Chapter Four
Disclaimer: I do not own Van or any other Escaflowne characters. However, Alex and Matt are MY property and if you wish to use then in a story you must first ask my permission. *gosh, I feel like the queen of grandpa- speak*
Dedication: the chapter goes to naria4 because she gave me a story idea for the later chapters.
I'm soOoOoOoOoOoO soOoOoOoOoOoOrry I didn't update sooner!!!! I'll be quicker next time so here's an extra long chapter!
On to chapter 4!
I woke up and everything was aching. But I smiled. The bruises, the aching bones, and the sudden flush of lost power left me with only one thought: I was gloriously ALIVE!
I hardly dared to believe it. Deciding to push myself to see how injured I was, I tried to sit up. "OWW!" it hurt a lot. My ribs had healed while I'd slept before escaping. My arm felt almost back to normal and my face didn't feel swollen and puffy. I touched it and felt no pain at the pressure, feeling no bruises. The only thing that marred the healing was a single scar on my cheek. It was smooth, and almost three inches long stretching from about an inch under my right eye and curving down my face and slightly under my chin.
Dilandau-sama hadn't given me this scar. I had carried it since I was six years old and had gotten trapped in the same room with a drunken foster father.
I remember dodging a broken bottle thrown at me; remember hearing with terror the sound of breaking glass as it shattered at the all behind me, missing my small body by inches. I'd spent the next couple of minutes dodging more bottles, chairs and even a table thrown at me. I remembered getting hit by a chair and being slammed into the wall. Then I remembered taking some broken glass, slashing my foster father, trying to escape him.
I gasped a little from long-healed phantom injuries. My left cheek sported a similar, smaller scar made by Dilandau-sama. At least he hadn't chucked chairs at me.
It suddenly occurred to me to see if the scar Dilandau-sama had carved unto my stomach was gone. It was early and still might have been cured. Sure enough, when I looked I couldn't see a single pearly scar.
I tried again to sit up and failed. Sighing softly with impatience and shortness of breath, I began to notice my surroundings.
Feathers. Everywhere. I looked around and pooled under me, mostly scattered about me by a meter or two. They were pretty: wonderfully silver, with carved, almost pointed snow white tips and what looked like sparkled gold.
My hand, ungloved, reached out to touch it. It felt soft, like baby powder poured into a normal bird feather and merged together, and the tips felt a bit more like ice without the accompanying cold.
I watched it, entranced. Belatedly I realized that my left hand was still clutching the other feather I had picked up in mid-air with a death grip.
I left it fall slowly and noticed that it had curled up in my hand from my clenching it. "Sorry," I whispered, "didn't mean to do that." Suddenly I felt silly for apologizing to a feather.
I giggled a little. I hadn't done that in a while.
Carefully pulling myself into a sitting position, I glanced around me.
The ground was mostly flat and green. Trees were everywhere across the untouched scenery. Where I was I could see one dirt streaked road just a few meters off from where I was. I could distantly see a town and water- maybe a sea-from where it was coming from. A tall, pointed building seemed to stand out and I noticed with surprise that it looked faintly like a castle. Might have been, but I couldn't tell from where I was. The sun had just barely risen and the early morning dew was seen on the feathers I held. The air was crisp with morning freshness and I could practically taste the freshness in it.
I was reminded while seeing the city that: I had no food. I was in a strange world. I had only some money I'd stolen from the guards. I was in a strange world with almost none of life's practical necessities.
Fate had a twisted sense of humour.
I knew almost nothing of the currency here, but I knew gold when I saw it and had at least five gold pieces, some silver pieces and a few scant Bronze.
Note to self, I thought, Dragonslayers don't make it a point to carry around money. Slowly, I got up and stood, working my shoulders to get the kinks outta them and stretching a bit.
After feeling that I had done a satisfactory amount of stretching to make me more flexible and feel less like an un-oiled tin man; I started toward the city.
As soon as I got there I thought one thing: Sea. The scent of fish hung in the air like smoke. Along with it were the scents of sea salt and-seal?
I turned to look at the fishermen and on close inspection noticed they had seal-like head, as well as seal skin and-flippers?
It seemed to be normal here though so I steeled myself and walked into what I assumed to be the market from the bustling crowd and pesky merchants.
Too late I noticed I was getting stares. Suddenly, I reviewed my outfit mentally: a casual black T that overlapped my midnight-black denim jeans. My socks were also a deep purple and I was still wearing my track shoes that I had worn when I had lied to my foster parents about going to school. I felt a little guilty lying to the; they were truly nice people that acted like real parents and I liked them. They'd even bought me my velvet hair ribbon and the backpack, which, I realized, stuck out like a sore thumb as well!
Walking up to one merchant, I prayed they spoke English and pulled out some money.
His eyes widened with greed when they saw the money. Politely, I told him in a steady, slow voice: "I am a foreigner here and am not really familiar with the currency and my clothes don't seem to fit in either. Besides, they are too hot. Can you help me?"
He smiled readily at me. Pointing to my money, he explained the currency. I trusted he wasn't lying. Since childhood, I had been able to sense emotion and could tell when someone was lying. After memorizing all the money details I asked him about clothing. He pointed to a stand a few aisles down. Not wanting to seem stuck-up, I asked him what he sold.
"Jewelry." He told me proudly. Then he pulled out some more beautiful samples and I examined them. One in particular caught my eye. It was a lovely black opal fitted on a silver chain. I touched it and asked the cost.
"Three gold pieces. They cost a bit more because black opals are rumored to hold magic and protection spells on them. Whatever the reason, they usually work."
I willingly paid the man and put it on. It bumped slightly with Hitomi's pendant. I looked at the pretty red stone and wondered what my friend was doing.
With his neighbor, I bought a lovely silver dagger designed with sailor good-luck and protection symbols. It wasn't that much as there were many that were much prettier and I found myself talking to the woman I'd bought it from.
"So you're father's a fisherman?" I asked.
"Oh, yes," she said earnestly, elbows propped on the wooded stand she was leaned against. "He isn't part seal but he can fish just as well! Having fish everyday does ruin some of it though." she admitted. I laughed.
"Where do you come from?" She asked me intently. "I've never seen anyone that dresses like you before."
I decided to get my 'past' out of the way. "I come from a distant country, from a very small town called Earth. I traveled here hoping to leave the small cities behind."
"Earth?" she asked, wrinkling her nose. "It must be small. I've never heard of it! But then, I'm just a fishermen's daughter."
I smiled and left. She called after me: "If you want to be here legally, you should go register at the palace!"
I yelled: "Thanks!" and disappeared down the crowded aisles. Mentally I reviewed what I had learned. Her name was Aileen. She was-
It was so damn noisy here! Moving away from the crowd I went to the docks. I was strongly assaulted by fish smell, but there was some more privacy.
Taking out my notebook, I turned to a new page. At the top I wrote: "What I learned" and listed it.
*the girl's name was Aileen. She was a fishermen's daughter and her house was located near the docks on the other side of town.
*I have a welcome invitation there.
Always nice to know I have someplace to sleep at least, I thought glibly. In truth, I like Aileen and was glad for the invitation
*this city was the capital of Austria, the country I am currently in
*a strange girl with funny short hair and wearing a strange brown skirt and odd shoes like mine was in the castle. She had come recently.
Hitomi! I thought. She fitted the description perfectly. That, more than anything, convinced me to visit the castle.
Unable to remember more I closed the notebook and wondered about my scars. Aileen had asked about them. I didn't want to go around with my left arm saying: Dilandau-sama. He had written his name unto my arm when I had disrespected him: in a fit of fury I had mocked him as 'Dilly-san.' After that, I hadn't again.
I tore at my school shirt and used it as a bandage to cover my arm. There was still the scarred face, and the multiple scars on my other arm, but nothing I couldn't handle.
Putting my notebook back into my bag I wet back into the market. I trotted to the castle and belatedly noticed that I had forgotten a new outfit. Oh, well.
I spoke to the guards nervously, feigning the part of the shy, lost newcomer. Having aced drama, it was a perfect performance.
They took me inside and one was ordered by me as I waited. Nervously I wondered, what next?
The decision was made for me. "Alex?" asked a voice I knew well disbelievingly. I voice I had wondered about, whose owner I had gone crying to on earth as my only friend. Hitomi.
I saw Hitomi and swallowed meekly. "The one and only. Hitomi, what are you doing here?"
"I should ask you the same thing," she said grinning broadly. She was dressed in a flowing blue dress that hugged her form.
"Nice dress," I said dryly, "Wal-Mart having a discount on the pioneer princess collection."
Laughing, she seemingly unknowingly brushed a wrinkle away from the dress. "No, the Princess Millerna gave me this. You should come too! I'll introduce you to Van and the others." I noticed some contempt when she said the princess's name. Grabbing my hand and pulling me away from the surprised guard she told him: "She's with me, and I'm with Van and Alan."
He seemed to respect that and let me get dragged away. I was giddily happy. Here was Hitomi. I no longer wanted to die. I wanted to talk to my friend and ask her what had happened to her since she'd gotten here.
"Now that we're away from the guards." she started and her voice was concerned. "Alex, your arms. And face. What happened?"
I started to shake my head and felt a wave of dizziness. As a tall man with long blond hair and angelic features entered the room I had another seizing image of a frightened girl. Death. Tragedy. It was too much. I blacked out.
Alan had walked into the room to see who Hitomi was talking to. Who was Alex?
Apparently a thin, slightly sick looking girl obsessed with black. He noticed the many scars across her body and frowned, having seen rape victim girls before. Had this girl been touched dishonourably by someone? If she had.Alan would see to it that the bastard that had covered her in scars was punished!
Hitomi asked her something and suddenly felt her friend seemed to sway. "Alex, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly.
In response, Alex blacked out.
Alan looked at Hitomi and pointedly to the girl, question in his eyes.
"She's a friend of mine from the Mystic Moon." Hitomi said quickly. "Her name is Alexandra but she's Alex to her friends. I didn't know she could get into Gaea too! And she's all scarred up and." her voice trailed off.
Alan swiftly took control of the situation. He picked up the limp girl and carried her, bridal-style, to another guest room. Hitomi followed him, looking on the verge of tears.
Laying her down gently, Alan noticed the bandages on her arms. They were so raw. He undid them, and prepared to put proper ones on when he saw what they were supposed to have concealed.
"What? What is it?" asked Hitomi, hovering over his left shoulder.
Silently, Alan traced the scar marking down with his index finger; reading it. He read it aloud: "Dilandau-sama." It was barely a whisper and he cursed. Hitomi was shocked.
"Alan-san!" she asked painfully, "What does that mean?"
They both knew. Hitomi may have been picked up by Van and Alan, but this poor girl had found Dilandau first, and he hadn't let go.
Covering the scars he thought one thing: Dilandau would die for this.
(I was going to stop here but I did promise a longer chapter)
I awoke and before I opened my eyes or even fluttered them I knew there were others with me in the room. I allowed my sense of smell to take over.
Hitomi smelled the same as ever, what I called the 'typical girl' smell. Fresh and rosy, like a patch of flowers and breathless. Hitomi always smelled like track and I dunno-psychic-that gave her such a breathless, appealing scent.
Alan smelled prissy. He smelled of high class and steel. He sent out strong powerful waves of like, really like, at Hitomi.
I smelled a strong but subtle at once perfume and had an instant thought of high-class and frilly dresses. She smelled also like she'd just finished her period a short while ago. I almost allowed myself to grin, someone she sent of psychic waves of dislike to Hitomi and Hitomi returned them with a vengeance. I instantly disliked her.
Van smelled-there was no other word for it-heartbroken. He had the usual man scent of sweat and steel, mixed with blood and grit, but any psychic waves sent off him were shattered instantly to my mind by the overwhelming sadness in him.
Unusually enough, I smelled a cat.
I gave a small groan and opened my eyes hesitantly. I felt instantly surrounded. The smell of Alan came from a tall, well dressed man with long blond hair and piecing blue eyes that could shatter someone's confidence with a single glare. His eyes looked at me however, with unmistakable pity and I realized with shame that he had seen my scar.
The high-class girl was tall with amused, but at the moment worried violet eyes with long blond hair. She wore a satin white dress, very frilly, with what looked like some sort of fashionably pale rose pink apron over it.
Hitomi was dressed as she was with eyes red from crying and I instantly felt guilty. I'm sorry, I tried to whisper, but my lips wouldn't form the words.
Van was dressed in the red shirt and loose brown pants I'd last seen him in. With his sword, of course, long and sharp with an air of royalty. His garnet eyes looked at me with an expression I couldn't tell. I longed to brush my lips over his and run my hands through his raven hair.
The cat smell came from a cat girl. Short, she looked about thirteen with pink hair and matching dark eyes. She wore an unusual cat outfit that reminded me of one of Madison's crazy costumes in CardCaptor Sakura. I almost smiled, I couldn't imagine when I might get to do something as normal as sitting in a corner curled up with my favourite mangas again.
I didn't like the look she gave Van. Somehow, I knew she loved him. And I also knew that he did not love her in the way she wanted him to.
Nervously I managed a weak, "Hiya" through my parched throat.
As Hitomi quickly got me a glass of water I got the distinct idea that this day was going to be interesting.
I leaned on my elbows. Gaddas was handsome, but he didn't compare to Van. I saw him look my way and ignored him. I had no patience with the flirtatious, cocky grin he shot at me.
Girls like me are a dime a dozen, I thought bitterly, and someone like him has probably got a pocketful of dimes. Girls like me are worthless. Everyone has told me so.
I risked a glance at Alan and saw anger on his expression. I wondered briefly whether I had done something to offend him. Were he and Van lovers? He looked capable, I thought pessimistically. Actually, I'm always like this and tend to think badly of some people right off the bat. Now I was ashamed of myself because Alan had seen me faint. I disliked weakness. Then I saw his gaze on my arm.
I looked. Scrawled on my arm roughly, with a knife that had burned like fire when it had dug into me forcefully so that I had screamed and cried and almost begged him to stop, were the letters: D-I-L-A-N-D-A-U-S-A-M-A. I winced. After misusing his name to get a rise-very foolishly, I had wound up with this embarrassing scar ten minutes later.
My face flushed with shame. I hated pity more than dislike. Had Hitomi seen it? Van? That spoiled-looking princess.Millerna? Did the room know of my shame?
I got up, and, ignoring the pain that shot through my stiff muscles, ran from the room. My eyes started to tear.
"Alex, don't!" Hitomi yelled after me, her voice worried and pinched.
"Alex?" murmured a feminine, spoiled princess-like voice. "What an unusual name. Even more than Hitomi." Her voice carried a hint of laughter; like she was secretly laughing and I felt Hitomi's aura heat up with anger.
Ignoring the words of my best friend, a turned a corner, zipping around a beautiful tapestry of a winged blue dragon shooting fire at a knight clad in pink. I almost laughed.
At a speed that would've made my track coach proud, a turned another corner, thinking: Where the hell is the fucking bathroom!?!
And smacked straight into the arms of Gaddas.
He grinned and held me. This guy is gonna get it, I thought. And gave a sigh, turning around. Then I grabbed his hand and before he could react, had twisted his wrist and brought his arm up and down jerkily, while twisting it. It went against the motion of the arm and I heard the satisfying 'SNAP' as the bone broke. Some of the tendons would be badly pulled also.
I heard him shriek and darted.
In seconds, I was out of the palace and out the window, heading for the bridge where I would try to find Aileen's home.
I didn't know until later what I was doing. How many would die because of me. I didn't know that in an hour I'd be fleeing with Van, Hitomi, Merel, Aileen and the Escaflowne. Didn't know that I alone ha the power to put a stop to it. To increase it. I held the fate of all Gaia in my hands and had tossed it around. In a few days, hundred more would die from more of my careless mistakes.
How could I have known?
~~~
Sorry about that! I couldn't think of anything else. I think I'm gonna also make a Gaddas/Alex mini romance, sparks flying in one direction. And in the next chappie Van will kiss someone. Vote who. I'm also open to suggestions.
Disclaimer: I do not own Van or any other Escaflowne characters. However, Alex and Matt are MY property and if you wish to use then in a story you must first ask my permission. *gosh, I feel like the queen of grandpa- speak*
Dedication: the chapter goes to naria4 because she gave me a story idea for the later chapters.
I'm soOoOoOoOoOoO soOoOoOoOoOoOrry I didn't update sooner!!!! I'll be quicker next time so here's an extra long chapter!
On to chapter 4!
I woke up and everything was aching. But I smiled. The bruises, the aching bones, and the sudden flush of lost power left me with only one thought: I was gloriously ALIVE!
I hardly dared to believe it. Deciding to push myself to see how injured I was, I tried to sit up. "OWW!" it hurt a lot. My ribs had healed while I'd slept before escaping. My arm felt almost back to normal and my face didn't feel swollen and puffy. I touched it and felt no pain at the pressure, feeling no bruises. The only thing that marred the healing was a single scar on my cheek. It was smooth, and almost three inches long stretching from about an inch under my right eye and curving down my face and slightly under my chin.
Dilandau-sama hadn't given me this scar. I had carried it since I was six years old and had gotten trapped in the same room with a drunken foster father.
I remember dodging a broken bottle thrown at me; remember hearing with terror the sound of breaking glass as it shattered at the all behind me, missing my small body by inches. I'd spent the next couple of minutes dodging more bottles, chairs and even a table thrown at me. I remembered getting hit by a chair and being slammed into the wall. Then I remembered taking some broken glass, slashing my foster father, trying to escape him.
I gasped a little from long-healed phantom injuries. My left cheek sported a similar, smaller scar made by Dilandau-sama. At least he hadn't chucked chairs at me.
It suddenly occurred to me to see if the scar Dilandau-sama had carved unto my stomach was gone. It was early and still might have been cured. Sure enough, when I looked I couldn't see a single pearly scar.
I tried again to sit up and failed. Sighing softly with impatience and shortness of breath, I began to notice my surroundings.
Feathers. Everywhere. I looked around and pooled under me, mostly scattered about me by a meter or two. They were pretty: wonderfully silver, with carved, almost pointed snow white tips and what looked like sparkled gold.
My hand, ungloved, reached out to touch it. It felt soft, like baby powder poured into a normal bird feather and merged together, and the tips felt a bit more like ice without the accompanying cold.
I watched it, entranced. Belatedly I realized that my left hand was still clutching the other feather I had picked up in mid-air with a death grip.
I left it fall slowly and noticed that it had curled up in my hand from my clenching it. "Sorry," I whispered, "didn't mean to do that." Suddenly I felt silly for apologizing to a feather.
I giggled a little. I hadn't done that in a while.
Carefully pulling myself into a sitting position, I glanced around me.
The ground was mostly flat and green. Trees were everywhere across the untouched scenery. Where I was I could see one dirt streaked road just a few meters off from where I was. I could distantly see a town and water- maybe a sea-from where it was coming from. A tall, pointed building seemed to stand out and I noticed with surprise that it looked faintly like a castle. Might have been, but I couldn't tell from where I was. The sun had just barely risen and the early morning dew was seen on the feathers I held. The air was crisp with morning freshness and I could practically taste the freshness in it.
I was reminded while seeing the city that: I had no food. I was in a strange world. I had only some money I'd stolen from the guards. I was in a strange world with almost none of life's practical necessities.
Fate had a twisted sense of humour.
I knew almost nothing of the currency here, but I knew gold when I saw it and had at least five gold pieces, some silver pieces and a few scant Bronze.
Note to self, I thought, Dragonslayers don't make it a point to carry around money. Slowly, I got up and stood, working my shoulders to get the kinks outta them and stretching a bit.
After feeling that I had done a satisfactory amount of stretching to make me more flexible and feel less like an un-oiled tin man; I started toward the city.
As soon as I got there I thought one thing: Sea. The scent of fish hung in the air like smoke. Along with it were the scents of sea salt and-seal?
I turned to look at the fishermen and on close inspection noticed they had seal-like head, as well as seal skin and-flippers?
It seemed to be normal here though so I steeled myself and walked into what I assumed to be the market from the bustling crowd and pesky merchants.
Too late I noticed I was getting stares. Suddenly, I reviewed my outfit mentally: a casual black T that overlapped my midnight-black denim jeans. My socks were also a deep purple and I was still wearing my track shoes that I had worn when I had lied to my foster parents about going to school. I felt a little guilty lying to the; they were truly nice people that acted like real parents and I liked them. They'd even bought me my velvet hair ribbon and the backpack, which, I realized, stuck out like a sore thumb as well!
Walking up to one merchant, I prayed they spoke English and pulled out some money.
His eyes widened with greed when they saw the money. Politely, I told him in a steady, slow voice: "I am a foreigner here and am not really familiar with the currency and my clothes don't seem to fit in either. Besides, they are too hot. Can you help me?"
He smiled readily at me. Pointing to my money, he explained the currency. I trusted he wasn't lying. Since childhood, I had been able to sense emotion and could tell when someone was lying. After memorizing all the money details I asked him about clothing. He pointed to a stand a few aisles down. Not wanting to seem stuck-up, I asked him what he sold.
"Jewelry." He told me proudly. Then he pulled out some more beautiful samples and I examined them. One in particular caught my eye. It was a lovely black opal fitted on a silver chain. I touched it and asked the cost.
"Three gold pieces. They cost a bit more because black opals are rumored to hold magic and protection spells on them. Whatever the reason, they usually work."
I willingly paid the man and put it on. It bumped slightly with Hitomi's pendant. I looked at the pretty red stone and wondered what my friend was doing.
With his neighbor, I bought a lovely silver dagger designed with sailor good-luck and protection symbols. It wasn't that much as there were many that were much prettier and I found myself talking to the woman I'd bought it from.
"So you're father's a fisherman?" I asked.
"Oh, yes," she said earnestly, elbows propped on the wooded stand she was leaned against. "He isn't part seal but he can fish just as well! Having fish everyday does ruin some of it though." she admitted. I laughed.
"Where do you come from?" She asked me intently. "I've never seen anyone that dresses like you before."
I decided to get my 'past' out of the way. "I come from a distant country, from a very small town called Earth. I traveled here hoping to leave the small cities behind."
"Earth?" she asked, wrinkling her nose. "It must be small. I've never heard of it! But then, I'm just a fishermen's daughter."
I smiled and left. She called after me: "If you want to be here legally, you should go register at the palace!"
I yelled: "Thanks!" and disappeared down the crowded aisles. Mentally I reviewed what I had learned. Her name was Aileen. She was-
It was so damn noisy here! Moving away from the crowd I went to the docks. I was strongly assaulted by fish smell, but there was some more privacy.
Taking out my notebook, I turned to a new page. At the top I wrote: "What I learned" and listed it.
*the girl's name was Aileen. She was a fishermen's daughter and her house was located near the docks on the other side of town.
*I have a welcome invitation there.
Always nice to know I have someplace to sleep at least, I thought glibly. In truth, I like Aileen and was glad for the invitation
*this city was the capital of Austria, the country I am currently in
*a strange girl with funny short hair and wearing a strange brown skirt and odd shoes like mine was in the castle. She had come recently.
Hitomi! I thought. She fitted the description perfectly. That, more than anything, convinced me to visit the castle.
Unable to remember more I closed the notebook and wondered about my scars. Aileen had asked about them. I didn't want to go around with my left arm saying: Dilandau-sama. He had written his name unto my arm when I had disrespected him: in a fit of fury I had mocked him as 'Dilly-san.' After that, I hadn't again.
I tore at my school shirt and used it as a bandage to cover my arm. There was still the scarred face, and the multiple scars on my other arm, but nothing I couldn't handle.
Putting my notebook back into my bag I wet back into the market. I trotted to the castle and belatedly noticed that I had forgotten a new outfit. Oh, well.
I spoke to the guards nervously, feigning the part of the shy, lost newcomer. Having aced drama, it was a perfect performance.
They took me inside and one was ordered by me as I waited. Nervously I wondered, what next?
The decision was made for me. "Alex?" asked a voice I knew well disbelievingly. I voice I had wondered about, whose owner I had gone crying to on earth as my only friend. Hitomi.
I saw Hitomi and swallowed meekly. "The one and only. Hitomi, what are you doing here?"
"I should ask you the same thing," she said grinning broadly. She was dressed in a flowing blue dress that hugged her form.
"Nice dress," I said dryly, "Wal-Mart having a discount on the pioneer princess collection."
Laughing, she seemingly unknowingly brushed a wrinkle away from the dress. "No, the Princess Millerna gave me this. You should come too! I'll introduce you to Van and the others." I noticed some contempt when she said the princess's name. Grabbing my hand and pulling me away from the surprised guard she told him: "She's with me, and I'm with Van and Alan."
He seemed to respect that and let me get dragged away. I was giddily happy. Here was Hitomi. I no longer wanted to die. I wanted to talk to my friend and ask her what had happened to her since she'd gotten here.
"Now that we're away from the guards." she started and her voice was concerned. "Alex, your arms. And face. What happened?"
I started to shake my head and felt a wave of dizziness. As a tall man with long blond hair and angelic features entered the room I had another seizing image of a frightened girl. Death. Tragedy. It was too much. I blacked out.
Alan had walked into the room to see who Hitomi was talking to. Who was Alex?
Apparently a thin, slightly sick looking girl obsessed with black. He noticed the many scars across her body and frowned, having seen rape victim girls before. Had this girl been touched dishonourably by someone? If she had.Alan would see to it that the bastard that had covered her in scars was punished!
Hitomi asked her something and suddenly felt her friend seemed to sway. "Alex, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly.
In response, Alex blacked out.
Alan looked at Hitomi and pointedly to the girl, question in his eyes.
"She's a friend of mine from the Mystic Moon." Hitomi said quickly. "Her name is Alexandra but she's Alex to her friends. I didn't know she could get into Gaea too! And she's all scarred up and." her voice trailed off.
Alan swiftly took control of the situation. He picked up the limp girl and carried her, bridal-style, to another guest room. Hitomi followed him, looking on the verge of tears.
Laying her down gently, Alan noticed the bandages on her arms. They were so raw. He undid them, and prepared to put proper ones on when he saw what they were supposed to have concealed.
"What? What is it?" asked Hitomi, hovering over his left shoulder.
Silently, Alan traced the scar marking down with his index finger; reading it. He read it aloud: "Dilandau-sama." It was barely a whisper and he cursed. Hitomi was shocked.
"Alan-san!" she asked painfully, "What does that mean?"
They both knew. Hitomi may have been picked up by Van and Alan, but this poor girl had found Dilandau first, and he hadn't let go.
Covering the scars he thought one thing: Dilandau would die for this.
(I was going to stop here but I did promise a longer chapter)
I awoke and before I opened my eyes or even fluttered them I knew there were others with me in the room. I allowed my sense of smell to take over.
Hitomi smelled the same as ever, what I called the 'typical girl' smell. Fresh and rosy, like a patch of flowers and breathless. Hitomi always smelled like track and I dunno-psychic-that gave her such a breathless, appealing scent.
Alan smelled prissy. He smelled of high class and steel. He sent out strong powerful waves of like, really like, at Hitomi.
I smelled a strong but subtle at once perfume and had an instant thought of high-class and frilly dresses. She smelled also like she'd just finished her period a short while ago. I almost allowed myself to grin, someone she sent of psychic waves of dislike to Hitomi and Hitomi returned them with a vengeance. I instantly disliked her.
Van smelled-there was no other word for it-heartbroken. He had the usual man scent of sweat and steel, mixed with blood and grit, but any psychic waves sent off him were shattered instantly to my mind by the overwhelming sadness in him.
Unusually enough, I smelled a cat.
I gave a small groan and opened my eyes hesitantly. I felt instantly surrounded. The smell of Alan came from a tall, well dressed man with long blond hair and piecing blue eyes that could shatter someone's confidence with a single glare. His eyes looked at me however, with unmistakable pity and I realized with shame that he had seen my scar.
The high-class girl was tall with amused, but at the moment worried violet eyes with long blond hair. She wore a satin white dress, very frilly, with what looked like some sort of fashionably pale rose pink apron over it.
Hitomi was dressed as she was with eyes red from crying and I instantly felt guilty. I'm sorry, I tried to whisper, but my lips wouldn't form the words.
Van was dressed in the red shirt and loose brown pants I'd last seen him in. With his sword, of course, long and sharp with an air of royalty. His garnet eyes looked at me with an expression I couldn't tell. I longed to brush my lips over his and run my hands through his raven hair.
The cat smell came from a cat girl. Short, she looked about thirteen with pink hair and matching dark eyes. She wore an unusual cat outfit that reminded me of one of Madison's crazy costumes in CardCaptor Sakura. I almost smiled, I couldn't imagine when I might get to do something as normal as sitting in a corner curled up with my favourite mangas again.
I didn't like the look she gave Van. Somehow, I knew she loved him. And I also knew that he did not love her in the way she wanted him to.
Nervously I managed a weak, "Hiya" through my parched throat.
As Hitomi quickly got me a glass of water I got the distinct idea that this day was going to be interesting.
I leaned on my elbows. Gaddas was handsome, but he didn't compare to Van. I saw him look my way and ignored him. I had no patience with the flirtatious, cocky grin he shot at me.
Girls like me are a dime a dozen, I thought bitterly, and someone like him has probably got a pocketful of dimes. Girls like me are worthless. Everyone has told me so.
I risked a glance at Alan and saw anger on his expression. I wondered briefly whether I had done something to offend him. Were he and Van lovers? He looked capable, I thought pessimistically. Actually, I'm always like this and tend to think badly of some people right off the bat. Now I was ashamed of myself because Alan had seen me faint. I disliked weakness. Then I saw his gaze on my arm.
I looked. Scrawled on my arm roughly, with a knife that had burned like fire when it had dug into me forcefully so that I had screamed and cried and almost begged him to stop, were the letters: D-I-L-A-N-D-A-U-S-A-M-A. I winced. After misusing his name to get a rise-very foolishly, I had wound up with this embarrassing scar ten minutes later.
My face flushed with shame. I hated pity more than dislike. Had Hitomi seen it? Van? That spoiled-looking princess.Millerna? Did the room know of my shame?
I got up, and, ignoring the pain that shot through my stiff muscles, ran from the room. My eyes started to tear.
"Alex, don't!" Hitomi yelled after me, her voice worried and pinched.
"Alex?" murmured a feminine, spoiled princess-like voice. "What an unusual name. Even more than Hitomi." Her voice carried a hint of laughter; like she was secretly laughing and I felt Hitomi's aura heat up with anger.
Ignoring the words of my best friend, a turned a corner, zipping around a beautiful tapestry of a winged blue dragon shooting fire at a knight clad in pink. I almost laughed.
At a speed that would've made my track coach proud, a turned another corner, thinking: Where the hell is the fucking bathroom!?!
And smacked straight into the arms of Gaddas.
He grinned and held me. This guy is gonna get it, I thought. And gave a sigh, turning around. Then I grabbed his hand and before he could react, had twisted his wrist and brought his arm up and down jerkily, while twisting it. It went against the motion of the arm and I heard the satisfying 'SNAP' as the bone broke. Some of the tendons would be badly pulled also.
I heard him shriek and darted.
In seconds, I was out of the palace and out the window, heading for the bridge where I would try to find Aileen's home.
I didn't know until later what I was doing. How many would die because of me. I didn't know that in an hour I'd be fleeing with Van, Hitomi, Merel, Aileen and the Escaflowne. Didn't know that I alone ha the power to put a stop to it. To increase it. I held the fate of all Gaia in my hands and had tossed it around. In a few days, hundred more would die from more of my careless mistakes.
How could I have known?
~~~
Sorry about that! I couldn't think of anything else. I think I'm gonna also make a Gaddas/Alex mini romance, sparks flying in one direction. And in the next chappie Van will kiss someone. Vote who. I'm also open to suggestions.