Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Blood In Her Hands ❯ The Memory that Won't Fade Away ( Chapter 7 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Vision of Escaflowne.. However, the new/added characters and places in this fanfic that were not mentioned in the animated series are products of my imagination.. Any relation to real people/places is purely accidental..

Van was sitting on his porch, gazing at the Mystic Moon. He couldn't sleep, not, he's just alert. Even the party was a tiring errand, he never even had the energy to lie down and close his eyes. He's restless at the moment. He spread his wings and flew on top of the castle. He always loved the roofs of the castle. Being on top of everything soothes him. And when Hitomi was in her world, Van felt that he's closer to her if he's on top of something so high. He was assured of the distance gap when he's spending time in the towers. Although this proved a troublesome thing for his advisers, they allowed their king to be at this place every time he felt so. They couldn't do anything but at least that's all Van would ask of them. He still couldn't sleep but at least the wind is cradling him. He hummed a Fanelian song, Sora. He decided that he would stay here until dusk. Van closed his eyes and lay on the roof. He smiled remembering his dance with Hitomi. She didn't say anything during the dance, but the feel of her gaze on him is like a thousand words for Van. All he did was stare at her, absorbing her presence. It was as though he still couldn't believe that Hitomi is here at Gaea, dancing with him. He was still visualizing that special moment when Hitomi's pendant, the one she gave to him before going back to her world, glowed. It normally means that Hitomi was calling to him or something bad is going to happen. Van felt a trickle of cold sweat as he wrapped the glowing pendant with his hand. He set out to the castle and his first stop is Hitomi's room. He raced towards the halls and stairs (he forgot he could have just flown at Hitomi's balcony because of his worry).

Hitomi's room was silent. He tried knocking but there was no answer. Van assumed that Hitomi's was just asleep. He pressed his right ear on the door but he heard nothing uncommon. He was starting to dismiss the idea and set back to his room when he heard the faintest sound from Hitomi's door.

“Stop…please.”

“Hitomi? Are you alright?”

Van pounded on the door. It opened to him and he saw Hitomi on the balcony. He thought she was seating on the chairs but when he approached her, he saw that she was sleeping on one of the chairs. Her bed was left untouched.

“Hitomi?”

He put his hands on her shoulder but she kept on murmuring.

“I don't like this… no stop…”

“Hitomi! Wake up! You're having a nightmare!”

Van shook Hitomi hard but she still didn't wake up. She was now trashing, wailing her arms in an attempt to protect herself from an enemy she can only see.

“Stop! No…”

He couldn't think of anything else to do. He drew his sword. It gleamed in the moon light. He grabbed Hitomi's right arm and rested the blade on her skin.

“Forgive me Hitomi for doing this. But I couldn't think of anything else to wake you,” said Van. He applied pressure on his sword and it cut Hitomi's skin. He was afraid to hurt her so he just applied the slightest pressure he could to the blade. His attempt was a failure; Hitomi was still having that bad dream. Van cursed under his breath. He had no choice but to sink the blade until she wakes up. Hating himself for doing this to her, he sank the blade until blood was freely flowing on her right arm.

“I like how you scream. Let me hear it again.”

He thrust the shard deeper into Hitomi's thigh until it cannot be seen anymore. Blood was rushing from her thigh, staining the carpet below her. Amused, the man pressed his hand over the wound deeper, making Hitomi scream again. Then, using his blood stained hand, spread the blood over her other thigh. It was as though he was molding a red pair of pants over Hitomi's legs. She cried and cried, unable to bear the pain any longer.

No, I am not dreaming this again. Make it stop! I do not want to see this! Hitomi saw herself being maltreated by that bastard. It's bad enough that she went through that hell. But making her see this all over again sickens her.

“I am going to give you something worse than death.”

He tied her hands and feet with the rope he got from the kitchen to the bed posts. Hitomi at first was scared that he would puncture her with different knives and other sharp objects he could have found in the kitchen. But when she noticed that he was taking her clothes off one by one with the use of a scalpel, she cried again. Oh no, not this.

He first took off her top exposing her bare chest to him. He left her bra on. He folded her top neatly on the bedside table. Hitomi closed her eyes not wanting to see what he is going to do to her. He traced her body with his hand drenched in her blood. He made a cross at the center of her chest.

“Don't you like the feel of your blood on your body?” asked the man. She didn't answer him. He tasted her blood. “Your blood's something. Wanna taste it?”

He put his blood stained fingers inside her mouth. Hitomi felt sick at the taste of her own blood mixed with his. She vomited, earning a slap from the man.

STOP! Somebody help me! Then it hit her. Nobody will come and save her. In her dreams, she wished that somebody would hear her screams and save her from this maniac. Then all will be alright again, the torture she underwent would just be some bad dream. Somebody will wake her up, assuring that it was only a dream, that it really didn't happen. But no, every time she saw herself weak, every puncture she got from that man, every time his eyes, full of malice and death, seek hers, no one comes to save her. No one.

NO!!!

“Hitomi! It's okay. It's just a dream.”

Hitomi woke up drenched in sweat. She could still feel the presence of the man, as though he was just standing right behind her. She just stared at what's before her, afraid of seeing that man anywhere in the room.

“Hitomi?”

Hitomi looked up and saw someone familiar. Van.

“Van?” Van nodded. She couldn't help herself. She leaped from where she sat and lunged herself to Van. She threw her arms around his neck and broke down. Van was shocked at first but then embraced Hitomi tightly.

“It's okay. I'm here. Shh,” assured Van. Hitomi was still crying on his chest and he rubbed her back. He felt hurt, seeing his love suffer and all he could was hug her say all the assurances he could think of. He wants to stop her from crying. He hugged her hard. Hitomi depended on Van.

“I can see him everywhere. He won't leave me alone,” sobbed Hitomi.

“He?” asked Van. He couldn't hear Hitomi properly. Hitomi tightened her embrace on Van. She whispered something in his ear. He didn't understand it so he asked Hitomi to say it again.

“Don't let him take me Van.”

Van tensed up. He carried Hitomi in his arms and went to her bed. He sat on her bed and lay Hitomi on his lap. Hitomi grabbed his clothes and gripped on it with her life. She was shaking still from the dream she had. Van picked the blanket and wrapped it around them. He massaged Hitomi's long hair and rested his head on hers.

“I won't let anyone take you away from me, Hitomi. I promise. I would die first before anything happens to you,” said Van. “I would protect you with my life.”

Hitomi stood up. No, you can't protect me at all. Where were you when …

“Hitomi?” asked Van. Hitomi backed away. She was now standing up and looking down on him (he was still seating on the bed).

“Don't say that.”

“Don't say what, Hitomi?”

“That you would protect me with your life.”

“Why? I swear that I would ---”

“Ie! You weren't there to protect me! How could you even mention protection at this time?!”

Van was confused. “Hitomi? What --- ?” He failed to finish this statement because Hitomi cut in.

“You, and everyone! You all let him have me then! I cried for help but nobody saved me! I was alone there!”

“Hitomi…”

“DON'T COME NEAR ME! DON'T YOU EVEN TOUCH ME!”

Van kept approaching her and she kept backing away. When she felt the wall on her back, she started throwing everything she could lay her hands on to Van. She just wanted to be alone, but the solitude threatened her with her dreams. She was torn between two things and all she could do was hurt this guy in front of her who kept advancing.

Van lost his control and drew his sword using it as a shield. The vase, what Hitomi was currently holding/throwing, crashed at the impact it made on Van's sword. The impact the vase had received caused some of the broken pieces to rebound on Hitomi. She was late in noticing it and only felt the trickle of blood on her face.

“Hitomi?”

Hitomi placed her hand on her forehead and held it in front of her. She saw blood. Blood everywhere. Her own blood.

“Don't you like the feel of your blood on your body?”

“Your blood's something. Wanna taste it?”

STOP!

Hitomi rushed towards the door and because of the blood on her hands, couldn't turn the doorknob. Van ran towards her but Hitomi shove him away. When she sensed that she was trapped, she went to the corner and hugged herself. She waited for the blow to land on her. Van slowly went to the sobbing Hitomi in the corner. He blamed himself for her suffering. Hitomi could have stayed here at Gaea. She was willing to, but he sent her back to her world. Now, this.

“Hitomi, please stop.”

He patted Hitomi on her shoulder. He sat beside her and lifted her chin with his hand. She was reluctant to look up at first, but, after some time she let her chin be guided by his hand. “I'm here Hitomi. It's me Van.”

“V- -Van?” Hitomi looked up and found Van staring at her. She cried, and Van took her in his arms again. The commotion in Hitomi's room woke up Allen and Merle, whom were standing by the door and looking at the disgruntled room then at Hitomi and Van. Merle ran towards the center of the room, examining it with her feline eyes, then went beside Van. Allen rushed straight at Hitomi and helped Van to comfort her.

“Don't let him take me, Va-Van…” Hitomi passed out and Van caught her with his arms. He carried her to her bed and laid her down. He ripped off a part of the blanket and bandaged her head and her right arm. The white sheet quickly became red.

“What happened, Van? We heard some smashing of something made of glass in here,” said Allen pointing at the mess in Hitomi's bedroom.

“She had a bad dream, something about a man taking her. I couldn't figure out exactly what the dream is, but she's scared to death. Please summon the doctor for me, her wounds…” said Van.

Just then, Millerna and Dryden appeared in the doorway. Seeing the blood in Hitomi's room, Millerna sprang into action and disappeared. She entered the room this time with her medical kit. She attended to Hitomi's wounds while Van, Merle, Dryden and Allen talked about the incident.

“A dream. So something had really happened to her in her world,” said Allen.

“I told her that she could tell anything to me, but she's still reluctant to talk about it,” replied Van.

“Hitomi…” whispered Merle. She joined Millerna in Hitomi's bed. The men followed Merle with their stares.

Van remembered the other time he saw Hitomi so scared. It was when she made a prophecy of death to the doppelganger, Zongi. He was the one who revived her then and ever since he was afraid that he won't be able to do it again it when her life would be threatened again. Stop thinking like that Van.

“She's saying something,” said Millerna. They all gathered around Hitomi's bed.

“Help me…” muttered Hitomi.

“She's dreaming it again,” said Van. He went beside Hitomi and was prepared to shake her when Millerna stopped him.

“Let her. She'll have to finish this dream if we want her to recover,” explained Millerna.

Van cursed. “How will that help her? Can't you see that she needs help?”

“We are helping her, Van. The only way she could get over this fear is to face it,” said Dryden. “Van, you have to set aside your emotions. If you'll always heed your emotions first, then you'll just making it worse for her.”

Van stepped back. Allen was patting his shoulder to reassure her. Then, Van's vision became black.

“Allen? Van-sama? Are you two alright?” asked Merle, who was waving her hands in front of Van and Allen. They all stood there, transfixed at something they can only see. Millerna and Dryden went to the two men but they still haven't said, reacted, or moved.

“They seem to be in a kind of trance,” said Millerna.