Sorry I'm late. I was eating a chocolate pocky Ganki gave me. *pause* What? It was good pocky!!
So anyway, where were we? Oh yes, I remember! Sneaking through the shadows, an unseen terror you cannot deny… Action! Drama! Intrigue! More action!! It is the masterpiece known as… PIRATE vs. NINJA!!!
What? Whaddya mean we aren't doing "Pirate vs. Ninja" in this segment!? Y'mean we're still on that piece of crap? This is so retarded. Pirates and Ninjas have swords for crying out loud!! All right, fine! Don't you take that tone of- ohhh, God!! Get away from me with that!!
Disclaimer: Don't own Escaflowne, blah, blah, blah…
Dedicated to, um, I don't know… Montana…?
****
Hitomi stared at Van in shock. This must have been some sort of joke he was playing on her. It had to be. Still, he must have really been trying to push it from the look on his face. It was very convincing. "Van, you're just fooling around, right? It's me, Hitomi, remember?" She waited to see if her name could invoke some kind of reaction.
"Hitomi…?" Van mouthed the name, his brow furrowing in confusion. This was ridiculous. Enough was enough. This joke wasn't funny, and it was time he stopped. Hitomi stood up and put her hands on her hips. Van's face followed hers, apparently having no where else to go. "Alright Van, knock it off and be serious! I mean it, this isn't funny!"
Van only looked at her questioningly. "I'm not sure what you mean. Where exactly am I? And how did I get here?" he asked. From the lack of amusement in his voice, Hitomi's countenance fell sharply. He really wasn't fooling. Then that meant that he really did….
"So… You don't remember anything…?" she asked quietly. After a pause, she said "You don't remember… me…?" He shook his head.
"No, I'm afraid I don't," he replied. He looked at her in that questioning way again. "…Should I?"
Hitomi bit her lip. This wasn't right! How could Van have lost his memory? He had been spared being killed, only to end up like this? Hitomi's head dropped. God must have been having a good laugh at her expense right now. Why did this have to happen?
At her sudden movement, Van asked "Are you alright, Miss?" Hitomi started. That word he called her was so…. foreign. Even when he had first met her, he hadn't called her that. This made her even more depressed. She slumped into the chair next to Van's bed, shoulders rolling forward. Van could only look at her, puzzled.
Suddenly, the door opened, and a doctor walked in. "So, young man, how are feeling? Better, I assume?" he asked mildly, looking over his spread sheets, not noticing Hitomi's dour state. She was surprised for a moment to hear Van ask, "Come again?" Hitomi snapped back into attention immediately. Suddenly she remembered that no one here could understand Van, and neither could he understand them, so she had to translate.
Standing up, she replied "He says he's just a little worn out, for the moment." The doctor looked over at her, surprised to see her there. From the looks of it, it seemed she had popped out of nowhere.
"And just where did you come from, Miss?" he asked. "Are you a relative of the boy?" Hitomi had to think for a moment. She hadn't given a thought about what to say if anyone had asked her about this. Of course, she had never thought about Van coming here again, let alone winding up in a hospital. What could she say? She thought about saying they were siblings, but he might ask mother or father about it. Thumbing through some more answers quickly, she blurted out "He's a friend of mine, from overseas!!" She groaned inwardly. That was the best she could come up with?
Eyeing her for a moment, he shrugged. Hitomi inwardly sighed with relief. Turning back to his spreadsheets he gave her the results of the medical attention. "Well, apparently he suffered from severe beatings. It seems his backside was especially wounded recently. There were a few minor fractions, but some simple splints should fix them." Hitomi nodded. She had to ask him something.
"Doctor," she began. He looked over the clipboard at her. "Well, he's… he's lost his memory. He doesn't know where or who he is, or how he got here." At this, the doctor frowned. Hitomi took this as an ill sign. Did he not know what was wrong with Van?
"Hmm, amnesia is it?" he sked. Hitomi nodded. He put a hand up to his chin and folded the clipboard under his other arm. "Well, we didn't find any sign of a heavy head-blow in the C.A.T scan or X-rays. But then again, they have slipped by them before. Do you know if your friend might have gone through some kind of trauma?" Hitomi couldn't tell him what happened, so she said she didn't know of any. She had found him like this. It was more or less the truth. "Hmm, strange…." he replied. "Well, my guess is that whatever caused him to loose so much blood had something to do with it. Having been in such bad shape, his brain might have gone through shock, causing him to loose memories."
Hitomi looked at Van uncertainly, who was still watching her and doctor's discussion of his condition. She turned back to the doctor. "Will he… ever remember who he was…?" she asked tentatively. He shook his head.
"That's uncertain at this point. Amnesia is a very tricky thing. Sometimes, they can recover their memory almost an hour after they've lost it, other times, they might not recover it for years. Some don't recover at all." Hitomi looked crest-fallen. "The best thing to do for him," he continued, "Is to help him to recover slowly. If he's forced, he might panic and feel too uncomfortable around the ones he used to remember." With that, he excused himself, saying he had other patients to take care of. Hitomi was left in a hopeless state. Van might never regain his memory? What did this mean for Fanelia?
What did this mean "For us…?" she finished the thought out loud.
****
Belshezaar stood on a cliff overlooking the reconstruction of Fanelia. If there was one thing these humans did well, it was to scurry like ants when the need called for it. Well, he cared little for this ancient country of dragons and stone. It was what lay inside of it that concerned him. He stood quietly for a moment, reflecting on this. It had been so long since he had had a moment to reflect on what he had been doing. He almost hadn't noticed the sound of wings, signifying that someone had come seeking the pleasure of his company. He opened his eyes and looked over at the intruder. "What is it, Daedalus?
A man much younger than Belshezaar walked up to join him. Fair skinned with eyes like black pools and hair the color of an old oak, Daedalus was Belshezaar's son and second in command. Looking out over the hillside, he asked "Father, was it really necessary to go through all this?" It was the third time that he had asked this question. "Surely we could take the guymelef from these humans with little trouble, so why should we go through all this?"
Belshezaar sighed. At his age, Daedalus was more adept with some things, such as military strategy and the foresight and wisdom that someone twice his age would bear. Unfortunately, he had no conception of political tact. He addressed his son on this matter. "While we could take the Guymelef from them, Daedalus, we would have more than a 'little trouble'," he responded. His son looked at him inquiringly. "Listen to me, my son. Starting a war with the humans to get what we want is a foolish course of action. While I have no doubt that we would win, because of their sheer numbers we would suffer too heavy in our losses. I do not want that."
Daedalus was intelligent, but he preferred military might rather than diplomacy. "Are these humans really so powerful that they'd be able to inflict that much damage on us?" he asked. "We are Atlanteans, the ones who gave them their planet and technology! We are like Gods to them!" he exclaimed.
Belshezaar sighed. "Yes, my son. It's true that we are as Gods to these people. But if there is one thing I have learned from these humans, it's that they do not take kindly to tyrants. Even if they are Gods." this seemed to silence Daedalus. He pondered over the meaning of his father's words. "If we were to confront the humans with arms bared, they would surely rally their forces, rather than meekly submit. I have no doubt that a confrontation between us will occur, but we must wait until we are ready. Do you understand, my son?"
Nodding his head, Daedalus answered, "Yes, father. I'm sorry I didn't see this sooner."
Belshezaar brushed this aside. Laying a hand on Daedalus' shoulder, he replied "Age can affect even the wisest of us, my son. Don't let it concern you." Daedalus smiled, and Belshezaar joined him. "How is the search for the other guymelefs proceeding?" he asked. Daedalus was quick to report.
"We have found one of the armors to the west. Our intelligence reports that it's the green armor. So far, no country has reported claim of it yet. If we move quickly, we can take it without any problems. No word has yet been given on the location of the others, though." Belshezaar nodded. He knew that the ten Dragon Armors were too important to his plans for Varie to not go to great lengths to hide them. It was a pity she was dead; this would have been so much easier if she weren't. Still, he would recover all of them, sooner or later. What was that old human proverb? Ah, yes. "Good things come to those who wait."
****
Hitomi was at a total loss. She had to find some way to help Van, but how? The doctor had said that he might never remember who he was. What if Van spent the rest of his life here, never knowing about his past? At first, something had told Hitomi that this wouldn't have been so bad. After all, he would never have to remember the ruins of his country, or the fact that all of his relatives were dead. Not to mention all the pain he had suffered during the war. But when she looked at Van, she knew that the voice was wrong. She couldn't let Van live like this. Not remembering his heritage, not remembering… her.
But she had important matters to deal with first. Like, where exactly was she going to keep him? Mother would understand, but her father was another story. She supposed that she could stick with the idea of him being a friend from overseas… But what if he were to suspect something? This was driving Hitomi crazy!! She looked over at Van who was walking beside her, looking at the surrounding buildings. She sighed, and began to run over in her head some reasons why her "penpal" decided to visit her. This was going to be more difficult than she thought.
****
Takashi was fuming. Three days, and not a single word about a sighting of the boy! Van couldn't have gotten far with those injuries, so why hadn't any of Takashi's men found him, yet? In frustration, he crushed the pen he was holding. He grimaced as he looked for something to clean it up with. The intercom on his desk buzzed to life, as he heard his secretary's voice. "Takashi-san, there's someone here to see you." Takashi's lips thinned further. He was in no mood to listen to someone's ideas about adjusting the balance on a CPU to achieve greater RAM capacity.
Pressing the button on the intercom, he said shortly "I have no time for him. Tell him to come back some other time." He thought that finished the matter, but this stranger seemed to have other thoughts.
"But Takashi-san," his secretary protested. He was about to tell her he didn't care and to have him thrown out, when she continued. "He says it's urgent. It's about some photos." Before the words were finished leaving her mouth, he had him sent in.
He seated himself at Takashi's gesture, and promptly folded his briefcase before him. Takashi sat behind his desk, folding his hands before him and gave the other man a glare, causing him to shift in his seat uncomfortably. "Well?" Takashi asked. "Where are these photos or yours?" he said in a dangerous tone. The man, taking the hint, quickly opened up the briefcase and handed Takashi a small manila envelope. Takashi opened it and began to thumb through its contents. They contained pictures of Van with some short-haired brown headed girl. Without looking up, he asked "When were these taken?"
The man cleared his throat. "Just this morning, sir. We saw them leaving the medical clinic, walking downtown." Takashi put his hand to his chin, contemplating. Why would Van be with this girl? The only reason would be that they knew each other. He'd have to have more evidence before making a conclusion. Setting the pictures on his desk, he turned back to the agent.
Sliding the picture over to him, Takashi placed his finger over the girl. "Do we have any information on this girl?" he asked. The agent shook his head. Takashi frowned. If this girl had some kind of connection to Van, perhaps Takashi could use her to get what he wanted from the young Atlantean. He had to be careful, though. Placing the photos back in the envelope, he handed it back to the agent and told him to dispose of them, and then find out everything they could about the girl before taking any action. The guard nodded and then left. Takashi walked over to the window, watching the humans below mill about their business. Perhaps this little crisis was really a blessing in disguise…
****
Dryden had been going over the reports of Fanelia's progress. King Aston had set him to this task personally, which wasn't exactly something that Dryden was too pleased about. Being in charge of the project to rebuild a country and prepare the paperwork regarding its change of royalty was a daunting task, made even more so by the fact that it belonged to one of his friends. Of course,
Princess Millerna wouldn't let him go by himself, despite both Aston's and his own protests. So, Dryden gave in and let her come along. Aston had Allen accompany them, which was something that Dryden was thankful for, occasionally. If Allen, of course, hadn't demanded that his sister accompany them. That knight wouldn't let Celena out of his sight until he was sure she was recovered. He was busy looking at the plans for rebuilding the outer wall when he heard a knock at his door. Without taking his eyes off the blueprints, he said "It's open, come in."
He heard the shuffling of feet and the door closing. The next thing he heard a voice whisper in his ear "Leaving a door unlocked is an open invitation for assassins, you know."
At this statement, Dryden smiled. "And would this assassin that you speak of be here to talk me to death, or merely to make me slit my own wrists by having to listen to her ill-advised selection of window curtains?" That got him a punch in the arm. Rubbing it, he looked up to see his fiancé grinning at him. He grinned back and said "You know, I'm not sure I want to settle for a marriage to an abusive spouse." She grinned even more and sat herself down in his lap. He molded his arms around her until they were in a comfortable position, and asked her "So why have you decided to grace me with your presence this evening?"
Playing with his hair, she replied "I just came in to relax you. You've seemed awful tense, lately." He shrugged. Looking over at the documents on his desk, her smile faded. "Dryden, this really doesn't seem right. I mean, what would Van say?" She looked away. "I don't think father should have gone through with this. He could have at least waited for a while. What will Van do when he returns and sees Fanelia this way?"
Dryden's wasn't sure what to do about this. He knew that Millerna was right, but all the same… "Millerna, we don't know if Van's going to come back." Millerna frowned at him, and was about to reprimand him when he placed a finger on her lips, and looked at her intently. "Please, just listen to me. Van wasn't exactly in the best of spirits when we saw him, was he? His country was a wreck that wasn't getting fixed. He had no one to help him bear his burdens, either. You do remember that all of his family members are now dead, don't you?" Millerna didn't answer. Dryden continued. "He's just a boy, Millerna. All those things might have just caved in on him; he might have needed some kind of release. Besides," he continued, smirking. "From what I recall, there's a certain someone on the mystic moon that's important to him, isn't there? Perhaps, like smart guy would do, he decided that he was better off there with her than he was here with this."
She sniffed "That's what you would do, you mean."
"I consider myself a smart man, I'll have you know."
"I think you're a pig, I'll have you know!"
"And you're my little piglet," he finished, wrapping his arms tighter around her. She playfully protested at first, but gave in to his advances all too soon. They sat there, kissing each other for a while, before she finally broke off, and stood up. "What, is that all I get, then?" He asked. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at him coyly.
"For the moment. You have other things that need to be taken care of, if you remember," she said, pointing to his desk. Giving a sigh of defeat, he turned back to his paperwork, as she walked off, humming contently.
****
Looking up at the afternoon sky, Allen thought to himself about his current situation. Celena wanted to stay at the castle, and after thinking over it for a while, Allen decided to let her stay. He needed a walk to clear his head. He kept having this feeling of foreboding, like something terrible was going to happen. His concern over Van's safety grew the longer he was away. Allen was beginning to think that maybe something had happened to Van. The fact that there was nothing the Calei Knight could do to help his friend didn't ease his state of mind, either. Instead, it made him feel more on edge. He leaned against a wall and closed his eyes, lost in thought. Van wouldn't have been transported to the Mystic moon without a reason. Was Hitomi in danger? That was always a possibility. But then why had he not come back here? Surely it would have been the safest place to take her? Something wasn't right, and Allen knew it.
Turning his head, he saw Princess Millerna making her way down the street. Allen hailed her and walked over. "Allen?" she asked, surprised to see him. "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be with Celena?" Allen nodded.
"Yes, but she wanted to stay at the castle. She doesn't like being in this large crowd. I, on the other hand, needed a walk. I've had too much on my mind lately, and thought that this would help," he replied.
She looked at him quizzically. "And has it?" she asked, sounding like she already knew the answer.
Shaking his head, Allen replied. "No. It seems nothing has been able to do me any good. Frankly, your highness, I don't think we belong here. Fanelia is King Van's country, not ours. He should be the one heading up its rebuilding, not his majesty King Aston." Millerna's face took on a sad look, and she began to walk down the street again. Allen, puzzled, quickly strode to join her. "Princess?" he asked. "Did I say something to upset you?"
Millerna looked up at him and shook her head. "No, Allen," she replied. "It's just that I share your sentiment. I'm concerned about Van's reaction when he finds out about this. When he comes back here and discovers that he no longer controls his own country, what will he do?" She stopped again. Allen took hold of her shoulders gently. She looked up at him. "Allen, Dryden thinks that Van might not come back."
Allen's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?" he asked. She looked away from him before continuing.
"Dryden says that all of Van's problems might have caused him to collapse," she said. Allen frowned. Van was young, and he hadn't exactly had a trouble-free life, but still... Millerna continued. "He believes that Van might have realized that perhaps it was better to stay with Hitomi than to be here where he had nothing but strife." Allen mulled over what she said. Could Van have decided to stay with Hitomi? No, it wasn't like Van to give up.
"Listen, Millerna." He said. "Van wouldn't do something so brash as to let his country fall into the hands of someone else. He's much better than that." Millerna looked uncertain. Allen continued. "Wherever Van is on the Mystic Moon, we have to keep believing that he's still trying to find a way back here. In the meantime, I think we should keep a close eye on things. I… have this feeling that something's going to happen. And whatever it is, it'll happen soon."
At this, Millerna looked startled. "Allen, what are you talking about? Are you saying Gaea might be in danger again?" She looked for some kind of answer. He could only shake his head.
"I don't know. Perhaps, but I can't be certain." He sighed. "All I have is this feeling, which isn't much, but I tend to trust my instincts. All I'm saying is that we should keep alert," he smiled at her. "But I'm bothering you with my thoughts, aren't I? Why don't I escort you to the castle, now?" he asked. Millerna agreed. As they walked back to the castle Allen thought to himself. "Van, you have to get back here quickly. I have a feeling that if you don't, all of Gaea might be danger. Wherever you are, I hope you hear this."
****
Hitomi sat in her chair in the living room, facing her mother and father. Van was seated near her, watching those in front of him. Her mother watched the two of them, and her father was contemplating over what she had just told them. Finally, he pushed his glasses up and addressed Hitomi. "So, let me see if I understand this, Hitomi. This boy, Van, is a penpal of yours. You and he have been talking for some time now, and he wanted to come visit you and you said yes." Hitomi nodded. "And then, at the spot in the park where you were supposed to meet, you found him nearby and he was in critical condition?" Hitomi nodded again. It was all she could think of to tell him. "Well, if that's true, why didn't you tell us about it? And why haven't we seen you sending or receiving letters to or from him?"
Mrs. Kanzaki quickly leapt to her daughter's defense. "She probably took care of it while we were at work, honey," she said. Mr. Kanzaki gave his wife a reproving look. "She might have just been a little embarrassed about her predicament, is all. I really think we should let the boy stay." She gave a look to Hitomi. Hitomi smiled inwardly. Now she was glad she had told her mother about Gaea before.
Her father still seemed slightly adamant, though. "I don't know," he said. "I really think she should have asked us before telling him to come to Japan. Besides, it really isn't decent for them to be under the same roof." At this her mother gave him a disapproving look.
"And just what is that supposed to mean, dear?" she asked. "Are you saying you don't trust our daughter to be together with a male friend in the house at the same time?" Hitomi's father realized what he had said too late to save him. "I think you should have a little more faith in our daughter. We raised her well enough to know not to fool around with boys." Mr. Kanzaki seemed to believe her. "I think it's perfectly fine for this boy to stay with us. I certainly don't see any reason why he shouldn't, and besides, the fare for the trip back home would have to come out of our wallets, not his." Finally, Mr. Kanzaki threw his hands up in desperation.
"All right, fine! He can stay!" Hitomi nearly leapt with glee. "But, he's going to stay down here on the couch!" her father said. "I don't want him in your room for any reason whatsoever, is that clear?" Hitomi nodded quickly. "All right, then. By the way, Hitomi," she looked up. "Can this boy speak Japanese?" Hitomi shook her head. Her father grunted his disapproval. "Well, then I expect you to translate what he says to us. And no paraphrasing!! I want to know everything he says, from the first letter to the last, understood?" Hitomi nodded again. "Good. It's late, so I'm going to bed." With that he went upstairs and into his bedroom. Mrs. Kanzaki kissed her daughter good night and told her not to stay up too late. Hitomi nodded and her mother went upstairs to join Mr. Kanzaki.
Hitomi turned to Van. "Well, it seems to have worked out all right," she said. Van looked over at her. He seemed so lost that it made her heart ache. Was there any way she'd be able to get his memory back? Seating herself, Hitomi decided to try and start by telling Van everything she had learned about him while she was on Gaea. This was going to a long night…
****
Takashi sat overlooking the information regarding the girl from the photos. According to this, she went to Kamakura-Kita High school, and was in grade twelve. Her name was Hitomi Kanzaki and she excelled at sprinting. Before this she had done amateur fortune telling. She had two friends, Yukari Uchida and Amano Susumu. Yukari was her track team manager and Amano was the head of the boys sprinting team until he left to study overseas in her freshmen year.
Takashi wasn't sure how she was connected to Van, but the concern on her face from the photos was more than it would be from a mere Good Samaritan. Somehow she knew Van, and she would be able to help Takashi to find a way to persuade Van to show him the way to Atlantis. All he had to do was recapture Van, and take her with him. However, he had to be careful. This would be a delicate operation, so he had to make sure to choose the right men. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his ring. This time, he would succeed, and the power of Atlantis would be in his hands…
****
Ominous foreshadowing? What ominous foreshadowing? I just remember pocky. Mmmm, pocky… Oh, and the next chapter has stuff in it. What stuff? I aint tellin', 'yo!!
