Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story.
The light deposited Mr. and Mrs. Kanzaki and their son in the middle of a field. Hitomi was not there.
"HITOMI!" they called into the night.
At the burned down gates of Fanelia, Hitomi, Yukari, and Amano arrived.
Yukari knelt and shook her head unsteadily, putting a hand up to her eyes. "What the..." she began.
"Van?!?" Hitomi yelled over her, "Van where are you?!?"
"What are you..." Yukari said looking up at her friend, then stared at the ruins of the city they stood before. "Where are we?" she whispered.
""Van! Van, answer me!!" Hitomi called. Then started in.
Amano caught her arm. "It's too dangerous," he said, "we don't even know where we are."
Hitomi shook his hand off her. "We're in Fanelia, and I don't care how dangerous it is. I HAVE to find Van!" she exclaimed running into the still smoking ruins.
"Come on, we have to follow her," Amano said, pulling Yukari to her feet.
Hitomi ran through the ruins, making her way to what was left of the palace. If she had come to Fanelia, Van must still be in the castle. But why? Why would he stay in a collapsing building? And where was he? Where in the castle?
"Lady Hitomi!"
Hitomi turned to see Allen digging in the castle debris. His hair was shorter, jawlength, looking as if it had been hastily hacked off with a sword. His clothes were tattered and his right arm sleeve was missing entirely, showing a long cut on his arm.
"Lady Hitomi..." he said again, his voice going gentle. "You're all right then? We were afraid something terrible had happened to you."
"What happened? Where's Van?" she asked him, ripping the lower part of her shirt off and wrapping it around his cut arm.
"In there, somewhere," Allen said, nodding toward the rubble. "We got out, but Merle didn't. Van went back in to look for her. It collapsed before he could get out."
"Hitomi!" Yukari's voice called as footsteps approached quickly.
"Was this the last place you saw him?" she asked the knight.
"Yes," he said, flinching for a moment as Hitomi tightened the dressing to stop the bleeding.
A hand suddenly grabbed Hitomi's shoulder and pulled her away from Allen rather roughly, causing her to land on her back.
Allen's hand whipped around and the sword-tip hovered a centimeter away from Amano's throat.
They stared at each other. So did Yukari. They looked just like each other!
"Who are you?" Allen demanded in Amano's voice. "What do you want with Lady Hitomi?"
"Lady Hitomi?" Yukari asked breathlessly.
Hitomi merely gave a tired laugh as she got up. "Cool it Allen," she said.
Yukari and Amano were amazed when Allen resheathed his sword at her command.
"Amano, Allen. Allen, Amano," she said gesturing to each of them. "And that's Yukari. Now Allen, do you know what caused this? What started the fire?"
"I don't know. One minute we were talking about relief supplies, the next, the whole city's on fire," he replied, still eyeing Amano.
"All right, now everyone keep quiet. I haven't done this in a while," Hitomi said. She closed her eyes, imagining her pendent in front of her as she concentrated on Van. It swung once, twice, then stopped.
Her eyes snapped open. "This way," she yelled, running over the castle debris, then began digging about fifteen meters away. "Come on, help me!"
Allen came running over to her and started lifting rocks out of her way. "You going to help or not?" he demanded when Yukari and Amano didn't move to help them.
They came over and started pulling rocks out of the hole Hitomi was making, a little confused about what was going on.
Suddenly, they could hear coughing under the stones Hitomi was working out. They stared at each other, but Hitomi and Allen didn't seemed surprised at all.
"Hold on, we're almost there!" Hitomi yelled, sliding her fingers along the edge of a slab of stone. "On three," she said. "One. Two. Three!" Together they all pulled it off.
A boy and a girl climbed up, out of the hole, both coughing. The boy was about Hitomi's age and the girl... the girl was...
"Yaaaahhh!" Yukari yelped as she jumped away in surprise.
"Well you're not such a good sight either!" the cat girl exclaimed, her ears going flat against her head and her tail puffing up. Then she sat down and began cleaning her paws and face.
"Van," Hitomi said, helping the boy stand up, "are you all right?"
"Yes," he coughed. "I knew you'd come." He pulled Hitomi to him, holding her gently in his arms.
Allen sighed and sat down. Van's head snapped up. "Allen!" he exclaimed, coming to kneel in front of him. "Are you all right?"
Allen laughed. "I wasn't the one stuck under a building for most of the day."
"Uh, hello," Amano said.
Van glanced at him for a second. "Oh, you again," he commented dryly.
Hitomi punched him in the arm, "Thank them, they helped get you out."
The light deposited Mr. and Mrs. Kanzaki and their son in the middle of a field. Hitomi was not there.
"HITOMI!" they called into the night.
At the burned down gates of Fanelia, Hitomi, Yukari, and Amano arrived.
Yukari knelt and shook her head unsteadily, putting a hand up to her eyes. "What the..." she began.
"Van?!?" Hitomi yelled over her, "Van where are you?!?"
"What are you..." Yukari said looking up at her friend, then stared at the ruins of the city they stood before. "Where are we?" she whispered.
""Van! Van, answer me!!" Hitomi called. Then started in.
Amano caught her arm. "It's too dangerous," he said, "we don't even know where we are."
Hitomi shook his hand off her. "We're in Fanelia, and I don't care how dangerous it is. I HAVE to find Van!" she exclaimed running into the still smoking ruins.
"Come on, we have to follow her," Amano said, pulling Yukari to her feet.
Hitomi ran through the ruins, making her way to what was left of the palace. If she had come to Fanelia, Van must still be in the castle. But why? Why would he stay in a collapsing building? And where was he? Where in the castle?
"Lady Hitomi!"
Hitomi turned to see Allen digging in the castle debris. His hair was shorter, jawlength, looking as if it had been hastily hacked off with a sword. His clothes were tattered and his right arm sleeve was missing entirely, showing a long cut on his arm.
"Lady Hitomi..." he said again, his voice going gentle. "You're all right then? We were afraid something terrible had happened to you."
"What happened? Where's Van?" she asked him, ripping the lower part of her shirt off and wrapping it around his cut arm.
"In there, somewhere," Allen said, nodding toward the rubble. "We got out, but Merle didn't. Van went back in to look for her. It collapsed before he could get out."
"Hitomi!" Yukari's voice called as footsteps approached quickly.
"Was this the last place you saw him?" she asked the knight.
"Yes," he said, flinching for a moment as Hitomi tightened the dressing to stop the bleeding.
A hand suddenly grabbed Hitomi's shoulder and pulled her away from Allen rather roughly, causing her to land on her back.
Allen's hand whipped around and the sword-tip hovered a centimeter away from Amano's throat.
They stared at each other. So did Yukari. They looked just like each other!
"Who are you?" Allen demanded in Amano's voice. "What do you want with Lady Hitomi?"
"Lady Hitomi?" Yukari asked breathlessly.
Hitomi merely gave a tired laugh as she got up. "Cool it Allen," she said.
Yukari and Amano were amazed when Allen resheathed his sword at her command.
"Amano, Allen. Allen, Amano," she said gesturing to each of them. "And that's Yukari. Now Allen, do you know what caused this? What started the fire?"
"I don't know. One minute we were talking about relief supplies, the next, the whole city's on fire," he replied, still eyeing Amano.
"All right, now everyone keep quiet. I haven't done this in a while," Hitomi said. She closed her eyes, imagining her pendent in front of her as she concentrated on Van. It swung once, twice, then stopped.
Her eyes snapped open. "This way," she yelled, running over the castle debris, then began digging about fifteen meters away. "Come on, help me!"
Allen came running over to her and started lifting rocks out of her way. "You going to help or not?" he demanded when Yukari and Amano didn't move to help them.
They came over and started pulling rocks out of the hole Hitomi was making, a little confused about what was going on.
Suddenly, they could hear coughing under the stones Hitomi was working out. They stared at each other, but Hitomi and Allen didn't seemed surprised at all.
"Hold on, we're almost there!" Hitomi yelled, sliding her fingers along the edge of a slab of stone. "On three," she said. "One. Two. Three!" Together they all pulled it off.
A boy and a girl climbed up, out of the hole, both coughing. The boy was about Hitomi's age and the girl... the girl was...
"Yaaaahhh!" Yukari yelped as she jumped away in surprise.
"Well you're not such a good sight either!" the cat girl exclaimed, her ears going flat against her head and her tail puffing up. Then she sat down and began cleaning her paws and face.
"Van," Hitomi said, helping the boy stand up, "are you all right?"
"Yes," he coughed. "I knew you'd come." He pulled Hitomi to him, holding her gently in his arms.
Allen sighed and sat down. Van's head snapped up. "Allen!" he exclaimed, coming to kneel in front of him. "Are you all right?"
Allen laughed. "I wasn't the one stuck under a building for most of the day."
"Uh, hello," Amano said.
Van glanced at him for a second. "Oh, you again," he commented dryly.
Hitomi punched him in the arm, "Thank them, they helped get you out."