Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Lone Soul ❯ Fallen Angel ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Author's Note: Alas, this is not the end. There's exactly two more chapters after this. Ya didn't expect it to end this quickly, don't ya? I think not!

Lone Soul: Fallen Angel

Van examined the Black Dragon Clan fortress with a carefully trained eye, immediately spotting all weapons and possible traps. Catching a downward draft, he flew closer. And froze as he saw an unfamiliar face.
Before he even realized what he was doing, he was suddenly face to face with the strange girl.

Hitomi stared, refusing to believe what she saw. An angel...it seemed impossible and yet the evidence was right in front of her. Dressed in strangely clad clothes, the young man was suddenly thrown back, as if by an invisible force.
Folken laid on a hand on her shoulder. "The Dragon will be soon be defeated, Tsubasa no Kami. And then Escaflowne will obey our wishes and this world will disappear."
Hitomi thought she heard a note glee in his voice. Twisting around, she was just about to address him with a list of her own questions when the glass window behind her shattered(1) and the world spun out of control.

Dilandau grinned widely, enjoying the surprise and sudden fury in Van's face. White wings struggled to correct themselves, and Dilandau used the time wisely. Sparks exploded through the air as Van barely matched his attack.
"Give up now, and I'll kill you quickly!" Dilandau shouted, mouth twisting in a demonic smile. He was going to kill Van, and it wasn't going to be pretty.

Hitomi fell glass bite into her skin, but what really triggered the alarm in her head, was the fact that she was falling. Through air. With no net to catch her.
A scream tried to tear itself from her throat, but her mouth didn't open to release it. Memories sped by at the speed of light, yet Hitomi understood each and every image that went by. Her life meant something, no matter how little it was.
Warm arms suddenly closed around her, and Hitomi looked up in the angel's face. He appeared to be quite angry, and turned his intense gaze to her.
"Who are you?" He asked, brown eyes examining her clothes accordingly.
"H-Hitomi," She stuttered out, still amazed that angels really existed. "And you?"
"Van. Are you a new recruit?" He inquired calmly at her, eyes shifting through the sky around them. His hand slowly inched towards the sword hilt, as he saw a shadow.
"Recruit?"
"Of the Black Dragon Clan!"
Hitomi would have answered him, if he hadn't dropped her. It was amazing how calm she was. She was hurling through the sky, and yet she wasn't scared. He'd save her, she just knew it.

Van blocked Dilandau's sword, and managed to grab the dagger from his ankle without the black-winged angel seeing it. Dilandau was out of control. Rage was convulsing on his face, and it was clear, he was not going to let up until Van's throat was cut.
Grunting, Van threw the pyromaniac back and launched his own psychic attack. Invisible typhoons of energy struck Dilandau and his hand loosened on the sword hilt. The blade rushed through the sky, and Van gasped when he realized that Hitomi was in the way. She was going to be killed.
His gaze flipped back towards Dilandau, who was gasping and clutching at his throat as he struggled to pull off the invisible hand.
"Try with all your might, impure one. Unless you give up, you're going to die within a few moments."
Dilandau continued to struggle, and Van left him to it. He had to save Hitomi. No reason presented itself, but he had to. He also had a hidden motive. Her clothes were strange, she was either from Far East, or not from Gaea entirely. Which meant, she was the Goddess of Wings.
He flew faster.

A flash of light caught Hitomi's eye. Looking closer, she felt her eyes go wide.
The scream that had refused to release itself from her throat a few moments ago, sliced through the air. She was going to die. And not pleasantly either.
"VAN!"

He could see the sword now, hurling at an impossible speed in the girl's direction. He wouldn't reach her in time. Grabbing his dagger, he threw it. Hoping that his sense of direction was right. If it wasn't, he knew Folken's reign of terror would never end.

The sword kept falling. Hitomi kept screaming. She didn't want to die. Life had so many things to offer her, and she had yet to accept any of them.
Yukari. Beloved Yukari, who cared about her, no matter how depressed Hitomi got. If she survived this, she was never going to hurt Yukari again. And if, she ever got home again.
Tears slowly ran down her cheeks. She had thought death would be a release, but now it seemed, it was all an illusion she'd built up. Her death was going to be bloody, and unpleasant. Kami, help her.
Fingers wrapped themselves around her wrist, and Hitomi hugged and buried herself in his chest. She was alive, barely.
CLANG!
A dagger raced to meet the sword, and both crashed together. The weight crashed them to descend at a higher speed. The weapons cracked the ground under them, but by then, Hitomi was sleeping peacefully against Van's chest.

Allen spotted a familiar figure in the sky, and frowned as he saw another in Van's arms. Who was this?
Upon closer inspection, Allen discovered it was a girl. Curious now, he awaited the young king's arrival patiently. From his slow progress, Allen assumed Van had sliced and diced, and then asked questions, leaving him huffing and puffing with no one to answer his persistent questions. But as he came closer, he realized the king was wounded and just about ready to collapse in midair.
"He's not gonna make it!" Allen realized, quickly calling for Millerna in haste. She scurried to his side, addressing him in a questioning matter until she laid eyes on Van.
"Oh, Van! Come on, you can make it. Just a little farther!" Millerna encouraged, ignoring Allen's unvoiced question as he cast a sideway glance at her. He hadn't realized how long Van had been with the Abaharaki. The group of rouge warriors got along very well, but no one had taken the time to get to know Van. The cold-hearted king of the destroyed land, Fanelia. He was nearly like the rest of them, if not the same.
Blood trailed down Van's arm as his feet struggled to land on the landship correctly. White wings slowly disappeared, and the angel collapsed in Allen's arms, barely making it over the rail. The strange girl was transferred into Millerna's arms who preceded to the sick bay.
Laying the young girl on a cot, Allen followed suit. Millerna shook her mane of red hair discontentedly, eyes shifting from Van's still figure to the girl's.
"Allen," Van whispered softly. Allen was amazed the dragonkin was still conscious. "The girl...Tsubasa no Kami...," He muttered escaping into unconsciousness, leaving behind a very bewildered pair of warriors.


(1) What Escaflowne story would be complete without this memorable scene? Yes, I'll admit. I love Hitomi and Van as a couple. There, I said it...I don't have a problem, really!!

Note: There's more, yes, my friend. What will happen? Who will live, and who will die? Why are you still reading? Click the link, already!