Hello

Hello. I'm back with ch. 5. I changed to rating b/c of language and other things that won't be named pacifically. Thank you everyone who has been writing to me. It is lots of fun to read them. Keep sending them. Thanx again. And now chapter 5.

Disclaimer: No, just like before, I don't own any part of Escaflowne.

Two as One

Chapter 5 The Rescue

By. Lady Emerald

Van saw Hitomi sway and caught her just before she hit the ground.

"Hitomi! Hitomi!' Van yelled as he tried to shake her awake.

"Van, stop it. You might hurt her!" Allen and Melerna said with concern.

" We should put her in a room where she can rest and I can take a look at her." Melerna said.

"Way ahead of you. I have a room ready next to yours, Lord Van." Merle piped up.

Van nodded and he lifted Hitomi up and took her to the room. He placed her on a bed, that felt like you were laying in a big pile of feathers. Then he stepped a side so Melerna could have a look at her. Melerna examined her and then examined her a again.

"Well?" Van said being as impassionate as he is, "What is wrong with her?"

When she turned around she had a confused face on.

"From what I can tell, she isn't sick."

"That is good." Said Allen.

"The bad news is that I think that she is in the Dream World."

"What!" Everyone one said together.

"Wait, how can that be? No one ever goes there unless they want to, which isn't very often." Van said.

Everyone stared at the ground, not saying anything. They knew that very often, when some one entered the Dream World, that they died. If they died in the Dream World they would die in the real world too.

"I am going to help her." Van finally said sternly.

"No, you can't. If you die, there is no one to take the throne." Allen tried to argue.

"I know, but that is a chance I will have to take."

"Then let me come to." Allen said.

"Fine, just don't get lost. We don't know what Hitomi has in that head of hers."

"Wait! I think there is something else you should know before you go." Melerna cried out.

"What is it?" Van asked now getting antsy.

"I think that Hitomi was taken there against her will. Which means that there is some one else in there with her. So be alert."

"What!" They cried out in awe.

Then Van put two and two together.

"When we were coming back to the castle, Hitomi and I encountered a man. He said that there was some one out to get Hitomi. Maybe this is what he meant." Van said looking at the others.

"If that is true," Allen said, "then we better get in there fast."

Van nodded in agreement. He and Allen went over and stood next to Hitomi sleeping figure. Van took off the pendent and held it out in front of them. It started to glow and them, both of them collaped atop Hitomi.

"We might as well make them comfortable, too." Dryden said.

He signaled Gaddes to he them move Van and Allen next to Hitomi on the bed.

"Where… where am I?" Hitomi asked herself. She rubbed her temples

"What happened?" Hitomi jumped in surprise.

Van and Allen were laying on the floor, if that is what you call since everything was black, trying to get up.

"Van? Allen? What is going on?"

They saw her for the first time as she spoke.

"Well," Van said, "we were talking outside and then you fell. Melerna took a look at you and said were in the Dream World. So here we are. Now we have to find a way out of here."

"What is the Dream World?" she asked trying to look around.

"It is a place in your mind, that few people…" Allen stopped as he felt a foot go down on his. He shot Van a look. Then he understood, there was no need for Hitomi to know that few people ever got out alive or even got out period.

"Well, little princess, it looks like we have company." Came the cold voice again.

"Who are you?" Van yelled.

"You will soon find out. You will not know, however, what I really look like. For everything here is different from the real world."

Van and Allen stood on both side of Hitomi to keep he safe from who ever had brought her here. Then everything around them changed. They were now standing inside what looked like a bedroom. There was a stone fireplace along on wall and a big puffy bed with white sheet in it. There were books and chairs and a table around the rest of the room. There was also a big red rug in the middle of the floor.

All of a sudden two pairs of chains came and attached themselves to Van and Allen's wrists and ankle pulling them again the wall.

"Van! Allen!" Hitomi cried.

The fire then flared out towards her reminding her of her vision.

"Is this what it was warning me about? This is all my fault." She thought.

She fell to her knees, crying. All of a sudden she stopped, there was a hand going up and down her back. She looked around to see who was doing it. No one to her left, but when she looked to the right to clear blue eyes were staring straight back at her.

"Shh… Come to me." He whispered in her ear.

"What? Who are you?" she asked softly.

They were talking just loud enough for Van and Allen to hear.

"Come to me and all your fear and sorrow will be wiped away."

She just stared at him. He was about a year older than herself and Van, with dark brown hair that hung in his eyes.

"Like Van's hair." She thought to herself.

He had on black pants with a white shirt, and a long flowing dark blue cape. His eyes were mixed though. She could not tell if they were kind or evil and cold. He helped her up and for the first time heard Van and Allen yelling at the man. She didn't look at them, just into the man's dark blue eyes.

"This is so weird. I want to look away, but it is like I can't. Does he have some kind of powers that make me look at him? What is going on." Hitomi thought.

"Hitomi," Came a soft voice.

"Grandma?"

"Hiotmi, this is your mind. Don't let him take control of it. You can do anything you want here. Save your friends and get out of here."

Then she faded away from view. No one had seen her, but Hitomi. Hitomi then realized that she was on her back, on the bed, with this strange man getting ready to bed her.

"Hitomi, snap out of it!" Allen shouted at her.

"Get off of her you monster!" was Van's lovely comment.

She then felt some thing on her neck. She looked down and saw that the man was kissing her neck.

"No," she murmured.

He just ignored her and kept going.

"No!" she yelled." Get off of me!"

She pushed him off and got to her feet. The man looked at her in astonishment. Then his eyes changed like a wild beast's eyes hungry, hungry for her.

"No! Stay away from me! I will not let you control me! This is my mind and I am in control!" She yelled at him.

Suddenly the chains that bond Van and Allen disappeared and new chains bond the man.

"Come to me. Neither of your so-called worlds is where you belong. You belong with me at my side." He told her.

"I don't think so." Said Van as he and Allen came to stand next to her.

"There is no way you or anyone for that matter can protect her. She will came to me freely or be taken by force." The man's voice was now like steel. Then he vanished leaving just he chains behind. They all gave a sigh of relief. He was gone, for now.

"How do we get out of here again?" Hitomi asked.

Van held up the pendent that she had given him. She looked at him in adoration.

"You kept it." She said quietly.

"Ya, why would I get rid of it?"

"I don't know." She said looking at her feet.

"Ok, can we get out of here now?" Allen asked.

"Why don't you like it inside my head?" Hitomi said with a smile.

He just smiled back.

"How come I let her go? That was so stupid of me." Allen thought to himself.

"Ready?" Van asked.

Both of them nodded. He held up the pendent and concentrated. Then a white light enveloped them.

"Damn it! I was so close. Then those two had to start yelling! Ah! This is so irritating!" He screamed passing the room.

"King, please settle down. It will only be three more days till the time is right."

"Can I enter her dreams again?"

"No, Lord, that only works once."

He growled and nodded, sitting down heavily in his chair.

"Very well."

"Wait I think that are coming around." Melerna cried as she saw the three on the large bed start to move.

Allen and Van were the first to wake up. Allen, who was on the end, got up and went over to talk to Gaddes, Melerna, and Dryden. Van stayed next to Hitomi until she opened her eyes.

"Mmm… Van?" she asked a little confused on what had just happened./

"Yes? We made it out safe if that is what you were wondering." He answered.

She nodded and sat up. Her and Van walked over to Merle who instantly hugged them both.

"I am so happy that you guys are ok!" She laughed.

"You sure haven't changed much." Hitomi said laughing.

Merle just stuck out her tongue. Hitomi took a big breath.

"It fells good to be back." She said.

By now everyone was in a big circle.

"How long are you going to be with us this time, Hitomi?" Asked Dryden.

"As long as you will have me." She said with a big smile.

"Forever." Van thought

END OF CHAPTER

Ok that was really long to type and probably read. Next chapter you will meet this mysterious man. Thanks for reading. Buh bye.