Hello—you know what I just realized? I FORGOT the disclaimer! In all of
my stories, I've forgotten the disclaimers! So I'm saying this for every
story right now: I don't own Escaflowne, and for this story, I don't own
Vampire Princess Miyu, either! I'm writing this now; I don't really know
what you voted. Most of you voted, b), V/H, mostly, accompanied by a cat-
loving garden shinma. However, I feel that a) and b) can be combined, so I
combined them. Songfics get boring after a while…and Yoda is TOTALLY
UNRELATED, I just put it there for laughs, etc. So. I will continue now.
It's as hot as hell here. 86 degrees, but it's HUMID. VERY humid.
Screaming will only increase the temperature, so I will scream, but very,
very softly. ahhhhhhhhh…
There we go. Um, what's a POV?
Now, chapter seven!
This chapter includes a brief POV from both Van and Hitomi's points of view (did that sound right, or was my grammar screwed?)
Chapter Seven: Garden of Crying Reeds
Hitomi's POV: The Stars are Forever
Van's POV: Fanelia
PS: I will be repeating a lot of words in most of these POV's.
Hitomi's POV
I'm alone right now, under the stars. They tease me with their sparkling, their constant twinkle, the bright energy that powers the cosmos. I sit with my long legs folded up beneath me, hugging my knees to my chest and resting my chin on them. The stars are blended perfectly with the velvet of the night sky, seeming so clear, so beautiful, but I knew a time when there were more stars visible.
That was a long time ago.
Now the air has changed, along with the atmosphere, causing a blanket to dull out the shine of the moon, of the stars. They still gleam, still tease, still soothe me with their brightness, their silvery warmth, melding with the light of the moon.
The moon…
It, too, is shadowed with the pollution that humans have brought upon themselves. But it is still wonderful, a perfect orb of white, mystical and magical, slightly hidden by thin, gray clouds that drift lazily across the night sky. It hangs huge, pinned to the velvet of the sky, made of silver silk, glowing, luminous orb…. I love to sit here, atop my roof, feeling the cool night breeze flying through my clothes and hair, watching the moon. Van watches often, with me. Van…he is another matter altogether.
I feel strange when I think of him, or when he is near me.
I had never seen his face before, not until his mask fell off, not until I handed it to him—when our fingers met, it was…strange…electrifying…
Van is mysterious. His past is shadowed, dark and shadowed. He never speaks of his beloved Fanelia, his kingdom from a time before. Nor does he speak of his brother. He knows that Fanelia no longer exists, but his brother's spirit lives on, tainting the land where the kingdom used to be. His brother will always be there, in the darkness of his mind, dark, oppressing—evil. Van is a halfling, too. Like me. But I am halfling because my parents were one demon, one human. Van was demon, and also Draconian. We both have strange pasts, my Dark servant and I.
Slave. No.
More like a servant, with freedoms.
No. Van is my friend.
We have been thrown together in this strange game of fate, Van Fanel and I. Master and servant, friend and friend…perhaps, it could be something more…
I throw these thoughts away quickly. Van knows I am bound to eternal solitude, and I know as well. Still, it is strange, the electric shock that passed through my body when our fingers touched—when he touched my shoulder. His touch was so gentle—so tender…so caring….I clear my mind of any thoughts, gazing contentedly at the moon. Contentedly is hardly the word to use, and I know it. The stars will always be there to comfort me.
Van will be there to comfort me.
And I will exist, to be comforted.
We are all forever….The stars are forever.
And now, to Van's POV: Fanelia. Oh, Sereneblaze, I dunno if you'd consider this V/H fluff, but…I wrote it for you, since you said you liked that stuff.
Van's POV: Fanelia
Fanelia. The word means so much to me. I know it's gone. It has been gone for the past century. On this world. It never existed in this world. Fanelia is still there, on Gaea, in my own dimension, in Shadows—a bright land in the darkness of Shadows. Fanelia. My country—my people, who I failed in my duty to protect. I failed. I wonder if they still blame me, sometimes. It was my fault. I was a coward, and I ran. And Folken. The bastard. If he's alive, I hope his life is like a living hell. One day I will return to claim what is rightfully mine, and kill him myself.
One day.
Sounds like a promise I'll never keep.
I am bound by my word, my honor, to stay with Hitomi.
I am also bound by my love.
Love—such a weakness. Strong emotions like hate and love, they all are weaknesses.
They can be used against you.
A truly strong demon would never have such emotions, never have anyone close to their hearts, for if their enemies found out, they could use these emotions, and tear your heart to pieces. I loved Fanelia, and it was destroyed. I loved Folken as a brother, and the brother I knew was taken away. I loved Gaea, I loved my life aboard Pierre's ship. All was taken away.
I am afraid to love anything else, for fear that it, too, will be taken away.
So I guess I am weak.
But I'm not a demon.
I'm a halfling, like her.
That's another thing we have in common. I know nothing of her past; she is only just discovering mine.
Hitomi has such a beautiful voice. It's pure, soft, yet it changes. When she jokes, there's a laugh in her voice—then, her voice gets husky, sometimes. My own voice…I am used to the sound of my own voice. I don't know how it sounds. Compared to her graceful beauty, I am an ogre—an oaf, a clumsy, inept fool.
I am a weakling. Hitomi will never be weak. She is strong. I admire her greatly. But I wonder if it is all a shell, like the one I put up.
My emotions are hidden away. Are hers hidden as well?
I do wonder sometimes.
If she'd only let her barrier down sometimes, and let me get to know her… If she'd feel the same way about me. Eternal life wouldn't seem so bad, not if Hitomi cared about me.
Somehow, I think she does care. I can hope, can't I?
I am a weakling—afraid to love. But now I have some proof against my cowardice.
I love her.
It's such a relief to admit it.
I love her. I love Hitomi.
If only she knew.
I love her…
Isn't that sweet? *Sighs, and clasps hands, goes all dreamy-eyed* Okay, back to reality. *Sits upright and tenses* Now, to the actual story? Yes? Good! Oh, oh, oh! I just realized what POV is! Point Of View! Ahah! I've got it!
Chapter Seven: Garden of the Crying Reeds
It starts now!
"Hitomi."
Hitomi turned to look at Van. He had materialized out of thin air and now stood behind her. He wore his sword tied at his waist, underneath the cloak. Hitomi could see the shape of the weapon. In his hand he held something strange.
"Van…?"
Van took her hand slowly, put something into her palm, then closed her hand.
"This is an amulet, to protect you against further demon attacks."
Hitomi opened her hand again and stared at the object. It was a translucent red stone, hanging on a simple silken cord. The stone caught the moonlight and tossed it about, casting patterns of shadow and light on her face. (A/N: Think Hitomi's pendant…the one she gives to Van, eventually.) "Wear it, Hitomi. Please."
Hitomi nodded, slowly placing the pendant over her head. Van surveyed her and smiled, the gesture hidden by his mask, as usual. He made a daring move, then, and summoned up another object.
Hitomi gasped.
Van pressed a white rose in her hand. She looked at it, then stared up at him, wondering.
"Swords aren't the only things I can conjure from air," Van said, and lifted his mask so she could see his smile. He vanished.
Hitomi gazed at the rose she grasped between her fingers. It was perfect in detail, and its radiance rivaled that of the moon. No roses like this grew in Japan, or the world. But they might have in Van's dimension. In Fanelia.
Hitomi fingered one of the cream white petals, feeling the velvet beneath her fingers.
"Thank you, Van…"
******************
Van stared at his hands. What had he done?
"Idiot!" he berated himself. I may have been lying low, lately, but Folken is
bound to notice my magic—especially if I've gotten stronger…If I can sense his presence, he must be able to sense mine!
"If it's for Hitomi," he muttered, "then it's worth it."
*****************
Meanwhile…
"Ejuen! Ejuen!" a young man ran through the streets. He looked to be just over college age, and he apparently had just come from work, judging by the briefcase he carried.
He stopped by a telephone pole, and stared sadly at the missing poster. It had an image of a small, white cat with a single black patch over its left ear. It's eyes were pale green. The poster read,
LOST. Please return to 793, Cyan Rd., reward offered.
He had posted that a week ago. Now it was a week later, and no one had reported seeing Ejuen.
His beloved cat was probably dead.
The man ran a few streets more, still shouting his cat's name. He came to a halt in front of a magnificent mansion, rising into the sunset.
That's strange, he thought, I don't remember seeing that last night…
He heard a tinkling noise, and his mind shouted, That's Ejuen's bell! I know it is!
The man dashed through the gates of the mansion. The courtyard was deserted, and he wandered around, yelling, "Ejuen!"
The bell chimed again.
"Ejuen, I'm coming!"
He skidded to a halt under the full moonlight, staring in awe at the scene before him. A young woman, possibly his age, stood under the moon. She held a red rose in her hands, cooing softly to it. She was garbed in a long, eighteenth century style gown, her flowing, silvery gold hair shimmering in waves down her back. She turned.
"Hello," her voice was light and beautiful.
"Excuse me—but have you seen a white cat lately? Black patch of fur over its left ear," the man said.
"No, I'm sorry. Are you looking for your cat?"
"Yes. She's been gone for over a week now—I'm really worried…"
"I love cats. I hope to have one of my own, soon," she replied, in her strangely bell-like voice.
"Oh—I have to leave now, I guess. I'm sorry I interrupted—"
"Oh, don't go. It's lonely here. Stay a while, no?"
He was about to refuse, but came to a stuttering halt as her elegant purple eyes fixed themselves onto his own.
"O-Okay…"
She smiled charmingly at him, and he walked alongside her as she showed him her garden of roses.
As he turned away, one flower, a white one with one black petal and a pale green center turned toward his back and gave a bell-like, tinkling noise.
*********************
"Van," Hitomi said softly, turning to him.
Van looked at her. "Yes?"
"Why did you give me the rose?"
Van flushed beneath his mask. "I—I…thought you might like it…"
To his absolute surprise, she smiled. "I did."
"It was a Fanelian rose," Van recovered quickly from his shock. "From my mother's garden. She loved them very much."
"But—Folken—"
"He'll get quite a surprise if he tries to attack you," Van grinned.
"What if he goes for you?" Hitomi asked, beginning to worry.
"I can handle him," Van said, and proved his point by conjuring his sword. Hitomi nodded, lighting a flame in her hand and extinguishing it.
"Good. I would…miss you…"
She would miss me! Van's heart sang. He shook his head.
"Van?"
"I'm fine," Van mumbled. "I—have to go now. Call me, if you need me." He stumbled backward, away from her, caught himself before he fell, and vanished, his eyes still locked on hers as he did. Hitomi blushed, touching the pendant he had given her.
****************
Kenji was back in school with Lim. The little kitten had grown, but it still was small. Its mouth opened in near-silent mews.
"Why…?" Yukari asked.
"Mother found out. I have to get rid of it—do you know anyone?" Kenji said.
"No…" Hitomi murmured.
"Hey—wait, there's this guy down the street who loves cats. He might take it," Toroshino suggested.
"His favorite cat just disappeared a week ago, T'oshin'," Myoshi scolded her older brother, "he might not be so happy about the idea of a new cat, so soon, at any rate."
"We'll have to try him, or Mother will have Lim put to sleep," Kenji said desperately.
"Okay. After school, then," Myoshi said. "Oh, gotta run—Arik's waiting!"
Hitomi filed slowly after her schoolmates.
********************
"He lives here?" Yukari asked incredulously.
"Yeah, I guess so. This is 793, Cyan Rd., isn't it?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, well, I'm going to knock."
*******************
The man heard his doorbell ring, and wild hope soared through his heart. He ran down the stairs and slammed the door open.
"Is it Ejuen? Do you have her?" he blurted to the bewildered schoolgirls. Hitomi watched them, standing a few yards behind.
"No," Kenji said, and sighed as his face fell. "It's another cat. A kitten, pretty much. Her name is Lim. Can you take her, please? My mother will have her put to sleep if no one does," she added.
"Oh…I'm sorry, but I couldn't possibly—if Ejuen turns up…Oh!" the man's eyes lit up briefly as he remembered the mysterious woman. 'I hope to have one of my own, soon…' "There's a woman who lives down the road apiece, in the old mansion. She likes cats. Perhaps I could take it to her?"
"Okay. We'll come, too," Yukari volunteered.
"Great. Just let me get my shoes," the man said. "I'm Bryce, by the way."
"I'm Yukari. This is Myoshi, and this is Kenji. And that's Hitomi," Yukari pointed to the slender girl standing in the distance. Bryce felt a slight shiver of apprehension when he saw her. There was something strange about her. Very strange. Not necessarily wrong strange, but good strange…
"I'll take you there," he said, and they all followed.
******************
They came to the street where he had been the night before, by the LOST poster. Hitomi examined the cat, while Bryce looked around in confusion.
"It was just around the corner, last night," he said.
"We've been around the corner at least a thousand times," Myoshi muttered.
"Hmmm…you're sure it's here?"
"I'm positive!" Bryce exclaimed. "Here, give me the kitten. I'll get it to her," he added. "Don't worry. She [the kitten] won't get hurt."
"Uh…"
"If she doesn't take it, I'll take care of Lim myself," Bryce promised.
"Okay, then. Hitomi, are you coming?"
"In a moment. Go without me, I'll catch up," Hitomi said. Bryce came over to her and gazed at the LOST poster.
"She meant a lot to you, didn't she?" Hitomi said softly.
"Ejuen was a wonderful cat."
"Was?" Hitomi eyed him coldly. "You've given up on her, haven't you?"
Just then, Bryce heard the tinkling of Ejuen's bell.
"Not yet," he answered. "I think I hear her—I've got to go!" Carrying the kitten gently, he ran off in the direction of the noise. Hitomi's eyes flashed green.
"Demon," she whispered, and ran to catch up with her friends.
********************
Bryce came to the mansion, only to find it deserted. "H-hello?" he called nervously, wandering around in the dark. The kitten mewed, frightened. "Don't worry," he spoke softly, "I won't let anything hurt you."
He stumbled over an object—it hissed angrily. Bryce backed away and gasped. Surrounding him were hundreds of cats—their eyes vacant and glaring.
The kitten dropped to the ground and scampered into the corner, mewing.
"Hey, come back—"
The woman came. She carried a candle in her hand, a white rose in the other. She walked to the kitten, and carefully pressed the flower up against the animal's face. The kitten seemed to sigh, and when its eyes opened, their beautiful blue had vanished, to be replaced by the empty look of the other cats. It went to join their numbers.
"What did you do to it?" Bryce demanded. "What did you do!"
"Come with me, and I will show you," the woman said quietly. Bryce shuddered, but he followed.
She led him to her garden. The flowers were all swaying in separate directions—and there was no wind that night.
The flowers meowed, hissed, and Bryce realized.
"You've stolen their souls—the cats are trapped in the flowers! You have Ejuen! Monster!" he shouted.
The white flower with the black petal turned toward him, its green center mewing. "Ejuen! Ejuen—" Bryce ran to the flower, stroking it.
"I thought you would understand," the woman's voice was like a knife. "This way, the cats can live on, forever and ever, within beautiful new homes. These flowers, if I take good enough care of them, will last forever. I thought a man who loved cats as much as I did would understand."
Bryce turned to her. "You've destroyed them! They aren't free!"
Three notes sounded. The woman paused—so did Bryce.
Hitomi stood there.
"He's right, demon. They aren't free."
"Guardian!" the woman shouted.
"Yes," Hitomi said. She lit a flame in her hand and threw it. The woman dodged, but the flames struck the flowers, and the garden burned. The souls of the cats escaped into the night.
"My flowers!" the woman screamed. She whirled on Hitomi, her eyes red. "It took me years to cultivate that garden!" she shrieked.
She changed. Her arms thickened, warped, lengthened. Her shimmering hair greened, twisted, shortened. Her body grew larger, taller, leaves and vines sprouting from her trunk and arms/branches. Bryce gave a horrified gasp. She rounded on him.
"You will pay!" she cried, and sent razor-like leaves his way. Hitomi flung her flame and burned the leaves to ashes before they even reached him.
"Your fight is with me, Shinma!" Hitomi ordered. "Leave the human out of this!"
"I will get both of you!" the tree-woman howled. Her vines shot out and slashed Hitomi viciously. Hitomi winced but made no sound, throwing another flame. The shinma blocked with her leaves.
Vine slammed the Guardian into the ground and kept pounding her. Hitomi gasped out against the force of the blows, but she raised another flame.
"Bitch!" she snarled, and threw the fire. The shinma evaded, and Hitomi bit her lip in frustration. She took the shinma's distraction as an opportunity to get up from the ground, though.
Hitomi took a heavy blow from a branch—she was flung into the wall with a sickening thud slid down. Hitomi tried to rise, but her body was screaming in pain and she found that she couldn't. The shinma came at her again, and Bryce could only watch with terrified eyes.
"Van!" Hitomi whispered a command.
Van appeared in front of her, whirling his sword expertly. "Watcher!" the shinma exclaimed, as Van swung and sliced her branches off. She shrieked with pain, and went for Hitomi.
Hitomi's eyes smiled triumphantly as she threw the flame she had conjured while Van was distracting the demon.
"Into the Shadows, Demon!" she cried.
The tree-woman disappeared in a funeral pyre-like fire. The mansion slowly crumpled away.
Van offered Hitomi a hand up. She was going to push it away, but at the last moment, she accepted his hand.
Bryce watched all this, trembling. "I'm sorry," he said to her. "I was falling in love with—that monster! I was disloyal to Ejuen. I deserve this unhappiness. Cats were my whole life before this incident…"
"Do you wish to spend the rest of an eternity with cats? Is your love for them great enough?" Hitomi asked.
"A thousand times over! I love them. I've nothing else in the world, anyway. Cats are so wonderful."
"Then I will take your blood, and give you eternal happiness, an eternity to spend with your cats," Hitomi said softly. She walked slowly to him and pierced his neck with sharp canines that seemed to appear in her mouth. Bryce sighed, and slumped over.
Hitomi turned to Van. "Thank you, Van," she said.
Van nodded.
Hitomi sighed, and her eyes seemed to warm. "I have an exam tomorrow…" she muttered. Van looked at her comically sad face and laughed.
A strange sound reached his ears. He turned to Hitomi, in alarm, and his alarm grew. Hitomi was laughing. She had never before laughed, not once in her eternal life.
And here she was, laughing for him. She smiled at him, and slipped her hand into his. Van flushed, and stared at her in amazement.
"Are we going to go home?" she asked, after an awkward pause.
"Wha—what? Oh, yes," Van gasped, still in a daze and staring into her eyes. She took his other hand, too, and they faced each other as they both vanished.
****************
Bryce stroked Ejuen's back, and she purred contentedly. They sat together in a sunny meadow, surrounded by several other cats. He scratched their chins, talking to them softly, and listening to their wonderful purrs.
Bryce sat alone in his apartment, stroking the air, talking to invisible cats, a delighted smile on his face.
End Chapter Seven.
So, how'd ya like it? Personally, I think this one is a good chapter. I really need you to vote on what's going to happen next, though. Third Important question is…
What should happen next?
a) V/H, mermaid shinma and the death of a human
b) V/H, Van's wings get revealed while fighting the demon in Red Shoes, episode 8 of Vampire Princess Miyu
c) V/H, Van's wings get revealed while fighting some other demon
V/H (I think you know by now that V/H is a given), Folken's minions attack or something
YODA!
Mr. Mahmood's Chewbaccasaurus!
There we go. Um, what's a POV?
Now, chapter seven!
This chapter includes a brief POV from both Van and Hitomi's points of view (did that sound right, or was my grammar screwed?)
Chapter Seven: Garden of Crying Reeds
Hitomi's POV: The Stars are Forever
Van's POV: Fanelia
PS: I will be repeating a lot of words in most of these POV's.
Hitomi's POV
I'm alone right now, under the stars. They tease me with their sparkling, their constant twinkle, the bright energy that powers the cosmos. I sit with my long legs folded up beneath me, hugging my knees to my chest and resting my chin on them. The stars are blended perfectly with the velvet of the night sky, seeming so clear, so beautiful, but I knew a time when there were more stars visible.
That was a long time ago.
Now the air has changed, along with the atmosphere, causing a blanket to dull out the shine of the moon, of the stars. They still gleam, still tease, still soothe me with their brightness, their silvery warmth, melding with the light of the moon.
The moon…
It, too, is shadowed with the pollution that humans have brought upon themselves. But it is still wonderful, a perfect orb of white, mystical and magical, slightly hidden by thin, gray clouds that drift lazily across the night sky. It hangs huge, pinned to the velvet of the sky, made of silver silk, glowing, luminous orb…. I love to sit here, atop my roof, feeling the cool night breeze flying through my clothes and hair, watching the moon. Van watches often, with me. Van…he is another matter altogether.
I feel strange when I think of him, or when he is near me.
I had never seen his face before, not until his mask fell off, not until I handed it to him—when our fingers met, it was…strange…electrifying…
Van is mysterious. His past is shadowed, dark and shadowed. He never speaks of his beloved Fanelia, his kingdom from a time before. Nor does he speak of his brother. He knows that Fanelia no longer exists, but his brother's spirit lives on, tainting the land where the kingdom used to be. His brother will always be there, in the darkness of his mind, dark, oppressing—evil. Van is a halfling, too. Like me. But I am halfling because my parents were one demon, one human. Van was demon, and also Draconian. We both have strange pasts, my Dark servant and I.
Slave. No.
More like a servant, with freedoms.
No. Van is my friend.
We have been thrown together in this strange game of fate, Van Fanel and I. Master and servant, friend and friend…perhaps, it could be something more…
I throw these thoughts away quickly. Van knows I am bound to eternal solitude, and I know as well. Still, it is strange, the electric shock that passed through my body when our fingers touched—when he touched my shoulder. His touch was so gentle—so tender…so caring….I clear my mind of any thoughts, gazing contentedly at the moon. Contentedly is hardly the word to use, and I know it. The stars will always be there to comfort me.
Van will be there to comfort me.
And I will exist, to be comforted.
We are all forever….The stars are forever.
And now, to Van's POV: Fanelia. Oh, Sereneblaze, I dunno if you'd consider this V/H fluff, but…I wrote it for you, since you said you liked that stuff.
Van's POV: Fanelia
Fanelia. The word means so much to me. I know it's gone. It has been gone for the past century. On this world. It never existed in this world. Fanelia is still there, on Gaea, in my own dimension, in Shadows—a bright land in the darkness of Shadows. Fanelia. My country—my people, who I failed in my duty to protect. I failed. I wonder if they still blame me, sometimes. It was my fault. I was a coward, and I ran. And Folken. The bastard. If he's alive, I hope his life is like a living hell. One day I will return to claim what is rightfully mine, and kill him myself.
One day.
Sounds like a promise I'll never keep.
I am bound by my word, my honor, to stay with Hitomi.
I am also bound by my love.
Love—such a weakness. Strong emotions like hate and love, they all are weaknesses.
They can be used against you.
A truly strong demon would never have such emotions, never have anyone close to their hearts, for if their enemies found out, they could use these emotions, and tear your heart to pieces. I loved Fanelia, and it was destroyed. I loved Folken as a brother, and the brother I knew was taken away. I loved Gaea, I loved my life aboard Pierre's ship. All was taken away.
I am afraid to love anything else, for fear that it, too, will be taken away.
So I guess I am weak.
But I'm not a demon.
I'm a halfling, like her.
That's another thing we have in common. I know nothing of her past; she is only just discovering mine.
Hitomi has such a beautiful voice. It's pure, soft, yet it changes. When she jokes, there's a laugh in her voice—then, her voice gets husky, sometimes. My own voice…I am used to the sound of my own voice. I don't know how it sounds. Compared to her graceful beauty, I am an ogre—an oaf, a clumsy, inept fool.
I am a weakling. Hitomi will never be weak. She is strong. I admire her greatly. But I wonder if it is all a shell, like the one I put up.
My emotions are hidden away. Are hers hidden as well?
I do wonder sometimes.
If she'd only let her barrier down sometimes, and let me get to know her… If she'd feel the same way about me. Eternal life wouldn't seem so bad, not if Hitomi cared about me.
Somehow, I think she does care. I can hope, can't I?
I am a weakling—afraid to love. But now I have some proof against my cowardice.
I love her.
It's such a relief to admit it.
I love her. I love Hitomi.
If only she knew.
I love her…
Isn't that sweet? *Sighs, and clasps hands, goes all dreamy-eyed* Okay, back to reality. *Sits upright and tenses* Now, to the actual story? Yes? Good! Oh, oh, oh! I just realized what POV is! Point Of View! Ahah! I've got it!
Chapter Seven: Garden of the Crying Reeds
It starts now!
"Hitomi."
Hitomi turned to look at Van. He had materialized out of thin air and now stood behind her. He wore his sword tied at his waist, underneath the cloak. Hitomi could see the shape of the weapon. In his hand he held something strange.
"Van…?"
Van took her hand slowly, put something into her palm, then closed her hand.
"This is an amulet, to protect you against further demon attacks."
Hitomi opened her hand again and stared at the object. It was a translucent red stone, hanging on a simple silken cord. The stone caught the moonlight and tossed it about, casting patterns of shadow and light on her face. (A/N: Think Hitomi's pendant…the one she gives to Van, eventually.) "Wear it, Hitomi. Please."
Hitomi nodded, slowly placing the pendant over her head. Van surveyed her and smiled, the gesture hidden by his mask, as usual. He made a daring move, then, and summoned up another object.
Hitomi gasped.
Van pressed a white rose in her hand. She looked at it, then stared up at him, wondering.
"Swords aren't the only things I can conjure from air," Van said, and lifted his mask so she could see his smile. He vanished.
Hitomi gazed at the rose she grasped between her fingers. It was perfect in detail, and its radiance rivaled that of the moon. No roses like this grew in Japan, or the world. But they might have in Van's dimension. In Fanelia.
Hitomi fingered one of the cream white petals, feeling the velvet beneath her fingers.
"Thank you, Van…"
******************
Van stared at his hands. What had he done?
"Idiot!" he berated himself. I may have been lying low, lately, but Folken is
bound to notice my magic—especially if I've gotten stronger…If I can sense his presence, he must be able to sense mine!
"If it's for Hitomi," he muttered, "then it's worth it."
*****************
Meanwhile…
"Ejuen! Ejuen!" a young man ran through the streets. He looked to be just over college age, and he apparently had just come from work, judging by the briefcase he carried.
He stopped by a telephone pole, and stared sadly at the missing poster. It had an image of a small, white cat with a single black patch over its left ear. It's eyes were pale green. The poster read,
LOST. Please return to 793, Cyan Rd., reward offered.
He had posted that a week ago. Now it was a week later, and no one had reported seeing Ejuen.
His beloved cat was probably dead.
The man ran a few streets more, still shouting his cat's name. He came to a halt in front of a magnificent mansion, rising into the sunset.
That's strange, he thought, I don't remember seeing that last night…
He heard a tinkling noise, and his mind shouted, That's Ejuen's bell! I know it is!
The man dashed through the gates of the mansion. The courtyard was deserted, and he wandered around, yelling, "Ejuen!"
The bell chimed again.
"Ejuen, I'm coming!"
He skidded to a halt under the full moonlight, staring in awe at the scene before him. A young woman, possibly his age, stood under the moon. She held a red rose in her hands, cooing softly to it. She was garbed in a long, eighteenth century style gown, her flowing, silvery gold hair shimmering in waves down her back. She turned.
"Hello," her voice was light and beautiful.
"Excuse me—but have you seen a white cat lately? Black patch of fur over its left ear," the man said.
"No, I'm sorry. Are you looking for your cat?"
"Yes. She's been gone for over a week now—I'm really worried…"
"I love cats. I hope to have one of my own, soon," she replied, in her strangely bell-like voice.
"Oh—I have to leave now, I guess. I'm sorry I interrupted—"
"Oh, don't go. It's lonely here. Stay a while, no?"
He was about to refuse, but came to a stuttering halt as her elegant purple eyes fixed themselves onto his own.
"O-Okay…"
She smiled charmingly at him, and he walked alongside her as she showed him her garden of roses.
As he turned away, one flower, a white one with one black petal and a pale green center turned toward his back and gave a bell-like, tinkling noise.
*********************
"Van," Hitomi said softly, turning to him.
Van looked at her. "Yes?"
"Why did you give me the rose?"
Van flushed beneath his mask. "I—I…thought you might like it…"
To his absolute surprise, she smiled. "I did."
"It was a Fanelian rose," Van recovered quickly from his shock. "From my mother's garden. She loved them very much."
"But—Folken—"
"He'll get quite a surprise if he tries to attack you," Van grinned.
"What if he goes for you?" Hitomi asked, beginning to worry.
"I can handle him," Van said, and proved his point by conjuring his sword. Hitomi nodded, lighting a flame in her hand and extinguishing it.
"Good. I would…miss you…"
She would miss me! Van's heart sang. He shook his head.
"Van?"
"I'm fine," Van mumbled. "I—have to go now. Call me, if you need me." He stumbled backward, away from her, caught himself before he fell, and vanished, his eyes still locked on hers as he did. Hitomi blushed, touching the pendant he had given her.
****************
Kenji was back in school with Lim. The little kitten had grown, but it still was small. Its mouth opened in near-silent mews.
"Why…?" Yukari asked.
"Mother found out. I have to get rid of it—do you know anyone?" Kenji said.
"No…" Hitomi murmured.
"Hey—wait, there's this guy down the street who loves cats. He might take it," Toroshino suggested.
"His favorite cat just disappeared a week ago, T'oshin'," Myoshi scolded her older brother, "he might not be so happy about the idea of a new cat, so soon, at any rate."
"We'll have to try him, or Mother will have Lim put to sleep," Kenji said desperately.
"Okay. After school, then," Myoshi said. "Oh, gotta run—Arik's waiting!"
Hitomi filed slowly after her schoolmates.
********************
"He lives here?" Yukari asked incredulously.
"Yeah, I guess so. This is 793, Cyan Rd., isn't it?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, well, I'm going to knock."
*******************
The man heard his doorbell ring, and wild hope soared through his heart. He ran down the stairs and slammed the door open.
"Is it Ejuen? Do you have her?" he blurted to the bewildered schoolgirls. Hitomi watched them, standing a few yards behind.
"No," Kenji said, and sighed as his face fell. "It's another cat. A kitten, pretty much. Her name is Lim. Can you take her, please? My mother will have her put to sleep if no one does," she added.
"Oh…I'm sorry, but I couldn't possibly—if Ejuen turns up…Oh!" the man's eyes lit up briefly as he remembered the mysterious woman. 'I hope to have one of my own, soon…' "There's a woman who lives down the road apiece, in the old mansion. She likes cats. Perhaps I could take it to her?"
"Okay. We'll come, too," Yukari volunteered.
"Great. Just let me get my shoes," the man said. "I'm Bryce, by the way."
"I'm Yukari. This is Myoshi, and this is Kenji. And that's Hitomi," Yukari pointed to the slender girl standing in the distance. Bryce felt a slight shiver of apprehension when he saw her. There was something strange about her. Very strange. Not necessarily wrong strange, but good strange…
"I'll take you there," he said, and they all followed.
******************
They came to the street where he had been the night before, by the LOST poster. Hitomi examined the cat, while Bryce looked around in confusion.
"It was just around the corner, last night," he said.
"We've been around the corner at least a thousand times," Myoshi muttered.
"Hmmm…you're sure it's here?"
"I'm positive!" Bryce exclaimed. "Here, give me the kitten. I'll get it to her," he added. "Don't worry. She [the kitten] won't get hurt."
"Uh…"
"If she doesn't take it, I'll take care of Lim myself," Bryce promised.
"Okay, then. Hitomi, are you coming?"
"In a moment. Go without me, I'll catch up," Hitomi said. Bryce came over to her and gazed at the LOST poster.
"She meant a lot to you, didn't she?" Hitomi said softly.
"Ejuen was a wonderful cat."
"Was?" Hitomi eyed him coldly. "You've given up on her, haven't you?"
Just then, Bryce heard the tinkling of Ejuen's bell.
"Not yet," he answered. "I think I hear her—I've got to go!" Carrying the kitten gently, he ran off in the direction of the noise. Hitomi's eyes flashed green.
"Demon," she whispered, and ran to catch up with her friends.
********************
Bryce came to the mansion, only to find it deserted. "H-hello?" he called nervously, wandering around in the dark. The kitten mewed, frightened. "Don't worry," he spoke softly, "I won't let anything hurt you."
He stumbled over an object—it hissed angrily. Bryce backed away and gasped. Surrounding him were hundreds of cats—their eyes vacant and glaring.
The kitten dropped to the ground and scampered into the corner, mewing.
"Hey, come back—"
The woman came. She carried a candle in her hand, a white rose in the other. She walked to the kitten, and carefully pressed the flower up against the animal's face. The kitten seemed to sigh, and when its eyes opened, their beautiful blue had vanished, to be replaced by the empty look of the other cats. It went to join their numbers.
"What did you do to it?" Bryce demanded. "What did you do!"
"Come with me, and I will show you," the woman said quietly. Bryce shuddered, but he followed.
She led him to her garden. The flowers were all swaying in separate directions—and there was no wind that night.
The flowers meowed, hissed, and Bryce realized.
"You've stolen their souls—the cats are trapped in the flowers! You have Ejuen! Monster!" he shouted.
The white flower with the black petal turned toward him, its green center mewing. "Ejuen! Ejuen—" Bryce ran to the flower, stroking it.
"I thought you would understand," the woman's voice was like a knife. "This way, the cats can live on, forever and ever, within beautiful new homes. These flowers, if I take good enough care of them, will last forever. I thought a man who loved cats as much as I did would understand."
Bryce turned to her. "You've destroyed them! They aren't free!"
Three notes sounded. The woman paused—so did Bryce.
Hitomi stood there.
"He's right, demon. They aren't free."
"Guardian!" the woman shouted.
"Yes," Hitomi said. She lit a flame in her hand and threw it. The woman dodged, but the flames struck the flowers, and the garden burned. The souls of the cats escaped into the night.
"My flowers!" the woman screamed. She whirled on Hitomi, her eyes red. "It took me years to cultivate that garden!" she shrieked.
She changed. Her arms thickened, warped, lengthened. Her shimmering hair greened, twisted, shortened. Her body grew larger, taller, leaves and vines sprouting from her trunk and arms/branches. Bryce gave a horrified gasp. She rounded on him.
"You will pay!" she cried, and sent razor-like leaves his way. Hitomi flung her flame and burned the leaves to ashes before they even reached him.
"Your fight is with me, Shinma!" Hitomi ordered. "Leave the human out of this!"
"I will get both of you!" the tree-woman howled. Her vines shot out and slashed Hitomi viciously. Hitomi winced but made no sound, throwing another flame. The shinma blocked with her leaves.
Vine slammed the Guardian into the ground and kept pounding her. Hitomi gasped out against the force of the blows, but she raised another flame.
"Bitch!" she snarled, and threw the fire. The shinma evaded, and Hitomi bit her lip in frustration. She took the shinma's distraction as an opportunity to get up from the ground, though.
Hitomi took a heavy blow from a branch—she was flung into the wall with a sickening thud slid down. Hitomi tried to rise, but her body was screaming in pain and she found that she couldn't. The shinma came at her again, and Bryce could only watch with terrified eyes.
"Van!" Hitomi whispered a command.
Van appeared in front of her, whirling his sword expertly. "Watcher!" the shinma exclaimed, as Van swung and sliced her branches off. She shrieked with pain, and went for Hitomi.
Hitomi's eyes smiled triumphantly as she threw the flame she had conjured while Van was distracting the demon.
"Into the Shadows, Demon!" she cried.
The tree-woman disappeared in a funeral pyre-like fire. The mansion slowly crumpled away.
Van offered Hitomi a hand up. She was going to push it away, but at the last moment, she accepted his hand.
Bryce watched all this, trembling. "I'm sorry," he said to her. "I was falling in love with—that monster! I was disloyal to Ejuen. I deserve this unhappiness. Cats were my whole life before this incident…"
"Do you wish to spend the rest of an eternity with cats? Is your love for them great enough?" Hitomi asked.
"A thousand times over! I love them. I've nothing else in the world, anyway. Cats are so wonderful."
"Then I will take your blood, and give you eternal happiness, an eternity to spend with your cats," Hitomi said softly. She walked slowly to him and pierced his neck with sharp canines that seemed to appear in her mouth. Bryce sighed, and slumped over.
Hitomi turned to Van. "Thank you, Van," she said.
Van nodded.
Hitomi sighed, and her eyes seemed to warm. "I have an exam tomorrow…" she muttered. Van looked at her comically sad face and laughed.
A strange sound reached his ears. He turned to Hitomi, in alarm, and his alarm grew. Hitomi was laughing. She had never before laughed, not once in her eternal life.
And here she was, laughing for him. She smiled at him, and slipped her hand into his. Van flushed, and stared at her in amazement.
"Are we going to go home?" she asked, after an awkward pause.
"Wha—what? Oh, yes," Van gasped, still in a daze and staring into her eyes. She took his other hand, too, and they faced each other as they both vanished.
****************
Bryce stroked Ejuen's back, and she purred contentedly. They sat together in a sunny meadow, surrounded by several other cats. He scratched their chins, talking to them softly, and listening to their wonderful purrs.
Bryce sat alone in his apartment, stroking the air, talking to invisible cats, a delighted smile on his face.
End Chapter Seven.
So, how'd ya like it? Personally, I think this one is a good chapter. I really need you to vote on what's going to happen next, though. Third Important question is…
What should happen next?
a) V/H, mermaid shinma and the death of a human
b) V/H, Van's wings get revealed while fighting the demon in Red Shoes, episode 8 of Vampire Princess Miyu
c) V/H, Van's wings get revealed while fighting some other demon
V/H (I think you know by now that V/H is a given), Folken's minions attack or something
YODA!
Mr. Mahmood's Chewbaccasaurus!