Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ The Vision of Escaflowne: AU ❯ Vision III: Allen Shezar, the Gallant Swordsman of Austuria ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

~*~*~ THE VISION OF ESCAFLOWNE~*~*~

Vision III: Allen Shezar, the Gallant Swordsman of Austuria

& nbsp; Hitomi didn't quite know where she was when she woke up that fateful night. She was far away from both Van and Escaflowne that was for sure. Speaking of which, she was reminded of her new reality. A quick recap, she thought.

& nbsp; “I came here, after Van slaughters a huge dragon, and we are transported here. Van's purpose to kill that dragon was to get a heart energist thingy from it's chest and show it as proof so he can become king…I find out that I'm a goddess, and Van's country is destroyed. And this is where I am…I think I'm holding up so far,” she said, contently to herself. “And I'm also talking to myself out loud which can never be a good sign of sanity.”

~*oOo*~

Van looked around, the dewy grass swaying delicately in the breeze.

“Judging by the stars…this definitely is still Gaea.” Van sighed, looking up at the stars. Suddenly, he was reminded of the fact that Hitomi was no longer with him.

“Where's that girl…?” Van trailed off, trying to remember her name. “Hitomi?”

~*oOo*~

& nbsp; Hitomi took out her pendant, holding it in front of her.

& nbsp; “Please…tell me which way to go…I don't want to be lost anymore.” She said aloud to herself, as if talking to her pendant.

& nbsp; Silence.

The pendant slowly began swing. Front to back. Back to front. Front to back. Back to Front.

Slowly, it became hypnotic.

A gruff hand reached out suddenly and whipped the pendant from her hands, and tumbled out in front of her. A mole man laughed, teasing her by dangling the pendant in front of her.

“No! Please! Give that back!” she yelled, trying to snatch it from his grasp. “What are you, anyway? I said give that back!” Hitomi's eyes watered, and she collapsed.

“HELP MEEEEEEEE!!” she screamed.

The mole man laughed mischievously. Just as he was running off, a white and gray owl flew from a distant boat down in river; flying from a man's shoulder. The owl flew away, and the mole man came face to face with a tall man with long, blond-hair. He glared down at him, as the mole man cowered.

“So, you've grown tired of petty thievery and now attack helpless young girls? How despicable! Receive your punishment!”

The mole man backed up, obviously frightened by this man. He backed up shaking his head. The man followed through, landing a hard punch under his chin. The mole man fell back, losing his grip on Hitomi's pendant. Hitomi caught it in mid-air. The mole man ran off into the woods.

“Get away! I don't ever want to see your face near her ever again!” The blonde yelled at him, his strong voice ringing through the woods. Hitomi starred up at him, not sure whether to run away or stay. She looked around, trying to determine her options.

“Pardon me, my lady, but what are you doing out here all by yourself?” his handsome voice came to Hitomi's attention. Hitomi looked up, startled.

“Uh-uh, s-sorry,” she stuttered, rising to her feet. “I'm…I'm lost, actually.” Slowly she looked up, to see the long-haired blond man smiling at her.

& nbsp; “Maybe I can be of some help.” He offered, his warm smiled charming Hitomi.

& nbsp; “Uh, well, you see…” Hitomi whirled, and her head began to feel heavy. She held her head. He reached out his hand. “You seem ill.”

Hitomi shook her head. “N-no, I'm fine.” Hitomi whirled around again. “M-maybe not…” she said to herself.

“Let me help you,” he offered again.

“No, no really, I'm fine.” Hitomi backed up. And suddenly, she collapsed. The man caught her, and picked her up.

“Hitomi?” Came Van's voice, as he walked across the logs in the forest. He spotted the man, carrying Hitomi. His eyes burned with anger.

“Put her down, now,” he commanded in a low, threatening voice. “I will kill you if you have done anything to her.” The man only shrugged. “Making rash threats is never a good idea,” the man replied, turning around to face Van. Van put his hand on the hilt of his sword, about to draw it when the man's voice stopped him.

“Don't draw!” he shouted. “It is my job as a knight to answer steal with steal. Draw that sword, and it is you who will be full of regret.”

Van drew his sword. The man shook his head.

“Foolish boy,” he said, putting Hitomi down on the grass.

Van charged just as he did so, and the man effortlessly shifted to the side, letting Van charge into nothingness.

“You're good…BUT-,” the man began.

Van rashly swung his sword around, but the man jumped up behind him, jabbing him with the bunt of his sword, knocking him out. Van fell unconscious onto the ground.

“…Not good enough. I struck you with the back of my sword.” He finished, picking up Van's royal sword, and eyeing it with curiosity.

~*oOo*~

“So am I to understand that you let those damned samurai damage two of my Alseides units?” a boy stood, his garnet eyes furiously starring at his dragon slayers. He ran his hand through his silvery hair, angered by his finest troop's actions.

“My elite forces! Making a foolish and rash decision such as this! Are you trying to ruin Zaibach's reputation, let alone mine?”

This boy was the leader of the elite force called the Dragon Slayers. Zaibach's finest soldiers. Among these Dragon Slayers was the second-in-command officer, Gatti Lavareil, who was receiving the scolding for damaging - not destroying - two of his precious Alseides Units. They did complete the mission after all. Dallet, a person he had known for a long time, stood up.

& nbsp; “Master Dilandau, I apologize for my reckless actions.”

& nbsp; “You think apologizing will fix anything, you scum!” he rasped, smacking him across the face with the back of his hand. “Master Dilandau,” Gatti began, “is there anything that we, no I can do to help?”

& nbsp; Dilandau loosened up, and shook his head.

& nbsp; “You can start by telling Dallet not to speak unless I speak to him.”

& nbsp; Gatti didn't like it when Dilandau made such comments. His friend, or ex-friend, had grown apart from him and began to turn on him in the past months. He hated it when Dilandau made these comments because it only fueled Dallet's jealousy for him.

& nbsp; Dallet held his face. “My apologies, Master Dilandau,” he said, shooting a dirty glance at Gatti, who tried very much to ignore it.

& nbsp; Gatti couldn't ignore these things lately. Supposedly, they were “testing” the new stealth cloak feature on all of their technology-advanced guymelefs; they burned Fanelia down. Gatti didn't like this. At all.

Dilandau waved a hand of dismissal for all of them, and all ten of the dragon slayers dismissed themselves. Dilandau walked into the conference room with Zaibach's chief strategist, Folken. Dilandau smirked.

“What brings the old man here?” he asked, each of his words dripping with sarcasm.

Folken ignored Dilandau's sarcastic remark.

“There was no need to burn Fanelia to the ground.”

“I was testing out power to the full extent. I can't believe I'm hearing this from someone who betrayed their country. An amateur like you has no business telling me how to fight a battle.”

Folken smirked. “Amateur indeed, that's funny,” he said, walking towards a pigmented screen.

& nbsp; “What's this room used for anyway?” Dilandau asked.

& nbsp; Folken didn't answer. Instead, an old man's face appeared, lighting up the room. Dilandau stood at attention.

& nbsp; “Emperor Dornkirk,” he nodded in respect.

& nbsp; “The blue light…I saw it…” the old man trailed off.

& nbsp; “Emperor Dornkirk?” Folken said, wondering what he was talking about.

& nbsp; “Ah, Folken. The Chikara Tenshino has arrived on Gaea. She descended a little after 24 hours ago. My Destiny Prognostication engine tells me of Zaibach's ideal future. Yes…this girl…this girl is definitely the key to our ideal future. The white dragon…the white dragon and the girl. Capture them both. The girl holds the key to Zaibach's ideal future.”

& nbsp; Dilandau's eyes were wide with disbelief. An insane smile crept on to his lips. “Ah, hunting time at last.”

~*oOo*~

& nbsp; Hitomi woke up on a soft, warm bed, where fleece comforters warmed her entire body. Her head felt heavy and foggy, and she couldn't really remember anything. Then, she was again, reminded that she was still on Gaea. She woke up, her eyes wide open, and starring at the same man that saved her from the forest, sitting at the end of her bed.

& nbsp; “Ah, so you've awakened,” he began, “I'm glad you're alright.”

& nbsp; Hitomi smiled a little. “Thank you. Who are you?”

& nbsp; “My name is Allen Shezar.”

& nbsp; “Oh…” Hitomi shrunk down into the comforter.

& nbsp; “Something wrong?”

& nbsp; “Well, I was suddenly reminded that I'm not at home, and I probably won't be for a while…” Hitomi trailed. Allen laughed. “Where are you from?” he smiled. Before Hitomi could answer, her eyes found that there were other people around her. Men, in Allen's fort.

& nbsp; “Ah, the princess awakens,” one commented in a friendly tone.

& nbsp; “How'd you sleep, cutie?” Another laughed, jokingly.

Hitomi appreciated the warm atmosphere, but she couldn't help but think about a Van…where was Van?

& nbsp; “Now, where are you from?” Allen asked, a smile on his face. Hitomi wasn't sure whether to answer his question.

& nbsp; `F-fanelia…” she lied, “I had someone else with me…His name was Van.” She told him. Allen looked up at one of his comrades. Hitomi crawled out of bed and rested her chin on the wooden sill, and let the tears fall from her face as she looked longingly up at the mystic moon.

& nbsp; “I'm never gonna go back home…” she pondered.

& nbsp; Allen noted that she was starring up at the mystic moon. “Are you sure you're from Fanelia, young lady?”

& nbsp; Hitomi began to cry. “No! It's not true! I lied!”

& nbsp; Hitomi buried her face in her arms. “I…don't know if I should tell you.”

& nbsp; Allen was amused by all of this. He laughed a little. “And why is that?”

& nbsp; “You might freak out just like Van did…”

& nbsp; “I might `freak out'?” Allen said, toying with her, amused with the term “freak out”.

& nbsp; “I came from there,” Hitomi said through sniffles, pointing up to the earth.

& nbsp; Shock filled the room. Allen stopped laughing. He suddenly wasn't amused anymore.

& nbsp; “You…you're from …”

& nbsp; Hitomi slowly nodded.

& nbsp; Allen stood up, and smiled, bowing.

& nbsp; “It is my job as a knight - no, a man - to protect you, whether you are goddess or not. Your secret will remain safe with me.” Hitomi was thankful for this. At least only him, his crew and Van knew about it, and hopefully, it would remain that way.

& nbsp; “The cutie's the goddess from the Mystic Moon! I'll be damned!” one of Allen's men whispered to another. Hitomi held her pendant in her hands, wishing for all of this just to go away. “I just want to go home,” she whispered.

& nbsp; “I wanna go home!” she sobbed.

& nbsp; Allen put two reassuring hands on her shoulders, quietly shushing her. “Go to bed, you'll feel better in the morning, I promise you.”

& nbsp; Slowly, Hitomi lay back down, trying to conquer her sniffling fits. Her eyes grew heavy, and she drifted into sleep.

~*oOo*~

& nbsp; Hitomi awoke the next morning with the warm morning ray shining down upon her. She heard voices coming from the balcony of the fort. One of them was familiar…it was Van's voice. The other was Allen's. Carefully, she listened in on their conversation.

& nbsp; “She claims she comes from the Mystic Moon. This makes her the goddess from the mystic moon, as said in the prophecies. Is this true, your Majesty? Has she finally come to Gaea?”

& nbsp; “Yes, just like I've explained a dozen times.”

& nbsp; “She was quite upset last night. Tired from her long journey here, I suppose.”

& nbsp; “That's not quite it.”

& nbsp; “Well, your majesty, please, tell me.”

& nbsp; “My country is in great peril. While I'm wasting my time talking to you, I could be aiding my soldiers in battle. So please give me back my guymelef and let me go back.”

& nbsp; “Sire, I'm sorry. But….”

& nbsp; “But?”

& nbsp; “Fanelia was completely destroyed. Some of our merchants saw it happen. What did happen? We may be able to help you.”

& nbsp; Van looked lost.

& nbsp; “….”

& nbsp; By this time, Hitomi was eavesdropping outside the threshold to the balcony.

& nbsp; “We were invaded and attacked by an unknown enemy. Invisible guymelefs burning everything…” he trailed off, the picture of his country in agony still fresh in his mind. Hitomi looked down.

& nbsp; “I'm sorry,” she said, making her presence known.

& nbsp;

Allen and Van both turned.

& nbsp; “Ah,” Allen said, his charming smile returning. Van didn't smile at Hitomi, but just stared, almost rudely.

& nbsp; “Feeling better?” Allen inquired politely, “Have a seat,” he finished, smiled. Hitomi nodded, smiling, and sat across from him, Van remaining standing.

& nbsp; “What's your name?” Allen's friendly voice asked.

& nbsp; Van rolled his eyes. “I already told you it was Hitomi,” he interjected rudely.

& nbsp; Hitomi glared at him, her hazel eyes full of aggravation. “Is your name Hitomi?

& nbsp; Van only closed his eyes.

& nbsp; “My name's Hitomi, if you haven't already guessed. Hitomi Kanzaki.”

& nbsp; “And, how old are you, Miss Hitomi?”

& nbsp; Hitomi was getting quite annoyed by the way he was treating her.

& nbsp; “Not four.”

& nbsp; Allen smiled.

& nbsp; “I'm 16.”

& nbsp; “Ah, I see.”

& nbsp; “I came here yesterday. I'm beginning to understand…this…'goddess role' or whatever you wanna to call it.”

& nbsp; “…You didn't know that you were the goddess until you came here?”

& nbsp; Hitomi shook her head.

& nbsp; “Van told me everything. I…I have tarot cards that I am able to predict the future with. I…was born with a sixth sense…so I was a little confused when Van knew about it.”

& nbsp; Allen smiled again.

& nbsp; “Hitomi…. it has a nice ring to it.”

& nbsp; Hitomi smiled. “Thanks.”

& nbsp;

The ceiling of the wooden fort began to rumble. The three of them looked up to see Zaibach's floating fortress above them. A few of there guymelefs were landing in front of the main building of the fort. Hitomi stood up, shocked.

& nbsp; “Those…Those are the invisible giants that attacked Fanelia!”

& nbsp; Allen looked at her in a concerned fashion.

& nbsp; “You're sure?”

& nbsp; “Yes, right Van? You should know!”

& nbsp; Van was only glaring at the guymelefs falling to the ground like rain in slow motion.

~*oOo*~

& nbsp; “We'll need a supply of weapons, food, and water. We are engaged in urgent military maneuvers.”

& nbsp; Dilandau and his elite battalion of dragon slayers were paying the fort a visit, in need of supplies. The dragon slayers were lined up in two straight rows, the first two men holding up Zaibach's flags. Van watched as Allen discussed with Dilandau.

& nbsp; Hitomi tip-toed out, trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on.

& nbsp; “Just a little bit further…excuse me, sorry…” Hitomi said moving to the crowd, until she was behind Van, just peeking out from behind him.

& nbsp; “I bring good news for everyone who hasn't heard yet. The Chikara Tenshino has arrived here on Gaea,” he added with a smile, “Allen, you wouldn't have any news to tell me about this would you?”

& nbsp; Allen shook his head, not a trace of his lies.

& nbsp; “What about a mysterious looking guymelef? The call it `Escaflowne' I believe,”

& nbsp; Allen was getting quite annoyed.

& nbsp; “You wouldn't by any chance have any clues as to who destroyed Fanelia, would you?” Allen knew he had hit a soft spot by the look on Dilandau's face. It slowly turned into a smirk.

& nbsp; “That rundown backwater little country?” he asked, innocently, “Why, maybe the dragons wondering around it got tried of protecting Fanelia and decided to destroy it for a change,” Dilandau said casually. Van eyes burned with hatred. His grip on the hilt of his sword was so tight his knuckles were white.

& nbsp;

“That country was low, run by a coward of king who's now gone into hiding,” Dilandau broke into chuckling.

& nbsp; Hitomi looked beyond the crowd, and made eye contact for the first time with second-in-command officer, Gatti Lavariel. Hitomi smiled a little, but Gatti returned his attention up front.

& nbsp; “My, what a country. Ruled by cowards,” his chucking didn't stop. Hitomi was just as angry as Van was, but not completely. How could a represenitive from another country say such things about another?

& nbsp; “Those who turn invisible during a battle are the ones who are cowardly,” Van's angered voice rang through the room. Dilandau's garnet eyes looked to the side, and slowly he moved his position so that he was facing Van. He had immediately stopped chuckling once Van had spoken.

& nbsp; He strolled over, casually, and his eyebrows furrowed, when he made a curious face, seeing the girl with hazel eyes behind Van. Hitomi gulped, wondering if she had been spotted with those blood-red eyes of his. His lips curved into a small, amused, fake smile.

& nbsp;

& nbsp; Hitomi whimpered, cowering behind Van. Oh geez, I hope he doesn't see me…

& nbsp; Slowly, she began to back up, but just as Van was about to say something, Gaddess, one of Allen's men gave him “the look”. Dilandau caught a glimpse of Hitomi huddling back into the crowd. He pushed Van aside, and locked his fiery red eyes into her soft hazel ones. Hitomi starred, and then her eyes furrowed.

& nbsp; “I've never seen a women dress like that before. Where are you from little girl?” he smiled, obviously amused by himself. Hitomi glared.

& nbsp; “None of your damn business, little boy.” Hitomi snapped back.

& nbsp; “You dare speak that way to a high-ranking officer?” he spoke, viciously, “who are you to give me orders, little girl? I asked you a question. Where are you from?”

& nbsp; Hitomi didn't say anything. No one said anything.

& nbsp; “Answer me,” he said, in a low voice.

& nbsp; Hitomi was too scared to say anything.

& nbsp; “She's from Fanelia,” Van's angered voice came, stepping beside her.

& nbsp; Dilandau took his gaze off of Hitomi and glared at Van.

& nbsp; “Well, I suppose that little backwater country of yours doesn't have enough money to buy decent clothes,” he said to the both of them with a smirk. Hitomi gritted her teeth. Finally, the rage in her exploded.

& nbsp; “I can't believe you have enough nerve to say something like that about another country! You arrogant jackass!” she shouted. Allen walked over.

& nbsp; “Now, Hitomi,” he said, softly walking over.

& nbsp; The other men in the fort were astonished at her actions.

& nbsp; Hitomi winded up her hand, and let it fly, smacking him so hard, his head flew back, and he staggered backwards a little, but kept his balance. He stayed that way for a while, holding his face. The entire room was in shock. Hitomi Kanzaki made a bold move. A very bold move at that. Van walked over to her.

& nbsp; “Just what do you think you're doing?” he whispered viciously into her ear. Hitomi didn't know. Just a surge of emotions; anger. Allen put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

& nbsp; “Hitomi, what in Gaea's gotten into you?” Allen asked, concerned. Dilandau slowly turned his head back to look at Hitomi. His eyes were burning. His facial expressions looked so angry; Hitomi couldn't put them into words.

& nbsp; “Who are you?” Dilandau spoke, still holding his cheek. “How dare you strike me,” he finished. Hitomi was scared out of her mind. She didn't know what she had done, nor did she know that she could slap that hard. Her eyes wondered over to the boy in second-in-command. Gatti looked at her in concern, wondering if she knew what she was doing. Hitomi looked at him, and then looked back.

& nbsp; “Y-you can't just talk about other nations like that! You're a rep from another country! You can't say things like that!” She explained, but Allen silenced her.

& nbsp; “I apologize on her behalf, Master Dilandau,” Allen interjected. Van shook his head in anger. Hitomi backed down, after Van shook her head at her. Hitomi didn't understand. Why where they so afraid? She couldn't believe he was just going to let him back talk his country…his own country.

& nbsp; Dilandau turned around, and motioned for his dragon slayers to follow.

& nbsp; “You had better put the same amount of effort into our provisions as you put enough effort into being a ladies man, Allen Shezar.”

& nbsp; Allen blew off the statement. “You got quite angry. I can't say that the Zaibach empire will be too happy with your name, Hitomi.”

& nbsp; Hitomi shook her head.

& nbsp; “Van, how can you let him talk about your country that!? I just don't understand!”

& nbsp; Van didn't say anything.

& nbsp; “Pretty bold, ain't she?” One of Allen's men commented as they were clearing the room. “Very bold, standing up to him…”

~*oOo*~

& nbsp;

& nbsp; Both Hitomi and Van were put in a room together, which was locked behind them. Van was extremely annoyed by this. Hitomi didn't mind, just as long as she had something to do. Van moped most of the time. Hitomi noticed. Taking out her tarot cards, she decided to have a little fun for the first time in a while.

& nbsp; Hitomi looked up. Van was still sulking. He hasn't said anything since we got here. Why is he so silent? What's he thinking about? Was it what I said to that asshole back in the fortress?

& nbsp; Hitomi flipped over the top card of her tarot card deck. The Hermit.

& nbsp; “Hey, c'mon, don't be so sour! Look, it's the Hermit. It's saying that you should be patient!” Hitomi said, trying to cheer him up.

& nbsp; Van looked over, his sorry, mahogany eyes looking at her.

& nbsp; “What are those?”

& nbsp; “They're tarot cards! They can tell you your fortune,” she explained.

& nbsp; Van looked away. “A bunch of cards can't tell you your fortune,” he said, angrily.

& nbsp; Hitomi looked down. “Oh, sorry…” she said, “you didn't have to say it like, you're really mean.”

& nbsp; Van didn't even look at her.

& nbsp; “You are such an asshole,” she said, after a long pause.

& nbsp; Van looked dangerously at her. “Mind your words,” he said, in a low voice.

& nbsp; Hitomi's lips quivered. “I was only trying to cheer you up. God, you're such as ass…”

& nbsp; Van snapped. “I told you to mind your words. I don't care if you're goddess or not.”

Hitomi began to cry. “I hate you!”

& nbsp; “I never said I was too fond of you, either!” he shouted, viscously.

& nbsp;

“The only thing I want is to go home! I didn't ask for any of this, especially not you! You didn't even say `thank you' when I saved you! You're so heartless!” she screamed finally. Van's eyebrows furrowed.

& nbsp; “You think this is all about you? Just because you're the one from the Mystic Moon! I lost my country! I don't have anyone else left! My home was destroyed! And all you can do is complain? My gods!”

& nbsp; Van and Hitomi starred at each other for while, and finally their angers clamed. The two of them sat back down, minding their own business once again.

& nbsp; Hitomi flipped over another card. This time, it was the death card. Hitomi gasped. “The…The Death Card?” Her eyes widened as she was swept into another vision. A vision of everything burning around her…and Dilandau, smiling, and laughing evilly as though he was behind the blazing inferno…suddenly, she snapped out of the vision courtesy of Van, who was shaking her, slightly.

& nbsp; “Hitomi?” Van asked, concerned.

& nbsp; “…What?” she said with an attitude.

& nbsp; “Are…you okay?”

& nbsp; “Maybe,” she said rudely.

& nbsp;

& nbsp; There was a sudden shuffling noise beneath the floor. Van and Hitomi jumped. Van drew his sword. The shuffling became louder. Hitomi cowered behind Van.

& nbsp; “Stand back,” he said, in a low voice.

& nbsp; A spot in the floor blew open, causing the same mole man Hitomi saw in the forest to pop up, the shovel he used to burst through swung over his shoulder.

& nbsp; “Oh goodness,” came his tiny voice, “did I get the wrong room again?”

& nbsp; Hitomi screamed. “AHH! It's that thief from the forest!”

& nbsp; Van cocked his eyebrow, looking at Hitomi. “What thief?”

& nbsp; The mole man smiled, and giggled nervously. “Yeah, uh, sorry about that,” he said, gruffly, “as an apology, I can help you escape,” he offered. Van instantly wanted more details.

& nbsp; “How?”

& nbsp; “Well, I found your mysterious guymelef…Escaflowne, is it?

~*oOo*~

& nbsp; Gaddess suddenly rushed in to Allen's office, making his owl hoot.

& nbsp; “Boss! You won't believe this!”

& nbsp; Allen looked up from his desk, concerned. “What is it Gaddess?”

& nbsp;

& nbsp; “It the goddess and the king! They're gone! There's no trace of where they went to, either!”

& nbsp; “Really now? I think I know.”

& nbsp; “Boss?”

& nbsp; “Gaddess, prep Sherazade,” he said, and Gaddess left to go prep Allen's guymelef.

& nbsp; ~*oOo*~

& nbsp;

“That guymelef's a real beauty - it's an ispano design, isn't it?” the mole man's curious eyes scanned the magnificent guymelef. Van walked towards Escaflowne through the torch lit guymelef chamber. Hitomi cocked her head. Oh no, don't tell me…

&nbs p; “Hey Van…you're not gonna…I'm mean come one, Allen told us to stay here!” Hitomi whined. Van looked back at her dangerously.

& nbsp; “Allen has an alliance with the Zaibach Empire. Staying here will not do us any good,” Van replied. Hitomi shook her head, rolling her eyes.

& nbsp; “Van, Allen is not going to tell anyone. He and his men won't tell anyone! Don't you trust him?”

& nbsp; No answer. Van kept walking up the stairs to the cockpit of Escaflowne.

& nbsp; “Oh, of course not. You just love him to death, don't you?” Hitomi said sarcastically.

& nbsp; No answer.

& nbsp; “What are you planning to do, now?”

& nbsp; No answer. Hitomi watched him climb into the cockpit and bring Escaflowne to life.

& nbsp; “Get the hell out of here.”

& nbsp; Hitomi let out a sigh of frustration.

& nbsp; “You are hopeless! Absolutely hopeless, you know that?”

& nbsp; Van didn't answer. He moved Escaflowne forward, Hitomi tagging along behind him.

“Vaaaaaaaaaan!!”

& nbsp; The mole man rushed off in a hurry, just as Escaflowne was headed towards the gates. Suddenly, the gates opened. Sherazade blocked the entrance. Hitomi gasped.

& nbsp; Van glared angrily and drew his sword. “Step out of my way, Allen,” he rasped dangerously. Sherazade drew its sword.

& nbsp; “I cannot allow you to go any farther.”

& nbsp; “I said move, Allen! Hitomi and I will not stay here!”

& nbsp; “Then fight me, Van Fanel! Fight me!”

& nbsp; Escaflowne came out, and charged at Allen. Hitomi rolled her eyes.

& nbsp; “Van! Don't be so rash! C'mon!” Hitomi dragged herself forward.

The theomachy-like fight began. Escaflowne swung at Sherazade, but Sherazade backed up, Escaflowne's blow missing Sherazade. Sherazade took a might swing, but Escaflowne blocked it. Hitomi watched Van's magnificent guymelef battle in awe. Gaddess came up behind her.

& nbsp; “C'mon, this place is no place for a lady.”

Gaddess took her hand and led her over to a safe spot, where they both stood watching. Gaddess laughed.

& nbsp; “So who's your bet on?” he asked Hitomi.

& nbsp; “I don't have any money, but I think…I think it would be Van…”

& nbsp; Gaddess laughed again.

& nbsp; “You shouldn't worry, y'know, guymelef matches are very common…no one dies, it's just a matter of who's the better guymelef user -Oh! He blocked it!” he yelled, commenting on Van's performance.

& nbsp; Reeden, one of Allen's men, was on the roof watching.

& nbsp; “Hey c'mon, someone's got to bet on the king!” he whined.

& nbsp; Kio coughed. “Yeah right, I'm not that stupid.”

Escaflowne blocked another one of Sherazade's blows.

& nbsp; “He just got lucky, that's all, he won't last,” smirked Reeden.

& nbsp; Escaflowne was knocked to the ground, but Van wasn't about to allow himself to be defeated. He blocked Sherazade's finishing blow.

& nbsp; `Cripe, he blocked another one!”

& nbsp; But, in the end, Escaflowne was defeated…

& nbsp; “Now come on out of there, Van.”

& nbsp; Van wasn't pleased. He stepped out of the cockpit, and hung his head in shame. Hitomi watched him, as Allen's men howled with laughter. “Balgus, I'm sorry…” he whispered.

& nbsp; “Balgus?” Allen repeated. “Balgus was my trainer also, Van.” Allen smiled. Hitomi looked up at Allen and then at Van. Suddenly, the world around Hitomi blew up, and she was thrown into another, terrible vision. Allen caught her, waking her from her nightmare.

& nbsp; “Hitomi! Hitomi, are you alright?” he asked, desperately.

& nbsp; “…she's doing it again…” Van mumbled.

& nbsp; Hitomi's eyes were full of fear. “Allen, you've got to run! Those invisible giants are coming!” she yelled. Allen smiled.

& nbsp; “Maybe you're tired…”he suggested. Hitomi shook her head furiously.

& nbsp; “NO! I'm not tired! You've got to run! All of you!”

& nbsp; All of Allen's men looked nervously at one another.

& nbsp; “Is the Apocalypse coming?” one of them said.

& nbsp; Allen whipped his head around.

& nbsp; “No, you fools! Men don't listen to old wives tales!” Allen snapped back. Hitomi shook her head.

& nbsp; “Excuse my men for their rudeness.” Allen rested his hands on her shoulders. “You're tired. Maybe seeing two guymelefs fight was too much for you. Rest.”

& nbsp; Suddenly, Tio, another one of Allen's men came galloping on the horse.

& nbsp; “What is it Tio?” Allen asked.

& nbsp; “Boss, they found someone suspicious in the forest!”

& nbsp; Silence.

& nbsp; “Bring them in,” Allen commanded. The horse came with another one of Allen's men. There seemed to be a tied up body on the horse. Van tried to get a closer look at it. It had cat ears…a yellow dress…pink hair…and a cat tail…none other than—

& nbsp; “VAN-SAMAAAAAAA!!!” Merle, who was tied up, jumped off, shrieking his name but fell because she was bound by rope.

& nbsp; “Merle!” Van shouted, jumping off his guymelef running over to his friend.

& nbsp; He quickly undid the ropes around her and held her close to him.

& nbsp; “Merle! What happened, Merle? Tell me what happened to Fanelia,” he whispered in her ear.

& nbsp; “Do you know her?” Allen asked Hitomi.

& nbsp; “Yes, she's from Fanelia,” Hitomi answered.

& nbsp; “The city….the city burned, and burned…all of the samurai were killed…all of the survivors were split up…I looked everywhere for you…but I couldn't find you…I'm so…I'm so happy…I'm so happy I found you…Van-sama…” Merle passed out.

& nbsp; Hitomi saw it. The fire. The smoke. She was seeing another vision. She saw Van, cradling Merle. And then, she passed out.

TBC &nbs p; & nbsp; &nbs p; & nbsp; &nbs p; & nbsp; &nbs p; & nbsp; &nbs p; & nbsp;

& nbsp; &nbs p; & nbsp; &nbs p; & nbsp; &nbs p; & nbsp; &nbs p; & nbsp; ~END

A/N: It appears that people are reading this! ^_^ Please review and tell me what you think! ^_^