Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Blood In Her Hands ❯ A New Vision ( Chapter 8 )

[ 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..

“Where are we?” asked Allen. They were in an alleyway and people are passing by. They are literally passing by them. They didn't gave any sign of recognizing two people wearing uncommon garments and both carrying swords.

Van saw Hitomi walking home. He pointed it to Allen and they followed her. “We're in her world, Mystic Moon.”

“Gee, this world is so far from ours. It's starting to freak me out,” said Allen. Van agreed. They are walking alongside Hitomi who didn't seem to notice them at all. She was smiling and particularly happy about something. Hitomi stopped walking and so did Allen and Van. It seemed to be Hitomi's house.

She went inside and then stopped. Allen and Van however failed to notice that Hitomi had stopped walking and they went through her. They were not prepared to the site that would greet them. Blood was everywhere.

“Mom! Dad! Tai! Where are you?!”

They saw Hitomi running to different rooms checking her family. They followed her, not wanting to be lost inside her house. The three of them visited almost all of the rooms in the house. Their last stop was what Hitomi called the `living room'. There, three bodies lay bathing in their own blood. Allen and Van couldn't utter a single word. They held their breath. They watched Hitomi knelt on the floor and examining the wounds that were inflicted on her family. Van went towards the small boy, the one Hitomi called Tai.

“She once complained about her little brother,” said Van. “She told me once that she was sick of being scolded by her mother whenever her little brother does something and she was the one who's always getting blamed at it.”

“Who would do these to Hitomi?” asked Allen, while he was staring at Hitomi's mother. He shook his head. A weird sound was heard in the house and Hitomi dashed towards the room upstairs.

“This must be her room,” said Allen as they entered the room. It was not that small but different medals and trophies could be seen. Van saw Hitomi's deck of tarot cards, the ones she used in predicting the future back in Gaea.

“Van, she's finding something in her drawer-like thing,” told Allen. They went beside Hitomi who was scurrying inside the drawer until she found what she was looking for. She first held out a small package and a note.

“It's her birthday,” said Van. Allen looked at him.

“You can understand her language Van?” asked Allen. Van looked confused. Before he could answer, they noticed Hitomi opening the small package. Inside was one of Van's feathers.

“Thank you Tai,” sobbed Hitomi. She picked up something beside the parcel. This one, they remembered. It was Hitomi's pendant-weapon. They watched in silence as she buried her family in the vacant lot behind her house.

“So that's why Hitomi was not in good mood and defensive when the guards found her,” said Allen.

“Allen, I fear there's something more,” muttered Van. Allen looked at him in disbelief. They saw Hitomi gaze up the sky. She was not crying anymore, her eyes emitting no emotion.

“Happy Birthday, Hitomi,” whispered Hitomi and this time, Allen understood what she was saying.

“What's happening now?” asked Van. The places around them began to dissolve, as though it was sucked by an invisible, powerful force. When the swirling motion stopped, they were in a different place. Far more different than where they found Hitomi's house. The street was near to being deserted. There were fewer houses in this part of the place. Van was about to ask where's Hitomi when they saw her coming out of a dining area. She was walking slowly and Allen and Van took this time to examine the world around them.

“Van!” yelled Allen.

Van spun around and detached himself from his surroundings. He saw Allen pointing at a guy in a cloak that was holding Hitomi by the shoulder. Spanks of jealousy sprung at his heart, seeing Hitomi with someone else. Have she forgotten about him that easily?

But there's something wrong about it. Hitomi's face was full of concentration. She acted like being held by this guy is a normal thing in her world. The he saw the blade expertly concealed in one of the guy's sleeves.

“She's in danger,” said Van and drew his sword, completely forgetting that they're merely wisps of smoke in Hitomi's world.

“It looks like robbery,” said Allen. He was filling Van with the things he understood from Hitomi and the mysterious guy's conversation. “Hitomi said that she hasn't got any money on her, having spent on it in a diner. Now he said there's something Hitomi could do for him in exchange for money.”

“Let's follow her and that man,” said Van.

Van and Allen walked behind Hitomi and the man, who was still holding her. They went inside Hitomi's new house. What happened next was so shocking that they just stood there and do nothing but follow and watch Hitomi ran from the guy. Hitomi's screams filled the house and no one in the neighborhood could hear her. Allen was gripping his sword but he knew he couldn't anything. Van tried to look at the face of the guy but he remained faceless. It was as though Hitomi could only see him in the darkness. They tried to help her but they can only glide and talk to each other. The man crawled on top of Hitomi and she kept crying and struggling below him. She was trapped.

“HITOMI!” yelled both Allen and Van.

The house began to dissolve again and the next thing they knew, Millerna, Merle and Dryden's faces were in front of them.

“Are you two alright?” asked Millerna. Allen and Van collapsed on the floor, panting heavily. They still are thinking about what they had seen in Hitomi's dreams. Van looked up and saw Hitomi still sleeping.

“She's dreaming it again?” asked Allen and Van nodded. “I have no idea.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Merle, eyeing the two of them. Allen and Van haven't said anything about what had happened to them in their moment of trance. Dryden was preparing to concoct a strong tea for Allen and Van while Millerna hushed Merle back. “Don't rush them.”

“Could you tell us what happened to you?” asked Dryden, offering the two cups of wine he had made. Van took his and drank it all while Allen took a little sip on his cup. They looked at each other.

“Hitomi's family was murdered back in the Mystic Moon,” said Van in a dead voice. There were gasps in the room.

“That's why she's acting like this and being so defensive,” added Allen. Van looked at Allen, thankful that what happened to Hitomi after the massacre was kept hidden to the two of them. Allen nodded, getting Van's point.

“That explains her behavior,” said Dryden. “Were there any motives?”

Van shook his head. “We saw nothing. Even Hitomi couldn't think of any.”

“Did Hitomi do anything?” asked Millerna.

Van turned once again to Allen. How will they tell them that Hitomi was raped? Allen came to the rescue.

“She moved to new place. Besides that, there's nothing we know of,” said Allen. Only Van could hear the hint of lie in Allen's voice. Luckily, Dryden and Merle stopped asking questions but Millerna was eyeing Allen very seriously, as if reading his mind. But then she gave up and started to walk to Hitomi's bed.

“Hitomi,” whispered Millerna. Dryden sat on a chair beside the two men while Merle quickly rushed to the bed with Millerna. Allen and Van was as though stoned to the floor. They couldn't even bring their faces to look up.

“Hey! You shouldn't stand up yet. You're still recovering,” said Merle ushering Hitomi back to the bed.

“Where is he?” asked Hitomi silently. Van looked up and saw Hitomi's eyes gleaming with murder.

“Who's he?” asked Allen, his voice slightly shaking.

Hitomi turned to Allen's direction. She saw Van, yes, that was Van. There were shaken about something, and she didn't want to find out. She kept walking, but stopped at the door. She slowly turned to Van's direction.

Van saw her got up and walked towards the door. Did she knew that Allen and he saw what happened to her? Will she be angry? His thoughts were tumbling one after the other. He bowed his head, unable to look at her for even just a second.

You knew.

Van looked at up and his blue eyes met Hitomi's.

You saw what happened.

She hadn't said anything. Her lips did not move; she spoke to him mentally. He looked at Allen and saw his face show confusion. He turned back to Hitomi, who was still staring at him. Then the life in her eyes started to fade away. It was the last thing he saw before he was swallowed by the darkness.

Darkness. That was what surrounds him. He did not need to see it, for the cold environment embraced him is enough to make him feel it. He tried to move, but even a little movement was enough to drain him of his energy. After a gruesome moment of getting up, Van finally succeeded. He sat straight and opened his eyes. He knew there was nothing to see, but he still opened them. He heard some scraping behind him. He wasted no time and stood up, slightly swaying because it took all of him to stand that quick. His left hand grasped the sheath of his royal sword while his right touched the shaft of the sword, ready to strike any minute. He crouched slightly then stood still. He hasn't heard anything. Then.

“Who's there?” demanded Van. He was sure that there's someone in this vast darkness with him. Van can't see that person but he knew that the person can see him clearly.

“The Judgment Card. Reversed.”

Van recognized that voice. “Hitomi?” He ran towards the source of that voice. All the while, the pendant Hitomi gave him started to glow.

“Eight of Swords. Reversed.”

Tell me where she is, asked Van to himself. He closed his eyes and thought of the pendant, swaying in his mind. The pendant was swaying slightly before it stopped and changed its direction suddenly. It pointed to the right and Van shifted his pace to that direction.

“Knight of Swords.”

Yes! He was running in the right direction. Her voice became louder as he ran faster. He wanted to see her. Van stopped running when he saw the faint shadow of Hitomi. She was sitting on the floor, with her back on him. With a sidestep on the right, he saw Hitomi doing a reading with her tarot cards. He walked slowly towards her, making no noise.

“Hitomi ---”

Van never had the chance to finish what he was going to say. Hitomi, without facing Van, cut him short.

“The time to make a decision draws near. Two different lives would be placed in your hands. Death of one would mean the life of another. It is up to you who will live.”

Van shivered. Hitomi's in one of her trances and, just like when she predicted Zongi's death, had just made another death prophecy.

“Hitomi?” asked Van. He approached her, but when he was only a foot away from her, everything became blurred. Then, he heard a scream and he swore it was Hitomi's. He saw a vision just as he heard the scream. And what he saw sent him the chills. He saw himself stabbing Hitomi through the chest, using his very own sword.

“Van! Hitomi!”

Shouts were erupting inside Hitomi's room. Van was panting hard and Allen was on his side, calming him. Hitomi was thrown back and was lying on the floor. Millerna and Merle were beside her. Dryden, scratching his head, went towards Van and investigated the pendant he wore around his neck.

“Nani?” asked Van.

“The pendant glowed brightly when you were on a trance,” said Dryden before returning to his previous place in the room.

“Hitomi? Are you alright?” asked Millerna. Hitomi was sitting upright, but was not speaking to anyone. Van looked at his hands. They were shaking with fear. Merle went beside Van and tried to hold his hands still, but the shaking wouldn't stop. Van was bathed in cold sweat. How could he hurt her like that? He knew that he couldn't do such a thing to Hitomi, but he thought that Hitomi's predictions always come true. He shook his head then crawled to Hitomi, who was staring at the balcony.

“Hitomi?” whispered Van. She turned to him. Then her face showed fear. She tried to backed away but Van grabbed her arm. She struggled to free herself; Van's got a death grip on her arm. She whimpered slightly, making Van curse loudly. He pulled Hitomi hard and she landed on his chest. He wrapped his hands around her and buried his head in her hair.

I would not do that to you.

He spoke that mentally to her and he was surprised that she responded by crying in his chest. Van.

“Cry all you want,” said Van, stroking Hitomi's hair.

“Van, what happened?” asked Allen. He walked towards the couple and was rubbing Hitomi's back. Poor little girl, thought Allen.

“I saw … She made a death prophecy,” mumbled Van to Allen and the others. They were all taken back. They all remembered the time when Hitomi also made a death prophecy; it nearly took her her life.

“Not again,” said Merle.

“What kind of prophecy? Who's involved?” asked Millerna.

Van failed to answer. He doesn't want them to know about the prophecy. Everyone would be worried and he didn't want to trouble Hitomi about it. What he saw would be just for the two of them.

“I didn't understand the prophecy completely. The things that were clear to me were the words `death' and `soon',” said Van. He felt bad lying to the people who's been with him for so long. But if this little lie could save them all, especially Hitomi, he would allow their trust to be broken. He has no choice but to do it. He felt Hitomi sliding in his grip and he looked down at her. She had fallen asleep in his arms. He carried her to the bed and lay her down. Once there, her hands searched her side for something. Van and the others were watching her with in confusion. Hitomi was still groping for something in her bed and she started to whimper. Allen went to one of the chairs and grabbed a pillow. He set it beside Hitomi. When she touched the pillow, she nuzzled herself to it and went to sleep. They were all staring at Allen.

“Whenever Celena goes to sleep alone, she cries. She was used to seeing me before she sleeps because our father was gone. Everytime I leave her, she would search the part of the bed where she thought I was sleeping. She would cry if she found it empty. That's why I always leave a pillow for her to hug when I'm gone. I just guessed that Hitomi would react the same,” explained Allen.

“She looks like a child,” said Millerna.

“Come now. We also should go to sleep. It's almost dawn you know,” said Dryden. When they heard his last statement, they all looked at the balcony and saw the first light rays passing through the curtains.

They all went out of Hitomi's room and left her to rest.