Yeah! Past 100 reviews! I'm so happy! And can someone tell me if they
recall throughout the series that Dilandau had never seen Van's wings? I'm
pretty sure that he never did... I just want to be sure. Please R&R!
To Lady Starlight: Sorry but I won't change the pairing! As I said in the first chapter... 'If you don't like the pairing, then don't read it.'
Disclaimer: See Chapters 1-11.
Grabbing Hitomi around the waist, he jumped from the opening. Hitomi put her arms around his neck, and Van got a better hold. Just a few seconds after jumping from the Vione, with some effort, Van let his wings out.
Beating against the light rain, the two then flew away towards the Crusade.
Chapter 12: Got Another Thing Coming
Dilandau followed a soldier that was leading him to where the intruder escaped. But as he ran down one of the halls, Hitomi's training weapon came into plain view. He stopped next to it abruptly and looked at it. It certainly was the one that Hitomi used.
'Why would she have just discarded it here though?' he questioned himself.
He pushed the thought away from his head and went to check on other things. When he reached the end of the hall, he was struck with confusion. The intruder had escaped? But how? Only the window was broken. If they jumped, the fall would surely kill them. A group of armed men were all gathered around the window that now showed no signs of glass. Every one of the men tried to get a glimpse out the window.
Dilandau had to see for himself, so he pushed his way through and finally reached the opening that the cold damp night air blew through. He gazed out it for a few seconds and squinted his eyes to try and focus out in the distance. It was just barely visible, but a faint glow of white that looked like a bird's wings cold be seen in the expanse of air in front of him.
Dilandau was now confused as ever and as he looked around, it seemed all the other men didn't know what was going on either. They started to leave, seeing as the intruder was gone and the mysterious white wings disappeared from the darkness. What he did know was that Folken probably knew exactly what happened.
As he went in search of Folken, he walked past Hitomi's weapon once more. Instead of leaving it there, he picked it up and took it with him. He had a feeling that the intruder had to do something with Hitomi, but to get real answers, he hastily ran around seeking Folken.
~Hitomi~
It was only a few minutes before the Crusade was in plain view. Hitomi looked at Van's face. He hadn't spoken to her the whole time they were flying. It was a total shock for Hitomi when she saw Van on the Vione, and now it was all sinking in. She had just been rescued.
A part of her was sad because she had just made friends with Masumi... now she may never see her again. But now Hitomi was going to see all of her other friends.
The Crusade was right in front of them now, and Van flew into the guymelef's docking area. He pulled his wings in and set Hitomi down on her feet. Allen was there, waiting for them, and as soon as he saw Hitomi, he rushed over to her and pulled her into a hug.
"Hitomi... you don't know how worried we have all been! Are you ok? Did those Zaibach bastards do anything to you? They didn't brain wash you? You still remember who I am?" Allen just sounded like he would never shut up so Hitomi silenced him.
"Yes Allen! I'm fine! And no... they didn't do anything to harm me."
As though Allen didn't believe her, he backed up a little more and started to look her over, as if trying to find a bruise or scratch that would say she was lying. Before Allen could find any marking on Hitomi, Van walked forward to Allen.
"It's freezing in here and being wet from the rain certainly doesn't help us a whole lot. We can have Millerna look her over when we get back to Austuria. For now, lets just get dried and warm. I'm exhausted... flying against the wind and rain certainly tires you out." Van said as he stretched his arms above his head.
Hitomi started to shiver, so Allen guided her inside with Van right behind them.
Hitomi and Van had gone into another room on the Crusade and lit a fire in the fireplace. Hitomi sat in front of it next to Van, trying the best to dry off her clothes. She didn't have any clothes with her, and the Crusade didn't have any extra on hand. She looked at herself and found she was still clad in her green shirt and black leather pants. Then the thought struck her.
"My uniform!" she said aloud "It's still back on the Vione!"
Van looked up at her and just noticed then that she wasn't in her usual outfit from the Mystic Moon. He gave her a curious stare as to say 'Where did you get those clothes?' but Hitomi noticed his confused look and told him that Zaibach had made new clothes for her.
"Why did they give you new clothes? At first I thought that you went back to the Mystic Moon. But they are murderers Hitomi. I was sure that if they had taken you, that you would have been killed already." Van told her.
"They are NOT murderers Van!" Hitomi said a little louder than she wanted.
"How would you know? They destroyed my country and have killed innocent people!" Van retorted.
Hitomi could feel her anger rising. "They don't kill innocent people!"
"You were there the whole time Fanelia burnt to the ground! How can you be on their side? They must have done something to your memories to make you forget."
"They did nothing to my memories what-so-ever Van. Why won't you believe me?" she said pleadingly.
"I'm sorry Hitomi... it's just that I was so worried about you. I would never forgive myself if those Zaibach sorcerers did anything to you... please forgive me..."
Van didn't wait for Hitomi to answer and pulled her into his embrace. She was surprised immensely by his actions and didn't know what to do. But as he held her, Hitomi felt no warmth or love coming from his hold. It felt like a dead hug... it didn't mean anything.
Hitomi just sat there and didn't return his hug. After not getting a reaction, he let her go and stood up rather quickly. He walked towards the door to the room and turned around to face her before he left.
"It's good to have you back Hitomi." And with that, Van left Hitomi sitting next to the fire alone.
'Something has changed about Van... and I even sense it in Allen. I wonder what happened while I was gone.' she thought to herself.
Van walked down to the main deck of the Crusade where he knew Allen would be.
Van spotted Allen staring out the window. "Allen... Hitomi might be a little difficult to get to help us out. I don't know if Zaibach did do something to her head, but she doesn't seem so against them any more. It's almost as if she is siding with them."
"Don't worry Van. I'm sure you can get her to change her ways. We can talk about how later, once we arrive back in Austuria. It will only be about twenty minutes." Allen informed him.
"Thanks Allen. See you later then." Van left the knight and went to a spare bunk in one of the rooms. He lay down on the uncomfortable bed and closed his eyes to rest for the remaining trip.
~Dilandau~
Folken was sitting in his study when a loud knock was heard from the door. The person on the other side didn't wait for permission and walked straight in.
"Folken... I know you know what just happened. Care to inform me?" said Dilandau.
Folken followed Dilandau with his eyes as he walked toward him. "I bet you're wondering where Hitomi is?" the young general nodded his head at this. "And you're wondering who the intruder was?"
"Yeah... just what the hell happened?" Dilandau simplified.
Folken took a deep breath of air. "First of all... the intruder was Van Fanel."
Dilandau's jaw clearly clenched at the mention of his name. Folken ignored this and continued.
"Hitomi is gone. Van came and rescued her."
"But how could they have escaped? I was told they escaped through a window. Why the hell would anyone be so stupid? Escaflowne was nowhere in site and Van has no other flying guymelefs. How did they get away?" Dilandau was very perplexed but Folken didn't look the least bit confused at all.
"Dilandau... have you ever heard of the Draconians?" Folken asked him.
"Yeah, I know the story."
"But it isn't just a story... it really happened... and there are such things as Draconians. Van is one of them. He has wings and can fly. That is how he got away so quickly."
Understanding shown on his features. "Is that so?" and without another word, Dilandau bowed slightly to Folken and left the room.
Walking down the hall, Dilandau still held onto Hitomi's glaive. He didn't know what to think. Did Hitomi see it coming and go with Van automatically? Or did he take her by force? In his eyes, Hitomi looked like she was starting to adjust to her new life. He respected her... especially since she was so willing to learn to defend herself. She was determined and didn't dwell on things. 'She's not as weak as she looks.' Dilandau told himself.
But deep inside he had a feeling... a feeling that told him they would meet again. He didn't know when or where... but he knew that this wouldn't be goodbye.
~Hitomi~
The Crusade shook a little as it was being anchored down in Austuria. They arrived about 5 minutes ago and were now in the process of docking. Once all the lines were secure, the crew got off board, followed by Hitomi, Van, and Allen. Carriages were waiting by the docks to bring them to the palace.
A few people got into each carriage and they all rode off. After a bumpy ride down the dirt roads, they arrived at their destination. Millerna and Chid were waiting at the front gates and when they saw Hitomi exit one of the carriages, they both ran to greet her.
"Hitomi!" both Chid and Millerna yelled to her.
Hitomi smiled at them. Chid gave her a giant hug and Millerna grabbed Hitomi's arm to drag her into the palace.
"Hitomi, I need to just look you over... if it's ok with you. I just want to make sure you're not hurt." Millerna told her.
Nodding her head, Hitomi followed Millerna to the infirmary. Millerna worked quickly and soon said that Hitomi was in perfect health and wasn't hurt anywhere. Hitomi was given a nightdress that belonged to Millerna since at the time she had no other clothes than the ones she had on.
She went back to the room she had stayed before and found herself staring out the window. All the things that happened in such a short time... she kept thinking about them and found that she couldn't sleep. Feeling a slight cool breeze from her window, she decided to go in the gardens to take a walk and refresh her head.
It was peaceful outside and the wind blew gently. The storm came and went in Austuria a while ago, leaving the sky clear and beautiful, full of stars glowing dimly against the brightness of the Mystic Moon.
Staying on the path near the palace, Hitomi just kept walking when suddenly the silence was broken by two voices coming from inside. The voices, Hitomi recognized, were those of Van and Allen. At first there was a little shouting but then they calmed down and seemed in deep discussion.
A curious Hitomi crept closer to the window, which she now figured was on the first floor.
Allen's voice could be heard talking now. "Van... you're going to have to persuade her to help us. Use love if you have to. I've already tried... and she turned me down. Remember that she is the key to winning this war."
"I know. She has great powers... powers that will help us beat Zaibach once and for all. Her dowsing ability will help us find where the Vione is and her visions will forewarn us of any attacks being planned against us. With Hitomi, we are sure to win." Van replied.
Hitomi didn't know what to believe. Had she just heard them both correctly? They rescued her just so they could use her powers? Was that all she was good for? No... she didn't want to believe it...
Van continued to speak, "I'll get her thinking that I love her. Love will always sway a person's heart... so whatever we ask, she will probably do because she will believe I love her."
Allen interrupted him. "I thought you did love her."
"I thought I did... but then I found out that it could never be. She would have to go home at some time... staying here would be nearly impossible. And she is always trying to stop me from fighting. She doesn't know how I feel. She's just scared of battle... and fighting... that's all. She has strong psychic powers, but is weak underneath it all."
Hitomi clasped her hands over her ears. She didn't want to listen anymore. She was sure it wasn't a dream or anything else. It was reality and those words were coming out of Van's mouth. Everything from before was all a lie. She thought she was in love with Van too... but... when he found out the power she had, that was all that mattered.
Hitomi didn't want to hear anymore so she ran back to her room as quietly as she could. She held back her tears and when she got to her room, Hitomi fell onto her bed and cried all her frustrations and anger out.
Once Hitomi pulled herself back together, she thought back to when she was on the Vione. She had been treated with so much respect. Zaibach wasn't evil and they didn't murder if they didn't have to. She was living proof of that. They also saved Masumi, and weren't all that evil.
She wouldn't let anyone use her... not like a tool... and especially not the way they pleased. Hitomi wasn't stupid and she wouldn't fall into Van's trap of love. Secretly smiling to herself, Hitomi thought of a little trap of her own.
'I'll play along with you Van... but just when you think you've got control, you've got another thing coming.'
To Lady Starlight: Sorry but I won't change the pairing! As I said in the first chapter... 'If you don't like the pairing, then don't read it.'
Disclaimer: See Chapters 1-11.
Grabbing Hitomi around the waist, he jumped from the opening. Hitomi put her arms around his neck, and Van got a better hold. Just a few seconds after jumping from the Vione, with some effort, Van let his wings out.
Beating against the light rain, the two then flew away towards the Crusade.
Chapter 12: Got Another Thing Coming
Dilandau followed a soldier that was leading him to where the intruder escaped. But as he ran down one of the halls, Hitomi's training weapon came into plain view. He stopped next to it abruptly and looked at it. It certainly was the one that Hitomi used.
'Why would she have just discarded it here though?' he questioned himself.
He pushed the thought away from his head and went to check on other things. When he reached the end of the hall, he was struck with confusion. The intruder had escaped? But how? Only the window was broken. If they jumped, the fall would surely kill them. A group of armed men were all gathered around the window that now showed no signs of glass. Every one of the men tried to get a glimpse out the window.
Dilandau had to see for himself, so he pushed his way through and finally reached the opening that the cold damp night air blew through. He gazed out it for a few seconds and squinted his eyes to try and focus out in the distance. It was just barely visible, but a faint glow of white that looked like a bird's wings cold be seen in the expanse of air in front of him.
Dilandau was now confused as ever and as he looked around, it seemed all the other men didn't know what was going on either. They started to leave, seeing as the intruder was gone and the mysterious white wings disappeared from the darkness. What he did know was that Folken probably knew exactly what happened.
As he went in search of Folken, he walked past Hitomi's weapon once more. Instead of leaving it there, he picked it up and took it with him. He had a feeling that the intruder had to do something with Hitomi, but to get real answers, he hastily ran around seeking Folken.
~Hitomi~
It was only a few minutes before the Crusade was in plain view. Hitomi looked at Van's face. He hadn't spoken to her the whole time they were flying. It was a total shock for Hitomi when she saw Van on the Vione, and now it was all sinking in. She had just been rescued.
A part of her was sad because she had just made friends with Masumi... now she may never see her again. But now Hitomi was going to see all of her other friends.
The Crusade was right in front of them now, and Van flew into the guymelef's docking area. He pulled his wings in and set Hitomi down on her feet. Allen was there, waiting for them, and as soon as he saw Hitomi, he rushed over to her and pulled her into a hug.
"Hitomi... you don't know how worried we have all been! Are you ok? Did those Zaibach bastards do anything to you? They didn't brain wash you? You still remember who I am?" Allen just sounded like he would never shut up so Hitomi silenced him.
"Yes Allen! I'm fine! And no... they didn't do anything to harm me."
As though Allen didn't believe her, he backed up a little more and started to look her over, as if trying to find a bruise or scratch that would say she was lying. Before Allen could find any marking on Hitomi, Van walked forward to Allen.
"It's freezing in here and being wet from the rain certainly doesn't help us a whole lot. We can have Millerna look her over when we get back to Austuria. For now, lets just get dried and warm. I'm exhausted... flying against the wind and rain certainly tires you out." Van said as he stretched his arms above his head.
Hitomi started to shiver, so Allen guided her inside with Van right behind them.
Hitomi and Van had gone into another room on the Crusade and lit a fire in the fireplace. Hitomi sat in front of it next to Van, trying the best to dry off her clothes. She didn't have any clothes with her, and the Crusade didn't have any extra on hand. She looked at herself and found she was still clad in her green shirt and black leather pants. Then the thought struck her.
"My uniform!" she said aloud "It's still back on the Vione!"
Van looked up at her and just noticed then that she wasn't in her usual outfit from the Mystic Moon. He gave her a curious stare as to say 'Where did you get those clothes?' but Hitomi noticed his confused look and told him that Zaibach had made new clothes for her.
"Why did they give you new clothes? At first I thought that you went back to the Mystic Moon. But they are murderers Hitomi. I was sure that if they had taken you, that you would have been killed already." Van told her.
"They are NOT murderers Van!" Hitomi said a little louder than she wanted.
"How would you know? They destroyed my country and have killed innocent people!" Van retorted.
Hitomi could feel her anger rising. "They don't kill innocent people!"
"You were there the whole time Fanelia burnt to the ground! How can you be on their side? They must have done something to your memories to make you forget."
"They did nothing to my memories what-so-ever Van. Why won't you believe me?" she said pleadingly.
"I'm sorry Hitomi... it's just that I was so worried about you. I would never forgive myself if those Zaibach sorcerers did anything to you... please forgive me..."
Van didn't wait for Hitomi to answer and pulled her into his embrace. She was surprised immensely by his actions and didn't know what to do. But as he held her, Hitomi felt no warmth or love coming from his hold. It felt like a dead hug... it didn't mean anything.
Hitomi just sat there and didn't return his hug. After not getting a reaction, he let her go and stood up rather quickly. He walked towards the door to the room and turned around to face her before he left.
"It's good to have you back Hitomi." And with that, Van left Hitomi sitting next to the fire alone.
'Something has changed about Van... and I even sense it in Allen. I wonder what happened while I was gone.' she thought to herself.
Van walked down to the main deck of the Crusade where he knew Allen would be.
Van spotted Allen staring out the window. "Allen... Hitomi might be a little difficult to get to help us out. I don't know if Zaibach did do something to her head, but she doesn't seem so against them any more. It's almost as if she is siding with them."
"Don't worry Van. I'm sure you can get her to change her ways. We can talk about how later, once we arrive back in Austuria. It will only be about twenty minutes." Allen informed him.
"Thanks Allen. See you later then." Van left the knight and went to a spare bunk in one of the rooms. He lay down on the uncomfortable bed and closed his eyes to rest for the remaining trip.
~Dilandau~
Folken was sitting in his study when a loud knock was heard from the door. The person on the other side didn't wait for permission and walked straight in.
"Folken... I know you know what just happened. Care to inform me?" said Dilandau.
Folken followed Dilandau with his eyes as he walked toward him. "I bet you're wondering where Hitomi is?" the young general nodded his head at this. "And you're wondering who the intruder was?"
"Yeah... just what the hell happened?" Dilandau simplified.
Folken took a deep breath of air. "First of all... the intruder was Van Fanel."
Dilandau's jaw clearly clenched at the mention of his name. Folken ignored this and continued.
"Hitomi is gone. Van came and rescued her."
"But how could they have escaped? I was told they escaped through a window. Why the hell would anyone be so stupid? Escaflowne was nowhere in site and Van has no other flying guymelefs. How did they get away?" Dilandau was very perplexed but Folken didn't look the least bit confused at all.
"Dilandau... have you ever heard of the Draconians?" Folken asked him.
"Yeah, I know the story."
"But it isn't just a story... it really happened... and there are such things as Draconians. Van is one of them. He has wings and can fly. That is how he got away so quickly."
Understanding shown on his features. "Is that so?" and without another word, Dilandau bowed slightly to Folken and left the room.
Walking down the hall, Dilandau still held onto Hitomi's glaive. He didn't know what to think. Did Hitomi see it coming and go with Van automatically? Or did he take her by force? In his eyes, Hitomi looked like she was starting to adjust to her new life. He respected her... especially since she was so willing to learn to defend herself. She was determined and didn't dwell on things. 'She's not as weak as she looks.' Dilandau told himself.
But deep inside he had a feeling... a feeling that told him they would meet again. He didn't know when or where... but he knew that this wouldn't be goodbye.
~Hitomi~
The Crusade shook a little as it was being anchored down in Austuria. They arrived about 5 minutes ago and were now in the process of docking. Once all the lines were secure, the crew got off board, followed by Hitomi, Van, and Allen. Carriages were waiting by the docks to bring them to the palace.
A few people got into each carriage and they all rode off. After a bumpy ride down the dirt roads, they arrived at their destination. Millerna and Chid were waiting at the front gates and when they saw Hitomi exit one of the carriages, they both ran to greet her.
"Hitomi!" both Chid and Millerna yelled to her.
Hitomi smiled at them. Chid gave her a giant hug and Millerna grabbed Hitomi's arm to drag her into the palace.
"Hitomi, I need to just look you over... if it's ok with you. I just want to make sure you're not hurt." Millerna told her.
Nodding her head, Hitomi followed Millerna to the infirmary. Millerna worked quickly and soon said that Hitomi was in perfect health and wasn't hurt anywhere. Hitomi was given a nightdress that belonged to Millerna since at the time she had no other clothes than the ones she had on.
She went back to the room she had stayed before and found herself staring out the window. All the things that happened in such a short time... she kept thinking about them and found that she couldn't sleep. Feeling a slight cool breeze from her window, she decided to go in the gardens to take a walk and refresh her head.
It was peaceful outside and the wind blew gently. The storm came and went in Austuria a while ago, leaving the sky clear and beautiful, full of stars glowing dimly against the brightness of the Mystic Moon.
Staying on the path near the palace, Hitomi just kept walking when suddenly the silence was broken by two voices coming from inside. The voices, Hitomi recognized, were those of Van and Allen. At first there was a little shouting but then they calmed down and seemed in deep discussion.
A curious Hitomi crept closer to the window, which she now figured was on the first floor.
Allen's voice could be heard talking now. "Van... you're going to have to persuade her to help us. Use love if you have to. I've already tried... and she turned me down. Remember that she is the key to winning this war."
"I know. She has great powers... powers that will help us beat Zaibach once and for all. Her dowsing ability will help us find where the Vione is and her visions will forewarn us of any attacks being planned against us. With Hitomi, we are sure to win." Van replied.
Hitomi didn't know what to believe. Had she just heard them both correctly? They rescued her just so they could use her powers? Was that all she was good for? No... she didn't want to believe it...
Van continued to speak, "I'll get her thinking that I love her. Love will always sway a person's heart... so whatever we ask, she will probably do because she will believe I love her."
Allen interrupted him. "I thought you did love her."
"I thought I did... but then I found out that it could never be. She would have to go home at some time... staying here would be nearly impossible. And she is always trying to stop me from fighting. She doesn't know how I feel. She's just scared of battle... and fighting... that's all. She has strong psychic powers, but is weak underneath it all."
Hitomi clasped her hands over her ears. She didn't want to listen anymore. She was sure it wasn't a dream or anything else. It was reality and those words were coming out of Van's mouth. Everything from before was all a lie. She thought she was in love with Van too... but... when he found out the power she had, that was all that mattered.
Hitomi didn't want to hear anymore so she ran back to her room as quietly as she could. She held back her tears and when she got to her room, Hitomi fell onto her bed and cried all her frustrations and anger out.
Once Hitomi pulled herself back together, she thought back to when she was on the Vione. She had been treated with so much respect. Zaibach wasn't evil and they didn't murder if they didn't have to. She was living proof of that. They also saved Masumi, and weren't all that evil.
She wouldn't let anyone use her... not like a tool... and especially not the way they pleased. Hitomi wasn't stupid and she wouldn't fall into Van's trap of love. Secretly smiling to herself, Hitomi thought of a little trap of her own.
'I'll play along with you Van... but just when you think you've got control, you've got another thing coming.'
