No one and I mean no one came to see me now. Kaen ceased to exist, Allen avoid me like the plague, Meryl ignored me, Millerna knew better than to ask and Celina… she questioned me relentlessly. All I wanted was to recall the dream that I'd all but forgotten…
"… I saw my mother last night." Celina looked up from the window and waited. "She told me something important, but I can't remember. I never remember my dreams… Was it real or just that; a dream and nothing more…" It had been the fifth day since being dragged back from the village on the boarders of Zaibach.
"I miss her, did you know? She was the only one, to date, that saw me as a whole person." She eyed the floor as if the dark and torn planks could answer all her questions and worries. "She saved me. I haven't spoken to many about this, but I wouldn't have told your mother if I'd have the chance… I wanted to tell her. I felt she would understand the most… I was taken as a child and raised in Zaibach. I watched the country flourish under the emperor's rule and then something happened. It was slow, but I saw it everywhere I went and influenced everything it touched. It was like a sickness. It affected Dornkirk the most and filtered down into everyone else. He found Van's brother afterwards and gave him a new arm… the old one had been taken by a dragon... I was generally ignored, my caretaker cared so much for me, but he couldn't stop what was going to happen…" Celina started to cry and bit and jerked as if fighting off the memory. "They took my memory from me. They turned me against my brother… I have these visions in my mind sometimes. Of taking off and flying into the sun, the world burning and of blood. I see mostly blood." She touched her face where a faint line marred her face. I was pale; a scar that ran down her check. I'd never thought to ask her where it came from. "I woke up on a battle field. She stood out like a sore thumb. "Celina chuckled. "Bright pink, she was covered in dirk and the cloths that had once been fine were torn and shredded, yet she was like a beacon. I saw her and I wanted to attack her, hold her, tell her everything and hurt her. I was so confused…"
"What did you do?" She seemed to be fighting with something. She jerked again as if something had grabbed hold of her, but she remained sitting and staring.
"I tried to kill her. I wanted to. She was allied with that Van and Allen and they were the enemy of Dornkirk… I would have killed them." She looked at me and for a second I thought to myself; this isn't Celina. She sat differently in the chair, as if it were a throne and not just a wooden seat, her eyes stared with intent behind listless lids.
"But?" I wanted very much to get up and walk to the door, but I couldn't help feel that it would set her off.
"But?" She ran her hand threw her hair and then caressed the pale scar. "I was thinking… I haven't hunted dragons in a long time." Her eyes passed to the window where Escaflowne and Scherezade stood tied down in the open cock pit. Some of Allen's men worked on the narrow catwalks and I watched Celina's hand tighten around the arm of the chair.
Van had walked into to Guymelef docking zone.
"Alseides doesn't work yet. Remember?" Like a being zapped with a cattle poker, Celina jolted upright and out of the chair.
"W-What?" Celina stuttered, her face clouded with concern. It almost looked as if her own insecurities had pulled her back from whatever was happening. "You weren't supposed to see that. I didn't mean it!"
Celina was fighting with the other side of herself. The side the was Delandau Albatou and pilot of the Guymelef Alseides and enemy of Van and Allen alike… not to mention my mother. Everything in the world was falling apart, it had been since I'd shown up and it was only getting worse.
"How long has this been happening Celina? Tell me or I will tell Allen." The threat hit home and as much as I felt like shit demanding it of her, I didn't feel wholly safe with her flipping between herself and a pyro-manic that had a fetish of blood and gore.
"Not long! I swear!... Only sometimes. When I think about the past… I can hear him in my head." She started to sound hysterical and I sat her down. "I don't belong he says. I'm weak and I'm good for nothing. I can't pilot Alseides! If I do, he'll come back. I know it! He'll kill everyone."
"Celina. Shut up for a second. The entire ship will hear you!" I hissed and pulled my hands down my face. God dammit. God dammit. "Don't you understand? You lived part of your life as the man Delandau. Do you think he would just disappear? He was you! If you don't come to terms and fix this, he's going to take control because you aren't. You think you can just up and change or erase something that has defined the way you chose to live ever since? I think if you take control, stop running form everything and stand on your own legs. You might, you might just get control enough to master yourself…" I sat down and thought about and god did I sound like Dr. Phil. "Stay here for a bit. I need to see Millerna and think… I mean it. Stay here and don't think too much on it or I can guarantee Allen will find out of his own accord…" You couldn't have had a soft bunny as an alter ego or a flipping super hero. No. Just a pissed off freak.
This entire world is going to go up in flames around me and I'm never going to get home…
Let's conclude. Stuck on alien world invisible to Earth. People of earth are generally thought evil and my mother especially. I'm being chased by blacked winged men, Celina has a serious mental handicap, Van is supposed to be my best hope to getting home as far as my mother is concerned, Kaen is a big asshole, Millerna… she'd alright and Meryl. Meryl I am ready to ring her neck. Oh, Allen too. He's alright. Miss anything?
I gathered my wits as frayed as they were and made my way out of my room for the first time in almost a week.
"Stupid people…" I was one of them, but like hell I was going to openly admit that. Pfft. Not happening. Either way I walked about the ship trying to figure out what I was going to do. My 'friends' were falling apart all around me for one reason or another.
Almost killed. Twice. Can't forget that.
"If I could just clear my head for one fricken second…" I walked out into one of the loading docks. This one didn't carry the Escaflowne and thus Van was not present.
"Oh. Miss Keori. Glad to see you out and about." A few of the ship hands nodded or spoke to me and as I had been told, they had missed me I guess. Must be the whole 'other world' thing.
"Uh-Yeah. And how is everything here?" What they hell do they want from me?
"Well enough. We've been circling Asturian airspace for a while since your return. I have to ask… I've been wondering, if you don't mind…" I had no idea what he was going on about. "I knew your mother… I'm one of the few that know the truth about what happened between us and Zaibach… What I wanted to ask is if you had the same kind of Mystic Moon powers Hitomi had? It came in handy a few times and I just wanted to know that if whatever we are getting into, if we have extra help." He knew my mother. He knew he still does.
"I will do what I can. I have some skill and I see some things in my dreams… but I can't make any promises. I don't have my mother's power." That seemed good enough for him.
"Here that boys!? We got some mystic powers on our side too." Men I hadn't really seen popped up from behind pipes and large machinery. I had taken the sounds for the workings of the ship, but I was very wrong. The man put his arm around my shoulders. "You ever need anything me and the boys have your back. You just ask for Geddes… Back to work! You're in the presence of a Lady of the Mystic Moon!" His arm slide of me and I walked away while trying to avoid every eye that was now on me. I left quickly.
"Keori… A word?" Allen stood at the door. He took up the entire frame. Like I have a flipping choice…
"Yes." I followed him and he opened the door to what had to be the main control room of the airship. No one else was there. "What do you need?"
"I will not ask about the explosion outside my rooms. Nor will I inquire as to what started this all. But I need a favour… My sister has taken to you. She listens to you and I know you have spoken to her about the Guymelef Alseides." He didn't like where the conversation was going and I hadn't said anything yet. "She has asked to go and see the Guymelef. I need you to make her change her mind. That Guymelef will bring back memories that will haunt her. Things she had not right doing let alone seeing and doing. She doesn't recall that well. I need you to fix this mistake you have made."
He's an idiot and he's the reason she has spiralled the way she has.
"No. I can't. Do you know?" Nuke time. "Do you know that she's knows everything? She remembers the man named Delandau and she understands that it was her hands that were bloodied? You have sheltered her, protected her and fought for her, but you failed! She didn't need protecting! She needed someone to talk to and you weren't there! You sheltered her and hid her away. You isolated her and she couldn't heal form her injuries. They were never just physical Allen. "His face twisted into complete shock. Hopefully it was from the information and not me speaking to him like I was. "She's a woman! Not a doll! We have waged wars, won kingdoms, trespassed into other worlds and fought inner demons all without your help. We've gotten our hands dirty and born the best of men from our own bodies. Celina is a warrior first, a woman second and your sister last, so stop acting like everything comes down to just you." Definitely shock. "You can't help her if you shut her out from the world. She can't fight a demon if you never let her see it, otherwise one day, when you're not looking, he'll come for her. Delandau will surface and you'll have no way to call her back because she won't trust you because you've never given her a reason to… She…"
"That's quite enough Keori." I don't get breaks in this world. Ever.
"Van…" Allen spoke, but his voice was dry and tart.
"I have to admit. I'd never had said as much to you in such a way, but you have to see she's telling the truth. And as much as you don't like it, we do need Alseides."
"I would talk with her a bit… see what you can get out of her willing before you press the matter. " Allen was all but coiling into himself. He was obviously revolting inside with the very idea.
"I will think about it if you think on what I have said." I nodded, but I wasn't going to. Celina had all the information she really needed. The choice wasn't ours and it never had been. Why had I been so freaked out before? Crazy person locked in with her maybe? Oh yeah… Both Van and I watched Allen leave and that awkward silence set in. I wanted to bolt.
"About what I said on Escaflowne." Here it comes. I'm not ready to deal with this crap. "It was not meant for you to hear. I meant only to make your aid understand the risk he was taking."
"Was it true?" Shut up Keori! You idiot! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Despite the hesitant look on his face his continued.
"I won't pretend you heard wrong. Take it as you will. I would explain that your mother and I never had the relation that you believe we had. There was love there, but she's was a great friend and helped save my entire kingdom. That is worthy of love." He looked at me and I wanted to curl up and vanish. I can't stand be stared at.
"Ok. I believe you." Just go away and stop staring at me! My God! There are other things in this room you can look at…
"This belongs to you. I have not managed to give it back since I used it… and as for Merle. She has been reprimanded for her comments. This will not happen again. It was an embarrassment to me as well as the entire ship." He came towards me with his hand clenched. My necklace hung from between his fingers while swinging with every step he made. I was going to take it from him, but he walked behind me and looped the necklace over my head. This is the most embarrassing thing I have even been through. Could you imagine boys doing thing on Earth? Oh god… Hurry up and put the necklace on so I can hide somewhere already.
"Thank you." Great. If he looks at my face, it's going to be bright fricken red. This is just great and what's worse? He's not even a boy. He's older than me and a flipping King. I'm going to have mother's head…. Like I'd ever tell her. If I ever see her again…
"This does not change the fact that I will do what I can to get you home." I turned and couldn't make myself look at him. Couldn't do it and I tried.
"Van… I'm sorry for making y…"
.
.
.
I got lightheaded and teetered on my heels. Van held me straight, but his hands made my skin burn. My head emptied of thought and I couldn't fill it with anything.
"Keori." My heart beat angrily in my chest and it almost hurt. A sensation ran up my arms and down my legs and all I could do was stand there and realize this one simple thing what seemed so important and yet lost to me altogether. "Your necklace…" One of his hands moved to my neck and the fire ignited again while I stood paralyzed. Didn't he notice? "I'm sorry… that was presumptuous of me. Forgive me." He stepped back and walked away. I barely noticed until Merle took my hand.
"I've seen him do a lot of things. I've never seen him kiss someone before though. Don't hurt him. Don't hurt my Van… by the way… you're necklace? It's cracked again." I didn't hear a thing.