AMBER & EMERALD
Author's Note:
Hi, I'm back! Sorry for the long wait! I was so busy! But I'm in a holiday now, though it is just a short one. I think the 12th chapter will be out tomorrow, if not the day after tomorrow. Or perhaps even this day. I don't know. It depends on my mood.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer:
Celon (shouting as Folken drags her along to the Disclaiming Room) "No way! I don't want to do this anymore!"
Folken (remaining calm and tranquil) "You have to. This is your fate. This is your fate. You can do nothing against it."
Celon "NO! I resist my fate!"
Folken "You don't own Escaflowne. That's your fate, and you have to accept it."
Celon "NO!" (keeps shouting along the way…) "I own Escaflowne! I own it! I own it!"
Folken (in monotone) "You don't own it. That's your fate. Accept it… Accept it…" (their voices fade in the background) ;;
CHAPTER 11: UNDERSTANDING
Van stared at the girl in front of him. She looked as if she had been thinking hard. 'I guess I forced her a little too much,' he sighed inwardly. He felt a pang of guilt when he realized that—although he was sure that she had tried her best not to show it—she looked vulnerable, weak under his stare.
He sighed. "But it's okay if you are not ready yet," he added, staring at her emerald green eyes. There was relief in them when he said that. God, how he wanted to make them sparkle again like usual! They looked dim and dull, filled with pain and sadness. "Thank you, Van," said Hitomi softly. "I promise I'll tell you someday."
Van nodded briefly, his eyes catching the scratches on her body. The previous scene played in his mind. He had forgotten that she was wounded! 'Tired and wounded,' he told his mind grimly. How could he forget?
"Do you want me to take you home?" he offered.
Hitomi sighed inwardly in relief. 'Thanks for understanding me, Van,' she thought. She was not ready, and she knew it well.
"Do you want me to take you home?" Van offered.
Hitomi stared at him, considering his offer for a few seconds. What was the need of going home? To be honest, she preferred to have Van's company with her. She felt safe, something she had not felt for a few years lately, with him around. A faint blush crept on her cheeks. 'Jeez, Hitomi, he is Amber! Just Amber! Control yourself!' she scolded herself.
Van seemed to notice the turmoil she was having. "If you want, I can keep you company," he said, not looking at Hitomi's eyes. "Besides, you are wounded."
'He noticed,' Hitomi thought. She looked at the scratches on her body. 'I am in a mess. I do need some company.' "That will be great," she said, smiling.
Van was sure that his face was as red as his shirt.
Van glanced at the sleeping girl next to him. Her cheek was resting on the window of his car, and her lips were curved in a small, peaceful smile. He reached out, brushing away a strand of chestnut hair that had fallen onto her eyes. Hitomi stirred a little, and for a moment Van was afraid that she might wake up. Yet luckily, it did not happen.
The gate of his mansion opened automatically, and he drove through. It closed again behind him. He drove along the road and straight into his favorite spot of parking, nearby the secret door that led to a secret staircase. The staircase led to his secret library—which was also the Amber's secret headquarter, and to the trap door in his walking closet in his bedroom. The secret door itself looked like a normal door, easy to notice. The condition of the room inside was exactly like a normal storage room, yet with a little knocking trick on the wall of the storage room, the hidden staircase would appear.
Van got out of his car and opened Hitomi's door. She was still sleeping, and Van had no desire to wake her up. Instead, he lifted the girl onto his arms and brought her into the storage room in bridal-style. To his surprise, the girl was light, as light as a feather.
The door closed softly behind him. He crossed the room and came face to face with the wall. He put Hitomi down carefully on top of a box and knocked the wall three times with the hilt of his sword. The wall slid to one side, revealing the staircase behind it. Van lifted Hitomi up again and brought her up the staircase, the wall sliding close again behind them.
Hitomi felt her body being lifted. She could smell the relaxing scent of grass on the field around her. 'Van…,' she thought as sleep overpowered her again. 'Van…'
TO BE CONTINUED TO CHAPTER 12
God, the characters are a little OOC, aren't they? What do you think? Once again, sorry for the long wait! I love writing this chapter, although it is a little strange. Please read and review!
Celon Ierith
