Author's note: Okay I admit it, I'm lazy. I write chapters but take my sweet time in writing them up. Well, here is the next chapter, and I made it nice and long.
Thank you to:
IceFireSilverGoldDragon- Don't worry, Allen has plenty of suffering to endure.
A Karswyll- It's nice to know you're inspired by the story
Chibihitomi- Maybe I'll do a whole chapter dedicated to Allen soon, once he catches up with Van and Hitomi…I have plans…mwah hah hah…
Chisakami Saiyuki- Thank you for your review!
Okay, on with the show.
Chapter Eleven Makeovers and Medical Attention"Hmm…don't they look cosy?" Celena murmured, eyeing two figures huddled round a roasting fire.
Dilandau peered up, glancing at Celena, then at the couple talking in low hurried voices. A smirk graced his features.
"What was their cover story again?" he asked casually.
Celena snickered. "They're posing as a married couple." Both exchanged knowing looks, shaking their heads pityingly at the others.
They were near; separated by only a few centimetres, Van blushed every time Hitomi unconsciously touched him. Hitomi was oblivious to this, and carried on chatting aimlessly. Dilandau stared in wonder.
"Is that any way for a married couple to act?" he asked in mock disgust. "He's blushing! King Van is acting like a little school kid!"
"Why do they need to pretend anymore?" Celena pondered aloud. "I thought Morgana knows who they are."
"Uh, yeah," Dilandau said, as if it were obvious. "Because Morgana, as custom with evil leaders, will send out her henchmen to scout them out, so those two want to remain anonymous and appear normal wherever they travel, as to not arouse suspicion. Although bribing people to keep their mouth shut seems like a much more effective method to me."
"Yeah, except Fanelia burned to the ground, remember?" Celena pointed out sweetly. "Van is left with nothing."
Celena analysed the couple critically.
"They need a disguise, a MAKEOVER!" she screeched.
Van and Hitomi stopped talking and looked over. Celena covered her mouth and looked away, pretending nothing had happened. Dilandau snickered at her slip.
Celena beckoned to her fellow conspirator, and he leaned forward. "Because Morgana knows what they look like, we should change what they look like on the outside. That way, we will fool her lackeys and even she won't see their disguises when she goes into Van's mind."
Dilandau pondered the idea. "That's all good and well, but what about Escaflowne? Not meaning to be rude or anything, but it does kinda stick out. How do we solve that?" he enquired.
"I dunno. You do the thinking for once," Celena replied.
"Maybe we could take it?" he suggested rather hopefully.
"Nope, because someone will then follow us when we follow them."
"Hide it behind a bush?"
"Er, what bush?"
"Gah, stop making this so difficult!" Dilandau all but whined.
"Could you use magic and shrink it?" Celena asked thoughtfully.
"…"
"…Dilandau? Hey, you there?"
"Why didn't I think of that?" he muttered aloud in wonder.
Celena gave him a LOOK. "Well, someone hasn't been doing their research on new evil techniques now, have they?"
Dilandau looked a little sheepish. "I've been busy guiding my Dragonslayers."
Celena took a hold of his shoulders and looked him in the eye. "Dilandau, you have trained them well. They are ready. Let them go,"
He bowed his head solemnly. "Alas, I always knew this day would come."
"Okay, so shrink Esca. Now, disguises."
Dilandau gave her a cunning look. "I've just come up with an evil plan to atone for my previous lack of evil ingenious."
Van laughed as Celena turned away in embarrassment.
"What was that all about?"
Hitomi shook her head.
"She's an evil plotting girl, so who knows. Now Van, concentrate. We need to stop Morgana from being able to penetrate your mind. Whenever I'm not around, then you will be at a huge risk from her."
Van frowned. "Why won't you be around?"
"Well, as per usual with evil villains trying to get their prey, she will somehow lure me away from you, Hitomi explained, thinking back to all the movies she had watched.
He sighed heavily. "What do I have to do?" Van questioned.
"Close your eyes." Hitomi instructed.
"Is that it?" Van asked incredulously.
Hitomi smiled. "Unfortunately not. You have to clear your mind. I'll shut up so you can concentrate."
A smile tugged at his lips. "But I like your voice," he said playfully.
Hitomi blushed. "That's…sweet of you Van, but that won't hold your mind against Morgana."
"It did last time," Van said softly. His eyes were wide open now, and he held her gaze. Hitomi felt heat rush to her face.
"Van…"
"I guess…" Van started to say, but an embarrassed Hitomi hurriedly interrupted.
"We'd better concentrate," she said quickly. "Morgana could come at any time."
Van looked slightly disappointed, but his eyes were closed nonetheless. Hitomi studied his face, then followed suit.
A frown marred his handsome face. "Did you hear that?"
"Yeah. What was it?"
Eyes open, they looked at each other. Then, suddenly, two dark shadows appeared over them, and everything went dark.
"Aw, don't worry sweetie pies, Nurse Merle will look after you!"
Viole sweat dropped as Merle tucked the duvet tightly under his chin then enveloped him in a massive bone-crushing hug. A watching Gaddes snickered mercilessly.
Merle had insisted on coming with Gaddes when informed of the unfortunate events involving the video camera. She had disappeared somewhere for a suspicious amount of time to the computer area, and had returned whistling, with an evil yet happy look shining in her eyes.
They guys were only slightly worried, since they knew it probably involved Allen somehow.
At the mere thought of his name the three Dragonslayers shuddered, their eyes rolling weirdly.
Merle chucked things out of a bag she had brought, and pulled out a weird white hat with a red cross on it. She winked playfully at them, and they gulped fearfully.
"Time for your medicine," she sand cheerfully.
"Merle, they're severely traumatises, not ill," Gaddes pointed out.
"So?" Merle asked dangerously.
Gaddes gulped. "Never mind, just give them their medicine," he said quickly.
Merle looked bored. "Nah changed my mind. Let's go back to the ship."
The three Dragonslayers fainted with relief.
Dilandau looked appreciatively at the girl clad in the Zaibach uniform, liking the way it accentuated her curves.
"Wow Hitomi, I like the way the blond brings out the colour in your eyes," he said finally.
Hitomi grumbled, and Van looked slightly depressed that Hitomi's honey brown tresses have disappeared. He too had his hair altered to a blond colour, so he and Dilandau could easily be mistaken for brothers.
Actually they all looked like quadruplets. They could all pass off as Zaibach soldiers. Though if anyone had said, "Ooh look, four similar looking Zaibach soldier girls," Van and Dilandau would've clobbered them. If anyone had said "Ooh look, four similar looking Zaibach guys," Celena and Hitomi would've clobbered them. There was no mistaking the curves.
Dilandau stored his slayer uniform away carefully. Celena had mysteriously shrunk the Escaflowne, and gave kept it for herself for safekeeping. Dilandau would just never give it back, and it was too dangerous for either Van or Hitomi to possess.
"Van ride with Celena," Dilandau instructed. "Hitomi can ride with me."
"Yes!" Hitomi cheered. Van glared at her. "What? I get to see the great Dilandau in action. What more can a long time fan ask for?"
It was Kio who eventually explained to Chid the truth about Allen Schzaer, and what a total flake he was. He also explained that once the Crusade crew had been enemies against the Dragonslayers, suspecting them to be working for the organisation Zaibach. Then they had found that Emperor Donkirk had become a mere pawn in his visions to better Gaia, and that the Dragonslayers no longer recognised Zaibach as their ally. Instead they were a force in their own right, and Emperor Donkirk assisted them secretly to amend for the mistake he had made by allowing Folken to gain too much power. He whispered in hushed tones that Van once regarded Folken as his brother, but his brother had turned his back on Fanelia and joined Zaibach, corrupted by greed and power.
And then of course he explained that they simply didn't like Allen because Allen was cowardly and idiotic, he boasted too much for his own good and, and had no idea whatsoever what was going on in the world around him. So of course his crew couldn't resist when Dilandau had made a sly offer that was just too tempting to resist.
Chid was stunned. Then he got angry and determined. He would get his revenge on Allen for deceiving his mother! He was so in on this game!
"Do you see them?" Chesta's voice cackled through the grainy radio system. Guimel's guymelef glided skilfully in front of him, swerving among the jagged rocks. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the area with beady, watchful eyes.
"Over there by the drop," Guimel replied, immediately spotting wreckage near the edge. It was fresh, grey wisps of smoke vanished into the air.
Guimel heard Chesta draw in a sharp breath. "You don't think…?"
"No." Guimel cut off firmly. "Morgana would rather they suffered then die quickly."
"The witch!" Chesta growled. "I could kill that bastard for not protecting them. They're our friends!"
"The question is, does Folken know or is Morgana controlling him?"
Chesta didn't answer, but landed silently beside Guimel's guymelef. He got out first, and sprinted urgently to the edge of the drop. It was dangerous here. Small but lethally sharp pieces of jagged rock spewed from the canyon. Chesta took a deep breath, and peered over the edge of the drop.
"Guimel, over here! I've found them!"
The other Dragonslayer raced over to his comrade. "Holy shit."
There they were, Eyria and Naria, the gold and silver twin pair. They weren't looking so good at the moment. They were unconscious, suspended in mid air, their feet just barely inches from a ledge below them. Their hands had been shackled to the cliff face, and their lips had turned blue. Not a good indication. A trickle of blood had dried in its trail down the side of Eyria's face.
"I'm going down." Chesta announced, clambering down the jagged rocks. "Be ready to take them."
They were about four or five feet away from the top. Chesta felt the rocks piercing his hands, but he didn't care. He realised that he couldn't land on the ledge; he wouldn't be able to free them that way. So he would just have to free them whilst still in mid climb.
He reached Naria first, and as he reached out to touch her hands, he became worried at how cold they were. Frustrated, he wondered how he could lift her to safety without jeopardising his own.
"Guimel!" he called.
His comrade's face peered over the edge.
"You're going to have to fly your guymelef down here and take her back up. I can't both climb and carry her."
"Affirmative," Guimel called.
Chesta wrenched a dagger from his belt, and worked carefully at undoing the shackles that bore Naria to the cliff. They fell to the ledge with a clatter as Chesta heard the sound of Chesta's guymelef starting. The shackles had been tight. Chesta rubbed Naria's bruised and forlorn skin tenderly, frowning at her blood-encrusted wrists.
Guimel manoeuvred his guymelef so that the arms stretched outwards. Carefully Chesta set Naria down. Guimel took off at a steady pace to set her down safely at the top.
He then worked on Eyria's binds, and had to quickly lurch forward to catch her before she fell along with the shackles. Guimel was back immediately, relieving Chesta of his fragile burden. Heaving himself to the top of the cliff, Chesta met Guimel's grim gaze. They had to get the twins to healers, and quick.
Miguel was hiding beneath a table observing the two scientists when his electronic wristband vibrated gently against his skin. Immediately he was alerted to the dim glowing message.
Miguel, Chesta and me have to get the twins to healers. Come or stay there?
Miguel quickly responded.
No, leave me here. I'll take this mission solo for now. There's something big going on here.
Millerna eyed the thin, silver tube, and the rather artistic sketches that accompanied it.
"Eries, do we have any frilly bows around?"