Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne. All rights belong to Bandai and co. My writing is not for profit and any similarities with other fanfics are not intentional.
Everlasting Love
By Sincerity
3
Everything happened so fast! Hitomi couldn't remember every moment that led to her freefall but she was certain that in a few minutes they wouldn't matter anymore. The ground was rushing to meet her at a sickening pace! And if this was how her life would end then she had to face it.
But what about Van? All he had to do was spread his wings and death would pass him by. It wasn't fair that his life should end too! Hitomi knew his survival was important. He wasn't just her friend he was a king. His country needed him! His friends needed him. And Folken….
She suddenly wished they hadn't left him in the cell. They could have at least given him the keys to get out! And if he had escaped then maybe she and Van wouldn't have been falling to an early death. Hitomi struggled to see where Van might be but it was impossible to control her movements. The rushing wind was too strong.
"It can't end like this!" she anguished, "Please don't let this be the end!"
And suddenly, something gleamed in the sun only a foot or so above her head…or was it below her head? If only the world would stop spinning! She twisted her body around in an effort to see what else was falling when something large and dark flashed by her vision. But before Hitomi realized what she saw her body felt a sudden warmth wrap around her waist.
" Hang on!" a powerful voice shouted.
Hitomi clutched tightly to the arms that caught her and finally recognized the gleaming metal she had seen earlier.
" Folken!"
He had already directed her chaotic tumbling into a controlled fall and was steadily gaining on Van.
" We're going to drop faster now so hold on to me as tight as you can!"
" What do you mean!" she asked with dread.
" Trust me!"
With no other choice she shut her eyes tight and did what she could to try and remain calm. It proved to be difficult…the fall was flipping her stomach, threatening to make her ill.
Folken took in a deep breath and suddenly, they were falling…fast.
His metal arm left her waist and Hitomi felt herself panic! She squinted against the wind to see what happened and saw Folken catch Van's ankle. He fought against the wind and tried to control their fall but with Van's added weight his wings were straining.
" Van…wake up!"
Folken was shouting but the wind was overpowering his words.
" Van! You must wake up!"
Anxiousness was evident in his voice as the tops of trees began to rise and expand. The ground was getting closer! They were plummeting towards a tree, much taller than the others and if Van didn't wake up in the next few seconds it would be too late.
With a mighty pull Folken managed to yank Van close enough to catch around the waist just as the highest branches reached for them. He made a desperate dive to the left and evaded the highest tree but couldn't avoid the forest canopy.
" Folken!" Hitomi screamed only moments before they torpedoed through a thick mesh of vines, branches, and leaves. She knew they might yet be killed and with all her might began to wish they would survive the fall.
Folken gasped. They were plummeting towards a massive knot of gnarled branches and there was nothing he could do to avoid them! But just before the inevitable occurred the branches snapped and splintered into thousands of pieces! He opened his eyes. A glowing particle cloud surrounded them and he realized that they had fallen through the remnants of impenetrable wood! Shocked, he could only watch in utter astonishment as the event happened again and again until the ground was clearly visible and nothing hindered their way. He did not see the pendant, pressed between Hitomi and himself, glowing in a bright pink light.
He fanned out his wings, caught the air, and succeeded in slowing their fall so that they landed gently. But a moment later his knees buckled and he plopped onto his rump with a grunt. Jarred, Hitomi opened her eyes and glanced around as he released her.
" You did it! You saved us!" she exclaimed and surprised him with a passionate bear hug. " I knew it was wrong to put you in the cell. I even told Van it wasn't a good idea but he wouldn't listen and then he took the keys and I was so worried you were hurt and hey he didn't break your nose did he?"
Folken smiled despite his weariness.
Hitomi was looking up at him with concern and suddenly realized that she was still holding him! Her cheeks turned a brilliant shade of red as she quickly let go.
" Are you alright?" he asked when he noticed a gash on her forehead and lightly brushed aside her bangs to get a better look.
Hitomi nodded and gently touched the wound.
" It's not serious. Just stings a little." she stated with a wince.
Folken quickly shifted his attention to Van, still wrapped in the firm fold of his metal arm, and carefully laid him out on the grass.
" Van…can you hear me?" he called gently.
Hitomi watched in silence as he began to inspect Van's head. She had feared the worst but it appeared that the arrow hadn't seriously wounded him and she began to trouble over why he was still unconscious. Folken appeared to wonder the same thing when his fingers suddenly paused in their careful roaming through the wind-tossed curls.
" He has a lump back here."
Hitomi looked up at him in surprise. " Will he be okay?"
Folken nodded. " The arrow nicked his temple…the wound isn't substantial enough to cause unconsciousness." he replied and gave Hitomi a small nod.
" He must have hit his head when he fell off the platform." he continued, more to himself than to her.
" What should we do?"
" It's better if we don't do anything for now…and let him rest."
Hitomi nodded even when Folken wasn't looking at her. He was too preoccupied with Van to notice that she was gazing at him. It was hard for her to believe that at one point he had been her enemy. Folken had proven himself to be a friend and she realized, for the first time, that he was also a victim. She shifted her gaze to his wings and watched the black feathers sway in the quiet winds. He was majestic; like an eagle that soars in the sky. And as Hitomi watched him care for Van she almost felt as though he didn't belong on Gaea. He seemed to possess a grace and majesty that surpassed any possible normalcy.
" You're beautiful." She suddenly blurted out.
Folken looked up at her in surprise.
" I'm sorry?" he asked in bewilderment.
For a moment Hitomi didn't know what to say! She was stunned at her own words! Folken was waiting for her explanation and there was nothing left to do but explain herself.
" I understand now. You…aren't a monster. You're more like an angel."
Folken blinked.
" People misunderstand you." she rushed on needing to say what she felt before her courage waned, " I guess…they always will. But I think the only reason you're different…is because you have a little-bit of heaven in you."
Folken studied her face for several moments and wondered if perhaps she didn't understand the situation.
" You do realize that it was I who pursued both you and Van. And if I had succeeded…"
Hitomi looked down at her hands and nodded carefully. " I-I know. But I don't care about that."
" What do you mean?" he asked completely confused.
" 'There's nothing you can do about what someone did before you met them.' A friend said that to me once."
Hitomi looked up to see that she had Folken's undivided attention.
" Tha-that's what I want to be to you…a friend. Not because anyone's making me or the things that are happening are forcing me, but just because I choose to care about you."
Folken stared at her in wonder and Hitomi shifted uncomfortably under his steady gaze.
" Is it…wrong of me to wish to be your friend?" she asked tentatively.
Folken shook his head and graced her with an honest smile. She felt herself relax and was about to express her relief when a vision suddenly erupted into her consciousness. Unprepared for the horror it carried, Hitomi jerked back as if startled by a wild animal and shrieked. She fell forward and caught herself but was unable to control her anguish as dark images raped her mind.
" Hitomi! What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Folken didn't know what to do! He didn't understand what was happening and Hitomi couldn't or wouldn't explain! So he did the only thing he could think of…he took her into his arms and held her close. She was shaking uncontrollably and her eyes were rolled back. He feared she was suffering a seizure until she started so speak. Her words were incoherent utterances and he had to lower his head to better hear her. It was at this moment that she suddenly stopped moving, stopped talking, and stopped breathing!
A gut-wrenching horror filled his heart and he quickly laid her on the ground. Shifting himself to her middle Folken began to give her chest compressions. But he had only just begun when Hitomi suddenly gasped back to life! Startled, he lifted his hands away.
" Hitomi?…"
With great effort she regained focus and took in great gulps of air. Folken quickly lifted her back into his arms in an effort to sooth her terrified bewilderment.
" Wha-what happened?…" she gasped, " what did I…what did I say?"
Folken shook his head. " I don't know…you began to convulse and I couldn't understand your words."
" Oh…that's right…" Hitomi nodded as if the whole event had just been a normal means of remembering something. " I'm sorry. I keep forgetting that the visions only make sense to me…"
" Visions?…You mean that's what happened?…"
But Hitomi didn't have time to explain. Something behind him had startled her and as Folken turned his head he felt someone pull out his sword from its sheath! On instinct he dove to the ground and pushed Hitomi out of the way just as it swung down on him!
" No!" Hitomi screamed in horror.
But Folken moved in the last possible second and managed to catch the blade in his metal hand! Van glared at him and tried to yank the sword free.
" Van, stop it!" Hitomi shouted in wide-eyed disbelief. " Folken's your brother!"
" He was trying to hurt you! I saw him wrestling you!" Van shouted in blind rage.
" No! That's not what happened! He was helping me!" Hitomi tried to explain but Van ignored her and managed to pull the sword free. Folken stared at him, uncertain of what to do, when Van swung at him again!
" Van! No!" Hitomi shrieked.
Folken jumped to his feet and countered the blow with his metal arm. The impact jarred him and rattled the sword. Stunned for brief a moment, Van couldn't avoid one of Folken's wings as it smacked him hard on the back! He stumbled forward and whirled around on his heels. The two brothers stared at each other and Hitomi backed up against a tree, clutching her pendant and hardly daring to breathe. Van glared death at Folken and began to stalk him like a hunter about to kill his prey. Folken kept his face carefully blank as they circled each other…once…twice…until suddenly…Van lunged!
Folken was anticipating the move and ducked under the blade, fanning his wings out and grabbing Van around the waist. Within seconds he was in the air, wrestling for dominance over the sword! Hitomi watched them struggle. One moment they were high above her and in the next they were skimming the ground!
" It's just like in my vision…" she whispered in sudden realization.
Just then Van and Folken shot up through the tree canopy and vanished from view! Hitomi stared at the small expanse of sky revealed in their wake and was about to shout for them when they suddenly dove back through the canopy, whizzed by her head, and straight into the forest! Without another thought she gave chase. Hitomi followed at a frantic pace leaping over fallen tree trunks and avoiding large roots. But the foliage kept slapping her face in exasperating redundancy. The undergrowth was thick and she was struggling to keep sight of her friends.
Up ahead the light became stronger, the trees became fewer, and she saw the brothers fly into a large field. Tired of giving chase and worrying about their well-being Hitomi wished that Van would just drop the sword! And suddenly…he did! She saw the blade flash as it fell through air and vanished into the tall grasses. Moments later Van and Folken wrestled themselves to the ground. She hoped that for all their sakes Van would control his temper.
" -have no right to ask for my trust!"
Hitomi froze. From somewhere up ahead came his voice. Apparently the brothers were talking…well, arguing. But at least they were communicating. Maybe that was a good sign?
" You made promises but you've never kept them…NOT EVEN ONE!"
Or…maybe not. Hitomi rolled her eyes with a heavy sigh as Folken's deep voice resonated in the air.
" Van, you have every right to be angry with me. But you must think about what is best for your kingdom. They will need help."
" No thanks to you!"
There was a pause and Hitomi heard the grasses rustle somewhere off to her right. She started in that direction and hoped to find her friends before they began another fight.
" Why are you even doing this? Didn't Zaibach provide you with enough power and prestige?"
" Van, my being here has nothing to do with that. My intentions are true."
" Yeah. Just like when you intended to return home after the dragon rite."
" There was nothing I could do to prevent what happened that da-"
" And then mother went to look for you and she disappeared!"
" Mother…searched for me?"
" You killed her! It's your fault that she's dead!"
" Van!" Hitomi shouted, completely aghast. " Stop it! If you wanted to hurt his feelings I think its safe to say that you did!"
" Hitomi! Where are you?" Van called.
She moved forward and stepped on something solid and hard. Curious, she bent down and pushed away the tall grass to find the Fanelian sword lying at her feet.
" I'm over here! I think I found your sword!"
She waited for his voice and moved to stand up but as she did a new sound caught her ear. It wasn't a sound from nature…it was more like something man-made.
" Hitomi!" Van called again.
Hitomi followed her ears and found herself stepping out of the field and into a meadow.
" Van! Folken!" she called back before moving forward. The sound of scraping metal was getting louder and her heart began to pound with anticipation. What could be making such strange sounds in the middle of nowhere?
" Hitomi!" Van shouted in frustration. " Where are you!"
" Let us hear your voice!" Folken called.
Hitomi slowed her pace and realized that the sound was coming from the ground! It was then that she also noticed increasing patches of dead grass. A tiny voice in her head urged her to go back but the promise of discovery was too alluring. She had to know what was going on.
The sound stopped unexpectedly and she paused but only for a moment because something suddenly burst out of the ground beside her! With a startled shriek she jumped back.
" Hitomi!" Van shouted in alarm as he finally emerged from the field with Folken close behind.
She turned to them with wide-eyed surprise.
" What happened? What was that sound?" Van continued as he drew closer. A strong odor of something burnt hung in the air and he wrinkled his nose. " Hey…is something…burning?"
But before Hitomi could speak a loud groan emanated from beneath her feet and suddenly the ground swallowed her whole!
" Hitomi!" they gasped and sprinted to the spot where they had last seen her.
" What is that?" Van asked as he stared at a gaping hole in the ground. And without waiting for a reply began to climb down, surprised to find the inside walls of the hole to be made of metal.
" Wait!" Folken commanded.
" Why!" Van asked with exasperation.
Folken bent down, touched the rim, and shook his head in disbelief. " This looks like an emission shaft!"
" An emission…shaft." Van repeated. " What's that?"
"…but it can't be! They're only used in expelling energy waste in Ziabach factories." Folken continued, deep in thought.
" Then what is one doing here!" Van asked with frustration.
" I don't know. But it isn't safe to climb into one."
" Why not? Hitomi's already inside!"
" I know but-"
The sound of scraping metal interrupted his words and Folken suddenly noticed two metal shudders slide out from their camouflaged sleeves.
" Van!" he gasped and yanked him out just as the shudders swirled shut with a metallic swoosh!
Folken pressed Van against his chest protectively. But after a moment Van remembered what happened the last time they were that close and quickly pulled away.
" That was the sound I heard!" Van commented as he dusted himself off. " Right before Hitomi disappeared."
" We have to wait a few moments. It will open again. The shafts are timed in intervals." Folken assured him.
" Why?"
" Because the release of emissions must be expelled in an organized manner. Otherwise, they could build excess energy and the entire factory would explode."
Van blinked in surprise. " Explode?… If Hitomi's in there when it happens she'll be killed!"
" If it happens." Folken corrected.
Van stared at the metal seal as if his glare could will it to open.
All of a sudden the ground trembled and the sound of scraping metal rang in the air. Alarmed, Van and Folken glanced around, ready to flee at a moment's notice. A pillar of fire shot up into the sky several feet ahead of them and as they watched Folken formed a plan.
" Van…when the fire dies the shaft walls are too hot to touch. But the seals are pressure sensitive to ensure that no large objects can block the expelling emissions. If a shaft's seal senses such an object it opens, allowing whatever was upon the seal to fall down the shaft and be deposited into a containment chamber.
As a precaution, the shaft reverts to a state of suspended animation."
Van glared at him, utterly confused. " What are you saying?"
" All the shafts branch out from the same location. If we follow a shaft to the source we will find ourselves in the containment chamber... and most likely find Hitomi."
Van didn't need to hear anymore. He was already moving. " Then we better hurry!" he called over his shoulder. " She must be frightened."
After a moment of stubborn deliberation, Folken stepped onto the seal and caught himself as it swooshed open. He gingerly began the climb down first with Van being quick to follow him. The inside of the shaft was too large to scale by pressing against opposite walls and too small to unfurl their wings. So they had to descend like mountain climbers, slowly and carefully.
But midway through their climb they heard an ominous rumble and Van looked down to make certain there was nothing coming up to meet them.
" The next rumble might be for Hitomi." Folken warned.
" What do you mean? Isn't she safe in the chamber you talked about?" Van asked with growing dread.
" After a certain period of predetermined minutes the chamber floor breaks apart to deposit all foreign objects that have not been removed into its energy center."
" And that's bad because..."
" The energy center consists of molten metal. It is hot enough to melt stone."
" How much time do you think we have to reach her?" Van asked in a hurried tone, the adrenaline was beginning to buzz his senses.
" Five minutes... at most."
" Then we're never going to make it in time!" Van exclaimed in horror.
" We'll make it if we drop." Folken pointed out.
" What!" Van looked down with disbelief. Folken shook his head and grinned at him.
" Well I'm glad one of us is having a good time."
" Just let go." Folken instructed and followed his own advice before Van could utter another word.
" Folken!" Van gasped as he watched his brother slip into darkness. " Why do things always have to be done the hard way!" he muttered and gazed one last time at the sky up above.
" Hitomi…remember Hitomi." he reminded himself and closed his eyes. Her face shimmered in his mind and against every instinct in his being he let go and fell into the unknown.