~Remember I don't own Escaflowne or its characters!~
~Sorry this is late, but something very important came up and kept me from the computer~
~FLUFF WARNING!~
~Hope you enjoy this chapter! Please review after you're done!~
The Fate of Two Worlds: The Sequel
By Angel_Wings
Chapter 10 ~ Questions
~~~Vision~~~
A pool of scarlet licked Hitomi's ankles. The liquid felt cold as it began to creep up the maiden's pale legs. Hitomi's emerald eyes widen as the pool began to envelope her body, just like it had done a while back in prior visions. The liquid crawled up her thighs and soon her lower body was lost in the ripples of crimson. The seeress felt as if her soul was being attacked. Pain engulfed her chest burning like hot metal. She felt as if her heart was an inferno bulging within her nerves. Explosions of pain went off in every pore of her body sending new waves of anguish through her frail form. The deep red liquid swirled over her chest and slowly inched its way up the seeress's slim neck while it flowed over her arms. Hitomi went to scream, but the pain caught in her throat locking down her calls. Her silky hair grew sticky with the red substance as it ran over the back of her head leaving only her face visible. The queen's eyes were sparkling with fear as the liquid finally enveloped the last of her leaving only pain and anguish in its wake…
Soon the vision switched and Hitomi found herself reliving another one of her visions…
Streaks of red lightning flew down at her and trying to knock her from her feet. Hitomi raced through the scarlet blasts that nipped at her body. Emerald eyes desperately looked for a safe haven, but saw none. Too distracted in her search the young woman was unable to dodge from a torpedo of crimson power. Pain engulfed her body and the seeress fell to the rough earth in a heap. Struggling to rise Hitomi could dimly hear the voices of her friends calling her to return to them, but she did not know how to…. or was it she did not want to?…. Something was keeping her from turning back…. Was it herself?… Or some unknown terror?… Gritting her teeth the 'Angel' raced through the darkness towards something…. something she had to reach…. Was it her friends?…. Her family perhaps?….
As she ran she glanced down at her body and noticed she was no longer heavy in child, but that didn't seem like much since in all her visions she hadn't been pregnant. Presently she wore chestnut pants with dark brown ankle boots. A long sleeve forest green shirt clothed her back only to be covered by another shirt of emerald green that was over her first. It was rather simple attire for a queen, but at the moment Hitomi was more focused on how it fared. The outfit was nearly ripped to shreds and clung to her body as if it had to for dear life. Blood soaked into the material darken the color of her clothes and its vile stench filled her nostrils. Gashes ran over her pale skin everywhere she looked and she felt very weak and run down as if she had gone through extensive battles before now.
Looking up towards the void's sky she saw a red sphere far above her. From it thousands of red bolts of lightning shot down all around it. Striking the earth in anger the energy tried to smite down the seeress. It was a barrier to keep away the unwanted from its source of power. Already Hitomi was halfway through the field of destruction that was nearly a mile wide and felt an unnamable longing to continue forward. With the little energy she had she raced forward frantically trying to reach the destination that seemed impossible to reach, unable to force herself to turn around.
Suddenly a streak of lightning brighter, thicker, and more powerful than any of the others rained down and struck the angel at full force. The crisp lines of electricity ran over her body and a scream tore from her throat though it was very faint in her ears. Her nerves seemed to explode at the pain and her lungs felt like they collapsed. Falling to her knees the seeress gasped for some needed air and found none. The black world spun beneath her gaze as she tried to grasp onto something to steady it. Hitomi's hands flew out in front of her catching her just before she fell to the unseen ground. She could taste blood in her mouth and gagged on the foul taste of it. Droplets of red liquid painted the black earth as she spat out the blood. It was around that moment she noticed her wings…. Her wings were out and now laid limp at her sides. What startled her more though was the color of them…. They were a dark gray… nearly black… a grim gray…. Hitomi's heart skipped a bit at the sight of her most treasured gifts….
Suddenly she turned her face towards the red sphere again just in time to see another large bolt of lightning strike her down forcing her to cry out in pain….
~~~End of Vision~~~
Hitomi shot up into a sitting position frantically scanning her sleeping area. Looking around she automatically recognized her four companions: Sian (the 'Guardian of the Forest'), Nembus ('Guardian of the Clouds'), Merle ('Advisor of Foreign Cultures'), and Van, her dear angel. The group stared intently at her with concern written all over their faces. They stood beneath a large elm that was on the edge of a clove of trees. Nembus with arms crossed was leaning against the elm as he watched his new queen. Merle was situated by a small fire with a pot seated in the embers as she cooked. Van and Sian sat on either side of Hitomi as the seeress laid on the deep green grass wrapped in a small quilt. Beyond the campsite the sun rose into the sky higher marking the time of midday.
Hitomi's breathing gradually slowed as she closed her eyes. Her bangs were matted to her brow in sweat and her body ached terribly. The fear that had captured her emotions vanished as the lady wiped away her sweat. Feeling the soreness in her limbs Hitomi expressed a loud groan and fell back onto the grass again.
The green angel placed a hot, wet hand towel on her queen's brow and Hitomi murmured a soft 'thank you' as she glanced over at her personal bodyguard. Van slipped his hands around one of Hitomi's catching the seeress's attention. The young queen wearily smiled at her dear beloved making him smiled also. Sian glanced at the two lovers and couldn't hold back her faint smile. Those two were so much in love it was hard not to see it. Sighing the lady of the long brunette braid got up from her knees and stood. Her king and queen turned their eyes to her as the warrior said playfully, "One would think you two hadn't seen each other in centuries from the way you two look at each other."
Hitomi's face quickly flushed at the comment as well as Van's, except he was able to remove it quicker. Chuckling lightly to hide his embarrassment the king replied, "Sian, have you've never fallen in love?"
The green warrior's face became blank and neither Van nor Hitomi could read a single thing on the angel's expression. With silence as her shadow the maiden with the braid straighten and walked away from the two. The seeress watched her with deep curiosity. Nembus glanced at the woman for a short second before closing his eyes as if meditating. Sharply Sian strode from the camp into the shadows of the trees deeper into the clove leaving behind a disturbed group.
Merle watched with deep sorrow as the angel warrior disappeared into the vegetation before turning around to ask sincerely, "What was that all about?"
No one spoke and an awkward silence fell on the group. Van sadly frowned regretting his words. He rose to go after the war woman in hope of apologizing for whatever he had said that had caused the woman's distress, but the armored one stopped him. With a rich voice wise with knowledge the man muttered, "Leave her…"
The three friends stared at their new travel partner. Nembus was still as his eyes remained closed and arms were crossed. Van glanced back towards the direction Sian had left before turning his attention back to the motionless warrior. Slowly the guardian spoke in a voice that held no hint of expression. Trained to hide emotions all you could hear was a monotonous sound that played in his voice, "She will return in time. It is best to leave her in peace until she is ready to come back…"
Though Van wanted to disobey the advice handed to him by this silent warrior, he didn't for he knew very little of the 'Forest Guardian' and decided to let it pass. If he went after her he would probably cause more harm then good. However he still wanted to know something, "Do you know why she left, Nembus?"
The man who was ancient by many centuries remained silent and still as though he had not heard the question projected at him. For a while Van stared at him, but soon realized he would get nothing from the being who was even older than he. Sighing in defeat the king turned around and returned to his wife's side. Hitomi stared into the depths of the shadows shrouded by the trees. Though Sian had showed no emotions on her face when she had left Hitomi had felt the emotions radiating off the maiden. She had felt… sadness…
The seeress thoughts were quickly cut off though as she heard the voice of the cat-girl talking to her, "--Hitomi?"
Shaking her head the queen asked, "Yes, Merle?"
The pink haired cat-girl studied her sister-in-law carefully as she purred, "I was asking if you were feeling alright?"
Hitomi ran her hand over her swollen belly unconsciously thinking about her experience earlier with their enemies. She had saved the life of her unborn and entire world, but for how long?… And how exactly had she been able to do it?… Never before had the powers of Atlantis ever been so powerful… But it couldn't have been the powers of her people… She had never reopened the seal on the pendant allowing the ancient powers loose… It couldn't have been the pendant then… Could it actually have been the powers Joutei had given her?… It was the only possible solution… yet… Hitomi felt as if it was so much more than that… But what?…
"I'm fine" Hitomi finally replied in a low distracted voice. Van and Merle shared a short glance between each other before accepting the half-convincing statement. Both could tell the seeress was deep in thought and that something deeper laid within her words. Shrugging off the uneasy feeling that came with their doubt the two nobles nodded slightly to the 'Angel'.
Merle turned to the pot lying within the embers and small flames and stirred a spoon through its contents. Curls of steam drifted from the stew cooking within the ebony cauldron causing its delicious smell to drift through the area. Hitomi breathed in deep the wondrous smell before asking, "What are you cooking, Merle?"
The cat-advisor pulled the ladle out of the stew and deposited a fixed amount into a small wooden bowl as she answered, "Millerina, told me how to fix a stew from special herbs and roots to help you travel better so you won't miscarry. I don't remember the name, but it sure does smell good."
With the cat-girl handing the bowl to the king Van passed the meal to the seeress. Hitomi took the item slowly as she fixed herself in a better position to eat and removed the warm towel from her brow. Eyeing the stew curiously the seeress ran her spoon through the liquid. It was rather thick for a stew and had several chunks of roots and herbs floating through its mist. Tenderly Hitomi lifted a spoonful of the stew to her face and glanced at Merle before putting the utensil into her mouth. Removing the spoon the angel queen slowly swirled the stew over her tongue. It gave a very delightful aftertaste and was warm like water from a hot spring. As the stew was swallowed and fell down her throat its hot liquid coated the passage making a tingling sensation. Several chunks of the roots and herbs were left behind and soon Hitomi began to chew on the food. The small pieces of nutrition held another wonderful aftertaste that lingered in the angel woman's mouth better than anything she had ever tasted. It was then Hitomi realized how hungry she was. Her child stirred within her belly and soon a round of kicking took place as the unborn infant demanded food. More than happy to oblige Hitomi began to dip into the stew again with her spoon ready to eat the entire contents of the bowl.
Van and Merle smiled at their friend's sudden quickness in finishing the meal. One could see that the 'Angel' was back to her old self again. The young cat-girl retrieved another bowl and swiftly poured in a portion of the stew into the carved wood before handing it over to her foster brother. The king smiled thanks to the bronze girl and began to also begin his midday meal. Merle's fluffy tail swayed behind her as she again readied a bowl. With the meal in one hand the cat turned around and asked, "Nembus, would you like some--"
The cat-girl's words were halted as she noticed the armored warrior had slipped away when no one was looking leaving behind an empty spot in his wake.
~~~Within the Clove~~~
Nembus stealthily walked through the small clove with his bottomless eyes of blackness forever alert. His ears, as always, were tuned into his surroundings as he listened for signs of other life. He did not keep himself to the shadows, but walked out in full view of the sunspots that appeared through the tiny forest of vegetation. His dark armor gleamed in the light and made his presence more obvious, however, you could not hear a single motion of his movements. Being one of the best warriors of Gaea showed proudly in his steps and one could easily tell he needed to do little effort to succeed in keeping silent.
The guardian fell short in the center of the forest he glanced around the area. Shortly after his stop he noticed a small leaf flutter down from above just a few inches from his face. The leaf was small and a rich green marking its youth. Nembus turned his ebony eyes to the treetops and spotted the silhouette of a human, more precisely a woman, standing on one of the large overhead branches.
The raven haired warrior stared at the figure for several moments before a sweet voice interrupted his thoughts, "What do you want, Nembus?"
The man was silent for a second before speaking just loud enough for her to hear, "I wanted to see if you were alright?"
Silence came from above and the angel man could not tell what the other was thinking. Slowly Sian stepped away from the shadows into a ray of sunlight penetrating through the ceiling of leaves. The green maiden stood upon a large branch at its base with one hand leaning against the trunk of the tree. Her face was emotionless as ever and her voice held no clue to her feelings as she said, "As you can see I'm quite well…"
It was a signal to leave, but Nembus did not heed it and continued to stare at her. Sian stared back down at him with empty eyes as she asked, "Was there anything else, 'Sir' Nembus?"
The way she said the word 'sir' made it apparent that she didn't want to talk to him, yet he seemed oblivious to the hint. The man was mute for what seemed like hours before he muttered, "You still are angry with what happened years ago?…"
A frustrated sigh escaped the war woman's lips just moments before she leapt down from the thick branch to the grassy floor below coming to stand just before her fellow guardian. Both stared back at each other in silence unable to say a thing though both knew what was on each other's minds. Sian crossed her arms over her chest as she whispered, "I am not angry with what happen years ago… I am just a little upset with the remembrance of it…"
"King Van meant no disrespect" Nembus offered quietly unable to look away from the hard stare of his comrade, "He did not know--"
"I know that!" Sian cut him off sharply. Her silver eyes sparked with a glimmer of fire. After a moment the sparkles dimmed and the woman replied more calmly, "They know little of my past, yours, or the rest of the guardians'… No one truly knows our past history and no one truly ever will."
The armored one looked down at the ground for a moment in thought as he quietly said, "I don't know about that… There will come a day when we will finally find peace in life--"
Sian laughed lightly, a laugh that was bitter, "Life?! What life, Nembus?!"
Turning sharply away the woman turned her back to the 'Guardian of the Clouds' and said with hurt playing in voice, "We died a long time ago… Our lives end after this mission with the new king and queen… We will go to heaven and spend eternity there with no hope of ever enjoying life here on Gaea."
A silence fell on the two for the moment and Nembus stared at the woman's back. Soon the man muttered, "You sound as if you regret ever accepting the position as guardian…"
"Regret?…" Sian whispered as she played with the word in her mind, "Perhaps regret is too strong a word… I had wanted to be at Queen Iris's side, but I also wanted a future… to have a family… to have children… I was a warrior though… I was from a long line of legends and heroes passed down in history. My heart called me to the life of a fighter and soldier… When Iris came to me with the position I couldn't have been more proud of being offered such a high rank, but… to have no hope for the future… to never be able to dream of settling down and starting a family… to sacrifice everything to be a bodyguard hurt worse than any pain a blade could inflict…"
Tenderly walking onwards through the brush the guardian her companion followed close behind her. Sian spoke quietly as if mulling over her own thoughts as she spoke them, "I shall never regret taking the position as a royal bodyguard,… but I shall always regret leaving behind the chance of settling down… and living a normal life to end my days with…"
Gradually the green warrior halted as she found herself in a ray of sunshine and turned her eyes to the treetops above. The golden light washed over her face making her look more like a peaceful angel then a warrior. Her strains of brunette locks lifted pass her silver eyes with a small breeze that momentarily had blown passed them. Nembus stared at his companion with a deep look in his eyes that was mysterious. They sparkled with unknown feeling. His eyes remained fixed on the woman as she turned to him. Her eyes also sparkled with feelings, yet the emotions playing within her eyes were easily distinguished… as hurt. With an accusing voice the angel dared to ask, "And you had no regrets whatsoever Nembus?"
The man's eyes grew hard at the question as he crossed his arms across his chest. His short hair fluttered for a moment as the breeze again blew through the area. Nembus scowled angrily as he growled, "I took my job knowing what I was giving up. I made sure to understand what I was getting into so I would not have any regrets in the future."
Sian's eyes sparked with anger as she put herself directly in front of the man and brought her face, but a few inches away from his. Her voice was harsh and low, "And so are you saying you have no regrets, even now?… None whatsoever?"
There was a suspenseful pause as the two old friends glared venomously into each other's eyes. After what seemed like years the man hissed a painful, "None…"
The green warrior gave a loud frustrated sigh as she turned sharply away and began to walk away with her brunette braid dancing behind her. Her feet padded through the grass noisily, too noisily for a trained warrior like herself. Nembus's raven eyes followed the beautiful woman and for a moment one might have thought they saw pain in the ancient fighter's eyes, but the moment this was seen his bottomless orbs became blank again as the green angel disappeared into the trees.
~~~Fanelia~~~
"Please, Lord Beowulf" Millerina pleaded earnestly, "Will you please hear us out before you--"
"Hear you out?!" the advisor thundered angrily. The bald man with a short gray beard had his palms laid flat against the large round table as he glared at the group around the furniture. In a voice of angry disbelief the man roared, "The king and queen ruling Fanelia has slipped away to go on a mission without the consent of its people or advisors and you dare ask me to hear you out?!"
The young queen sigh loudly as she ran a pale hand through her silky golden strains. Sitting around the council room were the twelve royal advisors of Fanelia along with the King of Freid, the Prince of the Draconians, and the King of Austuria. Standing elsewhere in the room were dozens of Draconians, all who had been allowed out of the infirmary, and the three royal bodyguards (Allen, Celena, and Resshi). Desperately Prince Mamoru had called a meeting for the 'Council' and the angel people, but so far the meeting wasn't going very well. There had been several outbursts and cries of astonishment and disbelief disturbing the tale spoken by the young prince. He had retold the story of the 'Sacrifice' for the sake of the Draconian arrivals and now had gone into detail about the quest Hitomi had left on when the lead advisor had jumped from his chair in a rage. Poor Prince Mamoru tried his best to calm down the man, but his efforts were hopeless. Finally Millerina had tried, but all could see this was failing also.
"Do you want me to believe this CHILD is to rule over Fanelia, the most powerful country on the face of Gaea, when he has never had any experience of a noble of such statures?!" the man's face was growing red with fury as he pointed a tan finger in the royal's direction. Mamoru did his best to meet the angry gaze of the advisor trying to prove to him he was an adequate substitute by showing his fearlessness. The two nobles stared at one another from across the red oak table sending terrible tension into the air. It was finally Chid who was able to settle down the man.
Calmly with a firm voice the newest king of Gaea said, "Lord Beowulf, do you doubt the words of a royal heir of the Draconian throne and next legal holder of the throne of Fanelia?…"
The advisor gradually slowed his furious breathing to eye the 'Prince of Angels' more carefully. It was true about Mamoru being the royal heir of the Draconians and by all rights the youth was also the next in line for the throne after the king and queen. Van had no family to rule and Hitomi's child had yet to be born making Mamoru the only other option. However Beowulf was definitely against this idea and glared at the prince venomously. The advisor's hands were tied though. He had no jurisdiction here when blood tied the boy to the throne. If he had been tied to the throne by documents than perhaps Lord Beowulf would have had a chance to keep the lad from taking temporary possession of the throne, but he had no hope in such matters.
Slowly the gray bearded man with striking blue eyes sat back down in his handcrafted chair allowing the group to silently sigh in relief. Mamoru seized the moment and quickly stood, "I take full custody of the throne of Fanelia until my sister or brother-in-law returns and ask for me to step down. I promise all of you that I will do my best to rule Fanelia the way my family would want me to."
Turning to the dozen of advisors the youth spoke firmly and clearly, "Now I want you, my advisors, to find boarding for the Draconians as quickly as possible before more are sent to us by my sister and I also want you to heighten security by half."
The group of nobles glanced between one another a little surprised by the boy's logic. Those were good demands and they were just surprised to hear it from such an inexperienced youth such as he. Beowulf gave a slight nod at the boy in agreement, but his sharp blue eyes still held the same hardness. Gulping down the lump in his throat without anyone noticing Mamoru turned to the Draconians, "My people, until my sister's return I am afraid I can do no more than shelter, cloth, and feed you. Dealing with your desire to stay here permanently or temporarily that is to be discussed with my sister. It is in your best interest though to stay within the Fanelia's borders because of the war erupting throughout Gaea. We can offer protection and places to stay until further notice."
A few of the Draconians began to whisper among themselves discussing the matter. None could hear their words, but from the sound of their voices it appear to seem good. Soon one of the angels stepped forward, a man in his prime, acting as temporary speaker for the Draconians, "We accept your proposal, Prince Mamoru, and give you our blessing hoping Queen Hitomi and King Van will return soon and without harm."
The young angel prince gave a shaky nod of thanks as he silently thought, "As do I hope also…"
~~~Forest~~~
Van ran his tan fingers through the seeress silky locks as he stared lovingly into her emerald eyes. Hitomi looked deep into her beloved's fiery orbs lost within their ruby depths. The two stood within the shadows of the trees just beyond the border of light that streamed through the leaves. The couple had drifted away from the camp a moment in hope of finding solitude from the distraught of the journey. Merle had noticed the looks in the two rulers' eyes and had made no remark about being left behind as she watched the angels disappear into the brush. Hitomi had automatically told Van about the two visions she had experienced during the day and expressed her fear of the images. Now the two had halted leaning into each other as they heartbeats became one.
Hitomi's eyes began to sparkle in tears. In a sorrowful voice the seeress whispered, "I'm scared, Van… I'm so worried…"
Tenderly the man began to caress the woman's pale cheeks in both of his tan hands enjoying the smooth feeling of her skin. His affectionate eyes grazed over the woman's face before he leaned over to kiss away a tear. In a rich, low voice he whispered lovingly to her, "Shhh… I'm here…"
With her crystal droplets slipping down her cheeks freely now the 'Angel' buried her face into her beloved's chest. Her tears were soaked into his scarlet shirt, but he paid it no heed as he wrapped his muscular arms around his wife's slim form. He could hear her give a small whimper of fear as she muttered into his chest, "I wish this had never happened… I wish we were back at Fanelia…"
Gently Van placed his chin on the Hitomi's crown and closed his eyes as he softly whispered, "I feel the same way… Please, don't cry, Hitomi… My heart hurts when you cry…"
The seeress lifted her head from his chest to look deep into his eyes and met pools of fire. Quietly Hitomi replied, "I know,… but Van, those visions--"
Quickly the young king placed a soft finger on her pale lips silencing her words, "Shh… Don't think about it right now… We are safe at the moment… and we are alone… Let us enjoy this moment together…"
The woman's emerald eyes grew sad with guilt as she replied, "I'm so sorry, Van, I shouldn't be putting all this on your shoulders. It's just that--"
Hitomi's apology was cut off as the king captured her lips into a tender kiss. Shocked at first by her husband's antics the woman was too startled to respond to the touch, but soon overcoming that small obstacle the seeress responded and deepened the kiss. Unknowingly to her Hitomi's hands slid up and around Van's neck as his found themselves to the familiar spot around her waist. Gradually the world began to spin at the prolonged kiss and sparks electrified in the kiss as passion took hold of their souls. However Van broke the moment as he pulled away, to Hitomi's unhappiness, with a playful smirk on his face. In a low voice that was evident of deep emotions of love and adoration the king whispered, "You talk too much…"
The seeress's eyes of emerald pools sparkled with devotion as she stared deep into his soul. Van lost himself in her gaze and soon his hand drifted from her waist to her soft, pale cheek. Cupping her face in his hand the man caressed the area again with his thumb. Gradually he traced the line of her cheekbone to her chin before coming up to stroke her bottom lip. Hitomi could not hold back the shiver contentment that came from his soft touch. Van smiled at her motion and continued his caresses by gradually making his way down her neck to her collarbone. The seeress closed her eyes remembering the other time he had done this; it had been the night of their honeymoon. As the moment continued to be drawn out the angel man's fingers lightly ran down the woman's smooth side before coming to run over her stomach. His caresses ended here as his palm became flat and ran over the swollen belly of his beloved. Van's rubies became transfixed at the sight his wife's abdomen.
The life within his spouse was remarkable. It took everything he had to fully take in the fact that he and Hitomi had created a life. Suddenly the angel king felt movement beneath the restrictions of his wife's flesh followed by a sharp kick. Van smiled at the force of the kick and thought how fine a fighter the child would be at its valiant strength it showed off at such an age.
Van's thoughts were interrupted though as his wife's hand fell over his. The king looked up and met those pair of emerald eyes that shined like stars. Bringing her face closer to his so that their lips were just a kiss away the seeress whispered, "I love you, Van Fanel…"
The young king smiled softly at those words that always made his heart skip a beat, "And I love you, Hitomi Kazanki Fanel…"
It was at that moment a rough cough was heard shattering the tender moment. The angel couple's heads turned around suddenly to behold Sian and Nembus standing shoulder to shoulder about fifty feet away. Both of the ancient warriors looked back at their rulers sheepishly feeling somewhat guilty to break such a wonderful instant of love,… but it could not be helped.
Hitomi automatically felt the uncomfortable ease of the guardians for their intrusion and quickly asked to cover up the moment, "What is it?"
Sian took a step forward towards her lady and in the voice of a soldier the woman said, "I'm sorry, Queen Hitomi, but we must discuss our next steps."
~~~Lands East of Fanelia~~~
Ana fell to the ground roughly on her side causing a cloud of dust to rise. Dornkirk with his hood back in place loomed over her with his fangs bared. The other six demons stood in a crude line nearby watching the scene. The female demon's hood fell from her face revealing the twisted, yet beautiful, face of the dark fighter. Her emerald eyes sparked anger from the blow, but other than that she showed no sign of defiance as she remained still and stared up at her master. The dark emperor brought up his chin showing authority as he glared down at his follower. The leader growled viciously in a dead voice, "If you ever dare to pull a stunt like that again and try to take out the seeress without my permission I will kill you, Lady Ana, without a moment's hesitation. For now I will allow you to live because I need you, but if you again defile me and prove yourself to be more a hindrance than assistance you will be terminated… Understood?…"
The woman was silent for a moment as she stared at her master before quietly answering from the ground, "Understood, my Lord…"
Dornkirk snarled at the woman as he gave her sharp nod signaling her to rejoin the others. The female demon rose up from the dirt gradually and made her way back in line with her fellow beasts. The emperor eyed his small group angrily as he bared his fangs. His dark wings twitched with his fury as he paced before them. As he continued his steady pacing the fallen ruler growled, "We must change our strategy… If we all go to one spot the seeress will merely transport us back here. We must separate and find the last of the guardians and wait for her there. Once you find the other civilizations of Draconians kill as many as possible and do your best to destroy the guardian dwelling there."
One of the demons stared at his commander as he hissed, "What if the seeress is there?… Won't she just transport us away?"
The leader turned his back to the group as he brought his claw over his mouth in thought. Each of the demons glanced at one another before turning back their attention at their master. The dark ruler spoke a dark reply that held confidential knowledge, "Perhaps… but if that is so you must take hold of the seeress and transport her with you. Then it becomes only a matter of bringing her to me…"
Another of the dark ones spoke up, "But what of the guardians and the king?"
Growling in annoyance by their distraught questions the ruler swirled around and roared into his followers' faces, "That is not my concern! You are to follow my orders! You must go and find the 'Seeress of the Mystic Moon' and bring her to me!"
Calming down slightly the ruler turned his back to the group again with his eyes still sparking in rage, "If you confront the queen's friends kill them, but do not harm the seeress. She is more valuable alive…"
Together the group said in a single deadly voice, "As you command, Lord Dornkirk…"
Walking in front of the demons the ruler eyed each in turn as he spoke, "No one knows were the last two guardians are… correct, old one?"
One of the demons that were at one of the ends hoarsely stated in an ancient voice, "Correct, my lord, but I do know the locations of the other three."
The ruler gradually made his way in front of this particular demon and commanded, "Continue…"
With a unfamiliar voice the being muttered, "The other three were sent to three different lands: the desert, the sea, and the ice lands. The Gaeans never discovered the exact locations for the guardians were very wise and clever when they created the civilizations. However, the area of which they were rumored to be in were never truly searched properly because of several… er… 'obstacles' keeping out intruders."
Dornkirk ignored the underlying meaning in the word 'obstacles' and proclaimed, "Fine… I will send three of you to those lands to wait for the seeress. Let me make this perfectly clear also. Once you arrive there do not come back to me unless you have the seeress in your possession or I 'will' kill you… The rest of us will go to the Mystic Valley and prepare for the queen. Even if you should fail in the end, she will find her way to the Mystic Valley… for that is the one place her powers can ever hope of standing a chance against my own… Little does she know that in challenging me there I can also double my powers… for I still hold the blood of the Draconians…"
~~~Campsite~~~
Hitomi studied the map carefully eyeing the circled areas of the map that were possibly the locations of the next three guardians. The seeress glanced up from the parchment that was spread out on the grass in front of the rest of the group. Each of the individuals surrounding the atlas sat Indian style while forming a crude oval. With Van and Merle flanking Hitomi's sides the seeress couldn't help, but take notice of the two guardians' closeness. Though she knew little about the two's history she could tell they were very good comrades. She frequently saw them nearby each other as though one was the other shadow.
What disturbed Hitomi more and more were the emotions lingering in the green warrior's eyes of silver. Sian was doing her best to keep her expression blank, but time and time again the 'Angel' caught a wisp of sorrow sparkling in her pools of shinning silver. Pushing aside the mysterious emotions of her companion the queen asked, "Sian and Nembus, where would you suggest we head to next?"
The armored warrior was silent as he eyed the parchment that was scribbled on with several notes and figures so Sian answered her queen, "I really can't say, Queen Hitomi. When Nembus and I joined the other bodyguards of the royal family we never truly got to know the other guards."
The young war woman gave a soft laugh at the memories of their first encounter with the other warriors, "To say the least they didn't like us very much."
Van glanced up from the map to stare at the forest maiden, "Why would they not like you?"
Sian sneaked a peek over at her fellow fighter before continuing, "Well, for one they were a little insulted by being assigned help when they were suppose to be the greatest warriors of Gaea. Second, we were younger than they. Though I never discovered their true age they often called me and Nembus 'children' or 'rookies'. They also felt insulted by the fact that they had 'children' helping them. Another good reason was that Queen Iris sometimes seemed to favor us better than they. Amongst all this they kept mostly to themselves usually excluding me and Nembus from socializing with them most of the time."
Merle scowled frustrated by the lack of information being given and hissed angrily, "Well, what can you tell us about them?!"
After receiving a glare from both Van and Hitomi the young cat muttered a soft apology for her rudeness before allowing the warriors to speak. Nembus decided to take over at this point, "We do know that the three guards were two men and a woman named: Zaado, Tsuno, and Nazomi. All three of them were very quiet and rarely spoke. We never saw their faces for we all were to keep our true identities secret. Masks, scarves, and hoods were always used hiding most of our faces. The only time we ever reveal our faces was during the 'Final Battle' and even then it we never truly got a complete look on each other for we were too busy fighting."
With a frustrated sigh Hitomi asked, "So are you telling me all you know is their names and the possible areas they are stationed?"
Sian and Nembus shared a sheepish glance with each other before bowing their heads shamefully, "Yes…"
Merle growled in annoyance as she rolled her eyes. Van sighed heavily as he looked back down at the map, "That means when can't use the pillar of light because we don't know our destination. One must have a picture in their mind to use the pillar."
Hitomi nodded slightly as she gazed at the three-circled areas on the map. Slowly her eyes ran over the lands with curiosity. The first was the desert; it was rather large and held no markings of towns or cities making it an empty plain of dunes. The rest of the group continued to discuss what was to be done as the seeress's fingers softly played over the yellow parchment. Gradually Hitomi's digits fell on the next land: the sea. The area showed several signs of populated islands and important harbors all which could easily hide a civilization of Draconians seeing that the angel people could easily disguise themselves as human beings. Van had done it since he was born. The final area was the ice lands covered in brilliant white and blue colors. The moment Hitomi's emerald eyes fell on the distinct area she felt as if she was falling into its depths…
~~~Vision~~~
The cold wind howled all around her whistling in her ears almost painfully. Snow surrounded her legs all the way to her hips. A blizzard stormed in her area of vision distorting everything that she could see. Mostly what she saw was snow-covered land with boulders or pine trees poking out from the whiteness. Hitomi wrapped her arms around her trying desperately to gather warmth, but found none. Ice began to form over her slender body making her temperature drop rapidly. Her breaths shuddered out from her blue-tinted lips becoming white wisps in the wind. The seeress hair whipped around her face stinging her frozen skin.
Suddenly a noise, something like a howl, roar, and moan rolled into one, erupted into the air. Hitomi was a little surprised she had heard it seeing that the blizzard was so loud. Turning jerkily from the cold the seeress examined the direction she thought the noise had come from. Unfortunately for the angel her vision was substantial limited and she could barely see a few feet in front of her. Ever so slowly though a form began to become visible through the blinding snowfall. It was extremely large at least a little bigger than a grizzle bear. The beast made the noise Hitomi heard earlier again, except this time the noise was even louder than before. Lazily the creature lumbered on-- supposedly-- on all fours towards the seeress showing its intentions quickly. Hitomi wanted to run, but her legs were buried in the snow making them nearly immobile. They felt as if they were frozen into the ground either by fear or by the cold. The seeress kept her eyes on the beast wanting to see its true self. With utter slowness the creature's body could be better made out. It was as white as the snow surrounding the land and its fur was very thick and long. Though it was the size of a bear its shape was more of an oversized wolf. From looking into its striking blue eyes you could see the beast's vicious intentions. The creature wasn't there to say hello that was for sure especially when one saw the huge row of fangs that snarled at them. A sickening purple tongue ran over the pearly row of daggers showing its hunger. It bushy tail swung in the wind lazily as if to say he had all the time in the world to kill the seeress. Growling the weird noise again the beast crouched to ready himself to pounce on the angel woman.
~~~End of Vision~~~
Hitomi blinked several times as she realized she had returned to the present. She looked up to see the others staring at her intently. Without even thinking about it before she spoke the queen said to them, "This is where we must go."
Sian quickly looked down to where the seeress was pointing and frowned at the parchment. The place indicated was the dreaded ice lands of Gaea. The land was considered to be one the most dangerous areas of the planet and often feared because of the legendary beast that roamed the frozen world of ice. The maiden warrior sharply picked up her head to speak, but Nembus cut her off, "Are you sure of this, Queen Hitomi?"
The four travelers eyed the leader of the band as the queen slowly nodded. With a firm voice Hitomi said, "I'm positive of it…"
Sian glanced over at Nembus when he heard the man snort in a low voice, "Only fools are positive…"
The female guardian frowned slightly at the man's rude comment, but knew he had a point. To be completely confident about something was like knowing the future and no one knew that. You could easily be mistaken with what you consider to be certain and suffer dire consequences for your over assumptions. Like the old saying goes 'never count your chickens before they're hatched.' Sian turned to her queen reluctantly and asked, "What about Dornkirk though? I'm sure he will find his way to us."
Van nodded in agreement, "Yes, we should be prepared for anything. Dornkirk is rather unpredictable."
Hitomi went to say something when a voice ringed inside her head saying 'Yes, you'll never know what I am going to do next…'
The seeress's words faded into her mind as she felt shock take over her thoughts. Had she heard right?… That couldn't have been whom Hitomi had thought she heard… Could it?… Doing her best to shove away her discomfort and shock the queen turned back to her companions. It was then she noticed Van was eying her carefully with a worried expression on his face. Hitomi realized he had noticed her sudden stiffness and had grown worried. The seeress quickly smiled to help settle his mind, but even though Van smiled faintly in return she could tell he was still worried about her.
Glancing over at the rest of the group Hitomi saw none of the others had noticed her discomfort. Trying to push away the memory of the haunting voice the seeress replied, "Dornkirk will mostly likely be waiting for us wherever we go. He did manage to get here before us showing it will probably end up the same way as before,… though I don't know how it could be possible. I'm more worried about his followers."
Both Sian and Nembus nodded simultaneously knowing what the royal Draconian meant. The green maiden automatically spoke a lesson she had learned while training as a fighter, "A battle is more easily won when knowing your opponent for you will be able to know their flaws and usual strategy."
The others nodded in agreement quietly thinking about the seven dark forms. Hitomi brought a hand to her chin as she thought silently, 'It's strange how there are seven demons when there are seven angels. Is there a possible connection between the identical numbers?… If so then what is the connection?…' That was surely a question that could only be answered in the future. Placing the question in the corner of her mind to later be contemplated the seeress spoke to the circle of travelers, "I know one of the demons is Ana."
Merle and the two guardians frowned slightly as Van's eyes of fire grew wider. The young cat-girl's brow furrowed as she asked, "Who's Ana?"
The seeress wanted to slap herself for her foolish thinking. She should have known better that the only person who would have realized who she was speaking about was Van. After the incident in the flying fortress a year ago in the 'Sacrifice' both Van and Hitomi had agreed to keep the fights within the flying fortress to remain untold. It was better for Hitomi they had thought because the murder of her clone had been too sore a subject to deal with at the time. Now however with a year between the harsh memory the seeress was finally able to relay her first killing of a living being. After a few moments of hesitation and a gentle squeeze of her hand from her husband for encouragement Hitomi slowly explained the secret of her short-lived sister. Several times the seeress's voice broke from such harsh emotions brought back from the memory and each time Van had to mutter soothing words of comfort and had to administer affectionate caresses of his hands rubbing hers to get her to continued. Finally after the story had finish the group fell in a long silence as each stared down at the ground. No queen had ever killed before and it was shocking to say the least. Sian felt her ache for her mistress knowing that the woman was very kind and was sure the woman never intended to harm a living soul.
Merle on the other hand was a little hurt. She was Van and Hitomi's closest friend and yet she had also been left in the dark. It reminder her how apart she was from the couple bringing a glimmer of jealousy into her heart. The young cat-girl frowned at herself for the emotion that plaguing her and stamped out the feeling. Merle had decided from the day she discovered Van's feelings for Hitomi after the seeress had returned to the Mystic Moon to never let her feelings get in the way of the friendship she held with the two. She knew deep down that it was hard for Hitomi to even speak of the incident. There was even a good possibility that if Van had never been part in the battle within the fortress Hitomi might never have told him of the murder she done unless he had begged her to speak.
It was Van who finally broke the moment, "I know Dilandau is one of the other demon as well."
Hitomi started at this and muttered fearfully, "Dilandau?!"
The young king nodded to his wife, as the cat-advisor's eyes of chocolate became the size of basketballs. This time only the two angel warriors were left in confusion seeing that neither had met the perverse killer. It took another half hour for the three nobles to explain the situation of Dilandau, which was rather easy, compared to talking about Ana. Soon after that Nembus crossed his arms across his chest as he closed his eyes of raven black. Deep within the mind of thought the man stated aloud, "That will help us greatly seeing that you have dealt with both enemies, but still there are five others who we have no idea about."
"Kusari?…" came a small voice interrupting the armored fighter. All eyes turned to the young cat-being of bronze fur. Looking up from her spot Merle faced the others with a sudden realization she was the youngest among them. She didn't want to appear immature. Bringing her chin up a little to make her look older the advisor said, "Could two of the other demons be Kusari and Kaosu?"
Nembus and Sian glanced at one another just as confused as always. The seeress gave a small nod as she looked out on the mid-afternoon horizon, "That's a very good possibility seeing that they are both Dornkirk's sons."
The two guardians both gaped suddenly shocking the group, for the two fighters rarely showed expressions of emotions on their faces. Sian stared at her queen in utter shock as she gasped, "What do you mean 'Dornkirk's sons?! Dornkirk has no sons!"
Hitomi frowned at this and glanced at Nembus and saw the same surprised expression. With a confuse voice the royal angel explained the first time they had ever met the two dark angels. Nembus frowned all the way through the story especially when Kaosu and Kusari claimed to be the twin sons of the evil emperor of Zaibach. With a growl the armored one said, "That's impossible! Dornkirk never took a maiden as his wife and even if he did out of wedlock he would have had to been very old when the children were conceived for the two 'sons' to be the age they are now! Dornkirk was just too ancient and old to have a child, let alone two."
"What about cloning?" Merle piped in suddenly, "Couldn't the same scientist who cloned Celena and Hitomi create younger copies of Dornkirk?"
Van's brow furrowed as he contemplated what his foster-sister was suggesting, "Perhaps, but why do Kusari and Kaosu look so differently from Dornkirk? And why would they call themselves Dornkirk's sons instead of Dornkirk's brothers?"
The young queen shook her head making her silky locks bounce in the sunlight, "We'll never know until we ask Dornkirk or his supposed 'sons', and right now is not the time. We must finish our mission at all costs and deal with such matters possibly later. Now as for the other demons I have no idea who they could possible be, but something tells me we should be wary. For now let us go to the next guardian."
Sian quickly stood up and with the concern voice of a soldier the woman asked, "Shouldn't we wait, Queen Hitomi? The battle from the night before was very brutal and you did suffer the worse amongst us. It might be best if we wait a few days and let you rest before we continue."
Soon Nembus was also standing up next to his old companion with a blank look on his face. In the same tone as the green guardian the armored fighter said, "I agree with Sian. Perhaps it would be best to allow yourself to recuperate, my lady."
Hitomi glanced over at Merle and Van automatically seeing where this was going. Quickly the royal Draconian woman proclaimed firmly, "No, we must continue. As long as I am fit to travel we must go on. Time is very important in this journey and we have little of it. The more time we waste the closer Dornkirk and his followers get to the guardians before us and they will kill as many people as possible. We must get there before they do."
The green maiden shared a glance with her fellow guardian both knowing the seeress's words were very true though both were reluctant to follow such wisdom.
~~~Lands East of Fanelia~~~
With roars of power three dark figures flew from the small ruins of the former village. The three demons of blackness soared high into the air before suddenly shooting off in three directions. Left behind were the remaining five dark ones all watching their comrades leave. As soon as the three chosen ones selected by their leader had disappeared into the corners of the sky the other five rose into the air. Within moments the group flew through the clouds in a chosen direction that only they knew they were going to. Well, we also know where they were going to… the Mystic Valley…
~~~Campsite~~~
Hitomi stood in the open field of tall swaying grass as it softly brushed up against her legs. The rest of her traveling party stood just a few feet behind her all wearing thick cloaks with hoods for their cold destination. Sian's wore an emerald green, Nembus's wore an ebony darkness, Merle wore a rich chestnut, and Van wore a mud brown one. Even the seeress wore a cloak with a hood that was a deep midnight blue that matched her outfit nicely. After finishing their discussion earlier they all began explaining to Merle exactly what happened when she had been absent in the battle. Hitomi had mostly just told of her experience of her powers, but had quietly left out the part of her wondering how exactly how she was able to do it. After the long talk about the battle the group knew what was to be done. Everything was packed quickly and their campfire was extinguished. Before she even knew it Hitomi had found herself standing in the field with her comrades trying to summon the shaft of light.
They had discussed it several times wondering how it would be possible to call upon the blue pillar when they knew little about their destination except that it was cold and icy. The 'Angel' automatically had spoken saying that the little knowledge about the lands' terrain was enough to get them there at least. As long as she had an image of the area she might be able to direct them there. Finding the guardian once there would have to be done the traditional way though… by their five senses…
A slight breeze combed through Hitomi's hair as her pale hands fell over the ancient pendant of her people. Closing her eyes like she had done before the seeress opened her senses and released them out onto the world. An image of a frozen plain of ice and snow formed in her mind. Imaginary winds of coldness stung her face and the angel queen clenched her teeth together. A picture of the atlas formed in her mind as the area circled known as the ice lands slowly came into view. Keeping the images within her thoughts Hitomi attempted to call forth the transporter of light. Nothing happened… Hitomi didn't feel a single thing… Again she tried, but it proved just as fruitless…
Opening her eyes for a moment the seeress frowned in confusion. What was wrong?… What was she forgetting to do?… Closing her emeralds again she locked her jaw and squeezed her eyes shut forcing her powers to heighten. After several moments of stressing over her powers she felt the sudden pull on her essence. Within seconds she felt the same power envelope her and her friends. Slowly opening her eyes an endless blue light surrounded her blocking her vision. The power felt warm and the woman smiled at her accomplishment.
Gradually the group lofted into the air and their clothes, along with their hair, fluttered with the mysterious power that flowed within the light. Van drifted to float beside his wife and smiled at her. Hitomi went to smile, but her facial expression froze in a blank look as she felt the power around her fluctuate. Something was wrong… Looking about she suddenly noticed several white lines glowing amongst the blue. Slowly the lines of vertical descent became bars in between the five travelers. Fear crept in the seeress's heart as she saw the single blue beam begin to break apart and form five identical pillars.
Sian struggled against her aqua colored confinement and cried, "What's happening?!"
No one had time to answer for as soon as the words had been heard the pillars shot off into the sky taking each individual farther away from the others. Van fearfully turned towards his beloved angel and called out, "Hitomi!"
The young king stretched out his hand to her, but the destined queen was unaware of this at the moment as she struggled to keep the five of them together. Closing her eyes she struggled with her powers trying urgently to form the single shaft again. Her senses wrapped around the five identical lines of power and tried to pull them back together as one. Ever so slowly the beams began to drift closer to one another, but too slow… Before Hitomi knew it the moment was over…
Her emerald eyes blinked several times as she stared upwards at the sky. Blinding snow flew through the air obscuring most of the blue heavens from her sight. Cold, freezing cold, wrapped around the woman's frail form marking the horrible conditions of her surroundings. Hitomi was lying on her side in a mound of snow that sent such cold feelings through her veins. The poor woman felt so alone. She could not feel her friends' presences anywhere showing they were nowhere near her. Gingerly the royal maiden lifted herself from the ground and nearly fell forward. Her pale hands sunk into the snowdrift until they reached the frozen earth. Struggling against the soft snow that held no firmness the seeress was able to rise to her feet and stood in the snow that reached all the way to her hips. Looking at her hands she noticed the pale digits were growing a hint of blue already. Hitomi suddenly wished desperately that she had demanded her own pack instead of letting Van talk her into letting him carry their things. If she had her own personal knapsack she would have been able to retrieve her gloves. Pulling her cloak tighter around her frozen form the 'Angel' glanced at the area around her. There was little to see though for the blizzard that roared angrily in her ears was so dense that it was impossible to see anything through it. Realizing her friends were nowhere in sight and she could not feel their presences anywhere. Without even thinking Hitomi yelled out into the freezing wind, "VAN!… MERLE!… WHERE ARE YOU?!…"
The sound of the roaring storm of snow almost completely drowned out the seeress's cries. Fear and panic crept into the woman's soul and soon she found herself dragging her frozen limbs through the nearly waist deep snow. Plowing onward at a slow pace the queen continued her calls, "SIAN!… NEMBUS!… CAN YOU HEAR ME?!…"
Nothing, but the cold realization that she was alone… alone in a frozen wasteland where people died from the bitter coldness… However with fearful realization Hitomi became aware she was not alone… A deep rumble like that of a moan, roar, and howl rolled into one sound bellowed through the blizzard just barely reaching the seeress's cold ears. Panting from her labor of making her way through the drifts Hitomi's breathes came out in white wisps. Memory of her vision took hold of her and a new horrible panic seized her. Through the driving snow the outline of a monstrous beast formed. It was larger than a grizzle and much larger than her. With a low trembling voice the seeress whispered, "No…"
~Cliffhanger! Sorry about that, but I love my cliffhangers! Keep reading because the story is going to get really interesting from here on with some major cliffhangers and some unexspecting twists!~
~*Whistles* here's another really long chapter! I need to stop writing so much! J/J! :)~
~What's going to happen? Who are the rest of the demons? Are Kusari and Kaosu two of them or are they somebody else? And who? What's up with Sian and Nembus? Why did Sian grow edgy and then take it out on her best friend? What is hidden in the past of the seven guardians' personal history? So much is going on in this story! Make sure to keep up! Remember a lot of stuff written in the first story that was never truly spoken about is explained in this sequel. Maybe you should go back and skim through my story or just sit back and wait for the shockers to be revealed by me! Keep reading and enjoying this fan fic!~
~Next chapter should be out Friday or Saturday!~
~Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!~
~Sorry this is late, but something very important came up and kept me from the computer~
~FLUFF WARNING!~
~Hope you enjoy this chapter! Please review after you're done!~
The Fate of Two Worlds: The Sequel
By Angel_Wings
Chapter 10 ~ Questions
~~~Vision~~~
A pool of scarlet licked Hitomi's ankles. The liquid felt cold as it began to creep up the maiden's pale legs. Hitomi's emerald eyes widen as the pool began to envelope her body, just like it had done a while back in prior visions. The liquid crawled up her thighs and soon her lower body was lost in the ripples of crimson. The seeress felt as if her soul was being attacked. Pain engulfed her chest burning like hot metal. She felt as if her heart was an inferno bulging within her nerves. Explosions of pain went off in every pore of her body sending new waves of anguish through her frail form. The deep red liquid swirled over her chest and slowly inched its way up the seeress's slim neck while it flowed over her arms. Hitomi went to scream, but the pain caught in her throat locking down her calls. Her silky hair grew sticky with the red substance as it ran over the back of her head leaving only her face visible. The queen's eyes were sparkling with fear as the liquid finally enveloped the last of her leaving only pain and anguish in its wake…
Soon the vision switched and Hitomi found herself reliving another one of her visions…
Streaks of red lightning flew down at her and trying to knock her from her feet. Hitomi raced through the scarlet blasts that nipped at her body. Emerald eyes desperately looked for a safe haven, but saw none. Too distracted in her search the young woman was unable to dodge from a torpedo of crimson power. Pain engulfed her body and the seeress fell to the rough earth in a heap. Struggling to rise Hitomi could dimly hear the voices of her friends calling her to return to them, but she did not know how to…. or was it she did not want to?…. Something was keeping her from turning back…. Was it herself?… Or some unknown terror?… Gritting her teeth the 'Angel' raced through the darkness towards something…. something she had to reach…. Was it her friends?…. Her family perhaps?….
As she ran she glanced down at her body and noticed she was no longer heavy in child, but that didn't seem like much since in all her visions she hadn't been pregnant. Presently she wore chestnut pants with dark brown ankle boots. A long sleeve forest green shirt clothed her back only to be covered by another shirt of emerald green that was over her first. It was rather simple attire for a queen, but at the moment Hitomi was more focused on how it fared. The outfit was nearly ripped to shreds and clung to her body as if it had to for dear life. Blood soaked into the material darken the color of her clothes and its vile stench filled her nostrils. Gashes ran over her pale skin everywhere she looked and she felt very weak and run down as if she had gone through extensive battles before now.
Looking up towards the void's sky she saw a red sphere far above her. From it thousands of red bolts of lightning shot down all around it. Striking the earth in anger the energy tried to smite down the seeress. It was a barrier to keep away the unwanted from its source of power. Already Hitomi was halfway through the field of destruction that was nearly a mile wide and felt an unnamable longing to continue forward. With the little energy she had she raced forward frantically trying to reach the destination that seemed impossible to reach, unable to force herself to turn around.
Suddenly a streak of lightning brighter, thicker, and more powerful than any of the others rained down and struck the angel at full force. The crisp lines of electricity ran over her body and a scream tore from her throat though it was very faint in her ears. Her nerves seemed to explode at the pain and her lungs felt like they collapsed. Falling to her knees the seeress gasped for some needed air and found none. The black world spun beneath her gaze as she tried to grasp onto something to steady it. Hitomi's hands flew out in front of her catching her just before she fell to the unseen ground. She could taste blood in her mouth and gagged on the foul taste of it. Droplets of red liquid painted the black earth as she spat out the blood. It was around that moment she noticed her wings…. Her wings were out and now laid limp at her sides. What startled her more though was the color of them…. They were a dark gray… nearly black… a grim gray…. Hitomi's heart skipped a bit at the sight of her most treasured gifts….
Suddenly she turned her face towards the red sphere again just in time to see another large bolt of lightning strike her down forcing her to cry out in pain….
~~~End of Vision~~~
Hitomi shot up into a sitting position frantically scanning her sleeping area. Looking around she automatically recognized her four companions: Sian (the 'Guardian of the Forest'), Nembus ('Guardian of the Clouds'), Merle ('Advisor of Foreign Cultures'), and Van, her dear angel. The group stared intently at her with concern written all over their faces. They stood beneath a large elm that was on the edge of a clove of trees. Nembus with arms crossed was leaning against the elm as he watched his new queen. Merle was situated by a small fire with a pot seated in the embers as she cooked. Van and Sian sat on either side of Hitomi as the seeress laid on the deep green grass wrapped in a small quilt. Beyond the campsite the sun rose into the sky higher marking the time of midday.
Hitomi's breathing gradually slowed as she closed her eyes. Her bangs were matted to her brow in sweat and her body ached terribly. The fear that had captured her emotions vanished as the lady wiped away her sweat. Feeling the soreness in her limbs Hitomi expressed a loud groan and fell back onto the grass again.
The green angel placed a hot, wet hand towel on her queen's brow and Hitomi murmured a soft 'thank you' as she glanced over at her personal bodyguard. Van slipped his hands around one of Hitomi's catching the seeress's attention. The young queen wearily smiled at her dear beloved making him smiled also. Sian glanced at the two lovers and couldn't hold back her faint smile. Those two were so much in love it was hard not to see it. Sighing the lady of the long brunette braid got up from her knees and stood. Her king and queen turned their eyes to her as the warrior said playfully, "One would think you two hadn't seen each other in centuries from the way you two look at each other."
Hitomi's face quickly flushed at the comment as well as Van's, except he was able to remove it quicker. Chuckling lightly to hide his embarrassment the king replied, "Sian, have you've never fallen in love?"
The green warrior's face became blank and neither Van nor Hitomi could read a single thing on the angel's expression. With silence as her shadow the maiden with the braid straighten and walked away from the two. The seeress watched her with deep curiosity. Nembus glanced at the woman for a short second before closing his eyes as if meditating. Sharply Sian strode from the camp into the shadows of the trees deeper into the clove leaving behind a disturbed group.
Merle watched with deep sorrow as the angel warrior disappeared into the vegetation before turning around to ask sincerely, "What was that all about?"
No one spoke and an awkward silence fell on the group. Van sadly frowned regretting his words. He rose to go after the war woman in hope of apologizing for whatever he had said that had caused the woman's distress, but the armored one stopped him. With a rich voice wise with knowledge the man muttered, "Leave her…"
The three friends stared at their new travel partner. Nembus was still as his eyes remained closed and arms were crossed. Van glanced back towards the direction Sian had left before turning his attention back to the motionless warrior. Slowly the guardian spoke in a voice that held no hint of expression. Trained to hide emotions all you could hear was a monotonous sound that played in his voice, "She will return in time. It is best to leave her in peace until she is ready to come back…"
Though Van wanted to disobey the advice handed to him by this silent warrior, he didn't for he knew very little of the 'Forest Guardian' and decided to let it pass. If he went after her he would probably cause more harm then good. However he still wanted to know something, "Do you know why she left, Nembus?"
The man who was ancient by many centuries remained silent and still as though he had not heard the question projected at him. For a while Van stared at him, but soon realized he would get nothing from the being who was even older than he. Sighing in defeat the king turned around and returned to his wife's side. Hitomi stared into the depths of the shadows shrouded by the trees. Though Sian had showed no emotions on her face when she had left Hitomi had felt the emotions radiating off the maiden. She had felt… sadness…
The seeress thoughts were quickly cut off though as she heard the voice of the cat-girl talking to her, "--Hitomi?"
Shaking her head the queen asked, "Yes, Merle?"
The pink haired cat-girl studied her sister-in-law carefully as she purred, "I was asking if you were feeling alright?"
Hitomi ran her hand over her swollen belly unconsciously thinking about her experience earlier with their enemies. She had saved the life of her unborn and entire world, but for how long?… And how exactly had she been able to do it?… Never before had the powers of Atlantis ever been so powerful… But it couldn't have been the powers of her people… She had never reopened the seal on the pendant allowing the ancient powers loose… It couldn't have been the pendant then… Could it actually have been the powers Joutei had given her?… It was the only possible solution… yet… Hitomi felt as if it was so much more than that… But what?…
"I'm fine" Hitomi finally replied in a low distracted voice. Van and Merle shared a short glance between each other before accepting the half-convincing statement. Both could tell the seeress was deep in thought and that something deeper laid within her words. Shrugging off the uneasy feeling that came with their doubt the two nobles nodded slightly to the 'Angel'.
Merle turned to the pot lying within the embers and small flames and stirred a spoon through its contents. Curls of steam drifted from the stew cooking within the ebony cauldron causing its delicious smell to drift through the area. Hitomi breathed in deep the wondrous smell before asking, "What are you cooking, Merle?"
The cat-advisor pulled the ladle out of the stew and deposited a fixed amount into a small wooden bowl as she answered, "Millerina, told me how to fix a stew from special herbs and roots to help you travel better so you won't miscarry. I don't remember the name, but it sure does smell good."
With the cat-girl handing the bowl to the king Van passed the meal to the seeress. Hitomi took the item slowly as she fixed herself in a better position to eat and removed the warm towel from her brow. Eyeing the stew curiously the seeress ran her spoon through the liquid. It was rather thick for a stew and had several chunks of roots and herbs floating through its mist. Tenderly Hitomi lifted a spoonful of the stew to her face and glanced at Merle before putting the utensil into her mouth. Removing the spoon the angel queen slowly swirled the stew over her tongue. It gave a very delightful aftertaste and was warm like water from a hot spring. As the stew was swallowed and fell down her throat its hot liquid coated the passage making a tingling sensation. Several chunks of the roots and herbs were left behind and soon Hitomi began to chew on the food. The small pieces of nutrition held another wonderful aftertaste that lingered in the angel woman's mouth better than anything she had ever tasted. It was then Hitomi realized how hungry she was. Her child stirred within her belly and soon a round of kicking took place as the unborn infant demanded food. More than happy to oblige Hitomi began to dip into the stew again with her spoon ready to eat the entire contents of the bowl.
Van and Merle smiled at their friend's sudden quickness in finishing the meal. One could see that the 'Angel' was back to her old self again. The young cat-girl retrieved another bowl and swiftly poured in a portion of the stew into the carved wood before handing it over to her foster brother. The king smiled thanks to the bronze girl and began to also begin his midday meal. Merle's fluffy tail swayed behind her as she again readied a bowl. With the meal in one hand the cat turned around and asked, "Nembus, would you like some--"
The cat-girl's words were halted as she noticed the armored warrior had slipped away when no one was looking leaving behind an empty spot in his wake.
~~~Within the Clove~~~
Nembus stealthily walked through the small clove with his bottomless eyes of blackness forever alert. His ears, as always, were tuned into his surroundings as he listened for signs of other life. He did not keep himself to the shadows, but walked out in full view of the sunspots that appeared through the tiny forest of vegetation. His dark armor gleamed in the light and made his presence more obvious, however, you could not hear a single motion of his movements. Being one of the best warriors of Gaea showed proudly in his steps and one could easily tell he needed to do little effort to succeed in keeping silent.
The guardian fell short in the center of the forest he glanced around the area. Shortly after his stop he noticed a small leaf flutter down from above just a few inches from his face. The leaf was small and a rich green marking its youth. Nembus turned his ebony eyes to the treetops and spotted the silhouette of a human, more precisely a woman, standing on one of the large overhead branches.
The raven haired warrior stared at the figure for several moments before a sweet voice interrupted his thoughts, "What do you want, Nembus?"
The man was silent for a second before speaking just loud enough for her to hear, "I wanted to see if you were alright?"
Silence came from above and the angel man could not tell what the other was thinking. Slowly Sian stepped away from the shadows into a ray of sunlight penetrating through the ceiling of leaves. The green maiden stood upon a large branch at its base with one hand leaning against the trunk of the tree. Her face was emotionless as ever and her voice held no clue to her feelings as she said, "As you can see I'm quite well…"
It was a signal to leave, but Nembus did not heed it and continued to stare at her. Sian stared back down at him with empty eyes as she asked, "Was there anything else, 'Sir' Nembus?"
The way she said the word 'sir' made it apparent that she didn't want to talk to him, yet he seemed oblivious to the hint. The man was mute for what seemed like hours before he muttered, "You still are angry with what happened years ago?…"
A frustrated sigh escaped the war woman's lips just moments before she leapt down from the thick branch to the grassy floor below coming to stand just before her fellow guardian. Both stared back at each other in silence unable to say a thing though both knew what was on each other's minds. Sian crossed her arms over her chest as she whispered, "I am not angry with what happen years ago… I am just a little upset with the remembrance of it…"
"King Van meant no disrespect" Nembus offered quietly unable to look away from the hard stare of his comrade, "He did not know--"
"I know that!" Sian cut him off sharply. Her silver eyes sparked with a glimmer of fire. After a moment the sparkles dimmed and the woman replied more calmly, "They know little of my past, yours, or the rest of the guardians'… No one truly knows our past history and no one truly ever will."
The armored one looked down at the ground for a moment in thought as he quietly said, "I don't know about that… There will come a day when we will finally find peace in life--"
Sian laughed lightly, a laugh that was bitter, "Life?! What life, Nembus?!"
Turning sharply away the woman turned her back to the 'Guardian of the Clouds' and said with hurt playing in voice, "We died a long time ago… Our lives end after this mission with the new king and queen… We will go to heaven and spend eternity there with no hope of ever enjoying life here on Gaea."
A silence fell on the two for the moment and Nembus stared at the woman's back. Soon the man muttered, "You sound as if you regret ever accepting the position as guardian…"
"Regret?…" Sian whispered as she played with the word in her mind, "Perhaps regret is too strong a word… I had wanted to be at Queen Iris's side, but I also wanted a future… to have a family… to have children… I was a warrior though… I was from a long line of legends and heroes passed down in history. My heart called me to the life of a fighter and soldier… When Iris came to me with the position I couldn't have been more proud of being offered such a high rank, but… to have no hope for the future… to never be able to dream of settling down and starting a family… to sacrifice everything to be a bodyguard hurt worse than any pain a blade could inflict…"
Tenderly walking onwards through the brush the guardian her companion followed close behind her. Sian spoke quietly as if mulling over her own thoughts as she spoke them, "I shall never regret taking the position as a royal bodyguard,… but I shall always regret leaving behind the chance of settling down… and living a normal life to end my days with…"
Gradually the green warrior halted as she found herself in a ray of sunshine and turned her eyes to the treetops above. The golden light washed over her face making her look more like a peaceful angel then a warrior. Her strains of brunette locks lifted pass her silver eyes with a small breeze that momentarily had blown passed them. Nembus stared at his companion with a deep look in his eyes that was mysterious. They sparkled with unknown feeling. His eyes remained fixed on the woman as she turned to him. Her eyes also sparkled with feelings, yet the emotions playing within her eyes were easily distinguished… as hurt. With an accusing voice the angel dared to ask, "And you had no regrets whatsoever Nembus?"
The man's eyes grew hard at the question as he crossed his arms across his chest. His short hair fluttered for a moment as the breeze again blew through the area. Nembus scowled angrily as he growled, "I took my job knowing what I was giving up. I made sure to understand what I was getting into so I would not have any regrets in the future."
Sian's eyes sparked with anger as she put herself directly in front of the man and brought her face, but a few inches away from his. Her voice was harsh and low, "And so are you saying you have no regrets, even now?… None whatsoever?"
There was a suspenseful pause as the two old friends glared venomously into each other's eyes. After what seemed like years the man hissed a painful, "None…"
The green warrior gave a loud frustrated sigh as she turned sharply away and began to walk away with her brunette braid dancing behind her. Her feet padded through the grass noisily, too noisily for a trained warrior like herself. Nembus's raven eyes followed the beautiful woman and for a moment one might have thought they saw pain in the ancient fighter's eyes, but the moment this was seen his bottomless orbs became blank again as the green angel disappeared into the trees.
~~~Fanelia~~~
"Please, Lord Beowulf" Millerina pleaded earnestly, "Will you please hear us out before you--"
"Hear you out?!" the advisor thundered angrily. The bald man with a short gray beard had his palms laid flat against the large round table as he glared at the group around the furniture. In a voice of angry disbelief the man roared, "The king and queen ruling Fanelia has slipped away to go on a mission without the consent of its people or advisors and you dare ask me to hear you out?!"
The young queen sigh loudly as she ran a pale hand through her silky golden strains. Sitting around the council room were the twelve royal advisors of Fanelia along with the King of Freid, the Prince of the Draconians, and the King of Austuria. Standing elsewhere in the room were dozens of Draconians, all who had been allowed out of the infirmary, and the three royal bodyguards (Allen, Celena, and Resshi). Desperately Prince Mamoru had called a meeting for the 'Council' and the angel people, but so far the meeting wasn't going very well. There had been several outbursts and cries of astonishment and disbelief disturbing the tale spoken by the young prince. He had retold the story of the 'Sacrifice' for the sake of the Draconian arrivals and now had gone into detail about the quest Hitomi had left on when the lead advisor had jumped from his chair in a rage. Poor Prince Mamoru tried his best to calm down the man, but his efforts were hopeless. Finally Millerina had tried, but all could see this was failing also.
"Do you want me to believe this CHILD is to rule over Fanelia, the most powerful country on the face of Gaea, when he has never had any experience of a noble of such statures?!" the man's face was growing red with fury as he pointed a tan finger in the royal's direction. Mamoru did his best to meet the angry gaze of the advisor trying to prove to him he was an adequate substitute by showing his fearlessness. The two nobles stared at one another from across the red oak table sending terrible tension into the air. It was finally Chid who was able to settle down the man.
Calmly with a firm voice the newest king of Gaea said, "Lord Beowulf, do you doubt the words of a royal heir of the Draconian throne and next legal holder of the throne of Fanelia?…"
The advisor gradually slowed his furious breathing to eye the 'Prince of Angels' more carefully. It was true about Mamoru being the royal heir of the Draconians and by all rights the youth was also the next in line for the throne after the king and queen. Van had no family to rule and Hitomi's child had yet to be born making Mamoru the only other option. However Beowulf was definitely against this idea and glared at the prince venomously. The advisor's hands were tied though. He had no jurisdiction here when blood tied the boy to the throne. If he had been tied to the throne by documents than perhaps Lord Beowulf would have had a chance to keep the lad from taking temporary possession of the throne, but he had no hope in such matters.
Slowly the gray bearded man with striking blue eyes sat back down in his handcrafted chair allowing the group to silently sigh in relief. Mamoru seized the moment and quickly stood, "I take full custody of the throne of Fanelia until my sister or brother-in-law returns and ask for me to step down. I promise all of you that I will do my best to rule Fanelia the way my family would want me to."
Turning to the dozen of advisors the youth spoke firmly and clearly, "Now I want you, my advisors, to find boarding for the Draconians as quickly as possible before more are sent to us by my sister and I also want you to heighten security by half."
The group of nobles glanced between one another a little surprised by the boy's logic. Those were good demands and they were just surprised to hear it from such an inexperienced youth such as he. Beowulf gave a slight nod at the boy in agreement, but his sharp blue eyes still held the same hardness. Gulping down the lump in his throat without anyone noticing Mamoru turned to the Draconians, "My people, until my sister's return I am afraid I can do no more than shelter, cloth, and feed you. Dealing with your desire to stay here permanently or temporarily that is to be discussed with my sister. It is in your best interest though to stay within the Fanelia's borders because of the war erupting throughout Gaea. We can offer protection and places to stay until further notice."
A few of the Draconians began to whisper among themselves discussing the matter. None could hear their words, but from the sound of their voices it appear to seem good. Soon one of the angels stepped forward, a man in his prime, acting as temporary speaker for the Draconians, "We accept your proposal, Prince Mamoru, and give you our blessing hoping Queen Hitomi and King Van will return soon and without harm."
The young angel prince gave a shaky nod of thanks as he silently thought, "As do I hope also…"
~~~Forest~~~
Van ran his tan fingers through the seeress silky locks as he stared lovingly into her emerald eyes. Hitomi looked deep into her beloved's fiery orbs lost within their ruby depths. The two stood within the shadows of the trees just beyond the border of light that streamed through the leaves. The couple had drifted away from the camp a moment in hope of finding solitude from the distraught of the journey. Merle had noticed the looks in the two rulers' eyes and had made no remark about being left behind as she watched the angels disappear into the brush. Hitomi had automatically told Van about the two visions she had experienced during the day and expressed her fear of the images. Now the two had halted leaning into each other as they heartbeats became one.
Hitomi's eyes began to sparkle in tears. In a sorrowful voice the seeress whispered, "I'm scared, Van… I'm so worried…"
Tenderly the man began to caress the woman's pale cheeks in both of his tan hands enjoying the smooth feeling of her skin. His affectionate eyes grazed over the woman's face before he leaned over to kiss away a tear. In a rich, low voice he whispered lovingly to her, "Shhh… I'm here…"
With her crystal droplets slipping down her cheeks freely now the 'Angel' buried her face into her beloved's chest. Her tears were soaked into his scarlet shirt, but he paid it no heed as he wrapped his muscular arms around his wife's slim form. He could hear her give a small whimper of fear as she muttered into his chest, "I wish this had never happened… I wish we were back at Fanelia…"
Gently Van placed his chin on the Hitomi's crown and closed his eyes as he softly whispered, "I feel the same way… Please, don't cry, Hitomi… My heart hurts when you cry…"
The seeress lifted her head from his chest to look deep into his eyes and met pools of fire. Quietly Hitomi replied, "I know,… but Van, those visions--"
Quickly the young king placed a soft finger on her pale lips silencing her words, "Shh… Don't think about it right now… We are safe at the moment… and we are alone… Let us enjoy this moment together…"
The woman's emerald eyes grew sad with guilt as she replied, "I'm so sorry, Van, I shouldn't be putting all this on your shoulders. It's just that--"
Hitomi's apology was cut off as the king captured her lips into a tender kiss. Shocked at first by her husband's antics the woman was too startled to respond to the touch, but soon overcoming that small obstacle the seeress responded and deepened the kiss. Unknowingly to her Hitomi's hands slid up and around Van's neck as his found themselves to the familiar spot around her waist. Gradually the world began to spin at the prolonged kiss and sparks electrified in the kiss as passion took hold of their souls. However Van broke the moment as he pulled away, to Hitomi's unhappiness, with a playful smirk on his face. In a low voice that was evident of deep emotions of love and adoration the king whispered, "You talk too much…"
The seeress's eyes of emerald pools sparkled with devotion as she stared deep into his soul. Van lost himself in her gaze and soon his hand drifted from her waist to her soft, pale cheek. Cupping her face in his hand the man caressed the area again with his thumb. Gradually he traced the line of her cheekbone to her chin before coming up to stroke her bottom lip. Hitomi could not hold back the shiver contentment that came from his soft touch. Van smiled at her motion and continued his caresses by gradually making his way down her neck to her collarbone. The seeress closed her eyes remembering the other time he had done this; it had been the night of their honeymoon. As the moment continued to be drawn out the angel man's fingers lightly ran down the woman's smooth side before coming to run over her stomach. His caresses ended here as his palm became flat and ran over the swollen belly of his beloved. Van's rubies became transfixed at the sight his wife's abdomen.
The life within his spouse was remarkable. It took everything he had to fully take in the fact that he and Hitomi had created a life. Suddenly the angel king felt movement beneath the restrictions of his wife's flesh followed by a sharp kick. Van smiled at the force of the kick and thought how fine a fighter the child would be at its valiant strength it showed off at such an age.
Van's thoughts were interrupted though as his wife's hand fell over his. The king looked up and met those pair of emerald eyes that shined like stars. Bringing her face closer to his so that their lips were just a kiss away the seeress whispered, "I love you, Van Fanel…"
The young king smiled softly at those words that always made his heart skip a beat, "And I love you, Hitomi Kazanki Fanel…"
It was at that moment a rough cough was heard shattering the tender moment. The angel couple's heads turned around suddenly to behold Sian and Nembus standing shoulder to shoulder about fifty feet away. Both of the ancient warriors looked back at their rulers sheepishly feeling somewhat guilty to break such a wonderful instant of love,… but it could not be helped.
Hitomi automatically felt the uncomfortable ease of the guardians for their intrusion and quickly asked to cover up the moment, "What is it?"
Sian took a step forward towards her lady and in the voice of a soldier the woman said, "I'm sorry, Queen Hitomi, but we must discuss our next steps."
~~~Lands East of Fanelia~~~
Ana fell to the ground roughly on her side causing a cloud of dust to rise. Dornkirk with his hood back in place loomed over her with his fangs bared. The other six demons stood in a crude line nearby watching the scene. The female demon's hood fell from her face revealing the twisted, yet beautiful, face of the dark fighter. Her emerald eyes sparked anger from the blow, but other than that she showed no sign of defiance as she remained still and stared up at her master. The dark emperor brought up his chin showing authority as he glared down at his follower. The leader growled viciously in a dead voice, "If you ever dare to pull a stunt like that again and try to take out the seeress without my permission I will kill you, Lady Ana, without a moment's hesitation. For now I will allow you to live because I need you, but if you again defile me and prove yourself to be more a hindrance than assistance you will be terminated… Understood?…"
The woman was silent for a moment as she stared at her master before quietly answering from the ground, "Understood, my Lord…"
Dornkirk snarled at the woman as he gave her sharp nod signaling her to rejoin the others. The female demon rose up from the dirt gradually and made her way back in line with her fellow beasts. The emperor eyed his small group angrily as he bared his fangs. His dark wings twitched with his fury as he paced before them. As he continued his steady pacing the fallen ruler growled, "We must change our strategy… If we all go to one spot the seeress will merely transport us back here. We must separate and find the last of the guardians and wait for her there. Once you find the other civilizations of Draconians kill as many as possible and do your best to destroy the guardian dwelling there."
One of the demons stared at his commander as he hissed, "What if the seeress is there?… Won't she just transport us away?"
The leader turned his back to the group as he brought his claw over his mouth in thought. Each of the demons glanced at one another before turning back their attention at their master. The dark ruler spoke a dark reply that held confidential knowledge, "Perhaps… but if that is so you must take hold of the seeress and transport her with you. Then it becomes only a matter of bringing her to me…"
Another of the dark ones spoke up, "But what of the guardians and the king?"
Growling in annoyance by their distraught questions the ruler swirled around and roared into his followers' faces, "That is not my concern! You are to follow my orders! You must go and find the 'Seeress of the Mystic Moon' and bring her to me!"
Calming down slightly the ruler turned his back to the group again with his eyes still sparking in rage, "If you confront the queen's friends kill them, but do not harm the seeress. She is more valuable alive…"
Together the group said in a single deadly voice, "As you command, Lord Dornkirk…"
Walking in front of the demons the ruler eyed each in turn as he spoke, "No one knows were the last two guardians are… correct, old one?"
One of the demons that were at one of the ends hoarsely stated in an ancient voice, "Correct, my lord, but I do know the locations of the other three."
The ruler gradually made his way in front of this particular demon and commanded, "Continue…"
With a unfamiliar voice the being muttered, "The other three were sent to three different lands: the desert, the sea, and the ice lands. The Gaeans never discovered the exact locations for the guardians were very wise and clever when they created the civilizations. However, the area of which they were rumored to be in were never truly searched properly because of several… er… 'obstacles' keeping out intruders."
Dornkirk ignored the underlying meaning in the word 'obstacles' and proclaimed, "Fine… I will send three of you to those lands to wait for the seeress. Let me make this perfectly clear also. Once you arrive there do not come back to me unless you have the seeress in your possession or I 'will' kill you… The rest of us will go to the Mystic Valley and prepare for the queen. Even if you should fail in the end, she will find her way to the Mystic Valley… for that is the one place her powers can ever hope of standing a chance against my own… Little does she know that in challenging me there I can also double my powers… for I still hold the blood of the Draconians…"
~~~Campsite~~~
Hitomi studied the map carefully eyeing the circled areas of the map that were possibly the locations of the next three guardians. The seeress glanced up from the parchment that was spread out on the grass in front of the rest of the group. Each of the individuals surrounding the atlas sat Indian style while forming a crude oval. With Van and Merle flanking Hitomi's sides the seeress couldn't help, but take notice of the two guardians' closeness. Though she knew little about the two's history she could tell they were very good comrades. She frequently saw them nearby each other as though one was the other shadow.
What disturbed Hitomi more and more were the emotions lingering in the green warrior's eyes of silver. Sian was doing her best to keep her expression blank, but time and time again the 'Angel' caught a wisp of sorrow sparkling in her pools of shinning silver. Pushing aside the mysterious emotions of her companion the queen asked, "Sian and Nembus, where would you suggest we head to next?"
The armored warrior was silent as he eyed the parchment that was scribbled on with several notes and figures so Sian answered her queen, "I really can't say, Queen Hitomi. When Nembus and I joined the other bodyguards of the royal family we never truly got to know the other guards."
The young war woman gave a soft laugh at the memories of their first encounter with the other warriors, "To say the least they didn't like us very much."
Van glanced up from the map to stare at the forest maiden, "Why would they not like you?"
Sian sneaked a peek over at her fellow fighter before continuing, "Well, for one they were a little insulted by being assigned help when they were suppose to be the greatest warriors of Gaea. Second, we were younger than they. Though I never discovered their true age they often called me and Nembus 'children' or 'rookies'. They also felt insulted by the fact that they had 'children' helping them. Another good reason was that Queen Iris sometimes seemed to favor us better than they. Amongst all this they kept mostly to themselves usually excluding me and Nembus from socializing with them most of the time."
Merle scowled frustrated by the lack of information being given and hissed angrily, "Well, what can you tell us about them?!"
After receiving a glare from both Van and Hitomi the young cat muttered a soft apology for her rudeness before allowing the warriors to speak. Nembus decided to take over at this point, "We do know that the three guards were two men and a woman named: Zaado, Tsuno, and Nazomi. All three of them were very quiet and rarely spoke. We never saw their faces for we all were to keep our true identities secret. Masks, scarves, and hoods were always used hiding most of our faces. The only time we ever reveal our faces was during the 'Final Battle' and even then it we never truly got a complete look on each other for we were too busy fighting."
With a frustrated sigh Hitomi asked, "So are you telling me all you know is their names and the possible areas they are stationed?"
Sian and Nembus shared a sheepish glance with each other before bowing their heads shamefully, "Yes…"
Merle growled in annoyance as she rolled her eyes. Van sighed heavily as he looked back down at the map, "That means when can't use the pillar of light because we don't know our destination. One must have a picture in their mind to use the pillar."
Hitomi nodded slightly as she gazed at the three-circled areas on the map. Slowly her eyes ran over the lands with curiosity. The first was the desert; it was rather large and held no markings of towns or cities making it an empty plain of dunes. The rest of the group continued to discuss what was to be done as the seeress's fingers softly played over the yellow parchment. Gradually Hitomi's digits fell on the next land: the sea. The area showed several signs of populated islands and important harbors all which could easily hide a civilization of Draconians seeing that the angel people could easily disguise themselves as human beings. Van had done it since he was born. The final area was the ice lands covered in brilliant white and blue colors. The moment Hitomi's emerald eyes fell on the distinct area she felt as if she was falling into its depths…
~~~Vision~~~
The cold wind howled all around her whistling in her ears almost painfully. Snow surrounded her legs all the way to her hips. A blizzard stormed in her area of vision distorting everything that she could see. Mostly what she saw was snow-covered land with boulders or pine trees poking out from the whiteness. Hitomi wrapped her arms around her trying desperately to gather warmth, but found none. Ice began to form over her slender body making her temperature drop rapidly. Her breaths shuddered out from her blue-tinted lips becoming white wisps in the wind. The seeress hair whipped around her face stinging her frozen skin.
Suddenly a noise, something like a howl, roar, and moan rolled into one, erupted into the air. Hitomi was a little surprised she had heard it seeing that the blizzard was so loud. Turning jerkily from the cold the seeress examined the direction she thought the noise had come from. Unfortunately for the angel her vision was substantial limited and she could barely see a few feet in front of her. Ever so slowly though a form began to become visible through the blinding snowfall. It was extremely large at least a little bigger than a grizzle bear. The beast made the noise Hitomi heard earlier again, except this time the noise was even louder than before. Lazily the creature lumbered on-- supposedly-- on all fours towards the seeress showing its intentions quickly. Hitomi wanted to run, but her legs were buried in the snow making them nearly immobile. They felt as if they were frozen into the ground either by fear or by the cold. The seeress kept her eyes on the beast wanting to see its true self. With utter slowness the creature's body could be better made out. It was as white as the snow surrounding the land and its fur was very thick and long. Though it was the size of a bear its shape was more of an oversized wolf. From looking into its striking blue eyes you could see the beast's vicious intentions. The creature wasn't there to say hello that was for sure especially when one saw the huge row of fangs that snarled at them. A sickening purple tongue ran over the pearly row of daggers showing its hunger. It bushy tail swung in the wind lazily as if to say he had all the time in the world to kill the seeress. Growling the weird noise again the beast crouched to ready himself to pounce on the angel woman.
~~~End of Vision~~~
Hitomi blinked several times as she realized she had returned to the present. She looked up to see the others staring at her intently. Without even thinking about it before she spoke the queen said to them, "This is where we must go."
Sian quickly looked down to where the seeress was pointing and frowned at the parchment. The place indicated was the dreaded ice lands of Gaea. The land was considered to be one the most dangerous areas of the planet and often feared because of the legendary beast that roamed the frozen world of ice. The maiden warrior sharply picked up her head to speak, but Nembus cut her off, "Are you sure of this, Queen Hitomi?"
The four travelers eyed the leader of the band as the queen slowly nodded. With a firm voice Hitomi said, "I'm positive of it…"
Sian glanced over at Nembus when he heard the man snort in a low voice, "Only fools are positive…"
The female guardian frowned slightly at the man's rude comment, but knew he had a point. To be completely confident about something was like knowing the future and no one knew that. You could easily be mistaken with what you consider to be certain and suffer dire consequences for your over assumptions. Like the old saying goes 'never count your chickens before they're hatched.' Sian turned to her queen reluctantly and asked, "What about Dornkirk though? I'm sure he will find his way to us."
Van nodded in agreement, "Yes, we should be prepared for anything. Dornkirk is rather unpredictable."
Hitomi went to say something when a voice ringed inside her head saying 'Yes, you'll never know what I am going to do next…'
The seeress's words faded into her mind as she felt shock take over her thoughts. Had she heard right?… That couldn't have been whom Hitomi had thought she heard… Could it?… Doing her best to shove away her discomfort and shock the queen turned back to her companions. It was then she noticed Van was eying her carefully with a worried expression on his face. Hitomi realized he had noticed her sudden stiffness and had grown worried. The seeress quickly smiled to help settle his mind, but even though Van smiled faintly in return she could tell he was still worried about her.
Glancing over at the rest of the group Hitomi saw none of the others had noticed her discomfort. Trying to push away the memory of the haunting voice the seeress replied, "Dornkirk will mostly likely be waiting for us wherever we go. He did manage to get here before us showing it will probably end up the same way as before,… though I don't know how it could be possible. I'm more worried about his followers."
Both Sian and Nembus nodded simultaneously knowing what the royal Draconian meant. The green maiden automatically spoke a lesson she had learned while training as a fighter, "A battle is more easily won when knowing your opponent for you will be able to know their flaws and usual strategy."
The others nodded in agreement quietly thinking about the seven dark forms. Hitomi brought a hand to her chin as she thought silently, 'It's strange how there are seven demons when there are seven angels. Is there a possible connection between the identical numbers?… If so then what is the connection?…' That was surely a question that could only be answered in the future. Placing the question in the corner of her mind to later be contemplated the seeress spoke to the circle of travelers, "I know one of the demons is Ana."
Merle and the two guardians frowned slightly as Van's eyes of fire grew wider. The young cat-girl's brow furrowed as she asked, "Who's Ana?"
The seeress wanted to slap herself for her foolish thinking. She should have known better that the only person who would have realized who she was speaking about was Van. After the incident in the flying fortress a year ago in the 'Sacrifice' both Van and Hitomi had agreed to keep the fights within the flying fortress to remain untold. It was better for Hitomi they had thought because the murder of her clone had been too sore a subject to deal with at the time. Now however with a year between the harsh memory the seeress was finally able to relay her first killing of a living being. After a few moments of hesitation and a gentle squeeze of her hand from her husband for encouragement Hitomi slowly explained the secret of her short-lived sister. Several times the seeress's voice broke from such harsh emotions brought back from the memory and each time Van had to mutter soothing words of comfort and had to administer affectionate caresses of his hands rubbing hers to get her to continued. Finally after the story had finish the group fell in a long silence as each stared down at the ground. No queen had ever killed before and it was shocking to say the least. Sian felt her ache for her mistress knowing that the woman was very kind and was sure the woman never intended to harm a living soul.
Merle on the other hand was a little hurt. She was Van and Hitomi's closest friend and yet she had also been left in the dark. It reminder her how apart she was from the couple bringing a glimmer of jealousy into her heart. The young cat-girl frowned at herself for the emotion that plaguing her and stamped out the feeling. Merle had decided from the day she discovered Van's feelings for Hitomi after the seeress had returned to the Mystic Moon to never let her feelings get in the way of the friendship she held with the two. She knew deep down that it was hard for Hitomi to even speak of the incident. There was even a good possibility that if Van had never been part in the battle within the fortress Hitomi might never have told him of the murder she done unless he had begged her to speak.
It was Van who finally broke the moment, "I know Dilandau is one of the other demon as well."
Hitomi started at this and muttered fearfully, "Dilandau?!"
The young king nodded to his wife, as the cat-advisor's eyes of chocolate became the size of basketballs. This time only the two angel warriors were left in confusion seeing that neither had met the perverse killer. It took another half hour for the three nobles to explain the situation of Dilandau, which was rather easy, compared to talking about Ana. Soon after that Nembus crossed his arms across his chest as he closed his eyes of raven black. Deep within the mind of thought the man stated aloud, "That will help us greatly seeing that you have dealt with both enemies, but still there are five others who we have no idea about."
"Kusari?…" came a small voice interrupting the armored fighter. All eyes turned to the young cat-being of bronze fur. Looking up from her spot Merle faced the others with a sudden realization she was the youngest among them. She didn't want to appear immature. Bringing her chin up a little to make her look older the advisor said, "Could two of the other demons be Kusari and Kaosu?"
Nembus and Sian glanced at one another just as confused as always. The seeress gave a small nod as she looked out on the mid-afternoon horizon, "That's a very good possibility seeing that they are both Dornkirk's sons."
The two guardians both gaped suddenly shocking the group, for the two fighters rarely showed expressions of emotions on their faces. Sian stared at her queen in utter shock as she gasped, "What do you mean 'Dornkirk's sons?! Dornkirk has no sons!"
Hitomi frowned at this and glanced at Nembus and saw the same surprised expression. With a confuse voice the royal angel explained the first time they had ever met the two dark angels. Nembus frowned all the way through the story especially when Kaosu and Kusari claimed to be the twin sons of the evil emperor of Zaibach. With a growl the armored one said, "That's impossible! Dornkirk never took a maiden as his wife and even if he did out of wedlock he would have had to been very old when the children were conceived for the two 'sons' to be the age they are now! Dornkirk was just too ancient and old to have a child, let alone two."
"What about cloning?" Merle piped in suddenly, "Couldn't the same scientist who cloned Celena and Hitomi create younger copies of Dornkirk?"
Van's brow furrowed as he contemplated what his foster-sister was suggesting, "Perhaps, but why do Kusari and Kaosu look so differently from Dornkirk? And why would they call themselves Dornkirk's sons instead of Dornkirk's brothers?"
The young queen shook her head making her silky locks bounce in the sunlight, "We'll never know until we ask Dornkirk or his supposed 'sons', and right now is not the time. We must finish our mission at all costs and deal with such matters possibly later. Now as for the other demons I have no idea who they could possible be, but something tells me we should be wary. For now let us go to the next guardian."
Sian quickly stood up and with the concern voice of a soldier the woman asked, "Shouldn't we wait, Queen Hitomi? The battle from the night before was very brutal and you did suffer the worse amongst us. It might be best if we wait a few days and let you rest before we continue."
Soon Nembus was also standing up next to his old companion with a blank look on his face. In the same tone as the green guardian the armored fighter said, "I agree with Sian. Perhaps it would be best to allow yourself to recuperate, my lady."
Hitomi glanced over at Merle and Van automatically seeing where this was going. Quickly the royal Draconian woman proclaimed firmly, "No, we must continue. As long as I am fit to travel we must go on. Time is very important in this journey and we have little of it. The more time we waste the closer Dornkirk and his followers get to the guardians before us and they will kill as many people as possible. We must get there before they do."
The green maiden shared a glance with her fellow guardian both knowing the seeress's words were very true though both were reluctant to follow such wisdom.
~~~Lands East of Fanelia~~~
With roars of power three dark figures flew from the small ruins of the former village. The three demons of blackness soared high into the air before suddenly shooting off in three directions. Left behind were the remaining five dark ones all watching their comrades leave. As soon as the three chosen ones selected by their leader had disappeared into the corners of the sky the other five rose into the air. Within moments the group flew through the clouds in a chosen direction that only they knew they were going to. Well, we also know where they were going to… the Mystic Valley…
~~~Campsite~~~
Hitomi stood in the open field of tall swaying grass as it softly brushed up against her legs. The rest of her traveling party stood just a few feet behind her all wearing thick cloaks with hoods for their cold destination. Sian's wore an emerald green, Nembus's wore an ebony darkness, Merle wore a rich chestnut, and Van wore a mud brown one. Even the seeress wore a cloak with a hood that was a deep midnight blue that matched her outfit nicely. After finishing their discussion earlier they all began explaining to Merle exactly what happened when she had been absent in the battle. Hitomi had mostly just told of her experience of her powers, but had quietly left out the part of her wondering how exactly how she was able to do it. After the long talk about the battle the group knew what was to be done. Everything was packed quickly and their campfire was extinguished. Before she even knew it Hitomi had found herself standing in the field with her comrades trying to summon the shaft of light.
They had discussed it several times wondering how it would be possible to call upon the blue pillar when they knew little about their destination except that it was cold and icy. The 'Angel' automatically had spoken saying that the little knowledge about the lands' terrain was enough to get them there at least. As long as she had an image of the area she might be able to direct them there. Finding the guardian once there would have to be done the traditional way though… by their five senses…
A slight breeze combed through Hitomi's hair as her pale hands fell over the ancient pendant of her people. Closing her eyes like she had done before the seeress opened her senses and released them out onto the world. An image of a frozen plain of ice and snow formed in her mind. Imaginary winds of coldness stung her face and the angel queen clenched her teeth together. A picture of the atlas formed in her mind as the area circled known as the ice lands slowly came into view. Keeping the images within her thoughts Hitomi attempted to call forth the transporter of light. Nothing happened… Hitomi didn't feel a single thing… Again she tried, but it proved just as fruitless…
Opening her eyes for a moment the seeress frowned in confusion. What was wrong?… What was she forgetting to do?… Closing her emeralds again she locked her jaw and squeezed her eyes shut forcing her powers to heighten. After several moments of stressing over her powers she felt the sudden pull on her essence. Within seconds she felt the same power envelope her and her friends. Slowly opening her eyes an endless blue light surrounded her blocking her vision. The power felt warm and the woman smiled at her accomplishment.
Gradually the group lofted into the air and their clothes, along with their hair, fluttered with the mysterious power that flowed within the light. Van drifted to float beside his wife and smiled at her. Hitomi went to smile, but her facial expression froze in a blank look as she felt the power around her fluctuate. Something was wrong… Looking about she suddenly noticed several white lines glowing amongst the blue. Slowly the lines of vertical descent became bars in between the five travelers. Fear crept in the seeress's heart as she saw the single blue beam begin to break apart and form five identical pillars.
Sian struggled against her aqua colored confinement and cried, "What's happening?!"
No one had time to answer for as soon as the words had been heard the pillars shot off into the sky taking each individual farther away from the others. Van fearfully turned towards his beloved angel and called out, "Hitomi!"
The young king stretched out his hand to her, but the destined queen was unaware of this at the moment as she struggled to keep the five of them together. Closing her eyes she struggled with her powers trying urgently to form the single shaft again. Her senses wrapped around the five identical lines of power and tried to pull them back together as one. Ever so slowly the beams began to drift closer to one another, but too slow… Before Hitomi knew it the moment was over…
Her emerald eyes blinked several times as she stared upwards at the sky. Blinding snow flew through the air obscuring most of the blue heavens from her sight. Cold, freezing cold, wrapped around the woman's frail form marking the horrible conditions of her surroundings. Hitomi was lying on her side in a mound of snow that sent such cold feelings through her veins. The poor woman felt so alone. She could not feel her friends' presences anywhere showing they were nowhere near her. Gingerly the royal maiden lifted herself from the ground and nearly fell forward. Her pale hands sunk into the snowdrift until they reached the frozen earth. Struggling against the soft snow that held no firmness the seeress was able to rise to her feet and stood in the snow that reached all the way to her hips. Looking at her hands she noticed the pale digits were growing a hint of blue already. Hitomi suddenly wished desperately that she had demanded her own pack instead of letting Van talk her into letting him carry their things. If she had her own personal knapsack she would have been able to retrieve her gloves. Pulling her cloak tighter around her frozen form the 'Angel' glanced at the area around her. There was little to see though for the blizzard that roared angrily in her ears was so dense that it was impossible to see anything through it. Realizing her friends were nowhere in sight and she could not feel their presences anywhere. Without even thinking Hitomi yelled out into the freezing wind, "VAN!… MERLE!… WHERE ARE YOU?!…"
The sound of the roaring storm of snow almost completely drowned out the seeress's cries. Fear and panic crept into the woman's soul and soon she found herself dragging her frozen limbs through the nearly waist deep snow. Plowing onward at a slow pace the queen continued her calls, "SIAN!… NEMBUS!… CAN YOU HEAR ME?!…"
Nothing, but the cold realization that she was alone… alone in a frozen wasteland where people died from the bitter coldness… However with fearful realization Hitomi became aware she was not alone… A deep rumble like that of a moan, roar, and howl rolled into one sound bellowed through the blizzard just barely reaching the seeress's cold ears. Panting from her labor of making her way through the drifts Hitomi's breathes came out in white wisps. Memory of her vision took hold of her and a new horrible panic seized her. Through the driving snow the outline of a monstrous beast formed. It was larger than a grizzle and much larger than her. With a low trembling voice the seeress whispered, "No…"
~Cliffhanger! Sorry about that, but I love my cliffhangers! Keep reading because the story is going to get really interesting from here on with some major cliffhangers and some unexspecting twists!~
~*Whistles* here's another really long chapter! I need to stop writing so much! J/J! :)~
~What's going to happen? Who are the rest of the demons? Are Kusari and Kaosu two of them or are they somebody else? And who? What's up with Sian and Nembus? Why did Sian grow edgy and then take it out on her best friend? What is hidden in the past of the seven guardians' personal history? So much is going on in this story! Make sure to keep up! Remember a lot of stuff written in the first story that was never truly spoken about is explained in this sequel. Maybe you should go back and skim through my story or just sit back and wait for the shockers to be revealed by me! Keep reading and enjoying this fan fic!~
~Next chapter should be out Friday or Saturday!~
~Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!~