Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Heart of the Dragon ❯ A Visit to Earth ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter Seven: A Visit to Earth

Van opened his eyes slowly, wondering what he would see. Tall trees surrounded them, the green leaves blowing softy in the warm wind. He sat up and looked around, inspecting everything he saw. Allen was lying on the ground, still passed out or asleep, Van didn't know. Hitomi, Amano, and Yukari were lying bunched up together by a large gray bolder some feet away. He stood up, dusting off his pants and shirt. He saw some sort of a dilapidated wooden house standing about ten yards away. There was a metal contraption on wheels that Van wondered what the hell it could be.

Allen sat up, pushing the hair in his eyes back. He saw Van looking around, and said, "Are we on Earth?"

Van nodded slowly, helping Allen stand up. They walked over the hard packed ground to where everyone else was lying. Van shook Hitomi awake and Amano sat up before Allen could wake him. Amano immediately checked Yukari, picking her up and bringing her to the shack that Van had been inspecting prior to Allen waking up.

Hitomi smiled when she saw Van and stood up, stretching. She took his hand and showed him over to the small hunting lodge. The door was standing ajar from when Amano had walked in. Allen followed them in and almost ran back out from the musty smell.

"It's not bad upstairs," Hitomi said and led them up the all but rotten staircase. Van and Allen both gaped at the black leather chairs and sofa. Van let go of Hitomi's hand and went over to the couch, touching the leather. He sat down in it and closed his eyes. "Are all of the chairs on Earth like this? This is the most comfortable thing I have ever sat in." Hitomi walked over and sat next to him.

Allen poked whatever the big square thing was positioned in front of the chairs. There were some buttons along the top and he pushed the one that said "power". He jumped about a foot back when it turned on. His eyes widened when he saw scantily clad women dancing to some sort of fast talking music that he couldn't understand at all.

Hitomi looked at Van who happened to be gazing at the TV with wonder and amazement. "What...what is that thing?!"

Hitomi laughed and picked up the remote that was sitting on a glass table in between the sofa and recliner. She pushed the button and switched the channels, showing Van and Allen what it was. "It's called a TV. You can watch shows and stuff on it. It's entertainment for whenever you're bored or something."

A soap opera came on and Van and Allen watched a man and a woman walk hand and hand in a park late at night.

"Is this like a play or something?" Allen asked and sat forward in his chair. He was totally fascinated. After seeing half naked women, more endowed than he ever thought possible, he couldn't wait to check this "TV" out.

"Sort of. It has all different kinds of things on it. I think you two should sit here and check it out while I see how Yukari and Amano are doing," Hitomi said and walked over the gray carpeting to the small room she had slept in before she had been transported to Gaea.

Van grabbed the remote that Hitomi had sat down and pushed one of the buttons. The channel went to forty-five to forty-six. It was another soap opera with two men fighting and punching each other in the face while a pretty woman stood in the background screaming for them to stop. Van's face screwed up and he clicked it again. A commercial with something called "Pepsi" came on with a woman singing and dancing. Van frowned, disgusted, and changed it again.

After changing it three more times, Allen took it out of his hands and clicked it to channel seventy. He had memorized the channel that the sparsely clothed women had been on. This time there was a woman dancing in complicated moves that had Allen's head spinning. It was at a beach, men that had more muscular frames than him running down it with even more meagerly clad women. He was jealous at first, but then he saw the women and grinned.

Van laughed at the look on Allen's face and watched it along with him. He couldn't believe the way people dressed on Earth. And he couldn't believe that he could understand their language. The song ended and another one came one. A black man came up singing something that Van could barely translate. He had necklaces on that had the biggest, thickest chain links he had ever saw. He was wearing all black shiny stuff that at first annoyed Van, but he got used to it after a while. The man kept waving his hand in front of him and flicking everyone off. Van had no idea why he was sticking his middle finger up so he ignored it.

Hitomi walked back into the room and gave Van and Allen a pathetic look. They had changed it back to the channel they had both first seen. She grabbed the remote from Allen's hand, turning it off. "You two are perverted. Especially you, Allen. And you shouldn't even be looking, Van. You happen to be married, as if you can even comprehend what I'm saying after ogling those half naked women."

Van grinned at her. "Who said I was looking at the women?"

Hitomi gave him a disgusted look. "I'm not going to say anything," she muttered and sat next to him. Van took her hand and kissed it, whispering that he was sorry. He noticed that she had changed back into her Earth clothes. She was wearing a simple tight white T-shirt and dark blue jeans. Hers were tight unlike how baggy his and Allen's were.

Allen rolled his eyes and went to Yukari's room when Van started kissing Hitomi. He opened the door quietly, not wanting to disturb anyone. Amano was resting his head back against a wooden chair, his tanned hand holding Yukari's white one.

"What are we going to do?" Allen asked. Amano's eyes opened and he blinked. He scratched his head and sighed. "As soon as everyone is ready we are going to leave to bring Yukari to the hospital. She's getting worse by the minute."

Allen nodded and followed Amano out of the room when he stood up, Yukari in his arms. Allen grinned when he saw Van and Hitomi still kissing, their bodies pressed together and Hitomi's fingers buried in Van's hair.

"When you two are done making out, please get ready and come downstairs. We're leaving," Amano said and walking cautiously down the stairs, Allen on his heels.

Hitomi detached herself from Van and blushed. Van grinned and got up, pulling Hitomi up with him. He fixed his pants which had fallen down even more and got mad when they wouldn't stay. Hitomi laughed and said, "If it makes you feel better, I think you look sexy wearing those clothes. But of course, you would even better without anything on at all."

Van's eyes widened and his mouth fell open, gaping at Hitomi. She just giggled and walked down the stairs. Van shook his head, getting out of his trance. He ran down the stairs after Hitomi and walked out of the rank smelling downstairs room. He closed the door after him and walked down to the metal mechanism that he still had no idea what was. Everyone was standing around it, Amano pushing Allen into the back seat. Hitomi dipped her head down and followed Allen into the vehicle. Amano waited for Van to come over and pointed to the back where Allen and Hitomi were sitting on top of large boxes covered in some sort of black fuzz. Allen and Hitomi were already squished together and Van had no idea how they were going to fit.

Hitomi ended up sitting on his lap, her hand holding onto the hand grip beside her. Amano started the car and backed it up, turning around. Both Van and Allen flipped out, not knowing how this thing was moving. They went almost deaf from the music that Amano had forgotten to turn down. He turned it off and shrugged, saying sorry while he was smiling. Both Van and Allen visibly relaxed when he turned it off.

They went down the dirt road slowly, bouncing up and down. Amano had to keep adjusting Yukari in the front seat because she kept sliding to the side. They came off the dirt road and went onto a newly paved street. It was much smoother and Van and Allen weren't as scared.

Van couldn't believe how fast they were moving in this strange vehicle thing. "How fast can this contraption go?" he asked Hitomi who was watching the green trees flash by.

"This is nothing. We're going slow right now, only about forty miles per hour," Hitomi said and resumed watching the scenery outside. When Van asked what miles per hours was she said, "Forty miles per hour is about how fast a really powerful horse can go. When we get to the highway, we'll go about seventy. This car can probably go a hundred-ten."

Van looked out the window and tried to get relaxed on the hard thing he was sitting on. Amano stopped, making the car jerk. Van's body propelled forward and Hitomi fell off his lap, landing on the dirty floor.

Hitomi gave Van a mean look, promising retribution. Van helped her back up, not even saying sorry. Amano wasn't as good a driver as her, but it wasn't expected for him to drive very safely when he was trying to get to the hospital as quick as he could without going over the speed limit. Hitomi's hand latched back on to the hand grip and she elbowed Van in the stomach when he tried to wrap his arms around her.

"What?" he asked confused at why she had hit him in the stomach.

"You deserve to be punished," Hitomi said and fell backwards when Amano sped up on the highway. "Could you not jerk us around, you crappy driver!?"

Amano didn't even notice she was talking to him. He was going about eighty, way over the speed limit. Well, if he got pulled over, he would have a good reason.

Van smiled at Hitomi. "Very good punishment, not letting me touch you. That's very good."

Hitomi rolled her eyes and gave up, grabbing Van's arms and putting them around her. "Now stop bothering me." Van's hands started wandering upward and Hitomi pushed them back down. They just came right back up and Hitomi couldn't help the charge of molten heat that went through her when Van's hand cupped her breast. She looked over to make sure no one could see, but she knew if Amano looked in the mirror he would be quite shocked. She shifted her weight to somewhat hide what Van was doing and her eyes immediately widened when she felt the evidence of Van's desire right beneath her. He dropped his hand when he saw how close she was to moaning and he had to hide it behind his back because she went to bring it back up.

Van chuckled and went back to watching the other cars drive by. There were so many of them! All shapes and sizes and sounds. Van's eyes widened when a huge, loud moving thing he had ever saw came up next to their car.

"What is that thing?" Allen said and plugged his nose, the smell coming from it making the whole car stink. Amano rolled up the windows and turned on the air-conditioning.

"It's called a eighteen-wheeler. It has eighteen wheels if you count them all. Those things transport large cargo to places far away," Hitomi said and took a deep breath. She wasn't able to concentrate, especially since she was sitting on Van's lap and she could still feel him beneath her. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the window.

Allen nodded and looked around for more. Earth was totally captivating, but it didn't smell very good. The car got cold a few moments after Amano turned on the air-conditioning. He rubbed his arms, trying to get warm in the thin shirt he had on. He still hated the dumb thing, didn't understand why Earthlings wore the absurd clothing.

"Sorry," Amano said when he noticed how cold Van and Allen were. Gaea had been much warmer and they wore heavier clothing. He turned it down and looked for the exit leading to the hospital. Exit A-87. They were just getting close to exit A-75. He glanced over to Yukari. Her head was resting against the window, her breath making it fog up. He noticed how much she was shaking from the cold and could have killed himself. "Hitomi, can you get me that blanket that's lying behind that speaker?"

Hitomi dug it out from under a bunch of papers and their bags that they had thrown in the back. It was covered in dirt and she tried to dust some of it off, but it was caked on. She handed it to Amano and he put the car on cruise control when they got on a straightaway. He placed it over Yukari and tucked it in around her and kissed her cheek. Even through the noise of the cars around them, you could still hear Yukari's labored breathing.

Amano lurched the car to the side when they got to a curve. He hadn't been paying attention to the road and hadn't noticed the turn up ahead. Hitomi exhaled when she knew they weren't going to ram into another car next to them. "You moron! I should be driving!"

"And where would I sit? On Van's lap?" Amano yelled, frustrated that Hitomi was berating him when he was so worried about Yukari. They when over a pot hole and Amano pounded the wheel. "Damn it! I am so sick of this highway!"

Both Allen and Van had hit their heads on the roof when they had gone over the deep pot hole. Van frowned but ignored the slight pain.

"Oh my God!! I am going to flip out!!" Amano yelled when all of the traffic stopped suddenly from construction up ahead. A small truck beside them was blasting music, the people inside head banging so hard that Hitomi wondered if they had brain damage.

Both Van and Allen started laughing at them when the driver hit his head off the steering wheel. Amano frowned and turned on his own state-of-the-art stereo system. He hated the kind of music they were listening to. He didn't turn it up as loud as he normally did because of Yukari. The people next to them looked over and turned theirs up, going over Amano's own.

Van frowned when he realized Amano and the people next to them were having a "how loud can you turn it up" contest. His ears were killing him and he let go of Hitomi to cover his ears. The people alongside them apparently didn't have as good a stereo system as Amano and gave up, giving Amano a thumbs up. The traffic started again and Amano all but slammed the gas petal to the floor, making everyone fly backwards.

Amano sighed in relief when the exit to the hospital came up. He slowed and went down the single lane, stopping at the stop sign.

They got there five minutes later and Amano turned off the car and got out, going over to Yukari's door and picking her up carefully. He tossed the keys to Hitomi, saying, "Go home or something. I'll get a taxi ride home when and if I find out Yukari is going to be ok. Take care of my car. It's an early present I got from my dad for almost graduating college."

Hitomi crawled off Van's lap into the front, going in between the two chairs. The first thing she did was start the car and turn off the air-conditioning and roll down the windows. She waved to Amano and he walked to the wide glass doors, opening them and disappearing. She reached for the shifter, but there wasn't one. Hitomi laughed at herself because she was used to her stick shift car at her house. Her dad had bought half of it for her and she had to pay the rest for her sixteenth birthday. She loved her dad and missed him a lot. Her mother on the other hand, she didn't miss. Her mother never treated her nice and didn't care what she did. She drove away from the small parking lot and turned right, towards her house. Well technically it wasn't really her house, her house was the palace in Fanelia.

Van noticed how much a better driver she was than Amano and let his body relax. He looked out the window, watching the small houses roll by. They were all different colors, types, and sizes. He couldn't believe that people lived in those things. They were too small.

Hitomi pulled into the small paved driveway in front of her house. They sky was just starting to get dark, the sun setting and turning the sky magnificent pinks and purples.

Van looked up, studying the sky. "Where's Gaea? I can't see it."

Hitomi rolled up the windows and turned off the car. Only her mother's car was in the driveway. Her car was in the garage because it was more expensive than her mother's and her father's cars put together.

"You can't see it in the sky. Believe me, if you would have been able to see it, we would have gone to Gaea, killed everyone, and taken it over," Hitomi said and helped Allen out of the cramped space in the back. Van hopped out and got a shocked look on his face.

"What do you mean you would have killed us all?" Van asked and followed Hitomi up the cement sidewalk and up the five stairs to her front door.

"We would have killed everyone. We have weapons beyond advanced of what Gaea has. Even invisible guymelifs wouldn't have been able to do anything."

Hitomi knocked on the door. She waited a minute before she tried again. When no one answered, she tried the handle, but it was locked. She saw the lock turn on the door and smiled, waiting for someone to open the door and welcome their missing daughter into their arms. Well, they had only been gone for about a few days, so it wouldn't be so bad a shock.

Hosanna wrenched open the door, wrapped up in her robe. Her hair was messed up and her makeup was smeared.

"Hitomi!!!" her mother screeched, her hand flying up to her mouth. She looked Hitomi over, a disgusted look appearing on her face. "You little whore!!!" she yelled and slapped her as hard as she could, sending Hitomi reeling off the doorstep. Van grabbed hold of her arms, catching her before her head hit the ground.

Hitomi's hand flew up to the dark red mark on her face. It stung badly and her jaw was hurting like she had been punched. Her mother grabbed her out of Van's arms and dragged her inside, protesting the whole way. Van and Allen stood there stunned, not knowing what to do. The door slammed in their faces and they blinked. They heard a crash, like something had fallen to the ground and broke.

Van banged on the door, hurting his knuckles in the process. Stupid door! How hard are you?!

Hosanna opened the door. "What are you two still doing here? And what kind of clothes are those?! And what were you doing with my daughter??! What did you do to her?! She looks like a total slut!! Get off of my property before I call the police! Did you hear me or are you stupid?! Hitomi! What kind of men do you have sex with?!!? You little whore! You have only been gone for four days and look what happens to you!!" her mother screamed and slammed the door in their faces again.

Van's hands clenched, unbelievable anger rolling through him. He heard Hitomi's mother call her more names and something else crash to the floor and break. He heard Hitomi say, "Mom, why are you doing this?! And why do you look like that?! What were you doing!!?"

Van turned the knob and cracked open the door. Hitomi's mother slapped her again and grabbed a hold of her hair, pulling her up the white carpeted stairs. Hitomi screamed in pain and tried to pry her mothers hand out of her hair.

"What the hell is that?! Did you take to stealing with those boys outside?! I'm calling the police as soon as I'm done with you! I'm locking you in your room for the rest of your life! I can't believe you just left, no word whatsoever to me and your father!! Your father cried like some sort of baby, he is so pathetic! Are you going to take back to starving again since you're home?! Well, I'll help you with that! And how did you get such a figure in only a few days?! Did you have some sort of surgery?!" Hitomi's mother yelled and tore her daughter's emerald and diamond wedding ring off, tossing it into her pocket.

"No, mom! Anything but that! That's my wedding ring!" Hitomi whimpered and her mother pulled harder, hauling her up the stairs and throwing her into her room. The door closed quickly, making the room shake when it hit the frame. Hitomi heard the faint noise of the lock clicking and smiled. It wasn't that hard to get out of the room. All she had to do was slide a piece of something under the lock and lift it up. Her mother never knew she could do it.

Hosanna said through the door, "What do you mean your wedding ring? You got yourself married, you little hussy? I'll keep it for myself. And don't think your going to get out of those windows of yours. I'll have them boarded up."

Hitomi rolled her eyes and sat on her bed. Like her mother would board them up. The thought of a nail or screw even touching her house would have her screaming bloody murder. She rubbed her head and thought about what she was going to do. Damn, her mother was stronger than she looked.

Van and Allen heard Hitomi's mother come down the stairs and they ran to the side of the house so she wouldn't flip out on them and call whatever the "police" were. They looked around, noticing how nice Hitomi's small home was. The grass had just been cut, all different color flowers and bushes were planted around the house, making the air smell fresh, unlike the nasty smelling highway thing they had been on. It had just rained and Van slipped on his pants more easily because of it.

They walked around, searching for a way to get to Hitomi. Blinds on a side window went up and the window opened.

Hitomi stuck her head out, wondering if Van and Allen were looking for her. She smiled when she saw Van and Allen run, Allen holding his pants up and continuously tripping on them. Van scolded him and told him to be quiet.

"Van!" Hitomi whispered and leaned out more, looking both ways to see if her mother was outside checking on things.

"Hitomi, are you all right? Why did your mother do that? Is she crazy?" Van whispered back, looking for a way to get to Hitomi.

"I don't know what's wrong with her. She just totally flipped out and for no reason. I think that she is cheating on my dad because her hair and makeup was all messed up and she is always perfect, nothing ever out of place, even a hair."

Van digested what Hitomi said and looked some more. There was a small porch next to Hitomi's window, but it was five or so feet away. He went over to it, checking out where he could climb up at. The support beam holding up one of the corners looked good.

Hitomi watched Van jump up and grab hold of the beam, lifting himself up so he could grab hold of the roof. Apparently it had just rained because Van's fingers slipped on the roof and he almost fell to the ground. Hitomi stiffened, but relaxed when Van jerked himself back up and climbed the rest of the way onto the roof. He looked around, wondering how he would get to Hitomi's window.

"Get back," Van said and waved his arms for her to get out of the way. Hitomi knew what he was going to do and said, "No, Van! Are you crazy?! You'll never make it!" Hitomi went back into the room, crossing her fingers and praying that he would make it. If he didn't then he would fall to the ground, doing only God knows what to himself.

Van jumped and grabbed hold of the windowsill. Hitomi grasped his arms and helped pull him in. They fell to the floor, making a huge thump. Hitomi scrambled up, waiting nervously for her mother to come in.

"Van, what are we going to do? I don't think I can jump out of a two story window! You could, but I can't! I'll kill myself or something!"

Van smiled and calmed her down, giving her a hug. Hitomi held on to him, not wanting him to leave her yet. "It's ok, Hitomi. I've been in thousands of worse situations than this. I'll think of something," Van said and let go of her. He looked around her room, observing all of the weird posters on her walls of men with no shirts on or groups of them together with no shirts on. He grinned at her and looked some more. Her bed sat in the corner. He sat on it and sank in. He jumped back up, saying, "What the heck am I sitting on? Water?"

"Exactly."

Van sat back down, sinking into it again. He reclined against the pillows, the water molding around his body. "Earth has too many weird things on it."

"So how are we going to get out of here?" Hitomi asked, sitting on the bed next to Van.

"We could get out of here if you would jump out the window. If it would make you feel better, Allen can catch you."

"If he catches me, I will jump out of the window."

Van hopped off the bed and said out the window, "Get ready to catch a flying queen."

Hitomi grinned and got on the windowsill. She heard Allen mutter, "Are you crazy?"

Hitomi hesitated and said, "I can't do this."

Van came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, kissing the nape of her neck. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. If Allen doesn't catch you, he knows I'll kill him."

Hitomi nodded blankly and looked down. Allen grinned to her and held out his arms. "I feel like a prince saving a princess," Allen tossed up to the window, his voice filled with laughter.

"Technically a queen," Hitomi said. "If you drop me, I will punch you in your pretty face."

Van grinned behind her and pushed her a little, telling her silently to jump. She took a deep breath and jumped. Allen caught her and they smacked hard into the ground. Hitomi rolled out of his arms and down the small incline in her yard. She heard something rip and dug her sneakers into the wet grass, sliding to a stop.

Van watched her slip down the small hill and dig her sneakers into the damp, freshly cut grass. He hopped out of the window, rolling when he landed to prevent himself from slamming into the ground like Allen and Hitomi had done. He stood up quickly and ran down to Hitomi, Allen right in front of him.

Hitomi was sitting in a small ditch filled with water. Her clothes were soaked clean through and her shirt was almost ripped right down the center. Her bra was showing and she pulled the shirt together, blushing. She saw Van and Allen run down the small hill and Van skidded on his knees to her side.

"Are you all right?" he asked, scared that she was hurt. She nodded and Van helped her stand up. Her pants and shirt were soaking wet and her shirt was ripped beyond repair. The fabric was cheap and it was a wonder it hadn't ripped before. Van pulled her shirt together, trying to figure out a way to make it stay. Hitomi slapped away his hands saying, "There isn't anything you can do, Van. And anyway, it's not like you can see anything."

"You might not be able to see anything, but I can." Van got a grim look on his face and went back to trying to find a way to keep it together. Hitomi suffered his administrations while Allen stood back grinning his face off. "Besides," he said after tying it together in several knots, "I don't like you on display. Especially around someone named Allen."

Hitomi smiled at Van's show of possessiveness. She gave him a chaste kiss on his cheek and he gulped, the small and innocent kiss driving him wild. His eyes darkened and he knew Allen saw it. He bowed his head, embarrassed.

Allen laughed. Van felt himself turn red and he grabbed Hitomi's wet hand, almost dragging her away to the other side of the house. Allen followed behind them slowly.

Hitomi didn't understand why Allen had laughed and asked Van, "What's wrong?" She had no idea what joke they were sharing.

Van looked around the corner of the house and turned back to Hitomi when he didn't see anyone. "Nothing. You're just driving me crazy."

Hitomi gave him a puzzled look and took out the keys in her pocket. Van tugged her to Amano's car and she unlocked it, everyone hopping in.

Hitomi had no idea where they were going to stay for the night. She was just grateful that her mother hadn't heard them yet because they had made a lot of noise. She started the car, letting it idle for a minute to warm up. She backed out of the driveway and drove down the street. She guessed she would look for a hotel or motel or something of the like.

"Hey Allen, can you get me my duffel bag in the back of the car?" Hitomi asked, turning around a corner, having no idea where she was going.

Allen tossed it up front into Van's hands. Hitomi asked Van to dig out her wallet and Van unzipped it, digging through her clothes and other accessories she had in there. He saw a flash of white and picked out the feather he had given to Hitomi when she had left Gaea. He held it up, looking at Hitomi. "You still have this?"

Hitomi nodded and said sadly, "It was the most important possession I had when I came back from Gaea. I took it everywhere with me." She added almost as an afterthought, "But now you're my most important possession. And if I wanted, I could have a zillion feathers."

Van grinned sinfully and put it back in. He took out what he guessed was her wallet and handed it to her. He threw the bag back behind him and it hit Allen straight in the face. Allen ruffled his hair and Van snarled, smoothing it back down.

Hitomi drove around until she found a large Holiday Inn. She parked in the parking lot and got out, Van and Allen following behind her. She wasn't really tired, but she needed something to eat. Hopefully they had room service.

Van opened the door for Hitomi and she walked in. Van didn't hold the door open for Allen and it almost smacked into his face. Allen just laughed at him.

Hitomi walked up to the counter and looked around. The hall they were in was all shiny red, gold, and white. Large potted plants stood around and there was a small water fountain sitting in the middle. It wasn't as beautiful as the one in front of the palace in Fanelia. She looked shocked when a tall, skinny, slightly ugly man with scars all over his face came up to her, staring like she was a delicious piece of candy. She almost gagged, but smiled when she felt Van stiffen beside her, more than likely wanting to kill the man.

"How may I help you?" he asked in a fake, squeaky, educated voice.

"I would like two rooms."

"Do you have reservations?" he questioned and opened a small check-in book.

Hitomi shook her head and said, "No."

The man gave her an impatient look over the look that had glazed over when he saw an almost half naked women before him and said, "Well then I'm going to have to ask that you leave. You have to have reservations for so large a hotel."

Hitomi got angry at the tone of his voice. She pounded her fists on the counter saying, "Listen buddy. I have had a horrible day and you are making it worse. I have five hundred dollars in my hand right now. Either you give us two rooms or I'll punch your ugly face."

The man backed up into the key holder on the wall. He turned around and grabbed two keys off of it and handed them to Hitomi. He decided that he didn't like over-endowed women with a temper. "Rooms forty and forty-one," he stuttered.

Hitomi gave him a sweet smile and ripped them from his hand. He stood there waiting for her to leave and Hitomi wanted to smack him for being so stupid. "How much?"

The man entered something into the computer, his fingers stumbling on the buttons. "Um, a hundred-fifty."

Hitomi threw him two one hundred dollar bills. She walked away, looking at the signs above the doors checking to see which way to go.

Van and Allen chased after her, Van explaining to her how awesome that had been, but how he would kill that man if he ever looked at her like that again. Hitomi found their rooms and gave Allen the key to room forty. "If you're hungry, come over and I'll show you how to order food."

Allen nodded and stuck the key in, turning it and hearing a click. He turned the knob and walked in, closing the door quietly.

Van took the key for their door from Hitomi and opened it, pushing Hitomi in. She went straight to the bed and collapsed, picking up the white telephone sitting on a small table beside the bed. Van heard her say, "Room service, please."

Hitomi nodded her head a couple times, saying yes to this and no to that. She hung up the phone after a few minutes and looked for the remote to the TV. Van wasn't really tired so he just sat on the edge of the bed, pulling off his leather boots and flinging them across the room. He laid next to Hitomi and went to kiss her but she pushed him away saying, "Food is coming, silly. Wait a half an hour if you can." Van grinned and pulled away, fluffing up the pillows behind his head and closing his eyes, his head resting on his arms.

Hitomi smiled and turned on the TV. Nothing was on and she kept clicking through the two hundred some channels. When she found an old-fashioned romance movie, she kept it on.

Van jerked up when he heard someone knock on a door. Hitomi got up slowly because she was engulfed in the movie. The woman named Jessie supposedly thought the man named Damien was cheating on her and she didn't want anything to do with him. He was now trying to persuade her by kissing her. She opened the side door to that connected to Allen's room while still looking at the TV. Allen came in saying, "I need food."

Hitomi walked back over to the bed, Allen right behind her. He sat next to Van and Van told him food was coming.

Van and Allen both got immersed in the movie and laughed whenever the woman slapped the man. When the next part came, a bunch of bad guys on horses came in and attacked the man named Damien. Van and Allen started flipping out on Damien because he couldn't fight worth crap. Somehow after getting beaten up really badly, he attacked everyone and killed them with his sword.

Hitomi laughed every time Van or Allen shouted moves the man could use on the bad guys. A knock sounded on the door and Hitomi tore her gaze away from the old-fashioned movie. Hitomi opened the door and a busboy rolled in a cart filled with wonderful smelling food. Van and Allen jumped off the bed and went over to the cart, lifting off the lids and inhaling the good smells wafting from the food. Van glared at the busboy when he saw him ogling his wife more than necessary and he fisted his hand, raising it and daring the boy to look some more. Hitomi thanked the busboy, almost laughing at the horrified look the boy had on his face and wondering why he suddenly looked so scared. She closed the door and when she turned back, Van and Allen already had plates filled with food. They were sitting on the bed and watching the movie, shoving food in their mouths and laughing every once and a while. She got her own plate and picked out some good looking food, heaping it onto her dish and walking back to the bed, sitting next to Van and Allen.

They finished watching the movie which ended an hour later. The man and the woman had gotten married and lived happily ever after. The same ending, as always.

Allen left them, closing the door after him. Hitomi thought Van was asleep and didn't want to wake him, so she just turned over and closed her eyes. Not five seconds after she closed them, Van jumped on her. She almost shrieked at first and then relaxed when Van kissed her gently.

She reached up and clasped her arms around his neck, drawing him down. He fell atop her, kissing her again and again. He whispered for her to part her lips and when she did, he moaned. He didn't want to stop kissing her, not until he had no more breath, not until he was dead, and then he'd stop. Maybe. Her tongue touched his and he ripped off his clothes in under ten seconds.

Allen lay awake long after he had come back into his room. He couldn't sleep. He had too many things on his mind for one thing, and knowing what Hitomi and Van were doing in the room next to him was the second. He sighed and turned over onto his stomach, burying his face in the pillow. He flipped over again onto his back and sat up, frustrated. It was annoying that he couldn't sleep. He usually fell right asleep, but tonight he couldn't. He sighed again when he heard a muted cry come from Van and Hitomi's room.

He rolled out of bed and walked to the sliding glass door that he had figured out how to open after ten minutes. He walked out onto the absurd balcony and looked out over the city. Even from the distance he could see the lights in the huge buildings burning brightly. He stood there for a while, and thought about unnecessary things. He smiled when he thought about his sister. She was growing up too fast and sometimes it scared him. She had just turned seventeen a month ago. He remembered how happy she had been when he had given her a custom made sword just perfect for her.

***

"Oh thank you, Allen! This is the best present anyone has ever given me!" Celena squealed and hugged her brother again. Allen just chuckled and squeezed her back.

"You're welcome. So when do you want to try it out?"

Celena's beautiful face brightened even more and Allen found himself being drawn into it.

"Now!! Oh, please now!!"

Allen just laughed again and they hurried outside to the garden in the back of the Schezar household on the outskirts of Palas. Allen watched his sister turn and twist the sword in her hand to get a better feel of it, getting used to it. She parried and thrust a couple times before she cocked an eyebrow at him and waved her fingers at him. He smiled at her taunt and took a fighter's stance.

He was surprised at how much his sister had learned, and in only four short years. When he had brought her back home, she had been deathly ill for weeks, and he had feared for her life. But when she had gotten better, and the illness had run its course, Allen took up the responsibility of making sure she had everything she wanted or could ever have. He acted more like a father than a brother, and sometimes his men would make fun of him.

After her long recovery, Allen discovered that she hated being alone, and felt defenseless against even the smallest things, and she got terrified easily. He had also found out that she was totally and completely fascinated with the art of swordplay. When she had asked him four years ago if she could try, he had been horrified, thinking somehow that Dilandau was coming back to her. But when he looked into her soft and pleading eyes, he had given up. He was a softie when it came to his sister.

Over the years, Allen had watched amazed as she developed into one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. But when you looked under her delicate features, you would find a wild and untamed animal that longed to be free. Her fighting was always increasing in intensity and skill, and he had realized that she was hooked on it. But that wasn't why he was upset. She hadn't just been getting better, she was getting more violent. Things that normal people wouldn't readily do. He had asked the healers residing at his house that were taking care of her what was wrong, and they had said she was going through a stage. He hoped so.

He didn't even blink when Celena charged at him, for she was usually the one who initiated it. Her sword clashed against his and ran down, hitting the hilt. He was surprised to feel the force of it vibrate up his arm. He used his superior weight and threw her off him, making her almost stumble backwards. He remembered how she had flipped out on him for treating her like she was delicate and needed special treatment when it came to fighting. She said she would hate him forever if he didn't fight with her like a man. He grinned and had the intense urge to laugh when she yelled in frustration and went back at him, slashing her sword horizontal and low, a blow that if he didn't block, would cut off his leg. He blocked it smoothly and turned his sword with his wrist, twisting his sister's blade out of her hand.

She gave him a mean look and then smiled at him. He thought that she was giving up, and set the swords on the ground. Apparently she hadn't, for she kicked out with her leg and hit him square in the middle of his chest. He fell to the ground and hurriedly got back up. Celena threw out her fist and hit him in his jaw. He retaliated by kicking her side carefully with his foot, which caused her to fly to the side, and land next to a wildly blooming flower bed. He felt scared that she had used such force with her hits, and he knew he was going to feel the pain later. "Celena, are you ok?"

She stood up and dusted her soft black leather pants off. She adjusted her sweat drenched white shirt and sighed. "I'm fine."

Allen studied her cautiously, wondering if she was telling the truth. He started when she said, "How many times do I have to tell you that I don't want you treating me like a little girl?! I want to fight mean and dirty sometime in my life!! You aren't exactly helping much when it comes to my wishes. Maybe I should go to Gaddes, he likes to fight with me mean and dirty." Allen's eyes widened and he balked at the huge black, yellow, and green bruises she proceeded to show him. She lifted up the sleeve of her shirt on her arm and pointed. "Doesn't it look wonderful? When I get bruises from fights, I know that it was a mean and dirty one. I don't think I have ever gotten a bruise from you."

Allen stared in shocked disbelief when she lifted her shirt up and showed him another bruise covering most of her softly sculpted abdomen. She pushed it back down and shrugged. "Whenever you feel like treating me the way I want, come to me and we'll try again. Until then, good day, brother."

Allen had gone to follow her, but she had run off and he didn't bother with chasing her. He had a more important thing to do.

Gaddes stood up from the coarse wooden table and saluted. "What's wrong, Boss?"

Allen had a rare mean look in his eyes and he stalked over to him, getting right into his face. "What's this about you and my sister fighting? Didn't I tell you and my men that no one was allowed to go near her, let alone touch her, unless I was there and watching?"

Gaddes stuttered and bowed his head. "Sorry, Boss. It just that...she is very forceful and she can be mean sometimes, especially when it comes to getting what she wants."

"Do you think I give a shit?" Allen yelled at him.

"Boss...I didn't mean to hurt her, if that's why you're here."

Allen turned away and raked his fingers through his windblown hair. "No, I'm not. I guess I'm just getting upset over her emotional self lately."

Gaddes chuckled. "She's a teenager. She's supposed to be emotional. If I recall, you were too. All of us were."

"No, its not just that. And you know it, too."

"You mean her random acts of violence?"

Allen nodded and sat down in the crude wooden chair.

"Boss, maybe you should stop treating her like a little girl. She isn't anymore, if you have noticed. She's got the body to prove it."

"Gaddes!"

"Sorry," he chuckled. "I know you don't think of her in that way, but it can't be helped." He paused. "Haven't you seen the way the men look at her?"

Allen blinked and then sighed, nodding. He rubbed his hand over his face and thought about what he should do. "What should I do?"

"Let her have free reign for a while. Let her see if she likes it. She has to become dependent some time in her life. I think she needs to have some real freedom before she gets married."

"Married?!"

"You know it's gonna happen some time or another," Gaddes said. Something odd inside him twisted at the thought.

Allen gave up and stood. Talking about his sister in such a personal way wasn't what he was used to. "Ok, I'll try it out. Until then, I have to apologize to her, and give her a mean and dirty fight, something she apparently loves now."

"You're doing the right thing, Boss."

"I hope so," Allen said and walked away, searching for his sister.

***

Allen went back into his room, feeling suddenly tired. He smiled again when he remembered how ecstatic Celena had been when he had challenged her to a fight. Of course he had won it, but she had been so happy afterwards that she hadn't even cared that she had lost. He could just imagine some of the bruises she still more than likely had.

He sat down on the bed and laid back, sighing. He didn't hear anything coming from Hitomi and Van's room and guessed they were asleep.

The last thing he thought about was how much free reign he had given his sister. He hoped he didn't regret it. He remembered how shocked she had been when he let her do things that he normally would never let her do, like go to Palas with some of her friends and hang out, or buy clothes or whatever girls her age did. He hoped that she wasn't getting involved with any men...he wasn't ready for that yet.

He let the swaying of the white curtains covering the glass door lull him to sleep, looking like ghostly phantoms reaching out to him, helping him get much needed rest.