I'm so sorry I haven't updated in awhile!! I have had no free time what so ever for the past week, and I won't be having much more free time soon. I apologize for the shortness of the upcoming chapters, but once my life stops getting so hectic, then I can really write long chapters. I'm glad so many people like my fanfiction! And if you like fanfictions with Dilandau and another kick-ass made-up character, I recommend you read 'Always With You' by Darkgoddess. AND A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL OF MY WONDERFUL FANS THAT REVIEWED!!! ARIGATO-GOZIMASU!!!

Disclaimer: I no own Escaflowne or Soul Calibur.

AN: To get one thing straight.... I didn't purposely make the Dragonslayers look weak... they just underestimated Hitomi and 'took it easy on her'. But since they really didn't try at catching her and thought of it as 'a game' she got away... but as you see in the end, they did catch her and were about to kill her. Hope that makes everything clear now!

P.S. I feel stupid for asking but will someone please tell me what OOC means??

He glared at each one of his slayers then looked back at Hitomi. She could tell that Dilandau wanted to kill her right there. A fire was burning in his eyes for revenge... but they were burning for a revenge he couldn't have.

"Follow me." Dilandau commanded Hitomi. She then headed out the door, walking directly behind the boy that wanted to kill her, but had saved her instead.

Chapter 6: Confusing Questions

Silently walking down the hall, Hitomi followed Dilandau. They hadn't walked for more than a minute when Dilandau turned and stopped in front a door similar to the Dragonslayers' training room door. Hitomi was careful not to get in Dilandau's way as he opened the door.

Hitomi felt nervous as she walked into the room, but as her eyes adjusted to the bright light beaming into the room from the line of windows, she felt realization dawn on her.

The room was not as big as the other training room but it still had weapons hanging on racks that ran along the walls. From swords, to rods, to shields, and lances, many a different types of weapons along with their fighting styles could be seen throughout the room. She realized that she was going to learn to fight.

Without hesitation, Hitomi started to walk around the room and look at all the weapons there was to offer. She was fascinated by all the shapes, sizes, and designs that made up each weapon. Instead of admiring everything, she focused on a weapon that would be well suited for her.

Broadswords would be too heavy, and she didn't think she would have the grace and force to handle a katana. As she walked a little further, a red wooden rod caught her eye. It wasn't just a rod though. On one end of it, a wide blade of dull steel stuck out of the top. It was straight on one edge but the other was curved. Both sides looked like they were sharp but after much use, it looked not sharp at all. Since it was a weapon to train with, it was a good thing that the blade was dull.

AN: (Check out this website for a picture of the weapon. it's actually Sueng Mina from Soul Calibur. I love her weapon so much! )

It was just a practice weapon, and showed much use and wear, but Hitomi immediately took a liking to it. She put her hands around the rod and lifted it off the rack. It was very top heavy from the steel blade, and she nearly dropped it from the unevenness in weight. But as not to make a fool of herself, she kept a firm grip on it and turned around to find that Dilandau was only a few feet away from her.

He looked at the determination on her face and looked at her weapon of choice.

'She choose well.' Dilandau thought to himself.

"I'm guessing you already know that I'm going to train you how to fight." Dilandau inquired.

Hitomi nodded her head. She would learn to defend herself and then she would never need to rely on Van or Allen to save her. No one else would ever get hurt on her account. She would make sure of that.

Dilandau unattached his sword and set it on the ground near all the other weapons. He walked over to where Hitomi had gotten her rod and picked up one of his own. Walking to the center of the room, he faced Hitomi who was still wrongly holding her rod.

Dilandau started, "You're holding it wrong. First, grip the pole with your left hand near the blade and your right hand near your leg." He showed her with his weapon and Hitomi was holding it correctly now.

"You're holding it too tight. Loosen your grip... when using this weapon, you cannot be so tense. Your movements need to be free and flowing... tension will only give you more weaknesses. Now, I want you to charge at me." Dilandau added.

Hitomi looked at him, unsure if she had heard him right. He assured her with a nod and Hitomi took in a deep breath. She raced forward and swung the rod toward his right side. Easily blocking it, Dilandau started to talk again.

"Make sure you don't exert yourself in only a few moves. Look for an opening when you attack. Your opponent might be concentrating on getting an advantage over you and leave themselves unguarded. When that happens, take the advantage and attack. Make sure you are always on your guard. Now try and block."

Dilandau jumped backwards pulling his rod away from Hitomi's. He didn't want to hit her full force so he just swung his rod toward her left side near her abdomen. She saw this coming and blocked the attack. She decided to go a little further and push him away. Putting her weight into it, she pushed against Dilandau's pole and swung down at his legs. Being an experienced fighter, he jumped up and Hitomi's rod swished below his feet.

Dilandau could tell she wanted to fight for real. That was the only way to gain experience. Learning things move by move would be just acting. It would not prepare her for real life battle.

Hitomi was learning to use her weapon fast, but she was getting tired quickly. The weight of the blade was tiring her muscles and she started to breath hard. She threw her pole behind her head and brought it down upon Dilandau who raised his rod above and across his head. Her hit was hard and Dilandau was glad that she wasn't weak.

He then pushed forward to throw her off balance, but she didn't expect this and dropped her rod as she started to fall backwards. Unexpectedly, Dilandau dropped his own pole and raced forward. Without a second thought, he threw his arms forward. One wrapped behind her shoulders and the other around her lower back. Hitomi's eyes were closed shut, ready to impact the floor, but when she felt sturdy arms envelop her, she was shocked.

Flashing her eyes open, she found herself staring at two red orbs that held so much more depth than what the outer shell exposed. Dilandau also seemed to be lost in another world. A green abyss had consumed him... it spread a warmth around him... he had never felt like that before... feeling so calm and at peace. But his thoughts were interrupted.

Hitomi gained back her senses and just realized how close she was to Dilandau. "Dilandau?" she spoke softly.

This woke him up immediately and he realized they were staring at each other. His cheeks seemed to go a little pink with embarrassment, but he hid it by quickly lifting Hitomi back up so she could stand and hastily turned away.

Walking back over to where he dropped his rod, he picked it up and walked back over to the rack where he got it. Dilandau secured it in the hooks and strode to where his sword lay. Hitomi felt just as uncomfortable as him and tried to think of anything to say to break the edgy silence.

Dilandau jumped ahead of her and broke the stillness in the room. "I need to check on my Dragonslayers now. You can come here and practice any time you want. You will get stronger over time and be able to handle your weapon for a longer period of time. Work on different attacks and techniques. If you want some practice with a person, come find where I am training with the Dragonslayers."

Hitomi just stood there. How did he turn from so hostile towards her, to so nice? He was treating her with respect. And when she looked into his eyes... it was as if they weren't even his. The first time she had ever looked into those eyes, they were full of hatred and held a fiery passion for bloodshed. But... when he had caught her... they seemed so full of caring and seemed to be lost in the depths of her soul.

"Tha... thank you... Dilandau..." Hitomi got out barely above a whisper.

Dilandau stopped at the doorway and replied hesitantly, "Don't thank me... thank Folken. He was the one that ordered that no one shall harm you. I was following orders." And with that Dilandau stepped out into the hallway and shut the door behind him.

He stood there for a few minutes and thought over what he had just said. A voice in the back of his head kept saying he was lying to himself. He wasn't just following orders. He remembered he heard a ruckus in the training room and hurried to see why his Dragonslayers were not doing what they were ordered to do. Folken had just talked to him and told him of Hitomi. Dilandau remembered Hitomi very well and felt rage build in his head. She was the reason he lost most of their battles against Van and the reason he got the scar on his cheek. After Folken mentioned Hitomi would be staying there for a while, he ordered that Dilandau and no one else would kill or harm her.

With that said, Dilandau could say nothing to defy Folken's orders. If any harm did come to Hitomi, Dilandau would have to face the consequences. The thing was... Dilandau doubted that Folken would do anything to him. Being their top general and head of the Dragonslayers, Dilandau was very important... more than Folken wanted to admit.

So why did Dilandau save the one girl that he wanted to kill? WAS he just following Folken's orders? Or did his body get a mind of it's own?

When he saw her crumpled on the floor, seeing the fear that over came her because of the realization that she was going to loose her life, he felt something... something he had never felt before... that was when he rushed in and saved her from the sword that would have ended her life. When Dilandau unsheathed his sword, he did not think of what would happen to himself if he didn't save Hitomi's life... but he reacted on his own will. He wasted no time and did not think twice about saving her... had he acted upon his feelings? If he did... he didn't understand them.

He felt so confused by all the questions in his mind and just wanted to understand what he was going through. Shaking his head from side to side, he cleared his head and decided to do some training to take his thoughts off of Hitomi.

Hitomi... now it seemed that he didn't have the feeling to get his revenge on her anymore. After looking into her eyes... all the hatred seemed to dissolve away.