PART FIVE
Hitomi. Hitomi. Van is in danger.wake up!
With a start, Hitomi clutches her shoulder wound and sits up. There is fighting everywhere. She looks past everyone, the shooting, people falling and screaming, and sees Van. Van is staring at something. Too much commotion is obstructing her view of the other person. Probably Dilandau.
No, Hitomi tells herself. He would have killed Dilandau. There is something else.
She shoots down nameless guy number two. Everything seems slow motion to her. As he falls, he lets out a scream and clutches his chest. The view is clear when he hits the ground hard. More people run by, but Hitomi doesn't notice. She sees whom Van is talking to- Folken!
Suddenly, she is assaulted by a vision. Dilandau is bathed in red light; he is hiding somewhere. But where? The vision is not complete yet. Dilandau fades away and next she sees Van yelling at Folken.
"How could you do it, brother?"
Van is angry and hurt. Hitomi can feel his pain. The vision changes again and Hitomi sees Dilandau standing behind Van as the brothers argue. He pulls his gun out and shoots Van in the back. Van lets out a cry, and falls to the ground. After a moment of struggling to keep his life, Van falls still.
"Noooooo!" Hitomi finds herself screaming, and the vision fades away. "I have to stop it!" She stands up, ignoring the bullet wounds in her shoulder, and starts to run across the beach.
* * *
Van cannot say anything. He just stares. Folken breaks the uneasy silence, playing evil. He says scornfully, "Why, Van. Don't look so surprised. Welcome to our little party."
The dialogue seems to pull Van out of whatever state he was in. "You. you are on HIS side?" Van asks breathlessly.
"Of course. I'm surprised at you. You should have known." Folken's tone was constantly patronizing and sarcastic.
"That's why you bought Merle some ice cream!" declares Van, his revelation unfolding. "You weren't trying to buy Hitomi and I some time. you were setting her up for that ambush by the Dragon Slayers! She almost died, Folken!" Van's voice was shaking and faltering because he was so angry. He felt so betrayed.
Folken, of course, had intended nothing of the sort. He really was acting as a big brother and helping Van out. But this disclosure Van thought he had discovered is perfect for Folken to play along with. "Well, well, well. You aren't as dumb as you act Van. It's a shame you didn't see it sooner!"
"How could you, brother?"
"And now," Folken says, "You are our prisoner of war."
Dilandau wants to shout, "I don't think so," but he doesn't want to ruin his chance of finally killing Van. He takes careful aim, but then Van moves closer to his brother in anger.
"No! How could you betray me?" Van asks in frustration. The brothers are face to face now. Van is breathing hard in fury while Folken remains quite calm.
And Dilandau is targeting the draconian ever so carefully, a wicked smile spreading across his face.
* * *
Hitomi sees Dilandau in the shadows as she runs towards Van and Folken. She tries to cry out to Van to look out behind him, but there is a deathly pain in her chest. She looks down. She has been shot! By who? When?
Dilandau whispers, "not this time, Girl!"
Hitomi falls on her face in the sand. She tries to move. "..Van. look . out." she mutters weakly, and then finally lays motionless.
* * *
Dilandau turns his attention from the dead girl back to Van and Folken.
"Why?" Van asks, his voice helpless.
"It all ends today Van!" Dilandau cries.
Folken looks at Dilandau and shouts "No!" Van doesn't understand.
Dilandau pulls the trigger and Van gets shot in the back. He falls into his brother and Folken catches him in his arms. Van's wings appear from his back as he falls.
"B.brother." Stammers Folken. "I never meant for this. Dilandau would have killed Naria and Eyria."
Van half-smiles. "So. you didn't b.betray me?"
"No! Of course not!" Folken whispers, tears welling up in his eyes.
"I'm sorry. I did.didn't win this war." Van says, as his feathers float over the beach and Dilandau begins to laugh maniacally.
"NO VAN!! I WON THIS WAR!! HA HA HA HA HAH!!!"
Van dies in his brother's arms and it serves as the cue for everyone who had been shot to stand up and dust themselves off. The game is over. Dilandau and his minions have won the war.
Merle walks over to Van! "Lord Vaaann! I had so much fun, even though we lost."
"Yeah!" says Van standing up. "Hey Dilandau. You shot me in the back! That was dirty!"
"Can you blame me? That stupid girl from the phantom moon was going to try and save your ass again!" said Dilandau, walking up to him.
"Guys! That was totally awesome!" says Chesta, coming out from behind the shack.
"Dryden, Milerna!" says Dalet. "Good game!"
"Sure." Says Dryden. He and Milerna kiss happily. "I'm going surfing again, my love!"
"Okay, sweetie! Be careful. I'm going to read some more." She flips her hair and returns to her pink towel.
"Alright everyone! Pack up!" At Dilandau's command, the Dragon Slayers start to put away the beach umbrellas and pick up the harmful rubber pieces from the water balloons.
Hitomi stands up and rushes over to Van. "Van! I tried to save you! Looks like I was too late!"
"That's okay." Says Van, putting his arm around her. They trot off together to swim and frolic together in the water.
"I won! I won! I won! Tra la la la la la!" Dilandau is dancing around merrily.
"Lord Folken!" Naria and Eyria cry gleefully together, as they rush up to him and shower him with kisses.
"How about a game of volleyball?" asks Folken.
"Sure!" the twins sigh together.
"Are you in Merle?" says Folken. "I promise I won't leave you out again."
"Well, okay!" Merle smiles and skips off with Folken and the twins. "Two on two?"
"That is, unless some of you guys want to join us?" Folken stops and looks at Dilandau and the Slayers. The Slayers all smile and look at Dilandau, grinning widely.
"Oh alright. I'm not going, though. I have something I've been meaning to do today." He pulls out a magnifying glass and skulks off somewhere while the Slayers join the others in beach volleyball.
Everyone clears away from the war-zone site in their varying destinations. All alone, in the middle of the zone, tied to a palm tree, the helpless Allen sits. "They forgot me." He sighs. "What else is new.?" He pauses for a long time, pondering the day's events. "There's something I don't understand." he mutters. "If it was all just a game, why did they beat me up before killing me. I really have bruises."
* * *
And so the day ends wonderfully, with everyone having a good time. Van tells Hitomi how much he loves her; Allen is rescued by Gaddes; the others enjoy a game of volleyball or surfing; and Dilandau fulfills his dream by catching the sun's rays in a magnifying glass and igniting the corner of Milerna's towel while she's laying on it. Milerna's shrieks close the perfect day, and soon everyone is packing up picnic baskets, towels, and beach umbrellas. They cheerfully chat as they make their way to their homes as the sun sets along the ocean horizon.
THE END
Hitomi. Hitomi. Van is in danger.wake up!
With a start, Hitomi clutches her shoulder wound and sits up. There is fighting everywhere. She looks past everyone, the shooting, people falling and screaming, and sees Van. Van is staring at something. Too much commotion is obstructing her view of the other person. Probably Dilandau.
No, Hitomi tells herself. He would have killed Dilandau. There is something else.
She shoots down nameless guy number two. Everything seems slow motion to her. As he falls, he lets out a scream and clutches his chest. The view is clear when he hits the ground hard. More people run by, but Hitomi doesn't notice. She sees whom Van is talking to- Folken!
Suddenly, she is assaulted by a vision. Dilandau is bathed in red light; he is hiding somewhere. But where? The vision is not complete yet. Dilandau fades away and next she sees Van yelling at Folken.
"How could you do it, brother?"
Van is angry and hurt. Hitomi can feel his pain. The vision changes again and Hitomi sees Dilandau standing behind Van as the brothers argue. He pulls his gun out and shoots Van in the back. Van lets out a cry, and falls to the ground. After a moment of struggling to keep his life, Van falls still.
"Noooooo!" Hitomi finds herself screaming, and the vision fades away. "I have to stop it!" She stands up, ignoring the bullet wounds in her shoulder, and starts to run across the beach.
* * *
Van cannot say anything. He just stares. Folken breaks the uneasy silence, playing evil. He says scornfully, "Why, Van. Don't look so surprised. Welcome to our little party."
The dialogue seems to pull Van out of whatever state he was in. "You. you are on HIS side?" Van asks breathlessly.
"Of course. I'm surprised at you. You should have known." Folken's tone was constantly patronizing and sarcastic.
"That's why you bought Merle some ice cream!" declares Van, his revelation unfolding. "You weren't trying to buy Hitomi and I some time. you were setting her up for that ambush by the Dragon Slayers! She almost died, Folken!" Van's voice was shaking and faltering because he was so angry. He felt so betrayed.
Folken, of course, had intended nothing of the sort. He really was acting as a big brother and helping Van out. But this disclosure Van thought he had discovered is perfect for Folken to play along with. "Well, well, well. You aren't as dumb as you act Van. It's a shame you didn't see it sooner!"
"How could you, brother?"
"And now," Folken says, "You are our prisoner of war."
Dilandau wants to shout, "I don't think so," but he doesn't want to ruin his chance of finally killing Van. He takes careful aim, but then Van moves closer to his brother in anger.
"No! How could you betray me?" Van asks in frustration. The brothers are face to face now. Van is breathing hard in fury while Folken remains quite calm.
And Dilandau is targeting the draconian ever so carefully, a wicked smile spreading across his face.
* * *
Hitomi sees Dilandau in the shadows as she runs towards Van and Folken. She tries to cry out to Van to look out behind him, but there is a deathly pain in her chest. She looks down. She has been shot! By who? When?
Dilandau whispers, "not this time, Girl!"
Hitomi falls on her face in the sand. She tries to move. "..Van. look . out." she mutters weakly, and then finally lays motionless.
* * *
Dilandau turns his attention from the dead girl back to Van and Folken.
"Why?" Van asks, his voice helpless.
"It all ends today Van!" Dilandau cries.
Folken looks at Dilandau and shouts "No!" Van doesn't understand.
Dilandau pulls the trigger and Van gets shot in the back. He falls into his brother and Folken catches him in his arms. Van's wings appear from his back as he falls.
"B.brother." Stammers Folken. "I never meant for this. Dilandau would have killed Naria and Eyria."
Van half-smiles. "So. you didn't b.betray me?"
"No! Of course not!" Folken whispers, tears welling up in his eyes.
"I'm sorry. I did.didn't win this war." Van says, as his feathers float over the beach and Dilandau begins to laugh maniacally.
"NO VAN!! I WON THIS WAR!! HA HA HA HA HAH!!!"
Van dies in his brother's arms and it serves as the cue for everyone who had been shot to stand up and dust themselves off. The game is over. Dilandau and his minions have won the war.
Merle walks over to Van! "Lord Vaaann! I had so much fun, even though we lost."
"Yeah!" says Van standing up. "Hey Dilandau. You shot me in the back! That was dirty!"
"Can you blame me? That stupid girl from the phantom moon was going to try and save your ass again!" said Dilandau, walking up to him.
"Guys! That was totally awesome!" says Chesta, coming out from behind the shack.
"Dryden, Milerna!" says Dalet. "Good game!"
"Sure." Says Dryden. He and Milerna kiss happily. "I'm going surfing again, my love!"
"Okay, sweetie! Be careful. I'm going to read some more." She flips her hair and returns to her pink towel.
"Alright everyone! Pack up!" At Dilandau's command, the Dragon Slayers start to put away the beach umbrellas and pick up the harmful rubber pieces from the water balloons.
Hitomi stands up and rushes over to Van. "Van! I tried to save you! Looks like I was too late!"
"That's okay." Says Van, putting his arm around her. They trot off together to swim and frolic together in the water.
"I won! I won! I won! Tra la la la la la!" Dilandau is dancing around merrily.
"Lord Folken!" Naria and Eyria cry gleefully together, as they rush up to him and shower him with kisses.
"How about a game of volleyball?" asks Folken.
"Sure!" the twins sigh together.
"Are you in Merle?" says Folken. "I promise I won't leave you out again."
"Well, okay!" Merle smiles and skips off with Folken and the twins. "Two on two?"
"That is, unless some of you guys want to join us?" Folken stops and looks at Dilandau and the Slayers. The Slayers all smile and look at Dilandau, grinning widely.
"Oh alright. I'm not going, though. I have something I've been meaning to do today." He pulls out a magnifying glass and skulks off somewhere while the Slayers join the others in beach volleyball.
Everyone clears away from the war-zone site in their varying destinations. All alone, in the middle of the zone, tied to a palm tree, the helpless Allen sits. "They forgot me." He sighs. "What else is new.?" He pauses for a long time, pondering the day's events. "There's something I don't understand." he mutters. "If it was all just a game, why did they beat me up before killing me. I really have bruises."
* * *
And so the day ends wonderfully, with everyone having a good time. Van tells Hitomi how much he loves her; Allen is rescued by Gaddes; the others enjoy a game of volleyball or surfing; and Dilandau fulfills his dream by catching the sun's rays in a magnifying glass and igniting the corner of Milerna's towel while she's laying on it. Milerna's shrieks close the perfect day, and soon everyone is packing up picnic baskets, towels, and beach umbrellas. They cheerfully chat as they make their way to their homes as the sun sets along the ocean horizon.
THE END
