... ~*~ ... Wanting to Forget, Wishing to Remember ... ~*~ ...
~By: Lauren~
-Chapter 14-
"Angel of the Past"
Hitomi's breath caught in her throat as she tensed, fear coursing through her entire body. Droplets of warm crimson blood formed, dripping down her neck from the tiny sliver the dagger had sliced. She couldn't see a thing for the light had blinded her but she found that the dagger wasn't at her throat anymore. Finally, her swimming vision settled down and it began to clear, her eyes focusing slowly. Why had her necklace burst into a flash of light? HOW had it done that?
Questions swam through her mind but Hitomi couldn't think about them at the moment as something stirred in the corner of the room. Spinning around, what she saw shocked her yet part of her truthfully expected it.
Azumi was slouched against the wall, wincing as she began to move. The dagger that had cut Hitomi's neck was sitting a few feet from her open hand. The intruder's eyes instantly shot open as she lunged for the weapon, grabbing it as her knuckles turned white.
"Why Azumi?" Hitomi stepped back, away from the insane girl. "Why?" She peered at her.
Azumi stood up, gaining her composure, or what was left of it. "You know why." She hissed, her eyes opening and shining with hatred. Her usual beautiful hair was frizzed outward, giving her a devilish and wild look. Her face had paled as she gritted her teeth and clenched the dagger, her body tense like a tiger ready to jump on its prey. Her makeup was smeared with the telltale trace of tears and her clothing was ruffed and wrinkled. "What was that light?!" She demanded, holding the dagger in front of her as she advanced on Hitomi.
"I...I don't know." Hitomi replied, taking an unsteady step backwards towards her balcony door. As she stared at Azumi, she decided that the poor woman had finally snapped and lost it.
"YES YOU DO!!" Azumi yelled, cursing. "You stole Van from me!!! You stole everything from me!!" She accused, bringing the dagger up as she stepped closer to Hitomi.
"I stole nothing!" Hitomi replied as she stood her ground firmly, planting her feet down determinedly. "I know you probably hate me because of Van but...it's love Azumi. I'm sure there's somebody out there for you too."
Azumi spat on the ground near Hitomi's feet and then gazed into the peaceful jade eyes of the woman she hated with every ounce of her being.
And that's when she realized it.
Azumi hated Hitomi so much because she had everything Azumi wanted- she was everything Azumi dreamed to be. She had beauty, she had love from friends, she had love from a lover, she had happiness, she had joy....she had a family that cared for her, even if they weren't blood related and she was sure Hitomi's real family loved her too.
As this shock hit her, the final straw of sanity in her snapped completely, the pieces tearing into her heart. She prepared to run at Hitomi, holding the dagger tightly in her grip, wanting to remove the thing she desired so much.
Suddenly, the door to Hitomi's broke into a thousand wooden pieces as someone ran in.
That was when her world decided to go topsy-turvy and upside down.
~*~
Van had been sleeping peacefully in his room when he heard it.
It wasn't exactly a scream- it was, as if something in his mind had jolted him awake- causing a feeling much like fear to go throughout his body. It made his blood run cold.
He jerked awake; jumping up in his bed as a bright light blinded him. He blocked it with his hands when he discovered it was coming from his necklace- the necklace Hitomi had given to him so long ago.
It was reacting to something. And he knew what it was.
Hitomi was in trouble. She needed him.
Grabbing the sword that rested near his bed, he sprinted from his room, his destination- Hitomi. Sometime when he ran down the hallway, his necklace light had gone out. Finally, he reached her room to discover the door locked. Inside, he could hear yells and angry voices. Worried for his love, he backed up and ran into the wooden door. After a few thuds, the door finally gave away and splintered into millions of pieces.
What he saw shocked him. Azumi standing in front of Hitomi with a dagger.
~*~
Azumi knew it was Van. He had come to rescue his damsel in distress. She knew he wouldn't care if he had to injure her to help Hitomi. It was all over for her now. Whatever chances with the king that Azumi had left were now gone. To Azumi, this was even worse than what had happened so many years ago when her family had abandoned her. The damage had been done, but she knew that it would heal and that she'd eventually get over it. This was different and she knew it. How did you go about picking up the millions of pieces that your heart had shattered into, and put them back together again? She really needed to know, because that's exactly what was happening to her heart at this moment, as Van looked at her in that uncaring way, with disgust and anger now written all over his face.
Why was he disgusted now? He wasn't so when she first met him. Back then...before Hitomi had walked in...he was kind to her. He made sure she was safe and comfortable in the castle. Or was all his kindness a lie? Had she mistaken his kindness for pity, and that he felt an obligation to her?
It was just like back then. Her sister had pushed her out of the picture in her family and now...Hitomi was pushing her out of the picture in her chance at being in a family once again. Hitomi was destroying Azumi's one chance of being happy and being with the man who had saved her life. Azumi couldn't stand being pushed aside again. As Azumi stared at the Mystic Moon girl, Hitomi's face seemed to waver between its original look and the face of Azumi's sister. Finally, it stopped at the face of her sister.
Her sister was sneering at her. She was happy. Once again, she had succeeded on taking away everything from Azumi.
The noblewoman ran at Hitomi, holding the dagger directed at her heart.
Van's eyes widened in shock as he tried to think of something to do- something that would save Hitomi but not hurt Azumi.
Hitomi panicked, trying to avoid being stabbed to death by a madwoman. Stumbling backwards, her hand groped for the handle of her balcony doors. Finding it, she gripped it tightly and pulled the door open.
Since Hitomi had been leaning against the door slightly, when she had pulled it opened, she had lost her support and went falling backwards to land on her rear end.
Azumi blinked in confusion as her target had suddenly disappeared from view but the momentum of her run left her unable to stop. Azumi flew forward, her feet brutally colliding with Hitomi's sprawled out body.
Hitomi shuddered from the painful kick, her eyes landing on Van who seemed unable to move, relieved that Hitomi was out of danger, for now. They opened wide again but they weren't looking at Hitomi anymore. Trying to figure what he was looking at, Hitomi turned around to see...
Azumi flew forward, her body going into the air slightly. Her hips slammed into the railing, letting a sickening crack break the silent night air. But instead of falling back onto the safe, solid floor of the balcony or trying to land on it steady, Azumi just didn't seem to care anymore.
She let herself lean forward.
She let the greater weight of her body lean over the balcony.
She let herself fall.
Hitomi let out a choked scream.
Suddenly, a blur of a yellow-golden color whizzed through the broken door, past Van and past Hitomi.
A warm hand reached over the edge of the balcony, grabbing hold of Azumi's cold hand tightly as someone let out a grunt in obvious strain.
Azumi's eyes were scrunched closed as tears dripped down her cheeks. She let her hand go slack. She wished this cursed person would JUST LET GO OF HER! There was nothing left for her anymore.
A male voice reached her ears but it wasn't the voice that caused her eyes to open up wide- it was the words it said.
"Don't do it little one. You've got so much more to look forward to in your life." It said tenderly, filled with emotions. "Somebody always cares, like me. Never give up hope."
Staring up blankly, Azumi's eyes looked into those of Allen's.
"I-It...w...was...you...?" She murmured, tears falling from the corner of her eyes as the blond of Allen's hair almost made it look as if he had a hazy halo about his head. He looked like an angel. And he was an angel. He was her angel- her savior. Not Van. He had never been her angel. It had all been false. Strangely, this left Azumi feeling relieved.
Allen smiled warmly as he nodded yes. Grunting again, he pulled her up. Azumi clung to Allen's hand desperately as she reached the top of the railing and collapsed forward, landing safely in his arms.
She broke away quickly, stepped backwards to look up at him. "I...It was you the entire time...?"
Allen nodded, his smile widening. "I was wondering how long it would take you to figure it out..." He chuckled softly.
Azumi's jaw dropped before the corners of her mouth slowly rose up into a huge, genuine smile. "IT WAS YOU!!" She screamed, diving into Allen's welcoming arms. "And...it was you again....now...you saved my life...again..." She sobbed into his shirt as she melted into his arms, her body losing all strength as her legs nearly gave out under her.
Allen wrapped his arms around her tightly, holding her up against his chest tenderly while she cried into his shoulder. His hands ran up and down her back while he buried his face in her hair, breathing in her sweet scent. "It was me." He whispered in her ear, supporting her in his arms. "I...I'll always be there for you." He murmured lovingly.
Azumi broke away for a second, her eyes staring up into his as more tears filled and blurred her vision. Throwing herself into his arms again, she pressed her lips up against his. "I love you..." She muttered while kissing him.
Lost in the kiss, Allen could only respond "I love you too" by a 'mmhmm'.
Behind the two, Hitomi had stood up and ran to Van. The pair was now watching Azumi and Allen, a smile lighting up both of their faces. Van had wrapped one arm around Hitomi's shoulders and she was leaning in against his chest. She nuzzled him lightly and he looked down at her.
"What the heck...we'll join them..." Van chuckled, pulling Hitomi into a deep kiss that left her entire body tingling.
~*~
Lauren: Wow...it took me long enough but I finally got a new chapter out. Sorry, I've had writer's block and I've been extremely busy. Please forgive me! So what did you think of the new chapter? I'm pretty proud of it considering I wrote it trying to get out of my writer's block. Please review and tell me what you think! Don't worry...this isn't the end...not just yet. Hitomi still has to figure out what's up with the necklaces and if she'll have to return home. Not to mention...the memories of Gaea are still left.
