Chapter 2: Arrival
Van Fanel and Allen Schezar were on a vacation of their own. Months of unproductive negotiations had worn them both out. They escaped on a secret camping trip to catch up on the old times.
"So Celena won't do as she's told. Must be some of Dilandau's rebellion left over."
Allen grimaced, "Don't remind me. That's one of her favorite excuses - that it's Dilandau. She doesn't quite realize what that means to a lot of us."
Van sat by the fire sharpening his sword. "Have you told her anything?"
"No, how could I? She's as innocent as when she left. I can't simply tell her that she killed thousands in her past life. I've told her the basics, but for the rest, I'll wait until I know she can handle it. Or I hope she can." He began to fix the dinner. "How's Merle?"
Van felt a twinge. "She's fine. Great, really, she found another cat- girl to be friends with, so she's off with her a lot."
"Do I sense some jealousy?"
"No," Van sighed, "Just disappointment and self pity I suppose." He smiled wanly. "It's ironic really. We've always been a team, then Hitomi comes and she feels left out. Now Fina has come, and I feel a bit left out."
Allen sat the pot to boil and sighed, "Celena has found a friend too. It's a boy in the city. She sneaks out of the house to go exploring with him. I can't stop her, but she promised not to tell him who she really is or who her brother is."
"Love interest?"
"No, at least not on Celena's part."
"Well –"
The hair on the back of Van's neck prickled in a warning. A faint rustle in the trees made him quietly reach for his sword. Allen picked up on the sudden silence and calmly threw a log on the fire to drive back the shadows.
The attack came without further warning. Black hooded figures swarmed out of the night. Van and Allen placed their backs to the fire and drew their swords. Fighting fiercely, Van tried to figure the odds. It was at least four to one in poor light. Van grimly deflected a sword and drove his home. Men fell, Van risked a glance over his shoulder at Allen. He had a tear in his sleeve and a shallow cut along his arm but was otherwise unhurt, fighting with cool confidence. Van locked blades with an assassin. They strained against each other. Abruptly the assassin broke away and Van stumbled. He was vulnerable now, his back unprotected. He fought on until the inevitable came. A man slipped in behind his defenses and cracked him in the back of his head, throwing him forwards on the ground. Vans head rung from the impact. He heard someone yelling - a woman's voice. He turned to meet his attacker's final blow. A body fell out of the trees, right on top of the man as he prepared to run Van though. There was a heavy thud. It suddenly grew very still, despite Allen dueling nearby with the final two attackers.
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Hitomi lay stunned. It was dark, but light shone from somewhere nearby. Her side ached from colliding with something and she was having a hard time catching her breath. The light had vanished, but hadn't left her on the ground. The sense of falling became reality.
"Hitomi?"
"Van?" She twisted around and looked up. Van was standing a few feet away, sword in hand, staring at her in disbelief. Barely able to trust herself, she tried to stand, but tripped on something soft. Van leapt to catch her. She felt his strong arms go around her and realized the truth.
"Van, I'm back."
He looked down at her, wonder crossing his face, chased by joy. "Hitomi!"
She never wanted him to let go.
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Allen fought like a demon. The last two hooded figures skillfully eluded him, forcing him to split his attention between them. In the back of his mind he heard a woman's voice. There was a moment of silence, then a screech and thud, accompanied by a shower of leaves and branches. While he was half distracted, one of the assassins pressed his attack. Allen had to concentrate on his defense, then swiftly dodged to one side, parried, then sliced horizontally, driving his blade halfway though the man. On guard for the second man, he whirled, expecting to meet slashing metal. Instead, a woman stood leaning against a tree, holding a large tree limb in one hand. Weakly she waved at the crumpled figure lying between them and said a strange word.
"Baseball."
Then the woman fainted, leaving Allen at a loss, unable to understand her language and unable to ask where the heck she came from. With a sigh, he sheathed his sword, bent, and lifted her in his arms. Moving to the fire, he laid her down and looked for Van.
"Van, are you alight? Where –" He stopped, dumbfounded. "Hitomi?"
Hitomi looked up from her embrace. Her face lit up. "Allen!" She made her way past the bodies to him.
Not knowing exactly how to greet her, he smiled, "Hitomi, you've become a lady. How did you get here?"
She frowned, thinking. "The light came. I saw Van and I was taken up. But we fell out of the sky, above the trees. I had seen it before, but Emilee was there and you weren't, Allen, and - Oh! Emilee!" She knelt next to her friend and shook her. "Emilee, wake up!" She turned to Allen, "What happened to her?"
"I don't know. She saved me from the last attacker, said something, the fainted."
Van brought over a water canteen and Hitomi splashed it over her friend's face. Emilee groaned and muttered.
Allen leaned over. "What is she saying?"
"It's English, her home language. She's my teacher from America on the Mystic Moon."
Emilee slowly opened her eyes. "Hit, what the Hell just happen?"
Hitomi sighed, "It's a long story."
Van and Allen looked puzzledly at each other, unable to understand a word.
Emilee rolled over onto her side and groaned, "I hate heights."
Allen turned to Van in exasperation. "Neither one of them is making any sense."
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When Hitomi wasn't riding with Van, she could be found conversing with Emilee. There were only two mounts and one pack beast. Allen and Van offered the horses to the girls, but they insisted on taking turns. Allen walked on foot, leading the pack animal behind the trio, silently watching and listening to the strange conversation. He fought with himself and his conflicting feelings. Hitomi had returned, but it was clear that she had eyes only for Van and he for her. Yes, she had reminded him of his sister, Celena, which drew out his instincts to protect her against the world, but now he realized that she could not be sheltered, but had to be set free. That fact created a small hollow in his chest, yet he knew that the bond between Van and Hitomi was much stronger that the thread he had formed. Surprisingly, he could find no resentment against Van, not after everything they had gone though - past or present. What he felt, he supposed, was disappointment in himself.
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Emilee glanced behind her at the stoic man walking behind them. "So he's a Heavenly Knight, best fighter in the country, brother of the greatest enemy of your boyfriend – who's actually a girl, and you started having a thing, but never finished it, and by the looks of it, he's trying to get over you."
Hitomi blushed from her seat behind Van. "Something like that. But what can I say to him?"
"I don't think you have to. He knows. Not like it's obvious."
She blushed even more. "Emilee –"
"No it's okay." She glanced over her shoulder. "But he is quite a cute guy."
"Emilee –"
"I know, I know, he's the kind of guy who's dashingly handsome and know it. Don't worry about me. Besides, we can hardly strike a conversation when our languages are different."
Hitomi frowned thoughtfully. "But it isn't that different. In fact, they're very similar. I can hardly hear two languages when I hear you or Van or Allen speak."
"But it's automatic for you."
"Yes, but I understood Van immediately when I met him."
"You mean when he was killing a dragon, or annoying you?" Emilee teased.
Van, who heard his name, looked over his shoulder and asked Hitomi a question. Red-faced, she answered. Van nodded, the gravely looked at Emilee and spoke.
"What did he say?"
"He said that when we get back to Fried, he'd like to help you learn the language."
"Wow! Tell him thanks - um, do I say Majesty?"
Hitomi passed on the question and Van responded.
"He says that sense you're my friend, you may call him Lord Van or just Van. Lord is sort of half way between King and being informal."
"Then thank you, Lord Van."
Van smiled.
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Allen, oblivious, kept pace behind them. The sun had risen over the trees, making it unpleasantly warm going on foot. He sighed and tugged on the lead rope. A horse fell into step beside him. He looked up to see the strange woman. She was trying to tell him something, waving at him, then herself, then pointing to the ground. Puzzled, he shook his head. Again she gestured but he couldn't understand. Helplessly she grinned and dismounted, holding the reigns out to him. He blinked. She was wearing pants! He hadn't noticed last night. Glancing at Hitomi, he saw that she wore them too, strange, faded blue cloth cut to fit her legs closely. Taken back, he shook his head. Emilee (what a strange name) frowned and said something, trying to persuade him to ride. He refused. She snatched the lead out of his hands and threw him the reigns before walking on, throwing a comment to Hitomi, who laughed. Stunned by her bluntness, he asked,
"Hitomi, what was that?"
Hitomi traded secret glances with Emilee. "Nothing. She was tired of riding."
"She doesn't have to walk."
"She wants too." She paused as Emilee added something. "And she says that taking turns means trading places once in a while. Besides, you're hurt."
Allen glanced at his bandaged arm. "It's nothing, just a scratch."
Emilee said something. Hitomi laughed and nodded. Allen felt himself flush. They were clearly talking about him.
Van Fanel and Allen Schezar were on a vacation of their own. Months of unproductive negotiations had worn them both out. They escaped on a secret camping trip to catch up on the old times.
"So Celena won't do as she's told. Must be some of Dilandau's rebellion left over."
Allen grimaced, "Don't remind me. That's one of her favorite excuses - that it's Dilandau. She doesn't quite realize what that means to a lot of us."
Van sat by the fire sharpening his sword. "Have you told her anything?"
"No, how could I? She's as innocent as when she left. I can't simply tell her that she killed thousands in her past life. I've told her the basics, but for the rest, I'll wait until I know she can handle it. Or I hope she can." He began to fix the dinner. "How's Merle?"
Van felt a twinge. "She's fine. Great, really, she found another cat- girl to be friends with, so she's off with her a lot."
"Do I sense some jealousy?"
"No," Van sighed, "Just disappointment and self pity I suppose." He smiled wanly. "It's ironic really. We've always been a team, then Hitomi comes and she feels left out. Now Fina has come, and I feel a bit left out."
Allen sat the pot to boil and sighed, "Celena has found a friend too. It's a boy in the city. She sneaks out of the house to go exploring with him. I can't stop her, but she promised not to tell him who she really is or who her brother is."
"Love interest?"
"No, at least not on Celena's part."
"Well –"
The hair on the back of Van's neck prickled in a warning. A faint rustle in the trees made him quietly reach for his sword. Allen picked up on the sudden silence and calmly threw a log on the fire to drive back the shadows.
The attack came without further warning. Black hooded figures swarmed out of the night. Van and Allen placed their backs to the fire and drew their swords. Fighting fiercely, Van tried to figure the odds. It was at least four to one in poor light. Van grimly deflected a sword and drove his home. Men fell, Van risked a glance over his shoulder at Allen. He had a tear in his sleeve and a shallow cut along his arm but was otherwise unhurt, fighting with cool confidence. Van locked blades with an assassin. They strained against each other. Abruptly the assassin broke away and Van stumbled. He was vulnerable now, his back unprotected. He fought on until the inevitable came. A man slipped in behind his defenses and cracked him in the back of his head, throwing him forwards on the ground. Vans head rung from the impact. He heard someone yelling - a woman's voice. He turned to meet his attacker's final blow. A body fell out of the trees, right on top of the man as he prepared to run Van though. There was a heavy thud. It suddenly grew very still, despite Allen dueling nearby with the final two attackers.
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Hitomi lay stunned. It was dark, but light shone from somewhere nearby. Her side ached from colliding with something and she was having a hard time catching her breath. The light had vanished, but hadn't left her on the ground. The sense of falling became reality.
"Hitomi?"
"Van?" She twisted around and looked up. Van was standing a few feet away, sword in hand, staring at her in disbelief. Barely able to trust herself, she tried to stand, but tripped on something soft. Van leapt to catch her. She felt his strong arms go around her and realized the truth.
"Van, I'm back."
He looked down at her, wonder crossing his face, chased by joy. "Hitomi!"
She never wanted him to let go.
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Allen fought like a demon. The last two hooded figures skillfully eluded him, forcing him to split his attention between them. In the back of his mind he heard a woman's voice. There was a moment of silence, then a screech and thud, accompanied by a shower of leaves and branches. While he was half distracted, one of the assassins pressed his attack. Allen had to concentrate on his defense, then swiftly dodged to one side, parried, then sliced horizontally, driving his blade halfway though the man. On guard for the second man, he whirled, expecting to meet slashing metal. Instead, a woman stood leaning against a tree, holding a large tree limb in one hand. Weakly she waved at the crumpled figure lying between them and said a strange word.
"Baseball."
Then the woman fainted, leaving Allen at a loss, unable to understand her language and unable to ask where the heck she came from. With a sigh, he sheathed his sword, bent, and lifted her in his arms. Moving to the fire, he laid her down and looked for Van.
"Van, are you alight? Where –" He stopped, dumbfounded. "Hitomi?"
Hitomi looked up from her embrace. Her face lit up. "Allen!" She made her way past the bodies to him.
Not knowing exactly how to greet her, he smiled, "Hitomi, you've become a lady. How did you get here?"
She frowned, thinking. "The light came. I saw Van and I was taken up. But we fell out of the sky, above the trees. I had seen it before, but Emilee was there and you weren't, Allen, and - Oh! Emilee!" She knelt next to her friend and shook her. "Emilee, wake up!" She turned to Allen, "What happened to her?"
"I don't know. She saved me from the last attacker, said something, the fainted."
Van brought over a water canteen and Hitomi splashed it over her friend's face. Emilee groaned and muttered.
Allen leaned over. "What is she saying?"
"It's English, her home language. She's my teacher from America on the Mystic Moon."
Emilee slowly opened her eyes. "Hit, what the Hell just happen?"
Hitomi sighed, "It's a long story."
Van and Allen looked puzzledly at each other, unable to understand a word.
Emilee rolled over onto her side and groaned, "I hate heights."
Allen turned to Van in exasperation. "Neither one of them is making any sense."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------
When Hitomi wasn't riding with Van, she could be found conversing with Emilee. There were only two mounts and one pack beast. Allen and Van offered the horses to the girls, but they insisted on taking turns. Allen walked on foot, leading the pack animal behind the trio, silently watching and listening to the strange conversation. He fought with himself and his conflicting feelings. Hitomi had returned, but it was clear that she had eyes only for Van and he for her. Yes, she had reminded him of his sister, Celena, which drew out his instincts to protect her against the world, but now he realized that she could not be sheltered, but had to be set free. That fact created a small hollow in his chest, yet he knew that the bond between Van and Hitomi was much stronger that the thread he had formed. Surprisingly, he could find no resentment against Van, not after everything they had gone though - past or present. What he felt, he supposed, was disappointment in himself.
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Emilee glanced behind her at the stoic man walking behind them. "So he's a Heavenly Knight, best fighter in the country, brother of the greatest enemy of your boyfriend – who's actually a girl, and you started having a thing, but never finished it, and by the looks of it, he's trying to get over you."
Hitomi blushed from her seat behind Van. "Something like that. But what can I say to him?"
"I don't think you have to. He knows. Not like it's obvious."
She blushed even more. "Emilee –"
"No it's okay." She glanced over her shoulder. "But he is quite a cute guy."
"Emilee –"
"I know, I know, he's the kind of guy who's dashingly handsome and know it. Don't worry about me. Besides, we can hardly strike a conversation when our languages are different."
Hitomi frowned thoughtfully. "But it isn't that different. In fact, they're very similar. I can hardly hear two languages when I hear you or Van or Allen speak."
"But it's automatic for you."
"Yes, but I understood Van immediately when I met him."
"You mean when he was killing a dragon, or annoying you?" Emilee teased.
Van, who heard his name, looked over his shoulder and asked Hitomi a question. Red-faced, she answered. Van nodded, the gravely looked at Emilee and spoke.
"What did he say?"
"He said that when we get back to Fried, he'd like to help you learn the language."
"Wow! Tell him thanks - um, do I say Majesty?"
Hitomi passed on the question and Van responded.
"He says that sense you're my friend, you may call him Lord Van or just Van. Lord is sort of half way between King and being informal."
"Then thank you, Lord Van."
Van smiled.
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Allen, oblivious, kept pace behind them. The sun had risen over the trees, making it unpleasantly warm going on foot. He sighed and tugged on the lead rope. A horse fell into step beside him. He looked up to see the strange woman. She was trying to tell him something, waving at him, then herself, then pointing to the ground. Puzzled, he shook his head. Again she gestured but he couldn't understand. Helplessly she grinned and dismounted, holding the reigns out to him. He blinked. She was wearing pants! He hadn't noticed last night. Glancing at Hitomi, he saw that she wore them too, strange, faded blue cloth cut to fit her legs closely. Taken back, he shook his head. Emilee (what a strange name) frowned and said something, trying to persuade him to ride. He refused. She snatched the lead out of his hands and threw him the reigns before walking on, throwing a comment to Hitomi, who laughed. Stunned by her bluntness, he asked,
"Hitomi, what was that?"
Hitomi traded secret glances with Emilee. "Nothing. She was tired of riding."
"She doesn't have to walk."
"She wants too." She paused as Emilee added something. "And she says that taking turns means trading places once in a while. Besides, you're hurt."
Allen glanced at his bandaged arm. "It's nothing, just a scratch."
Emilee said something. Hitomi laughed and nodded. Allen felt himself flush. They were clearly talking about him.