Illusion's Guardian
Chapter One
Hitomi gazed out of her window in her cabin on board the Crusade. It was still raining. It had been raining since they had boarded that morning two days ago. She smiled when Allen was heard complaining from his room and listened as Millerna chided him.
"He's not very happy about being bedridden, but that's what he gets for going back out into battle so soon after being injured." Hitomi thought, giggling when Allen let out a loud yell and an expletive. Apparently Millerna had just been rough with changing his bandages and had bumped his wound.
"Sounds like Sir Allen is upset again." Merle said, with a yawn.
"That's an understatement. He's a very active man and hates to be bogged down by anything. This wound of his has become more of an annoyance than a hazard for him. Millerna isn't helping matters any by being overprotective." Hitomi said, as more angry shouts came from across the hall.
"Sounds almost like that Dilandau guy, only grown up." Merle muttered. Both girls looked at one another and shuddered. They had both seen what Dilandau had done, and neither of them favored the idea of Allen being related to the pyromaniac in any way, shape, or form. After everything had calmed down and Millerna had left Allen to his own devices, Hitomi chanced a visit to the wounded captain's room.
"Allen?" Hitomi asked, as she walked into the dimly lit room.
"Hitomi? What're you doing in here?" Allen asked, tiredly, exhausted from arguing with Millerna.
"I wanted to see how you were feeling. I could hear you yelling from across the hall." Hitomi said, as she sat in the chair next to his bed and gently brushed some strands of dirty blond hair from Allen's pale, sweaty brow.
"I'm sorry, Hitomi. I didn't mean for you to hear that. It's just that I'm not thrilled with being bedridden until my wounds have healed." Allen said, apologetically. Hitomi gently shook her head.
"It's all right, Allen. You have a lot on your shoulders to deal with and this is not helping matters any. I just didn't realize that you had such a temper." Hitomi said, with a laugh.
"Oh, really? You haven't seen anything yet." Allen said, with a mischievous look on his face.
"Oh? Is that supposed to be a threat, Allen Schezar?" Hitomi asked, glad that the man was starting to look a little bit more cheerful.
"Take it however you please." Allen said, with a grin and an uplifted eyebrow. For a moment the two just stared at one another, as though they couldn't believe that their conversation had just taken place, then they both started laughing. The gallant captain once again amazed Hitomi; he was actually laughing!
"Ow." Allen said, gripping his side when he started laughing too hard, but still managed to chuckle as he relaxed back into the cushions.
"Are you all right?" Hitomi asked, her face still flushed with laughing. Allen nodded.
"That's the first time I have laughed in a long time. Thank you, Hitomi." Allen said, his color, Hitomi noticed, looking considerably better than before.
"You're welcome, Allen. I'm going to go now and let you rest. I'll be back later to visit." Hitomi promised.
"Okay. See you later, Hitomi." Allen said, as the girl retreated from his room and quietly closed the door behind her. She was immediately confronted by Merle.
"How is he?" Merle asked, as she walked alongside Hitomi to the ship's galley.
"He's doing better. He's tired of being treated like an invalid, that much is certain." Hitomi said, as she reached for the door handle. Before she could touch it, however, the ship suddenly rocked violently, throwing her and Merle to the floor.
"What's goin' on? What happened?!" Merle asked, as shouts from all directions came to their ears.
"I don't know. Allen! Merle! C'mon! I'm gonna need your help!" Hitomi shouted, as she ran back the way she'd come.
"Wait a darned minute, Hitomi! My place is by the side of Van-sama! Not Sir Allen!" Merle shouted, as a more violent impact shook the ship. Hitomi stopped and glared at Merle.
"Merle! Van can take care of himself, Allen can't in the condition he's in! C'mon! I think this ship is being boarded!" Hitomi shouted, as sounds of fighting reached her ears. Without saying anything more, Merle followed Hitomi back to Allen's room. When they got there, they could see Allen struggling to remain standing as he made his way to the door by himself.
"Allen!" Hitomi shouted, over the din of explosions and battle noise.
"Hitomi! What're you doing? Get out of here while you still can! The Zaibach will be here any minute!" Allen shouted, his concern for her overriding any pain he felt.
"We came back to get you, Sir Allen! We've gotta evacuate while we still can!" Merle shouted, her eyes widening with concern when she saw a crimson stain on the side of Allen's clothes that were located over his wound.
"I can't……………….Gadis, please forgive me. C'mon. We're heading to the 'melef bay. I'm going to get you two out of here, even if it kills me." Allen said, with determination and, ignoring the intense pain in his side, led Hitomi and Merle on a mad dash to the bay he'd mentioned. When they got there, Allen was relieved to see that the Schezarade was still in one piece. He also noticed that the Escaflowne was missing from its berth.
"That means at least Van got away." Allen thought, as he climbed up into the Schezarade and beckoned for Hitomi to join him in the cockpit.
"But Allen! Your wound………………..!" Hitomi said, but was interrupted by Allen.
"That doesn't matter! I know it's going to be cramped in here, but I want you and Merle to hang on as tight as you can, because this thing is going to free fall until I can establish some kind of control. Got me?" Allen asked. Hitomi nodded, as she and Merle carefully lowered themselves into the small cockpit. When they had gotten themselves situated, Allen positioned his arms and legs and released the cord that held his guymelef in place during transport. Before Hitomi or Merle could even draw breath to scream, the Schezarade was catapulted out of the ship and into the air beneath the ship. Allen grimaced as turbulence from outside buffeted the mecha and winced when Hitomi accidentally elbowed him in his injured side.
"Sorry, Allen." Hitomi said, over the wind.
"Don't worry about me. It's all right." Allen gasped, the very effort of talking taking a lot out of him. After a few minutes, Hitomi realized that the Schezarade was slowing its descent and looked up at Allen. To her astonishment, she saw a golden aura around him. His eyes were closed in deep concentration and his breathing was deep and even; he was controlling the mecha's descent with his mind!
"Why didn't I sense this before?! This power of his is similar to mine, but he's able to control it! How?" Hitomi wondered, as the Schezarade settled onto the ground ever so gently. Merle looked up at her then gave Allen a confused look. With the hiss of steam, Allen fell forward, unconscious. It took the strength of both of the girls to pull him out of the Schezarade and lay him on the ground.
"Is that what he meant by 'control' back there?" Merle asked, looking at the injured man with some concern in her eyes.
"I don't know. Could it be that he has powers that he is hiding from everyone else?" Hitomi asked, as she and Merle started getting themselves together and sheltered in the overhang of the Schezarade.
Chesta winced when something cold and wet hit his face. For a moment he was disoriented about where he was, then he remembered. His 'melef had crashed after being knocked out of battle by a fleeing Escaflowne. As he made an effort to sit up, lancing pain went through his right leg like a hot knife. Without even looking down, he could tell that he was in trouble. His leg could have been crushed or worse, but Chesta couldn't see. His leg was buried beneath what used to be his cockpit cover. Surprisingly, his left leg was free and he tried prying the debris off of his wounded leg, but he wasn't strong enough. Tears of pain and desperation clouded his vision as he tried vainly to get his leg free. With a sob of frustration, Chesta lay back and gave up. What chance was there that he would survive? He couldn't move, he was miles from civilization, and his friends were far away. He would die alone.
"I wish I had never left the orphanage! At least there I wouldn't be alone like I am now." Chesta thought, as tears streamed down the sides of his face.
Merle perked up. She could have sworn she'd heard something. There. There it was again.
"What do you hear, Merle?" Hitomi asked, as she redressed Allen's wound (luckily for him, it hadn't been as serious as they had initially thought).
"I thought I heard someone crying. It's coming from that way." Merle said, pointing in the direction the sound was coming from.
"Why don't you go see what it is? I should be all right alone till you return." Allen suggested, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I shouldn't, Allen. Someone needs to remain here with you. Merle, would you mind looking over there?" Hitomi asked.
"I was intending to do just that! See ya in a few minutes!" Merle said, before scampering off on all fours, ignoring the fact that it was still raining.
"How Van puts up with her, I will never know." Allen muttered, as Hitomi silently agreed with him.
Merle followed the sound to a gap in some outcrops. At one time, there had been a colonial outpost in this part of Godeshem, but now there were only vacant ruins of what had once been a busy town. Merle stopped in an old building and shook the water from her fur. She was sopping wet, but she didn't care; she just wanted to figure out what was making the crying noise. When she exited the building, she saw that the rain was beginning to abate.
"Good, the rain is beginning to stop. It'll make it even easier to follow that sound!" Merle thought, as she started off again to find the source of the sound.
Viole yawned and stretched as he pulled himself out of his hiding place. With some annoyance he brushed some strands of lavender hair out of his face and stood up. He had just left the ranks of the Zaibach Empire. He felt quite a bit of relief about that, especially concerning some dreams he'd had. Since he'd left Zaibach, however, the dreams had ceased and he'd been able to get some decent sleep. Then a movement out of the corner of his eye distracted him from his thoughts.
"Looks like that cat-girl that was always hanging around the king of Fanelia. What is she doing here, of all places?" Viole thought, as he watched her from his perch. Then he became aware of a soft moaning.
"What in the name of the Mystic Moon is that?! That sounds almost like Chesta! But what is he doing here?" Viole thought, as he followed the cat-girl down to the spot where a crumpled guymelef lay.
Merle was stunned when she found the Zaibach guymelef, but was even more surprised when she found that the crying was coming from inside of it! With the silence her species was renowned for, she climbed up onto the twisted hulk and looked down. She could barely see the pilot, but she could tell that it was a boy who couldn't have been any older than her own beloved Van. With relative ease, she reached down and touched the boy's face. He came to his senses quick enough to realize that she was there, but not to recognize who she was. To Merle's surprise, he brought a shaky hand up and touched her hand, as though to confirm her presence there to himself. By the one touch, Merle could tell that he was frightened, wet and in pain. If help didn't come soon, he would die, no questions asked. But he was an enemy! Why should she care about what happened to him?
"Because he reminds you of your brother." Merle's mother's voice said in her mind. Merlin. Merle hadn't even thought about him since the day she had been placed by the side of Prince Van to be his playmate and constant companion. When the young pilot's eyes focused on her, she could tell that it still didn't register to him who she was, all he cared about was the fact that he was no longer alone.
"Hey! Can you get out? Are you stuck?" Merle asked, as she tried to pry what remained of the cockpit cover off with her bare hands.
"Here, let me help you, cat-girl." A male voice said, as the owner got alongside her and helped pull the metal back.
"Chesta, can you hear me? What happened? How did you end up here?" the young man asked, as Merle watched him very closely.
"Viole? Is that you? What're you doing here?" the pilot asked, dazedly.
"I left Zaibach and the DragonSlayers, remember? How did you get here?" the man asked, as he assessed what had happened with his eyes and hands.
"There was a battle………….the Dragon knocked several of us right out of the sky…….I don't know where everyone else crashed or even if they are still alive. Viole, Miguel's gone. Doppleganger got Miguel." Chesta sobbed, before passing out.
"Cat-girl, are there any others with you?" 'Viole' asked.
"Only the girl from the Mystic Moon and the captain of Astoria's knights and he's wounded. Why? Do you honestly expect them to help you?" Merle asked.
"I don't expect any help from anyone, not after what I've done through the ranks of the Zaibach Empire. But this is a close friend of mine that I had almost convinced to leave with me but was prevented from doing so. I would like to save his life and possibly try again to get him to leave Zaibach." Viole said, getting a skeptical look from Merle while he was at it. Without another word, Viole started pulling the twisted metal as far away from Chesta as he could, succeeding in opening a big enough hole in the top to pull the wounded DragonSlayer through.
"Chesta! I'm going to try to pull you out through this hole! Can you hear me?" Viole asked. He got no response.
"Dammit." Viole growled, angrily. Merle knew then that things were starting to get serious. Time was running out for the DragonSlayer.
"Cat-girl, is there any way for you to get in touch with the Dragon?" Viole asked, suddenly making a very dangerous decision.
"No. Even if there was, I certainly wouldn't call him to help the likes of you!" Merle replied.
"Fine then. I'll just see if your Astorian friend is up to it." Viole said, as he started running in the direction he knew the other two people lay in.
"No! Hitomi! Sir Allen!" Merle shouted, chasing after the young man as quickly as she could. Even though the two humans she had come with were not as important to her as Van was, they were still her friends. She did not want anything to happen to them.
Hitomi looked up when she heard running footsteps. From what she could tell, the runner was not Merle; she could only hear two sets of feet moving.
"Hitomi…………don't move………………it's one of Them." Allen said, his voice so low that Hitomi had to strain her ears to hear him. Hitomi did as she was told and ducked behind the leg of the Schezarade. She could hear Allen edge his sword out of its sheath and hold it at the ready. Then suddenly, her precognition kicked in. She could see the young man approaching their area, but his intentions were not to attack them, but to help an injured friend.
"Wait, Allen. He means us no harm." Hitomi said, standing up just as the young man appeared from behind an outcrop.
"But he's from Zaibach! One of Dilandau's DragonSlayers! How could you be so sure as to trust the likes of him?!" Allen asked, as Merle barreled up behind the youth and tackled him.
"It's because he's defected. He is no longer a part of Dilandau's chosen warrior corp. He's his own human being now." Hitomi said, quietly, her tone of voice signifying that she was using her precognitive powers once again. Allen sighed with resignation.
"Okay, Hitomi, we'll do as you say and trust him. Get off of him, Merle." Allen said, reluctantly. With equal reluctance, Merle removed herself from the youth's back and sat within a yard of him to be sure that he wouldn't do anything funny.
"Thank you. I didn't realize how heavy those hybrids really are." Viole said, breathing deeply and stretching his back to relieve tension. Hitomi giggled while Merle just gave the young ex-DragonSlayer a dirty look. Allen just gave him a look of consternation.
"State your name." Allen said, his commanding officer status coming back to him with the authority in his tone. The youth stood up straighter.
"Viole Kageshino, ex-First Class privateer and top swordsman among the DragonSlayer regiment, sir." The youth replied, smartly. Allen nodded, not wanting to admit that he was impressed by the response of the ex-Zaibachian.
"Viole, is it? Why did you leave the ranks of Zaibach? Don't you realize that your move places you on our side?" Allen asked, testing the youth. Viole nodded.
"I realize that, sir. I left Zaibach because of some very disturbing dreams, sir." Viole replied, getting an incredulous look from Allen.
"Disturbing dreams? What were they about? Would you mind telling us?" Allen asked, changing his approach when he saw Hitomi's expression of interest.
"Sir, they were almost too horrible to describe. You see, I dreamed that I was in battle against your friend, the Dragon. Then the Dragon started going berserk, like Dilandau, only much, much worse. First he killed Guimel, then Dalet, Chesta, and Gatti. When he'd finished with the rest of them, he came after me. Just when his sword pierces my 'melef, I wake up screaming. That's how it was before I left Zaibach. Now, I can sleep peacefully, without dreams." Viole replied, shuddering as he remembered the horrible nightmares he'd suffered while in Zaibach's ranks.
"What you saw would have been your future. You made the right decision when you left Zaibach." Hitomi said, knowing that the young pilot now had a chance to live a full life. Viole nodded.
"I tried to convince the rest of the DragonSlayers to come with me, but many of them are so devoted to Dilandau that they would rather die than leave him. The only ones I managed to partially convince were Gatti, Chesta, and Guimel. Those three have pretty much had it with the way Zaibach treats its own soldiers and have also had it with Dilandau's attitude. Chesta also believed me when I mentioned my precognitive dreams. He told me numerous times before when he'd dreamed of his own death and woken up screaming. His dreams weren't as vivid as mine, but they served the same purpose. Speaking of Chesta, he's just beyond that outcrop town over there. His 'melef is so badly damaged that I need another 'melef to open it enough to free him." Viole said.
"So you came here, hoping you could borrow Schezarade. Am I right?" Allen said, not liking where this was going. Viole looked down and nervously shifted his weight. He'd received the look he was getting from Allen, from Dilandau before.
"Aye, sir." Viole said, flinching when Allen shifted his own weight.
"What's your advice on this, Hitomi?" Allen asked, after finding himself completely at a loss.
"Let him use it. He's been telling us the truth the whole time." Hitomi said, as a look of dread crossed Allen's features.
"Don't worry, sir. I will not let it get damaged. You have my word." Viole promised.
"I'll believe it when I see it." Allen muttered, as he allowed the youth to get past him and into the cockpit of the Schezarade.
"Mystic Moon! This thing's an antique! This thing belongs in a museum, not a battlefield!" Viole said, in amazement.
"This 'antique' was my father's 'melef. It's the only thing of real value that he left to me, other than my ship, the Crusade." Allen replied, with a bit of snap to his words.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to insult you." Viole said, honestly rebuked by the Astorian captain's words. Allen seemed surprised by the apology, but said nothing else as they trekked back over to where Chesta's 'melef lay. As gently as he could, Viole pried open the metal covering, and watched as Hitomi and Merle pulled Chesta out. Chesta moaned as Hitomi and Merle carefully positioned him on the ground and got a good look at his injuries.
"I wish Millerna were here! She'd know what to look for!" Hitomi said, as she felt around under the armor that the youth wore.
"Here, let me see." Viole said, as he got down from the Schezarade and kneeled down next to the wounded youth. With expert hands, Viole removed Chesta's breastplate and felt the area over his left and right sides, then felt down the legs for any breaks in the bones.
"Well?" Allen asked, as he limped over to where they gathered around Chesta.
"He's got numerous fractures in his ribs, but the one I'm the most worried about is his right leg. It's broken in at least three places. I'm surprised that it wasn't ripped off, considering the rough landing he'd had." Viole said, as he drew back and looked at his new friends.
"What should we do? He obviously can't be moved the way he is now." Merle said, as Chesta coughed painfully and tried to move.
"Hitomi, do you happen to have anything in that gym bag of yours that you are always carrying?" Allen asked.
"Well, there's an ace bandage that I use when I sprain my ankle sometimes and there's also some masking tape in there as well." Hitomi said, as she tried to remember all that she had had in that bag.
"The tape might be enough to hold the ribs in place until we can get to a healer. Is that bandage of yours long enough to stabilize the broken bone in Chesta's leg?" Viole asked.
"Not without a splint." Hitomi replied, as Merle scampered off to get her gym bag.
"Then we'll have to make one." Allen said, as he picked up some tree branches that had been knocked to the ground by the downed 'melef and cut them into reasonable lengths with his sword.
"I think I know why Dilandau could never destroy you people, you share a strong bond of friendship." Viole said, surprising Allen, but not Hitomi.
"Would you want to join us, Viole?" Hitomi asked, as Merle returned with the gym bag.
"If you would have me. I don't really have anywhere to go, since Zaibach destroyed the town I was from." Viole said, with some bitterness in his tone.
"Then I guess it would be all right. But Van's going to be pissed." Allen said, already wincing when he imagined the conniption fit the hot-headed Fanelian king would have upon seeing two ex-DragonSlayers.
"No doubt. Does this mean I am now an official part of the group?" Viole asked.
"I guess so, if you could even call it that." Allen replied, as he turned his attention to his ragtag group; a cat-girl, a young woman from the Mystic Moon, an ex-Zaibachian soldier who was wounded and another that wasn't.
"Viole's the only fit man here at this moment. If we were to be attacked, he would be the only one to defend Hitomi and Merle. It's times like these that I wish I had wings like a Draconian!" Allen thought, almost feeling weak because of that thought.
Hitomi noticed right away that it looked like Allen was going to faint and rushed over to his side before his knees gave out from under him.
"Sir Allen!!" Merle and Viole yelped at the same time, then gave each other scathing looks.
"He's got a fever. He overexerted himself. Merle, Viole, I don't know what to do." Hitomi murmured, sounding very afraid for the Astorian Knight's health.
"First we need to get him someplace dry. The reason he's ill is probably because of the weather we've been having hereabouts. Do you think you can shoulder some of his weight?" Viole asked, as he carefully lifted Allen a little ways off the ground.
"I think so. But what about Chesta?" Hitomi asked, turning and looking at the youth that lay there with his wounds just starting to get tended to.