Summary: The survivors of the fallen city have grown wary of the girl from the Mystic Moon, and wonder if maybe the curses are true after all...
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It was nearing dawn when the survivors of Aquaria's attack finally reached safer, higher grounds. The flames that had engulfed the city were dying down now, only smoldering ashes with occasional flare-ups.
Hitomi watched the spectacle through watery eyes - her heart ached terribly for the people of the city, for Van and his kingdom. Why had they come to her? She couldn't shake this question from her mind. Why was it so important to them that she stay out of the way? There was her gift of foresight(or curse, as she tended to think of it), of course...certainly that was it. But she hadn't seen their arrival...
"Is that her?"
She heard voices whispering behind her, and without turning to face them, she listened, only catching clips of what they were saying.
"That's the girl from the Mystic Moon..."
"Did she see?"
"...see things before they happen..."
"...cursed place she comes from..."
"...she brought this upon us?"
Hitomi suddenly felt very small and utterly aware of how awkwardly out of place she was. Uncomfortably, she turned around, and saw the stares she had been afraid would face her. Instinctively, she lowered her eyes and began to walk forward, quietly murmuring "excuse me"s and "I'm sorry"s and she made her way into and through the crowd. They parted for her, the whispered words continued, and she lowered her head further, feeling her cheeks burning from humiliation.
"Hitomi?" This time it was Allen's voice, and she looked up, seeing him ahead of her. Grateful for the reprieve from the stares and whispers, she hurried forward to stand by his side.
"Allen..." she spoke softly, looking up at him with her cheeks still reddened, "They...they think this is my fault."
He frowned slightly, casting his azure eyes out to the crowd before looking back to Hitomi and resting a hand on her shoulder. "They're superstitious," he said gently, "And they're looking for a scapegoat they can blame for what's happened...it wasn't your fault."
"I should have seen it..." she whispered, looking down once again, only to be surprised by a gentle touch on her chin, tilting her head back up to look into Allen's eyes.
"You shouldn't lower your head so sadly, Hitomi," he continued in his gentle tone, smiling softly, "You're one of the bravest women I've ever had the honor of knowing...never allow their thoughtless words dampen your bright spirit."
She felt her cheeks flare with heat again, this time from the sudden shyness that overtook her from his compliment. Despite it, she smiled for the first time since the whole ordeal had come to pass. "Allen...I..." she started, not entirely sure what she intended to say, but felt she had to say something.
"Your attention, please!" Van's voice came loudly over the crowd, all of whom immediately silenced and turned to face him. "Until this city can be rebuilt, you will all have to disperse to other cities in this country. Rule of the country is temporarily being placed in the hands of the Royal Council during my leave...I will be gone until I get to the bottom of this, until those who dared to attack this land are brought to justice!"
A chorus of cheers followed this, and Hitomi couldn't help but notice that at his last words, several heads had turned in her direction. She only looked away, not wanting to think about how they would bring her to "justice" if they had their way...
Van approached a moment later, folding his arms across his chest as he spoke to Hitomi and Allen. "I don't know what's going on here, but I'm going to personally see to it that this demon woman and Dilandau are taken down..."
"You can't stop them," Hitomi said with a bit of surprise in her voice, eyes widening a bit from the thought of it. "Van...she's too powerful."
"And what would you have me do, Hitomi?" he said with a slightly dangerous edge, "Let them destroy everything in their path in their hunt for you?"
This startled both Hitomi and Allen, and Allen took a step forward, a bit of the anger he held for the king flaring up in his eyes. "Don't speak to her in that way, she had nothing to do with this."
Van smirked lightly, looking up at Allen in a way that let on just how much he enjoyed bringing out that anger in him. "You're right, perhaps I spoke too soon. I apologize, Hitomi. It's just a curiosity that of all the people they could have come to in the night, you were the only one."
"I know," she said, shaking her head slightly, "I don't understand why. I thought maybe it was because of my visions, but...I didn't have one this time. And if I hadn't gotten away, Dilandau would have killed me...what if it -is- me they're after?"
"Then we will protect you at all costs, Hitomi," Allen responded quickly, not liking the thought.
"Even at the cost of entire cities...?"
~~
After the city's people had finally dispersed, Gaddeth had brought the two steeds to them. "I'll look after the younger ones, Allen," he said with a nod, offering his stallion to Van and looking up to Allen, who was already mounted with Hitomi on the saddle behind him, "And I'll take good care of your sister."
"Make sure you do," Allen said with a touch of sadness in his expression, "You're the only one she trusts as she does me..."
"Don't worry any more about it. You guys go, and try to get this taken care of...I don't like the thought of demons running around...but don't go and get yourselves killed, either." Gaddeth finished, waving them off as Van mounted the stallion.
With nothing further, the two steeds took off at a brisk gallop, back in the direction of Asturia. The only choice now was to ask Millerna for aid, which would be more difficult than asking Van had been, as their pasts together had been nothing if not strained.
And Hitomi could only hope over any other hope than what she had said wasn't true, that it wasn't specifically her that the demon and Dilandau were after. She wasn't sure if she would be able to bear the burden of so many deaths on her shoulders alone...unconsciously pulling slightly closer to Allen, she tried to clear her mind as the stallions rode quickly into the rising sunlight.
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It was nearing dawn when the survivors of Aquaria's attack finally reached safer, higher grounds. The flames that had engulfed the city were dying down now, only smoldering ashes with occasional flare-ups.
Hitomi watched the spectacle through watery eyes - her heart ached terribly for the people of the city, for Van and his kingdom. Why had they come to her? She couldn't shake this question from her mind. Why was it so important to them that she stay out of the way? There was her gift of foresight(or curse, as she tended to think of it), of course...certainly that was it. But she hadn't seen their arrival...
"Is that her?"
She heard voices whispering behind her, and without turning to face them, she listened, only catching clips of what they were saying.
"That's the girl from the Mystic Moon..."
"Did she see?"
"...see things before they happen..."
"...cursed place she comes from..."
"...she brought this upon us?"
Hitomi suddenly felt very small and utterly aware of how awkwardly out of place she was. Uncomfortably, she turned around, and saw the stares she had been afraid would face her. Instinctively, she lowered her eyes and began to walk forward, quietly murmuring "excuse me"s and "I'm sorry"s and she made her way into and through the crowd. They parted for her, the whispered words continued, and she lowered her head further, feeling her cheeks burning from humiliation.
"Hitomi?" This time it was Allen's voice, and she looked up, seeing him ahead of her. Grateful for the reprieve from the stares and whispers, she hurried forward to stand by his side.
"Allen..." she spoke softly, looking up at him with her cheeks still reddened, "They...they think this is my fault."
He frowned slightly, casting his azure eyes out to the crowd before looking back to Hitomi and resting a hand on her shoulder. "They're superstitious," he said gently, "And they're looking for a scapegoat they can blame for what's happened...it wasn't your fault."
"I should have seen it..." she whispered, looking down once again, only to be surprised by a gentle touch on her chin, tilting her head back up to look into Allen's eyes.
"You shouldn't lower your head so sadly, Hitomi," he continued in his gentle tone, smiling softly, "You're one of the bravest women I've ever had the honor of knowing...never allow their thoughtless words dampen your bright spirit."
She felt her cheeks flare with heat again, this time from the sudden shyness that overtook her from his compliment. Despite it, she smiled for the first time since the whole ordeal had come to pass. "Allen...I..." she started, not entirely sure what she intended to say, but felt she had to say something.
"Your attention, please!" Van's voice came loudly over the crowd, all of whom immediately silenced and turned to face him. "Until this city can be rebuilt, you will all have to disperse to other cities in this country. Rule of the country is temporarily being placed in the hands of the Royal Council during my leave...I will be gone until I get to the bottom of this, until those who dared to attack this land are brought to justice!"
A chorus of cheers followed this, and Hitomi couldn't help but notice that at his last words, several heads had turned in her direction. She only looked away, not wanting to think about how they would bring her to "justice" if they had their way...
Van approached a moment later, folding his arms across his chest as he spoke to Hitomi and Allen. "I don't know what's going on here, but I'm going to personally see to it that this demon woman and Dilandau are taken down..."
"You can't stop them," Hitomi said with a bit of surprise in her voice, eyes widening a bit from the thought of it. "Van...she's too powerful."
"And what would you have me do, Hitomi?" he said with a slightly dangerous edge, "Let them destroy everything in their path in their hunt for you?"
This startled both Hitomi and Allen, and Allen took a step forward, a bit of the anger he held for the king flaring up in his eyes. "Don't speak to her in that way, she had nothing to do with this."
Van smirked lightly, looking up at Allen in a way that let on just how much he enjoyed bringing out that anger in him. "You're right, perhaps I spoke too soon. I apologize, Hitomi. It's just a curiosity that of all the people they could have come to in the night, you were the only one."
"I know," she said, shaking her head slightly, "I don't understand why. I thought maybe it was because of my visions, but...I didn't have one this time. And if I hadn't gotten away, Dilandau would have killed me...what if it -is- me they're after?"
"Then we will protect you at all costs, Hitomi," Allen responded quickly, not liking the thought.
"Even at the cost of entire cities...?"
~~
After the city's people had finally dispersed, Gaddeth had brought the two steeds to them. "I'll look after the younger ones, Allen," he said with a nod, offering his stallion to Van and looking up to Allen, who was already mounted with Hitomi on the saddle behind him, "And I'll take good care of your sister."
"Make sure you do," Allen said with a touch of sadness in his expression, "You're the only one she trusts as she does me..."
"Don't worry any more about it. You guys go, and try to get this taken care of...I don't like the thought of demons running around...but don't go and get yourselves killed, either." Gaddeth finished, waving them off as Van mounted the stallion.
With nothing further, the two steeds took off at a brisk gallop, back in the direction of Asturia. The only choice now was to ask Millerna for aid, which would be more difficult than asking Van had been, as their pasts together had been nothing if not strained.
And Hitomi could only hope over any other hope than what she had said wasn't true, that it wasn't specifically her that the demon and Dilandau were after. She wasn't sure if she would be able to bear the burden of so many deaths on her shoulders alone...unconsciously pulling slightly closer to Allen, she tried to clear her mind as the stallions rode quickly into the rising sunlight.
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