Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Love Affair ❯ What Happened While You Were Gone? ( Chapter 15 )

Chapter 15

It had been two weeks and still nothing. Merle was unusually quiet and only spoke with Hitomi on few occasions and Hitomi… she didn't know anything that pertained to the past six months. And if she did, then she wasn't talking. Often times, Van would try to get close to her but she would shy away from him. She didn't really understand why she would do that because she used to be infatuated with the kid… for three years. Now it was as if… it just… died. She was confused and she wanted desperately to know what happened. The only thing she could see when she delved into the recesses of her mind was that same image of Dilandau, bleeding and pained.

During the nights were the only times that she would see anything but when she woke up she could never remember. Every night she woke up in a cold sweat and she was always silently crying. Most times, she would find Merle in her room, silently staring at the girl while she slept, just watching and listening… always watching. Merle never told her what she saw and Hitomi never asked. At this point, her nerves were frayed and morning after morning she would just sit and stare out over her balcony. There was something vaguely familiar about that place and she felt as though something were calling to her. She wanted to run again. The overwhelming urge to go out in the gardens late at night always woke her and she would go to her door, only to find it locked. Her heartstrings tugged each time and she would silently curse Van for his overbearing, protectiveness. As if that weren't bad enough, her balcony was guarded as well. There were at least three guards every night standing watch beneath it. She understood the reason for his behavior, but it didn't mean she had to like it.

There was also something very strange happening around her. The change was subtle and at first even she hadn't noticed it. But over the two weeks, she found herself recalling information and storing information about the men who were assigned to guard her. She knew their routines almost perfectly. She knew when they would switch with other guards. She knew how many guards were assigned on certain days. She knew which guards slept on the job. Hell, she even knew when they took bathroom breaks! She could calculate how many people were standing outside her door just by the vibrations on the floor and their barely audible footsteps. She knew the faults in their steps and behavior. She was able to calculate the distance from the balcony to the ground and knew that if she were able to jump off at a certain angle and speed that she'd be able to tuck and roll into the undergrowth of the gardens with physical damage. Perhaps a few cuts and bruises but it wouldn't be anything major.

The concept that she could so easily gather and store this information was somewhat startling. The fact that she knew she could perform these tasks was downright terrifying.

Now as she lie, seemingly asleep, in her room on her silken white sheets, she knew that today would be the perfect day to get past them. What she didn't understand was why she wanted to do this… why she needed to do this. She slipped out of her bed in silence. Her perfectly maneuvered advances were practiced and easy to perform, almost as if she had done so before. She crouched low as she made her way out onto the balcony. She closed her eyes and listened. She could easily hear the guards shifting and chatting idly amongst themselves. Tonight was definitely the night. Any moment now and she'd be able to do this without fail.

There was a low call and the guards started to head in that direction. The switch was in progress. Hitomi's eyes shot open. Now was the time. She broke out into a sprint using all of her speed. She headed for the balcony railing… and leapt. The air rushed by her but she stayed focused on her movements. This needed to be precise… and silent. She started he downward descent at a dizzying speed. Her feet hit the ground and she instinctively curled in, pressing her body weight forward. Her arms came up over her head and she rolled forward on the ground. There was a small sound of something being dropped as she hit the floor but she kept rolling forward, letting the momentum of the action propel her forward. She slowed down and instantly broke out into a run. She made sure to stay low, as she pressed onward.

The chatter of the guards died as the distance between them grew. A wicked smile crossed her features. This felt good… very good. She couldn't explain it but she needed to do this. Her feet dragged her through the numerous winding paths. With no idea where she was headed she closed her eyes and let her natural instincts guide her. She felt the vibrations of the earth travel through her feet and listened for the native sounds of the forest that surrounded her. Every touch from the physical realm alerted her to the world around and she was able to paint a picture in her mind of the route she was taking. It was beautiful… and frightening.

And as suddenly as the urge came, it stopped. She stopped. The breeze swirled around her, lifting up her honey brown silken strands of hair. She opened her eyes and her breath caught. The moonlight filtered through the trees leaving glowing patches of long grass in its wake. Every silver wisp flowed gently with the echoing song of the night and every so often its tune would mingle with the song of the wind. Small ripples shattered the stillness of the lake leaving the mystery of its depths to the imagination. Every small wrinkle in its murky depths caught the moon's silvery light giving one leave to wonder if its existence were connected to the sands of time, the endlessness of space, and the steps of heaven. Forgotten leaves danced in the wind, snaking beautiful patterns to never be seen in their means as they descended silently to the gates of heaven. And yet… despite this divine miracle of nature's true self, Hitomi never felt more forlorn. Something… no… someone was missing.

She felt lost… misplaced in this realm of natural beauty. She looked around like a lost child asking, praying silently for help… help to get back to… something, someone that she needed… someone who she knew needed her just as badly. But who? She traveled listlessly around the lagoon and walked into the shallow thick of forestry. The setting was vaguely familiar and a flash of her running through these very woods sprang forth from the raging sea of forgotten memories. She continued to walk, slowly traveling past bush and tree.

"What is it that you want?"

Hitomi stopped as the forgotten whispers of lovers bound night replayed in her mind. Her breathing turned haggard and she leaned against a tree to steady the dizzying effect the memories were giving her.

"I think you know…"

`What… is this?' Hitomi shut her eyes and leaned heavily against the tree, a pained groan releasing from her throat. Images that had been wound so deeply within her mind started to unravel. She had been here… with someone… a man… She screamed in pain as pain erupted in her mind. She clutched her head and sank to the ground. `Are these my memories?'

She watched the scene play in a fuzzy replay in her head. She was here, against this very tree. There was a man… a man she couldn't picture. He was…

"You already have what you desire-"

He was…

"Not enough!"

She screamed into the silent night and held her head in her hands. "It… hurts… GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" One after the other, she saw them… together… fucking, groaning, scratching, kissing… here… here. It happened right here. "Who are you?" She whispered brokenly into the night as her tears fell, landing mutely into the silver lit blades of grass.

"Then take it! Take what you want! I… oh gods! … "

She cried in frustration. There was a name… there was supposed to be a name. She bit her lip until it bled as the pain only intensified with each unbound memory. It was as if something was trying to keep her from remembering… something or someone.

"I'll teach you…"

With those parting words from her faceless lover, the images stopped. The pain stopped. The dizzy spell stopped. She just lay there, breathing hard and crying in the long blades of grass. "What happened to me?"

…

He sighed and turned his gaze from the crying girl. All was not well for the young lovers. At least he was able to convince Dornkirk to release the girl… but Dilandau… He made his way silently through the undergrowth of the forest, thinking of how the lovers would react once they were reunited… if he was able to get them to come together… if he was able to get Dilandau.

`I will have to come back for her. Now, she is only regaining the inklings of her time with him… and she has yet to figure out who HE is…'

He leapt off the side of the small cliff and let his feathered wings burst from his back in a sea of black waters.

"Hitomi… you will see him once more… you have my word…"

…

"Emperor Dornkirk… It seems that the other sorcerers and I are having a bit of difficulty removing the girl from his mind… we have made him forget her but we have not been able to erase her presence completely." The sorcerer tensed as he awaited his lord's response. If the emperor was displeased he could easily have him killed. A scream rang through the hallway once again and the sorcerer retained his smirk. "We are still trying to completely eradicate her from his mind. It seems the only thing that is keeping her there is sheer willpower… just like the memories of his mother."

Dornkirk looked at the man in the white lab coat from his seat on his throne. "Revert him back to his teacher and push thoughts of her as far back as you can. Implant that same device that we had implanted into the Hitomi girl. If he manages to revert to himself, the only way he will be able to remember her is through painful means. Dismissed."

"Yes, sir." The sorcerer stood from his kneeling position and bowed. "We will do our best." He turned and walked out and down the halls from where the small groans were now coming from. He punched in the security code and walked in as another scream ripped from the young man's throat. "How is the progress coming?"

Dilandau was lying on a cold, metal table. Wires and needles were connected from him to various machines. Liquids of different colors were on the tables across from him, either in needles or differently shaped vials. At the moment the `doctors' were injecting a purple liquid into the back of his neck. His screams ripped through the room and his eyes widened in unmasked pain. His pupils shrank to mere dots and had it not been for the bind that restrained him, there was no doubt that he would be thrashing violently.

On of the doctors sighed and shook his head. "It has been two weeks already and we have not been able to remove her from his mind. The best we can do is suppress her and do the same thing we did to the girl."

They all nodded in agreement. "Let it begin."

…

Three Days Later

Dilandau walked down the halls of the Vione as angrily as he once had. His slayers weren't faring better due the absence of certain… female companions. No one was allowed to mention the names of the girls nor were they allowed to bring up references of the past with them. Dilandau had been unusually cruel to his slayers and had once again taken his whores to bed. They serviced him for the night and were then executed as the prisoners were supposed to be. Everything went back to the way it had been before he had met the girl from the Mystic Moon.

One Week Later

Dilandau grunted as he came in the girl beneath him. She was crying out in ecstasy and shame as she responded to his touches. He rolled off of her and kicked her out of his bed. He stood and wrapped himself in the sheet and walked to the door. He punched in the code and the door opened. "You can take her away now. Bring her to the men and see if they want her." The guards walked in and dragged the half naked girl out of the room and down the hall. Dilandau was left alone.

He walked into the bathroom and walked to the shower. He stopped and glanced over his shoulder at the jacuzzi. Since his return he hadn't used it. Whenever he got too close there was a pang in his head and the image of a girl flashed in his mind. He could never place her face but she was vaguely familiar. He'd always just brush it off as some random girl he'd had and forgotten… but the images were different each time. They'd be fucking… then they'd be just… sitting there… together, talking and washing… and then they would… kiss.

That was when he knew something was different about her. Of course he kissed his female companions for the night, but the kisses were always forced and harsh. The images of their kisses were… sometimes rough, sometimes soft… and always reciprocated in the same manner. Never had he remembered a girl giving him affection as she did… and more than once. He knew that a chunk of his memory was gone but he didn't care. It was only this girl that aggravated him. He wanted her back. He wanted to see her writhe beneath him in pleasure… he wanted to hear her scream for him… in pain. The memories of their sweet moments sickened him and he was always thinking about why he hadn't screwed her until she cried in agony.

He turned back to his shower and turned on the water. The jacuzzi remained unused for another day.

…

Hitomi sat on the balcony edge, gazing lazily into the clear blue skies. It was a beautiful day and the lush environment only added to the merry feeling in the castle. The trees swayed happily in the lavish breeze and the birds chirped sweet songs into the otherwise, silent area. Unfortunately, she was not able to exploit the day's endowments.

Just as she was thinking about her rather distasteful predicament, the cause of her foul mood decided to grace her with his presence. "Hitomi…" She cast a glance over her shoulder at the young king as he made his way through the empty room and out onto the balcony. Quite a lot had happened during the six months she had been gone but even though she couldn't recall those events she knew that the feelings she once bore for Van had long since vanished into a comfortable friendship. He made his way over to her and leaned back onto the railing casting his gaze over the castle wall. "Hitomi… have you… remembered anything yet?"

She thought back to that night in the forest at the lake. Since then more `memories' had been steadily coming back but with each new memory there was a terrible pain that made her feel like her ears were bleeding and she could never identify the man who had accompanied her. Another thing that disturbed her thoughts quite often were those of Dilandau. She had seen him few times in her mind. The first being when she had once again returned to the forest but traveled down a different path. There she remembered running into him… and then trying to run away from him, but he slapped her… twice. Then she remembered feeling pain in her stomach and then nothing.

She sighed and moved her glance from Van to the bright sky. "No… I don't remember anything…" She didn't plan on telling Van anything about her secret, unknown lover… ever. She swung her legs over to the right side of the balcony and slid off gracefully. She started to walk back into the room when she was unexpectedly pulled back into a firm chest. Van rested his chin on her shoulder and planted his hands gently on her waist. Immediate discomfort coursed through her frame and she tensed.

Van didn't seem to notice. He placed soft kisses on her neck and trailed up to her ear, nibbling gently on its lobe. "Those six months without you were hell… I couldn't find you… Hitomi…" She shuddered involuntarily as his hot breath cascaded down her neck. As much as she wanted to enjoy this from him, she couldn't… it felt so…

"Were you this unwilling with Van when he fingered you till you screamed? You didn't seem to be as you released in utter bliss before him as he lay atop you, his finger plunged deep-"

"Stop it! Stop! Please… I will fight you with all I have! Let me go! I don't want to hear about it!"

"Why? Tell me why!"

"Because it felt wrong…"

Hitomi gasped in surprise and slight pain as the memory invaded her senses filling her mind with forgotten information… information that answered a few questions as well as confused her even further. Van had… with her, he… Her vision started to blur as the memory came back again and she started to get dizzy. Her head started to pound and had it not been for Van holding her, she would have collapsed. "No…" She whimpered and brought her hands to her head. She closed her eyes but the memory only became more vivid. "Not now…" She groaned and her knees gave way from beneath her.

"Why? Why did it feel wrong? Damn it!"

"I don't know!" She screamed at him.

"Hitomi? Hitomi!" Van caught her as she fell. She just kept clutching her head, mumbling and groaning. "Hitomi!" He picked her up and carried her into the room, setting her down on the bed. "Hitomi… what is it? Please…"

She started to gasp in pain and she shut her eyes tightly. "It… it hurts… make it stop! Please! D-Dilandau!"

"Don't lie to me! You know! Tell me why!"

"No…" She cried out, refusing to accept her own answer.

He practically roared at her, his frustrations mounting, "I said fucking tell me!"

"Because I don't love him!"

Her hands fisted in the white silken sheets as the last of the memory burst through her mind and she let out a sharp cry. Van retreated a few paces back after her outburst, a frown marring his face. She finally started to relax and the throbbing in her head started to lessen. She blinked to clear her mind and relaxed her grip on the bed sheets. Her breathing was a soft pant as she finally rid herself of her dizzy spell and sat up. Her eyes found him on the edge of the bed and she blinked several times before she was able to fully focus on him. "Van?"

"You remember… you remember him… you even say his name when you sleep sometimes… what happened while you were gone?" Van slid forward on the bed and clutched her by the shoulders. "What happened while you were gone?"

Hitomi averted her gaze from his face. "Nothing…" She whispered. She tried to move from his grip but he kept her still. His fingers came under her chin and brought her gaze back to his. She tried to look away but he made her look at him.

"Hitomi…" He leaned forward and made to kiss her but she tilted her head to the side so instead of capturing her lips with his, he kissed her cheek. He frowned and pulled back to look at her. "What happened to you? You've changed… Hitomi…"

She pushed him back and slid off the side of the bed, stepping out onto the balcony. "I had to… you… I… I used to love you… but I had to move on…"

Van watched her as she walked away from him. Then he knew… he'd lost her, but as he turned to leave he made an almost silent vow to himself. "I finally realize what I feel for you… and I won't give up…"