a crash, "I will see you again."
"This is for Treize!" Une yelled, raising her blade high.
Here is some Van and Hitomi for you as well as some Noin and Une in case we have anyone who is a fan of those two. Oh and some Dryden and Millerna for a change. I am kind of surprised honestly, I thought there would be more people eager for Zechs and Noin and/or Treize and Une related romance but everyone seems totally devoted to the Van and Hitomi couple. Am I the only fan of the other ones too? Anyways, here's the next installment. Things are really heating up and I am really looking forward to the ending (you aren't going to believe how it's all going to turn out so keep checking for updates.) I'm a freshmen in high school and we've got finals coming up soon but hopefully I will find time to write. I am just as eager to get to the end as you are so I hope I'll find time. OK... you can read the story now if you haven't skipped this and gone right to it all ready. ^_^
Wing Zero soared towards Van as Escaflowne rushed forward, sword raised high. The King of Fanelia felt his blood pumping adrenaline throughout his body, filling him with uncontrollable energy. With an angry yell he swung his blade towards his foe just as Zero reabsorbed its wings into the body. The enemy Guymelef hit the ground with a thunderous crash but, instead of stopping, continued to rush forward as a result of its momentum. Van's blade connected with Heero's with a clang but the king was unable to stop the other Guymelef's movement. The shoulder of Wing Zero connected with Escaflowne's chest and with a terrible boom. Van was jerked forward, his charge abruptly halted, in a painful movement which wrenched his whole body. Escaflowne tumbled backwards and Van grunted in pain as the suit fell agonizingly to the ground.
As the splotches faded from his eyes and his vision cleared, Van almost failed to see Zero raise its sword with the tip pointing downward. Allowing his quick reflexes to take control, Van rolled Escaflowne out of the way- barely avoiding the blade which stabbed deep into the ground where his head had been. The Fanelian was on his feet immediately but to his surprise saw that Wing Zero had already pulled its blade from the ground and was ready for his attack. With a cry, Van pushed himself forward, wielding his weapon to the best of his ability as he began a series of vicious attacks.
As he fought in vain to try and score a hit upon his foe, two things made an impression on the warrior king. The first was that Heero was a very skillful fighter which seemed to recognize every feint and block every blow. The second was that Wing Zero was fast! It seemed to move almost in a blur as it sidestepped his blade and swung its own weapon. Even with all his focus on the enemy suit Van found himself having trouble following its movements. "Are you afraid, Van?" Heero asked, his voice taunting and scornful.
"I will not lose!" the king thought as acidic sweat burned his eyes. Finally, Van saw an opening. Several quick thrusts and swipes forced Heero to put more weight on his left foot. Without giving his enemy a time to recuperate, Van raised his sword vertically in front of his face and charged forward. Heero brought his own blade up to protect him, but his weak footing betrayed him. Remembering the loved ones he was fighting for, Van found a burst of renewed strength and plowed into the enemy Guymelef. Wing Zero fell backwards, landing hard on the rocky ground. "This is for Hitomi!" Van thought, stabbing downwards without giving Heero time to recover. "It is a cruel way to gain victory," Van thought, "but Heero must be stopped."
To his shock, though, when his blade connected with a solid, it was only earth. Even in its supine state, Wing Zero was able to scoot backwards to avoid Van's sword. Growling angrily, the proficient warrior raised his blade again but Wing Zero was already rolling to safety. Though it was not the most impressive maneuver, it was fulfilled its purpose and Van was forced to shift his grip and move in pursuit. "Damn you, Heero!" he thought furiously.
The king remained confident of his victory, however, and advanced firmly. If he gave the other Draconian no chance to reorganize himself, he would be able to end the quickly. As he fought, Van gradually became aware of the taste of blood and realized that he had been biting his lip so hard that blood had begun to trickle from the wound. As he pushed Heero backwards, the skilled teenager realized that soon the skirmish would be finished. He was driving his foe towards his doom. In front of him, a steep ledge meant that Heero would be out of places to run. As they neared the sheer incline, his enemy seemed to realize it as well.
"This is your last chance to surrender!" Van yelled, tightening his grip on the blade as he moved in for the kill, "Give up, Heero!"
To his shock even as the King of the Draconians backed himself into a dead end, Heero began to laugh. It was a cruel, awful sound that seemed to offend Van's ears and pierce his mind. It infuriated him further and the drive to end the repulsive noise took over. Van raised his blade for the final stroke, though he kept enough wits about him not to leave himself open to attack. As Wing Zero ran out of room Heero turned its back on him to face the wall, as if noticing it for the first time. "Die!" Van screamed in rage, for the laugher reminded him too much of Dilandau, the deranged murderer which had almost completely destroyed Fanelia over a year ago.
"You fool!" Heero yelled, even as Van swung his blade for the lethal blow. As the sword sailed through the air towards the enemy Guymelef, out of the corner of his eye Van noticed a blur of movement from Wing Zero's back. With a force that knocked the wind out of him and caused Van's vision to go dark for a few seconds, Escaflowne was thrown backwards. The Guymelef actually flew through the air for a few seconds before landing agonizingly on its back and sliding several yards down the slope of the alps. The crash could be heard all across the mountain.
As his vision cleared, Van slowly raised his head, groaning in pain. "What happened?" he murmured, glancing down to assess his injuries. Van wasn't sure how, but he instinctually knew that he had broken several ribs. A dampness on his neck told him he had taken a head wound though how severe he wasn't sure. A thundering sound slowly brought his attention back to the battle and the king looked in front of him to see Wing Zero running towards him with its sword ready in hand. On its back, the huge pair of wings allowed to the suit to almost glide across the ground.
Van quickly became aware of what had happened and was filled with disgust for his overconfidence. Heero had been aware of the dead end the entire time. He had tricked Van and lead him into a trap. When Wing Zero had turned its back on him, it hadn't been giving him an opening. It had been preparing to expand its powerful wings into Escaflowne. And he, being too eager to end the fight, had fallen for it like an amateur. Not only had he allowed himself to get hit by the unfurling appendages, he had jumped into them, thus causing himself further damage. "Die, Van Fanel!" Heero screamed. His voice was crazed and dangerous and it resembled a hawk's shriek as it dove towards its prey. For the first time since the attack on Hitomi, Van felt a surge of real fear.
With a roar, Heero closed the distance between the two Guymelefs and Van barely had time to get to his feet before he was battling for his life. Somehow Heero seemed to have gained new strength and he came at the Fanelian with new and increased vigor. As Van found himself warding off blow after blow, he felt his strength being drained away. He needed a chance to reorient himself, to find new strength and power. And then he would be able to stop Heero once and for all.
"Hitomi," Van thought, ducking under a deadly stroke of Heero's sword, "I will win this duel for your sake. I will not give up!"
Then, seizing a strength that came through desperation, Van pushed suddenly on the offensive. Stroke after stroke, he hammered away at Wing Zero which blocked each blow, though not without effort. The other suit gave way, startled at Van's unexpected aggression. "I can feel you slipping, Van!" Heero called out to him even as he battered Escaflowne's blade aside.
It was time, Van decided, having pushed Wing Zero back in a defensive position. After a particularly powerful stroke, the King of Fanelia suddenly pulled back. Having careful driven the battle near a ledge, Van suddenly retreated towards the drop. Even as Heero moved forward to attack, Escaflowne leapt off the edge. For a moment nothing happened and Van could feel the wind whipping by him as he fell. Then he spurred Escaflowne to change, to transform. The suit seemed to twist and bend in ways Van was never able to follow and suddenly it had achieved its metamorphosis. Unlike any other Guymelefs, Escaflowne had the ability to transform into a dragon-like suit. The large ruby which powered the suit and was normally positioned at its chest became its eye and wings also formed. The pilot was no longer inside the suit and Van found himself standing on the dragon's back holding the reigns which he used to control the suit along with a close mental connection.
To his relief, Escaflowne's decent came to a quick halt and suit shot forward, rising up past the ledge. Van felt a surge of relief, for a moment he was unsure of whether he would be able to escape Heero. "A temporary escape," Van reminded himself. He would be back to continue their fight once he had a chance to recuperate and find new strength. A sudden blast of heat startled Van from his thoughts and he glanced behind him. To his shock he saw a second dragon suit following close in pursuit. It was dark gray and as he looked closer, Van recognized its pilot.
"Did you think you could escape that easily, Van?" Heero called out to him, "Escaflowne isn't the only suit with transformation capabilities! Wing Zero and I will crush you, Van! We will defeat all that stand in our way!"
As if to punctuate the statement, Wing Zero launched a column of flame from its jaws, the fire clearing the distance between the two dragons in moments. Van leaned to the side, giving a sharp tug on the reigns. Even with his quick wits, the king was barely able to escape the searing blaze which shot by him. Van could feel the blood on his face drying under the heat and he felt panic threatening to take over. "Wing Zero can shoot fire?" Van thought in almost disbelief, well aware of his own Guymelef's limitations.
Glancing behind him again, the weary warrior could see Heero's eyes glowing with a dangerous gleam all their own. His smile was savage, like that of an animal- no, worse! For surely an animal's eyes did not contain such cruelty, such evil. As Escaflowne turned sharply to avoid another blast of flames, Van was almost thrown off. "This can't be happening!" the king thought desperately, weaving in the air in a futile attempt to throw off his pursuer. As if to emphasize his statement the ominous clouds which had been forming let loose their tears and a heavy rain began to fall. A roll of thunder closely accompanied by a flash of lightening all too close caused Van further apprehension as he ducked and weaved among the peaks. With Heero's laughter and the occational deadly pillar of fire close behind him, Van realized that things couldn't get much worse. "Hitomi!" Van cried out.
Hitomi stared up the dark mountainside to the distant battlefield where hundreds of men contended against one another, fighting for their ideals. Even from the distance she was at, the girl from the Mystic Moon could see the crimson glow from the fires which burned relentlessly, sending the souls of the dead on their journey into the heavens. Occasionally the mountain would shudder and Hitomi couldn't help but wonder whether it was Van who had taken such a great fall.
Beside her, Dryden and Millerna also gazed into the distance. Before he had been king, Dryden had been a rich merchant who traveled all over Gaea making transactions and meeting with clients. Because he had never had proper instruction in the art of war, the Asturian King had stayed behind and, like Hitomi, watched the distant scene apprehensively. Millerna was the youngest princess of Asturia before she was married to Dryden and became queen. She was a proficient healer and a great help in the Gaea War. Though she had originally been in love with Allen, Millerna eventually found it in her heart to love Dryden and the two had been married for quite some time. The triad was standing on the railing of an Asturian sentry outpost at the very base of the mountains.
"It seems strange that up on those peaks Gaea's entire future is being decided," Dryden mused allowed. "How ridiculous that this has happened a second time. War causes nothing but needless waste! It does nothing but destroy and kill."
Millerna took a step over to lean against Dryden. The king wrapped one arm around her as she replied, "It is tragic that this endless cycle of destruction must repeat itself once again. All those who are righteous grieve at the sorrows and devastation created by needless battles. That is why I know you are a good man. When I see the sadness in your eyes I know that my husband is an righteous and noble person and, though I too mourn the repercussions of war, I am proud."
Hitomi was about to respond when suddenly a familiar voice crying her name caused her to stop short. "Hitomi!" she heard Van scream, though whether it was out loud or in her mind she could not tell.
"Van," Hitomi exclaimed, jerking her head up. Even as Dryden and Millerna turned to look at her, the girl's sight blurred and she tumbled backwards. As her vision refocused, Hitomi was standing about half way up the mountain at a relatively flat clearing. In front of her, Allen was standing directly in front of her, partially blocking her view. "Allen!" she cried out to him but he ignored her and began to run forward. As he moved out of the way, Hitomi could see two winged figures in the center of the clearing.
One of them she recognized immediately as Van, on his back, wings sprawled awkwardly to the side. A closer look showed that he was injured, bleeding from a nasty wound to the head and several deep gashes in his arms and chest which was bear. His wings appeared to be damaged as well, and blood was beginning to seep from a nasty cut, defiling the pure white with its growing red stain.
The King of Fanelia was holding his sword weakly in one hand and even as she watched, the other figure swung his own blade to send it flying out of his grasp and landing several yards away. Hitomi ran forward, identifying the other teenager as the boy in her previous vision, Heero. He was grinning fiercely and his eyes seemed to glow with a fire of their own. As Van leaned back, obviously growing feint from lack of blood, Heero shifted his grip so that the end of his blade pointed down. Raising it high, he prepared to stab Van through the chest, a blow that would no doubt be fatal. As Hitomi continued to run forward, her eyes widened and she realized that neither she, nor Allen would get there in time. "No!" Hitomi screamed as Heero tightened his grip and began to bring down his weapon.
Hitomi jerked straight up, startling Dryden and Millerna who had been propping up her head and looking down at her with concerned looks. The teenage girl quickly glanced at her surroundings, her eyes darting fearfully. It had only been a dream- no, a vision. But a vision of the future or the present? "Hitomi," Millerna exclaimed, "Are you all right?"
"I had a vision," Hitomi quickly exclaimed, getting quickly to her feet. The sky had grown darker and a heavy rain began to fall even as a flash of lightening briefly illuminated the scene, followed quickly by a deafening crash of thunder.
"What happened?" Dryden quickly asked, his voice showing both his almost child-like curiosity and a deeper concern.
"It was Van," Hitomi explained, "he and Heero were fighting. And then..." The sixteen-year-old trailed off, letting the short silence emphasize her unsaid words. "I have to find Van before it's too late!" she told them, moving towards the stairs which led to the base floor and the sturdy door which led to the outside and the battlefield.
"Hitomi, don't go!" Millerna exclaimed, "It's too dangerous!" Ignoring the other girl's pleas, Hitomi continued to dash towards the stairs. Surprised that the king wasn't trying to stop her, the teenage girl chose to look back. Behind her, Dryden was looking at her with an alert, deliberating expression on his face, as if he were assessing her actions and trying to decide something. "Say something to her," Millerna pleaded with her husband, "convince her to stay where it's safe."
"I have been hiding," Dryden murmured, causing the Queen to falter, "I have been avoiding my responsibilities as king."
"What are you talking about, darling?" Millerna asked him, her voice full of anxiety.
"Here I am, King of Asturia," Dryden continued his voice growing in strength with each passing word, "and I am hiding in safety while others die protecting my country! It isn't right!"
"But Dryden!" Millerna attempted to reason with her determined husband even as he began to walk over the wet and slippery balcony towards Hitomi, "you don't have any experience!"
"I will do everything I can to protect my country and you, Millerna. Even if it means I die on the battlefield. I refuse to cower in fear while others fight my battles for me."
"But darling!" Millerna's voice began to quiver as she realized she wasn't going to be able to reason with her husband, "You also have a duty as king to live so that you can help your people when the war is over as well as while it's going on. They need you! I need you!"
Dryden turned now, to face his wife and his face softened. Hitomi felt uncomfortable, and not just because of the rain and her already wet clothes. She felt as if she was intruding on a private moment between the royal couple. "I know. But even though I am a king, and a merchant before that, I am still a man. And I will fight alongside every other able man in Asturia with an righteous heart. Besides," he added, smiling at his wife even as a flash of lightening threatened to ruin the moment, "I will come back alive. You have the word of the King of Asturia."
"Well then," Millerna pursed her lips, "I guess that will have to do." As Hitomi turned around and walked quickly down the stairs with Dryden close in pursuit, Millerna called above the sound of the wind, "I love you!"
Dryden paused for a moment and Hitomi waited somewhat impatiently as he yelled back, "I love you too!"
Then the very odd pair ran down the rest of the stairs and, pausing only long enough for Dryden to get in the King's personal Guymelef, a suit which had been handed down for generations but hadn't seen very much use, went forth into the darkness. With the large Guymelef carrying her carefully in its hand, the two people proceeded up the mountain. "Van," Hitomi thought desperately, "Please hold on. I am coming!"
Noin tightened her grip on the Mercurius's sword as she stepped back from the doomed Melef. The suit quickly collapsed, liquid metal poring from the wound she had just inflicted. Glancing to both sides of her, she saw the rest of her soldiers struggling to hold the last remains of the line which separated the enemy and the peaceful city of Palas below them. As she watched, one of the young Asturian soldiers was cruelly knocked to the ground and then stabbed through the chest by a Baslam warrior. Another one of her students had been killed. But then most of the people fighting alongside her had been her students at one point or another. Baroness Noin had been in charge of training the next generation after the Gaea war though it appeared that much of that generation would not survive their first real battle. It had begun to rain and the water came down in sheets, mixing with the blood of the fallen.
"Hold the line!" the determined young woman yelled out to her subordinates over a thunderclap which almost drowned out her words. Trying desperately to rally her troops, Noin rushed forward to assist a nearby Guymelef in its duel. As she moved to help, the Guymelef bearing Asturia's colors leaned too far forward in one of its thrusts, leaving it open to attack. Knocking the suit's weapon down, the enemy swung its own sword just as Noin arrived on the scene. "No!" the Asturian knight cried out in anguish as the attacker sliced through the head of the Melef, leaving a spray of blood and liquid metal in its wake.
The dying screams of the many promising youths which were dying all around her and the knowledge that they would never again see their families or lovers who were no doubt waiting anxiously for a homecoming which would not occur infuriated Noin. As the other suit turned to face her, Noin screamed in rage. "Too late!" the young woman yelled angrily as she rammed into the Guymelef with her blade held tightly in front of her. Mercurius's sword impaled the enemy suit, going straight through and destroying both it and the pilot instantly.
Pulling back from the remains, Noin watched as the suit collapsed with a small burst of liquid fire. Clenching her jaw, the normally level headed young woman felt fiery tears running down her tears. Though she disliked violence and war... well it was her friends and colleagues that were dying around her, damn it! Baslam had shown its bloodthirsty side when it had launched the energist bomb during the Gaea war, an ill advised attack which had caused massive casualties on both sides. Now it was once again responsible for a great loss of life and she would not let those crimes go unanswered.
"For Asturia!" she screamed, sheathing her sword and grabbing a large Asturian flag on the end of a spear from one of her departed comrades. "Charge!" Her battlecry seemed to bring new life into the cause and her forces fought on with renewed strength. To Noin's joy she saw that the tide of the battle, at least in the area around her, was beginning to change. With Mercurius's large shield in one hand and banner waving in the other, the Asturian knight led her troops as they pushed back Baslam's forces. Noin was half way up the rise with her regiment closely behind her when a large Guymelef came into view in front of her. As she watched, the suit raised a large hand held cannon and aimed it at the incoming militia.
"Look out!" Noin cried out desperately, but once again her words were drowned out by a crash of thunder. As the enemy Guymelef fired, Noin dropped to one knee and raised shield to cover herself. The ground shook violently from the explosion which followed and despite her firm footing, Noin had to struggle to keep from being blown backwards. Clenching her teeth and grunting under exertion, the knight closed her eyes as a blinding light threatened to blind her. When the light and pressure was gone, Noin lowered the shield and got to her feet. To her horror she saw that she was alone in a wide dent in the ground. All around her were the remains of the soldiers who moments before were so full of life. All were scorched and the ground itself was black and charred. Her shield was almost completely worn through and even as she tossed it aside it broke into several useless pieces.
Drawing her sword, Noin looked up at the single Guymelef which had caused the death of so many good men and women. And it had been done in such an impassionate and cold-blooded manner. They hadn't even been given a chance to defend themselves! "Damn you!" she screamed in frustration as unbidden tears formed at her eyes. All of her colleagues, all of her friends and pupils; all were gone in a matter of seconds. Unadulterated hatred filled Noin and her hands trembled with rage as she stared at the single cause of all her pain and anger.
The dark blue suit raised the cannon in one hand and tossed it aside. The mask opened and to her surprise Noin saw a woman's face staring at her. "An energist cannon, as powerful as it is, can only fire one shot before it overheats," the woman explained, "A pity really but never-the-less it is a useful weapon don't you agree?"
Noin opened her own visor and stared into the eyes of her foe. "How could you?" she asked, her voice coming out both angry and shocked at the same time, "How could you kill those people so cruelly and then talk about it casually?"
The woman's triumphant look faded quickly and she grew serious as she looked at Noin as if she were assessing her. "I will do whatever is necessary to support Duke Treize," the ruthless officer replied, "even if it means using weapons which his Excellency does not condone."
Noin shook her head, her disbelief quickly turning to contempt and fury, "No... You are wrong! You are a monster! I will put an end to your cruel acts right here and now. Not to avenge the lives of my people, though I do grieve for them, but to prevent future loss of life do I challenge you."
The woman's cold smile sent a chill up Noin's spine as she drew a wicked looking sword from her back. "I am curious to the identity of my opponent," the Baslam officer smirked, "so that I will know what to tell the mason to put on your tombstone."
Noin struggled to retain her composure as she responded, "My name is Lucrezia Noin. Remember it well, for it will be the last thing you ever hear."
"Noin?" the woman repeated back in surprise. Then her smile returned and she grinned fiercely at the Asturian knight. "Ah, so you are the woman that has stolen Sir Merquise's absolute loyalty from his Excellency."
"What?" Noin's eyes widened at the mention of her missing beloved.
"Yes, I recognize you from his description. You are the one who is preventing Zechs from giving his complete allegiance to Sir Khushrenada. Because of you he has been reduced to an indecisive, useless excuse for a soldier. And his Excellency cannot afford useless soldiers."
As she spoke, the woman was slowly moving forward but Noin was too preoccupied to notice. So Zechs hadn't betrayed them after all! At least, not fully. They might still have a chance at happiness. Though he would have to tell her the complete truth and rearn her trust, the young woman was certain that she could find it in her heart to forgive the man who had won her heart. Had he not said in the letter that he loved her and would return to her side? Her rage quickly fading replaced by relief, Noin barely saw the other officer's attack in time to dodge out of the way.
"I am Trieze's most trusted and respect aid and assistant; nicknamed the Fiery Une by my enemies! I am Colonel Une and for the sake of Lord Treize and ideals he fights for I will kill you!" Une shouted, holding her blade confidently in front of her.
Soon Noin found herself on the defensive, putting all her skills to the test as she blocked and parried blow after blow which threatened to destroy her. Her brief fury had faded and was replaced by thoughts of Zechs. All she could think about was her desire to see him again. To tell him that she understood and that they could still live happily ever after as in the storybooks they had both read as a children. As Noin brought her blade horizontally above her head to block a downward chop she realized that she wanted to live. She had to survive to tell her beloved that she had forgiven him. And more than that, she wanted to live for herself! She still had things she wanted to do in life, places she wanted to go, things she wanted to see.
Letting the acknowledgement of her desire give her strength, Noin launched on the attack, slashing and stabbing at her foe. "I want to live!" she thought, swinging her blade with renewed strength and trusting her well developed skills to bring her victory.
As if sensing her change in attitude, Une backed off, readjusting her footing and stance. "Well, it looks like I am in for a fight after all!" the other warrior proclaimed, "But I will not be defeated. I will serve Duke Treize to the very end and live to see his ideal future brought about."
"It is a pity that things turned out this way," Noin replied almost regretfully as she too braced herself, "for I could respect someone as loyal and skillful as you are."
"Yes, a pity," Une replied and for a moment, the Asturian knight thought she detected a hint of sadness in the other woman's voice, "but I will show you no mercy."
"Neither will I," Noin replied back tightening her grip. Then, after a moment's pause, she rushed forward, her feet leaving muddy imprints in the blackened ground.
"Asturia!"
"Baslam!"
"I will win, Zechs," Noin thought as the two blades met with a crash, "I will see you again."
"This is for Treize!" Une yelled, raising her blade high.