ACG: Hello! Sorry about the total lack of anything remotely resembling Hitomi in the last chapters…it's really difficult to keep track of so many characters. Maybe I should kill some off!!! And sorry that I haven't written in a long time! It was school! It really sucks, if you haven't noticed!
Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne or any Dragonslayers, rapping or otherwise.
(Note: Celena doesn't know that Folken is the emperor, okay?)
Second Destiny By Another Cat Girl
Don't get me wrong, I love you,
But does that mean I have to meet your father?
When we are older you will understand,
What I meant when I said,
"No, I don't think life is quite that simple!"
The daily things that keep us all busy,
Are confusing me.
That's when you came to me and said,
"Wish I could prove I love you,
But does that mean I have to walk on water?
When we are older you'll understand,
It's enough when I say so,
And maybe some things are that simple!"
When you walk away, you don't hear me say,
"'Please, oh, baby, don't go!"
Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight!
It's hard to let it go!
"Simple and Clean" by Utada Hikaru (Kingdom Hearts opening song)
Chapter 17
Van Fanel was sitting in the throne room, listening to a monotonous man drone on and on about the wonderful qualities of Princess Merun, a rich, large-nosed native of Mercusia. Van looked up from where he had been staring at the wall, and decided that he was way too bored to stay and listen to the stupid man's incessant jabbering and too annoyed to keep pretending to be polite to one princess after another.
"Excuse me," Van smiled at the man politely, masking his feelings expertly. "I have a previous engagement."
The man looked confused at being cut off, but nodded at the king. Van stood up and walked out into the expansive, replanted gardens of the new palace. The young king rubbed his eyes and tried to let the beautiful surroundings relax him. Getting married was much more difficult than he ever would have imagined. Van never expected that he would have such trouble finding his soul mate. There were so many women that wanted to marry him that it was hard to spend time alone with any of them with more and more arriving every day.
"One big headache," he murmured to himself. "And I haven't even picked one of them yet."
"Van-sama!" Merle popped out nowhere to stand beside him. She stared up at him and grabbed his arm. "How are you? How has the wife search been going?"
"You always cut straight to the point, don't you, Merle?" Van grinned down at the cat girl, suddenly feeling better. He put his hand on top of her head and messed her hair up. "Do you think all of the girls here are after my title and money?" he said half-jokingly.
Merle looked up at him, growing serious. "I really don't know, Van-sama. Most of them seem like that."
"Which one should I choose?" he asked in desperation.
The cat girl shrugged. "That's your decision, Van-sama. Just make sure to pick one that's not too annoying, or I'll be really mad."
"That's surprisingly difficult, Merle." He sighed. "How about that princess from Garia?"
Merle made a face. "She's nice, I guess."
The king's frustration returned. "How am I supposed to choose a wife? I can't begin to feel anything for any of them!" Van clenched his fist.
"Oh, Lord Van." Merle plucked at his sleeve. "I just know you will fall in love with one of them, and then it will be so beautiful."
Van couldn't restrain the memory of girl's soft whisper, "I think your wings are beautiful, Van…"
He repressed the thought of Hitomi and wrapped his arm around his best and truest friend. "I really hope you're right, Merle."
Merle smiled up at him. "Of course I'm right, silly."
They started walking again and Van calmly absorbed the serenity of the place. Small birds sang and flew from his path to the safety of the trees above.
Sometimes he wished he could just fly away.
*~*~*~*~*
Dilandau walked slowly toward the training area, pushing through the masses of people that walked the streets in the capital of Zaibach. Orange light glinted off the buildings that clawed upward at the sky and illuminated faces with eerie accuracy. Dilandau was preoccupied with thoughts about his strange dreams. He had always wondered what his mother had been like, but never remembered having one. As a boy he had convinced himself that he had never had a mother. His first memories had been of the madoushi, who raised him to become the strange hate-filled man that led the Destiny War.
Dilandau sighed. Things felt different now that he was separated from this 'Celena.' He had only been awake for a few hours and he was aware of the strange feeling that something that he always had was missing. Maybe it was knowledge. He hated not knowing what was going on and suddenly, he realized that he would have to learn about what had happened in the world in the time he spent as Celena.
The young lord made up his mind to talk to Celena as soon as she woke up. In the meantime, he would have to find something else to do.
He grinned wolfishly. "The Slayers are probably waiting for me to train their butts off. I should go assure them I haven't forgotten about them."
The people surging about him in the crowds gave him strange looks as he started to laugh heartlessly. He was so used to people looking at him like that that he never paid any attention to them anymore.
He felt something odd to his left and turned defensively. He saw a haunting glimpse of his mother's face in the crowd. He stood stock-still, then shook his head and started to walk again, already thinking about what horrible training he would put the Slayers through.
"Wait! Is your name Dilandau?" He turned and stared, something clicking in his mind.
"You're Celena," he said softly, recognizing her instantly. She stared at him, noting how they were exactly the same size, but the way the general stood made him seem taller and more sure of himself than her. She didn't know what to say to him and wordlessly he turned on his heel and started to walk away from her.
She followed, a little hurt at the way he was ignoring her, and wondered how it was possible for him to be a part of her for years without her realizing it. It seemed far-fetched, but everyone she met told her that it was true and she saw herself that Dilandau looked like her twin.
Dilandau's mind reeled. He didn't know they looked so similar! It was like looking into a mirror!
"I remember you, you know."
He silently looked back at her and smirked. She paused, disconcerted, and fiddled her fingers as she continued. "When I was kidnapped and taken to Zaibach when I was five, you were my friend."
He paused a moment, not used to people really conversing with him as an equal. He was used to people talking to him as if they were afraid of him. "I don't remember that."
She was quiet and realized hopelessly that he was a stranger to her. "Where…are we going?"
He smiled viciously. "I'm going to train my Dragonslayers until they wish they'd never came back to life. Do you want to watch or something?"
She nodded slowly, but didn't understand most of what he said. She was struck by how his language seemed so harsh and strange, but shrugged it off by thinking that he was a general of Zaibach so he wouldn't be gentle. "Why? Wait, are they dead, or something?" She stopped, knowing how ridiculous that sounded.
"They died fighting the Dragon Van Fanel," Dilandau almost spat his name. "The Dragonslayers were trained for years to hunt the Dragon. They failed miserably at their one and only great task. They died."
Celena wondered who the Dragonslayers were, and if he meant Van the King of Fanalia, whom she liked. "If they're dead, then how can you train them?"
"The witch from the Mystic Moon brought them back to life somehow, although I don't know why. She helped Van kill them in the first place." He frowned and grew quiet again.
Celena quietly asked, "If they couldn't kill Van, then why bother training them to do it still? There isn't a war going on right now. And I don't think you need to kill Van."
"Be quiet!" Dilandau didn't want to consider that. If the Dragonslayers were obsolete, then what were they supposed to do? And what would become of their commander? All he knew was war and bloodshed. He would never be able to live in a peaceful world.
"I'm sorry." She walked forward to stand straight beside him. "Dilandau, it will be alright. I'm sure you'll find something."
He didn't answer, but at least he didn't slap her for talking. He had a feeling he would never be able to slap this girl. She knew him too well already, and she had just met him. Dilandau noticed that she had no trouble walking at the same quick pace as him. They settled into a comfortable mutual silence and entered the training area. The Dragonslayers were already there waiting nervously for their outraged commander to arrive.
They knelt hurriedly, Shesta and a few others stealing glances at Celena. Dilandau moved forward silently and they stiffened.
"You…"
Dilandau's footsteps clicked audibly on the stone courtyard. It sounded to the frightened Slayers like doom approaching.
"…died."
Dilandau paused in front of Gatti. "Why did you die, Gatti?"
The second-in-command barely held his gaze forward. Dilandau's voice was as cold as death. "I didn't see the Dragon's thrust and didn't dodge in time, Dilandau-sama."
Dilandau's expression didn't change, but his soul screamed. ~And that was why you left me alone!? You were too weak to stay?! ~
He let his frustration and pain take the easy way out and punched Gatti as hard as he could. "I hate you. You have the nerve to come back here and yet you still haven't improved. You aren't worthy to be a Dragonslayer."
Celena was horrified. ~Is Dilandau really like that? I can't believe it! Why in Gaia did he punch him? He didn't even do anything!~
Dilandau calmly talked to each of the remaining Dragonslayers and slapped them, telling them they were no longer Dragonslayers. He then turned and started to walk away. Each of his beloved subordinates stood up hurriedly.
"Dilandau-sama!" Shesta's face was horrified. "Where are you going?"
"You can't just leave like that!"
"We need you!"
"Please, Lord Dilandau!"
"We rescued you from Asturia!"
The voices started to blend into each other. He knew their voices so well… Dilandau looked up and saw Celena. She stared straight into his eyes and he felt like she was accusing him of doing something evil by walking away.
He glared at her. "They left me! I can't forgive them for that!"
Her eyes didn't waver. "They returned to you from the dead, right? There must be some strength in them."
He frowned deeper and returned her gaze for a long moment before turning back to his troops.
"You are all still determined to be Dragonslayers, even though you aren't remotely worthy of the honor."
None of them spoke.
"Pathetic…" he sighed, then his eyes snapped open and he barked orders.
"Form two straight lines with a partner and start sparring! If any of you stop, you are not worthy to be in the same room as me!"
He drew his sword and began to attack Gatti, who defended very well because his future happiness as a Slayer depended on not getting slashed by Lord Dilandau's blade.
Celena felt she could stare for hours at the flashing blades. She knew that she would never wield a katana without cutting herself badly. The only experience she had ever had with swords was watching the battles at the arena in Palas.
She watched the nearest pair fight and understood why Dilandau was angry at them. A blonde man with a bull cut defended himself from a taller man with beautiful wavy brown hair. They didn't look at all like they were actually fighting. They seemed like they were going through a routine they'd perfected over time. If they had been in a fight with Allen, they would never last.
She grimaced. ~I have to forget about Allen. He means nothing to me anymore.~
She stood up and called to the blonde warrior. "Hey, you look like you're going to fall asleep!"
A startled Shesta glanced over at her. "What?"
Celena smiled. "Neither of you look like you are getting anything out of this battle. You just keep doing the same thing over and over."
Viole lazily sheathed his katana. "That's because we are, girlie."
Shesta examined his sword. "You are Celena?"
Celena nodded. "Yes, I am Celena Shezar. What are your names?"
Shesta grinned. "I'm Shesta Nabari and that's Viole, the narcissist."
Viole frowned and ran a hand through his hair. "Shut up."
Shesta sheathed his own katana. "It's a strange day when you meet someone like you. You look exactly like Lord Dilandau."
"We do look similar, but he's nothing like me, I think. Does he slap you like that often?"
They both touched their still-stinging cheeks.
"Yep! And we're glad he's back!" Shesta grinned.
Viole made a face. "Speak for yourself."
Celena wondered at their devotion to Dilandau. If someone slapped her like that, she would never forgive him. "How can you not hate him for doing that?"
"If he didn't care about our well-being, he wouldn't discipline us." Shesta said.
Celena shook her head and laughed. "I guess I'll never understand."
"Yeah, that did sound weird, now that I think about it." Shesta grinned. "So, are you going to stand there watching us fight, or what? Seems like a waste of time. Lord Dilandau would get mad at you."
The three glanced fearfully over at the albino terror, who was viciously attacking Miguel. "I don't care if he's mad at me, but you should start training again before he sees you. I don't want you two to get slapped again because of me."
Viole unsheathed his sword. "She's right, Shesta. Let's go at it again."
"Um," Celena said as they got into stances. "Do you know where someone named Folken would be?"
Shesta looked bewildered. "Folken? I have no idea where to find him, sorry. He is a pretty busy person, I would guess."
"Oh, that's alright. Do you know where a library is, then?"
Viole gave her a strange look. "Down that street a ways. It's huge, so you can't miss it."
"Thank you!" She smiled at them and ran off in the direction Viole indicated.
"That girl looks so much like Lord Dilandau." Viole shook his head.
Shesta had a unreadable expression. "Let's just start working again or we'll get demoted to private soldiers."
*~*~*~*~*
She wanted to find out what had taken place during the Destiny War when she had been dormant in Dilandau, and to find more about him.
Celena hummed happily as she walked. She had the happy feeling that she would enjoy her new life in Zaibach. She had already made friends with Dilandau and some of the Dragonslayers and friends were always a good thing to have.
She spotted the big building and entered it with a throng of people. She was amazed at the sight of thousands and thousands of books.
She sighed. "And I suppose I'll have to search through all of that?"
Celena picked a random shelf and began her search.
*~*
(ACG…hmmm…I wonder where Folky could possibly be…?)
Folken was reading quietly in the great public library by a window that he had adopted as his own when he arrived in Zaibach years before. It was perfect because the sunlight there illuminated the pages without glaring straight into his eyes.
He looked up at the person who was making loud noises with the sliding bookshelf ladder and paused when he recognized Celena. Folken wondered if she had seen him already, but then realized she didn't know who he was. He smiled humorously at her vain attempts to dislodge a large history volume without letting three other books leave her grasp.
"Celena?" he called quietly, to not alarm the strict librarian.
Celena nearly dropped the huge book on her head and stared wildly at the strange man in robes seated at the window. "Excuse me?"
"Celena, why are you here? I would have thought you would be with Dilandau."
"How do you know my name?" Her mind flew wildly in all directions. ~Is he a stalker or something? How does he know about Dilandau?~
He looked pointedly at the shelf. "The book's going to fall."
She hurriedly grabbed the book and shoved it back into place. Then she stepped down the ladder and slammed her books hard on the table.
"Who are you?" she demanded. ~Is he really a stalker?~
He frowned at her manners. ~Is she always this blunt?~. "My name is Folken."
Her eyes widened. "So you're the one who knows about me? And Jajuka knows you?"
He nodded and she sat down, staring intently at his face. "Well, I came here to get some answers, but I'm guessing that you're more helpful than some old books." She gestured at the pile beside her and smiled. ~Thank goodness he's not a stalker!~
Folken's expression didn't change. "And what kind of answers were you looking for?"
Celena's face clouded. "I realized I don't know anything about Dilandau. Allen never mentioned him."
Folken placed a bookmark in his book. "He didn't want you to turn into Dilandau and kill him."
"Dilandau was Allen's enemy? Why?"
"I don't know why Dilandau always hated Allen. I think he might have hated Allen because of his personality and notoriety as a lecher. I dislike Allen for the same reason."
Celena tried not to think of that painful topic. ~Allen is well-known for his lechery? How did I not know before? Poor Millerna…~ "Why couldn't he just take care of me? I'm sure I wouldn't have hurt him."
Folken placed a tasseled bookmark in his volume. "Allen was always a coward at heart and he has always feared Dilandau. Now he won't face the political consequences of his foolishness and the whole of Gaia may be consumed in a great war."
Celena nodded thoughtfully. She couldn't really see what Folken looked like because the sun was glaring in her eyes. Celena moved to another chair and looked wide-eyed at Folken's green-blue hair. ~What a strange color for hair…~
She tried to suppress a grin. "Where did you get that bruise?" She gestured at his cheek.
Folken rubbed his jaw. "I'm afraid you gave me that. You are very hard to kidnap."
"I'm so sorry! I don't remember doing that! All I remember is some floating heads around my bed."
"We were covered by invisibility cloaks. The Dragonslayers love them and they made it easier to get past Allen."
Celena studied her hands. "Folken, how did you know Jajuka?"
"Jajuka? He was my associate in the Zaibach Empire. He took care of the children that the madoushi experimented with."
Celena made a fist under the table and glared at his book. "You are a madoushi!?"
Folken wondered why Celena looked so angry, then realized that she would have no reason to love the madoushi. Her eyes, blue a second ago, had flecks of red in them. "Not anymore, and when I was I only experimented with the theoretical concepts of destiny. I never experimented with people."
Celena made her fists open. "But still…you allowed them to experiment on people…"
Folken sighed. "My lady, I had no control over them. The madoushi answer only to the emperor. And also, when I first came to Zaibach, it was long after they were done experimenting on you and Dilandau."
Celena tried to smile. "Everything is so strange. I wish that they had never done what they did. It would make things less confusing."
Folken's maroon eyes grew wide as he smiled softly. She was so serious when she was thinking! "Just think about it a little longer. It will all make sense to you if you give it some more time."
*~*~*~*~*
Hitomi felt like she was going insane. She was desperately trying to put her experiences on Gaia behind her and live her life in peace, but peace seemed like an impossible dream to her. Everywhere she looked, she saw those from her past. Van stood by the old drinking fountain at school, but then his hair was too long and he was too tall. A man with Allen's hair turned out to be a nerd with glasses. Merle was a little girl in a similar dress.
She put on a happy face for other people so they wouldn't worry about her, but some saw through the sad disguise. "Hitomi! Be happy!" "You've got your whole life ahead of you, Kanzaki." "Aren't you happy to be a senior in high school?"
The truth was too strange, so she told them that she was frightened of life after high school. Everyone reassured her, and she tried to look consoled.
At least track season was almost over! Every time she heard Amano's voice, she thought it was Allen. The two of them could be twins…
She wasn't sure what would give first, her tremulous grip on sanity or the veracity of reality.
*~*~*~*~*
A few days later, Celena was still confused. She walked in the huge gardens by the military complex and couldn't help but feel frustrated. ~I know there's something that hasn't been explained, but I don't know what it is!~
Her mind kept going back to her meeting with Folken. She had never met anyone so restrained before. He rarely smiled, and when he did it was almost not noticeable. ~He probably thought I was a rude and silly little girl. Good thing I didn't actually accuse him of stalking me.~
She picked a purple flower and held it to her nose. ~He's so mysterious.~
She looked up to see Dilandau walking a ways ahead of her. Their relationship was a strange one. Their conversations consisted of her asking questions and him trying to put her off. She would be amazed to know that Dilandau considered her to be like his sister because he was so strange and cold to her. He didn't know how to treat her. Celena had discovered that it was comfortable to just be silent with him. It felt like they were in the same body again, when they were just together without speaking.
Celena followed Dilandau until she saw him enter a room of a building that she didn't recognize. ~Maybe he's going to train the Dragonslayers. I hope so. ~ She liked talking to the Slayers, especially the boisterous Shesta.
*~*~*
"This isn't working, Folken." Dilandau leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. "Your great plan has failed."
Folken frowned at the pyromaniac. "Something is wrong. Are all of the Dragonslayers here?"
Dilandau sighed. "Of course they are, Folken. I told them to come and they wouldn't dare disobey me." He started to pick at his nails.
The emperor stopped examining the pink pendant in his hands long enough to give Dilandau a stern look. "Please make sure, Dilandau."
Dilandau turned slowly and counted. "They are all here, your lordship," he stated sarcastically and folded his arms.
Folken wasn't paying attention to him. He stared at the tiny drag energist and started to murmur. "There should be enough will here to bring us to the Mystic Moon...maybe if we all touched it...?"
Dilandau rolled his eyes. ~And we can chant "Mystic Moon cosmic power!", too..~
The other Dragonslayers were lounged around the room, some playing board games. ~They really needed a break. I can't tell them, though. I just won't yell at them for being so casual now. Who knows which of them will not survive the next mission?~
Folken adjusted his hold on the pendant and concentrated his will on it. The door opened and a small figure slipped in. The whole world burst into light.
The group was engulfed in a giant blue pillar of light. They froze for a moment, then the light levitated them upwards.
"What? What the…?" Dilandau waved his arm around and slowly turned until he was upside down. The other Dragonslayers were having similar difficulties. Only Folken seemed to not notice. He was staring at the pendant.
Someone screamed. Folken glanced down and saw a familiar face.
"Celena?"
She pushed at the folds of her dress to stay modest and tears were streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, Folken! I didn't know! What's happening?"
He maneuvered until he floated beside her. "We are going to the Mystic Moon, my lady. We have to find Hitomi Kanzaki and bring her back to Gaia."
They started to dissipate as they turned to light. "You're disappearing!" Celena tried to grab his cloak, then everything turned to blue light. She screamed.
*~*~*
Hitomi Kanzaki was preparing to run. She stretched her legs and nodded to Amano Sempai that she was ready. She put her feet on the block and concentrated.
"Ready? Go!" Allen's voice yelled. ~Not Allen! Amano-sempai!~
Thrown off, the other runners were ahead of her now. She focused on the image of her pendant. ~I can do anything.~
Suddenly, the sky opened and the whole world went mad. Figures appeared in front of her and she couldn't dodge them in time. The breath was knocked out of her as she plowed into someone who was kneeling at the front of the group and landed on her face in a tangle of arms and legs.
"What?" she wheezed. "What are you doing standing out in the track, idiot!"
She looked down at the person for the first time. He glared back at her.
"Get off of me, witch!" Dilandau demanded.
"Hitomi! I am glad you are well!" She looked up dazedly at Folken and shook her head.
~There goes reality…~
ACG: Muahaha! Nothing like a cliffhanger to end a chapter! Thanks for reading guys. And sorry I haven't written for a while…remember, fear school!
Reviewers
SkyeLight2X1: ^_^ I have a Hitomi/Dilandau pairing in mind (give the credit to my cuz, Nihongo). Heh. Hitomi is really clumsy. Imagine tripping on Dilandau… Thanks for thinking Cel/Fol is a good pairing. I just love Folken… *sigh*
Summer Maxwell: ^_^ Alright! I hope I learn to do lovey stuff good….I'm not very good, now….;_;
Kaitourei: Oh, yeah…Millerna. O_o Forgot about her! I really have to get all these characters straight. Yeah, this story will have a happy ending for everyone except for Allen and Merlot. Muahaha!
WaTaShIwA ShInImEgAmI: Hard to type your name…Anyways…you don't really like Hitomi! Hah! She is such a loser, I know. I mean, she WHINES about having a magical adventure and cares more that Amano is paging her than the fact that Van has wings and no shirt on…*sigh* What shall we do with her? Who do you think should kill off Allen? You pointed out all the stuff that I forgot about. Jajuka? He went to Acapulco and I don't think he'll be back. Dilly HAS no reactions cause I can't write him well…and all of the other characters will probably have an appearance…eventually…sometime….;_; so hard…
Blue Demon: Glad you enjoy it, you Blue Demon you!
Feye Morgan: Hey! Hello! WOW O_o 15,000 stars? Nice! Wow! *puts them all on her ceiling with that tacky stuff* Hey, they glow! Oh, the age difference. She's 18 and Folken is *checks on computer, does math* I think he's 27 or something. Oh, well. I'll just say it works. I've heard of much worse age difference matches, and I really think the boy should always be older! I think they would make a great couple! Whaha! Feye, I don't know how Dilandau and Van could possibly be friends. They both killed people the other person loves. I think they were meant to be enemies. But in this fic, they might not even meet…just to keep me away from that hard tangle of problems. If not, then maybe they can find a middle ground with Celena? Oh, please don't hunt me down. I'll finish. O_o
Nihongo: Sup, cuz. Hey! I can rap! Shut up! And I have SO better rhythm than that Homestar Runner! And I wasn't lying! Hitomi IS in this one, and she kind of has to be in the next one, too! Muahaha!
Ryuko: I love your long reviews! I promise to read your story if I can! Thank you! I think that Dilandau deserved to be a prince! Allen a 'sweaty codpiece'! That's hilarious!! Drowning in liquid pig manure, eh? *adds to list of ways to kill Allen* Shesta is cute…who should get together with him? There are no girls left! I hope this chapter is a little longer than usual. Oh, don't forget to give me those pictures you promised! I finished it eventually! It was just that school is evil!
Anime Obsessed Raye: I wish I could rap…NO! Dilandau is not going to kill Celena, okay? *shakes head* If you are any more insistent, I might write you a special chapter at the end devoted to killing Celena, okay? But it will be like a A.U. thing. Of my story. Yeah.
Esca chick: You won't dance! ;_; *crying* Man….I was looking forward to you doing a Scottish jig or something, but I guess I understand if your feet hurt…
Macky: Thanks! Yeah, Hitomi, Van, and Merle are in it (I put in Merle for you). Thanks for the encouragement.