Right, so I don't feel any need to recap since we have a frikkin' chapter select button right there. It's right there!!! *points at the chapter selection menu* I'll just say we're at chapter four. And I'm totally not continuing this because there's an alarmingly large number of Van groupies behind me with any number of things that can cause me bodily harm. It's because I love my readers. Really, it is.
Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, just the characters of Ryoji Takashi and the guymelef Agamemnon. But frankly, their rates are pretty high, so I might just have to go through re-negotiations…
Dedicated to Mr. T, cause he threatened to throw me hella' far if I didn't.
****
It had been three weeks since Van's disappearance in the pillar of Light. While Allen had hoped for the best, he couldn't be sure that Van was all right. The Mystic Moon was a dangerous and unknown place, even for someone like Van. Of course, pondering over these matters wasn't going to make him come back. Gods, please let him be safe with Hitomi!!
Allen was snapped out of his thoughts by a hand on his. He looked into a pair of blue eyes framed by light golden locks. He sighed in relief. "Celena…" He gently placed his other hand on top of hers and asked what was wrong.
"It's just that… you've been acting so strange ever since that man disappeared…" she replied. She looked into his searchingly. What was she looking for? "What's so important about him, brother? Why is everyone so concerned over him?" She waited for him to answer, all the while never taking her eyes of his.
Allen sighed. It was hard for Celena to understand some things, having been imprisoned within Dilandau for so long. "Celena, we're worried about him because he's an important friend of ours." Celena said nothing. Allen, after pausing for a moment, continued. "Aside from that, his country is in danger of being allocated as a province of Asturia. Without him here to defend it, it's likely that that allocation will occur, and there's nothing any of us can do to stop it."
This part was what concerned Allen the most. While Van was here, there was still a solid reason not to go through with this. After all, Van was the ruler of Fanelia, and he had the final say on whether or not the decision would be made. But with him gone and no successor to the throne the decision was left up to a majority vote. And Allen could guess that there would be more supporters for King Aston rather than Dryden and Chid. Why hadn't he returned yet? Had he abandoned his responsibilities? No, that wasn't it. As much as he loved Hitomi, he knew Van wouldn't leave his country for her. Besides, Hitomi wouldn't want Van to do that anyway. The only likely answer, then, was one that Allen didn't want think about.
Celena lowered down on her knees to look him in the eyes. Looking into them, Allen felt reassured. He had never noticed what a difference it made to have a family member alive. It had been so long that it was something new and foreign to him, but he enjoyed it. "Brother," she said, "I don't understand any of this. But I do know that you must believe in your friend if you want to save him." She then leaned her head on his shoulder, squeezing his hand. "Your friends lose all their hopes only we give up on them. You of all people should know this, having never given up thinking I was alive." Allen smiled. She was right. Even though he had many things to teach her, he never failed to learn something from her. She fell asleep after a while, and he carried her off to her room, tucking her in and then retiring to his own chamber
****
Van had lost track of time. He could only feel the pain, now. Ryoji, the man who had imprisoned him here, had started things normally at first. After asking Van to show him how to pilot the Guymelef and being refused, he never said a word about it afterward. Then he had told Van he had wanted to run some "tests". Van had been forced to endure indescribable pain, run for hours at a time, and fight for long periods, among other things. The "simulator" Ryoji had developed for him was unlike anything Van had ever seen before. One moment, Van would be standing alone in a room, and the next, he would be fighting tooth and nail against a "hollow-graham." When asked why he was doing this, Ryoji had answered by telling Van about something he had previously not known about his race.
"Did you think that wings were the only thing Atlantis gave us, brother?" at the name Van had scowled and demanded to be called something else. Ryoji just laughed. "We were given accelerated abilities. Strength, speed, stamina, intelligence…. All of a human's traits were three fold within us. I'm sure you might've wondered how you were able to keep up with some of your enemies at your age, haven't you?" Van had always attributed it to the fact that he was raised in Fanelia and trained by Balgus. "Oh, you are quite capable, to be sure, but that wouldn't have helped you. It's thanks to your heritage that you are so powerful." Needless to say, this had surprised Van a bit. "Of course, thanks to the tests I've done on your blood samples, it turns out you don't benefit from the full treatment, because you're only half Atlantean.
It was shortly after that that Ryoji had approached Van about Atlantis itself. He knew that Van must have been there. Based purely on presumption or not he knew. He had asked Van to help him, and show him the way to get there. Van, having seen what Atlantis' power was capable of, was quick to refuse. This hadn't made Ryoji too pleased. After requesting a few more times, he changed his tactics to something more primal. When Van wouldn't cooperate, Ryoji had him tortured. They had been bearable at first, but now Van was succumbing to them, slowly. Ryoji had always made sure to end it before Van got too seriously hurt. He didn't want his only way to get what he wanted to die accidentally, but now his patience was wearing thin.
At first, Van fought. He struggled against the tortures and his captors, and always kept a look out for a way to escape, but to no avail. Still he never stopped trying. But that was before it happened.
She wasn't there.
Before, Van could always feel his link with Hitomi. He could always feel her at some magnitude in the back of his mind. But recently, her presence had begun to fade. It gradually decreased until he could feel nothing anymore. He tried to reach out to her, but by this time, the pain had become so great that he couldn't concentrate. So he stopped trying. Stopped trying to escape, or fight. The only thing that kept him from giving in to Ryoji was his desire to keep anyone from gaining hold of Atlantis' power again. But still, he couldn't help but wonder why. Why had the person he loved abandon him?
****
For the fifth time that day, Yukari looked over at her friend. And grew concerned over what she saw. Hitomi didn't look much different, to be sure. She laughed, smiled, joined in conversations like normal. She had even hugged Amano when he had come back. As a matter of fact, the three of them were walking thorough the park to a picnic right now. But to Yukari, who had known Hitomi all her life, it all seemed to be some sort of facade. Like Hitomi had put on a mask or something. This thought was reconfirmed whenever Yukari looked at her when she knew Hitomi wasn't looking. She had this empty look on her face, as if everything she loved in life had just left her. And Yukari just couldn't figure out why.
Amano stopped on a hill and looked around. "This looks like a good spot." He turned to Yukari. "You can see the lake from here. It'll make for a great view, right 'hon?" she turned back to him and gave him a smile. He was so handsome, it was she could do not to start making out with him right on the spot. Thankfully Hitomi's mood helped keep Yukari's head on her shoulders.
Turning her attention back to the matter at hand, she looked out over the hill and nodded. "Oh, yeah. This is a great spot, dear." She glanced over at Hitomi again. "Hitomi, come look at this!" She said. Hitomi, putting her mask back on, jogged over to join them.
"It's beautiful…" she exclaimed. "This is a great spot, you picked, Amano." She then gave him a sly look. "Especially considering you haven't been here for a few years. Yukari did you mail him some maps, too?" she asked. Amano laughed.
"No, I can't say that she did. I would've had less trouble remembering where she lived if that were the case." This got him a sock in the shoulder. "Actually, I remember this spot because when I was younger, I came here a lot. I had always liked the view of things." He paused, reminiscing for a moment. "Well, anyway, let's set up the picnic, shall we girls?"
They readily agreed. The blanket, plates, silverware (actually plastic-wear) and food was prepared, and the three caught up on old times. When Amano had asked Hitomi if she still had that necklace, Hitomi had paused before answering. After saying that she had lost it, she excused herself to go use the ladies room. Amano was puzzled, Yukari pondering.
Hitomi washed her hands and face in the sink. Why did Amano have to mention the pendant? As she scrubbed her face, she looked up in the mirror and gasped, seeing Van's face looking back at her. The look in his eyes was sad, and he wouldn't stop looking at her. She wished desperately for him to go away and leave her alone, and it did so silently. She grasped the sink and choked, as tears welled up in her eyes. Why couldn't he leave her alone? It was painful enough to know his fate and know there was nothing she could do for him, but this made it much worse.
The door opened and she quickly dried her tears. She turned around and saw Yukari standing at the door. Her hands were on her hips, and she had a worried expression on her face. Quickly striding over to Hitomi, she asked "Are you okay? You've been in here for a while, now. Is something wrong?" Hitomi shook her head.
"No Yukari. I'm fine. I was just a little longer than I thought." At this, she made to leave, but Yukari stopped her. Looking over at her friend, she raised her eyebrows slightly when she saw the look on Yukari's face.
"That's bull shit," she replied. "Something's been wrong for a while now. You can't hide it from me, Hitomi. And frankly I'm hurt that you'd try to." Hitomi said nothing. "What is it? Is it about that guy Van?" Hitomi remained silent. Yukari continued. "He hurt you, didn't he? That bastard did something to make you sad, is that it? I'll bet he slept with someone behind your back!" At this she got angry and turned to Yukari. She may not have known Van, but that didn't excuse her from saying those things about him!
"No, Yukari! This has nothing to do with him! Van would rather die than hurt me." Yukari stopped, which calmed down Hitomi. "It's something else entirely. And you can't do anything to help me, so just forget about it." With that, she wrenched her arm out of Yukari's grasp and walked out. Yukari looked after her for a moment, and then followed.
****
King Aston looked over to his company. With him were the other four elder rulers and one other. It was this one that drew all the attention of the other men in the room. None of them knew where he came from, but that didn't matter. The fact that he looked like a man in his fifties with steel gray didn't matter, either. What mattered was the fact that on his back was a pair of white wings. The five elder rulers of Gaea were in the presence of a Draconian. He went by the name Belshezaar, an odd name no one had heard of. He had gathered them here to learn of the situation of Fanelia.
Belshezaar had come to Aston several weeks ago. He requested the presence of the other four rulers, to which Aston had quickly agreed, fearing the demon's wrath. They came, wondering what they were called for, when they had met Belshezaar, and cowered in fear. The Draconian had looked down upon those gathered and asked them if they truly loved Gaea. They hesitantly voiced their acknowledgement. With that, he had offered them a way to ensure a lasting peace and prosperity for the planet, if they would only lend their support to him in gaining Atlantis' power. Aston, unlike the others, voiced his doubts, though. He had seen what Emperor Dornkirk had almost done to Gaea with the power of Atlantis. At this, Belshezaar sneered. "Dornkirk didn't fully understand the properties of the technology he was using. What other outcome could've happened?"
Aston had no choice to agree, being forced into puppet hood once again. Requesting Fanelia to become part of Asturia's kingdom had been Belshezaar's idea, but so far he wouldn't let the kings know the reason. "All in good time," was his response. It made Aston uneasy, but what choice did he have?
"So, has our young king agreed, or not?" Belshezaar inquired, seating himself. He hadn't been too pleased with the previous result. Aston waited a moment before replying.
"No," he began. Belshezaar's eyebrows lowered. "But that is precisely what's odd about this. He is no where to be found. My guards have searched everywhere, but no trace of him has turned up. He hasn't left the city, we know that much." This seemed to change the Draconian's look from one of anger to one of curiosity. He stood and paced the length of the room for a moment before replying.
"Then this, gentlemen, is the moment we cannot afford to miss. I suggest you put the question of allocation to vote immediately." As he said this he developed a gleam in his eye. Aston's unease grew.
"But what about Chid and Dryden?" Cesario's ruler, Balk, interrupted. "They surely won't agree to it. They'll want some time for Lord Van to show up." Belshezaar turned to address him.
"I am sure you aware, King Balk, that Fanelia is in ruins and has no heir to the throne." Balk nodded. "Then in its best interests, you'd have to assume that King Fanel is deceased, and that a new ruler must be chosen, correct?" They all agreed. "Then Freid will have no choice but to accept facts and vote with you."
It all seemed to be logical. There were certainly no flaws anyone could see, and it was important that Fanelia be rebuilt. They all settled for this and agreed to do it at the following meeting. With that, Belshezaar took his leave of them.
****
Hitomi lay on her bed, thinking about the events of the day. After the incident in the bathroom, Yukari hadn't brought the subject up again. Still, Hitomi felt angry and sad at the same time. She felt angry that Yukari could say all those things about Van. She didn't even know anything about him, and she already was labeling him a cheating bastard. She hadn't seen what Hitomi had. She didn't see how Van would be ruthlessly tortured to death. How he'd die alone, a former shell of himself. How it tore Hitomi to pieces that there was nothing she could do to save him. What right did Yukari have to judge Van when she didn't even know him?
But Hitomi also felt sad about the fact that she had blown up at Yukari. She reminded herself that it wasn't Yukari's fault that she didn't know Van. She felt sad about the fact that Yukari had wanted to help Hitomi, and that she had gotten chewed out because of it. She had said those things about Van because she wanted to teach him a lesson for hurting Hitomi and all Hitomi had done was yell at her. Looking back, Hitomi wished she hadn't said those things. Left alone with her thoughts, Hitomi rolled over and went to sleep.
The first thing she felt was cold. The temperature in the room felt negative eighteen degrees, at least, and that was far too cold for a summer night. Seeing her breath mist out in front of her, she rolled over to see if it was snowing, and gasped. Standing there was Van. But he looked different than the last times she had seen him. When he came, Van was always Opaque, although you could pass a hand right through him. This time though, he was translucent. Hitomi could see some of her desk through him. His eyes, which were looking right into hers, were glazed over. His skin was a sickly pale color, as opposed to the clearness it had before. But it was his wings that drew her full attention. Instead of being pure white, they were a dead black. Darker even then Folken's wings, they made the night seem like day. When she saw this, Hitomi knew she looking at Van's spirit. He was already dead.
"Hitomi," he intoned. She shuddered. His voice sounded so… so empty. "Hitomi, why did you abandon me?" he asked pleadingly. He wanted to know why the one he loved had left him when she needed him. Hitomi felt sick with guilt, but couldn't answer out of shame. "Hitomi…?" he asked again.
She looked up to face him. What could she say to him? "Van, please… I didn't abandon you…" she said. She had tried to talk to him, to reach him somehow, but every time she tried, all she met with was howls of pain. She couldn't bear to hear him suffer so, so she ran away. Van remained silent, always looking at her with those questioning, dead eyes. She went on. "I wanted to try to help you, but I couldn't! You were in such pain…"
"All the more reason you should have tried harder," he said emotionlessly. His look changed from questioning to accusing. Hitomi wanted to say no, but in her heart she knew he was right, and that made her feel all the more horrible. "You gave up, Hitomi." he said. She didn't say anything to deny it.
"Van, Folken came to me. He told me that you were going to die, and that there was nothing he could do to help you, or me," she replied. She knew it was a feeble reason, but it was all she had to excuse herself with. He just looked at her in that heart-wrenching way. "Van, I watched you!" she pleaded. Still no response. She looked down at her bed sheets. "Why can't you understand…?" she asked, more to herself than to him. She felt something ice cold take hold of her chin and tilted it up. She was eye to eye with him.
"Are you saying that all we went through on Gaea," he said. "All that happened to us to help us realize what we felt for each other didn't matter enough for you to try?" She wept tears of sorrow. Why did he have to torment her like this? "Hitomi, you knew that I'd risk everything that I had to save you, didn't you?" She nodded. "I thought you were strong enough to do the same for me. Our love was strong enough to bring us together through time and space. Don't you think it would've been enough to save me?" he asked.
"Van, you don't understand! I had no way of finding you! I had no way to help you!" she exclaimed. Couldn't he see that? Why was he blaming her? Why was she blaming herself? He studied her tear streaked face for a moment before letting it go and turning away. "Van…?" she asked waveringly.
He walked slowly back to the spot where he stood before. With his back still turned he simply said "I guess I was really alone after all." This shot a hole through her heart. "I loved you Hitomi," she began to cry again. "I only thought you felt the same way I did. I see now that I was wrong." Tears ran down her cheeks uncontrollably. Why had she given up on him? Why had she let him die? He slowly faded away, and she felt herself scream in anguish.
She woke up screaming. Panting, she looked around and realized it had all been a dream. But Van's words still cut into her heart. Drawing her knees up to her chest, she put her head in her hands and sobbed into the night.
****
Van woke up to the sound of the door opening. Ryoji stood in the doorway, hands folded over his chest. Seeing that Van was awake, he walked over and stood before him. "So we're awake, now are we?" he asked. Van didn't respond. Ryoji frowned. "It seems they've managed to synthesize the material of your pendant successfully enough to power my suit of armor. I should thank you for bringing it to me." At the mention of Hitomi's pendant, Van's hand balled into a fist, and he struck at Ryoji. The other man easily caught Van's punch, and squeezed, making Van cry out. "Tsk. Tsk. Such rude behavior, Van," he said as he threw Van back onto the bed. "Well, let's get started, shall we?" He said. Van knew all to well what he meant. "Van, please. I'm asking you to help me achieve something great. You should be more than willing to help me. I'm one of your kind, after all."
Van spit at Ryoji. "You're after Atlantis' power. Of that I'm certain. There's no greatness that be gained by that power, Ryoji," Ryoji merely frowned and wiped the spit from his cheek. "I've seen it for myself, and it's only purpose is for destruction." Ryoji sighed.
"I was afraid you'd say that, Van," he replied. "I would think you'd be willing to comply by now, but I suppose you need more incentive." He said, pressing a button. Moments later, two of his soldiers had arrived, yanking Van up and marching him out the door. Van wondered what Ryoji had in mind for him now.
Takashi walked around the table Van was strapped to. He had wanted to do this in a more humane manner, but he was so close to his goal, and this boy was being so stubborn. He could have gone with something more modern, but these old torture devices he had kept as antiques were so much more extravagant. In the long run, he was more old fashioned.
The device Van was strapped to was one of Takashi's favorites. He looked at Van once more and asked "Are you sure you aren't willing to reconsider?" The boy merely shook his head. Takashi shrugged, and then nodded to the guard who was stationed at the lever. He pulled it, and slowly, agonizingly, spikes began to push up from the table into the child's back. He had grit his teeth at first, but the deeper into his flesh the spikes dug, the closer Van came to letting go. Blood began to run over the table and drip to the floor, but still he refused to give in to the pain. Takashi admired the kid, even though this was foolish in the end. After a few moments, he signaled the guard to stop. With a quick switch of the lever, the spikes retracted. Van lay there panting heavily. He turned back to Van. "Well, have you changed your mind, boy?" Still panting, Van shook his head. Takshi's brows lowered. He signaled the guard once again, and the spikes dug into Van's back again. This time Van did scream in pain. It went on like that for fifteen minutes until Takashi signaled for a stop again. The guard quickly obeyed. He sent for some medics to patch Van up. As much as this boy's stubbornness angered him, Takashi had to take great care with him. After the medics had done their work, he let Van rest for a few moments.
It continued like that for a while. The torture would continue on and off, each time resulting Van holding out less and less before he would begin screaming in agony. When he lost too much blood, the medics would come in and recover him. After continuing this all day, Takashi decided that Van had had enough, and had him sent back to his cell. This was taking far too long for Takashi. As he returned back to his office, he brooded over ways that he could speed this up. He was going to get to Atlantis, one way or another.
****
Hitomi walked through the door to her house and then gave a start to see her mother and Yukari sitting there waiting for her. She looked from one to the other, then asked "What's going on here? Did I miss out on something, or did I forget about something again?" Neither of them moved. "Mom? Yukari?" She asked again.
They both looked at each other. Hitomi couldn't figure out what in the world was going on. It looked like her mother was going to answer this question though, because she stood up and said "Hitomi… Yukari and I just wanted to know what was wrong. You haven't been yourself lately." Oh, no. It was back to this again. Hitomi sniffed.
"Mother, please!" she said shortly. "There's nothing the matter with me. I told Yukari about it the other day." She wanted to be alone and get away from all this. Couldn't they see they were making it worse? She started to go upstairs when her mother's voice stopped her.
"If there's nothing the matter, then why were you screaming at the top of your lungs last night?" Hitomi didn't turn around, nor answer. Her mother, taking this as a sign, pressed on. "Hitomi, I know something's bothering you. Please, tell us what it is. Maybe we can help you." Hitomi looked back at her. Realizing they weren't going to leave her alone until she let up, she sighed in exasperation and resignedly sat down. "There," her mother said. "Now just talk. We'll listen.
Hitomi didn't know where to begin. The pillar of light had taken her back to the moment before she had left. How could she tell them that she had been gone for so long, when they didn't even see her leave? Still, the only thing she could do was tell them, so she started with where it all began. She told them about how the boy and dragon had appeared, how she had gone to a different planet, how she met up with so many different people and saw so many startling visions. By the time she had finished, she had a hard time believing what she said herself. By the look Yukari gave her, Hitomi could tell that she certainly didn't. Her mother, however, was a different story.
"So you went to Gaea, and fell in love with a boy there?" she simply asked. Hitomi nodded. Mrs. Kanzaki closed her eyes and smiled. "Well, at least you differed from your grandmother in that respect." Yukari and Hitomi looked as though they had been hit the eyes with a baseball bat. "What's wrong, Hitomi? I've told you about the stories Grandma used to tell me about Gaea, haven't I?" Hitomi mentally kicked herself. Of course! Grandmother had been to Gaea as well! It was only logical she would tell them to her daughter. Well, at least now she knew that her mother didn't think her daughter was crazy. But that didn't help the fact that she didn't know what to do for Van. Her mother seemed to notice this, though. "Hitomi, tell me. What did you do to help your friends while you were on Gaea?"
Hitomi thought for a moment. "Well, I prayed for them, hoping that my prayers were answered." She replied. Mrs. Kanzaki nodded.
"Precisely. The way I see it, this boy of yours is in the same kind of predicament." She said. Hitomi blinked. She was right. Van was in exactly the same kind of situation. "So, the best course of action would be to pray for his escape and safety, right?" That was true, but…
"But mother, I don't have the pendant!" she said. "I gave it to Van!" There was no way she could save Van without it. Mrs. Kanzaki shook her head, and laughed. "Mom, this isn't a laughing matter!"
Mrs. Kanzaki laughed again. "I know dear. I'm just surprised that you haven't realized that the pendant was a focus for you. If you concentrate hard enough on this boy, I'm sure you'll be able to help him, with or without your grandmother's pendant." Hitomi still wasn't certain. Her mother placed a hand on hers. "Have faith in you power to help you friends. If you don't, then they really are lost." Hitomi smiled at her mother, then shut her eyes and began to focus all of her thoughts on Van.
****
Van thought he heard something. Looking around, he didn't notice anything, so he decided to make his way over to the door area, and see if someone was out there. Sure enough, he heard two guards talking to themselves. "…..shi told us to check up on him and make sure he's still okay." The first one was saying. "I still don't see what's so important about the brat." This was it! Van just had to wait for them to open the door… Sure enough, it slid open, and the two strolled in. With a cry, Van leapt on top of them, wresting the weapon from one of them, and using it to knock them both unconscious. He then bolted out of the room and down the hallways.
Quickly making his way through the corridors, Van's mind raced as he tried to recall the door Ryoji always stepped through to leave. Suddenly, he was right before it. It was the worst possible time though, because the doors opened to reveal Ryoji himself. They stood there a moment, both surprised to see the other, when Van noticed Hitomi's pendant hanging from the other man's neck. Van quickly grabbed it, and flung Ryoji out of the elevator, punching one of the buttons he saw. The doors slammed shut just as Ryoji got to his feet. Van slouched against the wall. All that running hadn't been good for his wounds. He sat and relaxed as the room made its way upwards. He wasn't sure where he was going, as long as it was away from there.
Suddenly the doors slid open and he found himself on a floor in front of a flight of stairs. Not wanting to wait around, he quickly dashed up the flight of stair, and found himself out on the roof. He had no idea that buildings were this tall here! If he hadn't been so used to heights, the vertigo might have nauseated him. He heard sounds coming from the door, and saw it burst as Ryoji and several guards stepped onto the ceiling. This wasn't exactly a good situation for Van. Looking around for an exit, the only one open to him was to fly away. But could he make it?
His choice was made for him. The guards were advancing, their weapons aimed at him. Leaping off the roof, he spread his wings, flinching as his wounds opened up, and beat at the air, trying to get away. Ryoji yelled in fury, and guards opened fire. Van managed to dodge their fire, and it looked like he was going to get away, until one of the bullets found their mark, grazing his wing. He felt himself begin to weaken. He had gotten far enough away that the bullets wouldn't him, but he wasn't sure how long he could keep airborne at this rate. He flew on for a few more hours, until he finally dropped and plummeted.
****
Hitomi had been walking through the park, hoping that her wish was granted, when she saw what looked like a wounded bird trying to keep aloft. As she squinted to get a better view, she gasped. That was too big to be bird, and now it was free falling to the ground. She ran over to the area she thought it had fallen to. Combing the area around the tree she saw it fall towards, she tried looking up in the tree for it, and was shocked to find an arm sticking out of the branches. Tugging on it, it gave way and fell to the ground with a grunt.
Hitomi could only stare. It was Van!! He was without his shirt, and he was bruised in a few places, but this was definitely Van! He was alive!! She was about to hug him, when she noticed he was bleeding. Curious, she bent down to get a closer look, and recoiled. His entire backside was awash in wounds. By this time other people had started to gather around him, and were wondering what was happening. Gabbing one of them, she pleaded "He's hurt badly! Please, call an ambulance!! Several people rushed off to call the hospital, while the others began wondering why this boy was so hurt. Hitomi could only hold Van and cry, partly because she was so happy, and partly because she was upset she couldn't do anything to help him.
Seven hours later, Hitomi was standing by his bedside in the hospital when he slowly opened his eyes and looked around. When she saw him focus on her, she ran over and hugged him. He was unsure of this action, and slowly moved to put his arms around her. She could only sob, happy to see him alive. "Oh, Van! Van!! I'm so happy to see you alive! I thought you'd died! I was so worried!" She let go of him to look at his face, but was concerned to see a look a troubled puzzlement there. "Van?" She asked slowly.
He looked up at her, that look still on his face. "Van….?" He asked. She looked at him gravely, worried by the tone in his voice. It didn't sound right. "Who is…Van?"
****
Chid was helpless. While he didn't want to go along with this, he had no choice. He had Dryden if it was the right thing to do, and Dryden grudgingly said agreed. What some of the elder Rulers said about Fanelia made sense, he still couldn't help but feel like he was betraying Van. "If there are no objections, may I request the vote on the issue?" King Aston asked. No one objected. "Then let us decide. All opposed?" Not a single hand was raised. "All for?" the others shot their hands up almost as before the words left King Aston's mouth. Chid, slowly raised his hand to join theirs. "Well, then," Aston continued, "In the name of the Gaean council, I Grava Efund Aston hereby proclaim that from this day forward, that the Lands of Fanelia are now part of the kingdom of Asturia!!" The others cheered. Chid, on the other hand, felt like he was nailing the coffin shut on Van's grave.
****
HOLY CRAP!!! What an exciting (and long) chapter! Van's lost his memory, and Fanelia's now part of Asturia! You could only find this kind of excitement watching profession Fish Mud Wrestling!! Stay tuned for the next chapter, when we through even more slop at you!!
