AN: And to clear up some confusion, Hitomi is NOT sleeping in a drawer... she is sleeping on a bed but all of her bedding material was located in a drawer.
Disclaimer: I don't own the anime Escaflowne or the really crappy manga Escaflowne! (If you can, look at it in a bookstore... I nearly collapsed).
"You will find out soon, but you must be patient for now. Let's just say that I didn't kill you because that would be pointless slaughter. Why I was going to kill your fiancé in the first place shall not be known to you."
Hitomi let out a frustrated sigh, "Well if you can't answer me those questions, answer me this. What is your name?"
Dilandau faced her and looked at her straight in the eye, piercing red meeting with emerald green. "My name is Dilandau... Dilandau Albatou."
Chapter 3: Your Use
A few days had past since the soon to be queen of Fanelia was taken by the mysterious Dilandau with intentions unknown. Van had been severely injured, but survived the wound which is in the process of fully healing as we speak. Allen, the gallant knight of Asturia, had returned to his homeland upon the attack, saying he needed to recover from an injury received during battle at the gathering.
Now Hitomi was just getting used to the new surroundings and the new company she had to deal with until she was done with whatever her captor had in store. She couldn't complain... no... the house was as comfortable as any other and nothing was to be complained about. Though Hitomi didn't get how Dilandau would only be up during dusk and the night hours. It was rare but occasional that he was up during time of daylight. He never ate normal food or from what Hitomi could see, whatever she ate would be the only item going from the shelves of the storage. No other jars went missing and showed signs of being eaten. It was curious, but Hitomi questioned none of the happenings of Dilandau's house.
It wasn't till one afternoon when Dilandau found her sitting outside underneath the cover of the trees reading and confronted her that Hitomi became aware of her purpose.
Dilandau walked towards Hitomi who was engrossed in one of the books from his study. The cover from the trees that shaded him from the sun all the way from the back entrance of the house to where she sat protected Dilandau. He wore no heavy cloak but his clothing was made for cooler times of the year. A long sleeved button down shirt of white material blended with his unnaturally white skin and the dark pants contrasted with the light reflecting colors even more. His advancement went unnoticed to the girl until he stepped on a fallen branch. The crack echoed upon the trees and snapped Hitomi from her unaware state.
She looked up at him and then looked around at the sun. She found that it was well in the afternoon and curiously looked at him again. She looked as though she wanted to speak, but held her tongue. Dilandau, seeing that Hitomi was relaxed in this setting, decided to just sit with her. Of course he would not just sit, but he would reveal the reason he had kept her alive and had taken her away from her home.
Finding another tree in the shade close to Hitomi's, Dilandau walked to it and sat down upon the soft earth, leaning his back against the trunk. He was silent for some time and Hitomi placed the book down beside her, waiting patiently for him to speak. His eyes cracked open a little and he glanced toward the waiting girl.
He then spoke, "You do have a purpose here... believe me... you do..."
Hitomi's expression didn't waver... her gaze still penetrated that of Dilandau's as if trying to see through him.
"And what is my purpose if you don't mind me asking?" Hitomi replied.
Dilandau saw the seriousness in her reply and went straight to the point. "I'm sure you know a man by the name of Allen Schezar... do you not?"
Her gaze flickered with something that Dilandau could not catch, but from what he saw in her eyes, it was that of hatred. He needed no verbal answer, so without waiting for a response, he continued.
"I have a certain... you might say... bone to pick with him. You see... I want revenge."
Hitomi snickered at this. When Dilandau gave her a questioning look she said, "Men always want revenge. That is all that they care about. I should have known that was what you wanted. So what does this have to do with me anyways?"
"I haven't really planned this out. I really didn't plan on taking you with me to begin with."
"Then why did you take me away and threaten the lives of the ones I love?!"
"Your fiancé got in the way! That's what happened!" he yelled.
"But what does it all have to do with me? Why don't you just release me?" Hitomi started to get frustrated and wanted some answers.
"I won't release you because I saw how I could get my revenge through you!"
Hitomi lifted herself off the ground and took a few steps towards Dilandau, a threatening look in her eye. "So what has Allen done to you that is making you go as far as this to get revenge?! Can't you just kill him? He's only human you know!"
Dilandau burst into laughter once she said this though. When he saw the look of distaste she was giving him, he quieted down his sounds amusement while shaking his head from side to side. "You don't know how wrong you are..." he said in a low voice.
"Oh really? How am I wrong?" she asked. "The way you fought at the castle shows me that you are probably just as good a swordsman as Allen is."
"It's flattering of you to say that, but I bet you it is not true. You see I would love to rush into his home and slaughter him, but it's not that easy. I would be rushing to my death with no plan or knowledge of what he has for protection."
"It sounds like something Van would do..." Hitomi whispered to herself.
Not comprehending what she was talking about, Dilandau continued, "I need inside information Hitomi. That is exactly where you come into play."
Hitomi, who had been staring at the grass after her thought of Van blinked a few times and went over his words again in her head. She turned her gaze to Dilandau who looked right back at her with all seriousness. "What exactly are you implying?" she questioned him.
It was his turn to stand, "You are going to go to Allen and use your womanly charm to get information out of him for me. From the way he looked at you during the party, it seems as if you two have had some history."
"You have to be kidding me! How would you explain me suddenly showing up at his doorstep after all that happened at Fanelia and saying I wanted to have him back again?" Hitomi looked at him, eyes wide with uncertainty.
"You were kidnapped remember? The news has to have spread by now... even to the high Knight of Asturia," Dilandau explained. "You will have 'escaped' from my evil clutches and the closest place you can remember to run to and be protected is in your former lover's home."
"Don't make assumptions between Allen and my past!" she replied to his remark. "And you really think this will work? You really think that Allen won't find out about your plan or see through me?"
Dilandau shrugged, "That is a chance we will just have to take. If Allen were to figure things out, you should fear for your life. You don't know what a real kind of monster he is."
'I'll tell Allen everything that's going on... I know him. He will take me back to Van once he knows everything,' Hitomi told herself.
But it was as though Dilandau read her mind. "Don't even think about returning to Fanelia once you get to Allen."
At this point, Hitomi didn't care if she let him know it was exactly what she was thinking. "And why not?!"
Through all the yelling, he kept his cool. "Would you just think about him? Just really THINK about Allen. Please answer me this one question. Were you two involved at some point in the past?"
Hitomi gave off a sigh and said almost regretfully, "Yes..."
"I probably know Allen better than anyone else, and I know that he has been involved with more than one woman before. Now... he was intrigued by you... wasn't he?"
"I guess so... I really don't know. He always tried to talk to me and flirt with me before I met Van," Hitomi answered him.
"So you backed away from his advancements... you are probably the only girl who has ever done that to him," Dilandau confirmed with himself.
"What do you mean the only girl?"
Dilandau started walking away from the house and deeper into the trees. Turning around, he motioned for Hitomi to follow. Once they were both walking at the same pace, Dilandau answered her, "Every girl that Allen met or walked by fell for him. His charm, his looks, and his reputation made every girl want him. It was too easy... he could pick up one girl one night and drop her the next day like it was nothing. Every one of them would go off broken, some even coming back and begging that he would reconsider being with them. He had a few longer relationships, but it was all for fun."
Dilandau paused but once he noticed that Hitomi was listening intently, he continued. "After a few years, the fun had died and he was sick of the woman that still came to him. That was until he found you. You presented a challenge... you didn't even look twice when he smiled at you. When he tried to advance on you, you brushed him off like some suitor coming to claim a marriage. He knew he had to have you and told himself that he wouldn't give up the challenge you had given him."
Before Hitomi's eyes, she could see his words coming back to life from the depths of her memories: Allen's flirting, the glances he threw her way and the ones she never returned. Sure she had heard of him, but she felt total indifference for him at the time. The more she resisted him, the more he pursued her and the more annoyed she became. When she thought he would never stop, he finally 'gave up'. Hitomi was relieved to see he wasn't hounding her constantly and accepted his offer of friendship when he talked to her without a sign of flirting. They were friends for a little and Allen tried to draw her in closer, making her become more than a friend. Still the same Hitomi pushed him away and refused to get any more intimate with him. At this time he had lost it and tried to force himself on her. She ended up giving him a bloody nose when her fist made contact with his face, and she gave him a little more pain than he bargained for when her foot made contact with... well we won't go there.
Since then, they hadn't seen each other until Hitomi started to see Van. Joining him on trips to other countries, Hitomi saw Allen again on a visit to Asturia. When Allen saw Hitomi, he put on a mask that no one could see through, but a hatred towards Van intensified when he saw Hitomi with him. No one else but Hitomi could see past the mask. Keeping on her toes, she never left Van's side just so that Allen would never find an opening to try and get to her once again. Until the engagement celebration, Hitomi had not seen nor heard from Allen.
With all that behind her, she planned on her new life with Van, never expecting to see the playboy again. 'But why now must I obtain my freedom by being in the very house I swore to never enter again?'
Dilandau interrupted her thoughts, "I'm right aren't I? I can tell from your facial expressions."
"Those are memories I never want to dig up again," Hitomi said firmly. "I never want to be associated with Allen again."
"I'm afraid you have no choi..."
"I am not given a choice! I am a prisoner! I am a slave! I am at your mercy! Right?!" Hitomi cut him short angrily, stopping her feet from continuing their journey to spin around and face him.
"You are not a slave!"
"Then why must I do your bidding as I am told?"
"This is your payment back to me for sparing your fiancé's life. If he hadn't gotten in the way, I would have..."
"Killed Allen right? And who is to say that the guards would not have stopped you and who is also to say that you could have been killed by him?"
"You underestimate my abilities."
"Don't underestimate me either." She glared at him. "So if this is my payment back to you, then why must I receive threats regarding others lives if I do not do what you wish? Why not just kill me? Why put up with me?"
"I know that anyone will not whole-heartedly agree to what I wish you to go through so some persuasion is necessary. I find you to be a perfect candidate for my plans."
"And if I don't believe you... if I refuse to go through with your plans?" she challenged him.
"Then I will kill your family, and dearly beloved prince. I don't understand why you wouldn't believe me. If it weren't for you, your future husband would be dead right now."
At this statement, she held her tongue. He was right... Van was at the edge of death and would have died if Hitomi had not stepped in. Heaving a sigh, she closed her eyes and talked in a low voice. "What must I do?"
Satisfied that she was cooperating, Dilandau motioned back towards where they were walking away from. With every minute that he was in the sun, Dilandau's strength declined and his control declined too. Their talk could continue inside, where the house would shade him completely. Hitomi reluctantly walked back to the house, the place in which she would find out exactly what was needed of her and precisely what she would need to do to earn her freedom. Oh how she wished she could just keep walking in the opposite direction instead of going through with this...
It has been a while... yeah. Thank you for those supporting me thus far! Sorry if it took too long... I was in a musical... it took all my time... Please don't forget to review! More interesting stuff will happen in the next chapter... trust me. Thanks again and please R&R!
Disclaimer: I don't own the anime Escaflowne or the really crappy manga Escaflowne! (If you can, look at it in a bookstore... I nearly collapsed).
"You will find out soon, but you must be patient for now. Let's just say that I didn't kill you because that would be pointless slaughter. Why I was going to kill your fiancé in the first place shall not be known to you."
Hitomi let out a frustrated sigh, "Well if you can't answer me those questions, answer me this. What is your name?"
Dilandau faced her and looked at her straight in the eye, piercing red meeting with emerald green. "My name is Dilandau... Dilandau Albatou."
Chapter 3: Your Use
A few days had past since the soon to be queen of Fanelia was taken by the mysterious Dilandau with intentions unknown. Van had been severely injured, but survived the wound which is in the process of fully healing as we speak. Allen, the gallant knight of Asturia, had returned to his homeland upon the attack, saying he needed to recover from an injury received during battle at the gathering.
Now Hitomi was just getting used to the new surroundings and the new company she had to deal with until she was done with whatever her captor had in store. She couldn't complain... no... the house was as comfortable as any other and nothing was to be complained about. Though Hitomi didn't get how Dilandau would only be up during dusk and the night hours. It was rare but occasional that he was up during time of daylight. He never ate normal food or from what Hitomi could see, whatever she ate would be the only item going from the shelves of the storage. No other jars went missing and showed signs of being eaten. It was curious, but Hitomi questioned none of the happenings of Dilandau's house.
It wasn't till one afternoon when Dilandau found her sitting outside underneath the cover of the trees reading and confronted her that Hitomi became aware of her purpose.
Dilandau walked towards Hitomi who was engrossed in one of the books from his study. The cover from the trees that shaded him from the sun all the way from the back entrance of the house to where she sat protected Dilandau. He wore no heavy cloak but his clothing was made for cooler times of the year. A long sleeved button down shirt of white material blended with his unnaturally white skin and the dark pants contrasted with the light reflecting colors even more. His advancement went unnoticed to the girl until he stepped on a fallen branch. The crack echoed upon the trees and snapped Hitomi from her unaware state.
She looked up at him and then looked around at the sun. She found that it was well in the afternoon and curiously looked at him again. She looked as though she wanted to speak, but held her tongue. Dilandau, seeing that Hitomi was relaxed in this setting, decided to just sit with her. Of course he would not just sit, but he would reveal the reason he had kept her alive and had taken her away from her home.
Finding another tree in the shade close to Hitomi's, Dilandau walked to it and sat down upon the soft earth, leaning his back against the trunk. He was silent for some time and Hitomi placed the book down beside her, waiting patiently for him to speak. His eyes cracked open a little and he glanced toward the waiting girl.
He then spoke, "You do have a purpose here... believe me... you do..."
Hitomi's expression didn't waver... her gaze still penetrated that of Dilandau's as if trying to see through him.
"And what is my purpose if you don't mind me asking?" Hitomi replied.
Dilandau saw the seriousness in her reply and went straight to the point. "I'm sure you know a man by the name of Allen Schezar... do you not?"
Her gaze flickered with something that Dilandau could not catch, but from what he saw in her eyes, it was that of hatred. He needed no verbal answer, so without waiting for a response, he continued.
"I have a certain... you might say... bone to pick with him. You see... I want revenge."
Hitomi snickered at this. When Dilandau gave her a questioning look she said, "Men always want revenge. That is all that they care about. I should have known that was what you wanted. So what does this have to do with me anyways?"
"I haven't really planned this out. I really didn't plan on taking you with me to begin with."
"Then why did you take me away and threaten the lives of the ones I love?!"
"Your fiancé got in the way! That's what happened!" he yelled.
"But what does it all have to do with me? Why don't you just release me?" Hitomi started to get frustrated and wanted some answers.
"I won't release you because I saw how I could get my revenge through you!"
Hitomi lifted herself off the ground and took a few steps towards Dilandau, a threatening look in her eye. "So what has Allen done to you that is making you go as far as this to get revenge?! Can't you just kill him? He's only human you know!"
Dilandau burst into laughter once she said this though. When he saw the look of distaste she was giving him, he quieted down his sounds amusement while shaking his head from side to side. "You don't know how wrong you are..." he said in a low voice.
"Oh really? How am I wrong?" she asked. "The way you fought at the castle shows me that you are probably just as good a swordsman as Allen is."
"It's flattering of you to say that, but I bet you it is not true. You see I would love to rush into his home and slaughter him, but it's not that easy. I would be rushing to my death with no plan or knowledge of what he has for protection."
"It sounds like something Van would do..." Hitomi whispered to herself.
Not comprehending what she was talking about, Dilandau continued, "I need inside information Hitomi. That is exactly where you come into play."
Hitomi, who had been staring at the grass after her thought of Van blinked a few times and went over his words again in her head. She turned her gaze to Dilandau who looked right back at her with all seriousness. "What exactly are you implying?" she questioned him.
It was his turn to stand, "You are going to go to Allen and use your womanly charm to get information out of him for me. From the way he looked at you during the party, it seems as if you two have had some history."
"You have to be kidding me! How would you explain me suddenly showing up at his doorstep after all that happened at Fanelia and saying I wanted to have him back again?" Hitomi looked at him, eyes wide with uncertainty.
"You were kidnapped remember? The news has to have spread by now... even to the high Knight of Asturia," Dilandau explained. "You will have 'escaped' from my evil clutches and the closest place you can remember to run to and be protected is in your former lover's home."
"Don't make assumptions between Allen and my past!" she replied to his remark. "And you really think this will work? You really think that Allen won't find out about your plan or see through me?"
Dilandau shrugged, "That is a chance we will just have to take. If Allen were to figure things out, you should fear for your life. You don't know what a real kind of monster he is."
'I'll tell Allen everything that's going on... I know him. He will take me back to Van once he knows everything,' Hitomi told herself.
But it was as though Dilandau read her mind. "Don't even think about returning to Fanelia once you get to Allen."
At this point, Hitomi didn't care if she let him know it was exactly what she was thinking. "And why not?!"
Through all the yelling, he kept his cool. "Would you just think about him? Just really THINK about Allen. Please answer me this one question. Were you two involved at some point in the past?"
Hitomi gave off a sigh and said almost regretfully, "Yes..."
"I probably know Allen better than anyone else, and I know that he has been involved with more than one woman before. Now... he was intrigued by you... wasn't he?"
"I guess so... I really don't know. He always tried to talk to me and flirt with me before I met Van," Hitomi answered him.
"So you backed away from his advancements... you are probably the only girl who has ever done that to him," Dilandau confirmed with himself.
"What do you mean the only girl?"
Dilandau started walking away from the house and deeper into the trees. Turning around, he motioned for Hitomi to follow. Once they were both walking at the same pace, Dilandau answered her, "Every girl that Allen met or walked by fell for him. His charm, his looks, and his reputation made every girl want him. It was too easy... he could pick up one girl one night and drop her the next day like it was nothing. Every one of them would go off broken, some even coming back and begging that he would reconsider being with them. He had a few longer relationships, but it was all for fun."
Dilandau paused but once he noticed that Hitomi was listening intently, he continued. "After a few years, the fun had died and he was sick of the woman that still came to him. That was until he found you. You presented a challenge... you didn't even look twice when he smiled at you. When he tried to advance on you, you brushed him off like some suitor coming to claim a marriage. He knew he had to have you and told himself that he wouldn't give up the challenge you had given him."
Before Hitomi's eyes, she could see his words coming back to life from the depths of her memories: Allen's flirting, the glances he threw her way and the ones she never returned. Sure she had heard of him, but she felt total indifference for him at the time. The more she resisted him, the more he pursued her and the more annoyed she became. When she thought he would never stop, he finally 'gave up'. Hitomi was relieved to see he wasn't hounding her constantly and accepted his offer of friendship when he talked to her without a sign of flirting. They were friends for a little and Allen tried to draw her in closer, making her become more than a friend. Still the same Hitomi pushed him away and refused to get any more intimate with him. At this time he had lost it and tried to force himself on her. She ended up giving him a bloody nose when her fist made contact with his face, and she gave him a little more pain than he bargained for when her foot made contact with... well we won't go there.
Since then, they hadn't seen each other until Hitomi started to see Van. Joining him on trips to other countries, Hitomi saw Allen again on a visit to Asturia. When Allen saw Hitomi, he put on a mask that no one could see through, but a hatred towards Van intensified when he saw Hitomi with him. No one else but Hitomi could see past the mask. Keeping on her toes, she never left Van's side just so that Allen would never find an opening to try and get to her once again. Until the engagement celebration, Hitomi had not seen nor heard from Allen.
With all that behind her, she planned on her new life with Van, never expecting to see the playboy again. 'But why now must I obtain my freedom by being in the very house I swore to never enter again?'
Dilandau interrupted her thoughts, "I'm right aren't I? I can tell from your facial expressions."
"Those are memories I never want to dig up again," Hitomi said firmly. "I never want to be associated with Allen again."
"I'm afraid you have no choi..."
"I am not given a choice! I am a prisoner! I am a slave! I am at your mercy! Right?!" Hitomi cut him short angrily, stopping her feet from continuing their journey to spin around and face him.
"You are not a slave!"
"Then why must I do your bidding as I am told?"
"This is your payment back to me for sparing your fiancé's life. If he hadn't gotten in the way, I would have..."
"Killed Allen right? And who is to say that the guards would not have stopped you and who is also to say that you could have been killed by him?"
"You underestimate my abilities."
"Don't underestimate me either." She glared at him. "So if this is my payment back to you, then why must I receive threats regarding others lives if I do not do what you wish? Why not just kill me? Why put up with me?"
"I know that anyone will not whole-heartedly agree to what I wish you to go through so some persuasion is necessary. I find you to be a perfect candidate for my plans."
"And if I don't believe you... if I refuse to go through with your plans?" she challenged him.
"Then I will kill your family, and dearly beloved prince. I don't understand why you wouldn't believe me. If it weren't for you, your future husband would be dead right now."
At this statement, she held her tongue. He was right... Van was at the edge of death and would have died if Hitomi had not stepped in. Heaving a sigh, she closed her eyes and talked in a low voice. "What must I do?"
Satisfied that she was cooperating, Dilandau motioned back towards where they were walking away from. With every minute that he was in the sun, Dilandau's strength declined and his control declined too. Their talk could continue inside, where the house would shade him completely. Hitomi reluctantly walked back to the house, the place in which she would find out exactly what was needed of her and precisely what she would need to do to earn her freedom. Oh how she wished she could just keep walking in the opposite direction instead of going through with this...
It has been a while... yeah. Thank you for those supporting me thus far! Sorry if it took too long... I was in a musical... it took all my time... Please don't forget to review! More interesting stuff will happen in the next chapter... trust me. Thanks again and please R&R!