*~Summoner of Escaflowne's Mystic Eyes~*
Chapter 6
The Star- Hope. Truth unveiled. Psychic or spiritual gifts.
Hitomi sat in the collapsing cave room awaiting her fate. She was completely tied up and could not do anything to free herself. She prayed that her friends were alright and were getting out of the tunnels. As Hitomi sat in the room she thought about what Sou and Seiji had told her. *What did they mean when they said the sky would unleash its fury upon the country? How is it that they control the cave and ground? Something strange is going on here!*
As Hitomi was thinking such thoughts the group of five in the tunnel watched in horror as a mass of boulders fell toward them. A scream escaped Celena's lips as she watched the descent of the rocks toward them. She felt herself being pushed back into Merle and looked up to see that her brother had shoved them out of the path of the stones. The two girls saw the men in front of them bombarded by the mound of stones. Then a miracle happened. The rocks began the fall around the group as the pendant surrounded the party of five in another blinding light but this time it was the color of the sky during twilight. As they cautiously continued forward in their quest to find Hitomi the pendant led them to a door in the side of the tunnel. Upon entering it Yobi and Van immediately spotted Hitomi bound to her chair with her pendant pulling at her. Van yanked out his knife and began cutting the ropes as the others dodged falling stones.
"We have to get out of here now Van! Those things that brought me here did something and the whole cave is going to collapse on us!"
Unexpectedly a rock rolled through the tunnel, from which the friends had come, and blocked the only entrance and exit to the room. As the ground started quaking violently a panicked voice could be heard saying, "What are we going to do now Allen? That was the only way out!"
"Calm down Celena! There has to be another way out!"
Without warning Yobi's pendant flew out of Van's hands and floated alongside Hitomi's, which was still gently tugging at her neck. The pendants started to shed lights upon Allen. A blue light emerged from Yobi's pendant and a white one from Hitomi's.
The next thing the five saw and heard was Allen closing his eyes and stating "I Allen Schazar, knight of Asturia, embrace the duties assigned to me and pledge my service to the Protectors of Gaea. As their guardian I acknowledge that the powers given to me by their grace shall be devoted to their cause and preservation."
After speaking those words Allen opened his eyes and a golden light emerged from him and surrounded the onlookers. When they looked around them again they did not see a collapsing cave but instead found themselves back in the old library. Allen fell to the floor in a heap, weak from the unnatural strain he had put on his body. Celena crawled toward her brother and tried to shake him awake but to no avail.
"What has happened to him? Why won't he wake up? Please Hitomi you have to help him! He's my only connection in this world. My brother is my only reason for living!"
Yobi saw Celena weeping over her brother and walked over to her. He wished he could help her in some way so he checked Allen's pulse.
"Don't worry Miss Celena, he'll be fine. He's just tired."
"You mean it--er--"
"Yobi" helped Merle
"You mean that Yobi?"
Before Yobi could reply Van interjected. *This guy Van is getting on my nerves! So what if he's the king? He could at least have some manners! I wonder what anyone sees in him.*
"Allen saved our lives but how did he do it?" asked the young king. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Yobi glaring at him for no reason that Van knew of. He shrugged it off and continued, "Was that his power. The power of the knight who is destined to protect the prophet and guide?"
"Maybe it is Van. You know what that means don't you?" asked Hitomi.
"Oh I know Lord Van! It means that we've found out who the prophet is! It must be--" Before she could finish the cat girl was interrupted by Hitomi who finished the thought for her.
"--Yobi"
Upon hearing his name Yobi turned his attention from Celena and Allen to look at Hitomi incredulously *Is she going crazy!? I'm no prophet! I don't even know anything about this place! I've never been here before! And I sure as hell I haven't saved any worlds, Earth or Gaea!*
Hitomi looked at Yobi about to tell him what he had just said was absurd but she wondered why no one else reacted to his comment. Before she could say anything however, she saw Merle staring daggers at her then Merle asked, "Well if Yobi is the prophet then why are you here Hitomi." It seemed that Merle had lost some of her friendliness, with this revelation, and that she had decided to pick up the rivalry she had ended for the sake of Gaea.
Before Hitomi could begin to answer Merle they're attention was refocused on Allen as an excited yelp from Celena alerted them that he was stirring.
"Ohh--my everything!" groaned the knight. He tried to sit up only to fall to the floor again. Allen closed his eyes and asked, "What happened to me? The last thing I remember is a light and then I went into this strange world where I kept sinking into the ground. You were there, I saw you there and you were there…"
"I think he's becoming delusional. His weakness and power must be getting to him. We should take him upstairs and let him rest." Van informed them.
So the five trudged up the stairs with the girls leading and Van and Yobi following them with Allen in their arms.
"Man this guy is heavy! What the hell do you guys eat of this freakin' planet anyway?!"
"What do you mean? Is that supposed to be an insult? We eat the same things your people eat! Maybe you are just too weak and Allen is just too strong and muscular for you to carry!" exclaimed a ferocious Merle as she heard Hitomi's cousin talking about her home in such a way.
"Whoa calm down! No need to get your feathers, I mean fur, ruffled!"
Merle merly hissed at this comment and continued walking. She abruptly turned to Hitomi and said, "Your cousin is so RUDE! I don't care if he's supposed to save us! A real gentleman would never talk like him"
*Great job Yobi! Now she's exploding on me because you are my cousin.*
"Well sorry Hitomi! I was just being honest. Doesn't a guy have the right to state his own opinion in this kingdom?!"
Merle turned around ready to attack the boy again when a look from Van made her stop. Hitomi on the other hand just turned around and gave Yobi a puzzled look. "What are you talking about Yobi? I didn't say anything to you."
"What are you talking about Hitomi? I clearly heard you say that---"
Hitomi cut him off with a abrupt "No!" because she knew that all hell would break loose if he was allowed to complete his sentence.
"Whatever you say."
Van looked to Hitomi for an explanation but she avoided his eyes. *I can't get too close. Last time I almost had a breakdown! I know that if I look into those eyes again I won't be able to get away. And I was just starting to get better too!*
When they finally got Allen in a bed he woke up and began to stand. Celena was immediately at his side to keep him from straining himself.
"What happened to you back there Allen?", asked a curious Hitomi.
"I don't know Hitomi. Everything was changing and all I could see was light. I know I may sound crazy but I heard voices telling me to pledge my sword to the chosen ones even though I don't know who they are. Then they told me that when the time was right I would know who I had sworn to protect."
"Allen, we think Yobi may be the one you are supposed to protect. After all he is from another world and you suddenly got power when he was in danger." remarked Van.
Before Allen could reply to this comment lightening cracked outside the room and thunder echoed through the valley. Hitomi approached the windows and caught a glimpse of a funnel.
Van watched her form in the window. Even though it had been two years since he had seen her, she was the same quiet, smart, and beautiful girl he knew before. When she turned around Van looked at her face and saw one thing....fear. As he looked past her he saw why she had such an expression on her face. He blinked again and again...it wasn't possible.
"Lord Van! Are you seeing what we are seeing?! This is impossible! We've never had weather like this in Fanelia before!"
"I know Merle. I know that."
Hitomi looked out again, her eyes looking at the same thing everyone else in the room, and possibly the country, was looking at. She could hear the agonized screams of the Fanelians and the sound of houses being ripped apart. *We will return for you when the sky unleashes its fury upon the country.* These were the words running through Hitomi's head. The last words Sou and Seiji had said to her. *Is this it? Is this the fury of the sky? Have they returned for me? Or is it Yobi they'll be coming after now because he's the prophet? We have to protect him! I'm the reason he got pulled into this mess. I won't let Gaea do to him what it did to me! I won't let it happen!!!!*
The winds whipped into the room and knocked everything onto the floor. Then in a flash of lightening unlike any of the others before it, Yobi saw it. He saw....
A/N: OK I know its been a REALLY REALLY long time since I last wrote! SORRY!!! I waz busy...well not really but SORRY anyway! Ok so anyway what's going to happen?? Don't u want to know?? PLEASE DON'T PUNISH ME 4 NOT BEING ABLE TO THINK OF WHAT HAPPENED AFTER CHAPTER 5!!! I'm sorry! I know what happens in everything but I still haven't figured out the little details! PLEASE STAY TUNED 4 CHAPTER 7! I promise it won't take this long!!!