Disclaimer: I just don't own it! Get off me freaking back! I don't own Escaflowne or Beauty and the Beast.
The knife was tossed aside and Van knelt next to Hitomi. He gently put one arm under her legs while the other slid under her shoulders. Lifting her up, he had her head rest on his shoulder. Once he was sure his grip was solid, he walked to the center of the path where the trees leaves and branches were bare. Outstretching his wings, he ignored the pain that came with the movement because of the wound. With a few swift pushes of his wings, Van and Hitomi were lifted off the ground and into the night's sky, traveling a path straight to where Van hoped Hitomi would eventually call home.
Chapter 5: Wounds Take Time to Heal
Back in the castle, Dilandau and the other Dragonslayers were shocked to see Van bleeding from a wound with Hitomi unconscious in his arms. No words were needed and Hitomi was brought to her room. With the help of Chesta, the door was opened and the covers upon the bed drawn back so Van could lay her down gently. Others came hurrying in with bandages, water, and clean clothing. Unknown to anyone who might set foot in the castle, a few small girls came in hurriedly behind the boys carrying the supplies. These women included the castle's seamstress, nurse, cleaning ladies, and maids.
Van stepped back from the bed as they all rushed along and helped each other jump on top of the mattress. Each lady started to fuss about with the fallen girl, starting with taking the worn leather jacket off her arms. A hard glare that was given to all the boys to get the point across that none of them were supposed to be in there. Not wanting to deal with the women, everyone turned around and walked out the door, waiting in anticipation for Hitomi's condition.
With much trouble, Hitomi's clothing was taken off without so much as rubbing against a wound. The cuts were cleaned and bandaged while bruises were given ice. Her badly bruised neck was draped with a cold rag while the rest of her body was inspected for any internal wounds. All the women worked quickly and efficiently, soon finding that Hitomi had broken a few ribs, and had cracked even more. Thankfully none of the ribs had punctured any organs and no internal bleeding could be found... at least from the naked eye. Bandages were wrapped around her torso to help her keep from moving her upper body too much. When all was done, a new light silk nightgown was placed on her body and the covers of the bed drawn up around her. All materials were gathered back up again and Hitomi was left in peace.
Exiting in a small group, the ladies silently made their way to the doors. Upon arriving outside the doors, they found a few Dragonslayers and Van, who paced relentlessly, right outside the opening.
"Now don't you go barging in there making a great ruckus," a maid scolded them as a few Dragonslayers were about to run in. "She needs her rest... it has been a long night for everyone. Please, if you go in to see her, don't disturb her wounds or cause her to do anything to do more damage."
All the women nodded in agreement, turned away and walked sleepily back to their quarters. Dilandau looked at all her Dragonslayers and decided against bringing them all in to see Hitomi. "You will all see her when she is back on her feet. Go and get some rest. There doesn't seem to be anything of concern."
Chesta, Dilandau, and Van were the only ones left standing outside the door, but Van suddenly seemed to make up his mind about going in, gave a low huff of breath, and stalked away down the hall. Dilandau and Chesta just looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. They just wouldn't even ask. Their visit was short for Hitomi didn't stir and not much could be done on their part. Seeing the extent of damage with their own eyes was enough to know it would take quite some time for her body to heal. Giving off a light sigh, Chesta whispered goodnight to Hitomi and made his way back to his sleeping quarters. Dilandau lingered only a little longer but followed after Chesta after frowning at her bruised and battered body.
'Whatever happened, it was a good thing that Lord Van found her in time...' Dilandau admitted to herself.
With large doors now closed and curtains drawn, no sound echoed in the halls of the immense castle. But one large figure crept with bare feet along the cold marble floors, never making any sudden noises. The person stopped short to listen for any wandering sounds but upon hearing none, they crept closer to the large wooden doors. With unheard movements, the door opened and closed with only a rustle of wind and slight noise of the hinges. Their crimson eyes were softly glowing as they made their way over towards the sleeping figure lying in the bed. A fire was burning with the occasional snap and crack of the ambers, giving its warmth to the surrounding air.
Golden hair reflected the glow in the room while certain strands clung to a damp forehead. Each step taken towards Hitomi was slow and cautious. Her very presence seemed to be that of an illusion and if one were to run to it too quickly, it would disappear. Dark wings upon her visitors back were shifted around as he stood nervously looking upon her. Not much damage could be seen for her clothing and the blankets on top of the bed deceived the eye, but Van knew the extent of damage without further inspection or report from the women. Her battered body was clear to his eye when he found her and he feared for her life deep inside his heart. But why did he fear for her safety?
Was it because of the curse? He had little time left... yes... but did he truly expect someone to fall in love with him when he kept them prisoner? The curse haunted him day and night, never letting his mind rest. It's strange... when he first saw Hitomi in his castle, he wanted to kill her. He cared for no one and the very thought of someone else trespassing in his home made him furious. Only when her compassion for her father and strong will that told her to take his place did he once again remember the curse. She would possibly be his last hope and he wouldn't let it slip through his fingers.
Not being very good or practiced at human kindness, many events had not been turning out the way he had expected. With every day he let his true self show, he pushed his chances of turning everything back to normal further away. He was afraid... afraid because of what he had caused.
"What I caused..." he told himself.
'No... I didn't do this...' but Van started to question himself as he once again imagined the wounds upon Hitomi's body.
'You were the one to cause her all this pain...' a voice in his head said.
'It was her fault for running out of the castle. I told her not to go in the West Wing... but what did she do?' Van reproached.
'You can't blame her you know. If she is expected to live in the castle for the rest of her life, which may I remind you was your deal with her, she is going to want to see all of it. She won't listen all the time. You can't really expect anyone to.'
'She was the one who agreed in taking her father's place.'
His inner voice sighed, 'Being highly emotional, finding your father stuck in a cell in a huge castle you never knew anything about, and suddenly meeting a being you've never seen before can make a person act hastily. Were you even thinking at the time?'
Now there was only silence and the battering going on in Van's conscious mind had ceased. Hitomi's innocent face stirred slightly as if she felt Van's presence but wished not to open her eyes. Seeing that Hitomi was starting to wake up, Van feared to make any sudden noises. He did not wish to make his presence known.
With feet not moving and the fire still crackling, Hitomi's eyelids sluggishly opened. Squinting and blinking to the light from the fire, it took her quite some time to gather where she was. Her body felt stiff and numb, her head felt the beating of her heart from the pain that throbbed in it. With eyes still half closed, Hitomi let her mind question where she was and why it was so hard to breath.
To Van, she looked half asleep and took the chance to shift towards the door. Hitomi on the other hand heard the slight noise and shifted her head against the pillow to find the source of the sound. Upon seeing Van, memories of fleeing the castle and her encounter with the gang flooded back. But how in the world did she end up back in the castle?
Frozen in place, Van stared at Hitomi, eyes wide with recognition. Yes... those eyes showed fear of him, but held something else. Seemingly wanting to talk to him, she lifted herself into a sitting position on the bed. The motion caused her to wrap her arms around her upper body from the intense pain and she struggled to take a breath without gasping in pain. Caught by surprise at her willingness to confront him, black wings followed suit as Van rushed towards the injured girl. Without thinking, he propped up a few pillows against the headboard and forced Hitomi's curled body to straighten out and lean back. With chest heaving and face contorted with pain, Hitomi's tightly shut eyes relaxed with time and gradually opened to reflect the soft glow of the fire's light.
"Are you alright?" he asked softly from his spot at the edge of her bed.
It was the first time he had spoken with true sincerity in his voice and she was shocked from it. "Ye... yes. I'm ok now."
"You shouldn't move much. There was a lot of damage done on your ribs. They won't heal overnight so take it easy."
When she was informed on this, she looked down at her torso and felt through the fabric of her gown the many bandages that were wrapped around her rib cage. The thought of who had bandaged her though lingered in her mind. "You didn't... put the bandages on me... did you?" she managed to get out with some embarrassment.
Both Van and Hitomi blushed at the comment and Van stammered, "N... no... I had my other servants do it. There are woman that live here that you have never seen before. They fixed you up."
Van sighed in relief that he got it off his chest, but the next question made him feel uncomfortable and slightly irritated.
"How much more do you plan on keeping hidden?" she asked him straight out.
"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"
"You expect me to live here the rest of my life, though I'm restricted and I have to watch everywhere I go? Everything I do or anyone I meet becomes a new surprise that I wasn't warned or told about before hand!"
"What do you mean? I warned you NEVER to go in the West Wing, and where did you go?"
Hitomi shook her head in disbelief. "Do you honestly expect someone who you're keeping prisoner to stay away from a place you emphasize so greatly to not enter because it holds a great secret?"
"Secrets should be kept secret. One shouldn't go snooping around in other people's business!"
"Well you could have told me to leave without starting an outrage when you found me there!" Hitomi yelled at him.
Van, upon this, stayed silent. Hitomi on the other hand continued in a lower voice, "Do you know how to just talk normally without scaring everyone half to death? I was so frightened when you started to yell that I ran in fear for my life."
Hitomi looked down at the covers and at her hands. She told him the truth and it seemed to hit him hard. He closed his eyes tightly and looked the opposite way, almost as if he were ashamed of his behavior. His hands clenched into fists, and deciding that he had had enough of her talk, he turned to leave. Hitomi heard his footsteps across the floor, looked up from her hands, and called out to him. "Wait!"
She didn't stop him because she had more to say, but an area on his wings was darker than the rest, the gray tinted with red that was barely noticeable in the low lighting.
At her call to him, he stopped but refused to turn around. If she had something to say, she could say it to him without her seeing his expression, but with the sound of the bed sheets rustling, he whipped around to witness Hitomi swing her legs over the edge of the mattress and stand with much difficulty. Van stood frozen by her determination, not even rushing towards her when her face became flushed with pain. She carefully and slowly walked towards him while he watched her.
Confusion was in Van's eyes as he looked down at the girl standing in front of him. A tender hand reached, not touching his wing, to merely point out or question the wound which he had received from the knife. With a little stretch of his wing, the wound became clearly visible. Hitomi averted her eyes away from the dried blood, knowing she was the cause of it. She breathed in slowly and turned her head towards his.
"Please let me clean it. It's the least I can do as payment for saving my life," she told him.
Van made a quick reply, "I'll be fine. It's not serious. I need to be going now."
"What if it gets infected? Please at least let me clean it."
"You shouldn't be doing anything but getting rest. You shouldn't even be moving much less standing," Van scolded her.
"I'm the cause of this," her eyes looked over the blood. "Can't you stop being so stubborn for a second and just accept someone else's kindness?"
Van didn't have anything to say to this. Still she continued to talk back to him, and knowing she had made a good point he sighed in defeat, nodding his head in consent to let her know she could do what she wished.
Hitomi smiled, thankful that she could repay him without his temper exploding. Motioning for him to sit on the bed, he looked at her oddly for only a moment before complying and sitting upon the cushioned surface. Hitomi walked to a table where a bowl of water was kept, a rag sitting next to it. The piece of cloth was soaked in the water for a moment then rung out by Hitomi's shaky hands. When she turned around to where Van was sitting with an uncomfortable look, she found his wings pulled in close to his body. Reaching out to his injured wing, she grabbed the edge of it and tried to pull it open, only to find that every time she pulled it out, Van retracted it, thus hiding the wound.
Hitomi reached out and tried again but Van continued to be stubborn, "Just hold still..." and she stretched his wing out and pressed the cloth against the wound.
Van shouted in pain and growled deep in the back of his throat, whipping his head around to glare at Hitomi. "That hurt!"
"Well if you would stop moving and just let me help you, then it wouldn't hurt as much!" she yelled back.
"If you wouldn't have run away, this would have never happened!"
"I wouldn't have run away if you hadn't frightened me!"
"You should have never been in the West Wing to begin with!"
"You should learn to control your temper!"
Silence.
To break the awkward air, Hitomi pulled Van's wing open once again, only to find that he didn't pull back on it. She cleaned the blood off the surrounding feathers and carefully cleaned the stab. When he winced, she paused for a second or two, but continued with her work, being more careful than before. Her fatigue was evident but Hitomi refused to stop until she was done.
When both were starting to get comfortable being so near each other, Hitomi spoke to him in voice that matched the gentleness she was using while cleaning his wound, "I want to thank you... for saving my life..."
Van looked up at her face which was concentrated on his wing then looked down at the floor, suddenly interested in the wood grain. Before he knew what he was doing, he spoke. The words were rare and foreign to his tongue, but each was spoken with sincerity. "You're welcome..."
Allen
"I don't usually leave the prison in the middle of the night... I hope what you called me here for is worth my while."
Three men, two of which were Allen and Gaddes, sat at a table in a bar which was closed for the night. The man sitting across from the two was old and had wrinkles that sagged upon his dusty skin. His eyes were set so far back into his head, the shadows around his eyes looked like never ending pits in the earth. Thinning hands were folded on top of the table and coarse silver hair flowed down from a balding head.
Upon his comment, Allen reached behind him and grabbed a stack of money. The rubber-banded bills was thrown onto the flat surface right in front of the man. Picking it up, he flipped through the bills quickly then upturned his lips slightly in a thin line. "I'm listening..."
"It's like this... I got my heart set on Hitomi, but she needs... a little persuasion," Allen explained.
"Turned him down flat... flat on his face..." Gaddes piped in and laughed aloud but was cut off rather quickly when Allen gave him a sharp look.
Allen continued, "Her father came running in here last night raving about a demon and how he's got Hitomi locked up. Everyone knows he hasn't been the same since his wife died."
"But he is harmless..." said the man.
"The point is... Hitomi would do anything to keep from loosing him. She lost one of her parents already and she won't let go of her father very easily."
Gaddes laughed to himself a bit, "She would even be with him." He threw a thumb in Allen's direction but shrunk away when a threatening fist was raised in his direction.
"So you want me to throw her father into prison unless she agrees to be with you. That is the most despicable thing I have ever heard..." the man closed his eyes and paused for a moment but lifted his head and gave both a cruel look. "I love it."
With a plan in motion, Allen smiled to himself.
Hitomi's House
Mr. Kanzaki rummaged about his house, getting supplies he thought he would need on his trip back to the castle. All were stuffed into a backpack and thrown over his shoulders.
"If no one will come with me, I'll go by myself. I have to save Hitomi. I will not loose her."
Grabbing some gloves and a hat, he walked to the garage where he pulled out his bicycle. It hadn't been used in years, but nothing would hinder it from being used. Not caring if the door was left open or not, he jumped on it and rode down the driveway, struggling to peddle because of the gash on his leg and the few cuts and bruises on his body. He rode straight back towards the castle, pushing himself as hard as he could. Little did he know that he left his house just in time.
A car pulled into the driveway and parked. Two figures stepped out and made their way up to the open garage door. Walking inside, they went through the unlocked door that connected to the house.
"Kanzaki! Hitomi! Are you here?" Allen shouted through the dark house.
"Looks like no one's home... guess it's not going to work after all," Gaddes started to walk away, showing how much he didn't like what he was doing, but was grabbed from the back of his collar by Allen.
An angered and impatient Allen strode back to the door, pulling Gaddes with him. When they arrived outside, Allen spoke directly to his partner in the scheme, "They have to come home sometime. They WILL come back, and when they do, you're going to be the first one to know. Park across the street in your car and don't move until they get home. Tell me once they arrive... got it?"
But Allen didn't even wait for a reply for he pushed Gaddes away from him and jumped back into his car, starting it up and driving away without so much as another word. Gaddes sighed deeply and let his shoulders sag. He didn't like it... he didn't like it at all.
The Castle
Van leaned against the railing of a balcony facing the courtyard. Looking down below, he could see Hitomi waving her hands around. Anyone who looked at her would think she was going crazy but as soon as you were to look up, everything would become clear. One of the machines that had carried Hitomi's father off was floating above the ground, a very large object in its metal claws hanging below it. Both machine, which Hitomi came to know as guymelefs, and the object below it swung dangerously. Van watched in much amusement as Hitomi yelled orders at the Dragonslayer piloting the mini guymelef.
"Chesta, be careful! Don't damage my bike any more than it is!" she yelled.
"I'm trying! But your bike is just breaking the weight limits I'm able to hold!" the struggling Dragonslayer managed to yell back.
"I think its ok! Put it down right here!"
Chesta, relieved that he could set her motorcycle down, lowered the guymelef until he felt the cargo touch the grass. The metal claw unwrapped from it and retracted.
After hearing a "Thanks Chesta!" from Hitomi, he flew off to put the guymelef back at its station. Hitomi walked over to her bike, her violet skirt flowing around her legs, and started inspecting it right away. Her ribs were still in the process of healing which made her take great caution to what she did, but a few days had already past, giving Hitomi most of her strength and mobility back. After looking over the exterior and checking pipes, and buttons here and there, she came to the conclusion that fixing it would be no problem and that having it run again would only take minor repairs. The worst of the damage was done on the exterior with scratches and dents all along the left side of the bike.
The breeze caught Hitomi's hair and made it fly away from her face, revealing her smiling and pleased features. Van who was still looking upon her from above felt something stir within his heart. It was all new to him for he had never held love for another within him. Dilandau, who was on the balcony with him, noticed the soft change of expression in his eyes. The need to follow his eyes and find where he was looking would prove pointless. Dilandau giggled out loud in turn making Van turn his gaze towards her. Van only looked at her with a raised eyebrow as if asking what was so funny.
As if knowing what he was about to say, Dilandau spoke up. "You're starting to like her... aren't you?"
Van was about to object to Dilandau's statement until he noticed her gaze on his wing. By stretching it out only a little, the wound he had received became more visible and with that wound, an image flashed before his eyes.
"No one has ever stood up to me the way she does. When she first saw me, she was scared... but who wouldn't be? After she saw what I was, she didn't care. I would yell, and she would yell right back. No matter what the threat, she always had some way of defying me and refused to obey my orders. She's making me realize more things about myself than I have ever cared to see. She can be so strong at times and can ruffle my feathers the wrong way, but there are moments when she is gentle and will see past what I am." Van's fingers gently traced over his wound.
Van, who was in a trace like dream world, suddenly snapped out of it and looked at Dilandau, with excitement evident in his eyes. "I want to do something for her."
Dilandau started thinking of ideas that could help Van and voiced them, "Well there is the usual. Chocolates, roses... promises you don't intend to keep..."
Van interrupted him, "No, no... it needs to be something special, something that will spark her interest."
Both were locked in deep thought and when they started to draw blanks, Hitomi was in their sights once more. Chesta was now standing beside Hitomi who was still looking over her bike. She started to point out different mechanics of the bike for the little Dragonslayer had never seen anything quite like it. The smile that came from Hitomi was one that was thrilled to be sharing her joy with another and from this happiness did Van realize exactly what he wanted to do for her.
Too excited to wait, Van jumped on the balcony rail, spread his wings out, and walked off the edge. He landed softly a little ways from where Hitomi stood by using his wings to slow his descent. He walked over to her bike where she was still explaining every bit to a curious Chesta. Being the first to notice him, Chesta looked at Van which made Hitomi stop in the middle of her sentence to turn and greet the lord of the castle.
Van spoke in an apologetic tone towards Hitomi, "I'm sorry if I interrupted you, but I would like to show you something."
Chesta looked as if he were in shock. Did he just hear right? Did he hear an apology come from his master's mouth? Was he being nice? Hitomi didn't seem to be affected in the same way and merely shook her head. "No, it's ok. What is it that you want me to see?"
"It's a surprise," replied Van.
Hitomi looked at him skeptically for a moment, but saw the seriousness in his face and the excitement, which he tried to hide, in his eyes. Looking back down at Chesta, she apologized but was surprised when he started wave his hands in front of him saying it was ok and that she go off with Van. Hitomi blinked a few times and questioned Chesta's quick change in behavior but pushed her worries aside as she did not want to keep Van waiting.
Seeing as Hitomi had in a way agreed to go with him, he motioned towards the back of the castle, "Follow me."
Walking in silence, Van, excited for what he was to show her, quickened his pace making Hitomi more anxious. Upon reaching the back of the castle, Hitomi was invaded with structures that she had never seen before. A greenhouse entirely made of glass and a huge stone building that was set into the trees further from the castle sat alone. Vines crept along the walls of the structure within the shade of the forest nearly hiding all signs of an entrance. As Hitomi struggled her way through knee deep grass and weeds, she noticed that the whole area looked abandoned. The greenhouse was bare with no signs of plant life and the glass did not show its clarity by letting sun in. Rather it looked like opaque glass trying to hide the contents of a secret place in the back of the castle.
Van noticed her difficulties in traveling, especially with her ribs being in the condition they were, and slowed his pace. Hitomi was filled with too much curiosity to keep from asking what exactly he wanted to show her. "So what do you need to show me anyways?"
Even though Van could see her need to know, he told her nothing, "I'm not telling. You will just have to see it for yourself."
She sighed aloud, obviously going through all the possibilities of what he was to show her. Time passed quickly as they strolled towards the stone building and soon Hitomi found herself staring up an ancient structure that from the looks of it only had a door. The door, made of a dark, dry wood, stood covered with vines and moss, its handles wrapped in the plants as well. Not wasting any time, Van grabbed hold of the vines keeping the door shut and pulled on them. Most came free easily and with only the ones that were in the way now gone, Van pulled with all his strength on the door. The plants that grew along the rest of the door broke free when the wood creakily gave way.
The entire building was one giant room and the only light was that which beamed in from the entrance. An ancient smell rose about and drafted with the opening motion of the door. Van seemed to peek in the giant room first and turned back suddenly to Hitomi who was trying to peek around him, curious as to what was in the enormous place. She looked at him when he turned to face her, Van not even noticing she was trying to sneak a quick glance inside.
"Close your eyes and don't open them till I tell you. Remember that it's a surprise, but be patient because this might take a while. Since there isn't enough light inside I'm going to bring it out," Van told her this as gently as he could. Before he disappeared behind both doors, he added in for her to get as far away as she could from the entrance.
She gave him a suspicious glance but he didn't take witness to it for his head went out of sight into the musty old structure. Shrugging her shoulders, she stepped away from the wooden doors onto the grass and closed her eyes. All was quiet around her until loud grinding noises and air compression echoed out of the building. Her wonder increased with each passing second, her mind racing as to exactly what he could be getting. Before long, the ground beneath her started to shake which made her struggle to keep her balance, especially with her eyes closed. After a few rumbles, the earth beneath her sat silent. She thought all the commotion was over, but barely seconds after the ground stopped moving, the rusty hinges on the doors ground upon each other causing a shrill screech louder than the last to vibrate around her.
Just as suddenly as it had stopped, the huge thuds on the ground continued. They came closer to her and Hitomi wanted to do nothing more than to open her eyes. The object had to be enormous. A waft of wind brushed around her and getting extremely curious she shouted out in the direction she thought he was, "Can I open them now?"
Van's voice answered from above her, "Yes! Open them now!"
Immediately uncovering her eyes and squinting against the light that had been blocked from her sight, Hitomi looked at what lay in front of her. At her height, she only saw the legs of a giant machine. Until her head tilted back to face the sky did she start to stumble backwards upon seeing the whole body. Hitomi's mouth fell agape as she gazed upon the shining metal surface and reflective crystal like structures.
The machine stood with beauty. Off-white in color, the hunk of metal represented a man in a suit of armor. What awed everyone who laid eyes on it though was the giant cape connected to its back. The giant piece of red material extended from shoulders to ground, flowing as freely as silk in the light breeze. A pink crystal took the place of where a human's heart would be and looked as if it were glowing. As Hitomi was looking the giant piece of machinery over, she searched for a sign of Van. After looking with her eyes, she called out his name, "Van? Where are you?"
A laugh erupted from inside the machine, Hitomi's eyes immediately squinting at what looked like grating on the face. Just as she laid eyes on it, the grating/visor slid upwards, Van's face appearing behind it. Hitomi, startled at the sudden movement, jumped away slightly.
Van's voice broke through her surprise, "It's called Escaflowne. It has been in my family for generations. This was actually used in wars and has spilled the blood of many people from centuries ago. That's what I was told at least... time has taken its toll and now it just sits in this building. I haven't touched it in years."
"It sure looks like its seen better days," Hitomi replied.
"You'd be surprised at what this can actually do," Van yelled from his position. "You might want to get out of the way for this."
The warning came and Hitomi obeyed. She backed away even more but never took her eyes off of Escaflowne. Having no idea of what exactly was to happen, Hitomi started to get tense. It was seconds later when the machine's feet disappeared and all the limbs and pieces of the armor shifted this way and that, forming an entirely different object.
It seemed as though the giant mechanism had finished when it landed on the ground. With a release of pressure, a door popped open on its back and Van jumped out from it. Hitomi started to near it once again until from its sides pieces of metal unfolded like bones to a wing and with that, the cloth that was once the cape stretched out, creating the skin of the wing itself. The transformation was complete, but Hitomi was still unsure if it was safe. Van saw her uncertainty and used his own wings to glide down from Escaflowne to where she stood.
"So what do you think of it?" he asked her as his feet touched the ground.
Hitomi thought for a second, still taking in the enormous machine before her. Before it looked like a person... now it took the form of a giant dragon. "It's really hard to find words to describe it. In one word... amazing." Van smiled at her answer. "I've never seen anything like it before. More or less I've never heard of anything such as this. You would think that in kid's fairy tales or even in scriptures from the people before us that someone would learn of such a machine."
"But no one does know about it. Only the people within my castle, myself, and you know about Escaflowne. I trust you will keep this to yourself."
"Of course I will," Hitomi said rather quickly.
Van chuckled at her hasty reply, "Well, do you want to stand around all day staring at it or do you want to ride it?"
Hitomi's expression didn't waver as if she didn't hear him, and when Van didn't receive a reply he questioned her again, coming close to loosing his patience. "Hitomi... did you hear me?"
She looked at him. "I didn't know if I was hearing right... did you ask if I wanted to... ride on it?"
"Yes I asked if you wanted to ride on it. Well fly to be more exact," he replied as his posture softened.
Hitomi blinked a few times, "Did you say fly? Are you sure that's..."
"Safe?" Van finished her sentence. "Of course it's safe. And if anything happens, I assure you that I will protect you."
The sincerity in his eyes could clearly be seen and Hitomi felt that she could trust him with her life. Feeling a deep calm spread throughout her mind and body, she nodded her head.
Excitement lit up in Van's eyes. He gently took hold of her hand and led her closer to Escaflowne's dragon form. When they reached its body, Van picked Hitomi up bridal style earning a yelp of surprise and pain from her. With a push of his legs and lift with his wings both flew gracefully up to Escaflowne's back. Setting her down, Van moved towards its neck where he grabbed two handles attached to some sort of wire coming from the machine. Van turned his head around to face Hitomi's still curious one which was still exploring with her eyes.
"You can come sit in front of me. My wings would get in the way if you were to hang on from behind."
Hearing Van's voice snapped Hitomi out of her amazement and made her move to where he stood. Van lifted his arm and Hitomi ducked under it to get settled in front of him. Once Hitomi was settled and Van was situated with himself, he pulled back on the handles. Hitomi's muscles tensed up drastically as the enormous piece of metal shifted around and started to lift off the ground. Watching as the ground got farther away with each passing second, Hitomi closed her eyes tightly. Not knowing what was happening, a rush of air towards her face made her open her eyes. No longer were they moving up, but now they were going forward. Van gave off a mighty laugh as Hitomi peeked through her eyelids.
He yelled over the noise of the rushing wind, "Don't be scared Hitomi. You're going to miss so much! Open your eyes and take a look at your town!"
The exhilaration in his voice made her open one eye fully to the sights around them. What that one eye saw though caused a chain reaction to make the other eye shoot open as well. The sight was amazing. A little ways distance was the castle, and much further from that was Hitomi's town. The sky was filled with light fluffy clouds and the horizon was just changing to the colors of sundown. All of it took Hitomi's breath away as she gazed in amazement at all the wonders she was coming to witness. Van, having seen it all, gazed at the girl in front of him, eyes full of joy and exhilaration. He felt content because of her presence. It was in a way, scary but amazing to feel as such. All the worries about the curse seemed to be forgotten, if only for just a moment, and left Van to enjoy himself.
The wind pushed against his wings sending ripples down each of his gray feathers. Hitomi's hair flew in every direction with the air flying around their forms and both their laughter rang throughout the sky. For these two people, this moment was good, and it didn't matter what was going on. All the two passengers of the unknown armor knew was that anything else going on didn't involve them and that this time was theirs. What Hitomi would never realize though is that in these moments, she had caused Van to be happy for the first time...
Reasons for not getting this out sooner: I had finals for it was the end of the school year and I now am working two jobs. Busy? I think so. I'm sure that the next chapter will be the last, so review while you can. Critiquing is welcome. Thanks for reading and reviewing.