Dragonslayer Count:
Issa: Gatti
RainStorm: Shesta
mel88: Shesta or Miguel
BlackDragon7: Shesta
Nihongo: Shesta
ViolesDragonGurl: Viole (I didn't see that one coming ^^)
Feye Morgan: Migel and Shesta
Disclaimer: By...Raistlin Majere from the Dragonlance Series (es) by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman and…like 40 other authors!
ACG: "Hey Raistlin! Does Escaflowne belong to me?"
Raist: *looks up in surprise* "I believe not. Do you know where it is?"
ACG: "Escaflowne? Are you talking about Van's..."
Raist: *makes an evil villain pose* "It would be the perfect way to defeat Takhisis and become a God!"
ACG: O_o "If you weren't hot...I would say that you were crazy..."
Raist: "I'm not crazy...just manipulative."
ACG: ^_^ "Oh. Okay." *gives Raist a nuggie*
Raist: -_- "That hurt, you fool!" *starts to cough blood*
ACG: O_o "Crap. I'm sorry, Raist..."
Raist: *writhes on the ground*
ACG: *makes peace sign with fingers as Raistlin claws at her feet and gasps for breath* "Neither I nor my white-haired bishonen Raistlin Majere own Escaflowne, Ar'ight?"
Second Destiny By Another Cat Girl
Chapter 8:
Hitomi Kanzaki was hit with the first vision she had since she came back from Gaia. It was particularly violent. The floor fell from under her, fell around her. Hitomi lost all sense of direction as the music store shattered and flew away. She saw Yukari's worried face in one of the shards before it fell from sight. Deep, oppressive darkness settled around her and was ripped away again to show images with half-meanings, frightening outcomes to situations she was unfamiliar with.
"No! Stop! I don't have visions anymore!" she screamed futilely. The vision continued to bait her in response, more painful images of her old friends on Gaia. They were all happy without her, had forgotten all about her. But there was a dark presence in the land that would soon swallow them all.
She saw all of her old allies calling for her to help them and she didn't know which way to choose. She tried to help Van, but she was too late to save him and he looked at her with a heartbreaking expression as he died. The image twisted to show Folken dying all over again. The handsome general from Zaibach switched faces with a girl with sad blue eyes before fire consumed them both. Allen's face twisted into a sneer as he slapped Hitomi across the face.
War spread like a dark, malicious plague throughout the green fields and valleys of Gaia. As the vision became more horrendous, she saw great battles and the sky fill with red smoke and blood. The chilling screams of men and horses cut to a gurgling halt. Escaflowne was awakened to battle again, and truly became the black God of War.
Hitomi covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut but it didn't help. Like all the other times it didn't help. The images came relentlessly, more quickly than she could understand them, until finally her brain collapsed into unconsciousness.
*~*~*~*~*
Dilandau was in one of the most difficult situations he had ever come across, and he was getting more insane by the minute. He was standing against the wall of Celena's bedroom, wrapped in some of the sheets from the ruined bed, and his eyes were getting very scary.
The general of the Dragonslayers had long since destroyed all of the clothes in the closet by ripping them to shreds. The blue dress he had been wearing was reduced to tiny particles of cloth. Everything else in the room was either broken or torn.
"If they think to embarrass me, then they are sadly mistaken! They will pay!" His eyes widened as one of the feathers from the ripped pillows floated down in front of him. He grabbed it in midair and crushed it in his palm thoughtfully.
A little appeased by the chaotic sight of the room, Dilandau smiled and walked out into the hallway. He grabbed the nearest torch from the wall and set it to a particularly thick, beautifully embroidered drapery. Dilandau threw the torch from him and walked away as the flames licked their way up the walls.
He soon heard voices coming up the hallway toward him. A weasely little man in a bright purple vest and yellow shirt was squealing at some servants. The garish figure's face and head were covered in thick bandages
"...you idiot nurse! I am fine! I am well enough to be out and about on my own!" He squinted up with ratty eyes at one of the women by him, who shrugged and motioned the other servants to follow her.
The head nurse started when she saw Dilandau in a sheet, but one look at his crazed expression convinced her not to bother him. She and the servants scooted by him and started to run fearfully in the direction of Celena's room. Dilandau let them pass. His eyes were fixed on the ratty prince's bandages.
"You. You were the one who did this to me! You will pay!" Dilandau advanced on him violently.
"No! No! Please! Demon! Don't hurt me!" Merlot started to whimper pathetically when he recognized Dilandau and slumped to the floor.
"You've caused me great pain, little rat." The pyro's eyes shone with a strange light. "And now it's time for me to pay you back!"
"Mercy! Mercy! Oh, Gaia, save me-" his screechy voice cut off as Dilandau grabbed his throat with one hand and slammed him against the wall. The pyro's hand twitched, cutting into the air supply to the moron's nonexistent brain. The prince choked and he scratched at Dilandau's arm in terror.
"Dilandau!" The pyro slowly turned at the sound of a voice he had thought had left him forever.
"Ja...Jajuka?" Dilandau released his grip on the prince's greasy neck and clutched the sheets to him more tightly. "Do...do you know?" He gestured vaguely at his surroundings. "Where I am, Jajuka?" He heard Merlot scuttling away and let him go. He wasn't important anymore.
Jajuka stood in the corridor covered in ashes and looked grim. "Dilandau, you can't be like this! Not now! You must be Celena for a little while longer!"
The young man shook his head. "Celena?"
Jajuka's expression softened and he took a step towards the pyro. "It's alright, Dilandau. Be Celena. Be more gentle and loving." Jajuka reached out and touched Dilandau's shoulder. "Please." Jajuka slipped something on his finger.
Dilandau felt something rip inside him. The room went dark as he fell to the floor and was embraced by a peaceful blue light.
*~*~*~*~* (AN: Sorry for taking away your Dilandau-ish fun, people…;_;)
Folken adjusted his state robes thoughtfully. He sat, ignored, on a throne on a dais at the end of a long hall. All the officials of Zaibach sat at a table in front of him and some of the more pompous ones gave meaningless speeches about the state of Zaibach and what needed to be done about the new 'situation'.
The emperor smiled as he listened. ~All of them know what needs to be done, but none of them will come out and say it. ~
"We need to be cautious in our future dealings with our neighboring countries to ensure peace in the future," a particularly skinny bureaucrat was saying silkily. "There can be no excuse for war after so short a time."
Folken grew more grim. This was not the answer that Zaibach needed, and he noticed the other men glancing uneasily at each other.
The emperor of all Zaibach stood up. He was an impressive sight. His blue hair had grown longer since his rebirth and shadowed his face. He wore the long green and black robes that stretched to the floor that marked him as emperor. Folken had no real power in the empire; he was a sort of figurehead that the public needed to have faith in Zaibach.
He looked into the eyes of the small official and motioned for him to take his seat. The skinny man frowned and clenched his teeth in annoyance, sitting down reluctantly. Folken had no real power, but no one other man had the power to usurp him. And no other person had the authority to keep the emperor from merely talking at his own council.
Folken glanced at the members of the council. The four generals were the most important figures there; if they had more political goals they could easily take power. Fortunately, they were content enough to let Folken be the emperor; content as long as he whatever they wanted.
"My council members," Folken began, and watched their reactions closely. Most of the men shifted uncomfortably at being reminded that Folken was emperor. "This situation has gone on long enough. Other countries should never occupy Zaibach. Asturia has certainly out stepped its bounds. We never lost the Destiny War. We shouldn't cater to Asturian wishes."
"It would mean war, Folken." The man who spoke was reasonably assured of his own position to call the emperor by his first name. "What do you plan to do if the Asturians attack?" He looked nonchalantly back at the other council members, ignoring Folken.
"If they attack, then it is our destiny." Some of the bureaucrats winced at the word. Folken quickly switched pace a little, siding with a military outlook he knew the powerful Four Generals would agree with. "For centuries Zaibach has defended itself from attack. Now we are going to just let our enemies in at the gate? Was all of it for nothing, then?"
"Now, Folken," one of the Four Generals, Adelphous, said soothingly. "I agree with you, my boy. You've always had a head on your shoulders. But this is big. If we retaliate, then Asturia will convince the Allies to go to war again."
"And if we could win that war?" Folken smiled baitingly.
Adelphous sat up in interest. "How?"
Folken leaned forward. "The girl from the Mystic Moon. Hitomi Kanzaki. She was on the Allies' side during the Destiny War."
The general laughed out loud, but stopped at the serious expression on Folken's face. "You are serious?"
Folken nodded. "If she were detained, then all might not be lost."
Adelphous looked thoughtful. "I believe in the power that young girl had. If we had her here to help us, it would be even better."
Folken was slightly shocked at the idea. Hitomi on the side of the Zaibach empire? Could it be done? He smiled as he thought of something. Yes, of course it could be done.
He barely heard the bureaucrats talking to each other excitedly about the new idea. They were all officials under Dornkirk's rule and each believed firmly in the idea of luck and fortune. And Hitomi was the peak of that kind of luck.
Folken sat back down on his throne, amazed and relieved that the officials took one of his ideas seriously for once. His mind spun with plans and he closed his eyes to better concentrate on them. After a few moments, he opened them and said, "I need time to get the girl. Don't let the situation change."
The men nodded, fully faithful in Folken's ability to carry out his plan. The emperor had never failed Dornkirk; he wouldn't dare fail them.
A.N. My personal favorite part was Dilandau's...wasn't yours? Review and tell me what should happen. Oh, and also, who your favorite Dragonslayer is! Okay?
Beloved Reviewers:
Nihongo: ...I think I changed the situation enough that I hope it is a little bit original. And the way I'm going to do it does not resemble yours at all. I hope. ;_; I couldn't think of anything different! And to top it all off, I had to write one of those boring political scenes! Well, you kind of took one idea from me as a gift, and I'm taking a teeny part of one of your ideas, 'k? Er...maybe it wasn't such a small idea... You can still write about the hilarity of Dilandau on Earth. ;_; Man... Drag it out, cousin. Drag it out. Oh yeah..."Do you like Frosted Flakes? Cause you're GGGGRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!" -the Elusive Allen Schezar. And Black Dragon says to update your story, okay?
BlackDragon7: ^_^ Thank you, brown friend. Hey, did you update your story? I think I'm gonna have a look at it! *smiles happily*
Feye Morgan: ^_^ Hooooo yeah! Thank you very much! I keep asking Nihongo whether Van should be bad or good, and your 'good' vote clinches it! And it goes the best for my story! Oh, and Dilandau's not bad, just amazingly confused. I would probably do the same things. He just has a REALLY bad temper going! You get a double hug from Shesta and Migel. *ACG marks off names on a list* Yay! The Dragonslayer list grows ever longer! *frowns* I can't explain about the mysterious ring, or else it won't be mysterious any longer! You'll just have to wait!