Chapter Five
Breaks and Lapses
"Ugh."
Hitomi's consciousness flittered closer to the surface, letting her register that, perhaps, something or someone was trying…
Another moan, and a shuffle of clothes.
She could feel her body ache, starting with a dull throb in her head. Her shoulder splintered with each breath, and her leg seemed twisted at an odd angle.
"Hitomi?"
It was a small and curious voice, laces with heavy doses of worry. Hitomi frowned at hearing it. Was there something wrong?
"Hitomi? Hitomi!"
A light hand rested on her other shoulder – the one that wasn't screaming in pain. Hitomi forced her eyes open, seeing the dark and extremely close face of Crys in front of her. Hitomi was on her side, in the grass, and currently had no idea why it was nighttime outside.
"Hitomi, answer me," Crys demanded. Apparently a little eye-opening wasn't enough to convince her that Hitomi was awake.
"I'm here, I'm up," she growled. She rolled heavily forward, using her bodyweight to get an arm under her and push herself up off the ground. How in the hell did they get into a meadow? And…Hitomi looked up into the sky.
Her breath caught.
"Where are we, Hitomi?" Crys asked.
Hitomi tried to sit up, but the fire in her shoulder returned, making her wince and fall back to the ground. The sudden movements jarred her leg, which caused tears to spring into her eyes as she fought to keep from crying out loud.
"Hitomi?" Crys leaned over her, hands pressing against her shoulder and down her leg in quick succession. Hitomi's breath hissed between her teeth.
With her teeth still clamped together, she managed, "What's wrong with my leg?"
Crys' hands brushed down, and Hitomi opened her eyes for long enough to see the pained expression in her friend's hazel eyes. She closed her eyes again and waited for the inevitable answer.
"It looks like it's broken. But how?"
"I don't know. I must have fallen on it wrong."
"Fallen?" Crys was looking around, most likely trying to assess where they were and what she could use as a splint for Hitomi's leg.
"Look up Crys. See the Earth and the moon in the sky? We fell from there." Hitomi's eyes remained closed, and she heaved a sigh.
"You mean, we're HERE?"
"Yep."
Crys jumped to her feet, all but twirling around in a very childish fashion. "We're here! You're going to get to see Van again. How come you aren't more excited?"
"My leg's broken, remember?"
"Oh yea." Crys sat down beside her, looking completely at a loss as to what to do.
"We'll just lie here for now. Tomorrow when the sun is up, we'll worry about moving."
*****
She heard howling before she registered that the sun was uncomfortably warm on her skin and bright even behind the curtain of her eyelids.
Howling?
Hitomi's eyes opened immediately, staring up at the bright blue sky filled with fluffy white clouds. The wind swirled around her, disturbing the meadow grasses and ruffling her hair. It made her shiver, despite the warmth of the sun. It was an ill wind. Something was coming, and it was coming fast.
"Animals are coming," Crys said, sitting to Hitomi's right. She leaned over and put a hand on Hitomi's head. "And you have a fever. I can't think of a way for this to get better than to have an incapacitated friend as danger comes fast on four legs."
"Since when are you the pessimistic one?" Hitomi struggled to sit up, accepting Crys' firm hand on her back. She didn't jar her own leg too much, and she'd far been used to the pain by now.
"Since I have such an ill-foreboding feeling," Crys answered, her eyes trained off to the south and searching among the tall grasses for signs of movement. "Even the butterflies and katydids have abandoned us."
Hitomi listened. The annoying sound of continuously creaking katydids was, indeed, absent from the background noise of the meadow. The howling and barking of dogs, however, was getting closer and louder.
"I guess we wait," Crys said, fidgeting with her fingers and the hem of her skirt.
"You can go. Leave me here and go. You might be safer," Hitomi said, feeling a deep calm. If she was going to die, so be it. There was no reason for Crys to remain and suffer the same fate.
"How can you act so calm? And no, I'm not going to leave you here."
Hitomi knew better than to argue. Crys was remarkably stubborn when she set her mind to something, and she'd set her mind to staying with Hitomi. Hitomi sighed and remained still, awaiting whatever it was that was coming toward them.
"Hitomi?"
"Hm?"
"There are some really big dogs coming for us."
Hitomi squinted against the bright sunlight, looking out over the tall grasses of the meadow. The bright green blades rippled in the winds, and through the emerald expanse of the meadow, Hitomi saw them.
Dark shapes that loped at incredibly high speeds towards them. They were the ones howling, and the howling increased in pitch and volume as the four running animals got closer. She recognized them as the half-human half-dog things that were similar to Merle. They were growling and didn't appear at all friendly.
*****
"Cid," Van greeted, nodding his head and showing a bright smile. Sleeping well for a night helped him tremendously, and Van hardly even felt the intense weariness that had claimed him yesterday.
"Van, so nice to see you looking better," Cid answered back, leading them into the courtyard. "I have some important things to discuss with you."
"What is that?" Van noticed Gus walking with Selena on the other side of the courtyard and offered them both a distant wave.
"There have been rumors, your highness."
"Rumors?"
Cid sighed. "Yes. Terrible rumors that involve you…and the Escaflowne."
Van stopped walking. "The Escaflowne?" He shook his head. "But the Escaflowne has been inactive for years, since the last time Hitomi was here, since the Gaian War."
"Rumors say otherwise."
"I don't believe it!"
Cid held up a hand. "Please, Van, don't become angry."
"I'm not angry!"
"Please," Cid pleaded again, his large blue eyes watching Van and waiting for him to settle down and breathe more regularly. After a moment, Cid continued. "There have been villages in the mountains, the mountains of your own country, which have been … destroyed."
"How come I haven't heard of this?"
"I don't know, Van. But I do know that the citizens of neighboring countries are becoming worried. We've been taking in refugees for many days now."
"How come I didn't know?" Van said more quietly, his eyes taking on a more forlorn look that Cid only remembered from when Hitomi had been captured by the doppleganger.
"Three villages have been utterly destroyed. Stomped to the ground and burned to nothing. No survivors have lived to tell of it. Only merchants run across the ruins later and report back to us. The people of your country are very nearly in a panic." Cid stopped talking, letting this information soak into Van's mind.
"Did it happen at night?" he asked suddenly.
Cid frowned. "I don't know, but one would assume that an attack would be carried out at night. Why?"
Van frowned. "There are some nights…I don't remember them."
With a quick indrawn breath, Cid stumbled. "Do you know anything of these…"
"I don't know anything," Van huffed, walking away from Cid and going to find Gus.
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Have a happy Thanksgiving!! I may not be able to update again till Sunday, so have fun! -jin