Points of Authority Chapter 2: While taking pleasure in the awful things you put me through, an escaflowne fanfic

Points of Authority

You like to think you're never wrong

[You live what you learn]

You want to act like you're someone

[You live what you learn]

You want someone to hurt like you

[You live what you learn]

You want to share what you've been through

[You live what you learn]

Larissa suddenly found control of herself. "I'm sorry, Albot. I was out of line."

Dillan curiously peered at her face. He sighed. "Do you two ENJOY looking stoic all the time? Sheesh, I thought you were opening up to me."

Larissa couldn't hold back a small giggle. "Stoic? Our sensei always told us expressions can give away your next move, and are dangerous. He said the most revealing feature is your eyes and your mouth. But mostly your eyes."

Larissa smirked. "My eyes have always been perfection, even sensei told us that."

Her face fell. "He also said Ayanna's eyes would get her killed one day." Her eyes got misty, remembering. "I remember that day with crystalline clarity. I think Aya does, too. 'You may be ten times the fighter Larissa is, but your eyes will get you killed for insolence, while she can look innocent and live.' Sensei never spared us. Said it made us stronger. I think he broke Aya's heart that day, though."

Dillan absorbed her words carefully. "Come on. It's time to eat. Dilandau will bring Ayanna to eat, more for his own hunger than mercy."

Larissa glared, but kept her reply to herself. "You've shown me more kindness than Dilandau will ever give Ayanna, haven't you?"

Dillan suddenly felt guilty. "Have I broken some rule between you two?"

Larissa undid her hair clasp, letting her strawberry blonde strands floating down. "There are no written laws we follow. Only ones that need no words." Her eyes flared as she ran her fingers through her hair. "Kind of like a code of honor."

Dillan paled. "Is this 'code' likely to get Ayanna into trouble?" He could think of a thousand things that could happen…and none of them pleasant.

Larissa laughed. "Dilandau doesn't understand us. He never has, and he never will, unless we let him. We have one weakness, and it's one he will be hard-pressed to find if he trains Ayanna as we expect he will."

Dillan thought about that for a minute, but couldn't understand. "How could he not understand it? The torture he will give her will be different from anything you've seen."

Larissa stepped back, studying his face, her own reflecting she didn't believe he actually mean that.

When she saw he did, she burst into laughter. "You really don't understand anything about us, do you?"

She answered herself, "Of course you don't. All you think of us is two little country girls. How could you?"

She shook her head in disbelief. "How can I explain this without having Ayanna lop my head off?"

She contemplated for a minute. "You know how Gaea is connected to the Illusionary Moon?"

Dillan shook his head, silently.

Larissa sighed. "Neither do I. But the two are connected, true?"

Dillan nodded, he got that part.

Larissa breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. Now, all the planets in this galaxy are connected to at least one other in different ways. Earth is connected to Gaea, from what Ayanna's told me, through something called Atlantis. But Earth has it's own solar system, devoid of life, except for two planets, right?"

Dillan blinked. "You've lost AND confused me. Fix it. Now."

Larissa burst out laughing, again. "Ok. I don't understand how Gaea is connected to Earth, but what matters is that we are from Xoen, the tenth planet in their solar system, yet connected to our own system of fourteen planets. Scholars call our planet many things, but we call it Xoen."

Dillan blinked. "This matters how?"

Larissa hung her head in defeat. "It would take an inhabitant who knows four times as much as me to try and understand what I only know from Ayanna."

Dillan cocked his head. "So why are you here, if you are from a planet, not related to us?"

Larissa sighed. "That is the part I can't tell you. It involves us becoming important in Zaibach, though."

She brightened. "Aidana! Aidana could explain it to you!"

She turned eagerly to him. "She had your last name. Is she a cousin of yours? She was a close friend of mine."

Dillan hung his head, his hair covering his eyes. "She—died. Fanelia killed my family for spying on the crown."

Larissa pursed her lips. She couldn't tell Dillan his sister was very much alive, not if Aidana had him believing this for a purpose. "I see. How long ago was this?"

Dillan angrily glared up at her. "What does it matter? She's dead, and I DON'T want to talk about it!"

Larissa threw her head back and laughed.

Dillan's glare just intensified.

Ayanna looked up, and smiled. Larissa was laughing. She must be talking to the Albot. She wondered how Aidana would take it that Larissa liked her brother. She winced at either joyous or angry response. Aidana was a very volatile woman, but was one of the most important people protecting Gaea.

Ayanna suddenly worried Larissa would tell Dillan too much.

As a boot came crashing down onto her wrist, she cried out in surprise and unexpected pain. "Do you enjoy the pain, pet?" He lifted her head by the head, to look into her eyes. "Let me give you more." He backhanded her, letting her fall to the ground.

As Dilandau sank to the ground beside her, she realized he was exhausted as well. She crawled over to him, and laid her head in his lap.

He was too tired to shove it away, and it felt nice, with her warm cheek on his leg. He idly stroked her cheek, unknowing the small smile it invoked.

Ayanna wondered what the consequences would be if Dillan and Larissa became a duo. Not only to Zaibach, but to the council of Xoen. She winced, knowing the odds weren't great, even if Aidana sided with her friend and brother.

The only one who could make the coupling work was Celesi Entreri, the sacrificial lamb. But the HiRyuu and BloodBaptism were intertwined so tightly, she saw Larissa crushed by the weaving. Ayanna closed her eyes. Politics should not matter.

And yet they did, in so many ways.

Ayanna turned her head up, to look into Dilandau's eyelids. More to herself, she muttered, "Life is hell."

Without opening his eyes, Dilandau agreed. "Pure tormentous hell."

Ayanna dropped her head off, smiling bittersweetly. "Oh, the torment I'm about to bring for the greater good.."

Dilandau's hand was instantly on her throat, but he was too tired to decide whether she was threatening or not.

Ayanna couldn't either, and was giving too much away.

At the moment, she didn't give a damn.

Dilandau idly stroked her throat, too tired to sleep. "Do you enjoy confusing people?"

At that, Ayanna burst out laughing. "If you think I'm bad, maybe I should tell Aidana not to come visit. It would save you some hell that way, anyway."

Larissa revealed she was in the room by responding, "No, if she brought Chiyla with her, it WOULD be tormentous hell. Zaibach would be ruined if those two put their hand against Zaibach."

Both Ayanna and Dilandau jumped to the ceiling, springing apart, wide awake at last.

"How the hell did you get in here?" they both screamed at the same moment, glaring at each other again.

Dillan covered his mouth, stifling laughter.

Larissa sighed. "Someone left a window open for ventilation." She clucked her tongue. "A very sloppy setup, if I do declare."

Dilandau glared at her. "You gave up your dinner to mock me?"

Larissa smiled, patting her stomach. "No, I got bored. Decided to teach your slayer how to sneak in here in case he ever needs to know."

Dilandau turned his scowl to Dillan. "Forget everything you learned."

Dillan put his new Xoen stoic face on. "Hai." He was also using Aidana's usual double talk, but maybe that's an Albot trait.

Dilandau glared, knowing the lie for what it was.

Ayanna and Larissa laughed at the both of them together.

Ayanna smiled at Larissa. "The new representatives of Gaea trust each other about as much as anyone on the council trust the current one, right Liss?"

Larissa's eyes widened. "What the hell! Why did you go and say that?"

Ayanna laughed. "Why does it matter. When the damn paperwork finally completes, and Aidana gets the report that she's being replaced by her own brother and a general, I have a feeling a very pissed councilor will be here to take a few heads."

Larissa sighed. "I figured it would be another year. Didn't our predessor file that request?"

Ayanna nodded. "We were two, I think. I think our first birthday party at five was his rejoicing that the council responded so quickly to the decision that the predestined Albot would need male support, more than our age."

Larissa laughed. "Aya, I think you're right. Then again, Aidana's been to three times the planets we have. She has some powerful allies."

Ayanna smiled. "And we have some powerful owners. If there's anyone Aidana will stop at, it's Dilandau." She raised her eyes. She couldn't very well say Aidana idolized Dilandau, that might ruin unknown plans of Aidana's. Whether they were to seduce or kill the general, neither knew; but they knew better than to ruin a plot of Aidana's that would ruin nothing.

Larissa eyed Dillan. "He's the one, isn't he."

Ayanna sighed, seeing the pain in Larissa's eyes. "It's not positive that you're the sacrifice, Liss. Don't settle yourself to the fact just yet."

Larissa's eyes flashed. "I will. I will not set him up for death if I can save him from it. My life is nothing compared to Celesi's. If Celesi dies, we all die. If I die, and she lives, that's all that matters." Her eyes flicked back to Dillan, saying without words that she wanted him to live, too.

Dilandau picked Ayanna up by the hair. "All right, enough unclear babble of the end of the world. Most of which we weren't supposed to hear, I'm sure. You're going to eat, sleep, and start again."

Ayanna smiled, prying the glove off of her head. "Then let go so I can walk, general."

Larissa smiled, watching the much more amiable exchange.

Looks like beating the crap outta each other helped their relationship.

Dillan slammed her against a locker, smiling grimly when Ayanna and Dilandau shut the door. "Now you are going to tell me what the hell is going on, and why you're going to kill yourself to let some idiot like Ayanna live."

Larissa just smiled at him. "You are HiRyuu. Celesi is the Blood Baptism. I see a perfect match already." she couldn't hide the hurt in her eyes as she shoved the leather off the smooth effort with extreme effort. "You have enough to worry about. After ten years, Aidana finally wants us dead, and to say hi to you."

Dillan stayed leaning against the locker, trying to comprehend the conversation.

A/N: This chap died for a day or so, when I got writer's block, but I got over it, and decided to do some horrible foreshadowing. This fic's grown beyond me, and I'm turning it into an RP in a few chapters. If anyone's interested, respond ^_^ Hope you like.