Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Beyond the Moon ❯ Arrival of New Complications ( Chapter 17 )

Wee! Sorry about the delay... I just haven't really gotten much of a chance to write. I had two tests on Friday, and I might actually get a life! I sat in a hot tub with my best friend for a while, then we tossed darts and read manga. *yawn* I'm good and relaxed. Hopefully I'll have some free time this weekend to write up the next chapter. ^_^ Enjoy!

Beyond the Moon

Seventeen

"I need you to call on the power of Atlantis and directly connect with it."

Hitomi sat down sharply, wrapping one hand so tightly around the iron arms that her knuckles turned white. "I can't do that. That is a power that not even I can tap into," she replied, her voice wavering.

Chid gave her a stern look, sitting down beside her. He placed one comforting hand on her shoulder. "It will hurt your world as much as mine if Atlantis raises once again. That is what the power plans to do," the Duke said.

"How do you know this?" Hitomi asked suddenly. Chid watched her again, contemplating how to respond.

He began with an inquisition. "Do you remember in Fortona, when my late father showed us the Power Spot?"

"Yes..."

"Even after Zaibach took over both the temple and the Spot, it was mostly unharmed. One of the monks taught me to read the Atlantean, and I learned that the words had changed. The empire of Atlantis is going to resurface," Chid finished, his hand thoughtfully turning over a lock of his pale blonde hair in his fingers.

Hitomi took a deep breath, looking down at her hands, tracing the lines of her palms with her eyes. If Atlantis rose, not only would there be complete chaos on Earth, but the Draconians themselves would most likely be resurrected to follow with their kingdom. Why were they resurfacing now?

The power of your wishes is extraordinary, but they are only brought about by your insecurity and anxiety. You create those horrible fates.

"I don't want to be involved with Atlantis again," she muttered out, covering her face with her hands. Chid looked at her sternly.

"You have to. To save Gaea, and Van."

"I don't want to! Not again! I will only bring about horrible fate," Hitomi cried, standing up suddenly. Chid sighed, standing up as well. He towered over her, almost as great in stature as his father. His deep, blue eyes suddenly turned soft, and he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hitomi, I believed in your power then, and I still do. You saved the world, Hitomi. Now you must save it again."

Before Hitomi could open her mouth, there came a holler. Looking up, she barely caught a glimpse of white hair as a pair of hands clutched the top of the wall. Hitomi tripped over the various flower beds, making her way down the path towards the tall, white and red stoned wall. The fingers clenched, and there came an audible "urgh!"

"Hurry up! Your shoes are hurting my hands!"

"I'm trying! You're just too short! Push up a little further, will you?"

"I can't! You're too heavy!"

"Just lift me up, and don't look under my skirt!"

"You have pants on!"

"So?!"

Hitomi blinked incredulously, Chid running up beside her. The hands moved further up the wall, arms now clutching at the edge. There came a few more grunts and arguments, before a bright eyed, white haired face appeared over the wall.

"Hitomi?!" Just as quickly as she appeared, Celena went tumbling back down the wall, her crash resulting into a pained and angry "OOF!"

"What did you do that for?!"

"You're the one that dropped me!"

"You were practically over the wall!"

"I was not! Try again! She's over there!"

"What?! Lift me up this time!"

Hitomi and Chid stared in awe as another pair of hands appeared, these ones bigger and calloused, with muscular veins running down the fingers and knuckles.

Hitomi let out a shriek as a familiar head of silver hair appeared, complete with scar and blood red eyes. Dilandau grinned evilly, clambering up onto the wall. He poised, ready to leap down, when a frustrated yell brought his attention back to the ground on the side of the wall he had just come from.

"Don't stand there like an idiot! Help me up!"

Hitomi shrunk behind Chid, who now stood ready, hand on his sword. Dilandau grunted, turning around and bending down. He reached down, hauling another familiar person onto the wall with him.

Clutching her around the waist, Dilandau stood, helping Celena regain her balance. She grinned at him, then looked down at the terrified Hitomi and her equally startled protector.

"Hitomi! We found you!" Celena cried, vaulting off the wall and landing with a thud, her eyes widening as she rocked on her trembling legs and repeated, "oww..." over and over. Dilandau rolled his eyes, climbing a bit more easily off the wall and landing on two sturdy feet. He kept one hand on his sword, regarding the tall, pale blonde man with a scrutiny.

"And just who are you?" Dilandau inquired nastily. Celena recovered herself, and promptly pulled on his hair. "What was that for?!" he cried, giving her a glare. She merely smiled, grabbing the bottom of his sleeve in her hand. She walked over to Chid, looking the wide-eyed man up and down.

"He's so handsome!" she said suddenly. Hitomi peered underneath Chid's still poised arm, giving Celena an inquiring look.

"Stop that, Celena. Come on out from behind that pretty boy, bi-" Celena cut him off.

"Hitomi! You're alright!" she cried, diving past Chid and pushing him nonchalantly out of the way. The Duke glared at her, but he was cut off in turn by Dilandau.

"She doesn't look tortured or molested. Sad turn of events," he commented, watching Celena smile at the surprised Hitomi.

"Celena... What are you doing here? With him?" Hitomi asked, emphasizing the pronoun with disgust. Dilandau felt the childlike urge to stick out his tongue, but refrained and merely shot her a glare, his hand itching on his sword.

"With who? Dilly?" Celena raised one eyebrow, looking back at Dilandau, who was positively twitching with anger. "We came to rescue you!" Hitomi stared at her.

"Rescue me? From who?"

"From whoever kidnapped you," Celena replied, her tone becoming slightly more serious. She stood beside Dilandau, looking at him affectionately. He cleared his throat, concentrating on getting rid of the blush beginning to stain his cheeks so he could speak. After carefully avoiding her smiling face, he glared at both Chid and Hitomi.

"Not having any idea who you are," he began, indicating to the Duke, "I'm going to assume you're the Mystic Moon girl's kidnapper." Chid opened his mouth to argue, but Dilandau silenced him by raising a hand. "I can't risk the king of Fanelia's further anger, so I came to take her back."

Hitomi examined the albino closely. He spoke with a calm - albeit restrained - voice, his stature imposing and dark. His black Zaibach jacket was in bizarre contrast with the tall, white haired woman beside him, whose bright, blue eyes regarded Chid and Hitomi with interest.

"I will assure you I did not kidnap her," Chid snapped suddenly. Dilandau immediately focused his blood red gaze on the taller Duke. "What brought her here is none of your concern. She can return to Van, but she has a duty or two to attend to." Dilandau's eyes lit up with fire at Chid's obvious dismissal.

"Hitomi, care to introduce us?" Celena interjected. Hitomi blushed suddenly, as if she had forgotten something.

"Oh yes... This is.. Duke Chid. Duke of Freid and Emperor of Hudogar," she said, motioning to the tall, blonde man. He nodded, giving Dilandau an icy glare.

"I'm Celena Schezar," Celena responded, indicating to herself. She smiled at the Duke, then pointed to her glaring compatriot. "And this is Dilandau Albatou." Chid's eyes widened considerably, as he carefully looked over the two.

"But I thought Dilandau was dead!" Chid said suddenly. "Schezar... Are you related to Allen?" Dilandau snorted, and Celena merely smiled and nodded.

"That is a long story, but we do need Hitomi," she replied, swiftly cutting to the chase. Chid's stare became serious once more.

"I can't do that. We still have things to discuss," he said sternly. Hitomi stepped out, glaring at him.

"I will have you know that if Van needs me, I am leaving!" Chid blinked at her in surprise. "Celena, how did you find us?"

Dilandau cackled suddenly, narrowing his eyes. "Your pretty little prince almost lost his life trying to find you," he said nastily, as if relishing the thought, "but then the pretty boy knight saved him. I went and found Celena, and we followed the footprints of your little henchmen. They weren't very good at covering their tracks." Chid let out a growl. "The carriage was destroyed, and Hitomi was gone. That, in my book, is a kidnapping."

"Not in mine!" the Duke ground out. Hitomi narrowed her eyes at the both of them.

"I wasn't kidnapped, nor was I taken by my will. But now that you're here, I was just about to be on my way," she turned her gaze on Chid, who focused his blue eyes on her.

"But you promised, didn't you?" he asked, his voice free of any condescendence. Celena raised one eyebrow, still keeping a firm grasp on the fiery Dilandau's sleeve. Despite his incredible desire to rip the throat out of the Duke, he restrained himself by the small thread that was Celena's grip.

"You know I can't do that! I can't channel the power through my body, contact it! It's not possible!" Hitomi cried, gritting her teeth as she stared at the firm Chid.

He watched her for a moment, then turned his face on the pair of white-haired companions. "I'm afraid we still have things to discuss. You are welcome to stay in the castle as long as she is here, but our conversations shall be private," the Duke said, recomposing himself and shaking back his blonde hair.

Just as Dilandau was about to object, Celena nodded hastily and stepped in front of him. "We would like that, but we won't wait more than three days," she announced, looking back at the albino for approval. He merely crossed his arms and looked away.

Chid pondered for a moment, then nodded. "I will have you escorted there immediately. We shan't take more than a day or two," he added. Hitomi watched the three in confusion at their obvious dissent of her plea.

"Excuse me!" she cried suddenly, halting Chid's movement back to the castle. "But I have to get back to Van! What if he's injured?" Dilandau turned to her, his eyes blazing.

"That stupid boy never dies. I wouldn't worry," he huffed, turning back to his path and following competitively behind the retreating Duke. Hitomi crossed her arms, glaring a their retreating forms. Celena placed a light hand on her shoulder, causing the surprised former girl to turn with inquisitive green eyes.

"I'm sure he's alright, Hitomi," Celena assured her, "he's strong. After what Dilandau told me, I'm sure he's alright. He and Allen are probably headed here right now. If you get any free time, we could even have a chat. There's so much to talk about!" With a smile on her face, the white-haired woman turned and followed after the boys, waving a hand to Hitomi. The brunette blinked, then followed with a shrug, her thoughts drifting to the rising of Atlantis and her King in Crisis.

***

They seemed to move like snails, the waterfalls slowly coming closer with each passing stride. Van lolled about in the back seat, his mind drifting into unconscious with each down-stroke and being jerked violently out of it with each jolt of the horse's shoulder and hip. It was a never-ending cycle of boredom as they advanced towards the rising hill.

Only an hour or two passed from their departure when Allen reined the horse in suddenly. Thrown into a sitting position, Van growled in annoyance. The knight merely put a hushed finger to his lips, and his blue eyes scanned the area around them.

"Damnit, we're being followed!" he said quietly, turning his face back to the road. He clenched his fist. "Damn that Munos..." Van turned his head, surveying the endless grass plain.

"There's nothing here, Allen. You're seeing things.. or hearing them.. or sensing them.. or whatever," he moaned, rubbing his forehead. His arm had begun throbbing, and whatever magic had been used on it to numb the pain was slowly wearing off. The knight suddenly elbowed him in the stomach. "What was that for?!" Van cried, when Allen repeated the process again.

"Shut up, will you? Do you want whoever is following us to realize that we know?" he growled, turning back to the road. "I heard the gallop. See those trees?" Allen nodded up to the forest cover extending up the shallow slope. "They must have brushed a branch. That was no animal... And I've had a sneaking suspicion for a while now."

"So what do we do? We have to get to Hitomi as quickly as possible!" Van cried, huffing. Allen snorted.

"I know, but if we lead the rider there, he'll report back. Who knows what will happen? I don't want to take any chances. As long as we travel along the trees, he can follow us and still be hidden," the knight contemplated, brushing a finger through his ruffled blonde hair. Van crossed his arms.

"What are you suggesting we do? Lose him?"

"Precisely." Flashing a triumphant grin into the trees, Allen turned the horse on its heel, spurring it into a gallop. They flew across the plain in a perpendicular line to the forest edge, moving steadily lower and towards the rippling waters of the ocean.

"We'll have to travel along the shoreline," Allen suggested, as they began to slow their pace. "I don't know if he'll be bold enough to follow; we might be hidden beneath the hill. We'll have to throw him off." Van furrowed his brow.

"Again with your farsighted conniving. We were traveling northward to begin with, correct? But if we're away from the tracks, how will we know if they continue following the same pattern?" he inquired. Allen scratched his chin, then sighed.

"We won't. We'll have to hope for the best; the tracks have been following the mountainside for some time. Just watch for the waterfalls... I think that's the only landmark we'll be able to see from the beach-line," the knight replied, easing the horse's speed as they descended the long flight towards the lower altitude. They seemed to be moving farther and farther away from the plateau rising in the distance.

"So we're going south? He won't be expecting it... But can we afford to lose time?" Van contemplated. "I'll try to contact Hitomi again." Allen nodded as they moved, waiting until they traveled further down before beginning a swift turn southward, away from their destination.

As the horse's gait slowed into a smooth walk, he closed his eyes, focusing all his energy on one person: Hitomi.

***

After Zuga had led Dilandau and Celena to their room (or rooms, I wasn't sure), Chid confronted me.

"I... I want to apologize for the way I behaved. I don't mean to force anything on you..." he trailed off, turning his blue eyes away from me. I sighed, looking at my feet.

"Don't worry. I understand. I... I will stay as long as Celena and.. Dilandau remain. I will leave after the appointed time. Until then, I will try to do what I can," I said, lifting my gaze to his. He smiled, nodding with Schezar-trademarked charm. If only he knew... I sighed, a sound which he either didn't notice or chose to ignore.

"Thank you, Lady Hitomi. You may retire to your room for some recuperation, and I will have midday supper ready in a few hours," the Duke said, his voice returning to his formal address. I nodded. "I will have our guests join us, then I will have afternoon conference with you in my study."

I nodded again, swiftly making my departure. I was disturbed enough by Dilandau and Celena's arrival to last me a week, but I didn't have that kind of time. I would just have to come to grips with all the information plaguing me as of late, and make the best of it. I made my way through the main hall and up the stairs, feeling Chid's eyes on my back the whole time.

He managed to make me feel both incredibly uncomfortable and incredibly welcome at the same time. His gaze was so much like Allen's, yet so much like his own; it was incomprehensibly (and nostalgically) reminiscent of his younger self. His hair had changed in color, but his skin had stayed a light, sheltered color. He was not condescending, but made me feel small and insignificant in the world that he commanded. He had changed so much, but almost not at all.

I sighed, walking up the staircase to my room. As soon as I was in its confines, I sat down on the floor and held my head in my hands, hoping to relieve the headache that plagued my fragile brain. My temples throbbed, and I felt the urge to vomit. This was almost as bad as the time I only fit in one hour of studying before my midterm in college.

What was I supposed to do? I couldn't contact the power of Atlantis; it wasn't a thing, but rather, an essence. It couldn't be commanded; that was exactly why it had destroyed the Draconians. How could I possibly stop such a massive thing, even if I wanted to?

I groaned, clutching the pendant at my neck for support. It glowed brightly, and suddenly, an image of Van passed through my stressed out mind. I closed my eyes, plundering my brain for the source.

Hitomi? I raised my eyes, my black world suddenly coming into focus. How this was possible, I didn't know.

Van? Is that you? I called, glancing around. My heart skipped a beat as I saw a familiar white shadow, outlined in the black world around me. I saw a head of black hair and a tragically ripped red jacket, complete with a familiar pair of slacks and boots. Van turned around, smiling instantly as soon as he caught sight of me.

Hitomi! I'm so glad I could reach you! Within a second, I had somehow transported myself to his side, and now clutched my arms around his middle protectively. I felt as if I ever let go, I would fall away into nothing. I had to hold on.

Oh Van! It's... so hectic! I felt the first tears rush to my eyes, threatening to spill. Without hesitation he wrapped his arms around me, squeezing tightly as I buried my face in his chest. He rocked me back and forth slowly, waiting a moment before responding.

It's alright, I'm here. Just tell me what's wrong. Where are you? His voice was calm and comforting, making my beating heart slowly return to a normal beat.

It's... You're not going to believe this. Prince... Duke Chid. He's... doppelgangers. It's confusing. The power of Atlantis... Atlantis might rise on Earth again! And.. Celena and Dilandau are here! What happened to you? I instantly regretted my constant flow of chatter, as Van's tight grasp on me faltered slightly.

What? Slow down. Duke Chid is there? How? I sighed, lifting my tear-streaked gaze from his chest.

It's like this. Duke Chid became emperor of Hudogar, the empire of a doppelganger clan. Chid says that the Power Spot tells him Atlantis wants to rise again, and he wants me to help convince it to go back! Then Dilandau and Celena showed up, and told me about your injury. Are you alright? I watched him carefully, as he slowly processed the information.

That's ridiculous. I'm fine. We - Allen and I - went to Asturia... It's weird there. ..Dilandau... didn't kill you? His voice shifted in tones throughout his broken up sentence.

I nodded slowly. He wanted to find me. I think he was influenced heavily by Celena. They're actually staying at Hudogar, no complaints. The power of Atlantis... I think it has something to do with Asturia. It might affect Fanelia too, Van. At the mention of his country, Van tensed in my grasp. I clutched him to me again, nuzzling my face into his shoulder.

He reached down, absently stroking my hair. I'm going to have to think about this. Don't do anything until I can get back to you... We're being followed, so we have to lead them off the trail. Van ran one finger down my neck, lifting my chin slightly so I stared into his deep chocolate eyes.

Hudogar is a huge castle. You can't miss it... See if you can find Celena and Dilandau's tracks. They'll lead you right here. Van nodded slowly in response, lightly brushing his mouth on my nose. I stiffened, watching him as he closed his eyes, kissing my cheek this time.

He moved lower, until his mouth found mine in a tender kiss. I leaned into his embrace, feeling a tear run down my cheek at the feeling I so fervently missed. Van's soft lips moved further down, leaving its mark on my chin, traveling down my jawline to my ear. There, he nibbled lightly on my earlobe, causing me to shudder slightly.

I'll be there, Hitomi, he said in a low voice, kissing my neck with slightly more ferocity. I nodded mutely, my arms moving up his body to his shoulders, where I held him closer. I kissed his arched throat, nuzzling my face into his collar.

Without warning, Van pulled me into a tight embrace, burying his face into my hair. He sniffed deeply, still holding me tightly to him. Even now, he smelled the way I had always remembered; the smell of grass, woods, of everything natural and wild. He was wild, a creature of Gaea.

And suddenly I woke up.