Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Behind Enemy Lines ❯ It's Been Good, It's Been Bad, Now All That's Left is Ugly ( Chapter 12 )

Behind Enemy Lines

By: rainjewel

Chapter Eleven: It's Been Good, It's Been Bad…Now All That's Left is Ugly

A/N: Suddenly it came to me; I haven't recommended the fantastic (damn you Kim) novel Whale Talk to my reader(s) yet! Okay, here's the scoop: you have to read this book. I will not allow you to live if you do not read this book. I insist that you go down to your local library-no, you're local bookstore (for everyone should own this wondrous piece of literature) and get the novel. The title's Whale Talk, and the author is the great Chris Crutcher. And if a bunch of you just groaned and said "aw, not another stupid sports book" you should be shot. This is not a "sports" book and even if it was, Chris Crutcher is the man (sorry Yama). I hate "sports" books but I usually gobble up Mr. Crutcher's novels like popcorn. Anyway, away with you! Go and buy this book! Then come back and read this latest chapter and review.

~*~

Van reached for the parchment. Dilandau resumed pacing.

"A letter?" Van asked, picking up the parchment. "From whom?"

Pace. Pace. Pace. Don't look at him.

"Zaibach!"

Yep my Golden Almond Boy, that's right. I have to go back.

Van (why in the hell did it take him so long to do everything?) slipped the weathered letter from the envelope and turned it over in his hand. As he opened up and began to read the letter, a bright white light suddenly flashed through the room.

Dilandau, thinking Zaibach had decided on obliterating him rather then recapturing him, dove at Van, knocking him to the floor. With frightened strength he held the boy-king down at the shoulders. There was no way he was going to let him up. He didn't know what was going on, but he had a gut feeling it wasn't good. Not at all.

Then the light vanished-gone, kaput, completely disappeared.

"Are you alright?" Dilandau asked, almost yelled at Van. Adrenaline surged through him, making it seem like he had an electric cord running through his body. Those fierce, extreme emotions Zlain (May God fuck his soul) had mentioned were running on high.

Van winced at Dilandau's harsh voice. "Yeah," he said slowly. Dilandau nodded and jumped to his feet. Van watched him and blinked once, then twice. Suddenly his eyes widened.

"What?" Dilandau asked, looking from Van to the window. He felt jumpy and his nerves seemed to be picking up the slightest change in the atmosphere.

Van didn't answer at first. Instead he stood up and walked to the window. He leaned out, searching for something he couldn't quite place.

"Pidge?" Dilandau asked, stepping up to look out the window as well. He saw nothing but the downtown of the city and beyond that, the forest.

"I think…no, I feel something," Van said. He looked at Dilandau but didn't see him.

Dilandau noticed this and frowned. "What? I'm lost."

"It's…" Van paused, then clutched a hand to his chest. "Holy shit."

"I'm still lost here," Dilandau replied impatiently. He was not pleased with Van's theatrics. The boy-king still didn't know of the immediate danger he was quite possibly in. Where was that letter?

"Hitomi's here," Van said. He acted like he couldn't believe it.

"Hitomi?" Dilandau felt his heart drop to his toes. Thoughts of Zaibach vanished.

Van nodded, sure of it. "Hitomi's here!"

"How in the world do you know?" Dilandau asked. In truth he knew the answer. No doubt that psychic bitch had made some clairvoyant connection with his Pigeon. And didn't he, Dilandau Albatou, know more about telepathy then anyone else?

"I can feel her. She's not saying anything right now…that worries me," Van explained. Dilandau had never pushed his talents to the limits of having a conversation with Celena through telepathy; it would undoubtedly scare the girl to death. Van continued his pondering. "Why wouldn't she come directly here?"

Dilandau had a few guesses, but he chose not to voice them. He wanted that girl far away from here.

"Dilandau!" Van said, suddenly fiery, "We have to go and find her! She could be in trouble!"

"Don't be such a brash nitwit," Dilandau scoffed. There was no way in hell he was going to go off and find the girl who could so easily ruin his now-fragile existence.

"I'm not being brash!" Van argued. He was heading for the door. Dilandau felt a rush of…was that fear? He sprang forward and cut Van off.

"And what are we going to do with her once she gets here?" Dilandau asked, poking his finger into Van's chest. "What are you planning on, Pigeon?"

Van pulled the pendant off his head and held it in front of his face. He had never taken it off, and Dilandau had never asked about it. "That doesn't matter. I have to find her. She needs me."

"How can you say that after all she's done to you?" Dilandau contested, eyeing the pendant with pain.

"Look at what you did to me, Dilandau. I'm going," Van said. He was impatient to go out and be a hero.

Dilandau silently dropped his hand and stepped aside, his heart badly bruised. He was awash with feelings of betrayal and sadness. It took more than usual to draw himself together.

"Well then," he said, hiding his pain, "Let's go get her." And that bitch had better strap on her armor, because this is going to be an all out war.

Van nodded, being his usual less-than-observant self. "Okay."

He charged past, heading down the castle hallway. Dilandau didn't have a clue as to what the hell the boy-king had planned, but it probably included doing something stupid in the name of heroism. Van, a man with a mission, stopped at Merle's room.

"Merle, we're leaving," he said through the closed door.

The catgirl's voice was muffled. "Oh joy!"

"I think Hitomi's back," Van said.

"Oh fuck."

The two boys left and went to the stable. Merle did not come out of her room.

Dilandau mounted his horse, not asking any questions. He thought of devious plans to keep Hitomi out of the picture, but most included blood, death, and gore, and he had time for none of them at the present time. Van took off in the direction of the forest, not even bothering to grab a sword. Dilandau never was without a blade, and followed him into the wood.

The boys rode in silence. Van seemed oblivious to the hurt that he was causing Dilandau and also appeared to have no idea that neither Dilandau nor Hitomi would ever stand for him to love the other. Dilandau was concentrating on the upcoming battle with a certain 15-year-old girl (he was convinced that these damn females were the bane of his existence). He should have been concentrating on another.

~*~

Hitomi refused to open her eyes. She heard nothing, smelled nothing, and (by choice) saw nothing. She felt only pain.

She had failed him. She was supposed to rescue her Fanelian king from the gray world of the dead. But she hadn't gone. No, she had severed the connection with Van and could never reclaim it.

Pain swept over her, some from her heart and some from her hands, but it all produced the same effect. Hitomi passed out again. She dreamt of blood. Thick, clotted currents full of death. She knew whom the blood belonged too.

Hitomi knew that Van was hidden somewhere in that crimson tide. She reached into the syrupy liquid and plunged in up to her shoulders, searching for her lost love. Somewhere, inside, she felt his screams of pain. Her hands burned as the blood touched them, licking at her like flames. Still, she continued her vain search.

And then the blood laughed at her-a joyous, high-pitched sound that came only from a maniac.

She recognized that insane giggle the instant she heard it. It belonged to the boy who was the nightmare of nightmares.

Hitomi screamed.

"Gods!" cried someone. Hitomi opened her eyes and stared around her. Her numbed senses suddenly began to function again. Above her was a blurred man in gray. In the background were trees and a robin-egg blue sky. It smelled like…Fanelia?

"Van?" Hitomi asked. Her words slurred. She tried to sit up, but found that her muscles weren't working properly.

"Tell the sergeant that we found something strange in the forest!" the man called. Hitomi was beginning to realize that this man was not Van.

"Wh-h-hoo?" she stuttered.

"Gods!" cried the soldier again. Was that all he knew how to say? "Look at your hands!"

Hitomi wondered what in the hell he was talking about. Her hands were fine, weren't they? She wiggled her fingers and screamed as the pain hit. The man in gray looked down at her in alarm, then squatted by her side.

"It'll be okay, miss. We'll get you fixed," he blubbered, not knowing what to do with this bloody, confused girl who was wearing the strangest clothes on the planet. He wished he could be more like his older brother. Viole was one of the best soldiers Zaibach had ever had. He would have known what to do.

"I…Van!" Hitomi said, straining with each word. Why didn't this guy get it? Hitomi was becoming impatient.

"It'll be okay, miss! Zaibach has the best medicine in all of Gaea," he reassured her.

Hitomi heard only the word "Zaibach," and was overwhelmed with an emotion that was a cross between euphoria and terror. She was on Gaea, but she was in the hands of Zaibach.

As she drifted out of consciousness yet again, Hitomi uttered one word that the young soldier would never forget due to its strangeness.

"Ironic."

~*~

Van didn't hear Hitomi's pained scream. Instead he felt it. An overwhelming wave of phantom pain racked through his bones and any doubts regarding Hitomi disappeared. He pulled his horse back, momentarily stunned with a hand pressed against his heart.

The self-proclaimed "forgotten" Dilandau Albatou however, was not suffering from Van's affliction. His hearing was better than the king's was and Hitomi's scream rang through the forest crisp and clear. Dilandau turned his horse in the direction of the cry, but stopped at the sight of Van.

"Pull it together Pigeon," he commanded. Dilandau's soldier spirit was running on high. He kicked his horse and plunged ahead. He smiled as he heard Van follow. If he could put up with all of Celena's problems, then Van should handle Hitomi's just fine.

Van strained for another sound from Hitomi. There was nothing. He felt another disruption in the connection with the girl and in a flash of enlightenment, thought that she could be unconscious. This scared him terribly and Van spurred his horse rudely, forcing the animal to charge ahead.

Dilandau saw this and wasn't pleased. They were very close to the place where the scream had come from, and Dilandau had a hunch Hitomi was in pretty serious danger. Van couldn't simply rush in without knowing the situation. Dilandau was beginning to see why he had been chosen to lead the army and not Van himself.

"Stay back," he hissed as Van's steed overtook his.

"Hitomi's in trouble! We have to hurry!" Van argued. He pushed ahead.

That sufficiently pissed Dilandau off. He was not going to be treated in this manner. Forgotten or not, nobody talked that way to him. Dilandau drew his knees up and crouched on his steed. With a quick calculation, he launched himself off his mount and hit Van square in his side. The Fanelian went flying through the air, Dilandau tumbling with him.

Gritting his teeth as his body made contact with the unforgiving forest floor, Dilandau jumped upwards, flinging the very surprised Van beneath him.

"What in the hell?!" Van yelled, firmly pinned. Dilandau slammed the heel of his hand over Van's mouth, silencing him.

"Shut up!" Dilandau whispered. Gods he was angry. "Don't you know anything? You can't charge into danger without knowing what you're up against! Does the word 'stealth' mean anything to you? For crying out loud, think logically for once in your life!"

Van glowered at Dilandau's insults, but said nothing as the taller boy lifted his hand. Dilandau noticed how cute Van looked when he was pissed off and felt like planting a searing kiss (and quite possibly more) on the boy. However, given the circumstances, Dilandau decided against it. Instead he stood up and helped Van to his feet. He motioned for Van to follow him as he began slinking thought the forest.

"Danger?" Van whispered after a moment.

"Where?" Dilandau asked, startled. He looked around.

Van crept along behind him. "No, you said there was danger ahead. What were you talking about?"

"That," Dilandau whispered. Gently he lifted a tree bough and pointed to a Zaibach soldier standing beside a tree, on the lookout for the enemy.

~*~

Pain was definitely too weak a word.

As Dilandau was busy sweeping the forest floor with the body of an unfortunate Zaibach soldier, Hitomi was coming too once again.

This time however, she was fully aware of her situation.

Hitomi (albeit groggily) sat up startlingly fast. Leitken, the younger brother of the infamous Dragonslayer Viole, was so surprised he jumped. Hitomi bit back a cry of pain and pressed her ragged hands against her chest. Tears came to the corners of her eyes.

Leitken recovered. "Let me see your hands, miss. I won't hurt you."

Hitomi looked at him with pure terror.

"I was bandaging them. See?" Leitken pointed to Hitomi's hands. She looked down and saw the sweet-faced soldier wasn't lying. Her left hand was completely wrapped in some unfamiliar cloth and the other hand was half finished. Hitomi's old trusting intuition stirred.

"Thank you," she said. Carefully she extended her right hand. Leitken hesitated, then continued his wrapping job. He never should have been a soldier; his heart was too gentle. His heart went out to this girl.

Hitomi sat patiently, watching Leitken work. Silently she steeled herself for this world. She cast off her old fantasies in favor of reality: Kevin was dead, not Van. Her Fanelian king was alive, and she prayed that he would come for her. She didn't have the energy (or the courage) to try and connect with him right now. Hitomi also accepted the fact that Zaibach would love to kill the girl who had helped destroy their empire.

"What are you going to do with me?" Hitomi asked. It would be good to know what kind of torture Zaibach had in store for her.

"Depends. Where are you from?" Leitken said, finishing his bandaging.

"I'm…well I'm…from Fanelia," Hitomi stammered. She was surprised. Instinct told her that Leitken didn't have a clue as to who she truly was.

"Hmm. I'm from Zaibach," Leitken said, surprised as well. The girl didn't look like she was Fanelian. "My name's Leitken. Leitken Kharin."

"I'm…" Hitomi thought frantically. "…My name's Yukari Uchida."

"Nice name," Leitken affirmed. He was going to ask about her hands, but a sound stopped him. He turned and listened closely. Bushes rattled ever-so-slightly in the distance, and he knew his sergeant was arriving.

Hitomi saw the hesitation and saw her chance. She jumped to her feet and pumped her legs furiously, running in some random direction. At least, that was how it was supposed to be. She took a good three steps forward and her legs gave out. Traitorous appendages. Leitken heard her try to escape and turned swiftly, catching her as she fell.

"Let me go!" Hitomi screamed, beating against him. Leitken bowed his head, his violet curls bouncing at his ears.

"Now why did you have to do that?" he whispered, holding Hitomi tight. He disliked having to restrain girls. Especially wounded ones.

Hitomi may as well have been deaf. "Let me go!"

"Let her go!" commanded a voice. Leitken looked up to see a coltish young man charging at him. Behind the boy was…what the?

"Leitken, don't move! You there, stop!" came the voice of the Zaibach sergeant.

Leitken winced as the boy stopped, stunned. Hitomi saw Van, looked to Dilandau, and screamed.

~*~

Why did everyone always have to scream at the sight of him? Dilandau shook his head.

"Van, come back here," he said in a hushed undertone. The idiot was in yet another not-so-well-thought-out situation.

Van's body was rigid. He stared at Hitomi, who was staring at Dilandau in complete horror. Slowly Van backed up, an inch at a time.

"No Van! Behind you!" Hitomi screamed. Obviously the little bitch didn't understand the situation. The stupid brute that was holding her began backing away.

Dilandau stepped in front of Van, placing a hand on the boy's stomach in order to restrain any sudden outbursts. This situation would take some very delicate maneuvering. Thanks to Pigeon, the element of surprise was gone, and the entire regiment was staring down the two of them, swords poised.

"I, Van Fanel, King of all Fanelia, order you to release that girl at once!" Van commanded over Dilandau's shoulder. Dilandau could have hit him. Now Zaibach knew exactly who they were. Shit.

"You're just the person I was going to talk to," replied the sergeant, a tall aging man with the gut of too many beers. "I have come to-"

"Shut the hell up," Dilandau said, withdrawing his sword. "The king said to unhand the girl. This is Fanelian ground, and the girl is one of the locals. I suggest you do as you're told."

The dumbass of a boy holding Hitomi looked up. Dilandau's eyes twitched as he took in purple curls and large eyes.

"We…we will return the girl to you, Your Majesty. But that's only if you hand over Dilandau Albatou," the doe-eyed boy said. He looked like he was about to piss his pants, but Dilandau had to hand it to him-the kid had guts.

Van fumed. "What in the hell are you talking about?"

"You're related to Viole, aren't you?" Dilandau said, not letting the boy answer.

"I am his brother. My name is Leitken," the soldier replied.

Lucky you. Dilandau didn't want to kill this boy. Anyone could see he was a failure as a soldier, but he was Viole's brother. Perhaps he could be of some use.

Twigs snapped.

"We're being surrounded," Dilandau whispered to the king. Van nodded.

"Give me the girl, sergeant," he commanded once more. Hitomi looked at the boys in horror.

The burly man stepped up. "I am not going to let you have Hitomi Kanzaki so easily."

So, they do know who she is. Dilandau heard and saw the soldiers in the wood. He knew the plan already: no matter what Van chose, Zaibach would swarm the two of them, take him back, and kill Van. Then Fanelia would be theirs for the taking.

Well fuck that.

"Give the king the girl," Dilandau said. He threw down his sword. "I surrender."

"No you don't!" Van objected. He grabbed the back of Dilandau's shirt. "What in the hell are you doing?"

Dilandau looked halfway over his shoulder. "The letter, Pigeon. You have to read the letter. Now-" he paused and winked at Hitomi, "-When you get your beloved Hitomi in your arms, you spread those angel wings of yours and get the hell out of here as fast as you can. I'll handle this lot."

Choices, choices. What's your pick, Pigeon?

"Bullshit! What are you saying?" Van said. He thought frantically, trying to figure out how to get out of this nightmare.

Dilandau winced and pushed Van away. "I am Dilandau Albatou!" he screamed to the soldiers. "I am the man you want! Leitken, you drop that girl now."

The curly-haired boy looked to his sergeant and let go of Hitomi. The girl took a step and then fell to the ground, unconscious. The air changed as the Zaibach soldiers began to rush them. Dilandau backed up a step and shoved Van towards Hitomi.

"Now!" he screamed. "Take her!"

Van stumbled, then scooped Hitomi up in his arms. He turned to Dilandau who gave him the coldest look he could muster. Tears broke through and Van's face transformed into a painting of sorrow. Soldiers swarmed the boys, and Dilandau looked away, devoting his attention to cutting down as many of them as he could manage without having a blade. He would buy some time. As yet another knife came swooping down beside him, he saw a flash of white, and knew Van was gone.

At that moment, he stopped fighting. The hilt of a sword came down upon his head, and Dilandau was glad for it.

~*~

Push it out. It never happened. Push it out.

Van reached out and checked Hitomi's pulse. Steady and strong.

She's back. She loves me. I…love her.

His mind was in a whirlwind. Everything was on an adrenaline-induced autopilot.

What the hell happened to her? Her hands…

Van looked at her bandaged hands. Hitomi, still asleep in his bed after being checked over by the royal healer, breathed in deeply. Van kept a vigil at her bedside.

Relief. I'm so relieved she's back.

He didn't think of how much it had cost him.

Push it out. Just like when Mother left for her most-beloved son. Push it out. Just forget.

Merle was curled in the opposite corner of the room. Dilandau was gone; Merle didn't like Hitomi either, but she was better than having a resident psychopath. The catgirl had fallen asleep sometime ago, unable to keep her vigil on her king. Van would not allow himself to sleep.

While his right hand was constantly checking pulses, bandages, smoothing sheets, and slicking down hair, his other fingered the pink stone around his neck. His fingertips just wouldn't leave it alone.

Perhaps I should toss it out the window…that's what I should do. Then-there's a wrinkle in the quilt. Smooth it out. Everything must be perfect.

Nothing was perfect. In fact, the entire world was rapidly falling into chaos. But Van pushed it out and thought of nothing but Hitomi. His heart ached; he credited that to missing Hitomi for so long.

Nothing more.

There was a knock on the door. The healer.

Must be.

"Come in," Van said. He smoothed Hitomi's hair again. She looked thinner than he had remembered.

Celena Schezar stepped through the doorway, smelling sweetly of roses. Dilandau had smelled-Push it out. She raised a small bouquet for Van to see.

"I thought she'd like some roses," Celena explained, cocking her golden head to the side. Van stood and walked over to Celena and took the roses from her. Push it out. Push it out.

"I'm sure she would," he said. His voice was deceptively strong. Thorns pricked his hands.

"Sorry about that," Celena said. She looked at her own scratched hands. "I don't know how to take the thorns off myself and I couldn't find Dilandau-chan. Tell me, do you know where he is?"

Van dropped the roses. A mutinous tear coursed down his cheek and he wiped it away furiously. Celena looked at him with confusion and fear. Van needed something to hold onto, so he reached out and took Celena to him, holding the dear girl as lovingly as possible.

"He's gone, Celena," Van whispered into her flaxen curls. Celena wrapped her arms around him.

"Oh." She thought a moment, then smiled. "Don't worry. He's okay. We're talking about Dilandau-chan here."

Van bit his lip and said nothing. She sounded older.

Celena rubbed the back of her head. "But I do think he has one heck of a headache."

That only made Van cry harder.

~*~

Dilandau was once again at the goddamn, good-for-nothing Zaibach capital. At least he was ninety percent sure he was, but that wasn't a good number. He was having a hard time keeping track of everything.

He knew that he was carried in on some sort of leviship. He was lucky he had awakened while being carried on the ground. It was easier to judge a ship's direction, altitude, speed, and whatnot when you knew from where you been. It was also easier if you didn't have a splitting headache, but Dilandau could do nothing about that.

Hey soldier, think you could bum me some aspirin?

Funny. Ha. Ha.

Actually Dilandau was pleased with these soldiers. At least, he was pleased that an entire regiment of Zaibach's topnotch soldiers had to be dispatched to get him. Of course, these boys were nothing compared to his Dragonslayers. But no one (save him) was perfect. And that meant that these soldiers would make mistakes. Too bad they hadn't made one when tying him up. Damn, these knots were the work of a fucking sailor.

Yep, Dilandau was given the first-class treatment. He had round-the-clock supervision, some moron of a doctor monitoring his vital signs ("When's he gonna wake up?" seemed to be the big question of the day. Stupid assholes), and on top of being strapped down, he was wearing something called a "straitjacket." The Devil's coat. That's what it should be named. Where in the hell did they even get this contraption?

The leviship had docked. Now would be the perfect time to escape, but Dilandau knew he wouldn't. There was nowhere for him to go. He would have to play a few different cards and win the favor of some aristocracy, and then he could get the hell out of Zaibach. He felt no loyalty to this country. As long as Dilandau had a war to fight or an army to control, he was a happy guy.

With a bone-chilling familiarity, Dilandau heard the door open.

"Okay you four, it's time," said the voice of the sergeant.

"Just like that? We're simply supposed to grab him?" asked some spineless weasel. Dilandau almost smirked.

"He's unconscious and sufficiently restrained. Still, I understand your concern," said the sergeant (what a cheesy dumbass). "But there's four of you and one of him. You'll be fine."

"Yes sir," said the soldiers.

Whatever. Ah boys, do not underestimate me.

Cold hands grabbed him on both sides of his body. Dilandau ground his teeth together quickly, then relaxed to become dead weight for his captives. He didn't weigh much, but why try to help the enemy?

Out the door, down the hall. Hearing the numerous metallic clicks on the floor, Dilandau figured he was in the middle of the whole battalion. How special.

Quick trip up the stairs and into the capital. Dilandau decided that for shits and giggles only, he would open his eyes. See what would happen.

It took (and Dilandau counted) 3.7 seconds for the soldiers to catch on.

"Shit!" exclaimed the first boy, stopping in horror. "He's awake! Doc!"

Dilandau stared blindly ahead, reveling in it. What a talented monster am I.

"What? That's impossible. There's been no fluctuation in his state!" blustered the doctor. He checked his little handheld device that seemed to be keeping a constant reading on Dilandau. "He must be…I've heard of this, but never seen it," the man muttered under his breath, then looked up. "Don't worry men. He's still unconscious, keep going."

Quack.

Dilandau watched as he went up the steps and into the ill-remembered capitol building. The soldiers kept giving him wary looks, which told him that they didn't quite believe the doc. Smart boys. He watched in anticipation to be taken to Adelphos' throne room. However, as he saw the room pass before right before his eyes, Dilandau felt a heavy gloom settle in the pit of his stomach.

Remembering that if he became too tense his brain and heart waves would jump significantly and alert the doctor, Dilandau swallowed his apprehension.

That is, until he saw the sign with the words "West Zion Academy." Then everything began falling into place. And it was a nightmarish puzzle.

"Halt!" cried the sergeant. "Take him to the room on the left. Once he's in there the new sorcerers will take over."

New sorcerers? Fuck, they've promoted all the graduates.

Now, Dilandau wouldn't have minded if they were simply going to keep him in the country against his will, but if they were going to do more of the scientific experimentation shit, well…that was a whole other question.

Dilandau waited only long enough for the four unlucky soldiers to drag his bound self through the door before he attacked. The door closed and Dilandau squeezed his legs together tightly and then snapped them wide open, throwing the two soldiers off his lower half. He flipped over backwards, wrenching his torso from the other two. He landed solidly on his feet; his arms bound and eyes flashing.

"Sergeant! We need reenforcements!" cried on of the soldiers, recovering. Dilandau smirked and kicked the keyboard control pad, locking the door as the pad shattered into a thousand pieces.

"I hate it when that happens," he said. The four men looked at him in horror then grimly set their jaws in determination. Not like they really had much of a choice. Sorry kids, but you knew that there were risks in this line of occupation. This is definitely one of them.

Swords were unsheathed. Dilandau saw the window. He liked windows.

"Attack!" screamed one of the soldiers. All four rushed Dilandau, who vaguely wondered if he could actually fight with a sword in his mouth. He'd only had to do it once, and that was a long time ago and-Smack!

One down. If you kicked a man just right in the temple, POW! Dead. It helped if they weren't wearing a helmet, but a few broken toes never killed anyone.

Dilandau had made sure to learn other ways to battle without a weapon of any kind.

"Stupid!" spat one of the soldiers, looking at the body. Two other soldiers came at him directly. Dilandau ran at them, passing under their blades and turning around to kick them from behind, landing paralyzing blows on both their backs. As he landed, the remaining soldier kicked him at the side before he could react. Dilandau stumbled, almost falling to the ground before catching himself.

Dilandau laughed. "A martial artist, I see."

"Damn straight," said the man, dropping his sword. Dilandau smiled.

"Congratulations. Do you want a cookie?" he said. The man charged, attacking from every direction. Dilandau was not a martial artist, and he was also restrained, so he simply ducked every blow. This guy was semi-good, Dilandau decided…but he knew the soldier was good enough to beat him if he didn't get this goddamn contraption off.

He kicked the soldier square in the stomach, sending the man flying backwards. Dilandau saw his chance and ran to where one of the fallen men lay. He toed the sword, sending it flying into the air. Now or never. Positioning himself and wincing, he felt the blade crash down, grazing his back. He gritted his teeth as the sword made a shallow cut along his shoulder blades, but then grinned as the straitjacket split in two.

Dilandau saw the soldier coming again, and he was prepared to take a blow as he got the jacket off. He braced his body and felt the man's hand connect with his shoulder. The hit was ill aimed, but it sent him flying backwards. It also helped him turn in the air so he could relieve himself of the jacket.

Dilandau landed, totally ready to kick some Zaibachian ass. He ran directly at the man and despite the soldier's attempts to block-pitiful fool…ha ha!-he nailed him right in the diaphragm. The soldier went down, unable to breathe or see. Dilandau raised the soldier's own blade to deliver the final blow when something sharp and small hit him in the throat.

"What?" he raised his hand and grabbed a small rod, pulling it out of his neck. One look told him it was a poisoned dart. "Oh you have got to be shitting me."

He looked over to the direction that the dart had come from. Standing in front of a wall-smart men were these; they had secret doors-were three Madoushi. Brand-spanking new and ready to do some fate-fucking.

"Hello, Dilandau Albatou. Would you like your amnesia now or later?" said one smart aleck sorcerer.

Dilandau's vision rapidly faded to black.

"Fuck you," he returned. Blind, he staggered to his feet, only to fall over.

"Clean up the bodies, prep the table, and then we'll do the operation. Remember men, this is only a simple memory erase; let's not get too excited," said another sorcerer through the pitter-patter of Madoushi feet.

And then Dilandau's world was gone.

~*~