SEEKING TRANQUILITY
Hitomi pulled back, appalled at herself for returning the kiss. What had she been thinking? Were his lies really getting to her, did she actually believe he was good?
She wiped her mouth with a shaky hand, avoiding his eyes that burned in her face turned away from him. I-I have to get out of here before I---before he does something again!
" What's the matter?" Dilandau asked, taunting her to look at him, holding back a cruel remark.
" You liked the ones before," He added slyly, lips moving into a full-bloom smirk.
" I-I wasn't thinking," She murmured.
He laughed coolly. " That the best excuse you've got?" His eyes narrowed. " Don't play with me, you little bitch!" He grabbed her arm, giving it a hard yank, forcing her to fall against him.
" I know you liked it," He purred, breathing the words heavily in her hair, drowning her in his red eyes that glittered behind the stray silver bangs fanned across his forehead.
She shuddered, willing her eyes to tear away from his that glowed in the dark room like two windows. He smirked in satisfaction, before the expression was replaced with contempt.
"Answer me, damn it!" He was now screeching, beyond control and reason, looking crazed for a split second, jaw shaking with a twitch in his right eye. " Why won't you answer me?" He demanded, narrowly spitting in her face.
She finally looked at him, green clashing with red in a silent reply. " Just leave me alone," She shook her arm out of his grasp, only to let out a frustrated cry when he refused to let go.
His fingers tightened, leaving red imprints on her forearm. " You're not going anywhere, do you understand me?" He hissed, slowly, making sure she got the full message of his warning; either she stayed with him or risked getting killed escaping.
" Let me go!" She cried, furiously, eyes burning with fresh tears stinging behind her eyelids.
He pulled her against him, crushing her body intimately to his, grabbing both her arms and straining them tightly by her sides.
" I already told you," He hissed, breath shaky. " He's not coming for you, you belong to me, not him!"
Effortlessly she writhed and trembled against him, trying to get away, only to weaken herself from her attempts.
He looked directly at her, hiding no emotion in his eyes that seemed to dilate to red dots, a wild smirk on his face.
" You're mine," He breathed, the crazed look gradually leaving his face. " And you're never leaving me," He crushed her against him in a fierce hug, awkward and unintended as his arms seemed loose and frail around her shoulders.
She opened her eyes against his bare chest pressed against her burning cheeks, barely able to see his face crouched by her hair where it was buried, hidden from view.
" Why me…?" She croaked, so confused and angry.
" Because you were mine the minute I looked at you," He whispered, the hot air of his breath hitting against her left ear. " And you always will be," He inhaled deeply, pressing his nose deeper into the short honey strands that fell around her soft face.
Her eyes slowly drifted from him, caught by a movement near the open window to her right. She could've sworn---
Her eyes slowly fell on the window, the dark silhouette crouched on the window pain with their left arm supporting their weight from falling as they gripped the edge of the wall, looking as though they were about to leap into the room.
It couldn't be.
Her eyes widened. It can't be. She thought, too scared to think or even assume the person at the window was…
" Van…?" She blurted, melting under the heavy stare of the maroon eyes, silently watching her. Her lungs tightened, squeezing the remaining air out of her lungs, her mouth letting out a deep gulp.
Dilandau tore from her to stare at her, an angry and unfamiliar look burning in his eyes.
" What.Did.You.Say?" He spat.
He turned his head a fraction, following the direction of her eyes, only to pause at the familiar face and body ducked in shadows by the window, frozen, motionless, caught in what they'd seen.
Dilandau smirked, pleased by the visitor. " You're an idiot," He whispered, so calm and soft it seemed foreign coming from Dilandau.
The figure tore their eyes from Hitomi who stared back in horror, a hand over her mouth in mock-shock.
" You're not getting her back, I can guarantee that, Fanel,"
" Damn it," Allen's lips drew tight in an aggravated line. " We're too late, he's probably there by now,"
Panic rose in Merle's eyes. " What do you mean 'too late'?"
" Exactly what it means," Allen replied, keeping his voice calm and cool for her sake, as well as his; God knows what foolish acts Van might do to get Lady Hitomi back.
" We're not going after him?" Merle's ears and hair perked up in terror.
Sighing heavily, Allen sagged into the seat behind him, too stressed to relax as he sat tensely in the seat with his back straightened. " No,"
Merle gaped. " No? How can you say that? We have to go after him!" She cried, paws wailing about in a frantic attempt to get the young man's attention.
His blue eyes remained downcast, as though seeking an answer in the floor beneath his feet. " That's what I said,"
" But Van and…." She stopped at the exhausted look in his eyes as he finally looked up at her with a blank stare.
" There's nothing we can do. We have to trust Van, as much as I hate to say it," His eyes shut, a breath coming out between his lips in a dreary sigh.
I just hope Van knows what he's doing. He could very well be risking Lady Hitomi's life by going. That boy needs to think before he acts.
He resisted the urge to comb a hand though his hair, a habit he'd grown into when he was angry or frustrated.
Merle gulped. I hope you're right Allen-sama…
Van drew in a low breath, restraining himself from jumping into the room and tearing the two apart. He would have, and very much could have, if it weren't for the look she'd given him when she saw him.
Shock, horror, surprise. Did she not want to be saved? Was it too late to save her? Had Dilandau already filled her head with lies to gain her trust and earn her love?
His jaw tightened in rage and jealously. How could she let him touch her like that? Did she not care?
He let his legs stretch out, his feet connecting with the cold floor of the room, keeping his eyes on her at all times, trying to find an answer in her eyes, an explanation, anything to convince him she didn't want to be here and wanted to be saved.
Dilandau stepped in front of her, blocking his view and destroying the momentary connection he had with Hitomi.
Reluctantly he looked at Dilandau, meeting the boy on eye-level, even from a distance.
Hitomi watched them exchange a few words, but they seemed mumbled and incoherent, or perhaps she chose to block out what they were saying for the better.
She took a brave step forward, now standing beside Dilandau who looked angrily at her for moving when he'd told her not to.
" Van….Van why are you here?" She felt stupid for asking it, she knew why he was here, he was here to save her.
But he answered nonetheless. " I'm getting you out of here Hitomi," His soft eyes grew fierce when he looked back at Dilandau. " And away from him,"
Dilandau laughed loudly, the sound high-pitched and uncontrollable, before the sound came to an abrupt stop, looking so serious and solemn the next minute Hitomi could have been fooled that the laugh had not come from him.
The edges of his lips cracked. " You'll find it harder than you think to beat me, Fanel. I don't give up my things so easily,"
" She isn't some doll, you bastard!" Van shouted, balling his hands.
" Isn't she?" Dilandau murmured, eyes dull and hazy, before he smirked. " She's my doll, isn't that right?" He turned his head to the side to stare heatedly at Hitomi, a silent threat being passed from him to her, daring her to say no and go against his word.
She nodded faintly, too ashamed to look Van's way to see his reaction. He continued to look at her, expectant.
She swallowed hard. " Yes," Dilandau's smirk widened, before he looked back at Van in triumph.
" She doesn't need your saving, so why don't you go back to your stupid little kingdom, Fanel, and find another whore?"
Van's face grew red in anger, but before he could say anything, Hitomi was running to his side, shouting something to him he couldn't catch.
" You're bleeding!" She fretted, staring in horror at his back smeared in blood.
Van stood straighter, looking sideways at her. " My wings," He replied simply.
She brushed her hand across the fresh wounds at the upper middle part of his back. He grunted at the touch, before he turned around and grabbed her hand, eyes reassuring as he spoke low enough for just her to hear,
" I'll be alright,"
" But your back--"
" Its always been like this," He interrupted, stroking her hand in his appreciatively.
She nodded her head dumbly. She knew what he did, he'd used his wings to come up and save her without being caught, even if it meant…..
" Oh, God, Van, I'm so sorry," She sobbed, hugging him tightly to her, keeping in mind the boy's injured back where the wings had once been.
He bent his head, resting it on hers. " It's not your fault. I came because I wanted," He whispered, sincere.
Dilandau gripped the sword he retrieved only moments ago, restraining himself from slaughtering that damned king for touching her like she was his.
She's mine, damn him!
A smirk crept on his face. I'll teach him to never touch what's mine!
A/N: Sorry this chapter was short…..lol. But hey! You guys wanted an update fast so I had to supply! ;) Anywho, Van didn't see them kissing, he just saw the part where they were hugging. Or rather, Dilandau was hugging her lol.
READ AND REVIEW! XD It's good for wrinkles and it also makes the authoress, me, want to update faster!