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I in no way, shape or form own Escaflowne or the characters in Escaflowne
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Hitomi eyes slowly, painfully crept open, only to be greeted by a lush green meadow, one that she recognized from Irini. She had landed in the exact same meadow as she had when she'd first come to Gaea. Hitomi slowly lifted up her head, holding it for a minute to stop the dull throbbing and spinning. Then realizing who had come with her, she jerked her head upright.
Oh, sweet Buddha NO! Forcing herself up, Hitomi desperately searched for a certain Albino boy.
"Dylan!" Where is he? If anyone else finds him. . . "Dylan where are you?"
"Hitomi?" Came a scared little voice. It sent a flood of relief coursing through her veins as she raced through the underbrush towards it. He was sitting three meters away, shaking with fear.
"W-what happened Hitomi, where are we?" Dilandau whimpered, shaking from head to toe.
"It's okay Dylan" soothed Hitomi as she helped him to his feet and kindly dusted him off, helped by the continued shaking of his body.
"Where are we? What was that light? Why did we come here?"
"Okay, okay. I can only answer at one question at a time." Taking a deep breath, she began.
"That light is kinda like a teleporter. It takes you from Earth to Gaea, that's we're on now. It's actually not that far from my planet. In fact, if you just look up." She pointed to the sky, where there was a clear shot of Earth and its moon, hanging like two perfect orbs in the sky.
"Pretty." Dilandau whispered Hitomi nodded and then began pulling him along by his hand, knowing better then to stick around, for this was the territory Ruhm and his pack of wolves. It was dangerous for them to stay here because the wolves would probably tear poor Dylan apart the second they saw him. As much as Hitomi wished forgiveness for Dilandau, Gaea was not a planet to allow it so soon. And for all he had done, Hitomi couldn't bear the thought of him being hurt. Especially since, he would really have no clue why. It wouldn't be right she thought as she and Dilandau made their way along the path.
"Hitomi?"
"Yes Dylan?" she responded kindly, as they paused for a minute, hands firmly locked together.
"Why'd you call me Dilandau in you head just now?" Hitomi froze as the bottom came out of her stomach, followed by a dull tingle up and down her spine and her blood going cold. How long has he been able to read my mind?
"Only since we got here, and only when I touch your skin." He said. Hitomi blinked, uncertain of what to make of this bit of news. Well, my visions didn't come until I was here, but that was because I needed to have them, why would Dilandau need to see into minds?
"Why are we here?"
"Well, because Gaea needed us, I guess." Hitomi didn't want to bring up that it was probably because of him that Gaea needed them. As they continued along their way, Dilandau began humming a song, and it was rather pretty. I didn't think Zaibach taught its people to sing Hitomi wondered idly as they walked along.
"What's Zaibach?" Hitomi jerked around to face him. Then realized she was still gripping his hand to ensure he stayed with her, but of course that meant he heard her. I have to start being more careful about that. Suddenly he stopped, and said, "Hitomi, why aren't you giving me any answers about my past. I know you know about me, I could see it when I woke up." He sounded rather sullen, like the children Hitomi often dealt with as an intern at the University's daycare. This triggered the automatic response, "Don't get peevish with me! Have some patience please." Dilandau looked more then just a tad miffed and a little betrayed as he turned away from her and sat down on the ground, sulking. It was a familiar tactic to Hitomi, and they had no time for this adult-sized display of behavior usually reserved for those in diapers.
"Dylan." His response was to stick his nose up in the air, and pretend to ignore her. Hitomi rolled her eyes. Oh good grief! Of all times for him to put on a live show of a two-year-old who's just been wrongfully spanked.
"Dylan, this is NOT the time!" Hitomi declared, because now she could just feel the wolves' presence drawing ever nearer, closing them in with every second.
"NE!" Dilandau declared, yanking his arm away from her as Hitomi tried to yank him off his butt and end the display.
"Look! Some people that we really don't want to tango with are coming, NOW! We need to move, quickly!" Hitomi felt herself gasp as a spine-tingling growl echoed through the Meadow, Dilandau immediately shot up and reached for his waist, but found nothing. Where did that come from? He wondered as he saw Hitomi wince, and he could see in her mind clear as day His instincts are still there.
Suddenly from nowhere, a huge weight landed on his back and he fell to the ground, his hands immediately clamping over his neck, even as the powerful claws ripped and tore at them desperately, jaws desperately trying to tear at his throats throat. Dilandau began to get little flashes of the creatures mind, but it was enough to chill anyone to the bone
. . . . Kill the bastard! . . . .
. . . . Murderer of thousands. . . .
. . . . Destroyer of Fanelia! . . . . .
. . . .Deserves this! . . . .
Hitomi stood there frozen as several wolves closed in around her, watching their brother. For a brief moment Dilandau suddenly felt something stir deep in his mind.
Hitomi was standing there in the exact same stance, paralyzed with fear, but she was different. . . Younger, and she wore even stranger clothing. He rudely made his way through shoving someone, a boy with odd black hair and deep brown eyes, aside to get a better look at her. She took a step back when he stopped right in front of her/
"I've never seen clothing like yours before. Where are you from little girl?" He heard the distinct sound of growling, but choose to ignore it.
"Uuuuh." Was the intellectually engaging response.
"What's going here?" Came a calm and authoritive voice, and the assault suddenly stopped. A quick peak up showed to Dilandau several of the wolf-men parting s to allow one single person through for a good view of the spectacle. Must be the leader Dilandau thought, relief flooding through him. His assumption was immediately affirmed when the man said gently, but firmly "Didrin, GET OFF NOW." Several tense second past before Didrin responded by growling, "He has this coming, THIS IS DILANDAU! I watched him destroy Fanelia!"
"Then it is King Van's place to decide his punishment, not ours." There was a pause again, before the huge weight was suddenly lifted off Dilandau, with a simple "Very well Brother. Your word is law; I will not break faith for this scourge." Ruhm nodded, acknowledging the mark of respect.
"My thanks Brother." Dilandau stood there, trying desperately to stop the bleeding of his torn hands, whimpering slightly. Hitomi was over at his side in a heartbeat, much to the surprise of the wolves.
"Here let me see." She said, very gently taking one hand and examining it.
"Owie!"
"I'm sorry Dylan. This is going to need stitches." Dilandau blinked, then absently reached for the scar on his face, the only scar there.
"Stitches. . . I've had those before." he whispered, a second glimpsed of memory coming to him.
"Quite fidgeting!" Demanded one of the men around him. This man smelled of cleansers and herbs, most decidedly a medicinal sorcerer. Dilandau felt the feint tingle of something going into his skin, but it was very feint, the tug had more feel to it.
"I'M GOING TO KILL THAT LITTLE_"
"Choose your words VERY wisely." Snapped one of the other men, who smelled old, someone well past his prime. An Advisory Sorcerer kept on more for his knowledge and insight then his actual usefulness.
"I'll speak anyway way I please." He shot back, as the needle was plunged once more into his numb skin.
"Emperor Dornkirk will not have anyone befouling our image with their foul mouths." Dilandau snorted, "Well, old man, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not in public. I'm here, getting stitched like a meaty bird!"
"Nevertheless. Better to in practice now then not and slip up later. Especially if you want to keep your little group together." The men around him, mostly smelling of oldness save the Medicinal Sorcerer, snickered causing Dilandau growled faintly under his breath.
"Dornkirk will never take away my Dragon Slayers." He stating smirking.
"True, we need that group to get The Dragon, yet, he could very easily replace you, and the next leader may not be so, shall we say GIVING, towards them." Another round of snickers, Dilandau smacked the now finished Medicinal Sorcerer away, and sat growling in his chair. The only pleasant thought of was of the thousands of ways he could kill the one who had done this to him.
Dilandau shook himself from his memory only to find Hitomi had gently wrapped up his second hand.
"This will have to do for now, at least until I can reach someplace with Medicinal supplies." Dilandau nodded then reached up and touched the scar again, hoping to maybe trigger another memory, but found only blackness outside the two flashes. Hitomi looks so said when I do this he thought, giving the scar one last stroke before giving Hitomi his arms to help him up. When he touched her skin, he got a feint whiff of thought from her, and he it found troubling.
Doing that just like before. Isn't there anyway to keep the old Dilandau away? He looked at her, willing her to break down and tell him the truth, but instead, she just smiled sadly at him and then turned to his savior.
"Thank you, Ruhm." Ruhm shook his head, stating calmly "Thank the fact that we have been taught to respect the laws of other lands." He gave a hard look to at Dilandau, and Hitomi flinched as she watched the poor boy being shackled by several of Ruhm's pack mates.
"Listen," Hitomi said, lowering her voice so Dilandau couldn't hear her. She was blushing and sounding ashamed as she continued, "he doesn't remember anything at all." Ruhm looked hard at her, before responding, "What do you mean?"
"I mean he doesn't remember Zaibach or Van or even me. How can we punish him?" Ruhm paused, digesting this new information. It certainly did change a few things. But not enough. As it was, it wasn't up to him, only Van could really decide.
"It's not my place Hitomi. His fate is in Van's hands, I have little to no impact him." Hitomi sighed, but nodded. She then went over to sit down next Dilandau. He looked at her utterly bewildered, whimpering her name.
"It's okay Dylan." She said soothingly, "They won't hurt you, I promise. But they have to do this."
"But, why?"
"I'll explain when we get to Fanelia. I swear to you Dylan." She said as she began stroking his soft white hair soothingly as she did with her brother when he got upset. Dilandau leaned into her, scared, and uncertain.
What was going to happen to him?
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Okay, here's the scoop on why it's taken me do long to get this chapter done.
1) I'm now into the math portion of my college career.
2) I'm now into the science portion of my college career
3) I have had little inspiration in this story
I'm planning to apply to med school in four years, which means I must focus on academics, and inspiration has been hard to come by. But Vega Sailor and Sand3 have given me a few ideas, so we'll see how it goes. . .
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