Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Beyond the Moon ❯ Double Sightings ( Chapter 20 )

Inspiration, inspiration!

Beyond the Moon

Twenty

It was Folken.

I stared at him, unable to take my eyes off the vision before me. The world had all turned black beside the figure who addressed me; black wings spread wide, his light teal hair spiking all about his head and trailing down his back, and two real, human arms outstretched.

I took a cautious step towards him, one hand extended as if looking for some kind of shield, a void that would prevent Folken from being real. "Hitomi," he murmured, watching me with his soft, brown-red eyes.

I launched myself into his arms, hugging him tightly. "You're real!" I cried, jumping back just as quickly as I had come. He didn't appear stunned, and merely put his hands on my shoulders.

"In a way," Folken replied softly, folding his wings at his back. He stepped forward, hugging me slightly before releasing me completely. My mind was in a whirl; Folken was dead. This was a vision. How come he felt so real? He interrupted my thoughts. "I'm dead, Hitomi, but I managed to reach you."

I nodded, focusing my gaze on him. He wore a thin tunic, which hung from his broad shoulders in a casual fashion. The purple Strategos tattoos he had borne on his eyes and cheek in life were gone, and he looked much younger than the Folken I remembered.

"Hitomi, I don't have much time," he said, bringing me to reality. I nodded slowly, looking up at him. Folken smiled, lightly touching my head with his hand. His real hand, in the flesh. I smiled back; it made perfect sense that he wouldn't appear with his metal arm if he was just an apparition of the dead. It wasn't too new to me. "Do you know why Atlantis is reawakening?"

I shook my head. "I was only told the facts by Chid," I replied quietly, locking gazes with him. Folken nodded slowly. "I came to do a tarot reading."

"You've grown up so much," Folken mused, watching me affectionately. "This time, you have to help. I have some answers for you."

"I... I know I do. I just don't know what it is exactly that I have to do," I replied quietly, tucking my hands behind my back. Folken place an assuring hand on my shoulder, drawing my eyes up to meet his. He smiled softly at me.

"When you were home, on the Mystic Moon," he began, "how long before you returned to Gaea was it that you started thinking about us again?" I furrowed my brow. He was making me think again on the point I had made not long before.

"About a month or more," I replied. Folken nodded in response.

"You thought about Van, did you not?" I raised one eyebrow.

"Yes, of course," I replied, as if it were a given.

Folken stooped down slightly, so he was now eye-level with myself. It was then that I noticed I hadn't grown in height much since the last time we met. "You wanted to leave your old self behind and show him what you had become," he said quietly, lightly touching my chin with his hand. He lifted it, looking deeply into my eyes. I felt my heartbeat become rapid, and I gulped nervously. I felt like I was in a dark room, my very psyche being slowly dissected and ascertained. "You wanted to come back."

I nodded slowly, a feeling of relief spreading through me as he released me, his expression once more becoming the soft Folken I remembered. "Atlantis existed on the Mystic Moon, but created Gaea in its image," he said, lifting his gaze away from mine, "Gaea was created to be everything your Earth was not. Years ago, your grandmother came with the assistance of Atlantis to calm the heart of Leon Schezar. You had a much more complicated destiny; to rescue Gaea from one of your own: Dornkirk." I slowly nodded my head. It had not taken me long to discover Emperor Dornkirk's true identity: he went by the first name of Isaac, claimed to have experimented with Gravity and alchemy, and oddly enough, he seemed to be wearing a seventeenth century wig.

"Hitomi, it was your anxiety that is raising Atlantis," Folken said suddenly. I stared up at him with wide eyes. "You wanted to come back; the only way that could have happened without the help of a Drag-energist or your pendant was by the help of the power of Atlantis." Folken's head jerked suddenly, and he looked back at me. "I don't have much time left. I did not know much about Dilandau Albatou, other than that he was a fate-alteration experiment by the sorcerers. When you wanted to leave your old self behind, become detached from what you were on Earth, you inadvertently caused the revival of Dilandau. In truth, he and Celena are two different people, yet one in the same; they are a part of each other, the product of years of experimentation and mind-merging, but they are two completely separate personalities."

It was then that I noticed the trembling in my arms. I was having difficulty processing all he told me; but he continued on. "Hitomi, you have to abandon your anxiety. You have to want to help, to want to be yourself in every part of you, here, on Gaea. Whether it be for Gaea herself or for Van; Atlantis will rise and the power will spread unless you can think with your heart and not with your fears."

It was at that moment that I realized I hadn't visualized myself any sort of clothing; I stood in front of this apparition of Folken in nothing but my birthday suit. I let out a scream, covering my chest. Folken grinned and winked at me. Before I could react, he had turned around and disappeared into the blackness.

I wasn't sure if I had been asleep or not. I didn't remember closing my eyes, or opening them for that matter; the world merely came slowly back into focus, clearing away the black shroud I had been enveloped in. I sat in the still warm water, leaning against the back of the bathtub. "And take of Van, will you?"

I jumped at the voice, looking around wildly. I heard a chuckle, and then the sound disappeared altogether. It was Folken.

I sighed, slipping back into the water. My anxiety caused the rise of Atlantis? It was me making everything bad happen all over again? I let out a low moan of hopelessness, sinking deeper into the water. I exhaled, causing little bubbles to rise to the surface around my eyes.

Was he saying that I had caused the separation of Dilandau and Celena, because I wanted to separate from myself? I put my hands over my head, dipping under the water so it completely surrounded me. I sat under as long as I could, until I burst from the surface gasping for breath. I had brought myself to Gaea? It was my own wishes that caused Atlantis to rise?

...it was awakening to give me what I wanted?

***

"So, Allen, how exactly do we get in there?" Van asked. The pair had dismounted their exhausted mount, and now stood in front of the high, stone castle. They had carefully avoided the front gates, due to the two guards standing sentry to either side of the drawbridge. Though there was no well to speak of, the walls rose considerably high on both sides of the castle. They had yet to ride around to the garden on the far side, and had at first been looking for a door, ladder, or vine of some kind along the wall.

"We have no ropes, no climbing gear, and no other way to get over," Allen replied calmly. The castle was built with two high turrets, which rose on the east and west sides. They framed the high entryway, which faced northward. It was designed to endure anything the elements could deal it, and seemed no less in wear and tear for it.

Van sighed, his eyes traveling up the bare stone wall, just below the far east turret. There was a small window, from which he could see a faint light. A sudden movement caught his eye.

"Allen!" he whispered, poking the knight in the arm. Allen raised one eyebrow. "Look! Someone's up there!" Van pointed at the window, where a figure could be seen standing up. The knight furrowed his brow, looking closer.

"Van, that's not someone. That's a woman," he said, lowering his eyes. Van looked at Allen in confusion, before the realization dawned on him.

"Shit! We're spying!" He instantly lowered his eyes from the figure, which seemed to be clothing itself. The two waited for a few moments, heads bowed, before cautiously glancing back up at the open window. "I can't believe I just did that," Van growled, peering closer. The figure came closer to the window, making it easier for the two spies to make her out.

"Is.. is.." Allen blinked, peering closer. The face appeared in the window, a brown-haired, green eyed woman looking out thoughtfully. She seemed unaware of her two watchers, her slightly curled, damp hair fluttering in the drifting breeze.

Before Allen could react, Van hollered at the top of his lungs. "HITOMI!" The woman blinked in surprise, searching beyond the wall for the sound. When she saw nothing, she seemed to shrug it off as hearing things, until her gaze found the ground right below her.

"Van?! Allen?!" she cried, almost falling out the window. Van jumped up, waving his arm erratically. Hitomi stood up abruptly, covering her mouth and waving back fervently. "Van! Get up here!" she yelled. Van shook his head, and Allen stepped in front of him.

"We can't get in without being seen by the guards!" the knight hollered back. Hitomi, looking too overjoyed at seeing them to remove herself from the window, bit her lip.

"Come around the back! There's a shorter wall behind the garden!" she cried, leaning out the window and indicating around to the southern side of the castle. "I'll meet you there!" With that, she disappeared from the ledge. Van looked at Allen, and, with a giant grin plastered on his face, proceeded to jump on the bareback horse and pull the knight up behind him. The two turned towards to the wall, galloping alongside it towards the trees on the far side of the castle.

Some ways after clearing the back of the immense stone building, the wall abruptly dispersed into a significantly smaller granite fence. Sitting high on the horse's back, Allen could barely see over the top and into the immense, lush garden. He sat up farther, dodging the various miniature turrets lining the small wall as he looked for the back gates of the castle.

"There she is!" Allen cried, signaling over the fence. Van nodded, reining the horse into a stop. "I'll go first."

"Like hell you will!" Van returned, making a point by shoving the animal's reins into Allen's surprised hands. He leaned precariously on the horse's withers, grabbing the wall in his hands.

"Van!" a high, voice called from the other side.

"Right here!" he cried back, pushing his feet off the surprised stallion's back. He wriggled his way onto the wall, his chest flopped heavily against it, his legs dangling on the other side. Van looked up, searching the garden as he pulled himself all the way onto the wall.

"I'm down here," Hitomi said, looking up at the black-haired man sitting like a hawk on the fence. Without another word, he leaped off and landed almost on top of her.

"Hitomi!" he cried, grabbing the surprised woman in his arms. Van's knees wobbled slightly as he pulled her in closer, not caring about anything beside Hitomi.

"Van... you're... squishing... me..." Hitomi managed out. Van jerked out of his passionate embrace and reluctantly let her go, his face alight with a wide grin.

"Van! Over here!" Allen called suddenly, interrupting their little reunion. Van begrudgingly turned, helping the annoyed knight up onto the wall. He climbed down the other side with ease, wobbling on his feet before standing up straight, prim, and proper.

"Oh my God, I am so happy to see you!" Hitomi cried without warning, hugging Van. Allen raised his eyebrows in surprise, then smiled as Van wrapped his arms back around her without hesitation. They slowly parted, giving one another one last squeeze before turning to face the watching Allen.

"You're alright, which is good," the knight noted, stepping out of the small flowerbed on which he had landed. Hitomi nodded, smiling.

"Actually, the Emperor here is Prince... Duke Chid," she replied, nodding towards the castle. Allen's eyebrows flew up in surprise.

"...Chid?" he verified, blinking. Hitomi nodded.

"But you may have to slink around for a while; I don't know if he wants you two here or not," she added, looking nervously at the open back gate. Van furrowed his brow.

"Why would he not?" he asked in confusion. Hitomi shook her head.

"I'm not exactly sure. Why else do you think he took me without telling you?" she responded. Allen rubbed his chin.

"I think it would be best if we just spoke to him," the knight reasoned.

Hitomi objected. "I don't think that's a wise idea. He's been acting strange since I got here; it's a really, really long story. It would be best if you heard it before making assumptions," she advised. Allen and Van exchanged looks, before the two nodded reluctantly. "There's my room's window," Hitomi said, pointing out a large window above them. Vines wound around it, spreading across the entirety of the stone castle. Some of the vine was controlled by a high, wooden lattice, which attached to the stone sill of the window. "It's only on the second level; just climb the lattice," she instructed. Allen looked at her nervously, but Van jumped at the task.

"We'll meet you in the room," he said, already walking across the garden towards the bottom. Hitomi nodded.

"Keep your voices down, though. The servant woman will be up to my room soon, and if she comes in before I do, just go into the bathroom and make splashing sounds," Hitomi said, already pacing back towards the main gates. She disappeared stealthily into them, the door closing slowly behind them.

"A girl sneaking boys into her room," Allen commented, watching Van climb expertly above him. He placed his hands on the lattice, furrowing his brow as he began his ascent. When the wooden weave wobbled or rattled, the two passengers grabbed onto the thick vines twining with the structure.

Hitomi walked stealthily across the wide hallway, looking around with suspicion before making a dash for the stairs. She climbed quickly up them, the two guards usually posted gone during most of the day. The entire palace was eerily silent; it was only a day before that she remembered walking into a clustered hallway, filled with benzas and shuffling doppelgangers here and there. There were still ropes hanging from the walls and hay strewn in various places, but it seemed stately on the whole.

Hitomi quickly found her room, closing the door behind her. She pulled over a tapestry hanging near the large, wooden entryway, and tucked it into the small space between the door and its frame. Luckily, the door entered the room facing the bed, and had a wall blocking the desk and window. Hitomi hoped her setup would give enough time for her to hide her visitors should the problem arise.

Just as she finished her task, she heard a rustle outside the window. Rushing over, Hitomi managed to catch Van's large, tanned hand as it clutched over the sill.

"Van!" she cried, almost falling out of the window as the surprised man lost his footing. Hitomi gripped him with all her strength, slowly hauling him up over the sill and into the room.

"Whew," Van muttered, wiping his forehead. He looked back out the window, doing a similar favor to the still climbing Allen.

When the three of them were finally assembled, Hitomi drew out a chair near her desk, one by the vanity, and a stool set beside the window. When they were seated, she was bombarded with questions by the two eager men.

"First of all, I wasn't 'kidnapped,' persay," Hitomi began, silencing both with a raised hand. "Here's how it happened..."

Hitomi briefly recounted the tale of her capture, from her awakening with Nago to her meeting Chid. She paused then, ascertaining the intent eyes of her two guests. She had come to believe that the Duke had a good reason for everything he did; confidentiality, lack of distraction, either could be motives for his secrecy.

"Why does Chid need you, exactly?" Allen inquired politely, interrupting Hitomi's train of thought. She raised her eyes, smoothing a crease in her brow with one finger.

Believing it was best to tell the whole story, she did just that. Hitomi told them of her three meetings with Chid, from Atlantis to the arrival of Dilandau and Celena, until she came to the vision of Folken.

"Celena and Dilandau are... here? Right now?" Van asked, his eyes widening at that particular part of the story. Hitomi nodded gravely.

"There is no need to be upset, they've been behaving fine-"

"No place is fine where Dilandau is concerned!" Van cried, interrupting her. Hitomi glared at him, standing up suddenly.

"Stop that right now," she said in a brash tone, earning surprised looks from both men. "I suggest you both act reasonably. Dilandau has done nothing wrong since he's been here!" Hitomi scolded. Van crossed his arms, looking away with a glare. Allen merely stared.

Before anything more could be said, there came a knock at the door. "Shit," Hitomi mumbled, Van blinking at her. He was positive she had never cursed in his presence before. "You guys will have to hide. Go into my washroom, and close the door," she instructed, pointing to the open bathroom door. They nodded, disappearing into the washroom.

"Come in!" Hitomi called, shoving the chairs abstractly at the desk. She ran over to the bed, flopping down on it just as Zuga entered.

"Sorry to disturb you," she said apologetically, holding up a small pile of clothes. "I washed those garments you asked me to." Hitomi nodded.

"Just put them on the vanity," she replied hurriedly. Zuga set down the clothes, glancing around the room.

"I was certain I heard voices on the way in," the doppelganger commented, opening the door to leave.

"Oh, you must have been hearing things!" Hitomi assured her nervously. Zuga nodded slowly and nodded respectfully, disappearing.

Hitomi exhaled. "You can come out now," she said. The two men emerged, Van casting a quick look at the door before pulling out his chair. He sat with his arms on the back straddling it, while Allen watched his display and snorted, sitting down in a gentlemanly fashion.

"I still can't believe that Dilandau is staying here without complaint," Allen murmured, stroking his chin.

"It has a lot to do with Celena, I think," Hitomi commented. Both men gave her confused expressions. "I think they have a relationship you're unaware of, Allen."

The knight instantly jumped to his feet in indignation. "Never! How could that possibly be? He's a killer! My sister knows better than that," he harumphed, sitting back down reluctantly. Hitomi shook her head.

"They were blushing like schoolchildren," she replied calmly.

"I think that's the least of our worries right now," Van interjected. "You said the power is spreading, right? If we don't do something, it will reach Fanelia." Hitomi nodded in response, sighing.

"I had another vision," she announced. "It was Folken." Van jerked back in surprise, watching her and mentally prodding her to continue. "He said... he said that it was my fault."

"What do you mean, your fault?" Van asked, scooting his chair closer to hers. Hitomi closed her eyes, clenching her fists.

"It was my anxiety, all over again! It was my desire to return, my desire to be free of myself that caused Dilandau and Celena to separate, that caused Atlantis to want to rise again! It only wants to obey my wishes!" she cried suddenly. Before Hitomi could lash out again, Van slowly took her hand in his. She opened her eyes and bit her lip.

"Hitomi, it isn't like last time. You know what wishes from anxiety are," Van assured her, stroking the top of her hand with one finger. Allen watched the exchange silently, leaning back in his chair. "If you just wish with your heart, wish without anxiety, you can overcome it, right?"

Hitomi looked up at him with wide eyes, before she bowed her head and let out a small whimper. "I can't do it anymore, Van," she admitted.

"Of course you can do it!" Allen interjected suddenly. Hitomi raised her eyebrows. "You have a pure heart. If you wish pure wishes, they will not stem from anxiety."

Hitomi lowered her head, thinking it over. Van squeezed her hand with assurance, and she looked up.

"You're right," Hitomi admitted. "I... I have to at least try. But I should tell Chid."

"Tell me what?"