Chapter Twenty-Two: Interrogation

Godeshen Palace

"What's going on in there Reed? Did that Hitomi girl come back yet?" Dilandau asked as he took a seat next to Reed. Reed glared at him noticing the blood covering his armor. Dilandau noticed the stare Reed was giving him as a smirked crossed his face. "Don't ask."

"I wasn't going to Dilandau because I already know what you did. Don't think I'm as stupid as to not know what you do while your not training" Reed said as he folded his sketches neatly. Dilandau's smug expression suddenly turn into an irritated one as Reed put away the sketched in a chest.

"When this war of yours going to begin? I'm getting bored sitting here playing with these fools that don't know how to hold a sword properly! I want blood, chaos and death!"

"The war will come sooner that you think Dilandau. Soon you will have your war…"

Shin & Hitomi

"Where's the Escaflowne?" Shin asked Hitomi as she sat unresponsive to his interrogation. When Hitomi had been caught listening into Shin and Reed's private conversation he had dragged her off into this dark cold room and tied her to a chair. If he was trying to frighten ten her, it worked but she wasn't going to tell him what he wanted.

"You don't want to anger me Hitomi. You know how I get when I'm angry," Shin said with a devilish smile plastered to his face. Right now Hitomi only wished to tare that smile off his face so she would never have to see it again. He was fooling her the whole time and she believed him. She was a fool.

"If you going to be that way I'm afraid I must do what I have to do" Shin said as he turned around and pulled out a long rope that Hitomi immediately identified as the whip she seen him use so many times on the other soldiers. Her eyes went wide as he walked closer to her snapping the whip once or twice to frighten her. She couldn't tell him anything. She had to make it up to Van by doing the right thing. She just whished that the right thing wouldn't hurt as much.

The Crusade

Godeshen was finally coming into sight as the sun disappeared into the mountains like it always did the night before. Van was wonder what had happened to Hitomi; the real Hitomi. Was she still trapped in the palace? Could she be dead? Van wiped the images of her from his mind as he focused on the task ahead.

They had attacked before and this time it would be much harder than before. There security must have gotten a lot tougher because of the war to come. They wouldn't want to be caught off guard by the enemy, not now.

"Don't look so worried Van. You know better than I that Hitomi is tougher than that. We'll be there shortly so you should prepare yourself" Allen said catching Van by surprise. He was too busy thinking to hear what he had just said but Allen seemed to understand as he gave a wiry smile and repeated what he had just said.

Van nodded in agreement and left to go to his room down the hall. He couldn't go to the repair deck because Escaflowne was gone. Escaflowne was gone because he was too blind to see what was in front of him. He couldn't of known that she wasn't Hitomi.

Van let out a sigh as he entered his poorly lit room and picked up his sword - that was passed onto him from his father. What good was sword fighting against the new weapons Shin developed? Van lost all hope in that second as he looked at his sword with somber eyes.

"What's the matter lord Van?" Merle asked as she walked into the room noticing the sad look on his face. He did budge from that position as he continued to look at his well-kept-sword. It was barely used except for in practicing with Allen once in awhile. "LORD VAN!!!"

That seemed to catch his attention as he looked at her with wide curious eyes. "What's the matter Merle?" Van said unsuspecting that she had been standing there before that. Merle tapped her foot on the ground as an irritated look crossed her face. A low growl could be heard from her as her eyes flared with anger.

"LORD VAN!! Why do you look so worried? Are you worried about Hitomi? You know I think she does a lot more harm than she does good!" Merle said as her mood suddenly rubbed off on him.

"DON'T say that Merle! Don't say such things about Hitomi in my presence!" Van said letting his anger get the better of him. Suddenly a smile crossed the kittens now playful face as she jumped up in the air and gave him a hug.

"I rather see you angry then sad! I didn't mean what I said! I was just trying to change your gloomy attitude" Merle said as she licked his cheek.

"Warn me next time your going to do another good gesture" Van said as he patted her on the head. As Van patted Merle on the head he saw that there was someone standing at the door. "Yes what is it?"

"Were here Lord Van. We'll dispatch on your order" Reeden said. Van nodded his head in conformance as Reeden scurried back up to the main deck. Van gave his sword one last look before he placed it on his belt. He saw Merle eyes grow wide as he was about to leave the room to the repair deck.

"Please be careful Lord Van" Merle said to him as he gave her a sweet smile with the same distressing eyes he had before. He left the room with courage in his heart and a glimmer of hope that everything would turn out better in the end.

Freid Palace

"We must send troops in before their army is complete!" Dryden said, as he got up from the table tired of arguing with all of them. This arguing had been going on for days now. Nothing had been settled yet because none of them could agree on what to do.

"Maybe if we just give them what they want they'll leave us in peace."

"We don't want to go to war if we don't have to."

"What if they start to attack us? What then?"

"Silence everyone! This constant bickering wont get us anywhere." Shied said as the room went silent. Sheid had brought in major leaders in from all over the land to discuss a plan on what to do about the invaders. Ever since he bought them in they've done nothing but argue with each other. He was beginning to think that they were going nowhere and that it was a waste of time. Soon he would have to make a decision that could possible determine the outcome to this war.

"We let Zaibach walk all over us at one time. I don't think we should let these terrorists either!"

"I agree!"

"I think that should be a last resort!"

It would go on like this. Them fighting between each other. Shied let out another sigh as he listen to them argue between each other. There could be only one way to solve this and some may disagree but it was the only way it could be decided fairly.

"We need to decide this now. We'll put it to a vote. The majority wins. Whoever wants to wait and try to negotiate with the Phantom Dragons raise your hands" Sheid said as a number of them raised their hands.

"And those who wish to stand up and fight raise your hands" again a number of them raised their hands but the other side won. They would wait and try to negotiate with the Phantom Dragons even though it was not what he would have in mind for a course of action.

When the others come back, that's when they'll discovery their true purpose and maybe that will persuade the other in the direction of battle. Sheid was too young to make these decision by himself but he was confident with his friends help he would, in the end, make the right decision.

Godeshen Palace

"Where did you hide the Escaflowne you bitch!?! I want answers before I have to put you down for good!" Shin said as his temper rose even higher, making him even more violent. His mask was finally off and now Hitomi could see his true face through her blurred vision of sweat and tears.

"I won't tell you anything Shin. You'll just have to kill me and find it your self!" Hitomi hissed at him as someone knocked at the door. Hitomi couldn't hear what the two were whispering about but she could tell it was something bad from the tone of Shin's voice.

"Well it seems you little boy-toy has come to save you. I'll make sure to send him a nice greeting before he dies." Shin said as Hitomi's eyes grew wide. Why was he coming to save her after what she did to him?

The Crusade

They were over Godeshen now looking down upon it to find a good place to land. Allen had mounted Scherazade and prepared to leave the repair deck with Van in hand. "Van once we get on the ground you head into the main palace at the western border. Hitomi should be there according to our sources. The men and I will handle the rest of them while you save Hitomi… Good luck," with those final words Allen tightened his grip on Van as he fell from the Crusade and landed roughly on the ground.

"Go now Van!" Allen said as he spotted four guymelefs coming his way.

Van ran towards the building and took out his sword as he saw some men coming his way. With speed on his side Van took out the two men with no problem as he hurried into the building.

The guards were easy to take out which made him wonder if he was heading into a trap. He soon found out as he saw a silhouette on the wall of a very familiar adversary. "Nice of you to come Van! Now I can finally repay you for the scar you left me long ago," his white hair and blood red eyes sent a chill up Van's back.

"Dilandau," Van said in an angry tone of voice as he prepped his sword with both hands. The malicious smile suddenly turned to a frown as he lunged towards Van in a fit of rage. Van used all his strength to hold Dilandau off as he began to strategize a way to defeat him.

Van knew that his greatest strength would be Dilandau's blind hatred for him. "You are a coward to not have finished this battle long ago" Van said as he saw the effect of what he said was having on him.

"We'll see about that Van!"

Godeshen Tower

Shin had untied Hitomi from the chair and forced her to walk up to the tower with him following behind her. The cuts on her body ached every time she took another step up the stairs. She felt light headed and sick from all the motion and loss of blood. She didn't know how much longer she could hold out in the condition she was in.

As Hitomi climbed the last set of stairs into the top of the tower she felt a cool breeze touch her skin. 'Just hold on Hitomi' a voice said as she looked around. It was that same voice from that girl before she saw in her dreams. 'Don't worry Hitomi you'll be fine.'

Hitomi turned around to see Shin looking at her with hatred. Her legs could no longer support her body as she feel to the ground but she kept her upper body prepped up to look at him. What was he up to? That same smile came to cover his face once again. "What the matter Hitomi? Did I hit you to hard? Don't worry soon you will feel no more pain."

Hitomi didn't like the sound of that. He would finally put an end to her suffering and pain. She wished that she could see Van one last time as her eyes wavered and eventually shut closed as she fell to the ground. The last thing she remembered hearing was footsteps coming closer and closer.

* * * * *

"So your finally here. Looks like Dilandau's all talk and no action. Don't worry Van. I'm nothing like Dilandau" Shin said as he leaned over Hitomi's fallen body.

"What have you done to Hitomi?" Van asked in pure anger not expecting him to give an answer. Shin smile as he saw the flair in Van's eyes as he leaned over his dear Hitomi. "Your going to pay for everything you've put her through Shin."

"I do doubt that Van my boy. Since my agenda for today is to kill you then to kill her," Shin said as he pulled out his sword. "What do you think of my new toy Van? Doesn't it look electric?"

"You hide behind your toys because you are weak and can't fight a real battle on your own."

"Do you really think so? Fine then! I'll play it your way Van," Shin said putting down the sword as he picked up another that was hanging from the nearby wall.

Shin and Van began to battle one on one with anger in both of their hearts. Shin was pretty skilled at sword fighting as he and Van clashed swords over and over again. Van's muscles began to grow tired from not practicing for so long as he duel fiercely. Shin didn't even seem to be breaking a sweat as he swung his sword once again knocking Van off balance.

"This is where you die Van," Shin said as he held his sword over his head. But before he could make the final blow something stopped him. His body began to quake as a buzzing sound came from behind him. As Shin fell to the ground Hitomi stood behind him with Shin newer toy-sword in hand. She looked at Van with a pleading look in her eyes she slowly fell to the ground from exhaustion.

"I'm sorry Van! I'm so sorry!" Hitomi said as tears blurred her eyes and they began to run down her face. Van slowly got to his feet and walked over to Hitomi. He saw the blood that covered her clothes and the cuts that blood still ran from.

Van slowly knelt down beside her and put his arms around her with safety in mind. "It's all right now Hitomi," Van gently whispered into her ear as he held her closer to him.

"I'm not her! I'm not the Hitomi you fell in love with! He took my memories of you and my true past! I'll never know what happened" Hitomi sobbed into Van's chest as he realized that this was the same Hitomi that kissed Allen. He didn't care as long as she finally realized what was true in her heart.

"We'll find a cure Hitomi! That book I read has something in it about that tattoo on your arm," Van said as Hitomi remembered something she overheard Shin and Reed talking about.

"The Red Dragon! That's it Van. The blood of the Red Dragon is the cure!"

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AN: Okay guys! I thought I would end this chapter on a happier note since all my last chapters have had big cliffhangers!! I hope you like this chapter even though I think it's a bit long! Anyways the battle is still to come! I still have lots more to write! Should there be a happy ending or maybe not? See yous in the next chapter!!!!

Angel-Fergie