A/N: Sorry about taking so long to update. Instead of studying for exams I
figured this might be a better way to spend my time, so here it is!
SPIKECRAZI13: Thanks for reviewing! I have to say though, there will not be a lot of Allen bashing, because I do not dislike Allen. He's severely annoying sometimes, but I can't say I have anything against him. Try looking at his character from different angles, you might see him differently. Signed
embyr81788 : Hey, that poem was actually pretty nifty! (I can't believe I just said nifty) Thank you for reviewing! Signed Signed
jossi-31: good point. I really should get back to Allen sometime soon. He is a pretty crucial character. Signed
Ryuu Angel: It takes awhile to show up after I update, but if you go to the last chapter posted usually there's a forward arrow there, even though the new chapter doesn't come up in the chapter directory. Sorry about that :P There is going to be a lot of fluff in the chapter after this one, considering Van and Hitomi were never really alone here. And if the twins are going to die, you'll just have to wait and see (mysterious I know). Signed
aradow : Sorry about the constantly switching POV's, but I actually do add in breakers to separate the paragraphs, but then sometimes they don't come up. I'm hoping they'll work this time (. Thanks for reviewing. Anonymous
And thanks to Youkai Yume, SabineballZ, and Crystal Night for also reviewing.
Disclaimer: "You don't own Escaflowne, stop pretending" a fortune cookie told me once.
Through the Rainy Haze
Chapter# 5: Solar Eclipse
'All you create All you destroy... and everything under the sun is tune but the sun is eclipsed by the moon.' -Pink Floyd, Eclipse.
She could hear it in her head. The thumping, the new blood in her veins, making her lose her breath; it was so loud. What a feeling. She could feel it, the power; the gift that Folken-sama had given them. They were lucky to have met him. They had always been lucky. Now they were the luckiest. Naria hadn't slept much; she just laid still, eyes wide. She knew her sister did the same. They had always been one and the same. Now they could please Folken even more than before. He would be so happy with them. All they had to do was capture the girl. Naria smiled, her yellow veins visible under her skin, as she and Eriya prepared for their attack. They could not fail, not with so much luck on their side. They would not fail. Folken-sama was counting on them. Her obsession, her love, her drive. Nothing else really mattered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sun shone brightly down on the chattering crowd, waiting in anticipation for the ceremony to begin. The day was perfect, a hot day with a refreshingly light breeze keeping all watchers in top spirits. A perfect day for a perfect wedding and perfect couple some joyously announced to their companions. A few minutes later, silence spread through the crowd, as the ceremony began. Princess Millerna and Dryden floated slowly along the canal in a beautiful boat fit for the wedding of the King and Queen of Asturia. Millerna sat regally on an elaborate throne, and standing next to her Dryden rode, a gold animal head situated in front of him. If any had known or seen Dryden before they might have doubted it was the same man (he even shaved!), as his attire was that of formal Austurian dress.
The reception was peaceful and full of silent joy. The princess and her soon-to-be husband strolled carefully towards the priest who would join them. All onlookers couldn't have felt more relaxed, their kingdom gaining new young leaders would surely aid them in the current problems their world was experiencing. Except for Hitomi, who was too apprehensive to even pay much attention to the ceremony. She had some how found herself company to some of Allen's men and was standing in a large crowd. She wasn't going to falsely reassure herself like she had Millerna; it was a bit too late for that. Before she had been able to change fate, knowing about it before hand and quickly warning who ever it had involved. Millerna's wedding unfortunately was a completely different story. Hitomi wasn't even sure what was going to happen, her visions had all been so vague making them much more terrifying than usual. After she had left Millerna, Hitomi had decided to stay up close and observe the wedding to see if anything did go horribly, horribly wrong. All Hitomi wanted now was Van. She needed to be able to reach him, in her visions she had always needed him. 'I shouldn't have stayed up close to watch if I had wanted to be with Van' she scolded herself.
'Luck..' Hitomi held the two cards in her hand, one predicting destruction, the other good fortune. 'What did it mean?' Hitomi was torn between searching for Van, or keeping a watchful eye on Millerna and Dryden. Oh, what could she do if something happened? She needed to get Van. 'I should leave' she thought staring out onto the wedding. The priest was now holding a crescent moon scepter in between the Princess and future king. Maybe she'd stay a bit longer, just to make sure. The two exchanged their rings and applause and loud cheering was heard. It was almost time for the groom to kiss the bride as Hitomi felt sudden panic run through her as she clenched the cards in her hand.
Fast flashes tainted in blue. Dryden and Millerna kiss. Palas in chaos. The tower breaking...
Hitomi snapped out of her vision holding her head in one hand, staring at the cards in the other. Go to Van, or stop Millerna and Dryden now? Cheers could be heard as the Princess and her husband leaned in to seal the deal with a kiss. "No", Hitomi murmured. She broke out of the crowd and began running towards them along the red carpet. "STOP!" she yelled. Many turned and stared at her. Millerna and Dryden hadn't heard her, and kissed anyway. The cheering continued and joy broke through the crowds. Hitomi kneeled on the steps leading up to the podium. Nothing had happened. So her vision and predictions hadn't been true. She should have known. What a fool she was.
Darkness then slowly spread over Palas, something large and circular sliding over the sun. Dryden held Millerna's shoulders; the priest behind them whispering this was an ill omen. Hitomi raised herself slowly from the ground. She shouldn't have been here this whole time. She had to reach Van.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Van and Merle resided peacefully on top of Escaflowne's store house, hearing the far off cheers and watching the wedding from afar. "We can't see aaaanything", Merle complained, beginning to file her nails. "If you wanted to see it closer than we should have joined the crushed mob", Van replied. "I'm claustrophobic", Merle murmured to herself. Neither of them was really intently watching. Van was too deep in thought. Maybe something would happen at the wedding like Hitomi had said. Where was she? He hadn't seen her since she left to find Millerna. She had been so distressed.. Why hadn't she come back to him? Maybe she just brushed the vision aside, not wanting to worry about it.. 'Or maybe she found Allen.' Van's brow furrowed. No, he wasn't going to think like that. He wished she were near him; he wanted to make sure she was all right.
Suddenly Merle and him were knocked from their placidity as a large beam of pink tinted light shot out from Escaflowne's hiding place and hit the nearby floating fortress Vione making it visible. Two guymelefs could be seen leaving the Vione and Van's eyes hardened. 'Brother..'
Van dashed down to Escaflowne, taking flight after the twin sisters as fast as he could. Where was Hitomi anyways? He flew after them, trying to get their attention. If only they would stop and fight him!
Naria chuckled to herself. So the dragon thought he could stop them? Well, he could try all he liked, but they were lucky now, luckier than ever. They just had to keep him away from the girl.
One turned and shot some sort of liquid metal pellets at him, as Van dodged. Van moved over one of the guymelefs, lifting Escaflowne's sword to smash down into the metal armor. Inside Naria grinned. The sword wouldn't drop, to Van's utter confusion, and he swerved off of her. Van felt Escaflowne's wings stop catching wind, and began to plummet. He had to think fast, as the wind blew hard against his face making his eyes water. Hitomi, where was she? He needed her! He didn't know why but he seemingly couldn't harm the leopard twins..Hitomi...
Van concentrated on her with all his might, dousing as she had called it. He pictured her in his mind. To Van's surprise, he could feel her, sense her. She was looking for him. She was somewhere down below. 'Hitomi...' Escaflowne's wings suddenly caught the air again, and began regaining height to challenge the sisters once again.
"Why isn't the luck affecting him any more sister?" "I don't know Eriya, but we have to keep him as far away from the girl as possible", Naria snarled as she saw that the boy was still tailing them, her yellow veins glowing underneath her skin. They needed to get the girl. Turning Naria unsheathed her sword and made a sweep for the large metal dragon behind them. Van quickly dodged, bringing his sword down on top of Naria once again. He was too quick to be completely deflected by the intensified luck, and his blade skimmed her. "Just a scratch Dragon!"
Now it was Van's turn to grin. He was fine without Hitomi, his dousing now ending. He was perfectly capable of- Eriya attacked him from the side, which he almost didn't dodge in time. He found himself once again plummeting to the ground, the wings again rendering useless. Escaflowne, defeated, suspended itself for a few seconds in front of the object eclipsing the sun, then fell. Before Van hit the ground, Escaflowne flapped it wings breaking his fall enough to not die on impact. The sisters flew down around him, locking arms in a circle. Van was trapped.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hitomi had felt him, he was in the air by the time she had begun her search. She could see, or feel, most of what had transpired between him and the leopard twins. It was what she had experienced the day before, she could sense his presence. Now though, her sense was heightened. At one point she had felt him falling fast towards the ground, his heart had been pounding hard and fast in her ears. She lent him all her strength, wished him luck, holding tightly onto the card of Good Fortune, fastened securely in her hand. She was vaguely aware of Millerna near her, bandaging Dryden. Hitomi had clasped her pendant as well, leading it to glow. He had made a come back, but soon after, she lost him somehow. She couldn't feel him any more, or help him. Then she had seen him falling, he landed near her, in the center of the wreckage. They locked him in. Hitomi knew she should run for him, but it was all too risky. She wanted to though. She had the strangest desire to be as close to Van as possible.
A voice spoke out then, she recognized it, but couldn't quite put her finger on whom it belonged to. They were Luck Intensified Soldiers it announced. "Luck Intensified..." Hitomi murmured to herself out loud. That was why everything was malfunctioning. She held up the two cards. Disaster and Luck. They had merged when she drew them at the same time. This was her fault....
Then she heard it, the voice blared out. The soldiers wanted her. They had come to take her away with them; all she had to do was surrender herself. "Hitomi", Millerna called out from behind her. "Don't go anywhere!"
"I think this is all my fault Millerna, I made a large mistake"
"How can this be your fault, Hitomi don't move!"
"I was right about some things. You don't belong with Allen. Maybe you don't belong with Dryden either, but he would a better man for you than Allen. I suppose I should have told you about this, all of it could have been stopped, but I hid the truth thinking I could handle it or change it" With that Hitomi stood and began making her way towards the towering guymelefs. "Hitomi, no!.. Dryden! Hold on.."
Hitomi walked with purpose, it didn't matter if they took her, she need to be near Van. Maybe if she could get close enough to him they could make some sort of defense.. "I'm right here! I'm Hitomi Kanzaki!" She held her arms out wide. The twins turned towards her, pleased by how easy this had been going. Hitomi heard Van cry "No" , and she turned to look at him. Even eye contact might help her. He stared right back at her, still kneeling near the collapsed Escaflowne. He suddenly made a run for her, dashing out past the guymelefs. Naria instantly shot out her metal claws. They could not lose the girl now. They needed to bring her back to Folken.
Hitomi felt the claws wrap around her tightly, her breath being knocked out of her. "Van!" she cried still staring deeply into his brown eyes as he ran towards her. She focused everything just on him; the only thing else she was aware of were the flexible metal claws wrapped tightly around her. She felt the metal clench into her body, as she was about to be ripped away from the ground. Van was close now, but she was off the ground. He jumped, still reaching for her. Hitomi saw another of the large arms come flying to knock him out of the way. 'No..' Hitomi's pendant began to glow, as did the energist in Escaflowne. Eriya felt her hand being held back by some invisible force. As hard as she tried her hand wouldn't move to block the boy from reaching the girl. Van's hand clasped Hitomi's as he gripped the claw with his other trying to wrench it open. "Hitomi", he gasped. Hitomi smiled.
Naria lost her grip, and Van and Hitomi fell to the ground. Van wrapped himself around her and they landed with Hitomi in his embrace. "What do we do now?" he whispered.
"Just hold my hand. Their luck can't last"
"Get back here girl!" Eriya and Naria's veins glowed brightly from inside their hangers. They would not return empty-handed.
Hitomi held tight to Van. "You cannot continue your destruction!" she called to them. Her eyes were bold and she faced them stubbornly. She felt confidence surge through her from being with Van. She still had the two cards safely tucked into her pocket. Van held her hand tightly. He hoped she knew what she was doing. 'Of course she did'. Van grinned. He had faith in her determinedness. Suddenly a blinding brightness fell over them.
The fortress slid away from the sun, exposing light all through the city. The two sisters' forms suddenly bent over, their breathing laboured. Their eyes were wide, and their tongues hung limp. Their veins dimly glowed blue. Their mouths were so dry. They both clutched at their throats. "Naria, Erya, that's enough. Withdraw" "But Folken-sama -" "Fall back" "We're so sorry Folken-sama" The sisters took to the skies, retreating in shame. They had failed their master. They had run out of luck.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Naria cursed the Dragon and that stupid girl. Some how her and her sister's intensified luck had not defeated them. Why?! Folken-sama had trusted them and they had failed him. Naria coughed. She could hardly breathe. Everything was humid and dry. She needed water. Her veins pulsed an alarming blue. Naria then felt something go wrong with her guymelef, a small explosion. That stupid boy! He had damaged her melef! She began to fall, no longer able to fly. "Sister!" "Go on without me Sister! One of us has to return to Folken-sama!" "SISTER!" Eriya coughed and flew on without her twin.
Eriya would never see her sister again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hitomi spoke with Millerna and Dryden, speaking of the tragedy that had occurred. They reassured her it was not her fault, Zaibach would have attacked even if they had called off the wedding. It was a day for sadness, but Hitomi didn't feel that way. She and Van left the new King and Queen to themselves. Hitomi smiled, she and Van never letting go of each other's hands.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Aww. Right anyway, next chapter there will be a LOT of Van and Hitomi, so don't worry, I'm getting to that for all you romance deprived readers out there. I'm also thinking of throwing some Millerna and Dryden in here (it's my alternate universe, and I'll do what I like thank you). Naria is also going to be a big part of all this. Anything you really want me to have done just tell me in a review and I'll consider it. Much thanks to my beta Cat!
SPIKECRAZI13: Thanks for reviewing! I have to say though, there will not be a lot of Allen bashing, because I do not dislike Allen. He's severely annoying sometimes, but I can't say I have anything against him. Try looking at his character from different angles, you might see him differently. Signed
embyr81788 : Hey, that poem was actually pretty nifty! (I can't believe I just said nifty) Thank you for reviewing! Signed Signed
jossi-31: good point. I really should get back to Allen sometime soon. He is a pretty crucial character. Signed
Ryuu Angel: It takes awhile to show up after I update, but if you go to the last chapter posted usually there's a forward arrow there, even though the new chapter doesn't come up in the chapter directory. Sorry about that :P There is going to be a lot of fluff in the chapter after this one, considering Van and Hitomi were never really alone here. And if the twins are going to die, you'll just have to wait and see (mysterious I know). Signed
aradow : Sorry about the constantly switching POV's, but I actually do add in breakers to separate the paragraphs, but then sometimes they don't come up. I'm hoping they'll work this time (. Thanks for reviewing. Anonymous
And thanks to Youkai Yume, SabineballZ, and Crystal Night for also reviewing.
Disclaimer: "You don't own Escaflowne, stop pretending" a fortune cookie told me once.
Through the Rainy Haze
Chapter# 5: Solar Eclipse
'All you create All you destroy... and everything under the sun is tune but the sun is eclipsed by the moon.' -Pink Floyd, Eclipse.
She could hear it in her head. The thumping, the new blood in her veins, making her lose her breath; it was so loud. What a feeling. She could feel it, the power; the gift that Folken-sama had given them. They were lucky to have met him. They had always been lucky. Now they were the luckiest. Naria hadn't slept much; she just laid still, eyes wide. She knew her sister did the same. They had always been one and the same. Now they could please Folken even more than before. He would be so happy with them. All they had to do was capture the girl. Naria smiled, her yellow veins visible under her skin, as she and Eriya prepared for their attack. They could not fail, not with so much luck on their side. They would not fail. Folken-sama was counting on them. Her obsession, her love, her drive. Nothing else really mattered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sun shone brightly down on the chattering crowd, waiting in anticipation for the ceremony to begin. The day was perfect, a hot day with a refreshingly light breeze keeping all watchers in top spirits. A perfect day for a perfect wedding and perfect couple some joyously announced to their companions. A few minutes later, silence spread through the crowd, as the ceremony began. Princess Millerna and Dryden floated slowly along the canal in a beautiful boat fit for the wedding of the King and Queen of Asturia. Millerna sat regally on an elaborate throne, and standing next to her Dryden rode, a gold animal head situated in front of him. If any had known or seen Dryden before they might have doubted it was the same man (he even shaved!), as his attire was that of formal Austurian dress.
The reception was peaceful and full of silent joy. The princess and her soon-to-be husband strolled carefully towards the priest who would join them. All onlookers couldn't have felt more relaxed, their kingdom gaining new young leaders would surely aid them in the current problems their world was experiencing. Except for Hitomi, who was too apprehensive to even pay much attention to the ceremony. She had some how found herself company to some of Allen's men and was standing in a large crowd. She wasn't going to falsely reassure herself like she had Millerna; it was a bit too late for that. Before she had been able to change fate, knowing about it before hand and quickly warning who ever it had involved. Millerna's wedding unfortunately was a completely different story. Hitomi wasn't even sure what was going to happen, her visions had all been so vague making them much more terrifying than usual. After she had left Millerna, Hitomi had decided to stay up close and observe the wedding to see if anything did go horribly, horribly wrong. All Hitomi wanted now was Van. She needed to be able to reach him, in her visions she had always needed him. 'I shouldn't have stayed up close to watch if I had wanted to be with Van' she scolded herself.
'Luck..' Hitomi held the two cards in her hand, one predicting destruction, the other good fortune. 'What did it mean?' Hitomi was torn between searching for Van, or keeping a watchful eye on Millerna and Dryden. Oh, what could she do if something happened? She needed to get Van. 'I should leave' she thought staring out onto the wedding. The priest was now holding a crescent moon scepter in between the Princess and future king. Maybe she'd stay a bit longer, just to make sure. The two exchanged their rings and applause and loud cheering was heard. It was almost time for the groom to kiss the bride as Hitomi felt sudden panic run through her as she clenched the cards in her hand.
Fast flashes tainted in blue. Dryden and Millerna kiss. Palas in chaos. The tower breaking...
Hitomi snapped out of her vision holding her head in one hand, staring at the cards in the other. Go to Van, or stop Millerna and Dryden now? Cheers could be heard as the Princess and her husband leaned in to seal the deal with a kiss. "No", Hitomi murmured. She broke out of the crowd and began running towards them along the red carpet. "STOP!" she yelled. Many turned and stared at her. Millerna and Dryden hadn't heard her, and kissed anyway. The cheering continued and joy broke through the crowds. Hitomi kneeled on the steps leading up to the podium. Nothing had happened. So her vision and predictions hadn't been true. She should have known. What a fool she was.
Darkness then slowly spread over Palas, something large and circular sliding over the sun. Dryden held Millerna's shoulders; the priest behind them whispering this was an ill omen. Hitomi raised herself slowly from the ground. She shouldn't have been here this whole time. She had to reach Van.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Van and Merle resided peacefully on top of Escaflowne's store house, hearing the far off cheers and watching the wedding from afar. "We can't see aaaanything", Merle complained, beginning to file her nails. "If you wanted to see it closer than we should have joined the crushed mob", Van replied. "I'm claustrophobic", Merle murmured to herself. Neither of them was really intently watching. Van was too deep in thought. Maybe something would happen at the wedding like Hitomi had said. Where was she? He hadn't seen her since she left to find Millerna. She had been so distressed.. Why hadn't she come back to him? Maybe she just brushed the vision aside, not wanting to worry about it.. 'Or maybe she found Allen.' Van's brow furrowed. No, he wasn't going to think like that. He wished she were near him; he wanted to make sure she was all right.
Suddenly Merle and him were knocked from their placidity as a large beam of pink tinted light shot out from Escaflowne's hiding place and hit the nearby floating fortress Vione making it visible. Two guymelefs could be seen leaving the Vione and Van's eyes hardened. 'Brother..'
Van dashed down to Escaflowne, taking flight after the twin sisters as fast as he could. Where was Hitomi anyways? He flew after them, trying to get their attention. If only they would stop and fight him!
Naria chuckled to herself. So the dragon thought he could stop them? Well, he could try all he liked, but they were lucky now, luckier than ever. They just had to keep him away from the girl.
One turned and shot some sort of liquid metal pellets at him, as Van dodged. Van moved over one of the guymelefs, lifting Escaflowne's sword to smash down into the metal armor. Inside Naria grinned. The sword wouldn't drop, to Van's utter confusion, and he swerved off of her. Van felt Escaflowne's wings stop catching wind, and began to plummet. He had to think fast, as the wind blew hard against his face making his eyes water. Hitomi, where was she? He needed her! He didn't know why but he seemingly couldn't harm the leopard twins..Hitomi...
Van concentrated on her with all his might, dousing as she had called it. He pictured her in his mind. To Van's surprise, he could feel her, sense her. She was looking for him. She was somewhere down below. 'Hitomi...' Escaflowne's wings suddenly caught the air again, and began regaining height to challenge the sisters once again.
"Why isn't the luck affecting him any more sister?" "I don't know Eriya, but we have to keep him as far away from the girl as possible", Naria snarled as she saw that the boy was still tailing them, her yellow veins glowing underneath her skin. They needed to get the girl. Turning Naria unsheathed her sword and made a sweep for the large metal dragon behind them. Van quickly dodged, bringing his sword down on top of Naria once again. He was too quick to be completely deflected by the intensified luck, and his blade skimmed her. "Just a scratch Dragon!"
Now it was Van's turn to grin. He was fine without Hitomi, his dousing now ending. He was perfectly capable of- Eriya attacked him from the side, which he almost didn't dodge in time. He found himself once again plummeting to the ground, the wings again rendering useless. Escaflowne, defeated, suspended itself for a few seconds in front of the object eclipsing the sun, then fell. Before Van hit the ground, Escaflowne flapped it wings breaking his fall enough to not die on impact. The sisters flew down around him, locking arms in a circle. Van was trapped.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hitomi had felt him, he was in the air by the time she had begun her search. She could see, or feel, most of what had transpired between him and the leopard twins. It was what she had experienced the day before, she could sense his presence. Now though, her sense was heightened. At one point she had felt him falling fast towards the ground, his heart had been pounding hard and fast in her ears. She lent him all her strength, wished him luck, holding tightly onto the card of Good Fortune, fastened securely in her hand. She was vaguely aware of Millerna near her, bandaging Dryden. Hitomi had clasped her pendant as well, leading it to glow. He had made a come back, but soon after, she lost him somehow. She couldn't feel him any more, or help him. Then she had seen him falling, he landed near her, in the center of the wreckage. They locked him in. Hitomi knew she should run for him, but it was all too risky. She wanted to though. She had the strangest desire to be as close to Van as possible.
A voice spoke out then, she recognized it, but couldn't quite put her finger on whom it belonged to. They were Luck Intensified Soldiers it announced. "Luck Intensified..." Hitomi murmured to herself out loud. That was why everything was malfunctioning. She held up the two cards. Disaster and Luck. They had merged when she drew them at the same time. This was her fault....
Then she heard it, the voice blared out. The soldiers wanted her. They had come to take her away with them; all she had to do was surrender herself. "Hitomi", Millerna called out from behind her. "Don't go anywhere!"
"I think this is all my fault Millerna, I made a large mistake"
"How can this be your fault, Hitomi don't move!"
"I was right about some things. You don't belong with Allen. Maybe you don't belong with Dryden either, but he would a better man for you than Allen. I suppose I should have told you about this, all of it could have been stopped, but I hid the truth thinking I could handle it or change it" With that Hitomi stood and began making her way towards the towering guymelefs. "Hitomi, no!.. Dryden! Hold on.."
Hitomi walked with purpose, it didn't matter if they took her, she need to be near Van. Maybe if she could get close enough to him they could make some sort of defense.. "I'm right here! I'm Hitomi Kanzaki!" She held her arms out wide. The twins turned towards her, pleased by how easy this had been going. Hitomi heard Van cry "No" , and she turned to look at him. Even eye contact might help her. He stared right back at her, still kneeling near the collapsed Escaflowne. He suddenly made a run for her, dashing out past the guymelefs. Naria instantly shot out her metal claws. They could not lose the girl now. They needed to bring her back to Folken.
Hitomi felt the claws wrap around her tightly, her breath being knocked out of her. "Van!" she cried still staring deeply into his brown eyes as he ran towards her. She focused everything just on him; the only thing else she was aware of were the flexible metal claws wrapped tightly around her. She felt the metal clench into her body, as she was about to be ripped away from the ground. Van was close now, but she was off the ground. He jumped, still reaching for her. Hitomi saw another of the large arms come flying to knock him out of the way. 'No..' Hitomi's pendant began to glow, as did the energist in Escaflowne. Eriya felt her hand being held back by some invisible force. As hard as she tried her hand wouldn't move to block the boy from reaching the girl. Van's hand clasped Hitomi's as he gripped the claw with his other trying to wrench it open. "Hitomi", he gasped. Hitomi smiled.
Naria lost her grip, and Van and Hitomi fell to the ground. Van wrapped himself around her and they landed with Hitomi in his embrace. "What do we do now?" he whispered.
"Just hold my hand. Their luck can't last"
"Get back here girl!" Eriya and Naria's veins glowed brightly from inside their hangers. They would not return empty-handed.
Hitomi held tight to Van. "You cannot continue your destruction!" she called to them. Her eyes were bold and she faced them stubbornly. She felt confidence surge through her from being with Van. She still had the two cards safely tucked into her pocket. Van held her hand tightly. He hoped she knew what she was doing. 'Of course she did'. Van grinned. He had faith in her determinedness. Suddenly a blinding brightness fell over them.
The fortress slid away from the sun, exposing light all through the city. The two sisters' forms suddenly bent over, their breathing laboured. Their eyes were wide, and their tongues hung limp. Their veins dimly glowed blue. Their mouths were so dry. They both clutched at their throats. "Naria, Erya, that's enough. Withdraw" "But Folken-sama -" "Fall back" "We're so sorry Folken-sama" The sisters took to the skies, retreating in shame. They had failed their master. They had run out of luck.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Naria cursed the Dragon and that stupid girl. Some how her and her sister's intensified luck had not defeated them. Why?! Folken-sama had trusted them and they had failed him. Naria coughed. She could hardly breathe. Everything was humid and dry. She needed water. Her veins pulsed an alarming blue. Naria then felt something go wrong with her guymelef, a small explosion. That stupid boy! He had damaged her melef! She began to fall, no longer able to fly. "Sister!" "Go on without me Sister! One of us has to return to Folken-sama!" "SISTER!" Eriya coughed and flew on without her twin.
Eriya would never see her sister again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hitomi spoke with Millerna and Dryden, speaking of the tragedy that had occurred. They reassured her it was not her fault, Zaibach would have attacked even if they had called off the wedding. It was a day for sadness, but Hitomi didn't feel that way. She and Van left the new King and Queen to themselves. Hitomi smiled, she and Van never letting go of each other's hands.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Aww. Right anyway, next chapter there will be a LOT of Van and Hitomi, so don't worry, I'm getting to that for all you romance deprived readers out there. I'm also thinking of throwing some Millerna and Dryden in here (it's my alternate universe, and I'll do what I like thank you). Naria is also going to be a big part of all this. Anything you really want me to have done just tell me in a review and I'll consider it. Much thanks to my beta Cat!