AMBER & EMERALD

Author's Note:

I hope this chapter can give some explanations to you after such a confusing chapter before ;; No need to wait, just jump straight into the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne. Just pass this and go to the story, will ya?

CHAPTER 15: SECRETS REVEALED

"Their targets were us and the disk."

"Disk? Did you mean the disk you took from the Fassa Mansion?" she questioned, frowning.

"Exactly," said Van, pulling out the disk from beneath a stack of paper. "This contains the blue-print of Zaibach Corp. Headquarter. Do you know about Zaibach?"

"Of course," said Hitomi, remembering about Dornkirk. "Dornkirk owns that corporation. It produced many strange but useful gadgets lately. Isn't that corporation also experimenting on the machine called Fate Alternator?"

"Correct. Do you know who the biggest rival of Zaibach Corp. is?"

"Fanelia Corporation, right?" she said, puzzled with the question. Fanelia Corp. was one big corporation, which always 'battled' Zaibach Corp. The heir of the corporation suddenly disappeared two years ago, right when Hitomi became an agent in SPEAR. And the name of the heir was…

Folken Lacour de Fanel.

"He is he one who killed your parents."

Hitomi tried to ignore the rage that was growing deep in her heart. The hatred, which she had kept for that long, started to leak out, and she feared that she could not hold it any longer. 'Just a little longer,' she told herself. 'I have to know the whole story before I can go after that guy.'

"The previous heir of Fanelia suddenly disappeared two years ago. Now I know, he ran away and joined SPEAR, a secret organization under Zaibach. He did his first mission well. As the proof, your parents are dead by now," said Van coolly. "Your parents made the first plan of Fate Alternator. But it seemed that Dornkirk did not need them again and decided to…'terminate' them. Then, using you who were still controlled with rage and hatred, he recruited you and ordered you to catch me. He never told you any reason, did he?"

"He didn't," Hitomi growled.

"As I am the new heir of Fanelia, surely he doesn't want me around. Especially with the organization I formed under Fanelia: Escaflowne."

"Escaflowne?"

Van stared at Hitomi long enough before he continued, "It is an organization that was formed with one destination: to stop Dornkirk's plan of using the Fate Alternator."

"Actually, what is the Fate Alternator?"

"I can't answer that," Van replied shortly.

"Is Folken Fanel…"

"He was really my big brother. But now he is a traitor."

Hitomi winced at the coldness in Van's tone. Yet she ignored it and let out another question, "Why are you telling me all of this? I'm from SPEAR, you know. I am your enemy."

Van hesitated. "Because…," he started. "…you deserve to know who killed your parents. I'm making a dangerous bet here. It is up to you whether you are going to tell all of these to SPEAR or join us, the Escaflowne."

The words echoed in Hitomi's head. "I…join you?" she croaked.

"I can understand if you don't want to," Van cut her off softly, yet with an edge of hurt.

"I will join you," Hitomi said, her words firm and hard. "I am going to go after Zaibach and your brother."

There was a strange emotion in Van's eyes, and Hitomi quickly added, "I know that he is your brother. I'm sorry…. I kinda…"

"I am going to kill that person...," Van said suddenly, making Hitomi stared up at him.

"Who?"

"The traitor named Folken Fanel."

There was an awkward silence. Then Hitomi said, "Why they were after me too?"

"Dornkirk doesn't need you anymore. Remember the new students in your class beside me?"

"Allen Schezar—the blonde freak—and Dilandau Albatou—the albino maniac?" Hitomi asked in curiosity.

"Read the paper again."

There written:

Senior Secret Agent (SSA) Class 1: Allen Schezar

Senior Secret Agent (SSA) Class 2: Dilandau Albatou

"They are assigned to kill you."

TO BE CONTINUED TO CHAPTER 16

If it is still confusing, please insert the part you don't understand in your review. I'll answer all of your questions

R&R!

Celon Ierith