HelloHello! Did you all miss me? I'm so glad everyone that has reviewed
has liked the story so far. Some of your questions will soon be answered
as the story goes along. That's why the term is called suspense! ^_^
Hope ya'll like this one. See ya!
Yori: Japanese name, means 'dependence'
Nanashi: means 'without a name' in Japanese
Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne or any of its characters
************************************************************************
I'll Cry Instead
By Cev
Chapter 4: Run For Your Life, Little Girl
************************************************************************
Fire.
Betrayal.
Hope forgotten.
Affinity lost.
But the fire . . .
Everything's burning.
The houses are collapsing. The castle is crumbling.
"Van! Fight, Van!"
A scared little boy.
His father's head, clutched by the hair in his idol's hand.
Why is this boy cursed so?
"Fight, Van!"
His neck is cut off.
My neck . . .
My neck . . . it feels like I'm going to be beheaded . . .
"No! Stop! My neck!" Hitomi screamed, trying desperately to come to her senses, to feel reality.
"Shut up!" The man hissed. He pressed harder, and Hitomi knew it was too late. He was smiling sadistically, a smile she knew from somewhere, a smile she didn't want to see. "Finally," he said, "Finally I'll get my-"
But some hard force crashed into the man, and he doubled over.
Those red eyes suddenly dilated, rolled back into his head, and the armor- clad maniac became limp. Hitomi sucked in a deep breath, coughing, trying to shove off his heavy frame. She rolled over, away from the campfire, covered in dirt.
"Who are you?" A demanding voice asked, "Why was Dilandau attacking you?"
Hitomi rolled on her back, and looked up at another figure, blurry in her sight. She, realizing her unfavorable position, jumped up abruptly in defense, trying to gulp in more oxygen. "I don't know. He just attacked me."
"State your name."
Hitomi felt something cold and piercing in her back. She turned her head slowly, to face with a harsh, aged man, dressed in a dark green armor. He held a dagger to her spine. "I advise you readily answer." He said simply.
"Kanzaki."
"Kanzaki? What kingdom is that name from?" The man facing her asked.
"Balgus," A young man dressed in light clothing and armor ran up to the three, "We've taken in three dragon slayers. Two others ran off into the forest. Uh," He looked down at Dilandau, "Where shall we put him?"
"Chain him up and get Schezar. He'll keep watch over him until we get to Fanelia."
"Yes sir." With that, he slung Dilandau over his shoulder, and walked off.
"Back to you," The man called Balgus said, as if he was trying to intimidate her, "What kingdom are you from?"
"Kingdom?" Hitomi asked in confusion, "I'm not from any kingdom, I don't even know what you're talking about, I'm from Japan. From Tokyo."
"She's lying." The man behind her said. "There's no such thing as a Japan."
Balgus looked her over, and came closer, peering straight into Hitomi's eyes. "You're wearing trousers. Any woman wearing trousers and out here with the dragon slayers can't be with good intentions. Bind her hands, Tikei. Set her on a horse and let's move out as soon as possible. I want to get out of this damned forest as soon as possible."
"Yes sir." Tikei sheathed his dagger, and took Hitomi by both arms, leading her to a group of horses.
"Where are you going to take me?" Hitomi asked.
"Well, I'm taking you to mount a horse, but in the end you will most likely end up in the dungeons. There are spies everywhere, and no one can be trusted in a war. You are no exception, young miss."
"We might see about that." Hitomi muttered.
"Excuse me?" Tikei asked, looking down.
Hitomi looked up at him for a brief second, his eyes, distracted by an odd pendant she was wearing, didn't detect her left elbow being shoved into his groin. He gagged in pain, hitting his knees and leaning forward.
Hitomi, on the other hand, just ran.
"Someone get her!" Tikei yelled.
"Schezar! Get your ass after that girl!"
A young blonde knight, already on his horse, turned his attentions to the escaping maiden, as Balgus shouted orders to other soldiers to get after her. He hit the horse's backside hard, and made a dash for her.
"Oh, thank you, track team," Hitomi said to herself, running as fast as her drained body would allow. She hit the trees, running straight for once, looking straight ahead.
Allen Schezar plummeted into the trees, crisscrossing at in incredible speed, but still keeping his eye on the girl. "Stop!" He yelled.
"Like hell." Hitomi muttered, jumping over fallen logs and dense brush.
"Damnit," Allen cursed, "How can a girl run so fast?"
Hitomi came into another clearing, where the moon lit up, where she could see the man behind her. He was getting too close. Just as she looked back, her foot tripped in a hole hidden by grass. The ground met her face and body in a rush, knocking the wind out of her, and sent her into another coughing spell.
Allen's horse reared back from the hard tug of the reins. Allen jumped off the horse, and ran over to the fallen stranger. He kneeled down to the facedown form, and turned her over.
All at once, it all came back to Allen. It was her. The one person that changed everything on this planet. The one that saved their king. "Hitomi." Allen stuttered out, "I can't believe it's you! After all this time!" he said in surprise, and gathered her in a weak hug.
"What? Get off of me! How do you know my name?" Hitomi snarled, pushing the knight off.
"Hitomi, it's me, it's Allen." The knight said in surprise, leaning towards her.
Hitomi stood up, "I've never known anyone named Allen." With that, she sped off behind Allen, towards his horse. She took it by the reins and struggled up into the saddle, kicking the horse, and it shot off beneath her, with Allen too stunned to even run after her.
"Shit . . . she's going into the mountains."
***********************************************************************
How long had it been since she'd seen the sun? The trees she had been running through were getting thicker and everything seemed oppressed, especially the air. Everything seemed darker, and eerie. The horse that she stole from Allen was full of supplies, a sword, and dagger. At least she had the horse. "Do these people expect to be attacked at any moment?"
Hitomi dismounted, her legs feeling like she just ran the hundred-meter dash. The horse eyed her carefully, now that it had been taken suddenly from its master. Hitomi rubbed its nose, trying to comfort the wary animal. "Don't worry. I'm not going to do anything." She said. Hitomi hugged the stallion around the neck, abruptly getting the full force of what was happening. She obviously wasn't anywhere she knew about, and the people were by no means in a developed civilization.
Everything here was hostile. Didn't Tikei, that soldier, say that this place was under a war? Now that she was on her own, she didn't really think she had a chance. It had to be better than a dungeon, though. That didn't exactly seem like the best circumstances. Still, that man, Balgus, saved her from that white-haired soldier they called a dragonslayer. What was a dragonslayer, anyway?
And she had no money. She didn't even know where she was. How was she possibly going to survive in this world?
Hitomi took the horse by the reins, leading him up the rocks, walking blindly into the dark. The stallion followed obediently, suddenly very trusting of the awkward girl.
**********************************************************************
Their path was becoming steeper and dangerous. Hitomi stumbled over the rocks, comforted by the light color that peered over the horizon of trees. Her watch, dirty and blurry, read eight o'clock, but what time was it here? Did they even have a time?
The top of the hill they climbed was just in front of her. For a hill, she sure could see a lot from here. Many clouds, and.a moon? Hitomi peered at the white sphere, noticing a dark orb behind it.
"Earth . . . ?"
What kind of strange nightmare did she stumble into?
The reins she held jerked in her hand, and grabbed her attention. The horse walked faster, and Hitomi tried to pull him back, but he wouldn't. The animal climbed to the top, dragging poor Hitomi with him. Below the two, a large city gleamed in the valley, a city surrounded by mountains. For some strange reason, something in Hitomi sparked, and she felt incredibly at peace.
"I want to go there," She mumbled, holding onto the reins harder. The horse stared at Hitomi, nudging her side, pleading. "No, it's too steep, and you getting up here so fast tired me out. We have to find another way, and I'm tired and hungry. Aren't you?"
Hitomi climbed down, and the two started off, walking a narrow somewhat worn path along the summit of the hills.
************************************************************************
The sun stood high above their heads, and looked pleasantly down at the strange place. Hitomi and her stolen horse hadn't made much progress. She stood a few kilometers away from their starting point, and she couldn't spot a fair place where they could travel down to the city.
"Yori, do you know a way?" Hitomi asked the horse. He looked at her oddly. "Well, I do depend on you. Besides, I can't call you Nanashi or something. Yori is a good name, don't you think?"
The stallion nudged Hitomi forward, so that she stumbled into the trees. She looked down at the city, holding onto the trunk, and noticed a soft roll of two hills, where two towers were placed on either side.
"That's how we get there?" Hitomi looked up at 'Yori' questionably, "You are too smart for a horse." She said, wagging her finger at Yori. To Hitomi, Yori seemed as if he was smiling knowingly at her, but she walked on in front of him, not bothering to hold the reins. She no longer needed to lead him.
************************************************************************
Sorry it took me so long, everyone. I've been really busy, and I've had a bad case of writer's block at the moment, but I've been able to struggle this last part out. I'm not exactly how this story is going to progress; all I have is a bit of an outline. Don't fret; my writing is about to become a bit more confident.
Love & Hope, Cev
Yori: Japanese name, means 'dependence'
Nanashi: means 'without a name' in Japanese
Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne or any of its characters
************************************************************************
I'll Cry Instead
By Cev
Chapter 4: Run For Your Life, Little Girl
************************************************************************
Fire.
Betrayal.
Hope forgotten.
Affinity lost.
But the fire . . .
Everything's burning.
The houses are collapsing. The castle is crumbling.
"Van! Fight, Van!"
A scared little boy.
His father's head, clutched by the hair in his idol's hand.
Why is this boy cursed so?
"Fight, Van!"
His neck is cut off.
My neck . . .
My neck . . . it feels like I'm going to be beheaded . . .
"No! Stop! My neck!" Hitomi screamed, trying desperately to come to her senses, to feel reality.
"Shut up!" The man hissed. He pressed harder, and Hitomi knew it was too late. He was smiling sadistically, a smile she knew from somewhere, a smile she didn't want to see. "Finally," he said, "Finally I'll get my-"
But some hard force crashed into the man, and he doubled over.
Those red eyes suddenly dilated, rolled back into his head, and the armor- clad maniac became limp. Hitomi sucked in a deep breath, coughing, trying to shove off his heavy frame. She rolled over, away from the campfire, covered in dirt.
"Who are you?" A demanding voice asked, "Why was Dilandau attacking you?"
Hitomi rolled on her back, and looked up at another figure, blurry in her sight. She, realizing her unfavorable position, jumped up abruptly in defense, trying to gulp in more oxygen. "I don't know. He just attacked me."
"State your name."
Hitomi felt something cold and piercing in her back. She turned her head slowly, to face with a harsh, aged man, dressed in a dark green armor. He held a dagger to her spine. "I advise you readily answer." He said simply.
"Kanzaki."
"Kanzaki? What kingdom is that name from?" The man facing her asked.
"Balgus," A young man dressed in light clothing and armor ran up to the three, "We've taken in three dragon slayers. Two others ran off into the forest. Uh," He looked down at Dilandau, "Where shall we put him?"
"Chain him up and get Schezar. He'll keep watch over him until we get to Fanelia."
"Yes sir." With that, he slung Dilandau over his shoulder, and walked off.
"Back to you," The man called Balgus said, as if he was trying to intimidate her, "What kingdom are you from?"
"Kingdom?" Hitomi asked in confusion, "I'm not from any kingdom, I don't even know what you're talking about, I'm from Japan. From Tokyo."
"She's lying." The man behind her said. "There's no such thing as a Japan."
Balgus looked her over, and came closer, peering straight into Hitomi's eyes. "You're wearing trousers. Any woman wearing trousers and out here with the dragon slayers can't be with good intentions. Bind her hands, Tikei. Set her on a horse and let's move out as soon as possible. I want to get out of this damned forest as soon as possible."
"Yes sir." Tikei sheathed his dagger, and took Hitomi by both arms, leading her to a group of horses.
"Where are you going to take me?" Hitomi asked.
"Well, I'm taking you to mount a horse, but in the end you will most likely end up in the dungeons. There are spies everywhere, and no one can be trusted in a war. You are no exception, young miss."
"We might see about that." Hitomi muttered.
"Excuse me?" Tikei asked, looking down.
Hitomi looked up at him for a brief second, his eyes, distracted by an odd pendant she was wearing, didn't detect her left elbow being shoved into his groin. He gagged in pain, hitting his knees and leaning forward.
Hitomi, on the other hand, just ran.
"Someone get her!" Tikei yelled.
"Schezar! Get your ass after that girl!"
A young blonde knight, already on his horse, turned his attentions to the escaping maiden, as Balgus shouted orders to other soldiers to get after her. He hit the horse's backside hard, and made a dash for her.
"Oh, thank you, track team," Hitomi said to herself, running as fast as her drained body would allow. She hit the trees, running straight for once, looking straight ahead.
Allen Schezar plummeted into the trees, crisscrossing at in incredible speed, but still keeping his eye on the girl. "Stop!" He yelled.
"Like hell." Hitomi muttered, jumping over fallen logs and dense brush.
"Damnit," Allen cursed, "How can a girl run so fast?"
Hitomi came into another clearing, where the moon lit up, where she could see the man behind her. He was getting too close. Just as she looked back, her foot tripped in a hole hidden by grass. The ground met her face and body in a rush, knocking the wind out of her, and sent her into another coughing spell.
Allen's horse reared back from the hard tug of the reins. Allen jumped off the horse, and ran over to the fallen stranger. He kneeled down to the facedown form, and turned her over.
All at once, it all came back to Allen. It was her. The one person that changed everything on this planet. The one that saved their king. "Hitomi." Allen stuttered out, "I can't believe it's you! After all this time!" he said in surprise, and gathered her in a weak hug.
"What? Get off of me! How do you know my name?" Hitomi snarled, pushing the knight off.
"Hitomi, it's me, it's Allen." The knight said in surprise, leaning towards her.
Hitomi stood up, "I've never known anyone named Allen." With that, she sped off behind Allen, towards his horse. She took it by the reins and struggled up into the saddle, kicking the horse, and it shot off beneath her, with Allen too stunned to even run after her.
"Shit . . . she's going into the mountains."
***********************************************************************
How long had it been since she'd seen the sun? The trees she had been running through were getting thicker and everything seemed oppressed, especially the air. Everything seemed darker, and eerie. The horse that she stole from Allen was full of supplies, a sword, and dagger. At least she had the horse. "Do these people expect to be attacked at any moment?"
Hitomi dismounted, her legs feeling like she just ran the hundred-meter dash. The horse eyed her carefully, now that it had been taken suddenly from its master. Hitomi rubbed its nose, trying to comfort the wary animal. "Don't worry. I'm not going to do anything." She said. Hitomi hugged the stallion around the neck, abruptly getting the full force of what was happening. She obviously wasn't anywhere she knew about, and the people were by no means in a developed civilization.
Everything here was hostile. Didn't Tikei, that soldier, say that this place was under a war? Now that she was on her own, she didn't really think she had a chance. It had to be better than a dungeon, though. That didn't exactly seem like the best circumstances. Still, that man, Balgus, saved her from that white-haired soldier they called a dragonslayer. What was a dragonslayer, anyway?
And she had no money. She didn't even know where she was. How was she possibly going to survive in this world?
Hitomi took the horse by the reins, leading him up the rocks, walking blindly into the dark. The stallion followed obediently, suddenly very trusting of the awkward girl.
**********************************************************************
Their path was becoming steeper and dangerous. Hitomi stumbled over the rocks, comforted by the light color that peered over the horizon of trees. Her watch, dirty and blurry, read eight o'clock, but what time was it here? Did they even have a time?
The top of the hill they climbed was just in front of her. For a hill, she sure could see a lot from here. Many clouds, and.a moon? Hitomi peered at the white sphere, noticing a dark orb behind it.
"Earth . . . ?"
What kind of strange nightmare did she stumble into?
The reins she held jerked in her hand, and grabbed her attention. The horse walked faster, and Hitomi tried to pull him back, but he wouldn't. The animal climbed to the top, dragging poor Hitomi with him. Below the two, a large city gleamed in the valley, a city surrounded by mountains. For some strange reason, something in Hitomi sparked, and she felt incredibly at peace.
"I want to go there," She mumbled, holding onto the reins harder. The horse stared at Hitomi, nudging her side, pleading. "No, it's too steep, and you getting up here so fast tired me out. We have to find another way, and I'm tired and hungry. Aren't you?"
Hitomi climbed down, and the two started off, walking a narrow somewhat worn path along the summit of the hills.
************************************************************************
The sun stood high above their heads, and looked pleasantly down at the strange place. Hitomi and her stolen horse hadn't made much progress. She stood a few kilometers away from their starting point, and she couldn't spot a fair place where they could travel down to the city.
"Yori, do you know a way?" Hitomi asked the horse. He looked at her oddly. "Well, I do depend on you. Besides, I can't call you Nanashi or something. Yori is a good name, don't you think?"
The stallion nudged Hitomi forward, so that she stumbled into the trees. She looked down at the city, holding onto the trunk, and noticed a soft roll of two hills, where two towers were placed on either side.
"That's how we get there?" Hitomi looked up at 'Yori' questionably, "You are too smart for a horse." She said, wagging her finger at Yori. To Hitomi, Yori seemed as if he was smiling knowingly at her, but she walked on in front of him, not bothering to hold the reins. She no longer needed to lead him.
************************************************************************
Sorry it took me so long, everyone. I've been really busy, and I've had a bad case of writer's block at the moment, but I've been able to struggle this last part out. I'm not exactly how this story is going to progress; all I have is a bit of an outline. Don't fret; my writing is about to become a bit more confident.
Love & Hope, Cev
