Born Of The Moon
Chapter XII
As Past Dictates
Van wasn't expecting what he saw when he entered the dinning hall. I guessed that seeing the two women he loved the most, talking to each other and making no sense - holding a wine glass each with one bottle of vino already gone and a healthy amount of the second missing, was a little too much for him to handle in a moment.
"Hey Van!" I laughed. I wasn't totally drunk, but Anastasia was. She had drank much more than I had.
"Uhm . . ." He said uncertainly. I could tell he was slightly nervous. "Hello . . ." He gave me a sly glance as he picked up his wife and carried her out of the dinning hall most unwillingly. I grabbed my glass and followed.
"Hitomi, please wait for me on your balcony. I'll be with you soon."
Van had shown me back to the room I was in before and went to lay Anastasia to rest. She had used up most of her energy putting up a fight against Van carrying her, and she was almost completely out of it now.
"Okay."
I was hunched over the balcony and my glass in my hand. I was faced with a setting sun over the great hills of Fanelia. The sky was painted with many blending shades of red, yellow and orange. The night sky was barely beginning to show above me with the navy blues of darkness. I raised my glass.
"To whatever's worth being here for." I offered myself a toast and threw back the rest of my drink. It was then that I heard footsteps behind me.
"Hitomi, it looks like you can't be trusted around here, now can you? I leave you alone with her for a single night and you get her drunk far beyond the point she's ever been before." Van started, laughing in the process.
"Well, if you're trying yo sound upset, you're not doing a very good job of it." I replied to him. He joined me in my leaning over the stone balcony. His head was down in thought.
"What's on your mind?" I asked. "Beside the fact that your wife is passed out in your room."
He laughed quietly once more. "I wasn't going to ask, but who made that wound on your arm?"
I eyed my bandaged forearm. It hadn't hurt until I was reminded about it.
"Folken did."
I could see Van staring at me with wide eyes from the corner of my own. "You're . . . you're kidding me, right? Folken attacked you and gave you this wound?"
I was barely able to meet his eyes. The pain in his voice was almost too much. He didn't want to believe it but he had to know the truth.
"Yes."
His head immediately went down and his eyes shut tightly. His fists were clenched so tightly it looked as if they were going to break. "Van-" I took his hands in my own. "I don't want to believe it as much as you. I'm sorry, but it's true. But . . ."
His eyes finally reopened and he tried to search me. "But what?"
"It's just that when I was with him all the times before . . . last night . . . he- he always had his mechanical arm covered. He didn't when he attacked me. I don't know if that means anything, but also, his eyes were . . ." I paused for a while. I didn't want to say what I had to say. I knew that it would just hurt Van further, but he pleaded for me to go on. "His . . . he . . . h-he had the eyes . . . of the Strategos."
Van's hands withdrew from mine and clenched again. His eyes shut tightly in an attempt to contain his anger and confusion. "I think I will bid you goodnight Hitomi. I have some thinking to do. But a question first. Folken . . . he didn't accompany you to the castle the other day, correct?"
I nodded.
"Do you have any idea where he went? Did he tell you?"
"Uhm . . ." I tried to remember what Folken had said to me. I was on cloud nine that afternoon because I was going to see Van, but my memory didn't let me down just yet. "I'm pretty sure he said he was just going to take care of some business. That's all I remember."
"Alright. Try to get some sleep, okay?" He tried to smile.
"I'll try."
After ten minutes had past since Van departure, I started to walk around my room. I wouldn't have called it pacing because I wasn't walking in a distinct line or circle around something, I was just . . . walking. I decided to roam around the castle instead of my room. It was getting boring in there. Thanks to Anastasia's little tour earlier, I didn't get myself lost.
I found myself wandering down a corridor I hadn't been down earlier. There wasn't any guards, so I decided to let myself into the room at the end of the hall. It took more strength than I would've liked to open the large door just by pulling on a single metal ring, and I ended up straining my hurt arm in the process. None the less, I managed to open the door. Once inside, I closed the door behind myself. It took a few minutes for my eyes to adjust to the lack of light in the room. The air was cold and thick in here, and the only sources of light were four torches at the four corners of the room. Needless to say the room was rather large and the torches did almost no good. However, they did give off enough light for me to see what was in the center of the room. Something that had played an important role in my past here. Something that had helped recreate this new world of Gaea. Something I wish I hadn't stumbled upon. Escaflowne.
I walked along side it, remembering all the times I had been carried by its hands. By Van's hands, really. If it wasn't for Escaflowne, I'd of been dead more than once now. The same with Van. He saved me when I fell. He saved me when my heart stopped. Then again, I saved him the first time I met him. I didn't even know who he was. Then when he had died after killing all the Dragon Slayers. I went and helped him. Why hadn't I . . .
"Hitomi, what are you doing in here?"
I jumped at the sound of another voice. I searched the room quickly and didn't see anyone.
"Who's there?"
"Up here." I now recognized the voice to be Merle's, and she was sitting up on Escaflowne's knee.
After helping me up, we sat together and talked.
"Can't sleep either, huh?" Merle laughed as I sat on Escaflowne's right arm.
"Not a wink. Yet, anyway. I have a feeling I'll be able to sleep soon. I've just got a lot on my mind right now."
Even in the dim light, I saw her flick something at me. I was fortunate enough to catch it. I examined the small gold coin. I snapped it back at her. "I don't know what that is but I don't want it." I laughed.
"Around here if someone throws a coin at you after saying you have a lot on your mind, it means to tell them about it." Merle said quietly.
"Oh." I blushed, slightly embarrassed. "Well, I was going to ask your opinion anyway. I don't need money for it. I just told Van something I think I shouldn't have and now he's upset."
"What did you tell him?" Merle asked, giving me her full attention at the mention of Van's name.
"That Folken was the one who attacked me earlier. I was running from him, but I managed to injure his wing with my own sword so he was unable to continue his pursuit. Something was different about him though. From the last memories I had of him, he was a gentle soul. His voice was soft and caring. His eyes were warm and welcoming. After I left his cabin to come back here to apologize to Van, I had a dream. I was with a man I knew on earth and I were talking with each other, then Folken appeared. His metallic hand held a sword, and he attacked my friend with it. Although it was just a dream, I woke breathless from where he had cut my throat in my dream. I decided it was best not to stay where I was and just as I had begun to move again, he . . . he attacked me. His voice was much deeper and had an almost evil edge to it. His eyes were cold and unforgiving-looking. I couldn't understand what I had done to him to anger him that much. Not after what had happened the night before-- uhm! So what should I do, Merle?"
My last few words were so rushed I doubted she understood what I had said. I saw an eyebrow raise. "What did you do the night before that makes you so certain about his anger?"
I walked out of the room as quickly as I could.
"Nothing."
I walked back to my room in complete silence. No thoughts were running through my mind and I liked it like that.
Comparing this time to the last time I was on Gaea, I'd say this one was more stressful. Too much was being thrown at me to deal with and it was really starting to piss me off. What exactly was wrong with Folken anyway? I didn't want to believe that he was the one who attacked me. Maybe it was just my imagination. It's been known to be a little wild on Gaea. At least, from what my past dictates. I had to go back to see Folken. There had to be a reasonable explanation for what happened. I might be acting truly on impulse once again, but I had to be sure. I grabbed my bag from my room and headed for the stables to find Belu. I had to know, one way or another.
Out in the stables, I met up with the watch guard. He was hesitant to let me go, but after I told him I had Van's permission,
there was no stopping him from letting me go.
The entire way there I couldn't stop picturing Folken's eyes in my mind. They were so . . . threatening. It hurt to see them like that again. Though I barely knew Folken from before, it hurt so very much. When I could just barely see the outline of Folken's cabin, I stopped Belu in her tracks. I stared at the cabin for more than ten minutes. Should I go back? Should I be going back to see him? Will he even be there? Will he be the same as before? I had my sword at my side just in case. I didn't know how to properly use a sword, but some of my great-grandfathers were excellent swordsmen. Thank the Lord, I had to have some of their talent somewhere in me. I was able to defend myself against Folken once before luckily. I had to be careful this time.
My courage got the best of me and I found myself trotting towards the cabin. Belu seemed to be getting happier as we approached. She probably wanted to see Naru and Folken again. I heard a loud rustle in the bush behind me and I turned swiftly to see what it could've been. I was upset to find nothing. Was I being followed? I grabbed the handle of my sword quickly incase something or someone popped out suddenly. Nothing came as I watched my back. I sighed loudly, closing my eyes. It was probably just my imagination again. I turned myself around and snapped on Belu's reigns but she refused to move. I opened my eyes and who should I see standing in front of Belu but Folken.
"Hitomi . . ."
~*~
Well how did you all like this chapter. *sigh* I know I know it was kinda boring and uneventful but the next chapter will have something, I swear. I like to build up to things, can't you tell?
And just a note to Sakura, wasn't it just a little obvious after chapter seven when we found Van bed with another woman
that this wasn't a Van/Hitomi fic? It couldn't have been that bad if you read on to chapter eleven ^^
R&R! I'll need something to work by now that school starts in like......two days! God dammit it seems to me like the summer just started. *sigh*
