Chapter 7
(AN: Before I forget, let me just mention that I'm calling Allen's sister Selena instead of Serena because I know this girl called Serena and I hate her...; So Allen's sister is Selena. lol. That's what it is in the dubbed version isn't it? -shrugs- I have no clue...)
They were moving out a few days later.
Escaflowne, Shalazard and a few more guymelefs were loaded into a merchants ship before their departure. Allen wanted to carry them on The Crusade, but Dryden and Van both agreed that the air ship would be too reckless of a means to travel. So instead, all were loaded into wagons dressed to look like pheasants.
Hitomi was accompanying them, much to both Van and Millerna's distress. She shouldn't be fighting well pregnant, or even close to the fighting, but both Hitomi and Corilith had insisted. It was Hitomi's country. And if she couldn't fight, she would at least like to be there and take some charge in the fate of it.
Griffin, Merle, and Hitomi's family had decided to stay back in Asturia. But Selena had insisted on following them as well, saying she would look after Dilandau, and watch Hitomi when the men folk were off fighting. Allen, of course, had disagreed with her argument, but Van thought it was a good idea to have someone watch Hitomi. He knew Selena was able to protect her. She was on Millerna's guard and had often fought bandits off along side Allen's knights. Josceline agreed with the king on that matter.
So Hitomi was kept in a covered cart, the other one holding weapons, the one she was in held all the tents, blankets and living things for camping out. They would wait a few days out in the woods until they attacked. Dryden was on the merchants ship, and told them to hold off until he could dock at the harbour. He was desperately hoping they would be there in time to stop the Celestial Gates from looking too closely at the cargo though.
Selena plopped herself down next to Hitomi in the cart. She had been sitting up front with Dilandau, steering the horses, but decided to give Hitomi some company. She was seated amongst a mound of tents and pillows and looked very pale.
She held forth a juicy apple type fruit towards Hitomi, but she shook her head to the offer.
"I'll just end up throwing it up anyway."
Selena shrugged and took a bit of the fruit, wiping away a bit of the juice that gushed on her chin. "We're going to stop and camp soon."
Hitomi nodded, feeling relieved. She had to throw up in a jug several times already. Something that was completely embarrassing when surrounded by a bunch of strong men. Corilith had been there several times, smoothing back Hitomi's hair, and Selena had made jokes to lighten the mood. To top it all off though, she kept getting strange food cravings... but she wasn't sure if she would even be able to hold the food down.
Selena leaned forward, a smile on her face as she whispered to Hitomi. "You don't mind if I share a tent with Josceline do you?"
Hitomi blinked at her in surprise. "Erm... no, why?"
Selena shook her head, her wavy curls falling into her eyes. "I want to seduce him." She said it so plainly, so matter-of-fact that Hitomi laughed.
"Seduce Josceline? Good luck!"
"Shhh..." Selena frantically waved her arms, telling her to keep her voice down. Van and Allen were both looking in their direction curiously. "I don't want him to hear."
Hitomi snorted.
"You may not think it's possible, but I think it's already starting to work."
"Oh?" Hitomi raised her eyebrows in question. She had told Josceline he was free to date... but she didn't actually think he would, despite her hardest efforts.
"He gets flustered all the time around me, and he blushes a lot." She leaned forward even more, whispering in Hitomi's ear with a catlike smirk. "He gets a hard-on when I get too close to him."
Hitomi blushed and leaned away, feeling embarrassed. "He is male!" She hissed to her friend.
"Yes... that's the best part about him." Selena waggled her eyebrows then laughed with glee.
Everyone turned to them now, and she waved their gazes away with frustration. Gaddess, Allen's friend kept his gaze on them the longest, a smirk on his face. Selena noticed though and glared at him. He turned away almost immediately.
"I'm rooting for you though." Hitomi told Selena with a smile. "He needs someone."
"I just wanted to have fun." Selena pouted, then frowned for a second, deep in thought. "Then again, it would be nice to keep him."
"He's very very nice." Hitomi told her, then, feeling slightly giddy from the other girl's enthusiasm, she leaned forward and whispered. "Besides, he is drop dead gorgeous."
Both nodded, the Selena whispered, giggling to herself, "Don't tell Dilly that, he thinks he's the prettiest."
That was about all Hitomi could take, she burst out laughing, causing Gaddess and Josceline's horses to startle. She covered her mouth with embarrassment as they tried to get hold of their mounts, sending both girls looks of pure irritation.
Everyone was tired and irritated, and were just as relieved as she was to find a large clearing to camp for the night. She quickly climbed out of the cart with a hand down from Josceline as everyone began to unload the gear and tents. She was uneasy on her feet from the long jostling ride along the dirt road and nearly fell over when she stumbled over a tree root that twisted up through the ground.
"Are you all right, Hitomi?" She looked up from picking her skirts up, hoping that will help her better with her balance. She smiled kindly at Gaddess who stood watching her, a pile of gear and tarps in his arms.
"I'm fine, just a little off balance."
"I can see that." He smiled at her and walked away, leaving her feeling slightly stupid and red in the face. Sighing, she turned and tried to find something she could do, but everyone seemed busy on their own, setting up all the stuff very quickly.
Corilith was helping Selena make a quick makeshift fire pit, so, deciding this was the best approach, she walked over to them.
"Can I help?"
Corilith looked up at her, a small smile one her face. "No, you just sit over there and wait." She pointed over to a large rock at the corner of the clearing.
"I want to help." She placed her hands on her hips, but Corilith only motioned her away again. She went, grudgingly, plopping herself down a bit more roughly then she meant to on the rock. She cringed and shifted but it did little good against the pointy edges. Sighing, she leaned forward and watched with annoyance as everyone went about without her.
"Can I help with something?"
Allen looked down distractedly at the shorter boy next to him. Dilandau was watching as he tried to put up a large tarp to cover the entire clearing from any possible rain, a look of amusement in his red eyes.
Allen glared at him and turned away, seemingly keeping his attention on the knot he was tying. "Go ask Van."
Van looked up from the tent he was setting up, shooting the knight a deadly glare before grudgingly moving over and letting the albino set a peg into the corner of the tent. He moved away cautiously as his ex-rival lifted a mallet to slam the wedge through the thick water proof fabric. He sat back on his heels after he was done and smirked at Van, passing the mallet back to him.
Van took it quickly, getting up and moving away to the other side of the tent, intent on finishing the rest by himself. Dilandau sighed and stood as well standing with his fingers hooked into the back of his black baggy pants, surveying the clearing for anything to do. He smiled slightly when he found Selena trying to light the fire in the pit, trying to get a spark by smashing two special rocks together. Sparks flew off the black rocks, but didn't do anything against the pile of sticks and dead leaves they had in front of her.
She looked up with sigh, "Where did Corilith go? It's to damp to get a fire like this."
"I'll do it." Dilandau piped up happily, but in almost the same instant, half the occupants around him turned with looks of horror, all saying very loudly 'NO'. He scowled.
Selena laughed at him, then looked up in surprise as Hitomi settled next to her, her skirts pooling around her as she sat on her hunches, her hair falling into her face as she bent towards the pile, both hands outstretched.
"I'm not going to sit back and be completely useless." She told Selena, as flames suddenly jumped to life in her palms then spread to the sticks and leaves effortlessly, the dark mark on her right hand and arm showing through the gauzy fabric wrapped around it as the light shone across it.
Josceline came and stood by the fire, both girls looking up to him in surprise. "We don't have anything for seats do we?"
Hitomi blinked in shock at him and nearly fell backwards well Selena made a cooing sound that sounded actually quite amusing. Josceline had a large stump over his shoulder, settled against his head and neck as if it weighed nothing at all.
"Isn't that heavy?" Hitomi asked, standing, her mouth agape in shock.
He shrugged and put it down in front of him. It made a large thump noise in the damp soil. "There's more of these in there..." He surveyed the small fire they had going. "And we'll need more wood too..." With that, he turned and disappeared into the woods again.
Selena watching him go with an amused smile on his face. "I wish he didn't wear that long sleeved shirt all the time." She had tried to buy him other clothes in the market place of Asturia, but he had point out refused to wear or try anything on, so she had given in. "I'd like to see him without a shirt on."
"He's very self conscious of the Celestial markings he has." Hitomi looked at her own mark well saying this, rubbing at the fabric covering it almost automatically.
"Why?" Selena scrunched up his nose slightly. "I think it's sexy."
Dilandau came over from watching the men folk work, sitting down carefully onto the makeshift stool that Josceline had just dropped there. He surveyed both girls carefully before smirking. "Why do I have a feeling your not talking about me."
"Mmm... we said sexy not creepy Dilly."
"Stop calling me that." He told her with a glare. "It's funny how you do things to piss me off when I'm not stuck in another world."
"You wouldn't hurt me." She told him well poking at the small coals forming under the smouldering sticks. "This fire is pathetic..."
"Why wouldn't you let me make one?"
"Your a pyro." Hitomi told him plainly, stretching before walking past him. "And I'm not taking to you until you tell me how Corilith brought you to this world."
Dilandau snorted and turned to her back. "Why don't you ask the mage? I don't care for magic much."
"Where is Corilith anyway?" Josceline had come back and was dropping a large load of dried wood next to the fire. Selena instantly began to load some on.
"I don't know..." Hitomi looked around the clearing, then shrugged. "She's odd... she could be doing anything."
Josceline nodded, but turned to look down at Selena as she poked him in the leg.
"Got a tent to stay in?"
ooooooooo
Hitomi stepped out of her and Van's tent, sighing as the cool air brushed against her skin. The tarps over head snapped in the wind they were mostly shielded from, and the smoke from the fire was stinging her eyes. She had discarded her light dress for a pair of jeans she was now very glad she left in Fanalia. Merle had grabbed them for her when they were going to Asturia and planning her rescue mission. She didn't have a T-shirt or anything though, so she wore a blue sundress Selena had lent her over top the jeans. She looked a bit odd, but it was cold and she really could care less at that moment.
She looked around the camp they had set up. Van and Josceline had both gone out looking for something to eat along with Gaddess well Selena and Dilandau had gone off to get water from the small creek Josceline had found earlier that day.
Allen and Corilith were the only ones that remained at the camp, both sitting patiently by the fire for the others to return. Allen turned and watched as Hitomi stepped towards them, a small smile on his face. She took a seat at one of the logs Josceline had dragged from the forest, settling her feet near the flames to warm her toes.
"How are you feeling?" The mage spoke first, watching Hitomi with those clear blue eyes of hers.
"Fine..." She stared into the fire, then turned back to the older women. "Where were you earlier?"
Corilith smoothed her dress down, watching Hitomi with unwavering eyes. "Contacting members of the Chain." She meant the chain of 16, the 16 mages that helped run Hitomi's country and helped protect it.
"And?"
"They will wait till our signal to enter the capital... but they are standing ready."
Hitomi nodded, then turned to Allen as he spoke.
"In the state they're in, will they actually wait?" His question was directed at Corilith.
She took the underlying insult without even a twitch or blink. "They are angry, yes... you would be too if you were suppose to sit back and watch as your country is taken over."
Allen's jaw clenched, and Hitomi shifted uncomfortably. She knew the feeling that she was speaking about... and she didn't like it anymore then the mages. Corilith was watching her again.
"This is ridiculous." Allen's irritation was obvious now and he glared into the fire. "Why doesn't someone just tell him that Hitomi isn't this women he thinks she is."
"Because I am, Allen." He looked at her in shock, then his mouth moved into a grim line. "You may not believe it... but..." She lifted the marked arm nearer to the fire, the fabric turning see through in it's light. The dark mark showed through it. "I am that person... deep down inside." She looked up at Corilith who was smiling at her. "And, I have the power to stop him like I did the first time."
Allen didn't say anything, only stood and went over to the large tent they set up for meetings. It was filled with maps and letters and other things they used to plan their attack. The tent flap closed behind him as a light flared on inside.
Hitomi sighed. "He's always been like that..."
Corilith made a small movement that looked like a shrug as she watched her still. "You don't need him to understand, as long as he will help anyway."
She nodded, "I suppose so." She looked back towards the tent again, then back to the opening in the woods as Van strolled out. In the light of the fire, Hitomi could make out twigs stuck in his hair, his clothes all dishevelled. He was carrying a small animal in his hands. Josceline walked out after him carrying both his and Van's spears followed by Gaddess who carried both his spear and a few large birds over his shoulder.
They smiled when the came over to the fire, dropping they're kill on one of the logs. Hitomi was going to comment that someone was probably going to sit there, but thought better of it, watching the dead creatures with obvious disgust before excusing herself to run to the bushes.
"Is she always going to do that?" Van asked, his face scrunched up with worry as he heard her throwing up a few feet away into a bush.
Corilith opened her mouth to answer but Josceline answered instead.
"It's only this bad the first few months of pregnancy... it will slow down later." He was setting the spear against a nearby tree, and looked up to see them all watching him curiously. He smiled. "I have a lot of siblings, nieces and nephews."
Van took a seat on the long log that Hitomi was sitting on just as she was coming out of the bushes, nearly falling over as she untangled herself from a snagging branch. She sighed deeply as she took a seat next to him, trying not to look at the dead animals. "Sorry..." She mumbled, fixing the sundress she wore properly on her shoulders well staring into the fire.
"It's fine..." He smiled gently at her, resisting the urge to carry her to they're tent despite the fact she was just throwing up. She looked so adorable, her hair all a mess and her cheeks flushed in the firelight. "Are you hungry?"
She turned to him with a glare causing him to laugh. "Sometimes I wish men could be pregnant, see how they deal with it." She was trying to sound viscous, but Van wasn't finding that at all.
"Where's Allen?" Gaddess took a seat next to the animals, shifting them so he could pick one of his birds up. "He's got to help me with these, or I'm not giving him any."
Hitomi pointed over to the tent. "He seems in a bad mood."
"That's because of Dilandau and his sister." Gaddess stood with the bird and walked over to the tent without another word.
"Dilandau is really not that bad." Hitomi told the remaining people around the fire. Josceline didn't say anything, but Van turned towards her with a look of shock and disgust.
"He tried to kill you."
She shrugged, as if it were the normal thing, and smiled. "People can change I suppose."
"Dilandau is this way because of his inner connection with Selena." They turned towards Corilith. "He, though in our world, is still locked with Selena's mind. He cares for her and whatever she cares for because of that bond."
Hitomi blinked. "How did you get him separate from her without him taking her over like before?"
She was silent a moment, then smiled. "Magic."
Hitomi opened her mouth to snap, 'I know it's magic!', but Van cut her off.
"Where are those two anyway?"
"They should be back soon." The mage looked behind her into the woods, then back to the fire. "They went for fresh water."
Hitomi frowned at the head mage before turning to Van. She smiled as she reached up and gently pulled the pieces of sticks and leaves from his tangled hair, he turned to her, watching her curiously as she did so, wincing slightly when a more stubborn stick decided it didn't want to leave.
"How did you get so messy?" She asked, amusement in her voice as she gave his hair one quick dust off.
Josceline laughed and Van shot him a glare, but it didn't shut the guard up. "He fell. There was a drop off and it was too dark to see. We looked over when we heard him make a noise but he was gone." He broke into laughter again, but Van wouldn't have any more of it.
"It wasn't that funny." He pouted slightly, but only for Hitomi to see when she broke into giggles. She tried to stop them by placing her hand to her mouth. "I could have gotten hurt."
"But you didn't." She told him from behind her hand. She stopped laughing after a moment or two and turned to Van, her legs on either side of the log, her eyes half mast. She smiled, seductively and slowly, and leaned forward, whispering in his ear. "I think I'm ready for bed... how about you?"
He smiled at her tone and cast a quick look at the other two around the fire. Josceline was pretending not to notice the couple, but Corilith was smiling at them. Van felt himself blushing as he stood and held out a hand for her which she took. He hoisted her to her feet then pulled her along towards they're tent.
One they'd crawled into the small space, Van already had her straddled and was leaning down to place a slow, hot kiss on her mouth.
ooooooooooooo
AN:
Yep, I had a bit of fun with this chapter I think.
It's kinda lame though... I think I'm starting to waver a bit from the story line... I better think of more serious things sometimes...
Enjoy it? Did't enjoy it? Suggestions.. comments? I want to know what you liked and disliked about it... not just that you liked the whole thing. pleeeez, so I can continue to write what you want!