Guess what I tried to buy Escanflowne yesterday, but I couldn't find the number to the people that own it so…
I still DO NOT own Escanflowne *tear* Otherwise I would be making a million different series off each verison of peoples stories here *snicker*
Okay so hears chapter 8 – Im writing and it seems with all the work, payroll and holidays my work load doubled, my time to do it cut in half and staying up later each night is making me silly.
I hope you enjoy this chapter, Im really getting torn here if I like Hitomi's powers *heh*
Hitomi's eyes fluttered open. It was dark – but the windows in the small cabin illuminated it well enough that it wasn't a hard adjustment for her vision. The room was smaller – there was a desk with papers shuffled about – what would be a closet next to the desk. The door was on the wall her cot rested against. Very simple she thought.
She moved around stretching in the bed only to have the cot form to her body making her want to close her eyes and fall asleep again. She sighed and her mind started to wander. She remembered Allen bringing her to the room, but not how she became undressed – realizing that Allen might have undressed her made the red appear on her cheeks putting aside the hint of frustration and embarrassment this was causing her.
She sat up and let her feet dangle at the end of the cot, her vision blurred as she gave her eyes a moment to catch up with her light head. Making her way over to the desk, in the chair was a change of clothes. It looked like a finely made summer dress, a light green with white straps that provided a low cut in the front. Of course he would get something relieving the frustration was beginning to peak again.
She was debating getting dressed – she couldn't tell if it was really late – or really early. She was growing used to not knowing the time of day – she seemed to sleep a lot and her rests could vary on hours – but only feel like minutes of sleep. She decided she would get dressed – if it was late she could still do some looking around – try and avoid Allen if that was possible.
She didn't like the way she felt when he touched her, and after the past event – she was starting to realize she was feeling others emotions. She could have lived happier herself knowing that he didn't have these strong needing emotions to her – but then she would of be blinded to her friends feelings. Hitomi was only a teenager when she was here last and didn't understand a lot of things – but she thought she understood when Allen kissed her – it wasn't powerful. It was nice – as kisses go – but the urges she thought she had sought with him – weren't there. Then he told her Van loved her, why would he do that if he asked her to marry him and then had these feelings all this time?
She was tired of trying to figure it out – she might be a woman yes – but she couldn't make any more sense of it and decided that she would go find Serantisan and Gato. She started to remember the earlier events – she wanted to say earlier today but again with the times she was unsure. Gato, they had left him in the clearing, she hoped Serantisan went back for him – or he at least made his way here. She felt comforted to be near him, he could talk, and he knew things about her she didn't know about herself anymore, as unnerving as that was.
She opened the door and made her way down the thin halls, passing small door after door. They were all cabins she assumed, as the space between each door would indicate such. She came to the end of the long hallway and had an option to go up or down, thinking she concluded up would be her best bet. As much as she didn't want to run into Allen – she didn't know her way around a ship anymore and didn't feel like stumbling through the dark much longer without knowledge of where she was.
She could hear voices as she continued up the stairs, muffled but at least she knew she was getting somewhere. At the top of the stairs there was a door, she thought of knocking – but it seemed silly. This was a ship – and she had already passed the cabin quarter of the ship – so privacy wasn't needed anymore.
She opened the door and saw three men standing near the large open window of the ship – defiantly the command deck. Allen was among one of them, his 1st in command Ritern, and the last gentleman she had yet to see before. He was what she would only describe as a muscle bound work out junkie. He reminded her of all those men on her TV that would promote those boost your muscle systems or workout gyms. His hair was buzzed – and not very thick on his head because he almost appeared bald.
"Lady Hitomi, It's good to see you awake this early." Allen said with a bow, she couldn't help the way his eyes took her in before he pulled his gaze away.
"How early Allen?" she was starting to feel uncomfortable the way her chest strained to stay into the thinly satin gown she wore. The others were staring too.
"We have about 2 more hours before sunrise, how was your sleep?" Allen walked over to her and held out his arm as if to guide her elsewhere – which she wouldn't mind – the other two stares were making her uncomfortable and she wasn't sure if Allen could tell but she didn't take his arm.
"It was, uh, fine, where are we going?" She said absently as they descended back down the stairs.
"There are others that I think might tear my ship apart if I do not in good faith show them you are alright." Allen said chuckling.
Serantisan and Grato – he said others and those were the two she was traveling with before. She felt relief wash over her she didn't have to keep distant from those two – and it was a comfort that the many unexplainable things happening to her they could help with.
They made it to a large loading back with a dock door that started to creak and squeal open as the heavy gears cranked it out. As the night light filled the bay she saw Allen's Gymulef out of the corner of her eye. A sudden sense of courage filled her – she remembered the battles, it all seemed to hit her. She was torn between awe for the memories of the Gymulef or pain for all the tragedy that had happen with them.
"I fear it's just a large metal space taker anymore." Allen said and Hitomi couldn't tell if he was sad or content with the notion.
Hitomi followed him down the bay door down towards the lake that was only a few yards away. She saw the glinting of Serantisan's scales under the two large planets in the sky. Even from this distant she was still an enormous creature. She could see a hooded figure leaning against Serantisan's side – hunched over – probably sleeping.
"Strange company you keep Hitomi." Allen was defiantly fishing for explanations and she wasn't sure what she wanted to tell him.
Tell him that Dilandau had kept her captive – she would except she was unsure how Dilandau was Dilandau and not Selena. That hadn't crossed her mind when she was there so many other things were happening to her.
"If you would excuse me." Hitomi pulled the front of her dress up and ran the rest of the way to the dragon and Ispano. She didn't want Allen to follow her, she could sense something coming from his, and she didn't want to get wrapped into it. She needed to ask Serantisan questions and she didn't want Allen to know anything was happening. Allen seemed to take the hint and stay where he was turning to look at the scenery.
He was starting to feel as if Hitomi was avoiding him, well he knew she was. She didn't take his arm walking here, and earlier she had pushed him away. Something was not right, and he intended to talk to her about it later. He wasn't pushing himself onto her – he felt as if he was restraining very well actually. So to have her brush him off was not like her at all – she was so excited to see him.
"Grato! Serantisan!" Hitomi said slightly louder than a whisper. They were both sleeping and she didn't want to startle them away.
Serantisan's head lifted slowly and her large blue eyes blinked at her for a few moments.
"It's good to see you Tsuni, You've been resting for a day's worth of time." Serantisan looked over her shoulder – eyeing Allen uncertain.
"A day, wow." Hitomi looked back as well – she also noticed that the ship looked repaired to an extent that it might be able to fly.
"Serantisan I have a question." She looked back at the dragon.
"Well Tsuni, I will do my best to answer your question." Serantisan brought her head lower to Hitomi's eye level.
"Is it possible for me to absorb other people's emotions?" Hitomi glanced back at Allen seeing the distance was still there – he couldn't possibly hear her.
"Yes, you feel the world around you – it makes you more depth to feeling Gaea herself – however without proper restraint you can absorb the wrong emotions…"
"How do I control them?" Hitomi thought back to when Allen was holding her – she almost kissed him – and had she had a few more moments, she not sure if she could have stopped herself.
"You are talking about the young Knight" Serantisan titled her head slightly "His emotions to you are falsely applied, I see his fate, they don't belong to you, but you were put there and now your tangled."
"Im sorry?" Hitomi sighed she didn't understand, she wanted to though.
"Ah, well we, Dragons as your tongue calls us, can see your strings of fate – they are like thread about you with symbols ever changing and ever weaving throughout your aura. Your decision causes these threads to break – forming new ones, causing the symbols to change, the ending to turn out differently but the same. We see this. Your friend – his threads have been woven in by someone else – tied with his original threads like a web. These new threads are your symbol Tsuni, someone placed him to you."
Hitomi pondered for a moment, thinking hard about what she was saying – it made sense some. She knew deciphering future with her Tarot cards. Each symbol stood for something, meaning could vary but you had to know the cards and let them speak to you to understand the true meaning with that card.
"But that wasn't your original question. You feel others emotions Tsuni – you can either be a willer or willed to do someone else's deed. Tsuni's have an Ocale, it's an artifact – within it an emerald. Tsuni's wore the Ocale around their head like a crown – it helped keep her will her own. Tsuni's have a strong sense of emotion as it thrives from will – your will for something or someone creates the emotions you feel. Tsuni's can will the energy that Gaea has – leaving them perceptive to emotion." Serantisan glanced at Hitomi, evaluating her.
"Gaea's energy is given to all the land and creatures she feeds through her being. We the dragons, have the large amount of energy in our beings as we are her protectors. The dragons that go to the once sacred grounds to give Gaea back her energy – are being harvested, not giving Gaea back her energy. Gaea is becoming weak – her life span waning with every new energist born and not returned."
"Where do I get this Ocale?" the once puzzling fact of who she was and her purpose was becoming more clear. Serantisan was always beyond informative; she couldn't stop explaining once she started. Everything she said, seemly toned and wise. Speaking slowly and choosing her words carefully.
"Tsuni had always resided in Cimedian. Centuries ago, they used to be for the land – protect and live in peace. However, as individuals are – some became greedy – wanting power and other nations advancements in culture. Cimedian started to split – and as new power ascended the throne in generations to follow – slowly their thirst for this power grew with them."
Hitomi looked up at an increasingly bright light in the sky – she covered her eyes for the light grew in size and was blinding her. She pulled her arm away from her eyes as the light dimmed and she wasn't in the meadow anymore. A city with structures of white marble as high as the sky could go surrounded her. People bustled in front of her in and out of the smaller shops. No one seemed to notice her and the large white dragon beside her.
Serantisan knelt down and provided her wing as a step up. Hitomi followed and climbed onto her back as they took flight. The city was very grand in scale to any Hitomi had ever seen. Austria was large – larger than any other city she had seen pervious on Gaea – but Cimedian was a capital compared to Austria.
They flew high above towards a large white palace. It was like an old castle she had seen in her history books. It reminded her of Buckingham palace. Being from Tokyo she didn't touch a lot on the other countries history but medieval times in England influenced her after her trip home form Gaea, and the architecture was amazing. If she didn't know she was on Gaea she would think she would be flying to more marble version of Buckingham palace.
Serantisan glide over the walls and into a court yard that was the main of the castle. A large blue orb hovered over a fountain of glistening water. It almost hummed to hear ears, she wanted to go forth and touch the orb – she could feel it pulling her in.
"Don't touch it Tsuni, don't go near it. You brought us here – but I wouldn't touch it." Serantisan sounded threatening – but she wasn't going to stop her, she was simply warning her. She wanted to though, but she heeded Serantisans warning.
"The last Tsuni before you, fled from here because they had created machines – over the culture advances they obtained from countries and nations they destroyed – they were able to make the first Gymeluf."
The orb hummed louder illuminating slightly with what appeared to be a vision of a Gymeluf sitting while people clamored of the armor. They were building it.
"She had warned the King – his kingdom would split and cause Gaea harm, he tried to contain her at first – his hatred poured into her will – and she raised armies of dragons to fight against them. She almost destroyed herself, all that energy coursing through her and she pushed herself to control the mechanical armor – but it failed, our kind was almost annihilated, and the people that fought with her were slaughtered."
The orb turned red, a color that seemed to ooze out from the orb – and the vision changed to men scattered, dying, and Gymelufs burning towns. Women and children lay beneath their feet. Hitomi gasped and looked away.
"The Ispano felt her call for help before her emotions willed with that of the current ruler when he took the Ocale from her. What happen to her from there, not even we know, or why she came to the decision she did. I was young then – but I felt a loss in my soul that day that the sky and land both shook with anger. She had taken her soul and the Ispano's welded it into a Gymeluf for a Draconian heir to be." Serantisan knelt down again and Hitomi pulled herself up as they took flight back into the sky.
A tear trailed from her cheek with the images that dances through her mind that the orb had shown her.
"The Ocale will help you, but I know not where it is. Your duties to Gaea are large Tsuni, you must protect her, or there will be no life left for you and the people of her if she is drained." Serantisan flew into the sky higher and higher, approaching a large oval light.
Again Hitomi shielded her sight as the light became unbearable to her vision.
"Where do we head from here?" Hitomi pulled her arm away from her sight, letting her eyes adjust looking around.
She stood in the same spot she was – and Allen further back on the hill talking with Ritern at this point.
"Your choicez." Grato's raspy voice stated.
"It is, I follow you Tsuni, and I am here to help you until the end." Serantisan bowed her head.
She still had a million questions. Why would the Tsuni before her build Escanflowne if she was against the Gymeluf to start? How was she going to stop the creation and make the destruction of all the energy sucking machines? Where on earth was this Ocale because she couldn't be around anyone without it, otherwise she took a chance at loosing herself to them? There was no answers sitting here, but where should she go. She had no idea, Cimedian? A country she never even heard of to walk in and ask for the Ocale when she doesn't know if they would want to use her like a tool – like Dilandou. Go with Allen? His feelings were overwhelming her when they were close – and though she had a clear mind now – when she got near him the attraction was forced and she was afraid she couldn't control it. What did Serantisan mean about forced fate?
"What did you mean about Allen Serantisan?" Hitomi figured it was one question she could possible get an answer to.
"I'm sorry I do not have the answer to that question Hitomi, as I have never seen this – I just know the threads were forced in there – they don't belong – different in color and appearance. His fate has been altered with his original, two fates trying to blend to one. It will not turn out good to deny his true fate would be hard enough but to be denied both would be unnerving – I have never seen someone with two fates Hitomi – I should state that his being is in jeopardy."
Hitomi sighed, how could she fix fate when she didn't even know how his fate was altered to being with. Who had a fate alter- Oh my, Dornkirk! Dornkirk had a fate altering machine! Why on earth would he alter Allen's fate to Hitomi? What could he have gained from the whole thing? It made no sense and she didn't have any idea how to fix it, and so far her powers didn't fall in the line of fate altering.
She was sure Serantisan could read the question on her face.
"I don't know Tsuni, what I do know is, neither of his fates at this point are going to exists, his fate being altered left his original fate in limbo, with that being, who knows what path his original fate has taken. It's so faded, I can't tell. And his new altered fate is overpowering this one, but it ends with you, and your fate I see doesn't end with him." Serantisan shook her head.
Hitomi was tired of this – if it wasn't one miraculous unexplainable happening after another – it was some unfixable unpredictable problem. It was tiring. Hitomi sat down against Serantisan's leg and felt like the world was against her. Things were wrong, and out of all of this she hadn't seen Van and now she couldn't bring herself to see Van. Yes she was whining. All this seemed not worth it as more things piled up.
"Pity not good for Gaea." Gatos raspy Jamaican accent interrupted herself pity thinking.
A tear fell down her cheek. "I know Grato, I know, I'm sorry just overwhelming – I guess I'm not the strongest Tsuni am I?" She wiped the following tears away glancing back up to the hill where Ritern and Allen were, they had left – probably back to the ship while Hitomi sat here with the unusual company she kept.
Even with her being there she could tell Allen didn't seem comfortable with the dragon – but then she was used to being around unusual.
"You are, juzt find." He pulled his long point finger from her chest and stared at her.
Hitomi sighed, she figured she would head back up to Allen's ship and see when they were departing but for her own good she figured she would stay with Serantisan for the time being – if they had to fly. She had a notion that Allen would be trying to spend time with her – and she couldn't let that happen until she found a way to clear his fate of her.