Part 14
I was kneeling by the window Van had thrown the Pendant out of. My arms were dangling loosely out and I stared blankly at the landscape so far down below. Behind me, I heard Lacey break the silence of the long pause with shrill disbelief.
"Van!? What the HELL did you do that for!?"
"I can't let you go." replied Van, as if that should have been alright, and he couldn't figure out what the big deal was.
"But Van, I have a family!"
"You've told me a lot of things, Lacey. I know you don't want to go back."
"Actually, I... do." Said Lacey, sadly. "I want to be here, but I... miss my home, and my family. I want to go home... we all do... and now you've taken that away from us!"
"I love you, and I don't want to lose you like I lost Hitomi!!" Van said, becoming more shrill. He was raising his voice and I heard him walk towards Lacey. I turned around.
"I love you too, Van."
"You could be a queen."
"But I do..." Lacey started but Van cut her off with a loud yell,
"You WILL be a queen. MY queen."
"VAN!!" Lacey shouted, matching his intensity.
"This is the way it HAS to be!!" Said Van, no longer yelling
"Van! You're not LISTENING to me!!" Lacey cried.
"We'll make arrangements right away!" he continued, without even looking at her.
"VAN!!!!"
"HITOMI!! I LOVE YOU!!!" Snapped Van.
Everyone fell silent, and Van realized what he'd said. We all stared at him. "Hitomi?! Van you just called me Hitomi. I am not Hitomi!"
"I know, Lacey. Lacey, I know."
"I can never be Hitomi, Van. You miss her and love her. You don't love me. It isn't the same. I can't be with you knowing I'm second choice. Knowing I'm Hitomi's replacement!!"
"Hold it! Hold on just a minute." I stood up. I walked over to where Lacey and Van were standing. Everyone looked at me, to see what I had to say. I looked at them both. "Since when did this become about YOU?" I stared at Van. "Or even you Lacey? No offence."
"None taken!" She said brightly. I turned back to Van.
"Listen. You have some psychological problems, I realize that. I know you miss and love Hitomi, but get over yourself. You could use a lot of help. But this has never been about you. This is about me! All me! Everything that has happened so far has happened to or because of me! Not you or anyone else. In fact, you aren't even in it that often. John here," I indicated John, "He only has one line. Do you see where I'm coming from? I'm the star. Me."
"Don't you think that's a little full of yourself, Jules?" Asked John. (Guess he's got two lines.)
"Yes. It is." I replied. "But It's MY story. About ME! Besides, this is the only thing I could think of to stop Mr. This-close-to-being-over-the- edge over here, from rambling on about his depressing lost love story."
"Fair enough." replied John. (That doesn't count. That's two words...)
Just then, a large crash and a violent swerve indicated that we had just been run into. All of us toppled over.
"What happened?!" Requested Allen harshly.
"We've been boarded by a red guymelef, Sir!" shrieked Gadeth.
"Dilandau," Said Allen resentfully.
"Dilandau!" I said, not meaning to sound so happy and relieved in front of everyone who really didn't like the guy.
Dilandau entered and looked at all of us. We all looked back.
"So... what's going on?" He asked.
"Why did YOU come here?!" said Amanda, SuperShaun and Allen at the same time.
"Why not?" He replied.
"Oooh... he's good." Said Rebecca
in awe.
"Actually, I just found it odd that you all hadn't left by Pillar of Light yet." Stated Dilandau. "Why?"
"Van threw the Pendant out of the window." I muttered.
"Oh?" Said Dilandau happily. He turned to face Van and cracked his knuckles. "Do you remember when Julie saved you from my wrath Van, when I swore to you that if you ever gave me a reason to kill you I would? Remember?"
"Uh... Yes." Replied Van uneasily.
"Well guess what?" Said Dilandau, a cruel but satisfied smile crossing his face.
"This is... one of those... reasons?" Van asked and shrugged.
They both pulled out their swords. "Precisely." Said Dilandau.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Not on the ship." Said Allen, looking fretfully about. "How am I supposed to do heroic and knightly things without my ship? Can't you take it outside?"
"My pleasure, Allen Schezar!" Said Dilandau, stalking menacingly towards Van. "This is for the scar on my cheek. This is for my Dragon Slayers! This is for Jajuka."
"But the Dragon Slayers are all alive." Joanna interjected.
"Yeah boss, we're right here." Chesta said, suddenly appearing in the room with many of the other Dragon Slayers.
"Oh. Well that changes everything." Said Dilandau. Then he looked back to Van. "This is for the scar on my cheek. And for the recent grief you've caused these people."
We all stood back as Dilandau raised his sword high and brought it down on Van. He missed, except for Van's cheek. They had matching scars, fresh blood running out of Van's face. Then Dilandau violently shoved Van so hard, he fell right out of the window he threw the Pendant out of.
"He has fallen to his death. Down into the mysterious landscape below, to be rejoined with the pendant he cast away, even though he cared so much about it. Maybe it's better that he was reunited with Hitomi's pendant. Still, that's pretty ironic." I said.
"I can't believe Van is dead." Said Lacey.
Joanna was looking out the window. "Is there any way he could have survived it?"
"I don't think so." replied Allen.
"Oh well. He was such a nag anyway." Said Lacey. Everyone stared at her in disbelief.
"So how are we going to get home?" I asked. "Any ideas. I'm fresh out."
"I'll take you all home." Said Dilandau.
"What?!"
"Well I came and got you, didn't I?"
"Well, yes. But you had the power to take us home ALL of this time!"
"Yeah, but remember, you weren't free then. Just recently." He said. "I was quite prepared to take you home before you left on the Crusade, but you said you'd found a way. I'll take you now, though."
"All of us!" I asked.
"Yeah." Said Dilandau.
"You are a lifesaver!"
"Hey. Watch it!"
And Dilandau and his Dragon Slayers took us home.
All of us!
I was kneeling by the window Van had thrown the Pendant out of. My arms were dangling loosely out and I stared blankly at the landscape so far down below. Behind me, I heard Lacey break the silence of the long pause with shrill disbelief.
"Van!? What the HELL did you do that for!?"
"I can't let you go." replied Van, as if that should have been alright, and he couldn't figure out what the big deal was.
"But Van, I have a family!"
"You've told me a lot of things, Lacey. I know you don't want to go back."
"Actually, I... do." Said Lacey, sadly. "I want to be here, but I... miss my home, and my family. I want to go home... we all do... and now you've taken that away from us!"
"I love you, and I don't want to lose you like I lost Hitomi!!" Van said, becoming more shrill. He was raising his voice and I heard him walk towards Lacey. I turned around.
"I love you too, Van."
"You could be a queen."
"But I do..." Lacey started but Van cut her off with a loud yell,
"You WILL be a queen. MY queen."
"VAN!!" Lacey shouted, matching his intensity.
"This is the way it HAS to be!!" Said Van, no longer yelling
"Van! You're not LISTENING to me!!" Lacey cried.
"We'll make arrangements right away!" he continued, without even looking at her.
"VAN!!!!"
"HITOMI!! I LOVE YOU!!!" Snapped Van.
Everyone fell silent, and Van realized what he'd said. We all stared at him. "Hitomi?! Van you just called me Hitomi. I am not Hitomi!"
"I know, Lacey. Lacey, I know."
"I can never be Hitomi, Van. You miss her and love her. You don't love me. It isn't the same. I can't be with you knowing I'm second choice. Knowing I'm Hitomi's replacement!!"
"Hold it! Hold on just a minute." I stood up. I walked over to where Lacey and Van were standing. Everyone looked at me, to see what I had to say. I looked at them both. "Since when did this become about YOU?" I stared at Van. "Or even you Lacey? No offence."
"None taken!" She said brightly. I turned back to Van.
"Listen. You have some psychological problems, I realize that. I know you miss and love Hitomi, but get over yourself. You could use a lot of help. But this has never been about you. This is about me! All me! Everything that has happened so far has happened to or because of me! Not you or anyone else. In fact, you aren't even in it that often. John here," I indicated John, "He only has one line. Do you see where I'm coming from? I'm the star. Me."
"Don't you think that's a little full of yourself, Jules?" Asked John. (Guess he's got two lines.)
"Yes. It is." I replied. "But It's MY story. About ME! Besides, this is the only thing I could think of to stop Mr. This-close-to-being-over-the- edge over here, from rambling on about his depressing lost love story."
"Fair enough." replied John. (That doesn't count. That's two words...)
Just then, a large crash and a violent swerve indicated that we had just been run into. All of us toppled over.
"What happened?!" Requested Allen harshly.
"We've been boarded by a red guymelef, Sir!" shrieked Gadeth.
"Dilandau," Said Allen resentfully.
"Dilandau!" I said, not meaning to sound so happy and relieved in front of everyone who really didn't like the guy.
Dilandau entered and looked at all of us. We all looked back.
"So... what's going on?" He asked.
"Why did YOU come here?!" said Amanda, SuperShaun and Allen at the same time.
"Why not?" He replied.
"Oooh... he's good." Said Rebecca
in awe.
"Actually, I just found it odd that you all hadn't left by Pillar of Light yet." Stated Dilandau. "Why?"
"Van threw the Pendant out of the window." I muttered.
"Oh?" Said Dilandau happily. He turned to face Van and cracked his knuckles. "Do you remember when Julie saved you from my wrath Van, when I swore to you that if you ever gave me a reason to kill you I would? Remember?"
"Uh... Yes." Replied Van uneasily.
"Well guess what?" Said Dilandau, a cruel but satisfied smile crossing his face.
"This is... one of those... reasons?" Van asked and shrugged.
They both pulled out their swords. "Precisely." Said Dilandau.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Not on the ship." Said Allen, looking fretfully about. "How am I supposed to do heroic and knightly things without my ship? Can't you take it outside?"
"My pleasure, Allen Schezar!" Said Dilandau, stalking menacingly towards Van. "This is for the scar on my cheek. This is for my Dragon Slayers! This is for Jajuka."
"But the Dragon Slayers are all alive." Joanna interjected.
"Yeah boss, we're right here." Chesta said, suddenly appearing in the room with many of the other Dragon Slayers.
"Oh. Well that changes everything." Said Dilandau. Then he looked back to Van. "This is for the scar on my cheek. And for the recent grief you've caused these people."
We all stood back as Dilandau raised his sword high and brought it down on Van. He missed, except for Van's cheek. They had matching scars, fresh blood running out of Van's face. Then Dilandau violently shoved Van so hard, he fell right out of the window he threw the Pendant out of.
"He has fallen to his death. Down into the mysterious landscape below, to be rejoined with the pendant he cast away, even though he cared so much about it. Maybe it's better that he was reunited with Hitomi's pendant. Still, that's pretty ironic." I said.
"I can't believe Van is dead." Said Lacey.
Joanna was looking out the window. "Is there any way he could have survived it?"
"I don't think so." replied Allen.
"Oh well. He was such a nag anyway." Said Lacey. Everyone stared at her in disbelief.
"So how are we going to get home?" I asked. "Any ideas. I'm fresh out."
"I'll take you all home." Said Dilandau.
"What?!"
"Well I came and got you, didn't I?"
"Well, yes. But you had the power to take us home ALL of this time!"
"Yeah, but remember, you weren't free then. Just recently." He said. "I was quite prepared to take you home before you left on the Crusade, but you said you'd found a way. I'll take you now, though."
"All of us!" I asked.
"Yeah." Said Dilandau.
"You are a lifesaver!"
"Hey. Watch it!"
And Dilandau and his Dragon Slayers took us home.
All of us!