Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne. Think how angsty it would be if I did… I do, however, own any original characters. I also don't own any flashbacks from the series, any Escaflowne characters, or "We Could Still Belong Together" by Lisa Loeb.
A/N: I wanted to get one more chapter of this out before school starts next week. The readers of my other fics are going to hate me because I ignore them so much… I was really surprised. You awesome readers rose to the challenge… I got 67 reviews! A Vione chapter, as requested by my bestest friend Nagi-chan! I was really worried everyone would lose interest in the fic if I added the Van chapter, but I just didn't feel like there was any closure to what was going on elsewhere on Gaea. To my surprise and delight, pretty much everything seemed to approve of it and didn't abandon the fic. I got to see Fushigi Yuugi today! I'm so happy! It was great! Anyway, thanks for all the positive vibes. I appreciate it. The next chapter will come out sometime in the middle of September probably… I'm working on several fics right now. The sad thing is, most of them will end at the same time… Now here goes chapter 5, for all you awesome reviewers… I find that the more reviews I get, the more pressed for time I feel, so unless I have some extra time, I will be unable to reply individually to reviews. I still love you, but wouldn't you rather have the next chapter of the fic than me saying, "thanks" to every person who reviews individually?
Tears of the Heart
If I hold my
breath
If I shut my eyes
If I disappear
Just for the
afternoon
If I can't help shouting
If I lock you out
If
it's not important
Completely unimportant
To anyone else but
me
We could still belong together
And together is much
better
We're okay so hey don't worry now
Oh wow
If I
interrupt and
If I cut you off and
If I like attention
Other
worse things I could mention
We could still belong
together
And together is much better
We're okay so hey don't
worry now
Oh wow
We could
still belong together
And together is much better
We're okay so
hey don't worry now
Oh wow
But if you make a mistake
We're
through
We could still belong together
And together is much
better
We're okay so hey don't worry now
Oh wow
We could
still belong together
And together is much better
We're okay so
hey don't worry now
Oh wow
Oh wow.
Yes I complicate
I know
It's just my way but
If is a question
That I ask and
nothing more.
-"We Could Still Belong Together" by Lisa Loeb
Chapter 5: Love and Betrayal
It had been over a month since the wedding. Over a month since the girls had been home on their own planet. Over a month since they had sold their souls to murderers to save their wretched lives. Over a month since they had betrayed Van and Amano…
Hitomi wandered about the Vione aimlessly, apologizing to people as she bumped into them. She was so miserable. Folken didn't love her. He didn't want anything to do with her. He ignored her completely. If Folken's council thought that an heir was coming anytime soon, they were sadly mistaken. Yukari had the opposite problem. Dilandau was constantly dragging her back to their room. She could only shudder when she thought about what went on in there. It was obvious when she saw Yukari's pale, tear-stained face and Dilandau's smirks whenever their paths crossed.
Yukari wasn't strong enough to fight him off. Neither Hitomi or Yukari were very muscular. On Earth they had always been at track practice, school, home, on the subway, or at each other's houses. It's not like they had been doing weight training since they were five like Yuushi. Heck, even Ari was stronger than them and she was just a maid! It was kind of pathetic…
Hitomi had decided that they needed to buff up a bit and frequently dragged Yukari to the Dragonslayers' gym where they sparred and jogged around in circles until they were so dizzy and tired that they couldn't stand up straight. The Dragonslayers gave them odd looks and Yuushi just grinned as he nearly had his head cut off, forgetting that he was in the middle of a fight whenever the girls came in. They tried to do what the slayers did. Not nearly as strenuous as how they performed their exercises, or as well for that matter, but they did what they could. Which, in Hitomi's opinion, wasn't nearly enough.
Their plan was that after a few months of training, they'dbe able to overpower the guards garrisoned at the guymelef hangar. They'd steal a guymelef, fly to Fanelia, Van and Hitomi would be reunited, and they'd figure out a way to get Yukari back to Earth. It was a far-fetched plan, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
Whenever Hitomi was knocked on her backside, which, to her embarrassment, tended to happen a lot, Yuushi would be there laughing away until she bowled him over. Then the room would fill with laughter at the second-in-command's dazed expression and the fact that a lady had put him in that position.
Dilandau often came in and flopped down in his throne, surveying his troops and stroking the stone lion next to him thoughtfully. Sometimes he would enter and begin to train alongside his men and the girls. He obviously had not become so strong and fearsome by sitting around. He outshined everyone in the room when he chose to participate in training exercises. Hitomi loathed him with a passion, but she had to admit, he was excellent with a sword. They'd stop and watch him in awe as his sword flew with ease, vanquishing soldier after soldier.
Yuushi, the most worthy opponent, was always last and you knew it was over when he was pinned to the wall and chirped, "Good show, Lord Dilandau"
On one occasion, he had challenged the girls to a match. They hastily declined, not only because they knew that they would be crushed, but because they liked to avoid him as much as possible, Yukari especially. Unfortunately, he wouldn't take "no" for an answer, and charged at Yukari. Frightened beyond belief, she lifted her sword, causing sparks to fly as the clashed.
"Nice, Pet." He drew back and slashed without mercy, driving her into the wall as he did to his men. He placed his sword to her neck, drawing a thin line of blood that he licked away as he trailed kisses down her neck and she shuddered. He then placed one elbow on each side of her head and pulled his body to hers, so there was barely an inch separating their faces. He examined her eyes, finding them full of fear. He had grown to like that on the battlefield, but despite his treatment of her, he still didn't enjoy it in her eyes.
"Calm yourself, Girl; I won't fuck you in public…" He hissed.
"I just need a little kiss…" His mouth smashed against hers as he plunged his tongue into her mouth. He closed his eyes, savoring her taste. She then sank her teeth into his tongue and he cried out in pain.
"BITCH!" He slapped her across the face as she fell to her knees sobbing.
Hitomi shook with rage as she attacked him, shrieking wildly. He easily defeated her, pinning her to the wall in a similar fashion and whispering in her ear so that no one else could eavesdrop.
"I don't know what you're up to, even though I know you're up to something. But I assure you that I'll find out, one way or another… And just remember, Girl… If anything happens to your little friend, you're my new toy…" He released her, letting her sink to the floor as he glided away, leaving her to comfort his unfortunate wife.
"I'm serious, Yukari, you have to stand up to that bastard!" Hitomi advised her friend in annoyance at her no-resistance attitude concerning Dilandau.
"Hitomi… What's the point? You see this black eye? Let's just say that I didn't run into a wall…" Yukari muttered, looking in her duffel bag for some concealer.
"He did this to you?" Hitomi knew that he was cruel, but she never knew that he was actually physically abusing his wife. "We've got to get you out of here. I'm miserable, but at least Folken never lays a hand on me." She shuddered at the thought. She recalled Dilandau's earlier words, but decided that he was bluffing. There was no way that he could screw around with the emperor's wife. That, at least, seemed to be an empty threat. But poor Yukari. What could she do to help her?
"I've tried to get along with him, Hitomi! I really have, but it's impossible. If I can never leave this place, then I at least want us to try to be happy. I want to feel like we were destined to be together or something like that, but I just don't think that's ever going to happen. I feel like I've been transported back to King Sharyar's Court, except I don't have any good stories to tell!"
"It's easy for you to stand there and say, 'Stand up to him,' because it's not you. At least you married the one who isn't addicted to sex. And you have no room to criticize me! You're the one who got me into this mess in the first place!" She looked at her angrily.
"I never wanted to see you get hurt, Yukari…" Hitomi said softly, regretting what she'd done. It was all her fault. If Yukari hadn't been her friend, they never would have taken her from her home. They would have had no interest in Yukari whatsoever. Probably the only reason they did pick her was because no one in Zaibach was brave enough to marry Dilandau.
"You didn't want to see me get hurt?! Look at me, Hitomi! He keeps me up all night every night! I can't take it anymore! I wish I were dead!" Hitomi looked disturbed by the outburst, which, until recently, had been very unlike Yukari.
"Hitomi, I'm not just hurt physically; I'm hurt mentally! I hate him… I hate how he treats me… I hate this world… I want to go home… I want my family… I want Amano…" She curled up in a ball and huddled in the corner sobbing.
"Yukari…" She whispered softly, not knowing how depressed her best friend really was. She'd been too busy with her own problems to consider how terrible things were for Yukari.
"I am so very sorry that I've hurt you like this. I will never forgive myself for the pain I've caused you." She hugged her friend tightly as the red-haired girl cried into her shoulder, cursing Dilandau to hell and back.
"And what about Amano, Hitomi? I'm damaged goods, now. He won't love me anymore…" Yukari whimpered.
"Yukari, if Amano doesn't still love you for the kind, amazing, thoughtful person that you are, then he doesn't deserve you." Hitomi replied, stroking Yukari's hair.
"Do you think I'll ever see him again, Hitomi?"
"I hope so, Yukari. I really do. I want nothing more now than for you to be happy."
"So… She's pining for her lover-boy back on the Mystic Moon..." Dilandau muttered in annoyance, eavesdropping on the two girls' conversation.
"Well, serves her right, the bitch… Weakling…" He walked away, trying to tell himself that he didn't give a damn about Yukari Uchida's feelings anyway. Trying.
"Ari…?" Hitomi asked, sitting in a chair on the Vione's metallic deck. She liked sitting there, watching the world go by beneath her. It was the prettiest place to be on the Vione since there were few windows to prevent raids and sabotage.
"Yes, Lady?" Ari asked, hanging some laundry on the railing.
"Tell me… What's Folken like? I mean, I barely know him and I've been married to him for what seems like forever. It's sad. I don't know his birthday or his favorite food or what he's interested in, or anything… I don't know my husband at all."
"That's right… You are clueless, aren't you?"
"Hey! Be fair now! It's not my fault! He locks himself in his study all day long! It isn't like I don't try to get him to talk to me. I'll say, 'hello,' he'll nod. Then I'll ask him how he is. He says, 'Fine.' Then I'll ask him what he's doing today and he says, 'Work.' Then I'll ask him if he'd like to do something with me and he says, 'Maybe some other time.' It's like that every time…"
"Well… I do feel sorry for you…"
"Hey! I didn't ask for pity; I asked for help!" Hitomi shot back in annoyance at the maid's attitude.
"Alright, alright. Relax, Milady… Empresses of Zaibach should behave in a dignified manner at all times…"
"What about an Empresses of Zaibach who wishes that she were a Queen of Fanelia?" Hitomi asked wistfully, very downhearted about the reality of the subject.
"Lady! Don't speak of such things! If someone were to hear you, they would report you for treason! You'd be executed before you could curse Lord Dilandau!" Fear was eminent in Ari's eyes and Hitomi suddenly felt somewhat alarmed. They took this sort of thing pretty seriously in Zaibach.
"Lady Hitomi…" Ari said softly.
"When I was given the task of tending to you, I was deeply honored, as any servant would be. But I have sworn my allegiance to Emperor Folken. If you were to talk about him with murderous intentions, then I am obliged to report it. Lady Hitomi, if I hadn't judged you as an honorable wife and mother of Zaibach's heir, I would have turned you in a long time ago. I haven't said anything because, well, I like you and I like helping you. I don't want to see you die, Lady Hitomi. I've seen so many others die on this god-forsaken ship. If you were to die, my heart would break. Please don't break my heart, Lady Hitomi!" The maid's face was red from sobbing as she hugged Hitomi desperately.
"Ari…" Hitomi muttered sadly.
Why do people have to like me? I'm a wretched friend, a horrible wife, and not fit to be a human being, much less to rule as Zaibach's Empress. Why didn't I take my life when I had the chance?
Flashback
She sat on her bed, brushing her short brown hair, a week or so after the wedding. She stared out of one of the Vione's few windows to look at the stars. In the distance she could see… Fanelia… She choked back tears.
Were they trying to make her unhappy?
She slowly opened her dresser drawer. Ever so slowly. Not a creak could be heard. Not a sound. Ari was asleep in the small room she shared with Yuushi down the hallway. She wouldn't hear. No one would hear until it was far too late. Her hand silently felt for the cool metal. She smiled slightly as she lifted it out of the drawer. The sharp blade reflected the moonlight's eerie glow. She had taken it from the kitchen. The cooks had seen, but they did not object. She was empress after all. No one dared to challenge her wishes, unless they wanted a traitor's bloody death. She felt the sharp edge of the knife and delighted as a thin line of blood appeared on her pale finger. It would all he over now. No more pain. No more lonely nights. No more wishing herself dead. She wouldn't cause pain to anyone ever again. Yes, everyone would be happier with her out of the picture. She smiled again. She would be happy now; everyone would be happy. She'd never trouble Van or anyone else ever again. She brought the icy metal to her neck. She was ready; she could do it.
"Grandma…" She whispered softly.
"I'm looking forward to seeing you again…" Her hand slightly shook as she began to pierce her skin. Before she knew it, the knife had clattered to the floor.
"Why…?" Her voice shook.
"Why can't I do it?!" she whispered, tears streaming down her face as a small trail of blood made its way down her neck.
No one had heard the Empress. No one knew of the suicide attempt. While others were peacefully dreaming, Lady Hitomi Kanzaki de Fanel stared across the floor at the blade stained with her blood that had failed her that night.
End of Flashback
"Lady Hitomi… Promise me that you'll tryto like him. Promise me that you'll try to be happy here…" Ari left quickly, crying, and Hitomi watched the laundry blow in the wind. The pinks, blues, and dominant blacks were a slight comfort to her and she smiled in spite of herself.
"What's that girl thinking?!" A voice muttered.
"Huh?" Hitomi wondered aloud, seeing a hunched over figure speaking. It was a woman. Or at least, it looked like a woman. She was quite worn for wear.
"Oh, it's you." The woman spoke gruffly.
"Hey, show a little respect! I could have you killed if I reported you!" Hitomi replied indignantly.
"Aw, raspberries… Why should I give a damn?" The woman asked her in annoyance, hobbling over to the drying clothes.
"You sure don't care much about treason, do you?" Hitomi asked in wonder, since she seemed to be the only one who didn't.
"Deary, when you've lived on this ship as long as I have, nobody crosses you. Much less tries to kill you." The woman grumbled, plucking the clothes from where they hung.
"Okay… Well you already know my name, but I have yet to learn yours… What is it?"
"Not that it's any of your beeswax, Busy-body, but my name is Oban."
I wonder if these people know that some of their names actually have meaning in Japanese. For example, Oban means… She couldn't help but giggle at its definition.
Bitchy old hag…
"And what, may I ask, is so funny?" Oban asked in annoyance.
"Nothing… Nothing… So how old are you exactly?"
"Well let's see… 99, carry the 3, add 30…" She seemed to be submersed in the calculations.
"Ah, yes. I don't get that question much. I am approximately 131… No, 132 years old."
"WHAT?!" Hitomi fell over in disbelief. "How the heck is that possible?!" she exclaimed.
"Clean living…" the hag replied boastfully. Hitomi gave her a disbelieving look. "Alright, alright, I'm a sorceress, are you happy now?" She asked in annoyance, a vein in her forehead popping.
"Wow… I've never met a sorceress before! So do you work with those sorcerer-creeps in those scary-looking labs?"
"Hell no… In my prime, I was the emperor's personal sorceress. I had a laboratory that those "sorcerers" can hardly dream of! I had a room nearly as big as the emperor's! And I'm sure you, as his lady, have seen it numerous times… You know how extravagant it is…" She looked at the madly blushing Hitomi knowingly.
"Umm… Actually no… I haven't seen it, and if I have anything to say about it, I never will…" Hitomi muttered in embarrassment.
"Some couple… Hmph…" Oban mumbled in disdain.
"Hey, I didn't ask to marry him! I'd be off in Fanelia right now if it were up to me…" she grumbled in frustration at everyone blaming her for her relationship woes.
"You weren't asked now, were you?" Oban said matter-of-factly. "God only knows I love that boy, but despite the fact that he supposedly rules all, Makai is more of the emperor than he is. He doesn't dare oppose that fool. It's none of my business, but sometimes I wonder who's running this empire, Folken or that damn wannabe."
"What do you mean?" Hitomi asked in confusion.
"Well, when Folken was told that he was Zaibach's new ruler, it came as kind of a shock. One minute he was Dornkirk's henchman, the next minute he had his own country. Makai was assigned to "help him out" since the bastard was so much "wiser" and "more experienced" than Folken. He told Folken what to do, and for some reason, the all-too-trusting Folken listened and did whatever he advised him to do. It's been like that for his entire reign. When Folken figures out that he needs to kill that jerk, then he will truly become Emperor. That bitch of Makai's, Sukusari, knows it just as well as I do that Folken isn't dropping him anytime soon. She flounces around like she owns the fortress. I'd watch out for her, for you see… if Folken dies without an heir, Makai takes the throne. I don't know why Dilandau isn't next in line. Perhaps he has his hands full with Asturia's problems and doesn't even bring it up. I don't know why Makai brought you two here to wed those two since it obviously doesn't go along with the master plan. Folken and Makai remain buddy-buddy. Makai bumps off anyone who has the slightest idea what's going on or who stands in the way. Folken dies heirless. Makai takes the throne and rules Zaibach. You'd think that old iron-arm would have figured it out by now. He is one of the smartest men on all of Gaea, after all. Well, I've said far too much…"
She looked into Hitomi's eyes, which were filled with fear and perhaps a glint of despair? No, Hitomi hated Folken; that was obvious enough. She shook her head. The glint was gone and she decided that she had just wished that it was there. She'd known Folken since he'd first been rescued at the age of fifteen. She had been on the operating crew that had given him that horrendous iron appendage. He was a lovable boy, despite what he chose to think. Just rather thickheaded in spite of all his knowledge. She had hoped that he and Hitomi would hit it off, but so far, that didn't seem to be happening.
"I don't understand… How could anyone be that horrible?" Hitomi asked sadly.
"People are a funny sort. They care for no one but themselves." Oban said gruffly.
"But… That's not true… Not all people are like that… I…" Her eyes dilated as visions of the past hit her full-force.
Flashback
Prince Chid looked out the window from the small ship they were escaping in. Tears rolled down his ghostly white face and Hitomi's heart was filled with grief for not only him, but for all who lay dead on the battlefield below them.
"The castle! The castle in burning!" The young prince cried out in alarm.
"Boris… The others… They're all dead… They sacrificed themselves so that we could escape…" The boy fell to the floor sobbing. For the man who had been his childhood friend and protector was no more.
End of Flashback
Flashback
"The Energists… They're resonating!" Van noticed in alarm.
The Energist mine exploded and the ground started cracking all around them. Hitomi and Merle feared for their lives. Merle's cat-like reflexes served her well as she crawled out of the pit, but Hitomi slipped and fell into the blackness.
"HITOMI!" Van screamed urgently as he saw her lose her grip.
"HITOMI!" He screamed again. He tore off his shirt and jumped from Escaflowne, diving into the pit. Then…wings unfurled from his back and he flew down to her, grabbing her hand.
"You're…" She finally recognized Van as the boy from her vision. It had taken her long enough.
"An angel…" Then she went unconscious.
End of Flashback
Flashback
"You can't escape!" Van yelled in defiance at the guymelef he was fighting in Fanelia. He swiped at the enemy. "A guymelef!"
"It's the giant from my dream…" Hitomi whispered in awe. The guymelef formed a sword and Van cut off its entire arm. Hitomi's eyes widened as she saw another guymelef appear. "VAN! BEHIND YOU!" She shrieked.
Then Balgus appeared, slicing off the guymelef's arm.
"Balgus!" She called out in delighted surprise.
"Balgus…?!" Van called out loudly.
"Lord Van… Leave with Lady Hitomi now!" Balgus commanded.
"I WON'T TURN MY BACK ON MY ENEMY!" Van yelled in defiance. Even though he was the king of an entire country, he could be as stubborn as a little kid.
"DON'T BE A FOOL!" Balgus cried out. Van began to strike at the guymelef, blocking and taking shots at it. Balgus then blocked a shot he missed which might have critically wounded him.
"Balgus!" Van screamed again.
Balgus stabbed the guymelef through the cockpit.
"LORD VAN!"
Van knocked the enemy over and picked up Hitomi who was watching the battle with wide eyes.
"Hang on! Let's go!" Van headed outside and saw his beautiful kingdom going up in flames.
"It's over, Balgus! Withdraw!"
"HEY! WATCH OUT!" Hitomi screamed at the samurai. A guymelef shot at Balgus and hit him. He plunged to the ground.
"BALGUS!" Van screamed.
"BALGUS!" Hitomi echoed helplessly.
"Lord Van… Take Escaflowne and get out of here… And someday return to revive…the people of Fanelia…" Balgus died with this last command, drowning in a pool of blood.
"BALGUS!" Van cried out in pain and agony, but it was no use. Fanelia's great swordmaster was dead…
End of Flashback
Flashback
The Dragonslayer in his melef, Migel, if she remembered his name correctly, swooped down to attempt to kill Van. He easily blocked it, slicing off the guymelef's arm. The Dragonslayer shrieked.
"MIGEL!" Dilandau called out loudly.
Dilandau shot at Van, but he blocked it and a shot headed towards Hitomi on the shore across from them.
"HITOMI!" Van yelled in obvious distress.
"NO!" Allen screamed. Schezarade ran right in front of it, getting a direct hit.
"ALLEN!" Hitomi shrieked as he bled profusely.
"How careless of me…" He muttered.
End of Flashback
Flashback
A bunch of furry animals scattered as Escaflowne landed on the ground. Thunder rumbled in the background. Over a dozen blue Alseides units and a single red one landed around Van.
"Okay boys… The dragon hunting ends today!" Dilandau told his slayers.
"I'll settle this myself…" Van said, trying to reassure himself. "Okay, Escaflowne. Give me your strength." The mecca's gears started turning.
"ATTACK!" Dilandau commanded..
Several guymelefs charged at Van, one shooting at him, but he blocked it easily. He then proceeded to slice through several guymelefs at once.
"AAAAAAAAHHHH!" A Dragonslayer with blond curly hair Hitomi later learned was Guimel shrieked as Van crushed his guymelef's head, blood spewing everywhere. Van impaled a guymelef coming upon him and struck down the next one with the same persistence.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" Gatty screamed in pain as his guymelef burst into flames.
"Damn he's fast! Stealth cloaks!" Dilandau ordered. The guymelefs donned their cloaks immediately, but Van, using the dowsing that Hitomi had shown him before, was easily able to see through them.
"I can see them… I CAN SEE THEM!" Van cried out excitedly. He sliced through two more guymelefs with ease. Dalet attempted to protect himself with a shield, but to no avail. He too was killed.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Dalet screamed as he met the fate of his comrades.
"THIS IS FOR DUKE FREID!" Van proclaimed loudly as Dalet's guymelef burst into bloody flames.
"AND THIS IS FOR BALGUS!" He slashed through three more guymelefs as Dilandau watched in horror.
"What's going on?" Dilandau wondered aloud. "HE'S CRAZY!"
"Lord Dilandau!" Chesta cried out, as he, the last remaining Dragonslayer, died before his master, leaving Dilandau as the last one standing.
"GATTY…? CHESTA? DALET?!" Dilandau called for his fallen men. Escaflowne loomed before him menacingly. "Where is he?" Dilandau began to whimper.
Merle and Hitomi watched from the sky above.
"Lord Van's winning!" Merle proclaimed in excitement.
"No… Something's wrong with Escaflowne…" Hitomi muttered. She had a bad feeling about this.
Escaflowne stepped closer to Dilandau's guymelef as he screamed in terror.
"STAY AWAY!" Dilandau shrieked as he shot at Van, nicking him and causing blood to run down Van's cheek.
"And this is for Fanelia! PREPARE TO DIE!" Van screamed, running forward, intent on spearing Dilandau right then and there.
Dilandau's pale face was filled with fear, knowing that he was going to die. Suddenly, the blood from Van's cheek filled his guymelef. The whole landscape was covered in blood as eerie ghosts appeared.
"Stop." Dalet commanded.
"WHAT?!" Van cried out in confusion.
"We won't let you kill Dilandau…" Gatty told Van.
"What?" Van asked again.
"Why don't you come with us?" Gatty asked.
"Who are you?" Van asked, genuinely frightened.
"We won't let you kill the man who commanded us…" a Dragonslayer said.
"He gave us our glorious guymelefs!" another proclaimed.
"He gave me a guymelef!" another piped in.
The Dragonslayers surrounded Dilandau's guymelef protectively. Van was no longer in Escaflowne, but surrounded by walls of blood. Ghosts soared around him beckoning him.
"No… STAY AWAY! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Van screamed in terror as Escaflowne fell on its back and the scared to death Dilandau retreated. Everyone watched in horror from the ship above.
"What happened to Lord Van?" Merle asked in a frightened tone.
"Van…" Hitomi whispered. She continued to watch the pitch-black Escaflowne lying defeated on the ground.
End of Flashback
"No, Oban… People are not heartless. They fight to protect the people that they care about the most… Truly people are good at heart…" Hitomi whispered.
"Whatever pleases you." Oban snorted.
"Oban… Do you think…? Oh could you…? Might you… show me Van?" She asked hopefully.
"If it will make you stop spouting that sentimental crap…" Oban grumbled, her black robes swishing behind her as she led Hitomi down a narrow passageway. "See what they've confined me to?! I wouldn't have given my lab assistant such a terrible set-up." Oban asked in annoyance as they entered a huge silent room.
"It seems large enough to me…" Hitomi said quietly.
"This is nothing compared to my old lab…" Oban muttered in contempt. "I am so sick of this appearance! Would you wet yourself if I were to change?"
"No. Do what you like…" Hitomi replied quietly. This woman was beginning to intimidate her.
With a flash of blue, the old bitchy hag was gone and replaced by a kind-looking young woman just a few years older than Hitomi. She wore silky white robes in contrast to the black ones that Hitomi had grown accustomed to seeing the sorcerers wear.
"Much better…" Oban said to herself, cracking her knuckles. "Now let me see… How did it go again?" She closed her eyes, deep in thought.
"Ara Tumei… Ara Tumei… Ara Tumei… Fanelia… Ara Tumei… Fanelia!"
The cauldron in front of her bubbled and shimmered until Hitomi could see images appearing in it.
A fallen castle and a boy… A boy with hair the color of the night sky. It was Van! His wings were outstretched. He was flying away from Fanelia. So far away. Why was he flying away?
"I don't understand…" she whispered.
"Shut up and watch!" Oban commanded. She might look nice, but she was still a bitchy old hag.
Hitomi's eyes gazed into the cauldron once more.
Fanelia rapidly faded and she saw the ruins of Asturia. She saw him land on the balcony of a collapsed building, his body dripping with sweat, his hair plastered to his forehead. He looked to the sky, where the Mystic Moon hung, glowing brightly in the early evening.
"Wherever you are… I'll find you, Hitomi…" He promised softly, staring off into the distance.
The images faded and all that was left was the gleaming metal pot filled with still water.
"He's coming for you, Child…" Oban observed quietly.
"Oh no… He can't! They'll kill him… I can't let him die! I love him…" she whispered softly, tears streaming down her face.
"Oh, Oban… Isn't there any way to tell him to go back to Fanelia? I don't want him to die for my sake… It isn't right…" Hitomi fell to the ground, hugging her knees, wetting her shirt with her sobs.
"Yes, I can help you send a message to him. It's unlikely that he'll fall for it though… I'd give him a while before he shows up at least. He looked pretty drained. I'd say he'll stay in Asturia a week or two, stock upon supplies, rest, and then head on to Zaibach. And you know that the Vione is cloaked so he'll have a great deal of difficulty locating it."
"He knows how to dowse…" Hitomi murmured quietly.
"HOW?!" Oban demanded, her rage all too apparent.
"I taught him… Why did I teach him? It's all my fault…" Hitomi said softly.
"Well, there's nothing you can do about it now… Let me concentrate for a moment and then think as hard as you can exactly what you want to say to him."
"Thank you." she said gratefully.
"Just shut up and think already!" Oban snapped.
Don't come, Van… Please don't come, Van… You'll die… Don't come after me, Van… Please don't come, Van… Don't die… She concentrated hard on her plea, hoping that it would reach him in time.
"Well, if he doesn't get it by now, you have a very thickheaded boy on your hands!" Oban declared. "Now shoo! I have lots of work to do! Shoo now! That's right, shoo!" she led her out of the lab, slamming the door behind her.
"Van… Don't come… I don't want you to die…" she said softly, before going to her room.
Van slept soundly that night. A kind citizen of Asturia had put him up for the night when he had told him that he was an Ally soldier. He dared not bring trouble to the man's house by word getting to the Zaibach that Fanelia's king was staying there.
He'd been flying for a while now. He hadn't been able to travel much. He was still injured from his last run-in with Zaibach soldiers. When he'd first taken off, he had been immediately called back by his guards who wouldn't let him leave until everything was straightened out with the government.
He groaned at the thought of what could have happened to Hitomi during his delay. She could have been raped, beaten, killed, or she could have returned home… The horrible possibilities were endless and they were what kept him going. He had to protect her.
"Don't come, Van… Please, Van… I don't want you to die, Van… Don't come…" Hitomi's voice was projected in his mind.
He shot up out of bed.
"Hitomi?!" He muttered in disbelief.
Had she said not to come after her? It made no sense. It was probably just some Zaibach trickery. He wouldn't put it past them. They loved to toy with peoples' emotions. He decided that this was what it was and rolled over to get some well-deserved rest. But before he fell asleep, he murmured one last sentiment.
"Don't worry, Hitomi. I'm coming."
Indeed, Hitomi had a very caring, but thickheaded boy on her hands.
A month or so later, Hitomi awoke, drenched in fear-induced sweat. That horrible nightmare continued to plague her.
"Don't worry, Hitomi. I'm coming." Van murmured.
But she did worry. She worried about him night and day. Nothing could console her. She worried about Folken too. If she had to spend the rest of her life with him, she'd like it if they at least got along. But she hardly ever saw him, and when she did, it was far from memorable. But today, all that would change, because Hitomi was going to attempt to "bond" with Folken. If he was going to stay in his study all day, she would get in. And since he only came out for meals, she would bring his food. That was the plan.
She took a right and ended up in the Vione's vast kitchen, cluttered with cooks and servants who all fell on one knee when she entered.
"For what do we owe the honor of your presence, Milady?" the head chef asked meekly.
"Rise. There is no need for all of that. May I brew some tea?"
A blonde maid shot up.
"I shall make it for you, Lady!"
"Oh no. That's not necessary. I can make my own tea." Hitomi replied, heading towards the stove.
"But Lady Hitomi!" Another chef protested.
"Resume your duties and leave me to my work." she was relieved to see them grudgingly obey as she set to the task at hand.
There were no teabags on Gaea, sadly to say, so she boiled tea leaves, as she'd seen her grandmother once do. She filled the teapot and placed on a silver tray with two tea cups. She was also given a couple of rolls and a pad of butter before setting off to her husband's study. She nearly spilled all of the tray's contents several times on her journey, but she did reach her destination and knocked hesitantly. There was no response, so she knocked again.
"Enter." Folken's grave voice commanded. She opened the door and walked in. Folken seemed surprised at her unexpected visit.
"Good afternoon, Hitomi. What is it that you want?"
"I want you to stop signing those stupid treaties and have tea with me." Hitomi proclaimed.
"And why should I do that?" he asked her sternly.
"Because, I'm your 'beloved' wife and you should want to please me." she replied matter-of-factly.
"I suppose you're right." he admitted, secretly happy that he had found a reason to put away his quill.
"Of course I am! I'm the Empress of Zaibach for crying out loud! I'm always right!" She said smugly.
She pulled up a chair from a small table on the other side of the room and sat across from him. She then proceeded to pour the steaming beverage into a cup for Folken, handing it to him carefully. She then proceeded to pour herself a cup. Hitomi then passed out the rolls and took a bite out of hers.
"It's good. Who made it?" Folken asked, sipping his tea.
"Well… I did…" she admitted.
His eyes fixed with hers in disbelief for a moment, before he gulped it down.
"You?"
"Yes. I really don't see what the big fuss is about. The chefs seemed to think that I'd lost my mind." Hitomi muttered in annoyance. Why wasn't she allowed to do anything?
"It's uncommon to see an empress doing something of this nature. You'll have to forgive them. Those of us brought up on Gaea always believed that all the rulers' wives did was host extravagant parties, waste the treasury on gaudy jewelry, and raise their children to rule the country once they were gone."
"Well sor-ry if I'm 'offending' everyone! I was trying to be nice!"
"Why?" he asked solemnly.
"Because… even though we didn't marry for love, we're still husband and wife! We should at least try to get along! And besides that… we were married primarily for procreation, weren't we? If I'm going to be the vessel for your heir, then I'd least like to get to know you first…" She found herself blushing at the very idea, but it was the truth, as embarrassing as it might be.
"I suppose that you're right." he muttered as he took another sip of his tea.
"Tell me, Hitomi… I was thinking about it the other day… Do you remember the time we spent together when we were in Fanelia?"
"Yes, of course…" Hitomi consented.
How could I forget? It was the beginning of the end of- well everything…
Flashback
Folken sat amidst the ruins of Fanelia, whistling softly.
"Do you think he'll come?" Ruhm asked Folken.
"He will… It's Van, remember?"
"As though you know each other so well… Here he comes!" Ruhm spotted Escaflowne above them, Van glaring menacingly from its cockpit.
"Hello, Brother!" Van said quietly, in an angry, sarcastic manner.
Folken watched Hitomi from below.
"Just like unpredictable elements… They amuse me…"
Escaflowne landed before Ruhm and Folken.
"I thought you'd still be with Van!" Ruhm told Hitomi, who blushed madly. "You must be worried, but leave them alone. Van, Folken, I'll see you later."
"Thank you, Ruhm." Folken said quietly as Ruhm departed..
"Did you come alone?" Van asked suspiciously.
"Do you think I'd lay a trap for my own brother?" Folken asked indignantly.
Van leaped from Escaflowne, drawing his sword.
"Well you're no brother of mine!"
"Van!" Hitomi called out desperately.
"Look what's happened to the country you've abandoned! This green land protected by dragons is in ruins!"
"Do you hate me then? Me, your own brother?" Folken asked.
"I'll make you pay for your sins with this royal sword!"
"Van…" Hitomi said softly. A cloud of dust rose.
"What's that?!"
"A land dragon…" Van muttered as another one appeared behind him.
"It's Folken! Folken planned this all along!"
"Van, no!" Hitomi pleaded with him not to believe such a thing as he dodged a dragon that lunged at him.
"I can't believe they'd be wandering around after only a few months… This way!" He grabbed her hand and they hid under the wreckage of a house as a dragon walked by.
"Drop your sword, Van. Get rid of the rage in your heart and the dragons will go away…" Folken told him from afar.
"Don't be ridiculous! Do you really believe I'll fall for a trick like that?!" Van yelled at him. A dragon appeared and breathed fire as they jumped away.
"Damn it! Folken! Show yourself!" Van commanded.
"Fighting solves nothing…True, I failed in the rite of dragonslaying to become king…" Folken said in a stern voice. Hitomi could see it. Young Folken was standing by the dragon when it lunged at him, ripping off his arm. He lay on the ground as the dragon stared at him. "I was ready to die, but then…"
"Am I alive?" A young Folken wondered aloud. "Where am I?" He shielded his eyes, now lying on a bed under a bright light.
"Nobleman from the land protected by dragons…" A quavering voice called to the fifteen-year-old.
"What? Who are you?" Folken asked the strange voice.
"My name is Dornkirk, he who intends to control fate with the power of Atlantis."
"The power of Atlantis?"
"You survived because the power of Atlantis flows through you… Come with me and let us create a world free of war…"
Folken sat up. "What is this place?" He then noticed his right arm, now mechanical, and grimaced before screaming.
"Since then, I have become a sorcerer under Lord Dornkirk's tutelage… I did it all for an ideal future…" Folken said quietly.
"So you sold your soul and your country to Zaibach?!" Van demanded, filled with rage. A dragon leaped down, separating Van and Hitomi.
"VAN!" Hitomi cried out.
"Run,
Hitomi! Run!"
"Come on!" He challenged the dragon.
Hitomi ran up some stairs before a dragon lunged at her. Folken pulled her aside, covering her mouth with his hand as she murmured in outrage.
"Be quiet." he told her gently. The dragon looked at them, before turning away and Folken let go. "I want you to trust me." Folken told her softly.
"I know this may sound strange, but I'd like your help, Hitomi."
"You're just like Naria, aren't you?" Hitomi asked, studying his metal arm. "Just like her… Your body was changed…"
"Naria…?" Folken muttered in disbelief at the all-too-familiar name. "But how…?"
Van was knocked into a wall by the dragon.
"But Naria's dead… And so are all those people in Fanelia… And Asturia…" Hitomi said, reliving the deaths of those she had once known..
"That's why we must change the way people feel. We must stop the bloodshed and bring peace to Gaea." Folken proclaimed.
"Folken…" Hitomi murmured.
"Dornkirk's theory isn't wrong… I will learn the rules of fate and shape the world according to my will… Just like the people of Atlantis once did…"
"But that's not the way change is supposed to work!" Hitomi protested.
"You can change things with your feelings, right?" Naria's voice echoed.
"Naria…" Hitomi muttered.
The two could hear the dragon growl and walked to where they could see Van trapped.
"VAN!" Hitomi shrieked. Folken removed his shirt, spreading his wings and flying down to where his brother was.
"Oh, Folken…" Hitomi murmured, seeing his black wings.
He landed in front of Van, who noticed the dark color of his wings as well.
"Brother…" Van muttered.
"DROP YOUR SWORD, VAN! DROP IT!" Folken commanded him. Van obeyed and the dragon went away.
"The dragons… The dragons are leaving…" Hitomi noticed in awe.
"Van, your anger and fear drew the dragons to you, just like a drop of water creates ripples, anger and fear causes chaos. I'll change the fate of man. I'll eliminate those feelings…" Folken said.
"A world without war?" Van asked in disbelief.
Van recalled a memory of his childhood before Folken left.
"And so our hero slew the rampaging dragon, and became king of all Fanelia…" Folken read the picture book to his little brother.
"But why did he kill the dragon brother? That was so mean…" Young Van commented.
"You're right, Van. It is mean to kill dragons, but it's a king's destiny." Younger Folken told him.
"I wanted to lift that burden from your shoulders… It was because of your gentleness that I wanted to create a kinder Fanelia… My only wish was to see that new world with you… However… Our methods were wrong… I see that now…" Hitomi then joined them.
"Join me, Van… And let us create a world free of war…" Folken held out his hand.
"Brother… Your wings…" Van whispered sadly, knowing what the black wings stood for. Death.
End of Flashback
"And then, there was that time in Asturia…"
Flashback
Hitomi was walking through the fields.
"What's the matter with me? I was so mean when I said those things to Allen…"
She looked at the church, then at the Earth. She got in her track stance and ran off. She eventually ended up by a large fountain in town as Folken watched her.
"You miss your homeland, right?" He asked her.
"Folken…" Hitomi looked up in surprise.
Time passed as their conversation continued.
"Van said that…?" Folken asked in disbelief.
"I really want you and Van to get along…" Hitomi commented.
"He'll never change…" Folken said harshly.
"I wish I could make him understand…" Hitomi said whimsically.
"Aren't you afraid of me? I'm the one who sent the Intensified Luck Soldiers after you." Folken asked stoically.
"I can't explain it… But…"
"But…?" Folken asked.
"If I were afraid, you wouldn't be comfortable. It wouldn't work. If you don't trust people, they don't trust you…" She replied.
"You know, my stay here could just be part of my plot…" Folken warned her.
"All the same, I still wouldn't think you were a bad person, Folken. Even if my trust was misplaced." Hitomi smiled at him.
"So that's your power…" He murmured as Van looked on with an angry disposition from nearby.
End of Flashback
"You said that you trusted me. That I wasn't a bad person." He chuckled, but not in a happy way.
"And you know what the funny thing is? I almost believed it too…"
"Folken…" She whispered. "I still believe it…"
"You're young and foolish…"
"So believing in people makes me foolish, huh Folken? So what does not believing in yourself make you? Old and bitter?" she asked accusingly.
"We're opposites… I'm dark and you are light, you're good and I am evil, you are seventeen and I am twenty-seven…" he remarked in a melancholy manner.
"I know how old I am, thank you very much! Although I'm surprised you took the time to figure it out…"
"I have more free time on my hands than you'd think…" he replied casually.
"Maybe it's my fault. You warned me. You practically told me what you were doing with the Allies and I just refused to believe you. Perhaps I am a fool. But Folken, there's still something I don't understand…"
"What is that?" he asked nonchalantly.
"How could you join Zaibach? How could you abandon your country and plot to kill your own brother? How could you burn the kingdom you were meant to rule to the ground? What happened to Folken Lacoeur de Fanel?"
"Have you ever looked at my face, Hitomi?" He turned on the desk lamp to illuminate the right side of his face where she could plainly see the purple teardrop tattooed on his cheek. "When I joined Zaibach, I abandoned my past life and started anew. Folken Lacoeur de Fanel died when the dragon bit off his arm. That was the day that Folken Strategos, strategist of Zaibach, was born. I sacrificed my family, my people, my friends, and my birthright, all for the sake of a new world. I asked Dornkirk for this tattoo. I changed how I did my hair, donned sorcerers' robes, had my ears pierced, received my metal appendage, and the tattoos around my eyes also seemed appropriate. I swore from that day forward that I would never cry again. I have only broken that promise once, when I was responsible for the deaths of Naria and Eriya. This tattoo represents all the miseries of my life and the tears that were never and will never be shed. I was given a new life, and with it, I became a different person. Folken Lacoeur de Fanel is dead, Hitomi."
"You may leave now." he said softly.
"I'll come back, Folken. Whether you want me to or not!" she yelled, fleeing down the hall. Folken shut off the light, leaving him in the darkness, as always…
A/N: There's the end of chapter 5! I'm sorry if any of the flashbacks from the series were screwed up; I haven't watched the series in a long time… It's 2:30 AM and I have school starting tomorrow… I've got to hit the hay. Please excuse me for not answering reviews… I hope that you know how much I appreciate them and I hope this many-paged chapter makes up for my neglect… Please review and thanks for reading!
Next Time On "Tears of the Heart":
"Yukari… Shh… It's okay…" she whispered softly, trying to comfort the red-haired girl.
"What should I do Hitomi? What should I do?" she asked in a pitiful manner.
"Yukari, you have to tell him. No matter how much it hurts… He's the father and he has the right to know…" Hitomi advised, though she regretted having to speak this painful truth.