A/N: yet again. OMG I LOVE YOU GUYSSSSSS!!!!! *sob sob* Your reviews
cheered me up so much. today I had the worst day! I woke up half an hour
late, felt so sick that I couldn't eat breakfast, had a fight with my mom,
left the house, got on the bus, the bus overheated and broke down so I was
stranded for half an hour, then I got to school and had a god awful bench
mark in geography, then I went to study skills and had to take a vocabulary
quiz, then after that the fire alarm went off and so there was this big
drill, then I went to lunch and spent the whole time doing school work so I
got next to no food, then I went to science and the fire alarm went off
again and kept ringing almost continuously for somewhere between 20 mins to
half an hour, then after that I took a test in science, and after that I
headed off to algebra and just barely missed taking a test- instead I did a
worksheet that I got a 59.5 on. A 59.5! And my tests got bumped to Monday s
I'm going to be studying all weekend, and, crap. I have UIL Saturday, and I
need to go to tutoring, plus my dad is coming back from Mexico and to top
it all off.. Ushicon is coming here and I don't have a costume and I can't
go because I'll be playing my freaking cello all afternoon. Grr! But, your
reviews really cheered me up. I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!
Disclaimer: I own the mood "grumpy," seeing as it is my permanent state of being during the week. And, oh, I own sleep deprivation, too. But not escaflowne.
WARNING: LOTS of innuedo and implications in this chapter, and some anti- allen-antics as well. DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU!
FIVE
"Van." Van awoke to someone prodding hi min the side gently with the tip of their finger. "Van, get up already! It's almost one!"
"I don't care," muttered Van, rolling over, burrowing into a web of covers and squashing his pillow firmly over his head.
"Oi, Van you baka, wake up!" Van was pummeled in the head with his pillow, and then had the covers yanked off him.
"Jeesus!" yelled Van, sitting up. He quickly regretted that, along with opening his eyes. "My head." groaned Van, putting a hand to his forehead and melting back down onto the soft mattress, squirming like an insect found below a large rock.
"Van, get up!" yelled Hitomi.
"NO. My head hurts. What the hell did I do last night?" he mumbled.
"Don't you remember anything?" asked Hitomi, and Van could just see her with her hands on her hips.
"Hmm. I remember some really really good pink shit and something about Douglas Adams and.. Baseball.." Muttered Van. "Oh no! Did I spill about the baseball incident?"
"No, you talked about a camera, a fork, rehab, and nearly puked all over my shoes."
"Oh, yeah. I remember that Allen jerk and you and. was there someone else there?"
"Yes, the princess Millerna of Austaria. But is that all you remember?" Hitomi asked impatiently.
"Um.. Something about a 'boose' and. didn't you tell me something about warriors and the world turning upside down?"
"Never mind," said Hitomi dully, glaring out the window at Merle, who was creeping along on the window sill, trying to catch a pair of doves sitting outside. She pounced and missed the birds by a long shot as they flew away.
"Okay then," said Van, deciding that the conversation was over. He re- claimed his covers from Hitomi and pulled them over his head again, trying to escape the light of day.
"Van, you have to get up," said Hitomi, trying to tug the covers away from Van. But he wouldn't let go, so Hitomi tugged harder and harder, until Van and his blankets both came off the bed, raining down on the queen.
"Ack!" shrieked Hitomi, as she was buried in a mountain of linen. Unfortunately, Van then landed right on top of her with a loud "oof".
"Off," grunted Hitomi, doing her best to detangle herself from the blankets. Van attempted to scramble back up onto the soft mattress, but his foot was caught in a blanket. Just as Hitomi was removing the last layer of sheets, Van came tumbling back down, landing on top of her once more.
"Uhhh," said Hitomi, turning red as she realized that Van's face was buried in her chest. "Van, could you please.."
"Sorry," Van said in a high pitched voice, hoping up like he had been electrocuted. His face was as round and read as a ripe tomato, and Hitomi supposed she must look the same. Van had a blanket clutched in his hands, crossed in front of him, and was staring at the floor.
"Um, Hitomi, I'm very, very very sorry about that," he muttered, trying to shield his eyes from the sun. Hitomi, still blushing, took pity on him and reached over and shut the curtains with a swish, allowing only a crack of light into the room.
"I'll just be going now," said Hitomi, flailing to realize through her embarrassment that she was tied up in blankets from Van's second fall. Van was standing next to the bed, twisting the blanket in his hands, still holding it protectively in front of him. Hitomi took a step towards the door and tripped, falling back onto Van, who fell back onto the bed, further entangling them both in blankets. But now, both were blushing a lovely shade of magenta, and Hitomi gave a cough, looking up at Van, whose face was so close that his breathing was tickling her cheek. Hitomi gulped, resisting the urge to close the remaining space between them, and instead tried to push herself up, only to find that she and Van were quite literally tied together in blankets.
"Um, okay," said Hitomi, "we can find a way around this." Hitomi tried not to look at Van, the odd gleam in his eyes, the little smile on his face.
"Just, maybe, move that way a bit," said Hitomi, pointing to the left and moving to the right herself. Unfortunately, either Van had gotten nasty high school ideas or Hitomi was just having a bad day, but they wound up rolling over once so that Van was directly on top of Hitomi, their faces not an inch apart.
"Van," said Hitomi weakly..
"Lady Hitomi! Van! What are you doing!" exclaimed Merle.
"Merle! Thank god! I need your help here, I'm all tangled up."
"We're all tangled up," corrected Van. "And I am quite comfortable, so if you could just leave us alone, Merle."
"NO way!" shrieked the little cat girl, pouncing upon Van and proceeding to tear the sheets with her claws, also unfortunately ripping Van and Hitomi's clothes and flesh a bit in the process.
"Ouch, Merle., You're hurting me," muttered Hitomi a bit, turning pink as she realized that Van's arms were wrapped around her waist under the cocoon of sheets. "That's enough. I can take care of the rest of it," said Hitomi, wiggling uncomfortably and trying to pry Van's hands off of her. However, it didn't seem he was letting go.
"I think not!" Exclaimed Merle, ripping at the last few layers. "I'm not going to let the same thing that happened with Allen happen with you, Lady Hitomi."
"Allen?" asked Van curiously, moving his arms just enough as Merle got to through the last sheet so that it would look as though they really had fallen- which they did.
"Merle," yelled Hitomi as soon as she was free, slipping out from under Van and chasing the cat girl around in circles. "You promised never to mention that!"
"Eep!" shrieked Merle, dashing under the table and squishing her tail slightly.
"What happened with Allen?" asked Van, diverting Hitomi's attention.
"Merle, would you please LEAVE?" asked Hitomi, kicking her foot harshly under the table but only succeeding in getting bitten.
"Fine. Don't come crying to me, though," said Merle. "I tried to stop you, don't forget that when you can't get into your guymelef cause you're belly's swollen with his- leaving.." she said, dashing out with a swish of her tail as the queen glared. Hitomi locked the door behind the cat girl and walked to the window, peering out through the crack in the drapes.
"Seriously, Hitomi, what happened with Allen?" asked Van, hopping onto his table and sitting cross legged, watching the queen pacing around his room. He had calmed down quite a bit, his senses restored.
"It's a long story. It happened just a few months ago."
.:*:.~.:*:.~.:*:.
Hitomi strolled idly through the garden in the palace of Fanelia, savoring the short, sweet moment when she could just admire the green beauty of her homeland. She sat down in front of a fountain, splashing her hand in the water and sending ripples through her reflection.
"Ah, my lady," said a voice. "What a pleasure to meet you here." Allen stepped out from behind a rosebush. Hitomi had always been enamored with the gorgeous knight, ever since she had first seen him. The way his gold hair glinted in the sun, his beautiful eyes.
"The pleasure is mine," said Hitomi, standing graciously. "But, what are you doing in these private gardens?"
"I came seeking you," said the knight, bowing low before the princess.
"What an honor," said Hitomi as the knight gently kissed the flesh on the back of her hand.
"Indeed," said Allen, and then walked up close to Hitomi, so that their faces were but an inch apart.
"A demon has taken hold of my heart," said Allen to the princess. "And made it hot with flames of love for you."
"For- for me?" Hitomi stuttered, taking a step back. Something seemed wrong.
"Yes, for you," said Allen, closing the space between them again. "And the burning will not stop until I have you."
"Oh, um, well," Hitomi stuttered, backing up even farther. But Allen came forward and tilted her chin up, and began to kiss her heatedly. His hands moved to her corset, trying to undo the laces. Hitomi recoiled, and slapped him.
"What are you doing?" asked Hitomi as fear and cold realization took hold of her. Where was her sword? Why had she chosen today to get it fixed at the blacksmith? Oh, it was because Allen told her to. The knight came at her again, again trying to undo her corset as he kissed her heatedly. Hitomi tried to back up again, but found that she had been pushed against one of the tall shrubs lining the maze-like garden. She shuddered as her corset came looser, and then the 'offending restraint' began to slide to the ground. Without thinking as Allen began to pry off her tunic, she grabbed the sword hanging at Allen's hip and drew it, pointing it at the knight's throat.
"Leave my castle, and my kingdom now," said Hitomi. "You are hereby banished from Fanelia on penalty of dismemberment, disembowelment, and death." The knight backed up, his hands held protectively in front of him.
"Surely, my lady, we can come to an agreement?"
"No. Leave now, before I alert Austaria to this and have you removed from the knighthood of Caeli." Allen's eyes grew wide and he backed up, and then ran away. Hitomi collapsed on the ground, her open tunic billowing loosely around her, and put her head in her hands and cried.
"Lady Hitomi?" Meowed Merle hours later, after she found the princess in the same position, still sobbing. "What happened. Why is your corset off? And your tunic is almost undone. What happened?"
"It was Allen," said Hitomi, and that was the most she ever said of it to anyone.
.:*:.~.:*:.~.:*:.
"And. that's what happened," finished Hitomi, her voice cracked, her cheeks more than a little damp. She stopped her pacing around the room, and looked at Van for the first time since she had begun her story. He was looking at her with disbelief, sadness, and even a tinge of pity. Hitomi hated pity- pity was for the lowly and weak. But somehow, pity from Van didn't seem that bad. Hitomi sat down on the edge of the window, staring out at the bright garden, trying to take in the sun to cure the darkness in her heart. Van was apparently weirded out by Hitomi's confession, his hangover long forgotten.
"That's terrible, that Merle said something like that to you." said Van, still sitting cross legged on his table.
"But it's true! I brought it upon myself because I'm weak," said Hitomi. "It's my fault. I made Allen go mad. If I hadn't been so weak, then maybe I wouldn't have been attacked." Hitomi did her best to quell the flow of tears threatening to burst.
"No, it's not," said Van, coming up to Hitomi and hugging her. "You're not weak at all. There's just something wrong with Allen. How can you stay here, near him?"
"He sent me a letter," said Hitomi into Van's shoulder. "Not more than two weeks after he left. He said that he didn't know what had come over him, and would understand if I did not forgive him. I can't trust him here, but I know that he won't try anything. He knows that I would go to the king of Austaria and he would be killed." No more words passed between Hitomi and Van- both content to sit there, Van's arms circling the fragile queen, but both silently wondered to themselves if the other one felt more than comfort in this embrace, both feeling the same glow of warmth and content deep within their souls.
.:*:.~.:*:.~.:*:.
"Stinking bastard," Van muttered under his breath, hefting what had to be the heaviest sword ever created. "Gave me a cast-iron piece of junk."
"Fanel! Are you ready yet?" called Allen, smirking, from the other side of the ring. "I don't have all day you know. There are things I have to do."
"Yeah," said Van to himself, "like condition, cream, and curl your hair." He managed to lift the heavy sword, partly because of his anger against the blonde knight, and also partly because Hitomi was watching in the stands.
"Don't worry. You'll do fine," Hitomi said to Van softly before he had entered the ring. She absolutely refused to be left alone after she told him about Allen, and Van had the suspicion that she was worried Allen might try something again, come back for more. Van silently wondered how Hitomi must have felt in those dark woods with Allen standing over her as he faced the blonde knight.
"You ready you prissy ass?" Van half yelled, half muttered.
"What?" asked Allen, tearing his eyes away from the blonde chick in the stands that Hitomi had told Van was Millerna, and that she had been at dinner last night with him.
"I'm ready," said Van, hefting the sword again. Hey, this time, it didn't seem too heavy. Cool.
"Right. Well then, how much do you know about sword fighting?" Allen asked, drawing his sword, hefting it with one hand and pointing it directly at Van.
"Nothing whatsoever," Van said as the blonde knight charged. He quickly lifted the sword in order to prevent his head from being sliced off, and felt adrenaline pump through his veins as he began to fight with the knight, who seemed intent upon Van's death.
"Shit, dude! Are you trying to kill me?" Van asked as the muscles in his arm began to give way.
"No, because the lady Hitomi would have my head. But you are what stands in my way of her affections. You catch on to sword fighting quickly, Fanel." Van swung fiercely at the knight, just barely missing him. And yet, their dance was no imitation of the deadly battle between life and death- it was the real thing. Or, at least, it seemed to be so to Van, who was doing his best to keep all his limbs in the correct places, instead of on the dirt covered arena floor. Minutes, seconds, hours, years, and eternity all blended together as an fought Allen. It may have been only minutes or eons later when Allen finally stepped back, signifying that the "first training" session was over.
"Very good, Van," said Allen as the boy dropped his sword.
"Shit!" exclaimed Van as the sword landed on his foot. He kicked it, and only proceeded in stubbing his toe on the hilt instead. He hopped around on one foot in this fashion for a while, using the very colorful language that poured through his lips on a daily basis like a toddler with walls and a box of crayons. Laughter erupted behind Van, and he hopped to see what the hell was so funny. His heart softened as he saw the Queen standing before him, giggling, covering her mouth with her hand but her emerald eyes sparkling with mirth.
"I'm sorry," she giggled. "I shouldn't laugh.." It was one of the first times Van had heard Hitomi laugh, if not the first, and he absolutely loved it. She calmed herself down a bit, and then sighed, becoming serous once more.
"Allen. I have a proposition for you," said the queen. Van didn't like the tone in her voice, and was unsure of what this would lead to.
"Yes?" Asked the Knight, digging his sword into the ground and leaning upon it.
"We duel. If I win, I get my sword and Escaflowne back, and you allow myself, Merle and my guest, Van, to leave. And if you win."
"A kiss from the queen," he said, a smirk twisting his features. Only Van could se her stiffen a bit, and knew that it would be traumatic for Hitomi were he to touch her like before..
"Done," said the queen, lifting Van's sword effortlessly and pointing it dangerously at Allen. "Begin."
.:*:.~.:*:.~.:*:.
"Dammit, I'm bored!" Yelled Dilandau, stomping around the Vione and glaring at various passerby, who scurried away.
"Calm yourself, Dilandau," said a tall man with spiky green hair and dark eyes.
"No!" Shrieked Dilandau. "It's my birthday, Folken! I want to do something fun for once, instead of sit on this stupid ship all day."
"Let's have a birthday party, then," said Gatti logically, leaning against his guymelef.
"Yeah!" said Chesta, jumping a bit. "With clowns and a cake and candles-"
"Candles?" asked Dilandau, obviously interested in the prospect of something on fire.
"Yeah!" said Miguel, joining in. "We could play pin the fire on the castle!"
"And use flame throwers instead of water skeltzers!"
"And, we could dress Folken up as the clown!" said Guimel drolly.
"N-now wait a minute," said Folken, putting up his hands and backing away. "I'd be a terrible clown."
"But you wear makeup," pointed out Chesta, and Gatti nodded.
"Yup! You should be our clown."
"I want cake!" called Miguel.
"Let's go play pin the fire on the castle!" cried Dilandau, throwing his fist into the air.
"Yeah!" chorused the men.
"Folken, get the servants to prepare a cake with candles, and then go dress up like a clown and we won't light anything on fire for a month! I promise," said Dallet.
"But-" stammered Folken, who was cut off as the guymelefs activated their stealth cloaks.
"We're all out of cake batter," he mumbled as the dragon slayers zoomed away. Laughing, the Dragon slayers zoomed down towards the earth.
"Pick the victim, Dilandau!" cried Chesta.
"I choose... Allen Schezar! I always hated him for being prettier than me," said Dilandau.
"Allen Schezar it is!" howled Guimel, zooming in circles as they closed in on the fort.
"One," said Gatti.
"Two," said Chesta.
"Three!" called Miguel.
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Dilandau, happy birthday to you!" sang the men crazily as they lit the town on fire, causing peasants to run screaming.
"Count to three and make a wish," said Dallet as the fire began to spread.
"One, two, three," muttered Dilandau, and made his wish- a tickle me elmo, as odd as it was. He had picked up a transmission for one on a television in Zaibach, and had wanted one as soon as he saw the little child tickling the plush red toy.
"Let's wreck this place!" yelled Dilandau, zooming forward in his guymelef as the others followed.
.:*:.~.:*:.~.:*:.
A/N: Woo! A cliffie! Hahahahahaha, feel the evilness. Today was a really really good day. First, I had Those Who Are Evil sleep over at my house last night, so that was a blast, even though they were all sort of high on lord of the rings this morning because we watched the uncut version last night. But, yeah. And then I worked on this for most of the day and then I went to U.I.L. and I got a one on my cello piece. A one! That means that I'm da bomb!!!! And, to top it all off. my daddy came back from Mexico! So, yay. I'm happy. It's too bad about the space shuttle crashing down over my dear beloved state, though. Never forget the poor souls who died this morning- let them live on in your heart. Yeah, sorry for the sappy moment, but it had to be said! Oh, another thing. I'm sorry about the "Allen nearly raped Hitomi" sort of thing, but it plays a part later on, so, yeah.
FOR THOSE WHO REALLY REALLY LOVE ME:
esca chick: I stole the camera story from "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe," by Douglas Adams. Excellent book, that is, I just had to modify it so that I wouldn't totally be ripping him off. So, yeah. Rock on!
Feye Morgan: Was Dilly's party insane enough for you? This is only part one, muahahahaha. Douglas Adams is a genius, yes yes, and Allen's a bit scary, so, yeah.
LOVE WITCH: go V/H! I hope you liked all the fluffy/ embarassing moments in this chapter. I had just had a couple of cokes and was high on LOTR, so, yeah.
SabrinaYutsuki: yay! You're a great reviewer! And I will write more. *salute*
Dariel: thank you for refraining from inflicting bodily injury on this poor, broken Pointe dancer. *sniff* injury sucks. But, yeah. Thanks for 'sparing me'. And, Arg, I had to present a project on the titan Prometheus in English, and I had to wear a toga and everything. can you spell "one pound ground beef?" Oh, feel the pain of English class. and, sorry that nothing happened in this chapter either. that's coming up in later chapters *nudge nudge wink wink* ahm. No, none of THAT. just more fluff and crap. And, by the way. DOORS ARE EVIL! So, yeah. I've already begun on chapter 6. hooray! Maybe I'll get the next one out sooner, but, I doubt it.
Mirakai no tenshi neko-jin: here's the update you wanted. did you enjoy it?
Aeka-himme: yeah. that was a pretty amusing chapter. But, anywhoo, last year my English teacher was the EXACT SAME OMG. I described her with colorful language the whole year, especially because I had her two years in a row. she was teaching an elective class and then I decided not to take it so that I would escape, and WHADDAYAKNOW, she transferred up to English for the next grade level, and I had her THREE TIMES A DAY- homeroom, study hall and English. Blah. You have my condolences.
Special thanks to my evil younger sibling, thanks to whom I would not be able to spell Shakespeare. She's a total nerd, I swear! Like, a certified genius or something. she gets straight A+'s, which is really evil because she's in evil genius child classes and she's even reading this over my shoulder as I type. oh, wait, she's failing English too. What a refreshing change.
FINAL A/N: Woohoo! Chapter 5! I'm sorry about the slight angst in this chapter, but I can't stand Allen. "He's gay" ~ my evil younger sibling has declared. So, yeah. Believe it or not, that angsty little blurb ACTUALLY HAS A POINT, just let me figure it out. And any flames that I receive on it will be used to light something non-Dilandau related in the story on fire, which I don't think anyone wants. So, yeah. And sorry, that was a terribly crappy chapter. SORRY!!!!
oh, and sorry for spelling "Dilandau" wrong, I have minor dyslexia so I always screw crap up and. yeah. It's an excuse, but it's true! I swear! Anyway, I love you all and I especially love those who review! And believe me, you'd rather I love you than hate you. Just ask Those Who Are Evil. They're afraid of me, so, ha.
~Azure
Disclaimer: I own the mood "grumpy," seeing as it is my permanent state of being during the week. And, oh, I own sleep deprivation, too. But not escaflowne.
WARNING: LOTS of innuedo and implications in this chapter, and some anti- allen-antics as well. DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU!
FIVE
"Van." Van awoke to someone prodding hi min the side gently with the tip of their finger. "Van, get up already! It's almost one!"
"I don't care," muttered Van, rolling over, burrowing into a web of covers and squashing his pillow firmly over his head.
"Oi, Van you baka, wake up!" Van was pummeled in the head with his pillow, and then had the covers yanked off him.
"Jeesus!" yelled Van, sitting up. He quickly regretted that, along with opening his eyes. "My head." groaned Van, putting a hand to his forehead and melting back down onto the soft mattress, squirming like an insect found below a large rock.
"Van, get up!" yelled Hitomi.
"NO. My head hurts. What the hell did I do last night?" he mumbled.
"Don't you remember anything?" asked Hitomi, and Van could just see her with her hands on her hips.
"Hmm. I remember some really really good pink shit and something about Douglas Adams and.. Baseball.." Muttered Van. "Oh no! Did I spill about the baseball incident?"
"No, you talked about a camera, a fork, rehab, and nearly puked all over my shoes."
"Oh, yeah. I remember that Allen jerk and you and. was there someone else there?"
"Yes, the princess Millerna of Austaria. But is that all you remember?" Hitomi asked impatiently.
"Um.. Something about a 'boose' and. didn't you tell me something about warriors and the world turning upside down?"
"Never mind," said Hitomi dully, glaring out the window at Merle, who was creeping along on the window sill, trying to catch a pair of doves sitting outside. She pounced and missed the birds by a long shot as they flew away.
"Okay then," said Van, deciding that the conversation was over. He re- claimed his covers from Hitomi and pulled them over his head again, trying to escape the light of day.
"Van, you have to get up," said Hitomi, trying to tug the covers away from Van. But he wouldn't let go, so Hitomi tugged harder and harder, until Van and his blankets both came off the bed, raining down on the queen.
"Ack!" shrieked Hitomi, as she was buried in a mountain of linen. Unfortunately, Van then landed right on top of her with a loud "oof".
"Off," grunted Hitomi, doing her best to detangle herself from the blankets. Van attempted to scramble back up onto the soft mattress, but his foot was caught in a blanket. Just as Hitomi was removing the last layer of sheets, Van came tumbling back down, landing on top of her once more.
"Uhhh," said Hitomi, turning red as she realized that Van's face was buried in her chest. "Van, could you please.."
"Sorry," Van said in a high pitched voice, hoping up like he had been electrocuted. His face was as round and read as a ripe tomato, and Hitomi supposed she must look the same. Van had a blanket clutched in his hands, crossed in front of him, and was staring at the floor.
"Um, Hitomi, I'm very, very very sorry about that," he muttered, trying to shield his eyes from the sun. Hitomi, still blushing, took pity on him and reached over and shut the curtains with a swish, allowing only a crack of light into the room.
"I'll just be going now," said Hitomi, flailing to realize through her embarrassment that she was tied up in blankets from Van's second fall. Van was standing next to the bed, twisting the blanket in his hands, still holding it protectively in front of him. Hitomi took a step towards the door and tripped, falling back onto Van, who fell back onto the bed, further entangling them both in blankets. But now, both were blushing a lovely shade of magenta, and Hitomi gave a cough, looking up at Van, whose face was so close that his breathing was tickling her cheek. Hitomi gulped, resisting the urge to close the remaining space between them, and instead tried to push herself up, only to find that she and Van were quite literally tied together in blankets.
"Um, okay," said Hitomi, "we can find a way around this." Hitomi tried not to look at Van, the odd gleam in his eyes, the little smile on his face.
"Just, maybe, move that way a bit," said Hitomi, pointing to the left and moving to the right herself. Unfortunately, either Van had gotten nasty high school ideas or Hitomi was just having a bad day, but they wound up rolling over once so that Van was directly on top of Hitomi, their faces not an inch apart.
"Van," said Hitomi weakly..
"Lady Hitomi! Van! What are you doing!" exclaimed Merle.
"Merle! Thank god! I need your help here, I'm all tangled up."
"We're all tangled up," corrected Van. "And I am quite comfortable, so if you could just leave us alone, Merle."
"NO way!" shrieked the little cat girl, pouncing upon Van and proceeding to tear the sheets with her claws, also unfortunately ripping Van and Hitomi's clothes and flesh a bit in the process.
"Ouch, Merle., You're hurting me," muttered Hitomi a bit, turning pink as she realized that Van's arms were wrapped around her waist under the cocoon of sheets. "That's enough. I can take care of the rest of it," said Hitomi, wiggling uncomfortably and trying to pry Van's hands off of her. However, it didn't seem he was letting go.
"I think not!" Exclaimed Merle, ripping at the last few layers. "I'm not going to let the same thing that happened with Allen happen with you, Lady Hitomi."
"Allen?" asked Van curiously, moving his arms just enough as Merle got to through the last sheet so that it would look as though they really had fallen- which they did.
"Merle," yelled Hitomi as soon as she was free, slipping out from under Van and chasing the cat girl around in circles. "You promised never to mention that!"
"Eep!" shrieked Merle, dashing under the table and squishing her tail slightly.
"What happened with Allen?" asked Van, diverting Hitomi's attention.
"Merle, would you please LEAVE?" asked Hitomi, kicking her foot harshly under the table but only succeeding in getting bitten.
"Fine. Don't come crying to me, though," said Merle. "I tried to stop you, don't forget that when you can't get into your guymelef cause you're belly's swollen with his- leaving.." she said, dashing out with a swish of her tail as the queen glared. Hitomi locked the door behind the cat girl and walked to the window, peering out through the crack in the drapes.
"Seriously, Hitomi, what happened with Allen?" asked Van, hopping onto his table and sitting cross legged, watching the queen pacing around his room. He had calmed down quite a bit, his senses restored.
"It's a long story. It happened just a few months ago."
.:*:.~.:*:.~.:*:.
Hitomi strolled idly through the garden in the palace of Fanelia, savoring the short, sweet moment when she could just admire the green beauty of her homeland. She sat down in front of a fountain, splashing her hand in the water and sending ripples through her reflection.
"Ah, my lady," said a voice. "What a pleasure to meet you here." Allen stepped out from behind a rosebush. Hitomi had always been enamored with the gorgeous knight, ever since she had first seen him. The way his gold hair glinted in the sun, his beautiful eyes.
"The pleasure is mine," said Hitomi, standing graciously. "But, what are you doing in these private gardens?"
"I came seeking you," said the knight, bowing low before the princess.
"What an honor," said Hitomi as the knight gently kissed the flesh on the back of her hand.
"Indeed," said Allen, and then walked up close to Hitomi, so that their faces were but an inch apart.
"A demon has taken hold of my heart," said Allen to the princess. "And made it hot with flames of love for you."
"For- for me?" Hitomi stuttered, taking a step back. Something seemed wrong.
"Yes, for you," said Allen, closing the space between them again. "And the burning will not stop until I have you."
"Oh, um, well," Hitomi stuttered, backing up even farther. But Allen came forward and tilted her chin up, and began to kiss her heatedly. His hands moved to her corset, trying to undo the laces. Hitomi recoiled, and slapped him.
"What are you doing?" asked Hitomi as fear and cold realization took hold of her. Where was her sword? Why had she chosen today to get it fixed at the blacksmith? Oh, it was because Allen told her to. The knight came at her again, again trying to undo her corset as he kissed her heatedly. Hitomi tried to back up again, but found that she had been pushed against one of the tall shrubs lining the maze-like garden. She shuddered as her corset came looser, and then the 'offending restraint' began to slide to the ground. Without thinking as Allen began to pry off her tunic, she grabbed the sword hanging at Allen's hip and drew it, pointing it at the knight's throat.
"Leave my castle, and my kingdom now," said Hitomi. "You are hereby banished from Fanelia on penalty of dismemberment, disembowelment, and death." The knight backed up, his hands held protectively in front of him.
"Surely, my lady, we can come to an agreement?"
"No. Leave now, before I alert Austaria to this and have you removed from the knighthood of Caeli." Allen's eyes grew wide and he backed up, and then ran away. Hitomi collapsed on the ground, her open tunic billowing loosely around her, and put her head in her hands and cried.
"Lady Hitomi?" Meowed Merle hours later, after she found the princess in the same position, still sobbing. "What happened. Why is your corset off? And your tunic is almost undone. What happened?"
"It was Allen," said Hitomi, and that was the most she ever said of it to anyone.
.:*:.~.:*:.~.:*:.
"And. that's what happened," finished Hitomi, her voice cracked, her cheeks more than a little damp. She stopped her pacing around the room, and looked at Van for the first time since she had begun her story. He was looking at her with disbelief, sadness, and even a tinge of pity. Hitomi hated pity- pity was for the lowly and weak. But somehow, pity from Van didn't seem that bad. Hitomi sat down on the edge of the window, staring out at the bright garden, trying to take in the sun to cure the darkness in her heart. Van was apparently weirded out by Hitomi's confession, his hangover long forgotten.
"That's terrible, that Merle said something like that to you." said Van, still sitting cross legged on his table.
"But it's true! I brought it upon myself because I'm weak," said Hitomi. "It's my fault. I made Allen go mad. If I hadn't been so weak, then maybe I wouldn't have been attacked." Hitomi did her best to quell the flow of tears threatening to burst.
"No, it's not," said Van, coming up to Hitomi and hugging her. "You're not weak at all. There's just something wrong with Allen. How can you stay here, near him?"
"He sent me a letter," said Hitomi into Van's shoulder. "Not more than two weeks after he left. He said that he didn't know what had come over him, and would understand if I did not forgive him. I can't trust him here, but I know that he won't try anything. He knows that I would go to the king of Austaria and he would be killed." No more words passed between Hitomi and Van- both content to sit there, Van's arms circling the fragile queen, but both silently wondered to themselves if the other one felt more than comfort in this embrace, both feeling the same glow of warmth and content deep within their souls.
.:*:.~.:*:.~.:*:.
"Stinking bastard," Van muttered under his breath, hefting what had to be the heaviest sword ever created. "Gave me a cast-iron piece of junk."
"Fanel! Are you ready yet?" called Allen, smirking, from the other side of the ring. "I don't have all day you know. There are things I have to do."
"Yeah," said Van to himself, "like condition, cream, and curl your hair." He managed to lift the heavy sword, partly because of his anger against the blonde knight, and also partly because Hitomi was watching in the stands.
"Don't worry. You'll do fine," Hitomi said to Van softly before he had entered the ring. She absolutely refused to be left alone after she told him about Allen, and Van had the suspicion that she was worried Allen might try something again, come back for more. Van silently wondered how Hitomi must have felt in those dark woods with Allen standing over her as he faced the blonde knight.
"You ready you prissy ass?" Van half yelled, half muttered.
"What?" asked Allen, tearing his eyes away from the blonde chick in the stands that Hitomi had told Van was Millerna, and that she had been at dinner last night with him.
"I'm ready," said Van, hefting the sword again. Hey, this time, it didn't seem too heavy. Cool.
"Right. Well then, how much do you know about sword fighting?" Allen asked, drawing his sword, hefting it with one hand and pointing it directly at Van.
"Nothing whatsoever," Van said as the blonde knight charged. He quickly lifted the sword in order to prevent his head from being sliced off, and felt adrenaline pump through his veins as he began to fight with the knight, who seemed intent upon Van's death.
"Shit, dude! Are you trying to kill me?" Van asked as the muscles in his arm began to give way.
"No, because the lady Hitomi would have my head. But you are what stands in my way of her affections. You catch on to sword fighting quickly, Fanel." Van swung fiercely at the knight, just barely missing him. And yet, their dance was no imitation of the deadly battle between life and death- it was the real thing. Or, at least, it seemed to be so to Van, who was doing his best to keep all his limbs in the correct places, instead of on the dirt covered arena floor. Minutes, seconds, hours, years, and eternity all blended together as an fought Allen. It may have been only minutes or eons later when Allen finally stepped back, signifying that the "first training" session was over.
"Very good, Van," said Allen as the boy dropped his sword.
"Shit!" exclaimed Van as the sword landed on his foot. He kicked it, and only proceeded in stubbing his toe on the hilt instead. He hopped around on one foot in this fashion for a while, using the very colorful language that poured through his lips on a daily basis like a toddler with walls and a box of crayons. Laughter erupted behind Van, and he hopped to see what the hell was so funny. His heart softened as he saw the Queen standing before him, giggling, covering her mouth with her hand but her emerald eyes sparkling with mirth.
"I'm sorry," she giggled. "I shouldn't laugh.." It was one of the first times Van had heard Hitomi laugh, if not the first, and he absolutely loved it. She calmed herself down a bit, and then sighed, becoming serous once more.
"Allen. I have a proposition for you," said the queen. Van didn't like the tone in her voice, and was unsure of what this would lead to.
"Yes?" Asked the Knight, digging his sword into the ground and leaning upon it.
"We duel. If I win, I get my sword and Escaflowne back, and you allow myself, Merle and my guest, Van, to leave. And if you win."
"A kiss from the queen," he said, a smirk twisting his features. Only Van could se her stiffen a bit, and knew that it would be traumatic for Hitomi were he to touch her like before..
"Done," said the queen, lifting Van's sword effortlessly and pointing it dangerously at Allen. "Begin."
.:*:.~.:*:.~.:*:.
"Dammit, I'm bored!" Yelled Dilandau, stomping around the Vione and glaring at various passerby, who scurried away.
"Calm yourself, Dilandau," said a tall man with spiky green hair and dark eyes.
"No!" Shrieked Dilandau. "It's my birthday, Folken! I want to do something fun for once, instead of sit on this stupid ship all day."
"Let's have a birthday party, then," said Gatti logically, leaning against his guymelef.
"Yeah!" said Chesta, jumping a bit. "With clowns and a cake and candles-"
"Candles?" asked Dilandau, obviously interested in the prospect of something on fire.
"Yeah!" said Miguel, joining in. "We could play pin the fire on the castle!"
"And use flame throwers instead of water skeltzers!"
"And, we could dress Folken up as the clown!" said Guimel drolly.
"N-now wait a minute," said Folken, putting up his hands and backing away. "I'd be a terrible clown."
"But you wear makeup," pointed out Chesta, and Gatti nodded.
"Yup! You should be our clown."
"I want cake!" called Miguel.
"Let's go play pin the fire on the castle!" cried Dilandau, throwing his fist into the air.
"Yeah!" chorused the men.
"Folken, get the servants to prepare a cake with candles, and then go dress up like a clown and we won't light anything on fire for a month! I promise," said Dallet.
"But-" stammered Folken, who was cut off as the guymelefs activated their stealth cloaks.
"We're all out of cake batter," he mumbled as the dragon slayers zoomed away. Laughing, the Dragon slayers zoomed down towards the earth.
"Pick the victim, Dilandau!" cried Chesta.
"I choose... Allen Schezar! I always hated him for being prettier than me," said Dilandau.
"Allen Schezar it is!" howled Guimel, zooming in circles as they closed in on the fort.
"One," said Gatti.
"Two," said Chesta.
"Three!" called Miguel.
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Dilandau, happy birthday to you!" sang the men crazily as they lit the town on fire, causing peasants to run screaming.
"Count to three and make a wish," said Dallet as the fire began to spread.
"One, two, three," muttered Dilandau, and made his wish- a tickle me elmo, as odd as it was. He had picked up a transmission for one on a television in Zaibach, and had wanted one as soon as he saw the little child tickling the plush red toy.
"Let's wreck this place!" yelled Dilandau, zooming forward in his guymelef as the others followed.
.:*:.~.:*:.~.:*:.
A/N: Woo! A cliffie! Hahahahahaha, feel the evilness. Today was a really really good day. First, I had Those Who Are Evil sleep over at my house last night, so that was a blast, even though they were all sort of high on lord of the rings this morning because we watched the uncut version last night. But, yeah. And then I worked on this for most of the day and then I went to U.I.L. and I got a one on my cello piece. A one! That means that I'm da bomb!!!! And, to top it all off. my daddy came back from Mexico! So, yay. I'm happy. It's too bad about the space shuttle crashing down over my dear beloved state, though. Never forget the poor souls who died this morning- let them live on in your heart. Yeah, sorry for the sappy moment, but it had to be said! Oh, another thing. I'm sorry about the "Allen nearly raped Hitomi" sort of thing, but it plays a part later on, so, yeah.
FOR THOSE WHO REALLY REALLY LOVE ME:
esca chick: I stole the camera story from "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe," by Douglas Adams. Excellent book, that is, I just had to modify it so that I wouldn't totally be ripping him off. So, yeah. Rock on!
Feye Morgan: Was Dilly's party insane enough for you? This is only part one, muahahahaha. Douglas Adams is a genius, yes yes, and Allen's a bit scary, so, yeah.
LOVE WITCH: go V/H! I hope you liked all the fluffy/ embarassing moments in this chapter. I had just had a couple of cokes and was high on LOTR, so, yeah.
SabrinaYutsuki: yay! You're a great reviewer! And I will write more. *salute*
Dariel: thank you for refraining from inflicting bodily injury on this poor, broken Pointe dancer. *sniff* injury sucks. But, yeah. Thanks for 'sparing me'. And, Arg, I had to present a project on the titan Prometheus in English, and I had to wear a toga and everything. can you spell "one pound ground beef?" Oh, feel the pain of English class. and, sorry that nothing happened in this chapter either. that's coming up in later chapters *nudge nudge wink wink* ahm. No, none of THAT. just more fluff and crap. And, by the way. DOORS ARE EVIL! So, yeah. I've already begun on chapter 6. hooray! Maybe I'll get the next one out sooner, but, I doubt it.
Mirakai no tenshi neko-jin: here's the update you wanted. did you enjoy it?
Aeka-himme: yeah. that was a pretty amusing chapter. But, anywhoo, last year my English teacher was the EXACT SAME OMG. I described her with colorful language the whole year, especially because I had her two years in a row. she was teaching an elective class and then I decided not to take it so that I would escape, and WHADDAYAKNOW, she transferred up to English for the next grade level, and I had her THREE TIMES A DAY- homeroom, study hall and English. Blah. You have my condolences.
Special thanks to my evil younger sibling, thanks to whom I would not be able to spell Shakespeare. She's a total nerd, I swear! Like, a certified genius or something. she gets straight A+'s, which is really evil because she's in evil genius child classes and she's even reading this over my shoulder as I type. oh, wait, she's failing English too. What a refreshing change.
FINAL A/N: Woohoo! Chapter 5! I'm sorry about the slight angst in this chapter, but I can't stand Allen. "He's gay" ~ my evil younger sibling has declared. So, yeah. Believe it or not, that angsty little blurb ACTUALLY HAS A POINT, just let me figure it out. And any flames that I receive on it will be used to light something non-Dilandau related in the story on fire, which I don't think anyone wants. So, yeah. And sorry, that was a terribly crappy chapter. SORRY!!!!
oh, and sorry for spelling "Dilandau" wrong, I have minor dyslexia so I always screw crap up and. yeah. It's an excuse, but it's true! I swear! Anyway, I love you all and I especially love those who review! And believe me, you'd rather I love you than hate you. Just ask Those Who Are Evil. They're afraid of me, so, ha.
~Azure
