Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Heart of the Dragon ❯ The Ball from Hell ( Chapter 13 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Chapter Thirteen: The Ball from Hell

The time for the ball arrived all too soon for Hitomi. She was standing in front of her mirror in her room, taking special pains with her appearance tonight because of what Van had said. 'The woman on the man's arm is telling the people how much money the person has and they gain respect.' He had said it an hour earlier when she had started getting ready.

The ice blue creation was so heavy she wondered if she was going to be able to stand long. The beaded silk was what made it so heavy. She loved how the sleeves were long and flowing, much like the days of knights and ladies fair back on Earth. The neckline was cut squarely across her breasts. Van had insisted because of an earlier version of a gown she had worn. He apparently had loved the design because it was made the same way.

She hadn't noticed until then how much longer her hair had gotten. When she had been brushing it, she had seen how it swept her shoulders. Merle had dressed it high on her head to display her long graceful neck. She liked the way it made her look.

Earlier when Van had been talking to her, he had given her a belated wedding gift. Well, more than one. She adored the pearl and diamond earrings that dangled from her ears. For her next gift, Van had given her an eight-strand pearl choker bedecked with diamonds that matched the earrings. Hitomi had expressed her gratitude with gushing pleasure, for she had never seen anything as exquisite, much less owned it. Yet, even as costly and fine as the necklace was, the method by which it was given failed to compare with the ceremony with which her husband had presented her with a new wedding band. He had gone down on one knee before her and ardently pledged to be a faithful, loving husband. He had slipped the diamond ring on her third finger, kissed it, and then rose to seal his pact with a more thorough caress of her lips. She had cried, unable to believe Van had turned into a temporary romantic.

She patted her hair another time and sighed, sitting down. The gown was glorious, but it was so burdensome. She stared at herself, not believing it was her reflection she was looking back at. She had to be wearing over two hundred thousand dollars worth of merchandise.

Van called through her door and she got up, arranging the skirts to a more pleasing manner. She walked as serenely as she could with the weighted dress and opened the connecting door. Van was buttoning his jacket, his fingers at his throat. He was wearing almost the same jacket as he had at their wedding, except it was dark as midnight and everything that had been gold, was silver. She walked over to him and set her hands on his chest.

Van smiled when he saw her and bent low to whisper in her ear, "Delectable view."

Hitomi glanced down and found her chest quite overflowing. She hadn't really paid attention before because she had been daydreaming about what Van had said and done. Her hand flew up and she tried to cover herself. Van chuckled and took her hand away.

Hitomi smiled at him. "I was sure you had seen it all before."

"Yes, of course. But I think I'm going to take wonderful advantage of it right now." He brushed a kiss against her temple as his fingers plucked open the buttons on the back of her gown. The heavily bejeweled bodice slid from her shoulders like the weighted silk it was, and plummeted down to her waist, leaving the lace chemise molding the fullness of her breasts.

Hitomi stood before him like a spell had been cast on her not to move. Her eyes glowed as he tugged down the straps and hastened the descent of the garment with his hands until it too laid bunched at her waist. His mouth took possession of a nipple, his hands moving gently over the tempting fullness in a leisured caress and drawing blissful sighs from his wife who stood there shocked as his lips and tongue stroked across her skin. She tingled for more and arched her back to make herself more accessible to him. Her breath was snatched inward as he took advantage of the opportunity.

A long moment later he traced his lips upward along her graceful neck and captured her mouth in the same greedy exploration.

When at last he drew back, Hitomi had no more strength in her limbs. She leaned against him and begged, "More."

"After the ball," Van murmured, searching her soft eyes. "I promise."

"But I don't want to go now," she whispered so quietly he barely heard her. "I'll be yearning for you all night."

"It was my intent." His warm breath caressed her skin as he chuckled near he ear.

Hitomi moaned, exaggerating her disappointment. "I have a mind to rape you again."

Van smiled as he said, "You already know you have more power over my body than I do. I would be powerless if you attacked me."

She smiled shrewdly as her fingers deftly undid the buttons to his black pants and she repaid him in kind, giving him a full measure of his own potion. Please with the results, she pulled back for an admiring gaze.

"Now I'll be ready for you all night," Van groaned, drawing her hand back over him and closing her fingers hard over his.

"If I must suffer, then so must you."

He turned her around and pulled up her chemise and gown, redoing the buttons. "Sometimes I wonder why I love you," he muttered and pushed her away playfully.

"Really?" Hitomi asked and turned away, going back into her room.

"No!" Van yelled back at her when she walked away.

He heard her giggle and smiled. He heaved a big sigh and knew his blood wasn't going to cool for a good hour. "You ready?"

"Do we have to go? I'm so scared I'll mess up and fall or say something wrong or-"

"Hitomi, don't worry so much. You will be fine. All you need to know is that your beautiful and that I will be so close to you that you will want to push me away." He walked into her room and stood behind her, watching her in the mirror she was glancing at. She was so divine, so utterly exquisite that he wondered if she was real. He touched her shoulder and rested it there, drinking in the fact that she was real, that she was here and with him, that this wasn't a dream or something like the visions she had.

He got out of his trance and helped her stand. "Is it hard to move in that thing?"

"No, not at all." She paused when he gave her a surprised look. "Yes!! This is the most heaviest thing I have ever worn. I wish I could tear it off and walk around naked for the rest of the night."

Van smiled. "No doubt both of us would like it." He took her gloved hand and tucked into his awaiting arm. He walked her over to the door and opened it. He saw a couple that he didn't know walk by and he smiled at them, nodding. The man nodded back and acted like Van and Hitomi were nothing. It made Van angry at first but he shrugged it off. The man was probably of so little importance, along with the woman at his side, that he didn't even know who he was.

Hitomi rolled her head around on her neck and shook herself, stretching and moving around before they started off. "I am going to fry in this thing. Don't expect me to do anything with you tonight after this. You will owe me soooo much that it won't be funny."

"Nothing? Nothing at all? Even after what we did in my room?"

Van took her down the halls, her dress brushing against the side of his leg. "I'll think about it. But that isn't a promise."

Van smiled and stopped when they got to the top of the stairs leading to the hall were the ball was being held. He turned towards her and rubbed his hands up and down her arms, trying to calm her. "If you only knew how beautiful you were, you wouldn't be worried."

Hitomi straightened and lifted her chin. "Lets go before I run away."

"Don't forget what you are representing," Van reminded her.

Hitomi knew what she had to do. She was representing everything that Fanelia had and was worth. If she faltered, Fanelia would be shunned, along with Van. The pressure of it made her reel and she almost pulled back.

Van watched all of the confused looks on her face and felt guilty about rushing her into this all so fast. He smiled and said, "Hey, what happened to that overly confident girl that I fell in love with?"

"I'm fine. Now lets go kick some butt."

Van shook his head, still grinning. She lifted up her skirts when he brought her down the red carpeted stairs. Hitomi gasped when she saw the profusion of people, crushed together like meat in a can. Red and white liveried servants walked around with trays filled with drinks and small tidbits of food. The sparkling of all the jewels blinded her. She nudged Van in the side when she saw a woman so plumed with feathers she looked like an exotic bird from a netherworld.

"If she was really a bird, the bird would have suffocated from its own feathers," Van muttered to her and she giggled.

"Do you know her?" Hitomi asked as Van brought her across the floor. He shook his head no. She stared at all the couples dancing magnificently on the floor. They were so perfect, every move practiced to the point of almost death. Nothing was out of place. She felt like an outsider and could almost imagine people pointing at her and saying, "She's an outsider! Get her out of here!"

"Van, I'm terrified."

"Who isn't? Everything has to be so flawless and reserved. I'm nervous every time I go to one of these stupid things. Of course, I felt lonely and missed you. It was so annoying when all the prissy little ladies and princesses came up to me, blushing to the roots of their hair and asking very prettily for a dance with me. Gross," he shuddered.

"Will you have to dance with any of them now that you're married?"

"More than three fourths of these people don't even know that I'm married. So don't be surprised when and if I have to introduce you more than a thousand times."

Van felt a tap on his shoulder and looked over to see Allen with Merle on his arm. He smiled when he saw Merle resplendent in a dress of pure scarlet to match her hair. It was simple, unlike Hitomi's. Allen, of course, was dressed in his normal knightly clothing. Only thing he had changed was the sapphire stickpin he had in his lapel.

Hitomi let go of his arm and dragged Merle away, telling Van she would be right back. Both Van and Allen stared after them, and shook themselves when they realized they had been gaping too long.

Merle and Hitomi walked over to a side table filled with goodies that had both of them drooling. Merle picked up a glass of punch along with Hitomi and sipped.

"I can't believe how daring you must feel wearing that straight forward color," Hitomi said bluntly and set down her glass.

Merle replied back to her, smiling as she did so, "I can't believe that you are walking in that thing. And don't you feel a little exposed? Van doesn't feel jealous about having you on display? I know Allen would be if I had been wearing that. Of course, I wouldn't look good in that color."

"So is this your first time going to a ball?" Hitomi asked, going off the topic.

"Of course not. I went to your wedding ball, even if it wasn't as lavish as this one. And about a million other ones along with that. I don't even want to try to comprehend how many I have gone to. It's kind of weird because I'm a second class person and men chased after me like maniacs. Of course everyone thinks I'm beautiful, but is that why?"

Hitomi shrugged. "Do you have a dowry? Men like money if you can get your head out of the clouds of love."

"Clouds of love? Bosh. If Allen heard you say that he would have fallen to the floor and died laughing. He loves to laugh."

"He's also the most perverted man I have ever met."

"How so?"

"He laughs at the most weird things. Like this one time, he fell to the floor and laughed about the word 'male sexuality'. Pathetic man," Hitomi said with fondness.

"So if I were to say that to him, he would fall to the floor and almost die?"

Merle jumped when she felt a large hand cover her shoulder. "Say what?"

Merle blushed and grinned. "Male sexuality."

Van and Allen looked at each other, and Merle could see how hard it was for both of them not to laugh. Allen threw back his head and burst out laughing, unable to stop. Van started too, bending over and holding onto his stomach. Merle hit Allen's arm as hard as she could when people started looking. "Shut up you immature moron! People are looking!!"

He sighed and took her hand. "Yes, my dear. Shall we dance?"

Merle rolled her eyes and walked away from Hitomi and Van. Hitomi patted his back. "Good boy. You didn't laugh as hard as Allen. Of course he had reason to laugh more."

Van grabbed her hand and pulled her to the dance floor. He whirled her around and she smiled at him, already falling in love with the dance.

"What did you mean when you said he had reason to laugh more?"

He spun her around again and they moved across the floor to the soft, slow music. "I told him that you and him have too much testosterone. He had no idea what the word meant and I tried to explain it to him. I said male sexuality. In other words, you have too much male sexuality."

Van grinned and swirled her around. She came back breathless and a big smile on her face. The other couples whizzed past them, but she didn't pay attention. God, she loved him. She could scream how much she loved him forever, and it still wouldn't be enough.

A jealous black burning rage grew stronger by the second as someone watched from the sidelines. She slipped in between the people, loving the disguise of using the throng of people for protection against unsuspecting eyes. They won't be smiling for long, she thought and departed with the most evilly gorgeous man on Gaea on her arm.

Van brought her back to the sides after the dance and let her take a break. They had danced three times in a row, all to slow dances because she still hadn't learned how to do the country dances.

Merle came next to Hitomi and pulled her away, giving Van the excuse of using the ladies' retiring room. He smiled and turned away to talk to Allen who started discussing Millerna and her rich husband, Dryden. Van frowned, wondering if he still felt anything for the new queen of Asturia.

Hitomi and Merle returned to the sides of their loves almost a half an hour later. They looked cool and refreshed, unlike how everyone else was sweating from so many bodies pressed together.

Van and Allen had apparently found Millerna and Dryden and were talking to them. Hitomi waved excitedly to a pregnant Millerna. Millerna waved back but shrugged, telling her that she couldn't come over to talk. Hitomi didn't want to disturb their conversation, so she turned back to Merle.

"Hello. I'm Victoria. I was wondering if you were the seeress from the Mystic Moon who saved Gaea from the Zaibach Empire four years ago with the king of Fanelia."

Hitomi turned around and glared at the beautiful woman. She had the bluest eyes she had ever seen in her whole life and her hair was curly and black. She stood tall and proud, as if everyone was below her. Hitomi didn't like her the moment she saw her.

"Yes, I'm her. May I ask why you are so concerned?" Hitomi tried to say in a queenly voice. She liked the way she sounded and smiled.

"Oh, I guess I was thinking of someone less...what you look like. You understand, of course? People lead you to believe horrible things and the person isn't even known. Oh well." She paused and smiled. "Where is the wonderful king of Fanelia at anyhow? I wouldn't mind getting in his pants again. He's good."

Hitomi blinked and almost gagged, a knot forming in her throat. Her hand flew up to her neck and she gripped Merle's arm who was paying just as close attention as her. "Excuse me? What did you say?"

Victoria looked at the woman like she was stupid. "I said, I wouldn't mind getting in his pants again. He's great with women. He knows what he's doing." She closed her eyes, a dreamy look on her face. "He tasted so good and smelled just like...flowers and grass. I remember how his hands-"

"Stop!!!!" Hitomi screamed and slammed her hands over her ears to prevent herself from hearing more of the lurid conversation.

Victoria turned red, realizing she had revealed too much. She was a lady and wasn't supposed to talk about such things. She shrugged. "He probably doesn't even remember me after all the women he's been with. A rumor was going around that he was in love with someone and trying to forget her. Sorry to disgust you." With those final words, she walked away gracefully, blending in with the other people quickly.

Merle shook her shoulder hard. Hitomi stared after the vision, not able to get out of her abstraction.

Van and Allen came over to them, Millerna and Dryden excusing themselves because of her delicate condition.

"Hitomi? Are you alright?" Van asked and set his hand on the small of her back.

She jerked away as if his touch burned her, her eyes staring at him as if she was blind. "Never touch me again, you damn bastard." She dashed away, holding her skirts up high so she wouldn't trip on them. A woman got out of the way just in time before she was knocked down.

Van let his hand drop to his side. He looked at Merle with confused, pain-filled eyes.

Merle's hand went up to her mouth, never seeing the look on Van's face before. It was filled with so much pain. "Do you know anyone named Victoria, Van?" she asked through her hand.

Van went into his own world, everything and everyone around him disappearing instantly. He was standing in the middle of nowhere, the universe black to the point he wondered if his eyes were open.

He felt his shoulder being moved, as if someone was shaking him, but he ignored it, staring right in front of nothingness. He felt pain in his face, but still didn't acknowledge it. What was happening to him? He tried to get out, but he couldn't.

"Van! Get out of wherever you are before I punch you in the face!!" Merle yelled. Van was gazing into nothing, his eyes black and vacant. He felt scared, wondering what was happening to his friend. He shook him hard again, almost begging him to come back. "Van please, wake up or something. Come back here. I don't want to hit you!"

Merle tugged on his arm while Allen shook him, not knowing what else to do. People started giving them weird looks and backing away.

"Damnation," Allen muttered and slammed his fist into Van's jaw. He fell to the floor, his eyes staring up at the white decorated ceiling with huge chandeliers and multicolored streamers.

People screamed and backed up even more. Allen went to kick him in the ribs but Merle stopped him. "No, Allen! Go bring him to his room and see if you can do anything! I'll go see if I can find Hitomi! Go now before the guards come!!"

Allen scooped Van up and threw him over his shoulder, grunting at the weight. The boy had gained a lot of weight from four years ago. He ran through the crowd, pushing people out of the way in his hurry.

Merle ran in the direction that Hitomi had taken off in. She searched for a half an hour, but she couldn't even find a small trace of her. She had looked everywhere, in the gardens, in every room, everything. She didn't know where she could be.

She went back to Van's room and flung open the door. Allen stood up from his position from sitting on the bed and nodded, already knowing what she would say.

Merle walked over to the bed slowly, not wanting to see the state her childhood love was in. She almost cried when she saw him unmoving, his eyes still staring at nothing.

"What's wrong with him?" she whispered and sat down next to Allen, taking Van's limp hand.

Allen sighed loudly and took her other hand, kissing it and laying in on the side of his face for comfort. "I don't know. It's as if he's locked somewhere and can't get out. Hitomi's words must have really devastated him to the point of whatever this is. And who is this Victoria anyhow?"

Merle licked her dry lips. Her husband-to-be let go of her hand and she used it to stroke Van's slack hand. "A whore in the disguise of a lady. She walked up to Hitomi and asked if she was the seeress from the Mystic Moon and a bunch of other stuff. I could tell from the moment Hitomi looked at her that Hitomi didn't like her. Well, anyway, I guess Van had...relations with her and she told Hitomi. I don't think she knew Hitomi was his wife."

"My ass she didn't! That the reason why she told her!!"

Merle sighed. Why did he always say that?

"Can you watch over him while I go get some help to look for Hitomi and some help for Van? What a horrible situation," Allen said and rested his heavy head in his hands. He didn't want to get up and do anything. He just wanted to go to sleep. Merle nodded and watched for any movement from Van. He didn't even blink.

Allen kissed her forehead and walked out of the room briskly, not wanting to waste any precious time that could be used for searching for Hitomi.

Merle felt tears come to her eyes. What would happen now between Hitomi and Van? Would their love for each other disintegrate as if it hadn't ever been there? Or would it come back just as powerful as ever? She got up and walked over to the washstand, picking up a cloth and bringing a bowl filled with clean water over to the bed. She set it down on the bed stand and started to take off the more unnecessary clothes Van had on. She took off the black stiff jacket and threw it to the floor unheeded. Next came his soft under shirt and his leather boots. She left his pants on, not wanting to go there when it wasn't her duty to do something like that.

She sat back down on the bed and picked up the cloth, soaking it in the cool water. She dabbed it on his face and on his chest, trying anything to make him wake up. She looked up every once and a while and smiled happily when she saw him blink. Was he coming out of it?

Merle jerked over in the direction of the door when it flew open. Allen stood there pale and shocked. "Dilandau and Seibu had been sighted earlier. They had to have taken her. She's gone, no one can find her. The only thing we found..." he pulled out a strip of ice blue beaded cloth that had been ripped off her gown. Merle blanched and got up, walking over to Allen and taking it from him. She clutched in her hands, as if it was a lifeline.

A soldier at that moment came running into the room and said, "Her highness's search is going to be extended on order of Duke Chid. The boundaries of Freid are not holding us back. He said if we have to search all of Gaea for her, then we will. I'm sorry to intrude, but he wanted you to know. Also, he is having some palace healers come to check on his majesty of Fanelia. They will be up in a while." He bowed and walked in a hurry out of the room.

"Thank you for going to Chid, Allen," Merle said and kissed his cheek, the piece of ripped cloth still in her hand.

Allen felt like he was going to collapse onto the floor in a heap and never wake up. He walked over to a chair and pulled it over to the bed, and plummeted right down into it. He sighed and closed his eyes, leaning his head back.

Merle walked back over to the bed and sat down, resuming her chores of rubbing Van down with the wet cloth. She stopped suddenly when she saw a flash of white against the black of his starched pants. She pulled out a circular white band totally encrusted in diamonds. A garter? For a wedding? What was Van doing with one of these?

"Allen? Is this a garter for a woman at a marriage ceremony?" She asked and handed it to him. Allen quirked an eyebrow and turned it over in his hand, looking at it more closely.

"He must have gotten it made for Hitomi. Didn't you see everything he got her? That's why he went downtown earlier today. He had all of these things custom made for her. Didn't you see them?"

Merle shook her head. She didn't think she did.

"He got her another wedding band because Hitomi's mother took it off her. He also got her matching earrings and a necklace. He must have planned to give this to her later. Did you see the horse he bought for her?"

"No. Why did he buy this much stuff for her? It must have been very expensive."

Allen handed it back to her and Merle put it back in his pocket. It was certainly a luxurious piece. Van more than likely had thought nothing about it with all the money Fanelia was racking in.

"Merle, if you haven't noticed yet, Van can't help himself. He loves her so much. That's probably why he is in this state, and just because of her words."

"But...isn't he over doing it?"

"Hardly. She needed a wedding band, needed a horse, and didn't get a garter at her wedding. The only thing he really gave her was the earrings and necklace. He told me she was very enthusiastic about her telling him thank you. I could just imagine."

A lopsided grin appeared on her face and she started wiping him down again. She sighed.

 

 

"Does she have the pendant?" he asked and adjusted her on his shoulder.

"No, she doesn't. We captured her for no reason."

Dilandau smiled. "Not entirely."

Seibu rushed forward and opened the tent flap. Her husband dropped Hitomi on the floor and let her lay there. He kicked her in the ribs and smiled again.

"So what a we going to do to her then? Have any good ideas?" Seibu sat down on the floor next to Hitomi and arranged her short red leather skirt around her.

Dilandau set his hand on her head and thought. "Maybe we can torture her."

Seibu smiled and rubbed her hands together. With her sorceress powers, she could do some nasty things to her. She saw the intense look of concentration on his face and said, "Maybe we can mess with her mind and screw it up good and dirty."

"I like the way you think. Then maybe we can let her go and let her die in a forest. Did you see that stupid doppelganger disguised as that dead woman Victoria? He looked so proud of himself. I killed the dumb creature before he knew what had happened to him."

Seibu stood up and walked to the foot of their makeshift bed, lifting the large lid to her trunk filled with potions and poisons and magic. She pulled out a small velvet purple bag, and cradled it like it was the most precious thing in the world. She held on to it and walked back over to her beloved, handing it to him. "How about torturing, then entering her mind, and then letting her go? Sound good?"

"Wonderfully good."

Dilandau's purple eyes glittered dangerously and he picked up the unconscious woman. She hadn't changed much, except her body was extremely more lush and she was taller. He flipped her over his shoulder and brought her outside. Four of the five large stakes sticking out of the ground were already occupied by men who had dared to defy him and his wife. They were tied and beaten almost to the point of death and then left there to die. They kept them on there for a week, and if they didn't die, they were worthy enough to come down and be administered to.

Soldiers sat around fires and stood, guarding the perimeter. He called two of his new Dragonslayers over named Oji and Seito and told them to bring some rope. They came over with a bundle of coiled thin, yet strong wire. The men took the stake out of the ground and laid it down. Dilandau placed Hitomi on top of it and lifted her arms to be tied to the hook at the top. The Dragonslayers tied her arms while Dilandau tied her now bare feet. It took all three of them to lift it back up and place it in the hole in the ground.

Hitomi was jerked awake from a sudden pain in her arms. She looked around, horrified. Dilandau and Seibu stood two feet away, conversing with heavily armored men in black and red. Seibu was in a short dark red skirt and a top that barely covered anything. Her leg was braced by two small pieces of straight sticks that were tied and wrapped on. She was leaning heavily on Dilandau.

It was dark out and it was drizzling slightly. It made her totally miserable. Her hair was making her face itch and it clung to her in strings. It had come undone apparently. Her dress was soaked and pulled her down more from the heavy wet silk. Whatever they had tied her up with was cutting the skin on her arms and she saw a trickle of blood run down her right arm.

She stared at Dilandau. He was still strangely beautiful, but he was looking more psychotic than ever. He stroked the scar on the side of his face as he talked. A man handed him a long thin whip that made her eyes widen. Were they going to use that one her?!?

Dilandau turned to Hitomi and saw that she was awake. "Ah, so her highness had deigned herself worthy enough to wake up. You don't look so high and mighty now, do you? And you know what we are going to do? No? Well, you'll see in a moment."

Seibu smiled and took the whip out of his hands. She was an expert at the whip and could use it to make Hitomi, the woman she despised more than anything, suffer incredibly.

Hitomi pleaded, "No, please, don't do this to me. I didn't do anything to you. Please, don't do this to me."

Seibu walked behind her and Hitomi couldn't see what was happening. A twisted smile came on Seibu's face as she raised the whip over her head and lashed out on Hitomi.

The first slash cut like a sharp knife, cutting through her clothes and to her skin. She heard everyone laughing around her and she closed her eyes in pain as Seibu hit her repeatedly. She felt the tears fall down her face, but she didn't make a noise. Seibu stopped at the order of Dilandau and he commanded his men to lower her.

Hitomi felt the stake she was tied to being lowered and the pain in her arms as they were released go away slowly. But when her back touched the ground, she screamed. The men hauled her up and she cried loudly, the pain ghastly. Seibu and Dilandau laughed when they saw how much pain she was going through and she shut her mouth. She didn't want to show them she was suffering.

An old woman tended to her back for about five minutes before Dilandau dragged her into their tent. She couldn't move without being hunched over like an old woman, so she didn't. It hurt too much.

Hitomi felt Dilandau grip her arms in a painful vise and she kicked back at him, futilely. He spun her around, pulling her close against him in an obscene travesty of an embrace, arms tight around her waist.

"I think that I like a strap better than a whip. You have more power over where it lands," Seibu said and stroked Hitomi's cheek like she was a child.

"Don't do this to me. Don't do this," Hitomi whispered and tried to get out of Dilandau's disgusting hold.

Seibu laughed, thrilled that she was getting her revenge. She hit Hitomi as hard as she could across her thighs and buttocks. She struck over and again, vicious lashes that at last had Hitomi give up on trying to twist away. She slumped against Dilandau, choking on tears of rage and shame. She endured the ruthless flogging-until the unmistakable evidence of her captor's arousal made her flinch back in panic. At that moment Seibu paused to rest. Dilandau pulled away to grin at her lewdly. Without thought, Hitomi snapped her knee up into his groin.

The air left his lungs in a rush as he gave a shout of agony, staggering backwards, and fell to the floor holding himself.

Hitomi whirled. Seibu had dropped the strap and she was staring at her like she was going to kill her. Instead of attacking her; she went to Dilandau as he writhed on the floor. She didn't wait to see what she would do, she just dashed out of the tent. She was stopped in a flash, guards nearly tearing her arms out their sockets as they brought her back into the tent.

Dilandau had risen with the help of Seibu and was dusting himself off. He looked at her with wrath and fury in his eyes. Hitomi panicked at the look and struggled against the guards.

They laughed at her and dropped her on the floor. She was surprised her gown hadn't fallen off her back yet, because it was in tatters. She looked at her arms when she felt an odd wetness. She watched as blood trickled down her arms and pooled on her hands and on the hard packed dirt floor.

She stood quickly and Dilandau ordered the guards out. He straightened completely and squared his shoulders. "I can't believe you did that to me. How does any woman know that? Ah, you are from the Mystic Moon and that place must know some heathen things. Oh well, I won't die, although I felt like I was going to. Shall we begin where we left off?"

"No!!!" Hitomi screamed and Seibu walked over to her, slapping her face.

Hitomi laughed as she held her face. She laughed even harder as she said, "Is that all the harder you can hit? You hit like a girl!!" Hitomi stood and punched her in the face with such force, Seibu fell. She rubbed her knuckles and waited for the wrath of Dilandau.

He walked over to her, taunting her in every way imaginable. She went to punch him, but he grabbed her fist and twisted. She cried out as he turned it farther and harder, gripping it painfully. She knew her bones were going to snap. He let go at the last second and struck her with his own fist.

Seibu stood up and took hold of Hitomi's arms, holding them behind her back so she was helpless. The next blows were to her abdomen and breasts, Dilandau beating her with all his strength. Panic snaked through her. This was real, this was really happening to her, this wasn't some sick dream or vision.

He smashed his fist into her diaphragm and she lost her breath and fell to the floor. Half-conscious, she tried to stand, but the muscles in her legs were paralyzed.

She heard Seibu say it was "time". She opened her eyes, wondering why neither of them had really struck her face. She saw Seibu take a small purple bag out of Dilandau's hands and sprinkle it over her, muttering some unknown words in another language. The last bit she poured over Dilandau and told him to touch Hitomi's head and "do it that way".

Dilandau nodded. He was going to mess her mind up good. He flipped her onto her stomach, for what reason, she didn't know.

After a few moments, Hitomi wondered if he was even going to do anything. She could feel him searching through her mind, delving into her personal aspects of life. He got to parts of her mind that she didn't even know existed, and he mixed it up with other parts of her senses. She stiffened when she felt an intense ache in her back. She shrieked, arching her back and she felt her skin rip and tear. She couldn't move her neck to see what had happened. She used everything she had left in her and turned her head. What she saw stupefied her and she felt blackness tug at her. She dimly heard both Dilandau and Seibu laugh as she slipped into a black haven.

 

 

Van bowed off the bed, his eyes closing as he howled in agony. Merle and Allen watched as pain racked his body, Van thrashing around and arching off the bed. Merle's hand went to her mouth.

"What's happening!!!?"

Allen bent over the bed and tried to hold him down, the healers helping. He arched again, crying out, tears pouring down his face. His eyes were closed for the first time in two hours. He calmed down ten minutes later. Everyone was exhausted from trying to hold him down, he was too strong. Merle was the one who spotted all the light red marks over his back, arms, and chest. The healers were confused, they had never dealt with anything like this before.

Van started again five minutes later, the bowing off the bed and yelling in anguish and what almost sounded like grief. Merle wiped the tears off his face and continued to do so as more came and went. She had her own tears pouring down her face by the time Van quieted.

"Do you think he's done?" Allen asked and moved the hair out of Van's still tear streaked face.

"I don't want to ever see something like that to him again," Merle said and sat down, weak from fatigue.

"Hitomi...."

Merle's head shot up when she heard the barely distinguishable word come from Van.

"Van, are you alright? Do you need anything?" Merle asked quietly, clutching his limp hand. He squeezed back gently, reassuring her like nothing else could.

"I need Hitomi. Where is she? Please bring her here."

"Van...Hitomi is...gone right now," Allen said and laid his hand on his friend's forehead. Van was doused with sweat. He couldn't imagine how he must be feeling right now.

Van gulped in pain. "Please, I need Hitomi."

Allen asked the healers to leave. They hadn't done much in the first place. They grumbled and left.

"Hitomi isn't here, Van. Don't you remember?" Merle asked. Had his memory gone awry?

Van stared at the ceiling. He had known of course, but he didn't want to accept it. "Did anyone find her? Find anything?"

Merle handed him the strip of cloth Allen had found. Van sat up with some difficulty, but refused any help from Allen. He glared at the cloth and threw it across the room. It hit the wall and fell down in a small pile. "Find her now."

"Van, we already have people looking for her. We have reason to believe Seibu and Dilandau took her because some people had spotted them. They probably took her, Van."

"I already knew that. You could have just asked me that, had I not been unconscious like some silly little girl. But I don't know if I really was unconscious. It was if I was trapped somewhere. I couldn't get out. I walked around, on what, I have no idea. But I saw another color start to form. It was red, a blood red. I ran towards it and I started to feel horrible pain and heard screams from someone that sounded familiar. As the pain got worse, I realized it was Hitomi. I tried to take the pain away from her, and I think I did. Now she's lying somewhere in the clutches of Dilandau and Seibu, being tortured to death. And all because of me." He whispered the last bit and closed his eyes.

"Van, it will be alright. Hitomi's a fighter. She always has been one. Don't worry so." Merle said and held onto his hand.

Van tried to picture the hand he was holding onto was Hitomi's, that she was right there with him, happy and laughing like she always was. But no, she was in searing pain, lying on the ground more than likely being killed. He felt tears come to his eyes and he let them fall over. He ripped his hand out of Merle's and covered his face, his sobs filled with pain and the loss of his love. "Please, just leave me alone."

Allen wrapped his arm around Merle when she wanted to protest. They walked out of the room and closed the door.

Van let his wet hands fall to his sides and he stared at the wall, his crying ceasing. He got a sudden mean look on his face and jumped off the bed, going to rip off his shirt. He realized he didn't have one on when he scratched his chest with his short nails. He frowned and shrugged, not caring.

He went over to the window and opened it with some difficulty. He hopped up onto the windowsill and jumped, falling from the three story window. His wings burst from his back with a short cry of pain. A profusion of feathers fell to the ground as he flew off into the night sky.