SHADOWS OF THE PAST
CHAPTER 2
OLD TALES AND NEW FRIENDS

Disclaimer – Escaflowne is not mine, the characters and story are the property of Bandai entertainment. The story and characters of 'The Descend Shadow' or 'Shadows of the Past' are the property of Butchs Fan Fiction Forum.co.uk. Before use of these characters or elements of the story please get permission from Butch Cassidy at butchsvideostop@Tiscali.co.uk

Visit the home of Shadows Of The Past At www.butchsforum.co.uk

The sun shone brightly the next morning as Von travelled through the forests of Fanelia in order to train in peace far from the everyday life of life in the city and kingship. This had become a routine for Von every morning since the war ended and Hitomi had returned to the Mystic Moon, he found that his life seemed distant and he was filled with a form of inner peace only equalled by Hitomi herself. Usually he would travel to the forests to train in order to further hone his skills with a sword. Other times though, just to be among the peace of the forest and to clear his mind of the stresses and strains of being a young man trying to rebuild a country from the dust.

Usually when this happened Von let his thoughts stray off to when he was a child growing up with his brother Falcon. But always no matter what he was doing his mind he would suddenly begin to think about Hitomi and the times and journeys they shared before she had left for the Moon. It was then that Von would realise just how much he missed Hitomi and how much he longed to see her again. However it was on this morning that Vons thoughts began to take a different course as he was thinking about all the events that had taken place over the course of the past two days.

He began thinking about this miracle medicine known as the Elixir of Atlantis that had been developed by the ancient Draconian's as a way to cure any illness and even injuries no matter how large or how small. He felt a great respect for the men who developed the medicine, only to hide it from the world they knew wasn't ready for such a cure to the pains of life. He knew they needed to hurry with Selena losing more and more control to Dilandau each day. But how are they mean to find this medicine when they don't even know where to look.

Von let his mind wander back to Hitomi, now trained in the forest. In the middle of his training he heard a rustle which broke through his thoughts, from trees not to far away. Although it did seem to sound more like the flapping of a cloak whistling in the wind. Then it became painfully clear to Von that he was not alone. He didn't hear it at first but now it was becoming clearer as he strained his hearing that little bit more that there were footsteps slowly moving along the leaf strewn ground. Von could barely hear them, they certainly knew how to conceal their movements as their movements were so quiet, Von thought to himself. Von then raised his sword and looked through the trees all around him for his unexpected guest. Once Falcon was supposed dead never returning from his trial to become king, Von purposefully chose this spot as it was in the densest part of the forest where nothing could disturb him, and none has… till now. Not even the Fanelian Land dragons could bother him there, were the trees where so dense you could barely breath.

Von took a defensive stance as he could faintly see a shadowy figure moving between the trees in the distance. Von then called out to his visitor,
"Come on show yourself! Face me".
"I will come out Von.., but only if you agree to face me in combat" he was answered.
Von thought for a second on this change, then decided it would be good training.
"Yes I will face you but step out and let me see who I will be facing".

Then with barely a sound. A figure shadowed stepped out from the trees; cloaked in brown and hooded, hiding his face, an insult to his opponent. Von could see that whoever this person was they were of his height and that one of the reasons he could not make them out at first was because his long brown hooded cloak blended in with the colour of the tree bark and the dying leaves of the season.
"If we are to fight then do me the honour of pulling back your hood and allow me to see the face of my opponent" Von challenged his hooded opponent. His opponent laughed slightly.
"If you can beat me then I will reveal my face" He promised and with that he drew a long broad sword, undeterminable in the early morning sunlight.

The warrior then lunged forward bringing his sword up and then down. Von easily parried and countered by pushing the opponents sword upwards and away from his own sending his attacker back several metres. His opponent regained his balance quickly and the fight began anew. Von lifted his sword up from his side, clasped it firmly with both hands and held it in front of him defensively ready for his opponents next attack. His opponent then mirrored his movement, which Von found strange although he just dismissed it in order to keep his mind focused on the battle.

The two opponents than began to circle one another each holding the same defensive stance when suddenly the hooded attacker swung their blade anti-clockwise aiming for Vons side hoping to knock him right off guard. Von however showed his skill by blocking it easily by spinning around and parrying the attack. Von proceeded to drive the two locked blades into the ground effectively holding them in place. As the two warriors blades were locked facing the ground it meant that they were mere inches away from one another.

The hooded warrior took adVontage of this situation and shouldered Von out of the way causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground painfully. With Von on the ground the two blades were free for battle once more. The hooded warrior raised his sword up and began to walk over to Von unmoving on the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, Von watched his opponent approach and jumped back to his feet as he reached him. Both opponents charged their swords at one another. Von leapt into the air and flipped over his hooded opponent and twisting in mid-air so that he landed easily on the ground with both feet firmly planted. His opponent taken by surprise didn't see Vons next attack. Von jumped up again and kicked his opponent square in the chest as he turned around to face him.

His attacker was sent reeling falling onto his back. As he fell Von thought that he saw a few strands of hair appear from beneath the hood but it could just have been a trick of the hoods colour. Although Von could still not see his attackers face, his hood still shrouded in shadow but for the first time he had a guess of who this opponent may be. Von then sprinted forward and lunged for his fallen opponent. The hooded attacker quickly raised his sword and blocked Vons blade, proving his ability to continue the battle. Von pressed his blade down harder leaving it only a few inches from his face, but they remained at a stalemate.

Von then felt his legs collapse under him and realised that in the ensuing stalemate, his opponent had taken his legs out from underneath him. Von fell to the ground with a groan. He saw that his opponent was rising to his feet using his sword as a crutch to lean on clenching his side. Von guessed that he had been hurt whenever he kicked him to the ground and this lead to his trouble standing. Von then waited until his attacker had half risen from the ground, then took his chance. He kicked with all his might at the base of his attackers sword send it skimming across the forest floor. His attacker saw this move coming and in one last attempt to stand up pushed away from his sword just before Von kicked it, then taking the momentum that he had used to push himself up, he managed to regain his feet although somewhat shakily at first.

Without even giving Von a second glance the hooded warrior bolted to his sword now laying several meters from him. Von took this opportunity to regain his own footing and rising to his feet he steadied himself prepared for the inevitable next attack. With his sword back in his hand the hooded warrior walked slowly over to Von standing with his sword raised firmly in both hands. Von began to do likewise and the warriors met halfway and took up fighting stances, the fight began anew. It was Von who made the first move this time as he spun around quickly aiming for his opponent's head although the hooded warrior ducked and drove his sword at Von.

Von swung his sword down paring the move and brought his own sword down to his opponents left shoulder. The hooded warrior quickly brought his sword up above his head effectively blocking Vons attack and rised to his full height pushing Vons sword up and out of the way. Von then swung low at the hooded warriors mid-section although his opponent also swung his sword low in order to counter the attack. Then followed by sweeping low for Vons legs. Von countered by leaping over his opponent and landing behind him just as before and swiftly brought his sword down on his opponent's head.

The hooded warrior however prepared for this attack, quickly rolled forward so that Von's swipe missed its target. The hooded warrior then rose to his feet and continued the assault by running toward Von. Then jumping into the air, slashed down with his sword which Von parried once more but the impact of both blades meeting caused sparks to fly as the steel collided. Von then jumped backwards and swung again at his mysterious assailant with a blow aimed for his opponents side. The hooded warrior blocked this attack by turning sideways and aiming his sword down so that it caught Von's attack before it struck.

However, both opponents where beginning to grow tired from their continuing battle. Von was especially tired, still recuperating from the battle with Dawn the previous day that took a lot of the strength he had, and his face still aced from the boot print. Von then decided that it was time to go for one last attempt to end this fight before it ended him permanently, he thought of a way to defeat his opponent.

An image of Hitomi sleeping peacefully with the light of the early morning sunshine shining onto her sent fresh resolve coursing through his veins as the desire to end the fight and get back to his beloved surfaced, like a raging inferno giving him strength enough for one last attack. The hooded warrior was also thinking of a way to end the fight as they knew that they would only have enough strength for one last attack before all strength left them completely. So it was that both combatants stood before one another once more ready for one last assault.

He prepared himself as did his opponent and then in one swift sprint both combatants lunged for one another their blades shining in the early morning light. Von swung his sword down low once again and aimed once more for his opponents chest and in one swift move his opponent swung his sword down in order to parry. As the blades of both swords met the forest rang with the sound of the collision. Von quickly drew using his sword to knock his opponents blade out of the way and in a counter to this move the hooded warrior raised his sword and levelled it directly at Von's neck.

At the same time however Von levelled his sword at his opponents chest with the tip directly poised and ready to strike.
"Are you ready to surrender, King Finel?" The hooded warrior asked Von triumphantly.
"Surrender? Look down and then we will see if you surrender" Von laughed at his opponent. Both saw that they were in stalemate. Several seconds passed as both realized there was no way for one of them to win from this situation.
"We should both walk away as it is clear that neither of us will win this fight" The hooded warrior suggested to Von. Von was stunned for a moment but finally agreed,
"I agree but do me the honour of removing your hood. There are few in Gaia who can give me such a good fight, and I would like to know who has such power." For an instant Von thought that he could make out a faint smile on his opponents face even though it was covered by a hood. Both warriors lowered their weapons and backed away and sheathed their swords

The hooded warrior then lifted his hands to his hood and began to pull it back and the face that then stood before Von was a slight shock to Von, as he felt silly that he hadn't realised as soon as the fight began. But also glad happy as his suspicions from both his attackers fighting style and the wisp of hair that had been revealed when the attacker had fallen were all proved correct. The face that stood before him was young and strong with brown hair that was slightly thick and fell in fringes over the top of his head. He also had greenish blue eyes, the warrior was none other than Dawn Kosime.

The close friend and trusted bodyguard of Von for many the past few years had proved to be a true and loyal friend to the young king as well as brave. However, it was the friendship that had been forged between these two in the turmoil of the past four years that as the most highly valued as it surpassed the mere roles of king and bodyguard. Von looked at the sweat soaked face of his friend and was glad to see that the battle had not taken its tole solely on him.
"I have a couple of questions that I would like you to answer for me Mr Kosime". Von asked Dawn having caught his breath, "Question one, how did you know where to find me. Or do I really need to ask".

Dawn answered with a hint of a smile,
"Well as I'm sure you already know Merle has known about this place from the very start…"
"Yeah its hard to keep anything from Merle isn't it" Von agreed with a laugh, Dawn just continued to smile
"Anyway as I was saying Merle has known about this place from the beginning and well me I've also known about it for the past few years"
"And how did you find out…" Von asked, "Was it Merle… It was Merle wasn't it!"
"No, no. I saw you leaving the castle silently one morning and I decided to track where you were going which lead me to this place although as soon as I found its location I made my way back out again".
"And how long ago was that" Von asked him.
"About three and a half years, I think".
"Well if you've known that long why didn't you come out and join me for a friendly spar?" Von asked, he would have loved for Dawn to join him for a spar in the woods.

"Why you ask… Because I didn't want to invade on your privacy. This is a special place for you and I respect you, I didn't want to disturb you when you are trying to hide from your duties, when I'm a symbol of then as well. I wanted you to have this time to yourself and your thoughts" Dawn answered Von. Von stood silently, taken aback by Dawn's explanation,
"Thanks, but I never realised just how much you really thought of me". Dawn seemed "Think nothing out of it because don't try and say that you're not always watching my back whenever I need it. Anyway I don't know what its like being young and trying to be the ruler of an entire country, not to mention being a ruler within the most powerful alliance on Gaia".

Hey! You know I don't like to be seen like that by anybody" Von quickly remained him.
"Yeah, I know but that's just the way many people see you and that's why I'm trying to say I've just let you have your own personal space because sometimes we all just need to have a little time to ourselves" answered Dawn silently.
"I know and I also thank you for understanding Dawn as I know that sometime in the future you too will need your personal space and I will give it too you" Von thanked him.

"Anyway Von you know that there would have no been point me sparring with you that day as I would've just beaten you even worse than I had today" Dawn told Von.
"Is that so" answered Von defiantly "both you and I know that I wiped the floor with you today and if you had have even stood a chance of beating me then tell me why you had to wear your hood all the time we fought. And you never told me, how did you know I would be here today".

"That's also an easy question as I saw you leaving the castle this morning while I was up on the battlements training and I also had a pretty good feeling that with all that's happened over the past couple of days that you would be going out the morning. You would want to clear your head before seeing her this morning" Dawn answered him with a smile "I'm I right?"

"Sometimes I think you and Merle know me too well Dawn" Von told him, not sure weather this was a good thing before continuing,
"You still haven't told me why you fought with your hood on hiding your face".

"Come on Von I thought it would have been pretty obvious to you by now. I wore my cloak with the hood up so that you wouldn't know who I was and also to see how you would react to an unknown assailant who was showing the same amount of sword skill that you possess. Then I can know likely you are to die when I'm not there" Dawn told him.
"Sure your not giving yourself just a little bit too much credit there Dawn" and to this Dawn put on a mock face of being hurt by Von and then answered,
"You know just as well as I do that when it come to skill with a blade you and I are around equal and anyway I thought it would make the fight that much more interesting if you were unsure of who was underneath the hood. That's way I tried to conceal any thing that might give the game away".

"Very clever Dawn, Very clever although it was your fighting style more than anything else that made me wonder if it was you although I do have to admit that It made things that bit more interesting didn't it". Von informed his friend with a smile. A second later the smile was wiped off his face, and he fell to his knees. Dawn quickly rushed to his friend's aid,
"Von are you okay, what is it, what's wrong"
"its Hitomi she's afraid about something, it feels as if she's about to be attacked by someone. I've got to go, I've got to get back to her now!" Von told Dawn panic in his voice. Von then quickly stood up and began to unfurl his wings, Dawn who was standing watching could see the bumps starting to form in the back of Von's shirt and knew what was happening.
"Von I'm going to run and get my horse and ride back to the castle as quickly as I can so I'll meet you there" and with that Dawn began to run to the edge of the clearing and within a moment was gone.

Von's wings then burst open from his back showering feathers all over the forest floor and he began to quickly fly straight up and out past the trees and soon was flying straight over the forest going as fast as he could. As he reached the end of the top of the forest he looked down and could see a small figure on a horse galloping quickly over the land and Von knew that it would not take Dawn long to reach the castle although he would reach it first. As he came in view of the castle Kansaki he found that he could feel Hitomi was still okay but he could help thinking to himself 'just hold on Hitomi I'll be with you now'

Far below some people pointed up at the flying figure but more people paid attention to the Mounted Dawn on his horse who was riding faster and faster to the castle. As he too came closer, finally the window of Hitomi's bedroom came into view and to Von's gratefulness it had still been left open and as he reached the window he shouted "Hitomi I'm coming". Von then flew straight into the bedroom; touching down beside the window he quickly drew his sword. Bringing it up into a defensive stance in front of his face gripped firmly in both hands. However, he was not prepared for the sight that lay before him as he gazed around the room.

………….

Dawn ran through the undergrowth as quickly as his legs could carry him, his mind racing with thoughts about what could have happened to the lady Hitomi in order to produce such a strong reaction from Von and more importantly if she was okay. It did not take him long to reach his horse Géaroid who he had left at the edge of the forest untied as Dawn trusted Géaroid as he knew that unless he was in danger he would not leave his place but instead would wait for Dawn's return.

He ran over and stopping he stroked Géaroid's head and said,
"Time is of the essence, take me as fast as you can Géaroid".
Lifting's its head approval, Dawn jumped into the saddle and Géaroid shot off through the forest weaving in and out of the thick stumps of the trees and jumping over the remains of any trees that had fallen or been uprooted.

It was not long before they reached the end of the forest and Géaroid began to pick up even more speed as he was now on the short flat and grassy plains before they entered the city of Finel. Soon the outer walls of the city began to loom up in front of him. As he came closer to the outer walls gate, he saw that the guards had already opened the gates for the day's merchants. Once Dawn had passed through the gates and the view of the newly rebuilt city lay before him, he shouted,
"Géaroid we need to go faster if we are to reach the her in time". Before he had even finished his request, Géaroid began to quicken his pace and Dawn focused on the opening turret to the castle complex he saw that the houses that lay closest to the outer walls were now beginning to become a blur as Dawn sped past them. When they reached the opening turret Géaroid sped up the ramp to the opening turret spurred on by Dawn followed by the clattering of Géaroid's hooves on the hard ground. They then sped towards the staircase within the turret and raced up it until they reached opening that led out unto the bridge that linked the defensive turrets together. Continuing to race through each of the turrets until they finally reached the central castle of the city and it was by this time that Dawn was becoming more and more worried that they wouldn't reach Hitomi in time.

They then sped through the gates to the castle and rode right up to the front of the castle at which point Dawn leapt from Géaroid and asked the stable master to take him down to the stables and make sure that he was properly cared for. Dawn then raced through the many corridors of the castle and as he came nearer to reaching the room where Hitomi was staying, he drew his sword and ran further and further through the corridors his sword held firmly by his side.

In the distance Dawn heard what he thought was the lady's voice shouting something in a panic and he raced quicker and quicker down the corridors almost knocking over Radian as he ran until finally he reached the door to the lady's room and without a second thought he shouted the words,
"I'm coming M'lady" and with that he booted the door in and rushed in with his sword held up ready to defend against any attack. But as Dawn rushed in, he was shocked and unprepared for the sight that greeted him and it was obvious from the expression on Von's face as he stood in the frame of the window beside Hitomi's bed his wings extended and his body framed in the light of the early morning sun that he wasn't the only one.

……….

Hitomi had slept peacefully and she awoke to be greeted by the light of the early morning sun streaming through her open window onto a small part of the bottom of her bed. She had spent the night dreaming about Von and of how she they were strolling through the gardens of the palace laughing and talking just glad to be in the company of one another again. She lifted the covers off her bed up off herself and then got out of bed and walked over to the window and stared out what she considered to be one of the most beautiful and impressive sights she had ever seen. The view of course was of the newly built Fanellian capital with its high castle walls whose flags and banners blew lightly in the breeze and the defensive turrets standing like strong silent guardians their spires gleaming in the light of the sun. Always watchful over the lands of Fanellia and those who lived within the castle walls, a testament to King Von's promise to protect Fanellia and its people always.

Even though Hitomi had only been in Fanellia a few days she was still amazed by what had happened in just 4 years. Von had managed to rebuild all that had been destroyed in the war with Zaibach and in the process create a capital city that was beautiful and a testament to the strength and dignity of the Fanellian people. Yet still maintain such a high level of defence that any potential attackers would have a hard time trying to launch a successful attack on the capital. It was also clear he hadn't even finished as buildings were still covered in scaffolding around the city. She made her way over to the small dressing table that was at the end of the room and found that all the things she needed to freshen up were there. There was a small wash hand basin, a jug of water, a small towel and a facecloth.

Taking the jug of water Hitomi poured some of the water into the small basin and then dipping her hands into the water, She splashed some of the water onto her face. She found that the water was cool and refreshing and then taking the cloth she dipped it into the water and after ringing out some of the excess water. She cleaned her face, neck and body, then taking the small towel and drying herself off. She went over to the wardrobe and upon opening it up found it had a few sets of clothing inside. One could be considered as a noblewomen's dress, but not as ugly as Merles choices, another was what looked like ordinary Gaian clothes and the last some clothes that resembled her old school uniform. Upon closer inspection she found a little note attached to one of the dresses, she read it aloud without realizing it.

"Dearest Hitomi
I still remember the first time that you visited Gaia and of how you hated to wear those stuffy noble clothes that Millerna tried to force onto you (and in some cases succeeded). I also remember how you preferred to wear the more casual clothes that you felt most comfortable in as opposed to larger frocks and dresses. Then when we found you lying out in the forest unconscious with no visible possessions other than what you were wearing, we searched the area surrounding where you fell in case like last time some of your own clothes had maybe travelled with you but when we were unable to find anything. I decided that you would need a few new sets of clothes. So instead of having my advisors or anyone else (like Merle) trying to dictate what sort of clothes you should be given, I stepped in and just made it clear that I alone would take care of it.

So with you in mind Hitomi, I went to my tailors and told them that I needed a complete new wardrobe of clothes that was suitable for a lady but was both casual and comfortable while being completely different to many of the dresses and frocks that were so highly favoured by the nobles. Within two days they had come with several with more in production, all made with the finest and strongest materials that we possessed.

I hope they are okay for you because if they are not then I can always get a new wardrobe made up that really is to your requirements instead.
Love
Von

P.S. If Merle tries to force some other piece of clothing on to you saying that I have said that I want you to wear it she is probably lying so don't believe her."

When she had completed the note she felt even more warm and happy inside than when she had seen that the clothes weren't horrid things. Hitomi then decided that she would wear one of the more casual peices, as she was anxious to see and talk to Von again. It was a long sleeved dress that was made of a fine material that was soft to the touch but when worn was warm in colder temperatures but was cool when in hotter temperatures and it was also comfortable while still being light and not too heavy. The dress itself was of a dark blue colour while the sleeves were the colour of gold and around the waist there was a belt made of a silken material that was like the colour of the sky.

Whenever Hitomi had put the dress on she looked at herself once more in the mirror and could not believe how utterly beautiful the dress was. She then brushed her hair and began to make her way to her bedroom door when all of a sudden Merle burst in. The shock of her entry forced Hitomi to jump backwards in defence but Merle just burst out laughing,
"It's okay Hitomi I was just coming to see if you were okay and also to escape from Radian who keep pestering me".

"What, Von's not here but where did he go Merle," asked Hitomi but Merle was more interested in the dress that Hitomi was wearing. Merle was dazzled by the colours of the dress and couldn't take her eyes off it, it was then when Merle was distracted that Hitomi noticed that concealed behind Merles back there seemed to be a package of some sort. Hitomi then asked again,
"Merle, where did Von go if Reeden is looking for him" Merle was snapped back into awareness by Hitomi's question, although it seemed to Hitomi that she seemed to have a sly glint in her eye, but ignored it as she was eager to hear where Von had gone.
"Huh, oh Von, no you don't need to worry Hitomi, Von won't be much longer. Oh! That reminds me just you asking about Von he asked me to give you this just before he left" answered Merle with her sweetest smile and then produced a parcel neatly wrapped in green paper. Hitomi curious to see what more Von could possibly give her , unwrapped the parcel and found that inside was another dress.

Then whenever she unfolded it what she saw was undoubtedly one of the ugliest dresses she had ever seen in her life and just looking at it filled her with disgust.
"Von told you to give me this" asked Hitomi in shock but Merle answered "Well actually he didn't tell me to give it to you"
At that moment Hitomi felt a slight relief but this feeling quickly sank when she heard the rest of what Merle had to say "He actually asked me if to ask you if you would wear it today" finished Merle.

Hitomi stared at the dress again with its bright pink colour and luminous yellow trims and she began to feel slightly disgusted remembered what Von had written at the end of his letter about not trusting Merle. What Hitomi hadn't noticed however was that while she was standing staring at the dress Merle had silently crept to the other side of the bed. Then like a flash of lightning Merle jumped up onto the bed and lifted the dress from Hitomi and began to say ever so sweetly,
"Come on Hitomi, you know you really love this dress, really, really love it".
"come on Merle stop it! Stop fooling around, you're scaring me" Hitomi retorted but Merle jumped down off the bed still holding the dress and began adVoncing towards Hitomi with that same sweet smile.

Hitomi who had begun backing away the moment Merle jumped off the bed bumped rather sorely into her dressing table knocking over the small jug of water. Then making a dash for her door as Merle had come too close for comfort. She pulled at it but it wouldn't come open until she gave up and turned to face Merle. Merle just smiled and held up a small silver key. Hitomi was now seriously frightened and began pleading with Merle
"Merle! Please knock it off, come on this isn't funny anymore, you're starting to scare me now". Merle simply replied,
"I'm sorry Hitomi but I'm afraid you're not leaving this room until you agree to wear this dress". Hitomi's fear peaked, she knew not only how stubborn Merle could be but also what he was capable of. She continued to back away until she had reached the bottom of the side of her bed that was opposite the window and then in an attempt to escape Merle she rolled over the bed and landed on her feet.

Merle though was not easily surprised and because she had expected something like this followed Hitomi by jumping onto the bed and jumping down on to the other side. Hitomi her mind now buzzing with thoughts of how to try and escape Merle continued to back away until she finally banged into and, fell over the chair which Von had sat in while he was sleeping beside Hitomi's bed. Hitomi had placed the chair just the night before back in its spot beside the window and as a result of this she had fell over it while trying to back away from Merle, clearly forgetting it was there.

Hitomi lay slumped against the back wall of her bedroom sore from her fall and tired of being chased. While Merle continued to adVonce on her until finally she was standing right over Hitomi and said,
"Well Hitomi! You put up a good fight but now you can't escape anymore". Hitomi's heart sank even further at the prospect of having to meet Von her love in another hideous dress and then as if her heart's calls had been answered. She saw that a long shadow had been cast over her bed and the opposite wall of a winged figure. Her heart rejoiced at the sight of Von standing with his sword drawn and his wings extended, his whole body framed in the light of the early morning sun. Then all of a sudden just a few seconds after Von had flew to her window she heard a voice calling and then looked over to her door just in time to see it being kicked open by Dawn who rushed into the room with his sword also drawn. Hitomi began to smile again as she knew that she was finally safe again from that horrible dress and from Merle trying to force it upon her. Merle groaned and dropped the dress onto the bed,
"Ok Hitomi you win, you don't have to wear it!"

END OF PART TWO
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Sundance
…
15.10.00

THE SHROUDED IN SHADOW ODYSSEY CONTINUEDS SOON
AND IN 'THE DESCENDED SHADOW'

Authors Message

Well, I have finally completed chapter II and I am proud to present it to you here. It has taken me months to complete this chapter as I has to balance work on this chapter and developing characters, places, and furthering the story itself. The character that has received the most attention to detail has been the character of Dawn Kosime.

The reason this character in particular has received the most attention is because he was the first character that I'm creating myself and who wasn't connected to the original series or its film. Although I would like to assure you that I have not sacrificed any of the other characters in order to develop this one character. I have tried to ensure that every character will be developed fully and have their own stories as I hope to stay true to the original, while still showing what has happened in the time between.

I also hope to show more of the world of Gaia by showing its peoples and their cultures. Also, over the space of the next few months I am hoping to start writing my own history to shadows of the past as well as a character section for anyone interested on finding out more about the writing and development of the story and characters. Along with Dawn there is a mystery character who can not yet be revealed who has received a lot of attention. I will tell you however that they both affect both Dawns present and future as well has having a huge effect on the Descended Shadow (Butch Cassidys Parallel running Fan Fiction)

When writing this chapter I tried to pay attention to the atmosphere of certain parts of the story such as the scenes in the forest and the scenes between Hitomi and Merle. One of my influences on this story was J.R.R. Tolkien as I am a huge fan of the Lord Of The Rings for both the Books and the Films. However, I would like to make it clear from the off set that I'm not trying to imitate him or his works. What I am merely trying to do is explain characters, places, and weapons to give the reader an idea of the cultures of each of the Gaia countries.

This is also why I have been working closely with BFFF artist Sheng in order to further illustrate those cultures. So that's it really and if you want to know more about the histories and cultures I will have the history and Bios up soon on Butch's site (www.butchsforum.co.uk), so until chapter 3 this is Sundance saying see ya later.

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END
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