ACG: ;_; This chapter was very difficult. I really tried to keep Dilly-chan in character, but forgive me if I didn't succeed that well. T_T Whatever! He's really not in character if he's starting to like Hitomi, anyways! Here we go! ;_;
Disclaimer: By my white-haired dhampire, Alucard. (From Castlevania: SOTN)
ACG: ^_^ "Hello!"
Alucard: 7_7 "What?"
ACG: "How are you?"
Alucard: "I am well…Who are you?"
ACG: *shrugs* "I'm just one of those cat girls."
Alucard: *nods gracefully* "You're not in league with Dracula…?"
ACG: *shakes head* "Do I look like I own Escaflowne?"
Alucard: *looks at her* "No."
ACG: ;_; "Really?"
Alucard: "Forgive me, my lady…"
ACG: *cries and runz away* "I don't even LOOK like I own Escaflowne?!?!" ;_;
Second Destiny By Another Cat Girl
Chapter 19
"I want to ask you to do something, Dilandau."
Folken sat in a huge chair, wearing robes of different shades of cobalt. He stared at Dilandau, who was nonchalantly standing in the center of one of the emperor's smaller antechambers. He was wearing a white shirt and black breeches with heavy boots and a bored expression.
"Since when have you bothered to ask me, Folken?" he said, drawing out the name like it tasted funny. "Are you feeling more like a figurehead today?" Dilandau grinned and shifted his weight.
"No, I just thought you might find this task too difficult."
Dilandau snorted. "Then maybe you should find someone else to do it for you, then."
"No, only you can do this." Folken glanced at Dilandau's expression, which was indulgent. "I need you to be the Wing Goddess' bodyguard."
Dilandau's eyes narrowed. "No! She's the witch who was responsible for everything bad that happened to me! I'm not going to protect her in any way, Folken."
Folken made an impatient noise. "How did I know you'd be difficult? You have to be her guard! I would have chosen anyone else to do this, but no one's as good as you are and a huge group of troops would be really conspicuous. Plus, Hitomi will be in your 'sister's' company, so it shouldn't be so painful for you."
Dilandau folded his arms. "I said 'no.'"
"I'm ordering you to."
Dilandau ground his teeth. "I won't be a good guard, then!"
Folken smiled unpleasantly at him. "You're the best guard. And if anything happens to Hitomi, I will kill you."
I swear, I will kill you for this, Folken!
He lowered his head. "I hate you."
Folken relaxed. "Good. I'm glad we agree on something for once. Now get to work."
*~*~*
Hitomi was restless as she went to sleep in a huge chamber right next to Celena's. She felt she couldn't possibly wait a whole week to see Van, but finally convinced herself to wait it out as patiently as she could.
Celena had given her a drink to help her get to sleep and she drank it in one gulp. Surprised that it was working so fast, she thought, I didn't even need a prescription, and fell asleep within a few minutes.
*~*~*
Dilandau opened the door to Hitomi's room, which was dark. He could tell that she was sleeping, so he turned on the lights to wake her up.
"Kanzaki," he said loudly. "Get up."
She didn't even move. Not used to being ignored, Dilandau went over to the side of her bed and flicked her between the eyes, a trick that worked on everyone he'd tried it on. Showing no reaction, Hitomi turned over and continued sleeping.
Dilandau glared at the back of her head. "I guess you're alive, still." He grabbed one of the blankets and went to sleep at the foot of her bed, telling himself he was going to hate this stupid job.
*~*~*
She woke up groggy and confused, the light pouring in from the opposite direction than she was used to. Suddenly, it all came rushing back, and she felt a wave of excitement. I'm finally here!
The short Wing Goddess jumped out of bed and stretched giddily, the happy feeling still running through her marrow. She put a small hand through her hair and started to grope around for the bathroom, when her foot struck something hard at the end of her bed that wasn't the end of her bed. Something that was breathing.
"What did you kick me for, wench!?" Dilandau's voice came from the lump, sounding harsh and tired.
Hitomi screamed in horror. "You!? What in the freaking heck are you doing in my room, freak!?" Hitomi searched around on the wall for a light switch, but couldn't remember where it was.
"Get out of here!" she screamed at him.
Dilandau stood up slowly. "Shut up. I'm your guard, Kanzaki!"
Hitomi shook her head wildly in disbelief. "What are you talking about!? You're just a pervert, aren't you!? You must be out of your mind! "
"You stupid witch! Folken told me to guard you, so I'm going to! You wouldn't wake up when I came for my watch! What was I supposed to do, huh? Just leave?" he waved at the pile of blankets at the foot of her bed.
"Folken…told you to…?" she asked tentatively.
"Yes," he said, rolling his eyes.
The door opened and Celena stood there open-mouthed at the sight of Hitomi in pajamas and Dilandau wearing night clothes, glaring at each other.
"What's going on?" she demanded. "It sounds like you're going to kill each other!" Celena turned to Dilandau. "And what are you even doing in here? Get out of here! Hitomi's not dressed!"
She pushed Dilandau forcibly from the room and slammed the door on him. Then she turned to Hitomi and said, "What is going on here?"
She sat on her bed and put her head in her hands. "He's my new bodyguard, I guess."
Celena rubbed her eyes tiredly. "So he was in here guarding you? Maybe I shouldn't have given you that sleeping potion, then. Oh, well, if you don't want him as a guard, you should talk to Folken about it."
Hitomi sighed and lay back on the bed. "You'd think he would have given me a better guard. He's the emperor, but he couldn't be that busy, you know?"
Celena, who was about to chide Hitomi about calling her 'brother' a bad guard, stopped up short. "He's the…what?"
Hitomi's head came up at an uncomfortable angle to stare at her. "The emperor of Zaibach. What, you didn't know?"
Celena shook her head. Hitomi's head went down again. "Yeah. I guess no one would have mentioned it because they already thought you knew."
Celena nodded silently, her expression uncomfortable. "So, do you want to go to the marketplace today?"
Hitomi sat up and smiled. "Sure, just let me get dressed."
Celena slipped out of the room to find Dilandau still standing outside, although he was completely dressed now. She had no idea when he had done it, but he had somehow managed to put on a nondescript white shirt with pants that ended at his brown boots; not his usual Dragonslayers armor.
"Oh, hello Dilandau," she said uneasily, hoping she hadn't made him angry when she slammed the door on him before.
He looked up at her from where he stood against the wall and didn't speak.
She lowered her eyes and wondered if she would ever feel comfortable around him.
"Sorry," she said quietly.
He didn't say anything and she couldn't make herself look up at him until Hitomi came out of her room a few minutes later.
*~*~*
Allen smoothed back his hair and it glinted in the moonlight. He turned to Merlot, who was wearing a purple robe and an orange nightgown with ruffles underneath. Both of them looked tired, but Allen was still adorned in his dinner clothes. He hadn't been sleeping well for some reason.
"Are you sure about your sources? None of my people have picked up on this yet." Allen looked sharply at the ratty little moron.
Merlot nodded and his greasy hair flapped against his skull. "Yes, I've got officials in Zaibach who are loyal to me and they say that they know Hitomi Kanzaki has returned to Gaia."
Allen felt excitement in the pit of his stomach. Hitomi might just save his kingship, if he played his cards right. The king forced himself to not show his excitement on his face. "When did she come? Why did she come to Zaibach?"
Merlot rubbed his pasty face tiredly. "The first time my sources saw the witch was this afternoon and they said Folken was talking to her."
"Folken!?" Allen yelped, then looked at his toady suspiciously. "Wait, how do you know all of this so quickly, if it only happened this afternoon?"
"Oh, Zaibach has much better technology than us, and they gave me a little communicator for emergencies." Merlot looked smug.
"So, why is my dear Hitomi in Zaibach?" Allen asked, looking out the window at the large moon.
Merlot shrugged. "I don't know, your majesty."
Allen rubbed his chin and sipped some wine out of a long glass in his hand. "Lord Merlot, I have a small favor to ask of you."
Merlot's tiny black eyes gleamed with pleasure at the thought of Allen needing his help. "I am your humble servant, majesty!" he squeaked.
*~*~*~*~*
Folken was in another dreary meeting with his 'advisors.' He stared out the window at the city bathed in sunlight. The emperor felt a moment of burning frustration. The politicians had interrogated Folken about Celena Shezar's disappearance, but when he explained that she had been necessary to get Hitomi, they had not disciplined him for it. Instead, they insisted that he return the beautiful woman to Asturia and Allen as soon as possible.
Folken clenched his fist under his gray robes. If he had to choose Celena or peace, then he knew how he would decide.
Folken smiled humorlessly. I've never been so ambivalent before, and I don't even know the girl.
So, he would return Celena to Allen and use the new news of his brother to convince Hitomi that she belonged in Zaibach.
*~*~*
Celena, Hitomi, and a trailing Dilandau were wandering around a marketplace in the center of Zaibach's bustling capital city. There were so many people walking around buying things that Dilandau was starting to feel a little edgy. All of his battle training warned about situations like this. It was always easy to lose comrades in crowded places.
Hitomi and Celena, however, felt happy and at ease for the first time since they arrived at Zaibach. They stopped at every stand to stare at the merchandise and were enjoying the morning immensely. Dilandau was getting really bored, wondering how the girls could possibly have so much fun just staring at stuff. He wished that he had thought to eat breakfast and he wanted to go back to just disciplining the Dragonslayers.
He paused at the weapons shop next to the one the girls were at and glanced over at them to reassure himself that they weren't going anywhere. He looked at the shop owner, who was standing by the door showing a crowd of cheap mercenaries some of his inferior merchandise. The man, who had a patch over one eye and a monster of a pot belly, saw that Dilandau was staring at him and grinned, showing a mass of yellowed teeth.
"See sometin' ya' fancy, sirrah?" he called in a calloused voice. The mercenaries glanced at Dilandau interestedly and turned back to the shop owner intently. Dilandau frowned warily as the fat patched man nodded to the men and made his way behind the young general, grinning up at him with one watery eye.
"No," Dilandau sneered and quickly turned to leave, but despite his efforts, some of the mercenaries had shifted to surround him on all sides. He felt the alarm bells in his head ring louder and he immediately drew his sword, seeing words from his battle tactics training books springing to mind.
When fighting a battle in a crowded area, place your back against a wall to prevent enemies from coming at you from behind.
Dilandau immediately turned to spot the girls and saw Celena's skirt disappearing down a dark alley. He cursed bitterly and impaled a soldier near the shop. He pressed himself against the wall and grimly turned to face the rest.
*~*~*
Hitomi turned to Celena to show her a necklace and almost fell as another vision enveloped her.
We're in danger!! her mind screamed, and she grabbed Celena's arm.
"We have to get out of here, Celena! We're in grave danger!" Her eyes were wild with fear.
Celena frowned and put down the merchandise she was holding. "Are you sure? How can you know that we're-?"
She felt a knife pressed against her ribs and a menacing voice said, "Don't move and you'll be fine."
She looked at Hitomi and saw that an ugly brute had her as well and was tying her hands behind her back with a piece of rope.
Where's Dilandau!!
*~*~*
When battling multiple enemies, take advantage of the terrain. If the terrain is not beneficial, then place yourself in the most defensible position and face the attacker to the most left. Fight your enemies, making your way to the right, until all have fallen.
Obediently, Dilandau turned to his left and grinned, the battle fever already taking him. The soldier rushed in. Dilandau easily blocked his thrust and jabbed his tip into the man's neck. He slid the sword out of the neck and shifted his weight as he slammed it into the shield of the next soldier, knocking him over into another man.
Judge your enemies before you attack them. If they are skilled enemies (samurai), attack immediately, because samurai will use the time to prepare for you, and they will never run from battle. If your enemies are not samurai, then wait to attack. Their cowardly nature will soon be revealed and they will run away.
Dilandau saw with satisfaction the fear of death in the eyes of his next opponent as their swords met. He grimaced frighteningly and the man shrunk back from him, his guard becoming weak. Dilandau took advantage of his terror and laughed as his katana slid smoothly into the man's poorly made armor.
The white-haired pyro glanced at the other mercenaries. He noticed that the other fighters were already becoming more faltering in their resolve, so he made his laughter sound more fanatical and beheaded the next clumsy warrior to the right. The rest of the petty warriors shrunk back from him, and started to flee.
Dilandau flicked a short sword out of another man's faltering grasp and put the tip of his sword at his throat.
"Where are the girls!" he shouted, and the soldier's already huge eyes widened with fright.
"The girls, sir? Um, I dunno," he whimpered, and winced when Dilandau punched the side of his head.
"Now!" he insisted. The poor thief shuddered at the look in Dilandau's eyes.
"They're back at the base, sir," he said resignedly.
"Which is where!?"
"Uh…I'll show you where it is." The man looked grateful when Dilandau's sword went back into its sheath.
The white-haired general clenched the back of the man's neck with his fingers and jabbed his small dagger by his stomach and the man started walking. They went through the small corridors between the shops and down alleys until Dilandau wasn't sure he could get back out again. They stopped in front of a huge dilapidated warehouse with broken windows that looked like mourning eyes.
"This is it," Dilandau guessed. The man nodded and stood very still. "You had better be right about this, or you're dead."
When entering a place that may be trapped, use utmost caution.
That's so helpful, he thought sarcastically.
"You know for sure they're in there?" he demanded, shaking his captive. The man choked and nodded hurriedly.
Dilandau felt a grim feeling settle in the pit of his stomach. "Celena!!" he called as loud as he could. There was no answer.
"They're in there, I swear it!" the prisoner wheezed and Dilandau opened the creaky door to the warehouse cautiously. It was totally dark inside, and Dilandau shook his head because he was sure it was a trap.
He backed away from the door, thinking hard. Dilandau was sure there were people inside, because he could hear them breathing, but he knew to go in was certain death.
Suddenly, Celena appeared in the doorway, looking relieved, followed closely by Hitomi, who was rubbing her wrists. Dilandau's arms went slack in surprise and the petty thief ran off.
Celena saw Dilandau and her eyes filled with tears. "Dilandau! I was so scared!" She flung herself at him and started to cry.
Dilandau held her at arms length. "Explain yourself, Celena."
She looked up at her 'brother' with a tear-streaked face and looked back at Hitomi, who had someone else with her.
"Shesta!" Dilandau gasped.
Shesta glanced up at Dilandau as he finished cutting Hitomi free and snapped to attention, looking straight ahead. "Lord Dilandau."
Dilandau smoothly pushed Celena away from him with both arms and stepped around her. "What are you doing here, Shesta?" he demanded.
"Sir, we were saving the ladies." His blank look didn't change, but Dilandau detected a glint of humor in his eyes.
"Oh, really? Let me guess. 'We' are the rest of my unqualified Dragonslayers?"
"Yes, sir." Shesta didn't even wince at his tone.
Dilandau smirked. "So I had a whole bunch of ingrates following me this whole time. That's rich."
Hitomi put her hands on her hips angrily. "Oh, yeah, you're a great guard! We almost got killed by those creeps in there! Were you even worried about us at all!?" She walked to where Celena was and put her arms around her.
Dilandau waved his hand nonchalantly and glared at her. "You're safe aren't you? Now be quiet, Kanzaki, before you make me mad!"
Miguel, Gatti and Guimel came out of the doorway, looking smug until they saw Dilandau standing there. They all knelt hurriedly.
"Get up," Dilandau sighed and put his dagger away as they obeyed. "Where did you put the criminals."
Miguel looked up. "They are still inside, Dilandau-sama, tied up. We were about to get the police to take care of them."
"There will be no need for that, Miguel," Dilandau said. "I'm sure that Folken would want a word with them. We're taking them with us."
*~*~*~*~*
Queen Millerna was sitting in her room alone. She had sent away all of her handmaidens because she couldn't think with their endless gossiping and chatter. The blonde woman still had no idea what to do. She had tried to find Dryden, but no one could tell her where the humorous merchant was. Allen had noticed her unremitting questioning and was starting to suspect her.
I have to move quickly or it will be too late! But I can't find him! Where could he be?
She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn't paid any attention to some scuttling movements behind her. She turned suspiciously to look and saw the mole man trying to hide his tremendous bulk behind the curtains.
"Mr. Mole-man! Are you trying to steal my jewelry again! How do you keep getting in here!?"
He jumped and tried to sneak out of the room when Millerna had an idea.
"Wait a minute!" she cried eagerly. "Do you know where Dryden is?"
The mole thought for a moment, fur scrunched up around his nose and then nodded. "Around this time of year, he would be taking cargo to the little country of Laronth."
Millerna jumped from her chair to her writing desk. "Then could you take a message to him?"
The rodent looked at her jewelry box. "Of course, but it would have to be worth my while, your majesty," he hinted obviously.
The queen was elated. "Oh, of course! If you can get this message to Dryden, you'll get all the pretty stones I can find!"
The mole man was getting excited too. "I could get it to him in a few days, your majesty!"
Millerna handed a letter to him (that she had already written in the hopes that she would find a messenger quickly) happily. "There you go! And remember, this is very, very important."
The mole man looked touched. "Your majesty, I will get it to him or my name isn't 'Mr. Mole!'"
Millerna nodded.
"Now about my pay…?"
"Not until it gets delivered!"
*~*~*~*~*
ACG: Yeah, I think that's enough hard work for one chapter. Sorry, cuz, but my older brother got on the computer last night and wouldn't get off. *sigh* It sucked, cause I knew what I wanted to write about. And everyone, thanks for reviewing. Makes me work faster, believe me!
Beloved Reviewers:
Nihongo: Hey, cousin. Thank you very much for ALL of the ideas. I should just do this: *ahem* "Second Destiny" is written by Nihongo!!! Translated by Another Cat Girl! Muahahaha! Cause it's really all you! You didn't watch fireworks because you were helping me think! (Not that you even like fireworks, but whatever) Sorry I didn't make you cookies. Maybe I could do that today…?
Bahamut Epyon: Vampire Hunter D is an anime classic, like Akira. Some people love it. I just wish that I could see "Bloodlust". *sigh* Enjoy la chapter.
Macky: Ah, thank you so much for the great pointers. You're right. Van just doesn't have the 'bad guy' material necessary in this fic. And also, I have (along with my very helpful and talented cousin, Nihongo) figured out what to do with him! He's going to be awesome!
Anime Obsessed Raye: Are you SURE Dilandau should kill Allen? Actually, I was thinking that Allen should live! Sort of like, "to the pain!!" from Princess Bride! He could just live forever in a world where everyone screams, "Oh, it's ALLEN SHEZAR!!" every time he passes or they see any guy wearing bad clothes. It could be big, neh? But *sigh* I know you probably just want death, so….
Feye Morgan: O_O I LOVE SNAPE! Coming from an abusive family! That was just literary GENIOUS right there! ^_^ Did you like Folken's plan for Dilandau? I had no idea what it was until after I uploaded the last chapter. ^_^* I'm so skilled! The idea came to me in the night! Hmm. They could meet at the ball. Dilandau SHOULD go. It is his birthday, too.
WaTaShIwA ShInImEgAmI: Your name. So. Hard. To. Write. Probably harder to write than Justanotheranimecatgirl@hotmail.com every time I wanna check my freaking mail. Anyways, enough of that! Thanks for reading! Do you have any ideas of how to get Dilly and Hitomi together? Just wonderin'.
Ryuko: Hello! Your reviews are always huge! Thank you so much for your ideas! Wait…you hate Hitomi? When did this start? Oh, well. I like her. She does get a bit whiney sometimes, though. And faints a lot. Yeah, it IS H/D. It was just something that seemed incredibly difficult to pull off convincingly, so I took up the challenge! It is really hard to write about Dilandau, and then you have him "liking Hitomi" *sigh* It takes a while to think of everything. Sorry there isn't much C/F, but I swear that next chapter is full of it. This one was kind of the H/D chapter that I needed. ;_; Hey, stop hating Folken! He's hot! Although, breaking Dilly's fingers WAS REALLY MEAN, I can still forgive him. Cause he's cool.
Rai Dorian: A 'dastardly' (I laughed so hard when I read that awesome word!) silent reader breaking out! Yes! Thank you for reading, and thanks for the ideas! *gets all serious and dubs Rai Dorian a "really, really dedicated Folken fan, cause you HAVE to be dedicated to like Folken-sama the best" person!) I like Folken the best, too. He's easier to write than Dilly. *dodges Dilly's Crimaclaw* Uh, thanks! You're the coolest! You think I should write more Escaflowne fics?
Neko-Metallium: Another Allen hater. I wonder why you guys all congregate around my story…? Oh, yeah, cause he's evil in my story! ^_^* "Gut him like a fish?" Nice idea! I'll think about it. Thank you for all the H/D ideas! I really need them! *looks desperate* Sorry it took a while for this chapter. It was hard to write. My mom got mad. You know.
esca chick: I could've written the "Dragonslayers go to Earth" story better, but I was just sick of writing it. Maybe I could do that later or something. Nice idea. Dilandau being crazy but with a soft side. Aww. ^_^ And you danced again! Woo hoo!
T_T Now's the time to push the little button and give a poor cat girl some much-needed-though-maybe-not-deserved attention!