Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Following Jupiter ❯ I won't stay here long ( Chapter 14 )

Chapter 12

I wont stay here long

Leaves are falling, and something's calling me here.

The state of depression that I'm walking in,

Got the impression that I won't stay here long.

I know I am like this, but still I don't know what to do.

The sky is darkening; I can feel it in the air.

My heart is sinking; I know winters on its way.

I know I am like this, but still I don't know what to do.

I know I am like this. Oh sister, show me what to do.

*****

Stirring with the light that poured over her entire body she breathed in deep taking in the smell of the fresh new sheets. She wondered why the sheets smelt so fresh and then she remembered where she was. She opened her eyes dully, letting the warmth of the sun take her over. She hadn't woken up to the sun for the longest time.

`Hello, dear, you vere so exhausteed' a woman said with a thick accent.

`Huh?'

`Lord Van made zure that you vere looked avter before he levt you alone you know zat vight?' Leaunna shook her head as the woman put fresh clean clothing on her bed. `Now git up child, Lord Van iz ezpecting you.' The woman hurried out and down the hall talking aloud once in a while.

Leaunna looked puzzled for a minuet and then laughed at herself quietly. She was being treated like royalty, and she liked it. She sat up in and threw off the covers. She looked at the cloths that were neatly set on the bed for her to slip into, she also noticed that she wasn't in her dirty jeans or her half torn top either. She was in a long pearl white night gown. She blushed at the thought of someone changing her. She looked around nervously and then walked over to the door where she looked to see if anyone was coming then slammed it shut. She walked over to the cloths that were put on the bed for she grabbed them and then she held it out in front of her. The cloth unfolded reveling a dress that went a little past her feet.

`I wish I still had my jeans' she whispered under her breath, `I really don't like dresses.'

She took off the nightgown and pulled the dress over her head. When she didn't see any foot-ware she just decided to walk about with nothing on her feet; rather than waiting for someone to get worried and go and look for her and then give her some shoes. Yes, that would be a long and boring process.

Leaunna opened the door and popped her head out as if expecting someone to jump out and scare her. `Man' she thought while trying to fix the dress so that was comfortable, `This dress is the most tight, sore, annoyingly scratchy dress that I've ever worn, and it feels like it is chocking me'

She walked down the hall, tip toes actually, and gave out the odd whispered, "hello, I don't know where I am supposed to go, I'm meeting Van somewhere" she scowled and then turned a corner and she started talking to herself again.

`Hello, I'm Leaunna, I live somewhere on the mystic moon I'm meeting Van, no one is going to help me find him so I'm going to have to do it myself.'

`I knew you were weird' Merle hissed from behind her. Leaunna's heart caught in her throat and she blushed crimson. She took a deep breath, smoothed the front of her skirt and turned around.

`I'm perfectly normal' she told the now purple-eyed cat glaring back at her eyes with her intense ones. Her tail was erect and she had her claws reveled.

`Riiiight, talking to yourself is just peeeeeeerfectly normal, well in the books of Gaea, it isn't so maybe you should tell me what you want or get out of here.'

`Okay, I was supposed to see Van-'

`Yes, that's a matter we need to discus; Van, he's mine I'm going to marry him'

`But he's almost three years older than you and plus he's almost like your brother is he not?'

`Shut up' the cat shushed and scratched her. Leaunna recoiled with pain and then the catgirl started talking again. `Van is this way, he sent me to look for you since you were a little late. Oh yeah, another thing,' Leaunna stopped walking and looked at the grin on the catgirls face. She raised her brows at the catgirl who's grin widened from ear to ear.

`Normally, on Gaea, I'm not sure what it is like on the phantom moon, but we ware shoes'

`Well,' she said huffily. `I couldn't find mine! Humph' she walked off, Merle following her.

`In here' Merle said turning in front of her.

Inside Van and the others were talking. When they noticed the other presence, which wasn't hard after Merle's screech, Allen looked up in disappointment and Van, oblivious to her discomfort from Allen, smiled sweetly at her.

`So you've finally decided to come, I thought you might have had some trouble getting here, the maid can be forgetful at times, so I sent Merle to help you get here'

`Thank you' she whispered.

`Take a seat' Allen said, motioning to a chair beside him. Leaunna nodded and gingerly walked over to take a seat. Once close enough Allen got out of the chair and pulled it out for her. She looked flabbergasted at it for a moment and then sat down, Allen pushing it in and he once again took his seat beside her. Van was on the other side of her, a half empty glass of wine beside his left arm, a sword just beyond that and some papers completely covered his right side. Allen's side was a little tidier. He had a half opened letter; the red wax looked like it was picked off and just flicked there out of boredom. He too, had his sword on table. Leaunna took this as a warning to not do anything stupid or suspicious.

`You look uncomfortable' Said Van, noticing the look of discontentment painted on her face. She shrugged. Van moved a little closer across the table and held his hand by his face and whispered to her, `It's on backwards, that's probably why it is so uncomfortable.' He leaned back in his chair and a light blush played at Leaunna's cheekbones. She smiled lightly and got out of the chair. She turned around and pulled the dress a little over her head, just enough for her arms to come out easily, then she whirled it around and then she brought it back down settling her arms into it.

`Thank-you' she said with embarrassment. `And I wondered why it was so tight around the neck' she let out a dry laugh and sat back down in her seat.

`You were out for quiet a while.'

`Was I? I wasn't really that tired though'

`You fell asleep just a little while after and then you've been asleep for about seventeen hours at least'

`Seventeen,' she laughed out, `seventeen, are you serious?'

`But that's not the topic' Allen interrupted. `Do you know anything on the whereabouts of Dilandau?'

`Dilandau? I thought that's why you went there, I thought you found him; did you not?' Leaunna said, very melancholy.

`No, we found you instead………Gaddes came a little too soon and we didn't have enough men to take their fort by force.'

Leaunna grimaced, `Then that's when you found me, is it not? I'm always getting in the way. I should just go I can find my own way home!'

`No, no I didn't mean anything by it' Allen reasured her. `How did you escape?'

Leaunna stared for a moment, looking around at Allen, then Van and then the pouting face in the corner that belonged to Merle. `I-' she started and didn't have an excuse to finish it with. `I'm very ashamed of it' she said looking down. Everyone's face looked at her in shock.

`Why what happed?' Van asked coolly.

`Well, I'd rather not say, but since you helped me, The base was shaking and I was wondering what it was so I started screaming and when Ch- one of Dilandau's slayers came I hit him in the head and used the eye scan thingy on the inside of the door to get out'

`That's nothing shameful'

`Yes it is, I uh, hurt someone………I hate hurting people.'

`So, you don't know where he is?'

`No' Leaunna said looking down.

`Right back where we started' Allen all but complained and Leaunna let her head lull to the front. Although she was lying, she was still a little uncomfortable doing it and it made her feel bad. She wanted to just confess to them everything but when she thought about what she was after she decided to keep her mouth shut.

`Come on Allen, it's not like we're lost completely, Dilandau is probably ransacking the village east from here, near where the base was set up' Van assured. Allen nodded and left the room, grabbing his sword before doing so. Van sighed, every since Celena had left, Allen had been so depressed.

Van knew he had the power to bring back Celena, he was just afraid to use it. He thought that if he had the thing the Dilandau desired the most her would surrender. Not once was there ever a word or a murmur of someone invading in on the castle. Van often wondered if Dilandau were as enamored with it as he thought he was, but if it held that much power Van was certain that he Dilandau would love it as much. Something containing that much power could lead to the destruction of many countries on Gaea. But that is, of course, if Dilandau gets his grubby little hands on it.

Leaunna looked at the floor, she found her self doing it a lot lately as if she was embarrassed of something or someone.

`You have to excuse Allen,' Van said considerately, `I mean, he lost his sister when she was five, then both of his parents died; he was alone for quite sometime, until his sister came back into his life you know'

`Celena is Dilandau right? How come you can't get through to him, bring forth Celena?'

`Right, Dilandau is Celena, but it would take a lot of time to muster up enough power to get through to Celena, as we speak Dilandau is constantly taking over her body. Nothing could have saved her before if it wasn't of the grief over losing Jajuka.'

The door opened and Allen came waltzing on in and took the seat at the far end of the table. Van gave him a questioningly look.

`I need to speak with you,' he glanced at Leaunna and then at Merle. `Alone please'

*****

`What are they saying in there?' asked Merle. She had her hands pressed against the wooden door, which seemed to be almost sound proof and her left ear pressed right against it. She was starting at Leaunna who gently let her head loll to the front. She had her eyes closed and arms crossed over her chest, casually leaning against one of the walls.

`You shouldn't be listing on someone else's conversation. On the phantom moon its considered `Eavesdropping'' she said matter-of-factly, opening her eyes and in one swift movement started to walk towards Merle. Merle hissed and said, `I know!! Gaea isn't a dumb world you know, it is the phantom moon that's strange!!'

`Get out of the way I wanna hear' Leaunna pushed Merle away and kneeled on the floor in front of the door and put her right ear on the door near Merle's.

`I can hear better than you' Merle laughed mockingly.

`No da, you're a cat you have keen hearing.'

They were both fixated on hearing what the two men in the room were talking about and staring intently at each other, each trying to decode what they were saying that they really didn't notice when the door seemed to give-way and both were stranded in front of Allen's feet. Both girls groaned into the floor as they felt their noses pushed into it.

`Merle!' Van shouted. Merle jumped up and scurried over to Van and embraced him protectively.

`It was HER idea,' she accused while wildly pointing a finger towards Leaunna. `She made me Van Sama! She said I have……… keen cat ears and can hear almost anything… although I didn't hear anything.' She smiled sweetly and licked Van's cheek. Allen gave Leaunna a dirty look before leaving she stared after him wondering what she had done wrong.

`Is e-everything okay Van?' she asked timidly.

`Yes,' he answered stiffly, `Perfectly normal, if you'd like you can look around the castle, get accounted, just stay out of the knights quarters and the bedrooms. I trust you will get along fine.' Van brushed passed Leaunna with a stoic expression and intent eyes on her as if he was trying to see right through her. Merle was clinging most desperately to his arm and stuck her tongue out when he left.

Leaunna didn't understand why he was so cold all of a sudden. What had Allen told him? Maybe if it was because she had been trying to hear? It really didn't matter to her anyway; she was after one thing, and one thing only.

*****

Leaunna walked out after everyone had gone and after she decided to look around the castle and to see if there was anything she could do to help the wondering maids that were squiring around the house at the time, cleaning this and that. Each and every one of them all `shooed' her away.

Leaunna was tired of trying to find something to do, she put of looking around the castle until she found out what exactly was wrong with Van first, then second she will find out where Dilandau's pendant was. Not that Van saying `stay out of the knights quarters and the bedrooms' wasn't suspicious or anything. Instead, she went outside.

There were dark clouds forming and she was sure rain was going to roll in anytime. She didn't care though; she just needed time to think. Even when a few drops started to fall, people on the streets didn't seem brake apart, it looked like a swarm of locust swallowing the streets, trying to get everything done before the rain falls harder. Leaunna dunked her head lower as she turned her attention elsewhere. She knew she didn't want to be in the midst of all this chaos, so she turned left and continued walking into the forest.

The forest was dark and now wet, thanks to the rain, which started to fall and accumulate at a rapid rate on leaves. She wasn't too thrilled with the fact that her hair was matted to her forehead and stringy or the fact that her cloths were sticky and she had no shoes on; this really wasn't her day. The forest floor was filled with pine needles and snapped twigs, which she was constantly stepping on. There was also the random pinecone and acorn. The leaves were all so heavy with rainwater that the slightest movement would cause a barrage of rain to fall over her head causing her to stifle and stop her movement.

She breathed heavily and slid down to the forest floor. She brought her knees to her chest; she knew she had no idea as to where she was but she was still willing to lie to herself about it.

`I'm not lost,' she whispered, `I just have to follow the mucky feet prints that I left behind. Unless this is like "Alice and Wonderland" and that stupid dog comes along and cleans everything' she sniffed. `Stupid Allen' she whined as she threw a handful of soggy leaves, pine needles and other tid-bits on the forest floor.

A stifled cry escaped her lips. She knew she was lying to herself but she refused to believe it. She rested her head on her knees and sighed. Behind her she heard branches crush. She held her breath and slowly raised her head. Everything was much darker then she's remembered it to be. Looking up Leaunna stumbled back staring at a huge green lizard. Her right arm caught her fall and her left arm grabbed a branch that was near by. She looked to her left and then her right there were four altogether. Her only means of escape was behind her. They all looked very hungry, she couldn't think of anything else to do but run, and that's what she did.