AN: gasp Can it be? Is this a chapter?...OH MY GOODNESS, I DO BELIEVE IT IS!!!! I'm sorry it took so long. I'm just happy that school is out, so now I've got time to catch up on all the books I want to read and start writing my stories again. sighs happily Did you know that I've been looking forward to writing this chapter since the day I came up with this plot? And that was a year ago! And I finally got to do it!!! I just hope it's as good as I meant for it to be.
I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed!! Especially those who told me about the number of spelling/grammar errors I've made. Honestly, I want you guys to tell me these things so I don't look like a fool. I think when this story is finished, I'm going to go through the entire thing, re-write it to delete all my spelling mistakes, and re-post the story. Of course that'll mean all my reviews will be deleted…sob
A few comments on this chapter: I received a review about my chapter titles, and how one of which could be improved. Well, I think this makes two. I couldn't think of anything clever, so, if you have any ideas for the re-naming of this chapter, feel free to let me know.
Reviews-
The Fire Beacon: Thank you! Love you always and think about you often!!!
Hawaiikel: Hi. Thanks for reading and also, thanks for the tip about the chapter title. When I re-post my chapters, can I use your idea "A Siren's Song"? I like that! Sorry, but I don't seem to have much creativity lately. And as for the mythical creatures part…well, just read and you'll see. Not many people realized that…hint hint Oh, about the necklace: no, there wasn't a stone to represent Van because the green stone (Hitomi) had Van's feather (Van) imbedded in it. Sorry for the confusion. Well, finals are done, and guess what? I PASSED. I got A's in all my classes except one, where I got a B. sob I almost got strait A's!!!!!!!! ….no…I'm not a strait A student, but it would have been cool to be one…for once…sigh well, thanks for reading. Enjoy!!!
Meyojojo: Guess what, the three weeks are over, but it kind of turned into four since I needed the extra time to actually write the chapter. I hope the wait was worth it! Thank you for reading!!!
The lady winged Knight: Yup, I'm still alive and kicking…er…typing…Thanks for sticking with me. How have you been?
Neithan02: sob I'm sorry you didn't like it. Hopefully, this chapter will be better. Any suggestions you have to give are appreciated. Thanks for your review!!!
C'fay: Yay! Another reader!!! Thanks for all your reviews! They really made me happy…wait, it made you cry? I'm sorry…but at the same time, I'm flattered…does that make me a bad person?...Thanks for reading!!! Hope you like this next chapter.
Fatt: Nope, she's not dead, and yes, I'm going to finish the story. Thanks for your review!!!
Inda: Hee hee, I enjoyed your review. And from what I can assume, you're REALLY going to like this next chapter!!! Thanks for reading!!!
Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne; although I hope to buy it soon…anybody got 40 dollars?
Chapter Sixteen: Hiding in Trees and Alleys
Calypso and Van stood on the balcony of their bedroom quarters, staring off into the horizon as the sun set. She rested her head on the taller man's shoulders and whispered, "Once the sun sets, they'll all be dead."
'Don't count on it!'
"Oh, come now, Van. You don't actually think they can escape me, do you?"
'Yes, they have to.'
Calypso laughed. "Van, don't you get it? They think you're the bad guy, not me. Why would they even try to run away? It's hopeless. They're dead, and if they aren't already dead, they will be before that sun sets over there."
Both of them watched the last sliver of light fade away beneath the distant hills and the light of the Mystic Moon became more prominent. Seconds passed and then the knocking of a door came.
"Come in." Calypso said in a charming voice.
Van lead Calypso back inside as another woman entered their bedroom. She bowed.
"What do you have to report, Jane?"
"My lady, I regret to inform you that the seeress and her companions have disappeared."
"What?!" Van felt the temperature in the room drop. Jane winced at Calypso's rage. "How did they escape?"
"We don't know. We're still searching the castle."
"Extend the search to the villages. They have to sleep sometime. Kill them while they're sleeping if needed be. Dismissed."
Jane bowed again and exited the room. Calypso paced the room in a fury and rounded on Van when she sensed his amusement.
'I knew they'd get away. They must be onto you.'
Calypso walked towards Van, who was seated on the bed. She grabbed his collar and pulled his face close her hers.
"Yes Van. It seems your clever little seeress is indeed onto me. But she's only delaying the inevitable. I will find her. Even if I have to burn all of Fanelia to the ground to do it, I will find her. And you're going to help me do it!"
"Wait a minute." Merle stammered. "You mean there's another Atlantis machine right here in Fanelia?"
"Yes. It was built here secretly by Zaibach after all of Fanelia was destroyed."
"Yeah, I remember that. Everyone ran to the mountains when Zaibach was attacking. No one knew where Lord Van was, so, Fanelia was abandoned. Soon after, the dragons started to take over. None of us returned to Fanelia after that until the war was over."
"Merle is right. There were many reasons why Zaibach attacked Fanelia. The least known reason was that Dornkirk wanted a safe place to hide the Second Atlantis Machine he built."
"But why would he build two if the one he already had worked fine?" Hitomi asked.
"During Emperor Dornkirk's fist successful test run, he saw that his Fate Alteration Engine would be destroyed in the distant future and that he would be responsible for the death of thousands of people. He didn't know how or why that future would come to pass, but he ignored the warning, just as Queen Circe ignored Cassandra's warning. Dornkirk continued working on his Fate Alteration Engine, confident that the premonition he received could be avoided. However, as an extra precaution, he built a Second Atlantis Machine and hid it in a desolate area."
"Where?"
"Dragon's Canyon."
"The dragon graveyard?" Merle said with a mixture of surprise and confusion.
"Wait, where's Dragons Canyon?" Hitomi asked.
"It's beyond the Northern Mountains. It's where Fanelia used to mine most of its energists. But of course, we stopped mining them after the Gaean War. Dragon's Canyon has been deserted ever since."
"That would make the Canyon a perfect place for Dornkirk to hide his machine. He purposely put it there so he could come back and try his experiment again if his Fate Alteration Engine was indeed destroyed."
"Which of course, it was."
"But we have nothing to fear anymore, right? Dornkirk died."
"Yes, Merle, he did die, but his heir has decided to take up their father's legacy."
"Dornkirk's heir?"
"He had a child?"
"Who?"
"Calypso Siren."
Celina pounded her fist into the ground. "That impossible!? Dornkirk spent every waking moment with his experiments. He never had time for a woman!"
Merle glanced worryingly at Celina. 'She's starting to lose control again. What is it about Phoebe that angers Dilandau so much?'
Phoebe sighed. She knew she was going to have to answer their questions, but she didn't think the questions would get this deep. Nevertheless, they needed to know.
"To understand how and why Calypso was born, you first have to understand a bit about Circe's culture. As you might already know, Circe is entirely ruled by women. There are next to no men in the entire country." Phoebe paused to allow the women to recognize the significance of her last statement. "They way the process works is when a Circean woman is ready to conceive, she leaves the country to find a suitable man. Once she chooses one, she seduces him, insures that she has been impregnated, and returns to Circe to give birth. Usually, the woman is gone no longer than a few days to a week, at the most."
"They prostitute themselves?!" exclaimed Hitomi.
"No. They're Sirens."
"What's a Siren?"
"A Siren is a woman who has the ability to control men's actions and thoughts."
"How?"
"I'll demonstrate." Phoebe turned to look at Celina. "For this, I need to speak with Dilandau."
"Are you crazy? He wants to kill you, incase you haven't noticed!"
"I know. Can I speak with him please?"
Celina bored her eyes into Phoebe's. She still wasn't sure if she could trust Phoebe, but she didn't want her dead. However, Dilandau did. Celina had felt it when she first met Phoebe in the castle. Celina was positive that the moment she released Dilandau, he would slice Phoebe in half.
"It's your funeral." Celina sighed. She inhaled, closed her eyes, and allowed her darker side to take control.
"Wait!" Merle yelled. "Her sword! Get rid of it!"
But it was too late. Merle and Hitomi could only watch in astonishment as Dilandau appeared in between them. Using his lightning fast reflexes, Dilandau unsheathed his sword at his hip and charged towards Phoebe.
"YOUR MINE!"
Dilandau raised his sword and brought it down upon Phoebe in a wide arch. Phoebe remained motionless, even when the speeding blade flew towards her neck. But the sword did not pierce her.
Dilandau froze. He didn't seem to even breathe. His head was bowed low enough to allow his bangs to shield his eyes.
Suddenly, Merle and Hitomi became aware of a soft tune in the wind.
"What's that sound?" Hitomi asked.
Merle's ears twitched and her face frowned in concentration. It was coming from Phoebe.
She was humming softly. A bizarre melody that sent chills down the cat-girl's spine. The notes themselves seemed to have power. Fearing that the song may be affecting her, Hitomi flexed her hand several times, testing Phoebe's power.
After being frozen for a few seconds, Dilandau removed the sword that was not even an inch away from killing Phoebe and sheathed it. He bent down on one knee, bowed his head, and, to the astonishment of Merle and Hitomi, muttered an apology.
Phoebe seemed to pay no heed to Dilandau's reverent comment. Instead, she stepped around and turned her back to him, leaving him kneeling to no one. Phoebe continued her explanation as if nothing had happened.
"A Siren's power is to control men with a song. Every woman raised in Circe has this ability. With it, they can do virtually anything. A Siren can force a man to give her a child and then forget he had even met her. She can force an invading army to kill each other. She can visit other countries and force them to do anything, whether it is an unconditional surrender, territorial boundary adjustments," Phoebe locked eyes with Hitomi, "even arranged marriages."
Hitomi's stomach clenched. "You mean…Van?"
"Yes."
Hitomi leapt up. "We have to warn him! We have to get him to realize…"
"NO!" Phoebe grabbed Hitomi's arm before she could dash away. "Listen, Van already knows about Calypso. He's fighting her, but her spell is stronger than he is. Van can see everything that goes on around him, but he is powerless to do anything. Calypso controls every move he makes and every word he speaks."
Hitomi instinctively put her hand to her cheek. "That's why he…"
"It wasn't him. It was Calypso."
Merle sniffed. "Poor lord Van."
"But Phoebe, couldn't you undo Calypso's spell and set Van free?" Hitomi begged.
"I'm afraid not. Calypso's magic is stronger than mine." Phoebe turned around again. "Speaking of which…" She waved her hand and Celina collapsed onto the ground with a soft thud. She looked at the sword in her hands and quickly sheathed it, sighing in relief that it was not stained in blood. She stood and turned to Phoebe.
"He's mad at you."
Phoebe smiled, but only briefly. "At least he's smart enough to admit defeat." Phoebe shifted positions slightly as she addressed her audience. "There are only three ways to defeat the Siren's spell. One, kill the Siren. Two, overcome her spell, which I might add, is impossible in Calypso's case. Three, the Siren must willingly release control of her target."
"So, which one of those are we going to use?" Hitomi asked.
"Choice number three. Now listen, Van has an incredibly strong will, the strongest any Siren has ever had to tame. It takes an abnormally powerful Siren to successfully control a man like him. Calypso is up to the challenge, and while she is succeeding, she's also struggling. She's been putting more and more effort into controlling Van, to the point where, I think, if we can distract her long enough, she'll lose control over him, temporarily."
"Temporarily? But, what good will it do?" Celina asked.
"We need to warn him about the Second Atlantis Machine. I doubt Calypso has told Van about her plans, and we need him to keep fighting her. We need Van to drain Calypso of her strength. It might give us enough time to find and destroy the Atlantis Machine before she even gets to Dragon's Canyon."
Hitomi nodded. "That sounds good, but how are we going to warn Van?"
Phoebe closed her eyes. "I haven't figured that part out yet. For now, I just needed to get you three out of the castle. Calypso sent an order to all the Sirens to find and kill you. All three of you. That encounter you had with Van earlier has made Calypso more determined to have you eliminated, rather than ignored. I need to get you three to a safe location where you can rest."
"We can go to my brother's temporary house." Celina said.
Phoebe shook her head. "No, that won't work. Allen may also already be under the influence of the Sirens."
"But what about Saria?! We have to warn her too…"
"Saria is not in danger, Celina, you are."
"I know a place." Merle said timidly. "Nobody knows about it except me and Van, and it's not far from here."
"That will work. I want the three of you to go with Merle. Stay there until I come for you, understand? I have to get back to the castle."
Phoebe bowed slightly to show that she was finished and began walking back into the trees.
"Wait a minute! I still have more questions for you!" Celina demanded.
Phoebe merely waved a hand in Hitomi's direction. "Ask Hitomi your questions. She now has the answers. I need to get back."
Then she vanished.
The sun had completely set now, but the light from the Mystic Moon bathed the clearing. For a while, no one said anything. Celina was still ready for more information, but Hitomi and Merle were examining what information they had. Merle just couldn't believe what was happening to Van. If what Phoebe said was true, and Van couldn't control his actions, but he could still see what was happening, then that means…
Merle cast her glance in Hitomi's direction…
…Van had to watch as Calypso made him hurt her. 'Poor Lord Van…he must feel awful…'
Celina broke the silence. "Hitomi, what did Phoebe mean when she said to ask you the questions?"
Hitomi looked over at Celina. "While I was having a vision, Phoebe was showing me parts of her past. Almost as if she transferred all the information we needed into my mind so that I could answer your questions."
"But why not just tell us outright? You two were sitting there for a long time. She could have just told us."
Hitomi shook her head. "No, there wasn't time. She needed to get back before Calypso suspected that Phoebe is the traitor."
"A traitor?"
"Yeah, Calypso has suspected for a long time that there's a traitor among the Sirens, but she's not sure who it is yet." Hitomi closed her eyes and put her hand to her forehead. She was finding it difficult to distinguish her memories from Phoebe's. When Hitomi answered Celina's questions, she didn't feel like she was answering them. She felt like Phoebe was answering. "…this is too weird…I don't know how I know this but, Calypso searched for many months trying to find the Atlantian Jewel…"
"The what?"
"Um…it's a…wait a minute, it's my pendant!" Hitomi exclaimed as she examined another patch of memories. "Calypso was looking for a pendant, just like mine! But it was taking them a long time because Phoebe was always mixing up the information. In the end, Calypso gave up after she found out that I gave my pendant to Van…That's why she arranged the marriage, to get my pendant!"
"But what's so special about the pendant?"
"It's the key! The power source of the Atlantis Machine is the Atlantian Jewel. Without it, the machine is useless…Calypso couldn't get a hold of the Jewel in Circe, so she came to Fanelia!"
"Whoa, there's a pendent, just like yours, in Circe?" Merle exclaimed.
"Yes…wait…no. Not anymore. Phoebe found it before Calypso could…she has it with her now. She's been keeping it a secret and using its power to boost her own…" Hitomi gasped. "…Phoebe has been using the pendent to see the future, so she'll know what move Calypso will make, before she makes it. She was using it to get us out of the castle without the other Siren's seeing us."
"That explains the detours." Celina nodded.
The wind began to blow and Hitomi shivered. Merle noticed this and motioned the two women to follow her.
"I have a secret cabin not far from here. Once we get inside, we can warm up and then decide what to do."
Merle's cabin turned out to be a tree house, a half a mile away from the clearing Phoebe had led them to. Merle sheepishly told Celina and Hitomi that they would have to climb up the branches to reach the house. While they climbed, Merle explained the origins of her tree house.
"Lord Van and I built this tree house when we were little. Whenever he wanted to escape his lessons, we'd hide out here. Luckily, when Fanelia burned to the ground, the fires didn't reach this far into the forest."
"It's a nice little house." Hitomi commented when she stepped inside. She had to duck to prevent her head from hitting the ceiling.
"I'll get some blankets." Merle opened a trap door in the wall and pulled out several thick blankets. She tossed two to Hitomi and two to Celina before pulling out a couple for herself. The three of them sat around a small table in the center of the square house. "So, now what?"
"Let's go over what we do know, and then maybe, Hitomi can fill in any holes." Celina suggested. "Circe wants the second Atlantis Machine that Dornkirk hid here in Fanelia, in Dragon's Canyon. But for what purpose?"
"The same reason Dornkirk did, they want to change fate. They want to re-shape all of Gaea according to their own wishes. Circe is too small of a country to fight on its own, like Zaibach did. With the Atlantis Machine, they can change Gaea in an instant. But we know it won't work and Cassandra's vision proves it."
"Right, but the point is they think it will work, so, they've come to Fanelia to get the Machine. But that's not enough because they also need the key. They couldn't find the one in Circe, because Phoebe found it first, so, they arrange a marriage between Van and Calypso so they could take the Jewel that you gave to Van. Now, Calypso has both the Atlantis Machine and the key." Celina paused. "And we're supposed to stop her; with only the help of one Siren…we've certainly got our work cut out for us, don't we?"
Hitomi and Merle offered a feeble smile.
"Let's get some rest. There's not much we can do right now until Phoebe returns."
The three nodded silently before settling down in their blankets. No one fell asleep instantly. They were up for more than an hour, thinking. Celina thought mostly about Dilandau, wondering if she'd ever get him under her control. Merle worried about Lord Van and what else Calypso would make him do.
Hitomi, however, prayed to anyone who would listen. She prayed that the Atlantis Machine would not awaken. She prayed that Gaea would never have to go through another experience like that of only a few years ago. But most of all, she prayed that she would be able to save Van…
Hitomi was walking again. The familiar rock and sand laid out all around her. She just kept walking, as if she needed to be someplace.
As she pressed forward, small dust clouds rose around her feet with the occasional rock being kicked out of the way. She stopped. Before her lie a great precipice where night seemed to devour all life. All she could see was black below. She saw nothing beyond the darkness.
Footsteps. Hitomi turned around and saw a dark figure emerge from the shadows. As it came closer, the figure began to take shape.
'Calypso? What are you doing here?'
Still approaching Hitomi, Calypso's mouth opened to speak but it was Van's voice that was heard.
"Hitomi, run away."
Again, Hitomi noticed the eyes. They were not hers. They were crimson red. Van's eyes.
'Van? What's going on?'
Calypso reached her hand towards Hitomi's face. Again, she spoke in monotone.
"Run, Hitomi. Run away."
'But why?'
Calypso's hand grabbed a hold of Hitomi's neck and squeezed, like the grip of a vice, a triumphant smile on her face. As soon as her hand made contact with Hitomi's skin, Calypso's body transfigured itself into Van's, a look of overwhelming sorrow on his face.
"Why didn't you run?"
Hitomi felt the ground fall away from her feet as Van lifted her into the air. She began to experience the familiar panic in her chest. She tried desperately to breathe but all she could manage was a single choked word.
'Why…'
"I can't help it."
Van held Hitomi's form over the edge of the cliff. In an instant, Hitomi realized what Van was about to do. Frantically, she tried to tell him to stop, but the only thing that came out of her mouth was a strangled cry.
Van released his iron grip and Hitomi fell into the sea of black. The last thing she heard was Calypso's laughter, ringing in her ears…
Hitomi awoke with a gasp. She looked around and remembered where she was. Celina and Merle had long fallen asleep.
She lay back down and stared at the roof, thinking about her re-occurring dream. The thought crossed her mind to tell Celina and Merle about it, but before she could reach a decision, she fell asleep again.
When she woke up the next morning, the dream was far from her mind…
Celina, Merle, and Hitomi stayed inside the tree house for two days, living off of the fruit that grew from the branches of the tree they were occupied in and by the jarred goods that were hidden in yet another trap door. It wasn't until the third morning that Phoebe finally appeared and asked to speak with them.
"Is it safe to leave?" Asked an impatient Merle, who after only a couple days, had grown tired of sitting in a small house.
"Actually, the Sirens are still looking for you. But I think now is the time to make an appearance."
Celina narrowed her eyes. "Oh? How so?"
Phoebe kneeled down to her knees, and the other three women did the same. "Every last Siren, here in Fanelia, has been searching in and out of the castle for you three, even Calypso and Van. They've been concentrating on the villages and the market. Earlier this morning, I watched Calypso and Van go to the market. Of course the people are oblivious as to what's really going on, which works out perfectly with my plan.
"The three of you are going to leave this place and go to the market. Try and keep yourselves hidden as much as possible. Especially hide yourselves from those you know that work inside the castle. When you're safely in the market, you're going to keep hidden until you see Calypso and Van. Celina, Merle, you two are going to have to provide a distraction. Find some way to separate the King and Queen and keep Calypso distracted for at least a minute. Hitomi, you're going to have to keep a sharp eye out. Once Calypso's guard is down, you need to grab Van and pull him out of there as fast as you can. Tell him about the Atlantis Machine. Tell him to keep fighting Calypso's spell. I need her as weak as possible if the Atlantis Machine is to be destroyed, because truthfully, I don't stand a chance against her in a fair fight."
Hitomi frowned. "Wait a minute, what do you mean 'I need her as weak as possible'? Aren't we all going to destroy the Machine?"
"No. If my plan works out the way I hope it does, I should be the one to destroy the Machine, not you."
Merle growled. "If we're not even helping you in this, then why did you involve us in the first place?"
"Two reasons, Merle. One, Hitomi is the only one who can get through to Van, and I need him to weaken Calypso as much as possible, that way she'll not have enough energy to catch onto my plan. Second, if I fail, Hitomi and Van are the only ones who can stop the Atlantis Machine." Phoebe looked Hitomi in the eye. "You two are my back up plan."
"I don't like it. Why won't you let us help you? The threat of the Atlantis Machine belongs to everyone, not just you."
"I appreciate your offer, but I have a personal score to settle with Calypso…"
"As do I."
"As do we all." said Celina. Merle nodded.
Phoebe sighed in frustration. "Listen, by warning Van of this danger and telling him to fight, you are helping me. And for now, that's all the help I need. But keep this in mind. I will stop at nothing to stop Calypso. If any of you get captured or killed, I'm afraid I won't be able to help you beyond what I've already done. Above all, I cannot risk Calypso finding out what I'm up to. I'm sorry."
"Are you refusing to help us any…?" Celina began.
"If you're going to act, the time is now. Calypso and Van are in the Market. Find them, separate them, and warn Van. From here on out, we're on our own. Good luck."
Phoebe stood up and turned to leave, ignoring the protests that erupted from Celina and Merle. When she had disappeared completely, Merle growled in annoyance.
"Just whose side is she on anyway?"
"She's on her own side." Hitomi said in monotone. "Her number one priority is to avenge her friend Cassandra. The best way to do that is to thwart Calypso and stop their biggest scheme."
Celina stood up, still facing the direction where Phoebe had vanished. "But that doesn't make sense. The only way to get even with Calypso is to kill her, and she just said that she didn't stand a chance against her. And somehow, she's going to manage to kill Calypso and destroy the Atlantis Machine, alone."
"She's crazy. She'll never survive." Merle smirked.
"I don't think that's her priority either." Celina crossed her arms. "She will destroy the Atlantis Machine. And in the process, she'll destroy Calypso, and herself."
"What?" Merle gasped. "How do you know that?"
"Her entire plan, from the beginning, sounded futile. Think about it, she won't let anyone help her. She wants to be alone while working out her plan. She won't do anything to risk Calypso discovering who she is. And, earlier, she said that if she failed in her plan, Hitomi and Van would be our only hope. Notice, she did not include herself. She didn't say Hitomi, Van, and herself. She only said Hitomi and Van would be able to destroy the Atlantis Machine. This means, if she does fail, she'll be dead, and Hitomi and Van will be the only ones alive to stop Calypso." Celina looked down at Hitomi and saw a single drop fall from her face. "Am I right?"
"Yes."
Merle's shoulders slumped forward and her eyes began to sting. People were going to die, she realized. She had hoped it wouldn't be so, but now she knew it was unavoidable. The death of at least two people was already planned, and Merle doubted the number would stay that small. Many more would die. She could feel it, despite her effort to shake it off. The dread passed through her soul, cold and nauseating. She shut her eyes tight. People will die, she thought, but Hitomi and Lord Van would not be among them!
"I know some people who can help us!" the cat-girl said suddenly, her face full of determination. "They'll be able to distract that woman and give you all the time you need, Hitomi."
Hitomi stood up slowly. She brought the back of her hand to her face and wiped away the lone tear. For the moment, she would have to accept that Phoebe was going to die. She had tried to ignore it. She tried to believe that it wouldn't happen. But she knew the truth now. She knew it the moment Phoebe passed her experiences and memories to herself. Hitomi had to accept the fate that had been bestowed.
"Let's go get Van."
An hour later, Celina was dressed in peasants clothing, pacing the entrance to an alleyway, adjacent to Hitomi, who was also dressed in peasants' clothes. She was hiding in the shadows of her own ally. Celina looked up and down the crowded market, bustling with traders, beggars, shopkeepers, families traveling in close knit packs. The Fanelian market was always busy like this. A soft cloud of dust hung in the air from the dirt kicked up by those walking by. Almost every inhabitant carried the same light brown color.
Celina whispered to herself under her hood. "Come on Merle, where are you?"
"Right behind you." came the familiar, yet slightly annoying, voice.
Celina whirled around, just in time to see the small cat-girl appear out of the shadows. She also saw several other shadows appear behind her, but they kept themselves concealed in the dark. Although she couldn't see their faces, Celina could easily tell that the fellow shadows that Merle had fetched were merely children.
"Merle, are you sure they can help us? This may be too dangerous for them."
Merle let out a laugh which was echoed in the smaller shadows behind her. "Just you watch. They'll do fine." Merle crawled forward and poked her head around the corner of the building. "Any sign of our target?"
"No, not yet. They should be easy to spot. All we have to do is find someone who doesn't look like a rag." Celina cast a backwards glance. "No offence."
One little cat-girl, with dirty yellow hair, crept out of the shadows. "None taken." She joined her friend Merle and peaked at the lively mass of people. Several minutes passed when the smaller girl outstretched one long, skinny limb and pointed to a far corner of the market. "There they are."
Celina looked in the same direction, but didn't see anything. "Where? I can't…" she narrowed her eyes when a small reflection of silver light caught her attention. It was a pair of earrings. They belonged to someone who was wearing a cloak and hood. A taller person, also disguised, walked beside her, less than a foot away. "I see them."
Celina motioned her arm to Hitomi, caught her attention and pointed towards Calypso and Van. Hitomi searched the crowd but returned a confused glance to Celina. "Hitomi doesn't see them."
The yellow haired girl dashed out of the ally before Celina could stop her. She ran on all fours across the street, dodging legs, animals, and carts. When she reached Hitomi, she pointed again into the oncoming throng until Hitomi saw the two targets. She gave a nod of thanks before the little girl dashed back to Merle's side. "She sees them."
"Thanks." Merle crept back and called the attention of the remaining children. "Now listen, we only need a few minutes, so don't do anything too stupid. I don't want anyone to get hurt, alright?" everyone nodded. "Showtime!"
Merle grabbed a hold of Celina's arm and pulled her deeper into the ally, just as seven cat-children raced out of the ally and into the market. "Don't want you to be seen, now do we?" Merle explained when Celina questioned her.
At first, the sounds coming from the market remained the same, but less than a minute had passed when they began to hear screams coming from the throng.
"Hey, watch where you're going!"
"Slow down!"
"Look out!"
Celina listened carefully to the shouts and heard a breaking of glass, followed by even more shouting and screaming.
"Fire!" someone shouted above the rest.
After that short statement, screams erupted and people began to run in all directions. Celina looked down at Merle, who still held onto her arm.
"Merle, I thought no one was going to be hurt?!"
Merle grinned sheepishly. "Don't worry, they know what they're doing. You said we needed a distraction."
"Yes, a distraction, but not a fire!!!"
But Celina couldn't help but grin. Part of her was upset that Merle was allowing a group of children endanger themselves and those around them through in a dangerous stunt. However, another part of her couldn't help but smile at the thought of a crowd of people running in panic from a small, localized fire.
As soon as the screams started and people began to run in all directions in a panic, Hitomi left her hiding place, clutching her cloak to prevent it from being pulled off, and dashed to the last place she had seen Van. People scattered and ran every which way, trying to get away from the few stands whose straw roofs had caught fire. Hitomi was unlucky enough to be going against the traffic, and twice she had run strait into a stranger. She muttered an apology before running off again. Van and Calypso were not far.
Hitomi jumped to the left and hid next to an abandoned pottery stand. She waited a moment and scanned the crowd for Van. Suddenly, she spotted him. In the confusion, his hood had come off, and his unruly black hair stood out in the dirt colored crowd. He was also being pushed to and fro in the panicking mob, and lucky enough for Hitomi, he was coming in her direction, and Calypso was no where in sight. Hitomi jumped from her refuge when Van was only a few feet away, grabbed his wrist and pulled him back to the ally where she had come from. When they were safely hidden, Hitomi signaled to Celina and Merle, but the crowd blocked them from view.
"Who are you?" Van asked.
Hitomi threw off her hood. "It's me."
Instantly, Van's face grew dark and full of rage. He grabbed her by the neck and pinned her to the wall.
"YOU SHOULDN'T BE HERE." He roared.
Hitomi instinctively tried to pry his hands away from her, but he was too strong. Instead, a choking noise erupted. "Van…fight her…please…"
A moment passed and Hitomi could feel his grip loosen. She could breathe now, but his trembling hand was still on her neck. She removed her hands from his and waited until Van removed his. His face furrowed in concentration and she could see him shaking.
"You can do it…fight it!" Hitomi coached.
He stood before her, trembling, as he fought to gain control of himself. Soon, his arm withdrew and the struggling stopped. He merely stood there, looking at his own hands, a frightened look on his face. Hitomi gazed up at Van. He seemed to be himself again.
"Van?" she asked timidly.
He looked at her. She smiled and flung her arms around his neck. He held her tight against him, afraid she would be taken away.
"Hitomi, I'm so sorry. It wasn't me…I didn't…"
"I know, Van. It's okay."
"I didn't want to hurt you. I tried to stop it…"
Hitomi squeezed him tighter and silenced him. They remained that way for a while, and then Hitomi remembered what little time she had left. She broke away so she could look him in the face, but remained in the circle of his arms.
"We haven't much time left. Calypso will regain control soon."
Van jerked slightly. "You mean…I didn't break free."
"I'm afraid not." She whispered. She gestured towards the running mob only a few paces away. "This is a distraction so Calypso would loose concentration and you would be able to break free of her spell. But it won't last long."
"Then you have to leave Fanelia! Go to Asturia and tell them…"
Hitomi put a finger to his mouth. "There's not enough time. Listen carefully, because I'm going to have to say this very fast. You remember the Fate Alteration Engine that Emperor Dornkirk had?"
"Of course, we destroyed it."
"There's another one. He built a second Atlantis Machine and hid it here in Fanelia."
"What? Where?"
"Dragon's Canyon."
"Oh no…that's what she's after…"
"Listen, Van, one of Calypso's Sirens has turned against her and is helping us. She's going to destroy the Atlantis Machine before Calypso finds it, but she needs your help. You have to keep fighting Calypso's spell. It's weakening her, whether she shows it or not. You have to keep fighting."
"I will, but you're not going to have a lot of time. Calypso's planning on going to Dragon's Canyon in two days."
"Two days? Phoebe will never find the machine and destroy it in that amount of time…"
"Phoebe?"
"Yes, she's the Siren who's helping us…what are you smiling at?"
"I know her. You can trust her."
Hitomi smiled. "I already do."
They held each other, gazing into their partner's eyes, reunited. Van raised one hand and stroked the side of Hitomi's face, resting on her chin. He bent forward as if to kiss her…
Van grabbed her arm, forcefully, and tossed her aside, towards the ally entrance, and he fell to his knees.
"Van, I…"
"RUN!"
Hitomi whirled around and saw that the crowd had died down. The fires had been put out and her time was up. Calypso was gaining control again. She looked back at Van, sitting on the ground, clutching his head, trembling once again. She ached to run to him, to hold him, to make his pain go away…
"RUN!"
Her legs jerked in desire to obey. She only lingered for a moment, enough time to whisper, "I love you Van." She then ran like the wind, into the calm, bustling crowd, vanishing instantly.
'I love you too, Hitomi.'
AN: Ha ha…a little cliffhanger fluff…Hey, "cliffhanger fluff"!!! THAT IS MY SAYING!!!! I OFICIALLY CLAIM IT AS MY OWN!!!! But, seriously, there is now only TWO CHAPTERS LEFT OF THE STORY!!!!! Of course you'll all hate me at the end of the next chapter because…well, you'll see…
Oh, I've got a website now! I inserted the link on my bio page thing, so, please go and visit. The site is still under construction, but I have a few pictures posted. Please look around and tell me what you think. Just in case the link doesn't work, the site should be MsoNormal>Now, I found out that there is at least one person from New Zealand, America, and Canada reading this story. Just out of curiosity, what country are you from? I want to know how many countries my story is being read. Personally, I think the idea of my story being read in different areas in the world really cool, but, maybe that's why its called "World Wide Web" LOL.
I'd like to thank you all for being patient and reading my story. Please review. Reviews boost my morale!!!
Shout out to people I wish I could see right now…
I LOVE YOU!!! And I'm gonna get my learners permit this summer. Once I get my license, I'm driving up there on THAT WEEKEND!!! Wish you the best of everything and fluff and fire and all that other pretty stuff!!!!
Prongs