This fic is an alternate ending. The Esca Peeps have left Fried and have come to a new country Valonia seeking help fro the King Greggory
Bonia.
I don't own Escaflowne or the characters though I wish I did:)
Chapter1: Night of the Dragon
Hitomi walked peacefully down the corridor. She ran her delicate fingers through her sandy brown hair. She had been inside the castle for days. She needed new scenery. Hitomi walked towards the castles grand entry filled with royal portraits and elaborate murals. Two staircases formed a half circle and came down the sides of the room. In front of her stood the massive Oak doors her gate to freedom. She approached them slowly still admiring the castles beauty, reaching down she twisted the handle letting the door swing open. As she walked out the winds cold bite caused her to instinctively hold Her jacket closer. She crossed the castles front grounds heading for the gardens south of the castle. It was beautiful, trees engulfed the grounds, the grass was lush and flowers of every kind could be seen.
Down through the stretch a small stream with bridges crossing over it. She was enjoying her peaceful walk by the river when something came crashing into her knocking her into the chilled water. She surfaced with a gasp, looking around to see what had just happened.
Lying next to her in the water coughing was Van. Van looked up to see who it was that he had collided with. His chestnut eyes meet Hitomi's emeralds and he blushed in embarrassment.
"Oh Hitomi, I'm so… so..." his sentence was stopped abruptly by Hitomi's hand over his mouth. She leaned in closer to his face and began to glare. Van's eyes widened and Hitomi was smiling inwardly in amusement by the look of distress on his face. She removed her hand from his mouth and started laughing. Van stared a moment not understanding her expressions.
Hitomi lunged forward hugging him
"It's ok Van, I need some excitement, I was going out of my mind with boredom" she exclaimed removing her arms from around his neck and tossed them in the air to
exaggerate her words. She stood and stretched out her hand to
Van
"Need a hand?" she teased. Van finally let out half a smile at the realization that she was teasing him, and reached out a hand to grasp
Hitomi's who quickly pulled him up.
"Really Van, you need to lighten up, You should have seen your face" she teased as she rang out her jacket. Van started laughing, and Hitomi stopped to stare. She had been on this world two months and she rarely saw Van so much as give a smile let alone laugh. Van looked at her a moment
"Is something wrong?" he inquired. She smiled at him
"I was just thinking" She said as she stepped onto the bank.
"About what?" Van persisted stepping out with her.
"It's just..."she paused a moment
"Just what?" he urged her to keep going.
"I've been here sometime now and, well I've never heard you laugh before now. It makes me..."she searched her mind for what to say, her eyes sparkling with sincerity
"...It makes me happy" she finally finished looking at her shoes. There was silence between them for a moment
"I'm sorry Van, if
I've made you uncomfortable?" she said frowning.
"No, No" Van waved his hands in front of him.
"You're right, I haven't laughed, not in a long time" Hitomi smiled and hugged his neck, causing his eyes to widen.
"You should more often, I like you best when you smile" she released her hold on his neck, and began to walk away leaving Van standing with his mouth slightly gaped. He stood there without a word.
He watched her as she climbed the cement stairs to the balcony and disappeared behind the glass doors of her chambers. He smiled again
He never noticed how much she had meant to him till now. Her words gave him life. He headed towards his own room now to change out of his drenched clothes.
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Hitomi sat in her room brushing her hair. She thought that she had loved Allen but she was mistaken it was just a crush. She had slowly fallen for Van, but he had shown no interest. She kept her feelings hidden in fear of being rejected. She looked down at her pendant, if the time came would she go home or stay. She sat her brush down on the large dresser, and gazed deeply into the mirror. Could Van ever love her? She asked herself as she touched the reflection gently and closed her eyes. She stood and walked out onto the balcony. The sun was sleeping the night away and the stars shown brightly in the cloudless sky. She reached the balcony's edge and sat down on the cement ledge and gazed dreamily at the larger moon, her home.
"Hitomi?" came a shout from behind her. She turned her head to see Merle run up and sit next to her, followed by Van who casually walked up and sat on the other side of Them.
"You miss it don't you?" Merle asked
"Yes I do, but..." Hitomi paused. Merles ears perked up
"But what?" she pressured Hitomi to continue.
"Um...it's nothing" Hitomi finally answered. Merle crossed her arms and scowled.
"Your so stubborn" Hitomi just ignored the comment and closed her eyes. Van stared deeply at her trying to make out the emotions on her face.
"Van, do you think I will ever get home?" Hitomi's eyes seemed to be pleading.
"I don't know" he said looking at his hands.
"You don't have to leave you know" she looked at him
"Not leave, but why?" her eyes wide with surprise. Van sat a moment "cause I...I" he stuttered.
"I need you to help us, we can't fight Zaibach without your powers" he finished looking into the sky before closing his eyes. Though Van did not see Hitomi's face it held a pained expression. His words could have torn her soul in half. She wanted to scream at him. He considered her a weapon nothing more. Her eyes closed tight trying to hold back her tears. She had shown emotional weakness to many times in front of them, not again. She bit her lip and grasped her shirt
"How?" she began but stopped when her voice cracked. She couldn't do this. She looked at Van who was leaned back against a column with his eyes still closed. She lost her thought at the sound of footsteps behind her. She turned to see Allen and his men standing near Merle.
"What are you doing out here?" Allen asked with a smile. Van looked up just in time to see Hitomi jump up and run down the stairs. Van frowned inwardly. He had just hurt her badly.
"I can't believe you said that" Merle spouted angerly. She loved Van and had been jealous of Hitomi, but she hadn't deserved to be hurt like that.
She knew Van was lying.
"What's going on?" Allen demanded to know.
"Van told..." Merle was stopped by Van interrupting her.
"I told Hitomi something and she took it wrong" he said sadly.
"Sure" Merle exaggerated. Allen was about to scold him but he brought his attention to Katz who walked passed them towards the ledge.
"Where the hell does she think she's going?" They looked out over the grounds to see Hitomi swiftly approaching the Valonian forests.
"She can't go in there that place is infested with thieves and all sorts of other scum" Pyle added. What have I done thought Van as He started down the steps quickly followed by Allen and the others.
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Hitomi was within the forests running with lightening speed. She paid no heed to the sting of branches lashing at her bare legs. Her eyes were red from the tears that flowed so freely from them. She was jerked violently to a stop when her jacket caught on bush. She pulled and tugged persistently but could not pull free. Her shaking fingers slid across her jacket buttons undoing them. Hitomi slipped out of it and restarted her journey deeper into the trees leaving behind her jacket that dangled half way on the bush and half on the ground. She ran without slowing down not even looking back when she stopped abruptly at the sight of a clearing. A large cliff stood proud, towering above the trees, A waterfall of crystal waters poured over it like etched glass in the moon light. The waters gathered into a small pool before continuing its journey as far as the eye could see. She raised her shaking hand to wipe the tears that filled her eyes. The words that Van spoke were like a dagger in her heart. A weapon that's all I am to Him nothing more than a weapon. She slowly staggered towards the bank of the pool and dropped to her knees and looked intensely at the reflection staring back at her. She picked up a small rock that sat by her and threw it angrily at her reflection causing a large splash distorting the images that shown in it like a mirror as ripples spread across to the side.
"I can't believe I could have been so blind" her mind screamed. She threw the rest of her body to the ground grasping tightly to the moist ground that muffled her sobs. Her body shivered with every cold breeze that blew across her icy skin. A loud crack of splintering wood brought her sobs to a halt. She lifted her head to see what had made the noise. She could hear leaves crunching around her.
"Is...Is someone there?" she breathed. Hitomi stared deep into the bushes in front of her. Her eyes widened with fear.
"Who's there?" the crack of another twig echoed by. She focused on its origin and gasped when she saw the shadows moving. Five figures began to emerge from the darkness. Hitomi stumbled to her feet.
"Who are you?" The five men were gruff and dirty. They looked dark and muscular.
"Hey there girly, what are you doing out here all alone?" one of them said as they approached her.
" Get away from me!" she screamed. Therir laughs could freeze her blood, she turned to run but a rough hand gripped her forearm bruising her. "Stop! Let go of me please...please stop...don't...stop!" she screamed in fear. They held her down and rummaged through her pockets.
"She has nothing of value on her boss"
"Wait!" one interrupted as he reached for her pendant. She began to kick violently and scratched the leader across the face with her nails. The leader jumped back in shock releasing his hold on her. Hitomi ran for the towering cliff with the men shouting and cursing from behind her. "Somebody help me!" she cried as she started to climb the steep path that was on the side of the cliff, the men grabbing at her ankles.
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"Hitomi!" Merle cried
"Merle what is it?" Van reached down grasping Merles arms pulling her close to him.
"Hitomi, I can hear her screaming!" she gasped with fear.
"Merle this is important can you tell which direction it is coming from?" Allen pleaded.
"Yes its coming from over there "she whimpered as she pointed to the Northwest.
"You heard her, lets go!" The men ran with great speed in the direction in which was pointed out. The only light that lit they're path was the occasional beams from the two moons pouring in from the openings in the treetops.
"Boss, its Hitomi's jacket!" Reeden shouted as the crew slowed down at the sight of him running in front of them waving the jacket. Allen took the dirt, incrusted jacket from him.
"She's obviously been through here, lets keep going" He ordered.
"Stop, get away from me!" came a faint cry echoing in the darkness. "Hitomi!" Van yelled as he sprinted ahead of Allen towards the shout.
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Hitomi had reached the top of the towering rocks, but was still being followed. She looked around for a place to run. She was above the trees like she was on a sky scrapper, and you could see Valonia's castle. The sight of her Assailants hands grasping onto the edge pulling themselves up brought fear in hear heart. They blocked the only way down. They gathered behind her and slowly crept closer to her shaking form. Every step they took she took one back till the sound of pebbles falling over the edge caused her to look down. She stood with her heels to the edge she could hear their laughs, they're pleasure in her fear.
"There's nowhere to run little girl" The leader said while he approached her ahead of the others holding in his hand a large club. "Give me the necklace girly!" he growled.
"Never!" she spat.
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A stranger's eye lurked in the darkness below. He had been awakened by the cries of the young girl. His golden eyes peered out intently from behind the waterfall. From within the secret cave he called home. His eyes burned with fire, his snowy white skin was dry and cold as ice, His size enormous and fierce. His mind was at war within himself. To leave the safety of his lair would mean exposing his sanctuary, which would bring about his undoing. The Knights and people of Valonia would surely come after him with their swords and arrows. He did not want to fight, he did not want to die, but neither did he wish to stand by as an innocent's life was snuffed out at the hands of the demons he so greatly feared. He curled up and tried to ignore the events unfolding around him. He closed his eyes, but this brought him no comfort for her face was etched on the back of his lids, her scream echoed through his mind. If she died he would live with that for years to come, surely the torture his mind would bring would be a fate worse than death. He stood with a grunt he could not let her die.
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Hitomi's eyes widened at the sight of a club approaching her head. She felt intense pain as it struck her causing her to cry out, and stumble back her feet hit nothing but air ,and she was now plummeting to the ground.
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The scream pierced the groups ears who where now close enough to hear. Van began to scream inwardly at himself. He was the reason she had run off, and now if anything happened to her he couldn't, wouldn't forgive himself. He loved her he couldn't tell her, and now the last words he spoke were those which he deeply regretted. Now all that was present in his mind was her screams repeating telling him he was loosing her.
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Hitomi saw the sky getting further away. She could sense the ground coming up on her quickly. She saw her assailants looking down at her.
Suddenly the sound of the waterfall was distorted, and it burst forth with great force. She closed her eyes as water plowed over her. She was no longer falling, her attackers were panicked and running. She turned to see her rescuer and found herself staring into golden eyes. She froze in fear
"A dragon!" He was staring at her is eyes did not look like those of a monster they seemed gentle and inquisitive. Her head pounded, but she was no longer afraid. She smiled in amazement, but it quickly faded when her vision blurred. She grabbed her head as it painfully throbbed then darkness claimed her. Asland looked down at her never had a human look at him in such a way. He smiled to himself this was a human worth saving. He new he would no regret his decisions
"Hitomi!" someone called it continued over and over growing nearer. He lifted an eyebrow in confusion. He looked down at the young girl in his hand. She's the girl they are calling for, they've come for her but they must not see him. He laid her down on the bank then stroked her back once before backing into his lair. He watched a figure appear, it was a small cat-girl with the look of concern on her face and worry.
"Hitomi!" she cried as she raced to her side. She looked at Hitomi's hair, which was matted with blood on the left side.
"We're to late she breathed"
"Merle!" Van cried running to her, hitting the ground next to Hitomi with his knees the others following.
"Hitomi can you hear me?" Allen pleaded in a quiet voice as he rolled her onto her back. Asland grinded his teeth at the sight of the men who were now with her. They were knights he hated them now with no questions. How could such a girl be with murderers? They're presence in her life would ruin her. He closed his eyes and sighed when he opened then again they were disappearing into the forest with the girl in they're arms.
AN: Yippie the first chappie! please review.
Dragon Heart
