Hey, it's me again!!! And OMIGOSH, over 100 reviews!!!!!! bursts into tears Thank you, guys!!!!! Thank you so much!!!! That's so great!!!!
And a big hug to Paige Moonsword for beta-reading!!! Thank you, girl!!!!
DISCLAIMER: Yeah, I know, I don't own Escaflowne! grumbles
CHAPTER 9 Pandemonium
Had that been the business he wanted to settle here in Fanelia? Killing Lord Folken? Was he truly an assassin from Freid? It couldn't be. It simply couldn't be. He was born here in Fanelia and she knew he had stayed his childhood in the desert with the Novadi. He himself was a Novadi. It was absolutely impossible that he was from Freid. But why did they tell that? Maybe they didn't know exactly who he was and supposed he was from Freid. But even if they knew he was a Novadi they would still accuse him of having done a murderous attempt. But did he really try to kill Lord Folken? Why should he do that?
She paused. His mother had told him to stop someone in the city he was born, Fanelia. This certain someone had later tried to kill Van and now they were in Fanelia and Van would hang for trying to kill Lord Folken. It hit her like lightening. Suddenly everything made sense. Hitomi touched her forehead. The toughts were rushing through her mind with an incredible speed bringing an unbelievable truth to light. It meant Folken was the one Van should stop! And that again meant that...oh my...of course, that was the only solution! The rumours were true! Van was the second son of the king of Fanelia, the one who was supposed to be king, the legitimate king of Fanelia! So off-beat it might seem at the first moment, it was true. Slowly she sunk to her knees trying to guess the extent of all that.
After thirteen years the king of Fanelia had returned and therefore he would die. The people of Fanelia would shout with joy when the assassin would be dead not knowing that they had just watched their king die. That mustn't happen! Someone had to avert it, she had to- no! No, she wouldn't do anything. It wasn't her damn problem! It wasn't her problem that he was not able to sneak into a palace and kill someone without being captured. Should he get out of the mess of his own! She wasn't his baby- sitter!
"Hitomi!", someone cried behind her.
Slowly Hitomi turned around and spotted Yukari and Gabriella running over the marketplace in her direction. Great, and what should she tell them? Especially Yukari? How should she explain it? Gabriella had probably told everything to Yukari.
"Hitomi, this is Van!", Gabriella cried when she reached her, Yukari at her side. "Have you seen it? This is Van!"
Hitomi was just about to reply when suddenly another voice cried her name.
"Hitomi! Hitomi!", Merle screamed running towards her Van's pitchblack horse following her. She didn't stop infront of the Amazon but tackled Hitomi and pinned her to the ground. "You must save Van!", she demanded. "You know he's not an assassin from Freid. You must save him!"
"No, it's not my problem, okay Merle?", she shouted outraged and rose from the ground pushing the cat-girl off her.
"But Hitomi.", Merle whined. "I thought you-"
"No!", Hitomi shrieked her hands shaking. "I don't care! I don't care!"
"No Hitomi, you're lying!", Merle yelled, angry with the stubborn Amazon. "I watched you for a long time and I've seen the way you looked at him. You care! I could see it in your eyes and I see it right now! You care! You care!!"
"Hey, can someone tell me what this is all about?", Yukari interfered, slightly confused.
"No!", Hitomi answered harshly. "It's unimportant. You don't need to know!"
"Yes, I can tell you!", Merle complained getting more and more angry. "The name of the chained man there at the stage is Van. I don't know everything about him but I know for sure that he's definitely not from Freid and less is he an assassin! We travelled here with Gabriella and Hitomi from Thessalia. He helped her a lot of times and now when it's her turn to help him she refuses just because she won't admit her feelings!"
"That's not true!", Hitomi screamed clenching her fists.
"Oh yes, it is!", Merle replied as loud as Hitomi.
"Hitomi, do you really know this man?", Yukari asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"So, you didn't tell her, huh?", Merle asked suspiciously. "Why not, Hitomi? Why not?"
Hitomi remained silent. She clenched her fists even tighter trying to stop them from shaking. Why not? Why not? Oh, everything was so easy for Merle. Yeah, just tell Yukari that this man turned your world upside down, tell her that he made it quite hard to follow the Amazon law, tell her that he made you do crazy things, tell her that you risked your life more than one time for him, tell her that you feel different near him, tell her that he is on your mind from dawn till dusk and even at night, tell her that! Tell her everything! Tell her that he kissed you and tell her that you kissed him back! Dammit, tell her that you liked it!
"Hitomi, do you really know this man?", Yukari asked again.
"Yeah!", the Amazon shouted angrily. "Yeah, okay? I know him!"
What had she just thought? Had she just admitted that...that...by the gods! She was loosing control. She wasn't able to control her feelings, anymore. She wasn't able to restrain them, anymore. Restrain? No, she wasn't restraining anything! There was nothing she could restrain! She wasn't feeling anything towards him. He was just a damn man! Nothing more. Just a damn man who would soon hang. Why did it hurt? Why the hell did it hurt to think of his death? Why did it hurt to think of the fact that she wouldn't see him anymore, that he wouldn't tease her anymore, that he wouldn't kiss her anymore? Slowly, she touched her lips. Why did it hurt?
"And why didn't you-", Yukari then started to say but was cut in by Merle.
"That's so typical for her.", she said angrily.
"But how can you be sure he's not an assassin from Freid?", Yukari asked. "Maybe he lied to you."
This caused Merle and Gabriella nearly to explode. Both of them told her now that Van would never lie. Yukari couldn't understand a thing because they were talking at the same time. Yukari rose her arms and tried to calm the two girls. She tried to drown their voices but it seemed that it was useless. Finally, all three of them where shouting at each other not understanding what the other one was trying to say. And suddenly they stopped yelling. Slowly they closed their half-opened mouths and turned towards Hitomi. She leaned at the wall and looked to the ground. Yukari was the first to find her voice again.
"Hitomi, would you please repeat what you just said?", she asked patiently.
Hitomi didn't look up. "I said Van is the legitimate king of Fanelia. He's Folken's brother."
At first, they said nothing. They just stared at her and their mouths fell open again but then the storm started. "What?", they screamed. "Hitomi, how do you know? Are you sure? How could this be?"
The Amazon nodded lightly. "I'm sure, he is the king.", she said quietly. "No doubt, trust me."
"Are you telling me that the people of Fanelia will watch their king die and nobody will do anything to avert it?", Yukari asked in disbelieve.
Hitomi nodded again and her hands were shaking hard. She had made a decision.
"Yes, he will die.", she said determined and then added in a whisper while tears started to form in her eyes, "He will die if we don't help him."
.........................................
Amano walked through the hallways of the palace. His shift was over and he was on his way home. Checking the dungeons had been his last duty and now he would leave the palace. It seemed to him that he had worked here for his entire life but it had only been two years. He came here with her after that instant. He had searched for work and had found one soon. He was glad that guards were always needed in the palace. They had bought the house from one of his friends and had started a new life, a happy life and during this two years of contentedness he had almost forgotten the circumstances which had made this life possible.
He still couldn't believe that she was his. Finally, after all the problems they had had she was his. Sometimes he thought he didn't deserve her. She was so wonderful, so caring, she had given up her whole life for him and he couldn't repay it. Though she always said that she was absolutely happy and didn't want more he saw that she was missing her old life in some ways. Maybe not exactly the life but the people she had left behind. She had often told him about her sisters and especially about her best friend, a green-eyed girl named Hitomi. He could do nothing but smile by hearing Yukari talk about her, her beautiful eyes sparkling. He was sure Yukari missed her. She had never admitted it but he just knew it.
Amano had never met Hitomi. He hadn't met a lot of Amazons during his "visit" in Skythia. He gave a laugh. Yeah, "visit". It hadn't been planned. Of course, it hadn't been planned. No man with common sense crossed Skythia! He had come from one of the northern countries where he had been born. He had intended to follow one of his friends who had left some months before. Amano had never left his country before and well, he had lost his bearings. But hey, it wasn't his fault, okay! Every damn forest looked the same for him! There was no difference between a forest in his country, a forest in Thessalia or even a forest in Skythia! Unfortunatelly, he had gotten hold of the Skythian forest.
It had been too late when he had noticed it. They had caught him a few miles behind the border. He had been brought to Pergamon. He had been surprised that they had spared his life. It was said that Amazons would kill an intruder as soon as they caught him. So reaching Pergamon alive couldn't mean something good. He had gotten to know when he had met the queen. He had thought he would die by only seeing her. She was such a beautiful and proud woman. He hadn't been able to speak in her presence. She had looked at him and he had thought a goddess was judging him. She declared him the choosen one. He should be sacraficed during a ritual.
With these words his life had been over. He had sat in his cell waiting for his death until the day two sparkling brown eyes sneaked a look at him through the bars. He had loved the curiosity with which she had looked at him. He had loved her shining red hair, he had loved her first question.
"Are you a man?", she had asked and he had laughed. It had been the first time he had laughed since reaching Skythia.
The curiosity in her eyes only increased. She didn't understand why he was laughing. She was so wonderfully naive. He answered her every question so patiently and she was giggling the whole time. Her beauty was totally different from the queen's beauty. The queen was like a goddess, unattainable and timeless but she seemed cold. The girl infront of him however was so full of life and so cheerful it made him forget his sourroundings. He only saw that girl and her wonderful smile. She ran around his cell and inspected him. But then they heard voices and she left immediatelly but not without telling him her name.
"My name's Yukari.", she whispered and disappeared.
Yukari, what a beautiful name. A bright smile on his face he leaned back. When the queen came to visit him, he answered her questions still smiling. He saw her that night again. They laughed and they talked. He enjoyed the time with her and she seemed to enjoy it too. She visited him every day as often as possible. And then one day, he wasn't there anymore but she wasn't surprised. They were preparing the ritual and she knew about it. She awaited him. And then, events happened so fast that even Amano didn't saw it exactly though he knew what would happen. Yukari was suddenly lying on one of the guards and Amano took the chance to free himself out of the grip of the other guard. He knocked her down but when he then turned to Yukari he felt an incredible pain at his shoulder. It was so immense that he fell to the ground. The Amazon who had sliced him raised her sword and Amano already saw his head lying ten meters away from his torso. He closed his eyes hoping it wouldn't hurt.
The clashing of swords made him snap his eyes open again and at once they widened. Yukari was standing infront of him stopping the other Amazon from cutting his head off. She cried and pushed her rival away. Yukari grabbed Amano and dragged him away as fast as she could still making use of the confused Amazons. They couldn't believe what had happened. But it was true. One of them had rescued this man and was now fleeing into the forest. Yukari ran for her life and dragged an injured Amano along leaving a trail of blood behind. She could hear the angry voices in her back. They were close. She ran even faster ignoring the branches which dashed into her face and the thorny bushes which scratched her legs.
But suddenly she was pulled to the ground. Amano had stumbled over a root. He lay on the ground and the world was spinning. He was too weak to notice that an Amazon had caught up with them, that Yukari stood protectively infront of him refusing to go out of the way. He didn't notice that Yukari killed the Amazon. The next thing he knew was that Yukari was leaning over him.
"I bandaged your wound.", she whispered. "Go to the border and wait for me. I've something to settle here."
She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and left. He met her at the border of Skythia, that night and they left together. She was quiet for a few miles but then all of a sudden she bursted into tears. She cried the whole night and he was there for her.
The sudden noise of footsteps made him snap out of his memories. Footsteps weren't supposed to be heard in this part of the palace. Slowly he passed a corner and spotted a group of soldiers walking towards him. When he approached he saw that they had a chained person among them. A prisoner? They hadn't had a prisoner for a long time. He wondered what he could have done. They met in the hallway.
"Hey, Amano.", one of the soldiers greeted. It was Dilandau. "Have you met our new guest, yet?" He pushed the prisoner making him stumble over his chained legs and fall to the ground. They laughed nastily.
"No, I haven't.", Amano replied and watched the prisoner raise from the ground. It was a young man with messy raven-black hair which fell into his face. He straightened proudly and as if feeling Amano's gaze he turned around and looked him straight into the eyes making Amano jerk lightly. The prisoner's eyes were glowing with an intense red in the torchlight wich filled the hallway. His eyes made Amano shudder. They were so cold and full of hate. It is said that eyes were the window to the soul. If that was true this young man must have experienced more than a mortal human being was able to bear.
"What did he do?", Amano asked turning away from the young man's intense eyes.
"Well, our guest here tried to kill Lord Folken.", Dilandau answered and punshed the prisoner violantly into his stomach. The young man didn't make any sound. He sank soundlessly to the ground not even able to hold his stomach because his hands were chained behind his back.
"He did what?", Amano asked.
"Yes, he tried to kill Lord Folken!", Dilandau replied a devilish smile appearing on his face. "And therefore he will hang. But before he will die we will have some fun with him, won't we?" The silver-haired man laughed and kicked the defenseless young man on the ground.
Amano flinched by seeing this violance. Of course, he himself was a soldier but he would never beat someone who wasn't even able to defend himself. The prisoner would be punished for what he did, he would get his just deserts so there was no need to torture him more than necessary. Dilandau grabbed the prisoner by the shoulders and pulled him to his feet. Amano didn't want to see more of it. He was just about to turn away when the young man's eyes found his ones again. His unbelievable look was burnt deep into Amano's mind. Never would he forget these eyes. He had to force himself to turn away. But even when he stood with his back to the prisoner Amano could feel his dark eyes on him. The young soldier walked away. He could still hear Dilandau's laughter when he had almost left the dungeons.
Amano stepped into the daylight and released the breath he didn't know he was holding. He shuddered violantly and noticed the goose bumps which were covering his skin. That had been strange. He was glad that his shift was over. Yukari was already awaiting him, he thought quickening his pace. If she knew about the latest events? He guessed Dilandau had just returned from the marketplace. If Yukari had been at the marketplace this morning she would probably know about it. Amano said goodbye to the guards at the entrance of the palace and jumped down the steps. He ran the rest of the way home. He couldn't await to relax and watch Yukari making the dinner. A bright smile on his face he reached for the doorknob, but before he could touch it someone pulled the door open from inside. Surprised, Amano looked up only to find a very serious Yukari looking at him.
"Amano, we have to talk.", she said grabbing his arm and dragged him into the house.
.........................................
Where was the time? The two days had passed so fast it seemed she had only blinked one time. She sighed. She tilted her head back so that the Fanelian sun could warm her face. A cold breeze rustled through the trees and chased the warmth away. Shivering, she nuzzled into her cloak. A frown appeared on her forehead making her emerald green eyes narrow. The wind wasn't good. She hoped it wouldn't increase. Absently she made the slim arrow rotate between her thumb and index finger. Suddenly she shifted her position until she lay flat on her stomach. Carefully, she crawled to the edge of the roof she was lying on and looked down.
She looked directly on the marketplace of Fanelia, the people walking across it unaware of her. Her eyes trailed over the crowd which gathered around the stage. More and more people had arrived within the last hours and it would be even more till midday. The gallows had already been erected. She turned away and spotted a cloaked figure leaning at a wall near the gallows. Hitomi pulled a small mirror out of her pocket and made the reflection of the sunlight dance over the person's cloak heading towards the figure's head. When the little spot of light hit the person's eyes Hitomi let the mirror sank and waited for a reaction. Delicate hands threw the hoot off and sparkling red hair appeared. Yukari turned towards the roof and smiled. Hitomi couldn't see it but she smiled back.
Hitomi then shook her head and crawled away from the edge. She leaned against a chimney and exhaled. There she was, sitting on a damn roof waiting for a damn man to be executed. Yes, she would help him. She hadn't another choice, had she? Yukari and the two girls had positively forced her to help him. They were three and she was all alone. She could do nothing but help him. Hell yeah, she knew she was lying. Dammit, she was lying. She had wanted to help him so badly it had hurt. Seeing him chained on that stage had nearly killed her. She had wanted to rescue him right then. She wouldn't have been able to do it on her own and she knew it.
They had planned everything together with Amano. He had been pretty surprised when he had seen them sitting in his kitchen talking about rescuing an assassin. And he had been pretty more surprised when he had gotten to know that this assassin was the legitimate king of Fanelia. He had sat on a chair and had said nothing at all for ten minutes. Yukari had asked him to help them and he had agreed without hesitating. He said he trusted Yukari and the fact that he was one of the guards in the palace was really useful.
He was now on his way to the palace to get something there. Hitomi didn't feel good by thinking of the fact that she had to rely on him. But she could do nothing but trust him. He was the one who had access to the palace, he was the one who had access to the armory. Yes, he was on his way to get Van's sword. Hitomi couldn't see him but he was walking along the hallways of the Fanelian palace right now.
How had he gotten into that? At first, he had met that strange young man in the dungeons who had tried to kill Lord Folken and would hang therefore and then Yukari told him that exactly this young man was the legitimate king of Fanelia! Of course, he had been shocked! He had served Lord Folken loyally for two years and then he got to know that his Lord was in this position because he had killed his parents and now he would hang his brother to become king! He had heard the rumours like almost everyone in Fanelia but he hadn't believed it. Why should he believe such rumours? It had been too unreal. But, by the gods, had he been wrong!
The rumours were true! The king of Fanelia would hang, today. He would hang if there weren't five people who knew about his identity, who knew the truth. And Amano was one of them. It was crazy. If someone had told Amano he would deceive his Lord, whom he had served two years, Amano would have laughed out loud. It was just crazy. He was deceiving his comrades. Yeah, he felt bad. And he felt even worse by thinking of what Yukari soon would do.
She would fight and she would kill. His Yukari would kill. Only imagining her with a bloody sword in her hands made his heart ache. He had been against this idea. He hadn't wanted Yukari to fight. He had wanted to go to the marketplace. He had been willing to kill his comrades to prevent that Yukari would kill. Only to prevent that she would kill. But it had been impossible. He was the one with access to the armory and so he had lowered his head in defeat.
At that moment, he was walking down a stairway. A simply stairway with simple red carpets which stiffled his footsteps. Simple but beautiful. The whole palace was of such a simple beauty. Nothing was exaggerated or expensive. At the bottom of the stairway, he stopped and looked up. Infront of him was a long hallway. And suddenly, he realized that it was probably the last time he would walk along this hallway, the last time he would walk through the palace, the last time he would see his comrades. He realized that he was just about to give his life up for her.
A smile on his lips he continued his walk. The armory was only a few minutes away. During his walk he tried to absorb every detail of the palace, the sound his boots caused on the carpets, the cold and fresh scent which was floating through the hallways, the grey stone the walls were made of, the rays of sunlight which entered the palace through giant windows, the silence. He liked it but he was willing to give it up for her.
"Hey, Amano.", a voice suddenly interupted his thoughts "Why are you smiling?"
"Hey, Jarod.", Amano greeted the young guard who stood at the door to the armory. "I don't know. Am I not allowed to smile?"
"Oh, of course you're allowed to smile.", Jarod replied and his deep-blue eyes sparkled. "I just thought there was a special reason."
"Maybe the beautiful day?", Amano suggested.
"Maybe.", Jarod laughed running a hand through his short black hair. "Then why are you here in the palace?"
"I want to bring some swords to the training arena.", Amano lied and pointed at the door the young guard was standing infront of.
"Oh, sure.", Jarod said and opened the door for Amano. "Feel free!"
"Thank you.", Amano replied but not without a bad feeling in his stomach and entered. "I'll be right back."
"Okay.", and with that Jarod closed the door behind Amano leaving him alone with hundreds of swords and his feelings of guilt.
Amano took a deep breath and looked around. He hoped the sword was here. He hoped it with all his heart. He wasn't sure about it. He had thought they would bring it here. But after Hitomi had said that the sword was of great importance, that it was the royal sword of Fanelia he hadn't been so sure about that, anymore. Lord Folken would probably put it under his pillow and Amano had absolutely no idea how he would get it then! But maybe it was here. He took a step ahead to inspect the room closer when a light noise caught his attention.
The young guard looked down and at once his eyes widened. Immediately, he stooped to pick the thing up on which he had stepped. Hitomi had described the sword quite detailed. The sheath was of a dark blue as was the hilt. And there was gold, too. A small golden ring at the top of the hilt made it complete. Amano couldn't believe his luck. That was the sword! He held the royal sword in his hands and it had lain on the ground like litter. It couldn't be right. They wouldn't throw it into the armory so carelessly. Slowly, he unsheatened the sword and the blade sparkled in the light which filled the room but when he looked at it his happiness disappeared. There was no crest. The red crest of Fanelia which was supposed to be on the royal sword was not there. Amano cursed out loud. Perfect! And what should he do now? Without a crest it was just a worthless old sword!
But had Hitomi mentioned a crest? Had she said that there was a crest at the blade? No. as far as he could remember she had never mentioned a crest. She had only said that there was a strange patch at the blade near the hilt. Amano touched the blade carefully and ran his hand along the blade. He stopped at the hilt and gasped. There was really a strange patch! Could it be? He grinned. King Goau had been famous for his cleverness and it seemed that he had outwitted his first son. Lord Folken must have been so angry when he had seen that there was no crest that he hadn't noticed this fault at the blade. Fortunately.
Amano sheatened the sword and looked around. Well then, he had said he wanted to bring some swords to the training arena so he would bring some swords there. He grabbed various swords from the shelves until he had his arms full and the royal sword was covered with them. Turning around he knocked at the door with his foot and it was pulled open from outside.
"Oh Amano, didn't you take on too much?", Jarod asked when Amano stumbled out of the room.
"Don't worry, I can handle that.", Amano replied.
"If you say so.", Jarod grinned. "Is your shift over then?"
"Yeah.", Amano answered.
"Do you go home to your girl?", the young man asked and Amano nodded. "I wished that someone is waiting for me, too."
Amano smiled. "You'll find her.", he said and he knew it was his goodbye. "Or she'll find you."
"If you say so.", the grin on Jarod's face even widened. "Have a nice day, Amano. See you around."
"Goodbye.", Amano said and turning around he added in a whisper, "Have a nice life."
Jarod didn't hear it and Amano left. He ran up the stairs and hid the swords except for the royal sword in one of the innumerable small and empty chambers along the hallways. He then left the palace hastily. When he entered the courtyard he stopped in the middle of his tracks. Lots of soldiers were running across the yard and their screams filled the air. Amano sighed. It looked like everything had worked out as planned. He should leave then. He was just about to walk down the stairs when someone from behind bumped into him.
"Don't stand in my way!", an angry voice yelled.
Amano turned around and spotted Dilandau a huge wound decorating his face. He glanced at Amano with angry red eyes and was just about to yell again when his eyes fell on the sword Amano was holding in his right hand. Dilandau's red orbs widened at once when he recognized the sword.
"Why do you carry this sword?", he asked and his eyes sparkled dangerously.
Amano thought about his possibilities when he kept standing infront of Dilandau. The silver-haired soldier would grab him in a few seconds and drag him back into the palace. He would have to justify himself infront of Lord Folken and it would be quite difficult to escape with chained hands. It would be better if he left now. Amano looked Dilandau directly into the eyes and then dashed off. He entered the yard and ran across it hearing Dilandau scream behind him.
.........................................
The voices on the marketplace grew louder with every second. The people were impatient. They had waited long enough and they wanted to see him. They wanted to see him hang and they wanted to see it now. They didn't need to wait any longer. A loud cheer went suddenly through the crowd under her and he entered the stage. Hitomi's heartbeat increased, she started to breath faster and her hands were shaking. She grabbed her bow for support and watched the scene.
Van wasn't able to walk alone. He was dragged by two soldiers. When they let go of him he fell to the ground, breathing hard. She could see his torn clothes and his whiped back and it made her heart ache. There was nothing left of the proud Novadi she was used to know. She tightened the grip around her bow so hard that her knuckles stuck out white. She wanted to kill the one who did this to Van. She watched him rise to his feet with great strain because his hands were chained behind his back while one of the soldiers was speaking to the crowd earning cheers. Hitomi didn't listen to him, everything she saw was Van standing at the stage on weak knees and a damn reflection of sunlight wich suddenly blinded her.
The Amazon shaded her eyes with her right hand and looked in the direction were the reflection came from. She spotted Yukari who was pointing at the stage and she remembered why she was actually here. Hastily she grabbed her own mirror and signaled her best friend that she was ready. Yukari nodded and disappeared into the crowd pushing her way to the stage. Hitomi took a deep breath and turned to the stage. She saw that Van was lead to the gallows. They forced him to step at a small ledder and a soldier put a thick rope around his neck. Van said nothing. Neither did he struggle nor fight. He had given up, had accepted his fate, his death. There was nothing he could do. But she could.
The bow in her left hand begun to shake violantly. Only one attempt. She had only one attempt, only one chance to rescue him. There was no second try. She wouldn't have the time to send a second arrow on the way to cut the rope. Van would be dead before it would reach the rope around his neck. Only one chance. Only one. If she failed he would be dead. It would be her fault. Only her's. Her's. Her's. Her's. She shook her head. Too many thoughts. There were too many thoughts on her mind. She had to think straight. Think straight, Hitomi!
Determined, she grabbed the arrow which lay beside her and drew her bow. She closed her left eye and looked with her right eye along the length of the arrow at the stage. Slowly she moved the bow in order to align it with the rope. That is she tried to align it with the rope but she couldn't. She just couldn't. Damn sweat was tickling down her forehead into her eye making her blink permanently. Quickly, she wiped the sweat away and noticed that her hand was shaking like mad. She wanted to cry. She could never do that. Never! How should she hit a rope that was as thick as two of her fingers at a range of probably a sixty or seventy metres with sweat in her eyes and shaking hands? How? Dammit, how?
The arrow could only cut the rope when it was taut. At that moment, the rope hung more than slack from the gallows and encircled Van's neck. The rope would be taut for less than a second until it was too late and that was the time the arrow had to hit it. It would be when the ledder Van was standing on would be kicked away and he fell down. The rope would stretch and before it could break his neck the arrow had to cut it. It had to be perfect timing. If she hesitated a millisecond, if she didn't aim right, if she didn't pay attention to the wind it wouldn't work.
All these thoughts rushed through her mind causing a headache. Her heart was beating hard against her ribcage and the air came out of her nose in short heavy breaths. Only a few minutes and Van would hang and she was very far from being able to rescue him. She could never do that. She... 'Believe in you, Hitomi.' Startled, she looked up. Had she just heard something? She looked around but could only spot a falcon sitting on the chimney beside her. She was just about to shrug it off as a halluzination when she heard it again. 'Believe in you, Hitomi. Believe in you and your abilities.'
A pleasant warmth was suddenly flodding through her entire body making her heartbeat slow down and her hands stop shaking. Hitomi exhaled and felt a tickling feeling in her fingertips. She was such a crybaby! She was the best archer in whole Gaea and let a damn rope scare the hell out of her? No way! She would cut this stupid rope with her arrow with no trouble at all! She snorted and drew her bow again. Aiming at the rope which hang from the gallows she saw that one of the soldiers had his foot already at the ledder. There wasn't much time left. She would make it. She would make it!
Taking a deep breath Hitomi closed her eyes in order to concentrate herself. It was when her pink pendant appeared before closed eyes and swung from side to side revealing the stage with Van and the rope unbelievable clear. The rope was so close she thought she could touch it if she outstretched her arm. The Amazon gasped and opened her eyes. The picture was gone and she blinked hard. What had it been? She looked down at her pendant, her eyes widening by seeing that there was a light glow around the gem and suddenly she remembered Van's words. She remembered what he had told her about the carfuncle and it's powers. A light smile crossed her features. It was worth trying, wasn't it?
She closed her eyes again and concentrated on Van with all her strength. She imagined him, his unruly raven-black hair she wanted to ran her hands through, his beautiful rusty coloured eyes which made her knees weak, the outlines of his face she wanted to trace along with her fingertips so badly, his smile which made her wanting to be the only one on this planet he gave this smile. She could almost hear his wonderful voice which sent shivers down her spine close to her ear. She tried to catch this image of him which rushed trough her mind. She concentrated so hard that little pearls of sweat tickled down her cheeks. Her pendant flashed briefly before her eyes and she concentrated even harder. Only a little bit. Only a little bit more.
And then she saw him. She saw him standing on the ledder, the soldier behind him and the rope around his neck directly infront of her. She aimed at the rope and hoped with all her heart that it would work. It simply had to work. She concentrated so hard that she didn't notice the wind disheveling her hair and that she was clenching her hands so hard around the bow that her nails dug deep into her palm causing a fine trail of blood to run down her arm. She didn't notice that she had stopped breathing a long time ago and she didn't notice her incredible heartbeat.
The only thing which was on her mind at that moment was the rope. It was her part. If she made it -and she was sure she would made it- and Van fell down without hanging it was Yukari's turn then. She stood beside the stage and waited for Hitomi. Waited for her arrow. And then the time had come. Hitomi saw that the soldier behind Van got the signal to kick the ledder away. He nodded and took a step back in order to raise his foot. Hitomi waited, her eyes closed, sweat covering her forehead. The soldier grinned and with one mighty swung his foot hit the ledder, the falcon cried and Hitomi let go.
The arrow flew through the air like a wooden lightning while Hitomi was opening her eyes. She didn't see that the ledder was kicked away from under Van's feet. She didn't see that Van fell, didn't see that the rope stretched to the point it would break his neck, didn't see that her arrow cut the rope with no effort at that very moment. She opened her eyes completely when Van hit the ground. She heard the hollow noise with which his body crushed onto the wooden stage and heard the cries erupting from the crowd. Hitomi fell back covering her mouth with a shaking hand. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. Tears of joy. She laughed. She couldn't believe it. She had made it! She had really made it!
Yes, she had made it. She had caused havoc on the marketplace. Yukari made use of the confused soldiers and jumped on the stage with an unsheatened sword. She threw the first soldier who stood in her way off the stage with one strike. He had no chance. Jumping over his body, she stopped another soldier from killing Van who lay on the ground. She thrusted at the soldier but he blocked it. Yukari grinned.
"You don't make it easy for me, huh?!", she said.
She had missed it. Defintitely. Though she had always told Amano that she didn't miss her life back in Skythia, though she had found new tasks here in Fanelia, she had missed it. She was born an Amazon and she would die as an Amazon and nothing could change that. Not even Amano. Amazon blood was running through her veins. That was a fact. So, it wasn't surprising that her skills were still that good. She had trained secretly at night whenever Amano had had a shift. Of course, she had felt bad, very bad, but she simply had to train. And the latest events showed that it hadn't been in vain. A battlecry escaped her lips when she intensified the thrusts at the soldiers. He was surprised about her strength and stumbled backwards. Yukari raised her arms and knocked the sword out of the soldiers hands. She swirled around in this motion and knocked the lights out of him.
But she couldn't take care of every soldier. When she looked up from the dead body which lay before her, the smile on her face vanished and was replaced by a look of pure shock. A soldier stood behind Van who still lay unconscious on the ground. He had his sword raisen high into the air in order to stab Van.
"Nooo!", Yukari cried.
Dammit, why hadn't she watched out? Why not? Why not? He would die. She wouldn't reach him in time. He would die and it would be her fault! Yukari could already see Van with a sword in his chest when the soldier suddenly gasped his eyes rolling in the back of his head. He fell to the ground like a wet rag a wooden arrow in his chest. Hitomi! For heaven's sake, these soldiers had no good chest armor. Yukari sighed and then turned around a huge grin on her face. She was just about to wink towards the roof Hitomi was supposed to sit on when something shoot past her. Another arrow! She jerked back and heard a hollow noise behind her. Turning around, she spotted another soldier on the ground. She guessed he had been after her. She exhaled. That had been very close. Too close.
"Don't be so careless, Yukari.", she scolded herself.
Looking around, she saw that two more soldiers fell, hit by arrows. Yukari was a bit angry with Hitomi for spoiling her enjoyment but she knew they had absolutely no time for that. In the distance she saw a group of soldiers running towards her and other ones were forcing their way through the screaming crowd. Hastily, she ran over to Van and kneeled down beside him. She squirmed by seeing his back. It looked terrible. The streams on it looked like cuts of a whip and they were deep. He lay on his stomach and Yukari didn't want to turn him around because she thought it would hurt a lot. She rather shook him.
"Your Highness!", she said shaking him but he didn't react. "Your Highness! Wake up, please!"
Yukari cursed under her breath. "Okay, if you don't want to wake up I have to take harder measures.", she said. "But don't complain, okay? I warned you."
She hesitantly grabbed Van's shoulders and turned him around as carefully as possible. When his wounds touched the ground he moaned loudly and squirmed in pain. But he was awake now. He roled at his stomach again and tried to raise but his arms gave way.
"I'm so sorry, Your Highness.", Yukari apologized, her hand over her mouth. "I'm so sorry but you simply didn't want to wake up!"
Van turned towards her. "W-who are you and how do you know?", he whispered with a raspy voice.
"My name's Yukari.", she said grinning. "I'm a friend of Hitomi. She asked me to help her help you, Your Highness."
Van grinned back as far as it was possible in his situation. "So, Hitomi?", he asked and Yukari nodded. "I should feel honoured, shouldn't I? I thought she would be happy seeing me hang but I didn't expect her to rescue me."
"Oh, she was pretty worried I can tell.", Yukari said and her eyes sparkled mischievously. "She said 'We must rescue him! We must rescue him!' over and over again. I thought she would never stop but then -"
"I think we should talk about that later.", Van interupted her kindly and tried to raise again. Without success.
"Of course, Your Highness.", Yukari said hastily placing one of Van's arm around her neck as support and stood up lifting him. He inhaled sharply through gritted teeth.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness.", Yukari apologized again.
"It's okay.", Van replied in a whisper. "And please, call me Van."
"As you wish, Your Highness.", Yukari said and giggled seeing the look on his face. "Just kidding." And without a warning she whistled loudly.
"Gabriella! Merle!", she screamed. "I hope they hurry up."
Van looked up and saw what Yukari meant. Three soldiers were approaching from the palace and five other ones were coming from out of the crowd. It looked pretty bad for the two of them.
"I think I won't be able to help you in any way.", Van said, downcast.
"Oh, you can fall to the ground and make the soldiers stumble over you.", Yukari replied making Van chuckle lightly. "Okay then, it's just about to start!"
One of the soldiers who came out of the crowd entered the stage. He stormed over to Yukari and thrusted at her quickly. The Amazon blocked and dodged skilfully even with Van hanging at her left side. Yukari tangled her sword up with the one of the soldier and kicked the now defenseless man there where it hurt. The man groaned in pain and stumbled backwards. Yukari took the opportunity of kicking the man completely off the stage.
"That was mean.", Van commented Yukari's doing.
"Don't you dare criticizing me!", Yukari growled with faked anger. "Would you rather die?"
Van was about to reply when two more men from the crowd entered the stage.
"Uh-oh.", Yukari said and prepared for the attack.
But suddenly, she heard a wonderful noise from behind. The neighing of horses! Yukari shrieked with joy and turned around. She saw Gabriella and Merle on Rhea galloping out of a side-street, Tarik following them. They reached the stage before the group of soldiers who came from the palace. The horses came to a halt directly infront of the stage.
"Hurry up, Yukari!", Gabriella screamed trying to keep Rhea calm. It was too loud for the horse.
"Oh, Master Van!", Merle almost cried. "What did they do to you? What did they do to you?"
"Later!", Yukari replied harshly. "Van, mount your horse!"
And with that she threw him off the stage and turned around to block an attack of one of the soldiers. She didn't hear the angry "Yukari!" from Merle. Yukari had her hands full with trying to stop the soldier from chopping her head off. She didn't saw that Van crawled towards Tarik who had kneeled down beside him. The young man pulled himself into the saddle and the stallion rose from the ground.
"Yukari!", Gabriella cried.
"Yeah, I'm trying, okay?!", Yukari replied slightly annoyed blocking another strike.
Did it look like she was relaxing or what? It was quite difficult to fight with two men at the same time! She ducked and kicked the man infront of her in the hollows of the knees making him fall backwards. She stifled a cry when she felt a burning pain at her left shoulder. Quickly, she turned around and blocked the next thrust from the man behind her. She struggled and pushed him away. Yukari thrusted after him so that he had to walk backwards away from the other man who was just about raise from the ground. The soldier she was fighting with blocked her next thrust making the metal of the swords spark. They leaned against each other trying to push the other one away. Suddenly, Yukari let go stepping to side and was in his back with one move using him as a shield.
The man who had lain on the ground had slowly walked into her back after standing up. He had intended to stab her from behind but he hadn't expected her quick move. He couldn't stop the thrust which had actually gone for Yukari and stabbed his comrade straight into the chest. Shocked he let go of the sword and stepped back. Yukari jumped over her stabbed 'shield' and pushed her way past the still shocked man infront of her, threwing him to the ground. She didn't wait for him to fall and for the next men to enter the stage but turned on her heels and ran towards the horses. She mounted Tarik quickly and placed herself infront of Van, grabbing the reins.
"Hold on tight!", she yelled and spurred Tarik.
Gabriella did as well and followed with Rhea and Merle. Together they dashed towards the palace. Someone was waiting there for them. Only the group of soldiers stood in their way. It didn't seem as if Yukari would stop infront of them. She spurred Tarik even harder. Tarik jumped with a mighty jump in their middle and stomped on one man who wasn't able to dodge in time. Yukari raised her sword and killed the man standing beside her with one strike. She was just about to turn around and look for the other one when Rhea suddenly appeared beside her crushing the other soldier.
"Let's go!", Yukari screamed and they sprinted off heading for the palace, the yells from the crowd following them.
They gallopped through the streets with an unbelievable speed. Rhea and Tarik hardly touched the ground but the sound of their mighty hooves stomping onto the dusty ground echoed along the streets. They left a trail of dust behind while they rode like the wind. They didn't reach the palace. Amano came riding towards them on his horse gesturing wildly with his arms before they reached the gates.
"Turn around! Turn around!", he cried making Yukari frown.
But then, they appeared. Four of them from a side-street on the left side and four others from a street on the right side. Eight men on eight pitch- black horses. It was obvious that they weren't ordinary soldiers. Seven of them wore uniforms of black and blue and one of them wore a uniform of red and black. He was their leader. His seven men drew up behind him so that they were now following Amano in formation.
"Turn around, dammit!", Amano cried again.
And this time, the girls reacted. Yukari and Gabriella pulled at the reins violantly trying to stop the horses. They neighed in protest and reared up turning around on their hind legs. Merle and Van grabbed the person in front of them even tighter. Yukari spurred Tarik again although he still stood on his hind legs. The stallion neighed loudly and leaped ahead. Yukari turned around and saw Gabriella and Amano following her. He catched quickly up with them.
"And?", Yukari cried.
"I got it!", Amano yelled back. The words hardly reached Yukari who was riding right beside him because the wind was tearing them away from his lips.
"Great!", Yukari replied. "And how will we get rid of your friends?"
Amano turned around and saw the group of horsemen following them. They were so close that he could see the silver hair of their leader sparkle in the sunlight.
"We separate!", he answered. "I take the girls and you take Hitomi! She is waiting for you at that house. We meet at the airport, okay?"
"Okay!", Yukari yelled. "And you are sure that he prepared everything?"
"Don't worry!", Amano replied. "Although he's sometimes a little bit scatterbrained you can rely on Dryden. I know him since we were kids. Believe me, you can trust him."
He earned a suspicious look from Yukari and he knew it went for the "sometimes". Yeah, he knew Dryden since they were kids. He was the friend whom Amano had followed, he was the reason why he had left his homeland. Because of him Amano had met Yukari. The same Yukari who pulled violantly at the reins of Van's horse and disappeared in one of the innumerable side- streets right at that moment.
"Be careful!", she heard him cry when she was around the corner.
She would try her best. Turning around she saw that four of the mysterious soldiers including the leader were following her. She looked ahead again and grinned. She wondered if these soldiers knew the streets of Fanelia as good as she did. Leaning forward she spurred Tarik harder.
"Hold on tight, Van!", she yelled. "Let's have a little chase!"
And with that she pulled Tarik's reins again and guided him into another side-street. It was quite narrow but Yukari didn't care and chased Tarik along the street. He gallopped over litter and through puddles making the water splash. Glancing back briefly she saw the soldiers following her.
"Faster! Faster!", she said close to Tarik's ear.
The stallion snorted and quickened his pace even if it seemed that he couldn't be faster than he already was. Yukari pulled at the reins making him slow down to guide him into a street to her right only to sprint of again and disappear in a street on the left. She changed the direction constantly trying to shake her hunters off while Tarik was jumping over innumerable obstacles which lay in the backstreets of Fanelia. After four more corners, Yukari turned around and couldn't spot the soldiers anymore. Hah, these idiots. For heaven's sake she had such a fantastic sense of orientation. Soon she would reach Hitomi who was hopefully still waiting for her. Yukari pulled at the reins and Tarik turned to the left but -
"Ahhh!", Yukari shrieked when Tarik came to a dead stop and reared up, neighing like mad.
The stallion stomped back onto the ground and reared up again stepping from side to side. Yukari felt Van tighten the grip around her waist. She clung to the reins and looked ahead. What she saw made her eyes widen.
"Hitomi?", she asked in disbelieve.
"Yeah, it's me.", came the reply from Hitomi who clung to Dust's reins as well. "It's okay, Dust. Calm down."
"What the hell are you doing here?", Yukari asked angrily. "You were supposed to wait at the house and not to walk through the streets on your own! You could have gotten lost!!"
"I'm sorry. It's just... ", Hitomi apologized when she spotted Van behind Yukari. "Oh my god, Van! Van, are you alright? What did they do to you?"
"He's alright.", Yukari replied. "We can talk about that later. At first, we must reach the airport."
"But...", Hitomi complained but was interupted.
"I'm fine, thanks to you.", he said and smiled weakly. "We should go or our hunters will find us."
"That's right.", Yukari agreed and pointed in the direction Hitomi had come from. "Hitomi, turn around. We have to go this way."
Hitomi did what Yukari had ordered and waited for her to take the lead. When Yukari walked past her the Amazon looked at Van. She frowned when she saw him grin from ear to ear.
"So, I do mean something to you.", he whispered. "If I was just a stupid man you wouldn't have rescued me, would you?"
Hitomi felt the heat shoot into her cheeks by hearing his words and by seeing the sparkle in his eyes. Hastily, she turned away and pretended to pout making him chuckle. This stupid guy! She should have better let him die! And she should tell him that! She spun around to yell at him but when she opened her mouth no words came out. Yukari had walked completely past her so that Hitomi now looked directly at Van's back. She saw the wounds and could feel his pain. She felt the streams of burning pain the whip had caused, on her back. Tears started to form in her eyes and she clenched her fists. Who did something like that? How could someone be so cruel? Why did his brother let it happen?
"Hitomi, are you coming?", Yukari asked making her snap out of her thoughts.
"Yeah.", Hitomi replied blinking the tears away.
She spurred Dust and followed Yukari. Hitomi was just about to catch up with her when suddenly two of the soldiers appeared from a side-street infront of them. Yukari cursed loudly and turned Tarik round on the spot. Hitomi did as well and together they dashed off their hunters following them. They rode as fast as they could but it wasn't fast enough. Hitomi who rode behind Yukari heard the sound of hooves on the ground and the heavy breath of a horse coming closer and closer.
"Yukari!", she screamed.
Yukari quickened her pace and Hitomi followed her. They passed a corner, jumped over various boxes, passed another corner on the left, rode along a narrow street, gallopped through a puddle, passed a corner on the right, on the left, on the left, on the right until-
"Oh shit!", Yukari pulled the reins and Tarik turned around.
Hitomi saw what caused Yukari to turn around when the red-haired Amazon shot past her. The two soldiers had suddenly entered the street infront of them and were now riding in their direction. Hitomi also turned around and followed Yukari. They rode the street back they had come from. They were just about to pass a corner when two other soldiers entered the street before them. Yukari and Hitomi turned around immediately but spotted in the distance the other two strangers approaching. They were trapped.
"Dammit!", Yukari cursed while Tarik danced nervously from side to side. "No no no!"
"And what will you do now, you bastards?", they heard the silver-haired leader speak. "You're trapped!"
"He's clever, isn't he?!", Yukari whispered.
"Van!", the leader yelled. "You will pay for what you did to me! You disfigured my face! You will pay! You will pay, you bastard!"
"Van, what did you do?", the Yukari asked over her shoulder. "He seems a little bit outraged."
Van gave a laugh. "I just showed him how much it hurts to be cut in your bare skin.", he growled angrily. "I cut him with his own dagger when he turned his back to me. He thought that I was so weak that I couldn't even move a single finger but he was wrong."
Yukari smiled lightly and turned around looking in every direction if there was a chance to escape. But there stood two of them at the street infront of her and the other two stood at the street behind her. She turned back again but then stopped in her motion. A light grin appeared on her face. Maybe there was a chance of escape.
"Hey, guys.", Yukari then said dismounting Tarik. "Can't we talk about that like civilized human beings?"
"No!", the silver-haired soldier yelled approaching. "I don't want to talk about it, I want revenge!"
"Fine!", Yukari shouted back. "Hitomi, don't ask just follow me, okay?", she then whispered and Hitomi nodded confused.
"Then, come here and get your revenge!", Yukari said provokingly while walking slowly towards the wall beside her, towards the door beside her. "Hold on tight, Van."
Yukari grabbed the reins tighter and looked at Hitomi. She nodded briefly and then opened the wooden door with a mighty kick. Wood splintered and the sound echoed along the street.
"Come!", Yukari shouted and pulled Tarik into the house.
Hitomi followed her quickly and heard the frustrated cries from outside. If the situation hadn't been this serious Hitomi would have laughed out loud. She was walking through a kitchen on horseback! Dust swept some glasses and vases aside as well as Tarik. They crossed the whole house until they reached the front door. Nobody was at home. Hitomi guessed that they were still at the marketplace waiting for Van to be hung. How ironic! Yukari pulled at the doorknob but the door was closed.
"Get out of the way.", Yukari then said and took a few steps backwards.
Hitomi made Dust step to the side when they heard a loud rumble from the backdoor of the house. They had entered the house. Yukari didn't hesitate and threw herself with all her strength against the door. It offered no resistance to Yukari's shoulder. The redhead feel through the doorframe together with the damaged door. Hastily, she jumped to her feet and reached for the reins.
"Hurry up, Hitomi! They'll soon be here.", Yukari said mounting Tarik. "Hold on, Van, we're almost there."
They sprinted off before the soldiers reached the front door and continued their little journey through the streets of Fanelia changing the direction regularly. Hitomi had given up to guess where they actually were, a long time ago. She only followed Yukari along the streets. They glanced back every minute but couldn't spot their hunters anymore. Hitomi guessed that they had lost the track in the house. Hopefully, they would soon reach the airport but without their hunters following them. And they did, after an endless ride through a labyrinth of streets they reached a huge place full of airships. The sight was breath-taking. Hitomi could nothing but stare. They walked between the giant ships which seemed to float in the air as if they were as light as feathers. Unbelievable.
"Hitomi! Yukari", they heard someone shriek.
"Master Van!", another voice screamed.
"Looks like they're awaiting us.", Yukari said over her shoulder and Hitomi nodded.
They spotted Gabriella and Merle on one of the dozens of ships waving their arms like mad. Yukari smiled and entered the landing stage followed by Hitomi. They guided their horses carefully up to the deck. The two girls came running towards them laughing and blabbering. Hitomi smiled brightly at them and then looked up. She spotted Amano standing at the deck together with another man. That had to be Dryden. He was quite tall and looked at them with curious brown eyes, the glasses intensifying this look. His long face was framed by curly dark-brown hair and he wore a green poncho over his clothing. Yukari and Hitomi stopped infront of them the two girls at their side.
"Amano, Dryden, this is Van Fanel, King of Fanelia.", Yukari said dismounting Tarik and pointed at Van who looked at that moment like everything but a king.
"It's an honour to met you, Your Highness.", Dryden said and bowed deeply.
Amano and Yukari bowed as well and even the two girls curtseyed clumsily. Hitomi sat still on Dust and looked around. She watched with her mouth half- opened that Dryden's complete crew now stood around them in a circle bowing to Van. Slowly, she realized that he was a king. A king! He was a king! And she had yelled at him. She had made fun of him. She had slapped him. She had seen him almost naked. She had, by the gods, she had kissed him. Could she ever look him in his eyes again? How should she now act around him? But at that moment, Hitomi could only stare at him.
"Please, you don't need to do that.", Van said weakly and slowly dismounted Tarik.
He let go of his horse, took a step ahead and fainted.
.........................................
TennyoAngel711: LOL!!!! I hope you could escape together with mouse-Yuki! I really enjoyed reading your review! I could do nothing but grin. But hey, girl! Where are your updates??? Your stories are so great!! I love them!!! And you haven't updated for such a long time sniffs Does stupid school keep you from updating?? Grrrr
Love Witch: Of course, Hitomi saved Van She really needs to sort out her feelings (maybe with the help of Yukari ). I can't let her hate Van for the rest of the story, can I? And wow, we have really loads in common! That's cool!!!
Geminidragon: Glad you liked it and thanks for the review. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, too.
CinderellaxVan: LOL Wow, it seems you don't like Folken. Folken walks by all bruised The poor guy. I hope you liked that chapter though it wasn't Hitomi who did the "crazy Xena, Warrior Princess ass kicking" (LOL!!!!!) but Yukari!
fireangel: falls to knees I'm sorry!!! Please don't hate me!!!! And yes yes drools into bucket
Sammy: blushs Thankies!!!!!!!!!!
Paige Moonsword: Hey! You already know that I like the movie drools Two words: Van's wings!!!! drools even more Thanks again for beta-reading and your cute emails!! I hope school wasn't that bad today! Homeworks are so annoying!!!
SabineballZ: LOL!!! Freut mich sehr, dass dich meine Geschichte so fesselt wie wild in die Hände klatsch Ich hab so gebrüllt als ich deinen review gelesen hab, das kannst du dir nicht vorstellen!!! Man, das war ein Satz! Ich hoffe das Kapitel hier war wenigstens etwas zufriedenstellend. Hätte ich all das eingebaut was du wolltest, dann wäre meine Geschichte ja schon zu ende gewesen!
m. nljhklvjhklv: Thank you!!!!!!!!!! I hope you liked it!!
CRAZY Dragon: Jup, du zerplatzt wäre sicher kein schöner Anblick gewesen Ich hoffe ich konnte es verhindern. Hehe. Und was bitte ist ein Palmesel???? Ich hab's dreimal gelesen und konnte mir immer noch nichts drunter vorstellen!!!!
van lover: Yup, I'm evil and I'm sorry I hope this chapter was a little compensation.
V/Halwayz&4eva: Yes, you made me blush Thanks for the review. And, did you like it?
Athar-Luna: Hey, someone who likes Folken! And yes, of course Van made it! I hope you liked it. Thanks for reviewing!!!
Brittney Burns: Of course, she saves him After all, it's Hitomi! Stubborn but fallen for him!
DragonTamer9741: I'm sorry!!!!! But I'm glad you like it Hehe, thanks for the review!!!
Aeka-himme: wipes brow Poo, I'm glad you're still reading fanfics! I can't imagine that a fanfic can be that bad that you never want to read a fanfic again! Wow! And I was one of the authors who saved your life? blushs Wow, I do feel honoured And hey, you don't need to feel sorry for not reviewing earlier. After all you did And what? You won't update "Love happens" for a while? sniffs So sad!!!!!!! I love this story!!! But you will update "Always together" soon, right? wipes tears away I love this story too!!!!! Van and Hitomi are so cute!!! And I'll get a gift!!! Awww!! I love gifts!!! Hurry up and update, girl!!!!!!!!!! And see, I didn't kill Van! I could never kill my, I stress MY Van!! Mine and only mine!!!! Nyarharhar
???: And here was another long chapter! I really try to not make them so long but then I write and write and just can't stop writing shrugs But if you say you like that, well then I make them extra-long
Fushizen na: Vannikins - Sweet!!! Glad you liked it and thanks again for reviewing!!!!
A/N: Well yeah, that's it I hope you enjoyed it!!! rubs hands Yeah, now it's time for Hitomi to sort out her feelings!! And yeah, this scene on the marketplace reminds a bit of Robin Hood so I say it before someone can sue me: I don't own Robin Hood! But YAY!!!! rubs hands even more I can't await to write the next chapter!!! Fluff!!! School starts on monday again sighs Yeah, holidays are over and I don't like it!!! Grrr
Well then, PLEASE REVIEW!!!!! Please please please!!!!
Till next chapter
Dariel