Disclaimer: Not mine.
Sorry if it took me this long to post this. And sorry if I couldn't make
extensive characterizations on the other characters. I know that there's a lot
of Celena/Dilandau fans out there but this is essentially a Van-Hitomi fic. For
comments, suggestions, flames or reviews you can email me at
raizenheero@aol.com .
Of Blood and Destiny's Wings
by Neesah
Chapter 3: An unfortunate
reunion
It was only a few hours after sunrise but the whole Palace was already filled with activity. Everyone there was busy preparing for the Alliance Conference that would be held the next day. It was Fanelia's turn to host the conference and all the respective heads of the member nations of the Gaean Alliance would be coming.
Merle was running an errand when she suddenly paused through the hallway, her forehead furrowed as she stared at the closed door of the Royal Chamber. Strange. The King was still sleeping. Van had always been an early-riser and if she remembered it correctly, this was the first time that he slept in. She was somewhat glad that he did, knowing that he had trouble sleeping for the past few nights. But she had the nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right. Coming to a decision, she slowly walked towards the door. Her hand was poised over to knock when she heard someone call her name. She turned her head and saw Van's Head Advisor standing a few feet away from her.
"I think we should just let His Majesty rest. He had been
working very hard. He deserved it," Minister Terrones told her. "Besides, he
already finished everything he needed to do yesterday. All that was left are
the small details that need not concern him. We can take care of them
ourselves."
Merle stared at him. She knew he was right, as
usual. Maybe I'm just worrying too much, she thought. There's nothing
wrong about Lord Van sleeping in. And he definitely needs it. "Ok. I guess
I should finish my errand then, huh. See you later, Lord Terrones!" With that,
she started running again, only to find herself colliding with someone.
"OW!" Merle and the messenger yelled in unison.
"Are you two alright? You shouldn't have been
running in the hallways," Minister Terrones reprimanded.
Hearing the Minister's voice, the messenger remembered
why he was running. "There you are, Lord Terrones. I've been looking all over
for you," he told him, panting.
"Why? Is something the matter, Ascot?" the old,
wizened man asked.
"Nothing's really the matter. It's just that ---"
"No one expected us to arrive this early," a
familiar masculine voice cut the messenger off.
"Allen!" Merle exclaimed, seeing the blonde knight
of Caeli. With him were his sister, Celena, Princess Millerna and Prince Chid.
"Don't forget about us, Merle," the young Prince
said.
"Yeah. Long time no see," Celena added.
Merle smiled at them. "It's so nice to see you guys
again. But aren't you supposed to arrive here tomorrow for the conference and
not today?"
"Sorry if we came unannounced and this early in the
morning too. But since Chid arrived in Asturia yesterday to visit us before
going here for the conference, we thought it would be nice to come early so we
could spend some time together. Just like old times," Millerna explained. "I
hope we're not intruding."
"Of course not, your Highness. I speak in behalf of
the King when I say that all of you are always welcome here in Fanelia,"
Minister Terrones graciously told them.
"Speaking of Van, where is he anyways?" Allen asked.
Merle and Minister Terrones grinned sheepishly. "The
King is still asleep, Sir Allen," the Minister answered.
"Van? Still asleep? That's new," Allen commented.
Celena nodded. "I agree. He must be pretty tired
then."
"Don't worry. I'll go wake him up," Merle said.
Millerna reached out to stop her. "There's no need
for that, Merle. Let him sleep. We'll just wait 'til he wakes up."
"Aunt Millerna is right. Don't wake him up just
because of us. Besides, it's our fault to have come here this early in the
morning," Chid added.
"Hey, it's no big deal. I know Lord Van will be glad
to see old friends again. He'll get mad if he discovered that you're here and
we didn't tell him." Merle marched towards Van's door and knocked. "Lord Van,
wake up! Allen, Princess Millerna, Prince Chid and Celena are here to see you!"
she yelled from her side of the closed door. No answer. "Lord Van?" Still no
answer. Merle tried to turn the knob but it was locked. She turned around and
announced, "Wait here. I'll climb in through his window. He'll be awake before
you know it." With that, she ran away. The messenger excused himself and also
went on his way.
After a few minutes, Allen, Princess Millerna,
Prince Chid, Celena and Minister Terrones heard the door of the Royal Chamber
being opened hurriedly and saw the worried expression on Merle's face when she
cried out, "He's not here! Lord Van is
not here!"
*************************************************************
Hitomi tapped her pen impatiently against her test
paper on her desk as she looked at the clock again. Just a few more minutes,
she told herself. If it weren't for this test, she would have skipped school
and directly went to Gaea to check on Van. She reached out to her neck and
pulled out the pendant she gave Van a year ago that she magically got back last
night. Was it a dream? Or maybe a vision? No, it was real. I know it was
real. Not only did her dream last night felt too real, this was also the
first time that she couldn't sense his presence. It was like he simply vanished
from thin air! It might be that something, no, someone was blocking
their connection or much worse, he might be... Hitomi shook her head vigorously, wanting to erase that unpleasant
thought away. Not knowing what was happening made her restless all day. She was
getting more worried every minute. She had to know if he was ok. Van, please
be alright, she wished with all her might.
The sound of the bell ringing penetrated her
thoughts, making her heart jump. Finally, she thought. She immediately
stood up, put her paper on the teacher's desk then ran out of the classroom.
She just exited from the main door of the school
when she heard Yukari call out, "Hey, Hitomi, wait up!" Hitomi stopped running to wait for Yukari to
catch up with her. "Where do you think you're going? Don't tell me you're
skipping track practice. You know that the track meet will be next week,
right?" Hitomi nodded then looked away.
Yukari cocked an eyebrow in surprise. "This is not
like you at all. Come to think of it, you're behaving mighty strange today.
What's wrong, Hitomi? You know that I'm willing to help you anyway I can,"
Yukari said as she studied Hitomi's face. Hitomi turned her head to regard her
friend, their eyes locking. Yukari raised a hand to her mouth when she
understood the apologetic look in her bestfriend's eyes. "Oh my God… You're
going to him, aren't you? You're going back to Gaea, no, to Fanelia."
Hitomi held Yukari's hand. "I'm sorry, Yukari.
Something's wrong and I have to know if he's ok. "
"But how are you going to get there?" Yukari's eyes
widened when Hitomi took out the pendant hidden inside her blouse. "How… I
thought you already gave that to Van!"
Hitomi's face got more troubled as she looked at the
pendant. "That's the weird part. I dreamt last night that I went to Gaea and
saw him. Something happened, we were separated and I accidentally ripped this
off his neck. When I woke up, I thought it was just a dream but then I felt the
pendant in my hand." She looked back at Yukari. "Now you know why I have to go
to him. I'm sure that it wasn't just an ordinary dream. He needs me, Yukari. I
have to be there," she silently pleaded.
Yukari smiled and hugged her. "I understand. Promise
that you'll be careful, ok? And that you'll come back."
Hitomi smiled back. "I'll be back, I promise. And before
the track meet even." The two girls pulled apart. "Just say goodbye to Amano
for me, will you? My family already knew about my plans so there's nothing to
worry about." Yukari nodded. "Bye, Yukari. See you soon." And with that, Hitomi
ran off.
"I'm holding you to your promise, Hitomi! Or else I
wouldn't forgive you!" Yukari yelled as she watched Hitomi ran out of the gate.
Come back to us, Hitomi. Please, come back to us in one piece, she
silently prayed as she turned around and walked towards the school track. Now,
she had to think of a good alibi to the Coach and their teachers for Hitomi's
absences.
***********************************************************
Inside the King's study, Allen, Millerna, Chid,
Celena and Merle were waiting for Minister Terrones to come from meeting with
the other Ministers regarding their King's disappearance. Since Merle
discovered that Van was missing, they discreetly looked around Fanelia for him,
not wanting to alarm everyone. They even sent the Crusade to search the
neighboring countries. But it was already sunset and there was still no sign of
Van. Gaddeth and the rest of the Crusade's crew also returned without any news.
Everyone in the Palace were getting suspicious, not to mention the populace. No
one had seen the King all day. They had to tell the other Ministers about their
predicament, especially with the Gaean Alliance Conference tomorrow. They had
to think of something, anything, that would help them find Van.
Merle was the first one to voice out what everyone
was thinking. "We looked everywhere. Where could he be?"
"It was possible that he was kidnapped," Chid
suggested.
"Possible but very unlikely. You've seen Van's
skills, right? It would take a very powerful person to be able to kidnap him,"
Allen pointed out.
"Come to think of it, Merle said that the window was
open and there were black feathers scattered near the window," Celena added.
"Van's wings are white, aren't they? So those feathers didn't belong to him.
That's evidence enough that someone was in his room. He might be taken by a
being with black feathers."
"But his sword is missing. I assume that he has it with him. What kidnapper would allow his hostage to carry a weapon with him?" Allen countered. Sighing, he continued, "It's also possible that he just ran off without telling everybody. Like go to the Mystic Moon to visit Hitomi."
"I don't think Van would be that inconsiderate,"
Chid said.
"I don't think so too. But we shouldn't eliminate
that possibility."
"Van might have ran off without telling everybody in
the past but he got more mature now. He knows his duties. I don't think he'll
go to the Mystic Moon without telling Merle first. Or leaving a note," Millerna
added.
"I just hope he's ok," Merle whispered.
Celena put a comforting arm on the cat-girl's
shoulders. "I'm sure he is. He's a big boy. You know that he can take care of
himself."
"We all know that he can take care of himself but
I'm getting worried too. Something doesn't feel right about this. I hope we
find him soon," Millerna told them. "And that's not our only problem. If he's
still not here for the conference tomorrow, there'll be trouble. Everyone would
think that someone wants another war that's why Van was kidnapped. Then they
would start pointing fingers, accusing each other, accusing other countries not
included in the alliance. We all know that it's Van who's keeping everyone in
check and without him, everything we tried to build for the past year might
fall apart."
Everyone remained silent, acknowledging the fact
that Van's disappearance wouldn't just affect Fanelia but the whole of Gaea.
The peace they had been enjoying for the past year was so fragile that they
needed to constantly remind themselves that they had to keep a vigilant eye on
it, working hard not to be overtaken by each one's selfish desires again. It
was very hard to control human nature but it was too easy to just succumb to
one's desires and wishes. That was a proven fact --- they had seen it during the
last war. That was why everyone in Gaea
looked up to Van --- the one who, together with the girl he loved, saved Gaea
from undergoing the same fate as Atlantis by stopping the Fate Alteration
Engine through discarding all of their conflicting emotions, making both his
and Hitomi's hearts, wills and wishes one, causing them to accomplish what was
deemed impossible, even to someone with Draconian blood. He, the white dragon
who woke the people up from their desire-driven stupor when everyone was acting
under the influence of the Zone of Absolute Fortune, was the symbol of their
hopes, their dreams, the one proof that anyone could rise above themselves and
triumph over any adversity. He was loved by his people and friends, admired and
respected by other rulers and their kingdoms. He was leading Gaea to a new era
of peace and tranquility. Without him, history might just repeat itself.
"I really hope he's with Hitomi. At least we'll be
sure he's safe and happy," Merle said. Silence again.
The tensed silence was broken when they heard the
door opening. "Sorry to keep all of you waiting. I explained the situation to
the other Ministers and we came up with a plan, with the help of this gentleman
over here," Minister Terrones told them as he entered the room, a familiar face
they hadn't seen for a whole year trailing behind him. Millerna stood up in
surprise. "Dryden."
"Hello, Millerna. It's nice to see you again. It's
been too long," Dryden said as he took her hand and gently kissed it.
"Yes. Too long," Millerna agreed with a smile, her
initial shock gone. Their eyes locked for a moment, before Dryden turned his
head to regard the other occupants of the room. "Great to see you, Allen. You
too, Prince Chid. Merle, you've grown. And oh, this must be Allen's sister.
Hello, young lady. My name is Dryden. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"And I'm Celena. The pleasure is all mine. I've
heard a lot about you," Celena said with a slight smile.
Dryden laughed. "I hope they're all good things. But
if you heard them from Allen, I'm sure they're not," he joked.
Allen also laughed as he shook his head. The former
rivals had long since become friends. "Don't flatter yourself, Dryden. I
wouldn't talk about you with Celena or anyone else for that matter."
"You hurt my feelings, Allen. Oh well. At least
you're not telling bad things about me. So, Celena, now that I know that your
info about me is not from Allen, I can assure you that they are credible."
"They're credible alright," Celena answered as she
sneaked a glance at Millerna. Dryden followed her gaze and smiled his usual
smile at Millerna. Wanting to change the topic of conversation, Millerna asked,
"Why are you here, Dryden? How did you find out that Van is missing?"
"Well, the truth is, I didn't know that he's missing
before I went here. I received a letter from Van asking me to come here ASAP so
I did. I ran into Minister Terrones and told him about Van's letter so he
invited me in the meeting," Dryden explained as he showed them the letter.
"I remember that letter. Lord Van asked me to
deliver it as quickly as possible yesterday. I had a hard time though coz no
one knew where Dryden actually was since he always is moving. I had to pull a
lot of strings and use a lot of connections to deliver that letter as fast as I
could."
Dryden ruffled Merle's hair. "Hmm. You sent it
yesterday and I received it today. And to think that I was in the middle of
nowhere. Yup. You're definitely good in this line of work…" Dryden trailed off
as something from outside the window caught his eye. Everyone noticed it too.
It was a pillar of light. Without a word, Allen, Dryden, Millerna, Chid, Celena
and Merle left a bewildered Minister Terrones as they ran out of the room and
towards the forest where the pillar of light disappeared.
Hitomi looked around, slowly taking in her
surroundings. She smiled. I'm back, she thought. She tried to sense what
part of the forest she was in, and where the Palace should be. She felt the
pendant pointing her to the right direction. Resigning herself to a long walk,
she adjusted the strap of her duffel bag and started walking. After a few
minutes, she heard hoofbeats as she saw a carriage and 2 stallions heading
towards her.
"There she is! Hitomi!" Millerna waved from inside
the carriage as they saw a girl with short, brown hair, wearing a familiar
short, brown skirt with matching blouse and her trusty bag. As soon as the
carriage stopped, Merle and Millerna jumped off and hugged Hitomi.
"Princess Millerna! Merle! You don't know how I much
I missed you!" Hitomi exclaimed as she hugged them back.
"What about us?" Allen asked as he and Dryden jumped
off their stallions.
"Yeah. Don't forget us, Hitomi," Dryden added.
Hitomi also hugged both guys. "Of course I missed
you both too." She then smiled at Chid and Celena. "Come here, Prince Chid. Oh
my, you're taller than the last time I've seen you."
Chid beamed at her before giving her a quick hug.
"Welcome back, Hitomi."
Celena went forward to also hug her. "Hello, Hitomi.
It's nice to see you again after all this time. Hope you still remember me."
Hitomi smiled. "It's nice to see you too. And why
wouldn't I remember you, Celena? It's been too long, but not that long,"
she joked. Then, after all the pleasantries were done, Hitomi asked, "Where's
Van?" at the same time Merle asked, "Where's Lord Van?"
Shocked, they both replied, "I don't know. Isn't he
with you?"
Realizing what this meant, Merle threw herself
against Hitomi then cried, "Lord Van is missing, Hitomi! We looked everywhere
and we couldn't find him." Hitomi wrapped her arms around the cat-girl,
desperately trying to quell her own worries as her suspicions were confirmed.
Merle looked up at her then said, "But you can find him, can't you? You two
have that connection. You can sense each other, right? Please find him,
Hitomi."
Hitomi sadly shook her head. "After the dream I had
last night, which, by the way, I'm sure isn't just a dream, I suddenly couldn't
sense him. I know that something must be wrong, that's why I came."
Everyone looked at her worriedly. "What do you mean,
'couldn't sense him'?" Allen asked.
"Oh no! Don't tell me…" Celena trailed off.
"NO! Don't even think about it, Celena! Lord Van is
not d---" Merle couldn't finish the sentence. "He's not, right, Hitomi? Tell me
that he's not!"
Hitomi desperately tried to reach out to him with
all her might. Van, please… I'm here. I'm back. I'm going to look for you.
We wouldn't stop 'til we find you. But please, help us find you. I couldn't do
this alone…
Hitomi…
Van! She looked at her friends. "It's him! I could hardly sense him but he's ok! I could talk to him again."
"Van! Where are you?" Hitomi exclaimed. Everyone looked at her in anticipation, hope rekindling in their hearts.
Hitomi. I
love you…
It wasn't the answer she was expecting to hear from
him but tears fell from her face as she replied, "I love you too, Van." I
love you... Suddenly, an ear-piercing scream was heard as Hitomi felt
herself being consumed by fire from inside out. She then fell to the ground,
unconscious, her connection to Van again lost. But the last thing they said to each other still lingered. I love
you…