A burning castle and scorching heat. I watched as Allen went out to fight. I ran out after him but ended up in a duel myself. A boy, dressed as a Dragon Slayer attacked me. We fought and then another attacked from behind, but I had blocked it. And a voice asked if they could take down one little girl. It made me mad that they would think of me so poorly. I beat them both, only to have someone's sword blade pressed against my neck.
I woke up in a cell, much like the one I was in now. And Folken and Dilandau were standing behind me in the shadows. They talked and asked questions. Did I know Van? Did I know their plans? And I tried to get away as they tried to talk me into telling them these things. Dilandau got me against the wall with a dagger to my throat, and when I didn't answer he threw me to the ground. I wasn't going to tell them though. He got me pinned, but I kicked him in the back of the head. Suddenly he had his sword out and was charging me, and I jumped in the was of Folken and then next thing I new was that I was out.
I was running to get a Guymellef, when I was attacked from the side, but by whom? Gatti, the same person who had guarded the cell I had been in. I rolled him off and started toward the next one. This time I saw them in the shadows and rolled under while he flew threw the air. I opened it and was about to get in when I was kicked from the side and went flying off the Guymellef. Dilandau caught me and I struggled to get out of his arms. When I did he put his sword to my neck again, and I pretended to give up. When he wasn't expecting it I tripped him and got a Guymellef and was out of there.
I crashed and jumped out with a dagger. I was running away from them, I knew that they'd come to get me, so I stayed in the cover of the trees. When I came to and opening I slid down a tree and caught my breath for a little while. When I was ready to start again Dilandau dropped from a tree and landed right in front of me. I bolted out into the open, but kept him close by. Soon he caught me and pinned me to the ground.
I was in a training room of some sort. In a new pair of clothes, I had a shirt and a skirt, not a tank top and sort of tight pants. I was watching them fight. The dragon slayers, seeing their moves and remembering them. Soaking up as much information as I could. When I got to fight I wasn't about to let them win. And I didn't. I fought everyone and then I fought Dilandau. He won, of course, but I had proven that I was strong.
An attack on Zibach, and I was going to help them fight. I didn't know who it was but I was a Dragon Slayer now and I wasn't about to let them get this floating fortress without a fight. I turned a corner and was face to face with Van, I smiled as he made the remark of me being a Dragon Slayer and changing sides. I got into a fighting stance. He seemed surprised that I would even think about challenging him. We fought for a little and he had to call for Allen's assistance. Allen came and helped and they took me away from Zibach.
I was running down a hall and Van tackled me from the side. What were they doing?! I didn't want to know that was why I was running. Van pulled out a needle with black liquid in it. It had white and red swirls, moving around as if they were alive. I creeped me out and I tried to get away. But no matter what I did or how much I pleaded Van got the needle into my skin. I didn't remember what it did.... but I knew that something in me didn't like it at all. * * *
I sat upright in my bed. What was going on?! I was having dreams of things that had never happened before, at least I thought they had never happened. The drugs that Folken gave me earlier were still working and when I sat up the pain shot through my body again. I gripped my sides as if asking my organs not to spill out. It hurt so much.
But what was going on with my dreams? Dreams are supposed to be simulations of what you want to happen. I didn't want to be a prisoner anymore. I didn't want to fight Van. I didn't want to fight my fellow Dragon Slayers. ____What was I saying?!
I didn't want to fight my fellow Dragon slayers? What was wrong with me? Why did I keep thinking that they were my friends and that I knew them? I did know them. But as the enemy, not as friends. Right? I decided I was totally loosing it. I hadn't even realized that the guard to my cell had been watching me all this time.
"What do you want?" I asked, glaring at him. He somehow seemed familiar, like...like I had known him before. Dallet, that was his name right? "You're names Dallet, isn't it?" I asked getting up and walking to the door.
"I'm surprised you remember. With what they did to you, we didn't think you'd ever remember anything about us," He said.
"Who's us?" I asked. But I thought it might be the Dragon slayers. "Dragon Slayers Tora, remember?" He asked.
"Yes, and no at the same time," I said shaking my head. " I'm remembering things that haven't happened. Like, I remember a training room, and you were in it, and a whole bunch of other people, and they were fighting."
"That really happened, you and I fought, because Dilandau wanted to see how good you were with a sword. And uh, you kinda beet me," He said. I looked up and I remembered standing over him.
I smiled. "Yeah, I did kick your ass huh?" I asked.
"Yeah, you could say that," he said. "But don't singled me out, you beet everyone else in that room too, well, accept for Dilandau-sama," He said. I nodded and remembered him helping me up.
"How did you know that?" I asked. They were just dreams right? They didn't really happen, did they? I was confused.
"Because I was there, we all were, and so were you," He said. "After Van and Allen stole one of Folkens' experimental drugs, they took you. And used it on you. It ended up erasing your memory and wen we came to get you back you had no idea who we were. So we treated you like a normal prisoner. Accept that Dilandau saved you a few times," He said.
"I remember," I said. "So then I was a dragon Slayer huh?" I asked. "Yeah, you were, and a good one too," He said nodding approvingly. "Well, I can't be now, I have no Idea how to fight with a sword or pilot a Guymellef."
"You didn't know how to pilot anyway," He said with a chuckle. I looked up at him and smiled. "But you should still know how to fight, now that you remember," he said. I nodded and hoped he was right. After finding out what Van and Allen had told me was a lie I didn't want anything to do with them. But they would end up coming for me. They still thought I believed their little story. Not now though. I wanted to stay and become a dragon Slayer again. Don't ask me why. It was like.... now that I knew that that's what I had been, I wanted to become it again.
"Dallet?" I asked.
"What?"
"Were we friends?" I asked. He smiled.
"Something like that," He said. I smiled and looked over at him.
"Do you think I could join again?" I asked.
"I don't know. I doubt it," He said. "Which is too bad, you were good with a sword," He said. "Maybe if you still are... maybe then," he said. I nodded and looked out my cell window. I wanted to be out, I wanted to be a Slayer again. But I wanted to go home too.
"Could you get Dilandau? I want to ask him," I said. He seemed surprised but nodded and went. I didn't know if he would let me, in fact, I didn't think he would even listen.
When Dilandau came down and asked what It was I told him I remembered everything and that I wanted to become a Dragon Slayer again. He looked me over and smiled.
"You're not strong enough anymore, you don't talk back the same way and you get hurt too easily," He said. I glared at him.
"Oh, afraid that if I did I might replace you?" I asked getting right up to his face.
"Like you could," He said.
"I could, that's why you don't want me to is it? You know I could kill you in a fight," I said, I smiled as he glared at me.
"You can believe what you want, but I know you'd never make the cut now," he said. I was going to make a come back, when an alarm went off.
"An attack?!" I asked. He looked at me as if wondering how I knew what the alarm ment. I looked back at him, letting him know that I had remembered, and then he ran out with Dallet not far behind. 'Van and Allen?' I thought. Remembering them... and then Dilandau, I wanted to go back.
I couldn't believe how fast my mind was changing and wanting to stay and then go. I waited for Van and Allen to come down, and I was beginning to think that they were going to abandoning me again.
"Tora?" I heard Van ask.
"Van!" I yelled. "I'm down here!"
"There you are!" He said. "Sorry it took me so long to find you, you wouldn't believe how many cells and things that they have in this place," Van said, fumbling with the keys and opening my cell.
"It's okay, just get me out!" I said, and Van opened the cell door. "Can do," He said, and opened the way for me to get out.
"Thanks," I said. "Now let's jet," I said, and let him lead the way out of the prison.
We ran out and Van was leading the way. We were almost out when I heard something behind me and stopped running. I turned around and didn't see anything, so I kept running after Van. But before I got a few steps, Someone wrapped their arm around my waist and something cold was put on my neck. "Don't say a word," Dilandau said in my ear.
"Van! Va-" I started to yell, but Dilandau brought his hand up from my stomach and covered my mouth, Too late though. Van spun around saw Dilandau holding me back.
"Tora!" He called. I struggled to remove his hand from my mouth. But I couldn't do much, that feeling was coming over me again, I was getting warm, and My legs could barley hold me up.
"Go on Van, I'll take good care of her," Dilandau said, then added, "Won't I Tora," He said. It was like it wasn't a statement or a question.
"Let her go Dilandau," Van said.
"I'd rather not... she's interesting to watch and listen to," He said, backing up.
"Tora, do something," He said. So I did, I wrapped my leg around his knee and pulled back. But he was expecting that, so he stepped back and didn't fall. "Better get a new trick Tora, that one's not working anymore," He said, whispering in my ear. I felt like I was going to faint. He was too close to me for comfort. His lips moving by my ear, it was just... I don't know.
"Let me go," I managed to say as soon as he removed his hand from my mouth. He chuckled, and put his head on my shoulder.
"No, I like having you around, it makes things more interesting," He said.
I laughed. I finally had it figured out. "You like me!" I said. His head snapped up and the hand on his sword gripped it tighter.
"Hmph," He said. "In your dreams.
"No, in yours," I said.
"I'd hate to ruin this but uh," Van said.
"Help me out here Van!" I yelled.
"Don't move, I'll slit her throat," He said, I straightened up and held my breath. It had happened before and I sure didn't want it to happen again.
"Don't," I said, and my voice shook. Just by walking the meds started working again, My legs started to buckle, and Dilandau caught me.
"Getting weak?" He asked.
"The meds," I said, "Agh, they're starting again," I said.
"Van!" I could hear Allen yelling. "We have to get out of here! Tora, we have to get out," Allen said.
"Just help me later," I said, and Van sent me a regretful glance back before running after Allen. "Let go Dilandau," I said.
"Why? I kinda like this position, I could kill you if I wanted," Dilandau said.
"Then why don't you?" I asked.
"You're entertaining," He said.
"Let me go already," I said, and tried to make him loosen his grip. He threw me down and I scraped my knee. "Ouch," I said, I turned around and looked at Dilandau. I scrambled up and started running, but I didn't get too far. Dilandau twisted my arm behind my back and pulled it up.
"Now what hurts more? Your leg or your arm?" He asked. I knew he wanted me to say that he was hurting me more, but I wouldn't let him know that.
"My leg, duh," I said. He pulled up higher and my face winced from how much it hurt.
"How 'bout now?" He asked.
"...Same," I said. He pulled up higher and gripped my arm tighter. "Agh," I said. Just for the fun of it her pulled higher. "You're going to dislocate my arm.." I said. He let my arm go and grabbed the other one.
"Come on," He said, and pulled me along to my cell. He threw me in and locked the door. I slammed against the wall and slid down it. "Want to join again huh? Wouldn't seem like it," He said.
"Would you want to stay with a group of people if one of them was trying to kill you?" I asked. He glared at me and smiled.
He shrugged "That's what you get from a women," He said.
"You take that back!" I yelled, no I practically snarled, and banged on the cell door
"No, makes you mad doesn't it? Being called a women," he said.
I shrugged and said. "It doesn't mean that much when it's coming from another," I said. He opened his eyes in surprise and unlocked the cell door. "Oh, you gonna punish me because I know your secret?" I asked.
"What secret, that's nonsense," He said, and slapped me.
"Now that was just pitiful," I said. He hit me again, and it hurt, a lot too. "Agh," I said, and held my cheek.
"Hurts doesn't it?" he asked, and smacked me again.
"Probably not as much as me rejecting you hurts yourself," I said. He hit me again. "Just because you hurt doesn't mean you have to make me," I said
"Doesn't it?" he asked. He kicked me and knocked the wind out of my lungs. Finally he walked away. I was glad. I had gotten hurt, but I made it clear that I wasn't about to let him treat me that way without doing something back. Then I though about yesterday. He had helped me and this was how I had repaid him. I was just as bad as he was. I moved my battered body over to the prisoners' bed and lied down. I was sore, all the walking made the medicine started to work again and the fact that Dilandau had beaten me didn't help much either.
"Sorry Dilandau," I said, and fell asleep. I wondered when Van and Allen would come next. I didn't know was that when they came, I would be fighting on the other side.