Chapter Twenty-One: Let The Truth Be Known

~*~ Hitomi's Thoughts ~*~

This is what master Shin told her to do. He wanted her to beak the boy kings heart by doing whatever means necessary. She had accomplished everything he had asked for, but why did she suddenly feel like she was doing the wrong thing? Seeing Van's face made her heart shatter into a million pieces but she was only doing what her master asked of her.

Maybe he was lying the whole time to her? Maybe Van never killed her friends and family by using this guymelef he called Escaflowne. Van seemed so kind and considerate to her but Shin told her that that was the way he killed her family before.

Shin explained to her that she and Van were close friends before. When Van had gotten what he had wanted from her family - which was the guymelef Escaflowne that belonged to her family - he slaughtered all of them in order to get what he wanted. She was the only one left because her family sacrificed their lives for hers. She ran for her life but ended up falling and hit her head. That's how she ended up with no memories of her past.

Shin had taken care of her since he had found her, but there was something about him that made her wonder if he had every told her the truth.

Van acted so differently from how Shin had explained him to her, but she wouldn't let him get the chance to hurt her again - if he ever did in the first place.

~*~ Escaflowne ~*~

Doubt floated in and around Hitomi's mind as she flew closer to her destination - Godeshen. I was time Hitomi found out for herself what really happened to her family, if anything actually did happen to them. She had to find out whether or not Shin was lying to her or telling her the truth.

Hitomi landed Escaflowne in the forest that swarmed all around Godeshen. If he was lying she wasn't going to give him anything he wanted. She would have to sneak into Godeshen by herself to find out the truth once-and-for-all.

Crusade

"What happened Van?" Merle asked as she saw him standing on the repair deck looking out into the sky where he had last seen Hitomi.

"It was a trick all along. That was never really Hitomi. She was playing us all along so she could steal Escaflowne" Van said in a hurt voice.

"Well then! Aren't you going to try and get the real Hitomi back? She's got to be somewhere out there waiting for you to rescue her!" Merle said trying to cheer Van up from his gloomy state.

"Escaflowne's gone. How can I save her with out it?" Van said as footsteps could be heard coming closer to their location. Van turned around to see Allen who Van seemed to still had a grudge against.

"All she needs is you Van. You are the only one who can save her. When you fight for what you want you fight to win… Kio turn the ship around. Were heading back to Godeshen to rescue Hitomi." Allen yelled over his shoulder and looked back at Van. "I'm sorry Van."

Allen had left Van with those final words as Allen headed back up to the main deck. Van relaxed his tense muscles after Allen had left feeling awful that he could ever think so poorly of him. He knew in a way that it wasn't his fault for doing what he did.

Godeshen

"Soon she'll be coming" Shin said to Reed who was looking over another schematic that Shin had drawn for him. Reed didn't look up at him he continued to look over the scheme for any flaws.

"With the Escaflowne I'm assuming?" Reed said as he took his feather pen and made an adjustment to the sketch. Shin sat down at the opposite end of the table Reed was at.

There army was growing larger by the day and with all the new advancements he was making they would be unbeatable. If the other countries were going to attack they would have to do it soon because the army was coming near completion.

"Of course. It's there most powerful weapon and without it they have no chance against us. I'm just making sure were going to win" Shin said looking out of the window as the night sky illuminated with tiny stars.

"You think with the Escaflowne they could beat us? I thought you had more confidence than that. You should never waver in the face of an enemy."

"That piece of junk is nothing compared to what we have. I took it down in a matter of seconds with the bug I created to immobilize guymelefs. It's just that what I've heard about it from the other soldiers makes me wonder if it has more power than the boy knows about."

"Well I guess we'll soon find that out."

Western Forest of Godeshen

Darkness would be Hitomi's greatest ally when it came to breaking into the palace. She knew where all the gaps were in security so she could quickly get in and find out what she needed to. Hitomi always remember what she was told and was around long enough to know the place fairly well.

Hitomi saw the guard leave to get another guard to take his place. This would be the perfect time to go but she had to make sure no one else was around to notice her. She looked right then left not seeing anyone or anything.

Hitomi made her way across the field and into the palace, a step closer to her objective… Walking quickly but quietly down the long hall and up the stairs to Reed's office where Shin usually was. She only noticed one or two guards but they appeared to be asleep. If Shin saw them sleeping they would surly be beaten severely.

Hitomi only saw him do it once to a guard who was supposed to be 'protecting' her. He gave him fifty lashes with a wipe that you would only see used for a horse and even that was considered cruel. She begged him to stop but he convinced her that if he hadn't fallen asleep now he would of later at a moment that could determine where she lived or died.

If Hitomi ever argued against him he would hit her with the back of his hand to show who boss. 'You have to be cruel to be kind' he would always say to her after he hit her. She went with Van not only because she was ordered to but also because she hopped he would be nothing of what Shin had told her of him. Van seemed to be the opposite of what he described of him and that made her have hope and what made her question everything Shin had told her so far.

Around another corner Hitomi finally made it to her final destination where she would find out the truth. Looking around again to make sure no one was coming she huddled up against the door to hear if there was anyone inside. Hitomi overheard two very familiar voiced talking to each other. Reed and Shin.

"Damn what's taking that stupid girl so long? All I asked her to do was screw some guy over and steal that piece of junk! She was suppose to be here at sun down" Shin said getting angry.

"Maybe she somehow remembered her true past? Or maybe she just preferred to stay with him because he doesn't hit her as much as you do?" Reed said putting his feather pen down. He crossed his arms to look at the now pissed Shin.

"The sorcerers said that it wouldn't wear off! She shouldn't remember anything and if she does remind me to kill them personally."

"I will do so but maybe they found a way to cure her?"

"Unlikely! Red Dragons are too rare to find around here and to kill one would be even harder. How would they know?"

Hitomi had been leaning on the door straining her ears to hear what they were saying but she caught most of it. He was lying to her from the start! She would make him pay for lying to her.

Reed looked at the door as he heard a noise coming from that direction. Shin noticed Reed eye movement and went to the door and pulled it open. Hitomi fell onto the ground in front of Shin. Her eyes were full of hatred as she looked up at him. From that look Shin must of assumed that she had heard everything that they had said.

"You have bad timing my dear. Now what shale we do with you?" Shin said as he pulled her from the ground into the room. He shut the door behind him thinking of what he would do to the little wench.

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AN: What a cliffhanger!!! I think I ended most of my chapters with one! I hope I'm not boring you guys! I try to keep it interesting! I know I need more romance (hope your not made animecrazy) Anyways thanks to last chapters reviewers: Sailor Centauri Kayura1 Kat-Tastrophe honeypot naria and Inda!!!! You guys are my life line! Without you guys I would of ended this story! THANKS!!!!!!!! Love ya!! See ya in the next chapter!!!!