Chapter Four: Fire!
"AHHHHH"
"Get out! We have to get out of here!"
"The door is jammed!"
"Ahh! Uh hah wah!"
"Hitomi, don't cry."
"I can't get the door! Son of a -!"
"MOM! DAD!"
"Goddamit!"
"I CAN'T GET THE DOOR TO OPEN!! GET OUT OF MY WAY!! PLEASE! GET OUT OF THAT WINDOW NOW!! GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! CALL SOMEONE!"
"Okay! I'm going! Everything will be okay Hitomi!"
"MOM! DAD!"
"Mom and you are getting help! I want you to get out of that window of yours. Go! It's burning in here!
"O...okay!"
"GO! STUPID DOOR"
"Come on Hitomi! The sooner we get the fire department..."
Hitomi awoke with a start. Sweat poured down her cheeks and forehead. She breathed loudly. The room she was in was red and hot. The corner was on fire.
"Ahhh! My God!"
"Don't believe in that silly God. He didn't help you before." Said a cruel voice from the shadows.
"N....no! Go away!"
Dilandau entered the red glow, a scornful smirk on his face. "Hope it isn't too hot for you. Thought you defeated me, did you? You faced your fears on Gaia, so I changed for a while. But, my frightened little rabbit, you're scared witless and I'm back! Hah hah hah ha!"
"So you are my fear of fire."
"Yes!" He said viciously, fixing his crimson eyes on hers. "And you'll not escape me this time, little girl!"
Just as Hitomi prepared to say something to Dilandau, she was assaulted by another vision.
She and her mother were standing on the front lawn. Police and firemen were all around. The house she stared at was completely in flames. They couldn't stop the fire. He couldn't get the door unstuck. They waited on the lawn all night for Hitomi's dad to come out of that window, but he never did. Later, by his burnt corpse, the officers had found many burnt objects he had been using to get through the door. There was a hole, but it wasn't very big. The room was on fire. They confirmed in the autopsy that he had passed out from smoke inhalation, and died of suffocation and burnt lungs. He didn't feel the pain of being burned alive, the doctors assured Hitomi's mother.
He died. She had blocked it out all of these years. The fire.
"No." Hitomi muttered weakly as she snapped back to reality. There was fire all over the room. The smoke was choking her.
No. It was Dilandau. He had his hands wrapped around her throat!
"No Dilandau!" she said as she tried to fight him off. The fire increased. "I am not afraid of you! I know the truth! I know that he died in that fire. I am not afraid of you, Dilandau. I am afraid of what took my father's life. It was the smoke. You are fire Dilandau. I do not fear these flames. They are visions. There is no smoke!"
Dilandau released her. He stared at her, his face entirely emotionless. The flames were replaced with a teal glow. So was the red glow surrounding Dilandau. He changed. His shoulders became less broad. His face became slender and graceful, his crimson eyes were blue, his hair went form silver to blonde, his scar disappeared.
It was Celena who now stood before Hitomi.
"Hi Hitomi. You faced your fears and once again set me free." She smiled. "You set me free from Dilandau's insane mind."
"Does this mean I am free."
"You have come to accept your father's death. And you will grow and learn. From now on Hitomi, we can live free of the burdens of our past. I am your bravery. We have the will and the bravery to move on from the horrors, and to let go of the past. We have found ourselves, Hitomi. We are free."
*
*
*
Dr. Nishimoto watched as Hitomi stirred, waking up. He was standing over her. "I have defeated Dilandau!" She burst out, when she saw him.
He began to flip through some papers on a clipboard. He found what he wanted and began to read carefully. "Ah yes. Dilandau - the pyromaniac."
"I know what happened and I have accepted it. My father died in that fire."
Mr. Nishimoto's face showed great surprise. Just yesterday, she thought her father was still alive and that everyone was conspiring against her. But this didn't change anything.
"I remembered," she told him. "I have the will and bravery to move on and let go of the past. I am free from my burdens."
"Very brave, indeed, Hitomi." Dr. Nishimoto chuckled. He was still very surprised. "Ms. Yano said she saw you last night, behaving wildly. You were strangling yourself and had to be constrained. You said some what of the same thing. You were in a trance, Hitomi."
Hitomi's face changed. She no longer looked happy at all. Dr. Nishimoto sighed. I wonder what she is thinking. She didn't even know we were there last night, holding her down. Yes, he thought, I know you defeated Dilandau. I heard you say it. I was there.
"Hitomi," he said to her, "you have not been completely honest with
me, have you? Is there anything you would like to tell me?"
"No. I have been honest!" She protested.
"Last night, while you were being so violent, these fell out of your mattress."
Hitomi's eyes fell to the floor. Little pink pills were everywhere. All over the place. "I..."
"You can't hurt yourself like this."
"But I am cured! I won't! I have my rhyme and reason back, and my belief. Celena is free and so am I! I'm free. I have accepted his death! He knows!"
"You don't know that you are doing it. You can't tell me you won't hurt yourself anymore."
"But Dilandau was the one. And now he is gone! I swear it! Dilandau is gone! Ahhhhh!"
"How much longer will she be here, Doctor?"
"We will have to switch the medication to injection." Dr. Nishimoto replied.
He and Ms. Yano exited the room, while four other doctors strapped Hitomi down to a Gurney and wheeled her down the halls to a safer room. Hitomi's cries echoed through the corridors of the asylum.
"I've let go! I'm free! I'M FREE!!"
THE END
"AHHHHH"
"Get out! We have to get out of here!"
"The door is jammed!"
"Ahh! Uh hah wah!"
"Hitomi, don't cry."
"I can't get the door! Son of a -!"
"MOM! DAD!"
"Goddamit!"
"I CAN'T GET THE DOOR TO OPEN!! GET OUT OF MY WAY!! PLEASE! GET OUT OF THAT WINDOW NOW!! GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! CALL SOMEONE!"
"Okay! I'm going! Everything will be okay Hitomi!"
"MOM! DAD!"
"Mom and you are getting help! I want you to get out of that window of yours. Go! It's burning in here!
"O...okay!"
"GO! STUPID DOOR"
"Come on Hitomi! The sooner we get the fire department..."
Hitomi awoke with a start. Sweat poured down her cheeks and forehead. She breathed loudly. The room she was in was red and hot. The corner was on fire.
"Ahhh! My God!"
"Don't believe in that silly God. He didn't help you before." Said a cruel voice from the shadows.
"N....no! Go away!"
Dilandau entered the red glow, a scornful smirk on his face. "Hope it isn't too hot for you. Thought you defeated me, did you? You faced your fears on Gaia, so I changed for a while. But, my frightened little rabbit, you're scared witless and I'm back! Hah hah hah ha!"
"So you are my fear of fire."
"Yes!" He said viciously, fixing his crimson eyes on hers. "And you'll not escape me this time, little girl!"
Just as Hitomi prepared to say something to Dilandau, she was assaulted by another vision.
She and her mother were standing on the front lawn. Police and firemen were all around. The house she stared at was completely in flames. They couldn't stop the fire. He couldn't get the door unstuck. They waited on the lawn all night for Hitomi's dad to come out of that window, but he never did. Later, by his burnt corpse, the officers had found many burnt objects he had been using to get through the door. There was a hole, but it wasn't very big. The room was on fire. They confirmed in the autopsy that he had passed out from smoke inhalation, and died of suffocation and burnt lungs. He didn't feel the pain of being burned alive, the doctors assured Hitomi's mother.
He died. She had blocked it out all of these years. The fire.
"No." Hitomi muttered weakly as she snapped back to reality. There was fire all over the room. The smoke was choking her.
No. It was Dilandau. He had his hands wrapped around her throat!
"No Dilandau!" she said as she tried to fight him off. The fire increased. "I am not afraid of you! I know the truth! I know that he died in that fire. I am not afraid of you, Dilandau. I am afraid of what took my father's life. It was the smoke. You are fire Dilandau. I do not fear these flames. They are visions. There is no smoke!"
Dilandau released her. He stared at her, his face entirely emotionless. The flames were replaced with a teal glow. So was the red glow surrounding Dilandau. He changed. His shoulders became less broad. His face became slender and graceful, his crimson eyes were blue, his hair went form silver to blonde, his scar disappeared.
It was Celena who now stood before Hitomi.
"Hi Hitomi. You faced your fears and once again set me free." She smiled. "You set me free from Dilandau's insane mind."
"Does this mean I am free."
"You have come to accept your father's death. And you will grow and learn. From now on Hitomi, we can live free of the burdens of our past. I am your bravery. We have the will and the bravery to move on from the horrors, and to let go of the past. We have found ourselves, Hitomi. We are free."
*
*
*
Dr. Nishimoto watched as Hitomi stirred, waking up. He was standing over her. "I have defeated Dilandau!" She burst out, when she saw him.
He began to flip through some papers on a clipboard. He found what he wanted and began to read carefully. "Ah yes. Dilandau - the pyromaniac."
"I know what happened and I have accepted it. My father died in that fire."
Mr. Nishimoto's face showed great surprise. Just yesterday, she thought her father was still alive and that everyone was conspiring against her. But this didn't change anything.
"I remembered," she told him. "I have the will and bravery to move on and let go of the past. I am free from my burdens."
"Very brave, indeed, Hitomi." Dr. Nishimoto chuckled. He was still very surprised. "Ms. Yano said she saw you last night, behaving wildly. You were strangling yourself and had to be constrained. You said some what of the same thing. You were in a trance, Hitomi."
Hitomi's face changed. She no longer looked happy at all. Dr. Nishimoto sighed. I wonder what she is thinking. She didn't even know we were there last night, holding her down. Yes, he thought, I know you defeated Dilandau. I heard you say it. I was there.
"Hitomi," he said to her, "you have not been completely honest with
me, have you? Is there anything you would like to tell me?"
"No. I have been honest!" She protested.
"Last night, while you were being so violent, these fell out of your mattress."
Hitomi's eyes fell to the floor. Little pink pills were everywhere. All over the place. "I..."
"You can't hurt yourself like this."
"But I am cured! I won't! I have my rhyme and reason back, and my belief. Celena is free and so am I! I'm free. I have accepted his death! He knows!"
"You don't know that you are doing it. You can't tell me you won't hurt yourself anymore."
"But Dilandau was the one. And now he is gone! I swear it! Dilandau is gone! Ahhhhh!"
"How much longer will she be here, Doctor?"
"We will have to switch the medication to injection." Dr. Nishimoto replied.
He and Ms. Yano exited the room, while four other doctors strapped Hitomi down to a Gurney and wheeled her down the halls to a safer room. Hitomi's cries echoed through the corridors of the asylum.
"I've let go! I'm free! I'M FREE!!"
THE END
