Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Mystic Wings ❯ Built Like An Angel ( Chapter 10 )

Chapter Ten

Built Like an Angel

 

It had been four days since Hitomi's visit to The Voltage Room now, and she was starting to feel glummer about her situation than ever before. She didn't know what had happened when she had gone to go see Dilandau and she didn't know how to proceed. She still desperately wanted to find Van and having seen him like that was torture - like hanging a carrot in front of a rabbit. How had that even been possible? Dilandau had somehow turned into Van while they had been dancing, but Hitomi had no idea how that was possible. It didn't jive with Van's theories about magic. There was only one thing that she was certain about. Van had NOT been fooling around with anyone. It didn't matter what Dilandau said. Hitomi knew the more intimate details of The Dragon, and she knew that he couldn't kiss someone passionately without burning them. He just couldn't. So, at least she could relax on that point, and it would have to be enough, because she didn't have anything else.

 

All she could do now was go back to school and work on getting her final credits, so that she could leave home at the end of the semester. It was hard though. After seeing Van … she missed him more than ever. She decided to join the track team to keep herself out of trouble and give her something to do.

 

When Hitomi went to their first practice, she had the privilege of meeting the second most popular boy in school (Dryden being the first). His name was Amano Susumu. He was the boy Hitomi had seen pitch that first day she had been running laps in gym class. He had looked familiar to her then, and when Hitomi saw him up close she realized why. He looked like Allen. The resemblance only reminded her that she still didn't know what happened to him.

 

Yukari asked Hitomi if she had a crush on Amano after they were introduced, since she didn't seem to have a crush on Dryden, like most everyone else, and she truly seemed to be examining Amano. Hitomi had only been recognizing how much he looked like Allen, except for the colour of his hair, and it had obviously been misinterpreted by Yukari. Hitomi told her that she didn't and that she wasn't interested in a relationship with any of the boys who attended their school.

 

“Someone from another school?” Yukari asked with a smile.

 

Hitomi shook her head. “I'm not interested in romance,” she answered.

 

Now, she was in gym class, again, running laps. Their gym teacher liked to work them hard until the good weather diminished. Hitomi jogged along comfortably by herself. She would have liked to jog with Yukari, but despite the girl's position as manager of the track team, she didn't seem to have much physical prowess, and Hitomi couldn't bear to run at her pace.

 

Lord Grava Asturia High was built on a quiet city street. Hitomi had no idea there was a place in the city that was this quiet, but apparently there was. So, she was startled when a noisy motorcycle came growling down the road. The rider stopped in front of the track and took off his helmet. Even though he had his long blonde hair tied in a ponytail, there was no way he could be mistaken for a woman; even at that distance his physique was too powerful for a girl. The black biker gear probably made his shoulders seem broader and his hips narrower than they were in reality. It had to be Allen. Hitomi remembered her first analysis of him - built like an angel.

 

Hitomi veered off the track and across the grass to where he was now leaning against his motorcycle.

 

“Hey Allen,” she called as she approached him. “How did you know I was in class now?”

 

“Hey Hitomi,” he said, coming to talk to her through the chain link fence. It was taller than he was. “I've been looking for you and you have been impossible to track down.”

 

“I'm glad you're safe,” Hitomi said. “Was Van able to free the others as well as you?”

 

Allen exhaled through his nose heavily. “Yeah, he was. Fat lot of good it's done us though. Don't worry about us though, since it's not really your problem anymore. Eries told me that Van banished you from the Abaharaki. I'm curious. Why did he do that, Hitomi?”

 

“I knew that you weren't going to be happy about Van's decision not to come back,” she said, thinking only of Van's association with Allen. They were best friends.

 

Allen noticed the way she spoke about Van and revised his question, “I'm not talking about Van. I'm talking about you. Why did he send you away?”

 

“I'm supposed to finish high school and keep out of trouble,” she explained.

 

“Right … and are you able to do that with that dragon on your arm?” he asked. Of course he was perfectly able to see her dragon-moon tattoo while she was wearing her gym uniform. “Curious design you chose, Hitomi. Does it have any significance?”

 

“No,” Hitomi lied. “I just saw it on the wall when I went in to get it and thought it was cuter than the regular Abaharaki tattoo.”

 

“And Van approved of you getting it done like that?” Allen asked, looking doubtful.

 

“No,” Hitomi said, suddenly perking up. Van hadn't approved of her getting the tattoo at all. It had been all her own doing, and done behind Van's back. Once it was done, it was too late for Van to say whether her choice of tattoo had been a good one or not. Had she made a mistake somehow?

 

“Didn't think so,” Allen drawled. “It's kind of big, but I suppose you could have the moon lasered off when you realize what a moon means in our world, not to mention the dreadfulness of its location.”

 

“And what does a moon mean in your world?” Hitomi asked, ignoring his final comment.

 

“You haven't learned to give up on Van,” Allen said.

 

Hitomi didn't give an answer to his observation on purpose and moved onto something else. She wasn't going to argue with every person from the Abaharaki about Van's love life. They didn't understand and she was sick of the conversation and the implications that came with it. They didn't think she was good enough for Van, and she was young enough to be pissed off by it, even though they were misguided enough to make such comments. She and Van had misguided them together. In fact, they were purposefully lying to them. Hitomi couldn't get angry when they believed them. “What happened to Van? Do you know? I drove out to Aunt Flo's farm last weekend and they wouldn't tell me anything. Do know what happened?”

 

“A lot has happened sinceI got back from The Voltage Room,” Allen said, when suddenly he looked over Hitomi's shoulder. “It looks like we've finally caught the attention of your gym teacher. Look, she's coming. Well, should I disappear for the moment? I don't want to get you into trouble, but I really need to talk to you, Hitomi. Can I pick you up after school?”

 

“No,” Hitomi said, thinking of her father. He was coming to pick her up. She'd rather get in trouble with the school than with her father. “Have you got another helmet? I'll come with you now.”

 

“Sure, but …”

 

“Great,” Hitomi said. She grabbed onto the fence and scaled up to the top. Her shoes didn't fit into the links very well, but she had to know what happened to Van, and one quick look over her shoulder told her that her gym coach had started running to stop her.

 

“Kanzaki!” the teacher bellowed.

 

Hitomi didn't pay attention and jumped over the edge to land … smack in Allen's arms.

 

“I wouldn't have let a lady fall from that distance,” he said gallantly. He put her on her feet and handed her a helmet.

 

“Just go!” Hitomi urged, slamming the helmet on her head. The coach was almost at the fence.

 

Allen didn't put his helmet on, but just straddled his bike. He put Hitomi behind him and sped off quickly. Hitomi looked over her shoulder to see her coach yelling. She was going to be in big trouble when she got back to school. She guessed leaving school property in the middle of class wasn't going to earn her any credit.

 

Hitomi had never been on a motorcycle before, and she had to admit it was a whole new experience for her. The pavement moved so quickly under them and the wind was so crisp around her. Hitomi was wearing gym shorts and the speed Allen rode at was causing her gym uniform to feel like nothing. It was FREEZING! But … Hitomi realized that it wasn't a problem - she loved ice.

 

A few blocks away from school, Allen pulled into a gas station and stopped.

 

“Do you think this will give us enough space from your ogre of a gym coach?” he asked after he had stopped.

 

“Probably,” she answered, pulling off her helmet.

 

“I'll answer your questions if you'll answer mine,” he said. Maybe it was the first time Hitomi heard him talk sensibly to her when he wasn't hurt. Eries was right about him, he flirted with everyone.

 

“Oh, well,” Hitomi thought. “At least he's not as bad as Dryden.” Then she said out loud, “Of course. You go first.”

 

“Ladies first,” he said, sounding flirtatious again.

 

“That attitude won't get you anywhere with me,” Hitomi said, sick to death of being jerked around by skanky boys. She would have said something back at the school when he caught her if her gym teacher hadn't interrupted them, but now she had to say something. The incident with Dilandau had really freaked her out. She had let someone other than Van kiss her! She felt like a cheater, even though she thought it was Van, but now the incident with Dilly seemed like a dream - that she had been foolish to believe it. She wouldn't take any chances with Allen. She wouldn't lead him on even a little bit. “Talk to me like I'm Van or I'll run back to school,” she threatened.

 

“I wasn't treating you differently,” he countered.

 

“Sure you weren't. I'm serious. Talk to me like I'm a guy, or I won't tell you anything.”

 

“Fine, fine, fine. I still maintain that I'm not treating you differently, Lady Love, but I'll try to do what you ask. I'm here because Eries said that you saw Celena when you went to the Dragon Slayer hideout. I want to find her.”

 

“What happened after Miguel took you to the construction site?” Hitomi asked fervently, trying to figure out where she should start her story.

 

“I don't know. I was hit on the head again immediately after I was pulled out of the car. I was delirious and my head felt like it had been split in half, and when I finally woke up I was alone in a little room with nothing in it but a bed and a toilet. It was like a prison cell.”

 

“Did you try to escape?”

 

Allen flicked a stray strand of hair out of his eye. “Yeah, but it didn't do me any good. I just got the crap kicked out of me each time. Sometimes they tied me up - bastards.”

 

“Van told me he didn't think you were being tortured,” Hitomi said. “He thought there was a chance Dilandau was blackmailing Celena; threatening her that if she didn't do what he wanted, then they'd hurt you. Do you know if that was what was going on?”

 

Allen shook his head. “If that was going on, I had no idea. They didn't keep me with Jeremy, Richard and Nick.” Allen scoffed, “You should have seen the number the Dragon Slayers did on those boys.”

 

“What? Are they okay?” Hitomi asked, alarmed.

 

“From what I understand, none of them were hurt. Instead, Dilandau and Folken totally convinced them that the Abaharaki was the group that was at fault. Van disbanded us temporarily before I could come back and now that those brainwashed idiots have been talking to all our members about how wrong I've been about the Dragon Slayers, there's no way we'll be able to get back on our feet with our current membership.”

 

“What are they saying?”

 

“Well, everyone who's a member of the Abaharaki has a reason why. They've been hurt or damaged or something, and Dilandau and Folken talked to them for six weeks straight, and they've taught them all about how all of those things happened because of us. Basically, they've pinned the blame for every incident on the Abaharaki instead of the Dragon Slayers. Lots of the incidents even happened before we were formed, but somehow - and it's ridiculous - they've been able to convince everyone that we're wrong and it's their association with me that's been the cause of all their problems. Some of them have even joined up with the Dragon Slayers now and are prepared to completely betray us if given half the chance.”

 

“How is that even possible?” Hitomi gasped.

 

“In any rate, there are only four of us left now; Merle, Eries, Gaddes, and Chid. That's everyone.”

 

“You're kidding!”

 

“No, I'm not kidding. That's what's happened, and I feel sick to my stomach and outraged beyond …” Allen said stopping himself before he truly expressed his frustration. Then he raised his eyebrows and looked at Hitomi seriously. “Now tell me why Van ordered you away.”

 

Hitomi cocked her head and tried to think of a lie. “I love him, and he sent me away as his charming little form of rejection. I'm sure you know the story of his moon tattoo.”

 

“Yes, but I didn't think you knew it.”

 

“Well, he decided to wait for her, or at least that's the reasoning he gave Aunt Flo.”

 

“That doesn't make sense,” Allen said, looking perplexed. “He told me he wanted to protect you. There's no way he would have sent you home if he wanted to make sure you were safe. If you're home Dilandau can get at you at any time.”

 

“He changed his mind,” Hitomi said coldly. “Can we drop this already?”

 

“Fine,” Allen said, being charitable. “Then tell me about Celena.”

 

Hitomi took a deep breath and started, “I met her when I broke into the construction site. I broke a window to get in and I found her in a room.”

 

“Was she alone?”

 

Hitomi nodded. “I'm not sure what I should tell you,” Hitomi said, thinking about the syringe she found in Celena's hand and the marks Dilandau had engraved on her skin. “Most of it is pretty disturbing.”

 

“You'd better tell me,” Allen said, looking dangerous.

 

“She's Dilandau's girlfriend, I guess. I found her in his bedroom … and I'm afraid he's turned her into a bit of a drug addict,” Hitomi said, deciding not to tell him about the other part.

 

Allen nodded. “I'd expected that, but I didn't know Dilandau was the one who was keeping her under lock and key. Dilandau's not such a little puke as he used to be.”

 

“I saw him last week,” Hitomi said. “And yeah, he seems like a bigwig.”

 

“Last week?” Allen asked, his eyes large in astonishment. “How on earth did that happen?”

 

“I went to The Voltage Room to see him,” Hitomi confessed.

 

“Why?”

 

“Aunt Flo wouldn't tell me what happened to Van, so I thought if I approached Dilandau directly, I would be able to get more answers.”

 

“Oh really?” Allen asked, turning around on the motorcycle so he was facing her directly. “That was pretty reckless of you. Did you go in with twin revolvers on your belt or what? What made you think you could possibly walk away from that? Isn't Dilandau still worried you'll tell on him about Kristy?”

 

“The girl Millerna saw the Dragon Slayers beat up?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I don't think he's particularly worried that I'll tell on him,” Hitomi said.

 

“Why not?”

 

“Dilandau's got something on me. I sorta … I sorta … stabbed Miguel, so right now Dilandau and I are kind of at a stand still.”

 

“You stabbed Miguel! Did you kill him?”

 

“I don't think so. I think the Dragon Slayers came and got him. They came and burned Van's house down. Didn't Eries tell you all about this?”

 

Allen rubbed his chin. “She wasn't sure what had happened. She said something about it, but to be honest, I didn't believe that you'd actually done it. You seem like such a normal girl, maybe not easily frightened, but definitely normal. I just couldn't picture you doing something like that.”

 

“If I ever get charged for it, I'll count on you to testify as to how `normal' I am. Okay?” Hitomi said, wondering if it was okay to trust Allen with this much information.

 

“What happened when you went to see Dilandau?” Allen persisted, getting back on topic.

 

“He told me that Van joined the Dragon Slayers,” Hitomi said.

 

“Do you honestly believe that?”

 

“No. I don't, but Van seems to have disappeared into thin air. Where could he be? Unless you know what happened to him?”

 

“I have no idea. They escorted me from my cell straight to Gaddes, who drove us all out of there.” He paused. It looked like he was thinking hard and coming up with a solution. “Hey Hitomi, let's go to The Voltage Room tomorrow night and ask Dilandau where Celena is, unless you already asked him?” Allen asked hopefully.

 

“I didn't ask him,” Hitomi reluctantly admitted. “I didn't get a chance to ask him much of anything before he did something … so there is no way I'm going back to The Voltage Room. The scariest thing happened when I was there and there is no way I'm going back.”

 

“What happened?” Allen asked, looking sensitive - at least his eyes did.

 

“You're not going to believe this, but Dilandau … sort of … turned into Van.” Hitomi didn't think that Allen would believe that, but she thought there was no harm explaining the sort of dangers she'd encountered while there. “It was the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life. I have no idea what the deal is there, but there's no way I'm going there again!” Hitomi declared.

 

“What about Celena? You've seen her; you can't mean to leave her with Dilandau. She … is too …”

 

“I know,” Hitomi said, interrupting Allen's tirade, “Celena doesn't want to be there. I know. I get it, but I don't think that place can be trusted, and I don't think we'll get anything out of Dilandau. You're dreaming if you think we will.”

 

“I'll do anything to get her back. She's my sister! That's why I formed the Abaharaki in the first place. I want to find her and help her. Please Hitomi! At least think about it! Whatever Dilandau did, it was probably just a trick, and I have no one else to turn to. There's no way Eries or Merle will go with me, even though they want to help. You've already been there and obviously came out unscathed. You must have some sway with Dilandau or you wouldn't be here right now. Please help me,” he pleaded.

 

“Dilandau did say something the other night about Celena.”

 

“What?”

 

“He said that I would always be friends with him as long as I didn't mess with her,” Hitomi said uneasily. “Not that I'm friends with Dilandau. He just wants to confuse me and use me. He'll say anything to me as long as it keeps me pacified. He wouldn't want me to do anything rash, but I'm not going to The Voltage Room. That place is smack dab in the middle of their territory and they are the ones that are in charge - not us. You don't know what you'd be getting yourself into. Besides, Van sacrificed himself to save you. Do you really want his sacrifice to be in meaningless?”

 

“I appreciate what you're saying, Hitomi, but are you going to help me or not?” Allen said patiently. The man didn't even look frustrated as he stood there. Allen was older than Van by a couple years. He was twenty-four, Hitomi thought, but she wasn't sure.

 

It wasn't as though Allen's motives weren't pure. He wanted to save his sister. Hitomi remembered how pathetic Celena had looked when she crumpled in front of Dilandau and he dragged her away. Oh crap! Was Hitomi going to be able to turn her back on Allen? Van said he didn't want anything to do with the Abaharaki from now on, but he also said that he wanted to save Celena. Maybe he was even doing that now! What if their plans ruined Van's chances of actually getting her back? Oh! There was so much to consider.

 

“You'll have to give me some time to think about it,” Hitomi said.

 

“Should I take you back to school?” Allen offered, turning back around to mount the bike properly.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“By the way, Hitomi,” Allen said, grabbing her arm and turning her towards him. “I'm going against Van even speaking to you. Aunt Flo told me very seriously that I was to have nothing to do with you. If anyone finds out, I'll be honest and say that I went against Van's instructions. Are you okay with that?”

 

“Van says a lot of things,” she said callously, and put her arms around Allen's waist. “Just take me back to school. I've got to get to my next class.”