Chapter Twenty: Swallowed By Darkness

"What is the meaning of this Allen?" Van asked as he saw the two together. Allen moved away from Hitomi and stood in front of Van, then he looked at Hitomi. Allen felt that there was something all wrong about Hitomi. The feeling he use to get around her was gone.

"Come with me Van" Allen said as he grabbed his upper arm directing him out of the room. He needed to talk to him without her over-hearing what he had to say. Van hit his hand away and stood in front of him, looking at him with hostility.

"Why did you kiss her Allen? Don't play dumb! I saw you two! And you Hitomi! How could you let him…?" Van said stopping as he looked at the tears that were filling the brim of her soft green eyes. Van look at her seeing how upset she was so he stopped what he was going to say and just stormed out of the room with Merle in pursuit.

"Lord Van! Lord Van! Wait up for me Lord Van" Merle yelled as she followed him down the hall.

Allen watched as Van stormed down the hall with fury in his eyes and hate in his heart. He suddenly turned to see Hitomi smiling devilishly at him with a look in her eyes that looked unfamiliar to him.

"Who are you and what have you done with the real Hitomi?" Allen asked yelling at her as he grew angrier by the second. He was angry at whoever this person was and even more at what they were doing. Van was not a person you would like to get mad and he defiantly was mad.

"I'm Hitomi of course! Why do you ask? Can't you believe that I would chose you over that silly boy-prince?" Hitomi said getting out of the bed in a seductive manner. Allen couldn't believe what she was saying or doing. This could not be the same Hitomi he once knew. Something must be controlling her; making her do these things because she would never dare to do so.

Allen couldn't stay any longer as this imposter was ruining his perfect innocent picture of Hitomi. Allen walked out of the room and locked the door behind him. He could hear her banging on the door saying his name over and over again.

"Kio! Keep an eye on this door. Make sure you don't open it for any reason at all" Allen said to Kio as he looked at him with question.

"Isn't this Hitomi's room?"

"Follow my orders and don't let her out for any reason! Do you hear me?"

"Yes boss."

Crusade Overhang

"Are you all right Lord Van?" Merle asked as she curled up beside him. Van was tense from all the anger he was holding in. He didn't want to yell at Hitomi for any reason, but why did she let Allen kiss her or maybe she kissed him? No. She wouldn't do that to him.

"Lord Van! Talk to me Lord Van?" Merle said looking at him with sad eyes. Van looked at her for a moment considering whether or not he should tell her anything before he got the whole story for himself. 'Why Hitomi? Is it because you've forgotten me? Don't you love me anymore?' Van thought to him self as the cool breeze caressed his cheek.

Night started to swallow Gaea into darkness that seemed to be the same darkness that Van felt consuming his heart. The land was slowly being torn apart by the quakes but soon that wouldn't matter anymore. Soon the worlds would collide together destroying all life on both planets. Soon nothing would matter anymore because life would end for everyone and everything. Something needed to be done and soon in order to save both worlds form its atrocious fate.

"What's going to happen Lord Van?" Merle asked in a tender voice that struck his ear with question a doubt. He didn't expect her to ask such a question and he didn't really feel like telling her either. He didn't want to frighten the only friend he had since he was just a child. Her eyes looked sweetly at him like they always have before.

"All of the land in Gaea is slowly falling apart and there is nothing we can do. Eventually the two worlds will collide together and all of human kind will be wiped out forever," Van said to Merle with a sad smile. He knew what he said was going to frighten her but he didn't feel like lying to her. She probably knew in a way that it was going to come down to this. He just wondered if Hitomi knew what was happening.

Ever since he went to Godeshen and rescued Hitomi from Shin she didn't feel like Hitomi. She looked like her but it didn't feel like her. Something about her eyes made him wonder at the beginning if it was her but he just assumed it was because she was brainwashed. This feeling made him wonder if his first impression of her was correct.

Van removed his arms from around his legs and planted his hands on the floor. He lifted himself up and started walking away without even telling Merle where he was going. Her intuition would tell her where he was going and he didn't want her to follow him. She didn't follow she just stared after him and eventually turned back to view the scenery. She looked at the Mystic Moon wondering when everything would end.

As Van approached Hitomi's room he saw that the door was ajar and that Kio was lying face down on the floor. "Kio? What happened?" Van asked as he turned the rather large man over to see a cut on his lip and a large bump on his forehead. He took a quick glance at Van then raised his arm to point in the direction of the repair deck.

Van had a bad feeling as he ran down the hall toward the repair deck. Hitomi wasn't in her room when he looked and he could either assume that she was kidnapped or she left on her own. If she did break out of her room how in the world did she take out a big guy like Kio? There could only be one explanation.

Repair Deck

The wind hit Van making him step back a few paces as he ran onto the repair deck. He looked around the place to see nothing unusual until his eyes came to lie upon Escaflowne. Hitomi was mounting the Dragon as Van first laid eyes on her. She took the controls into her hand and looked back to see him standing metes away looking a bit shocked. A smile crossed her face as she saw the look on his face.

"Don't look so shocked Van! Just be thankful that I'm not really her," Hitomi said as she took off from the Crusade into the night.

The night had swallowed Gaea and now it had swallowed his Hitomi with it. The darkness seemed to be taking everything away from him. Van had hope that where there was darkness there must be a light. Hope is what would keep him going. Hope it what would save his Hitomi and the world. Hope was all he had left…

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AN: Only hope remains for Van!!!! How sad!!! Okay I don't want you guys to hate Hitomi! She is just being controlled by the EVIL Shin! It's not really her! I let you in on a secret! It has something to do with the tattoo on her arm! Of course you knew that already!

Anyways I'd like to thank you reviewers!!! You guys make me sooo happy!

~Sailor Centauri : I'm sooo Sorry for write in the kiss part! I thought it was kind of a shocker that you guys would like! Surprised you right? That was the point! I want to surprise you all! WAHAHAHA! That's how I write! Such a cruel writer! Oh yeah and I promise you this that Van will kick Shin's ass! I can't wait for that part!!! Anyways thanks for your review!

~Inda : Tsk Tsk is right! How could I do that? I'm not a big fan of Allen so I wanted to write in a scene where Van would kick his butt but he's on the good side and I couldn't do that to him! (maybe later) ^_^

~Kat-Tastrophe : I'm glade you hate Shin because I hate him too!!! He is my character but I still hate him!! I made him really mean but that was the whole point! I wanted to make him meaner that Dilandau but I don't think I quite got him to that level yet! I dunno you tell me? Anyways thanks for your reviews!

~naria : Thanks for your review! I'll try to update every week! I'm in grade 12 so I have piles of homework I MUST complete so I hope you forgive me if I don't put them up to quickly!

~animecrazy : Sad I know! I have the end written out and I think that you'll love it! It's so good that I screamed for awhile with glee! But there are going to be a few more sad parts! Sorry! Thanks for your reviews!

~Kayura1 : Welcome to my crazy world of fiction writing! Hehe I always love when new people read my story! I know it's long but I had to make it interesting and I never really want to finish it! (don't worry it will end) I love getting all these inputs! I feel like you guys are helping me write better! Thanks!