Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Salvation: In the Arms of The Angels ❯ Chapter 6 ( Chapter 7 )

A/N: I know. I know. I take my sweet time in writing the next chapter but I need the juices flowing to get anything I deem worthy of posting -_-; *sigh* Anyway, here is the next chapter!

Disclaimer: You know the gig by now, me no own, me wish though. But can't. Me cry about it a lot too.

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Heather tossed and turned in a restless sleep, twisting the burgundy covers of her bed around her petite body. She shot up panting with the light shinning in threw her window on the left wall.

`That dream again…what does it mean? Who was that man with the dark hair? And why does he keep calling to me? Hmm, I must be going insane.'

"Heather-chan! Are you awake?" Deziree bounded in with Ashtik running behind her. Deziree pounced on the bed cat like and sat down looking at Heather while she backed up to keep from getting hit when Deziree jumped on the bed.

"Yo guy, about time you woke up." Ashtik giggled.

Heather just smiled the best she could while on the inside she had complete turmoil over that dream. She sighed and asked if they could go out while she got dressed. Even if she hated cloths in general.

After the other girls left, Heather got up and put on the same cloths as she had on the other day. She didn't really have many other cloths with her to chose from that would work for what she would have to most likely do today. Even though she knew she wouldn't be able to and most likely have Deziree end up doing it for her.

"God, there is no way I'll be able to fight him!" She said in a frustrated tone to herself.

"Fight who?" She spun on her heels to see who had said the snide remark only to come face to face with a grinning Dilandau.

"What do you want?" Heather regretted growling that at him the second he grabbed her by the throat. She made a strangled sound in her throat as she clawed his hands trying to get him to let go while he lifted her off the ground easily.

"Don't you fuck with me you little bitch! I could kill you like that," He snapped his fingers on his free hand, "and I wouldn't care any less if you were dead or alive. Do you understand me?" She nodded the best she could.

"That's a good girl. I'll be seeing you at the training arena later this morning." With that he turned and stalked out leaving her dazed and startled from their encounter after he released her.

"But I don't know how to use a sword…" She said it more to her self then to anyone else if they were listening. But no one was in the room. She was completely alone in her temporary room. Just as she got to her feet and dusted her self off, the others choose to come in at that moment cheerfully, oblivious to what had just taken place moments before.

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The girls walked in, while Heather lingered behind not wanting to face the challenge that lay ahead of her.

One that would be too difficult for her to say the least. They had been early so none of the others were here yet, so maybe if she was lucky she could get a quick run through on it.

Deziree walked over to the weapon rack and picked up a sword and tested its weight.

"Eh! Watch it with that thing; you could kill someone with that!" Heather shouted as she jerked away from her amazon-based friend.

"That's the point," She points the tip at Heather's stomach for emphasis "of a swords existence, Heather. I thought you of all people would know such a thing." She pulled the sword away from her blonde companion and uses it to indicate the weapon rack. "Now choose a light one and hurry, we most likely don't have a lot of time to get you ready, if any at all."

"What about the one you're holding? Isn't that a light one?" Heather said with that passive tone of hers as she strolled over to the rack to pick out a lighter sword as Deziree had suggested.

"Afraid not Heather-chan; Besides, I picked this one out so I claim it as mine."

Heather took a sword down from the rack and tested it to find it another failure for the seventh time. She didn't bother to look at her or glance over her shoulder when she replied.

"You mean for the time being?"

"Well, yes. But does it make any difference? It's still too heavy for you with your `chicken arms', as you like to call it." She waited impatiently for her friend to find one; on the ninth try she did just that.

Heather pulled out a katana just like all the others but it felt lighter to her frail arms. It was in a brown sheath the looked ordinary compared to the slayer's brass covered swords. She tested it again just to make sure. Then she pulled the sheath off of the sword itself and swung in through the air.

It felt clumsy in her delicate hands. She was never much of a fighter although she did her fair share of squabbles when she was younger. But those were days long gone as her days of youth came closer and closer to an end. Soon she would have to choose a husband out of a few suitors that had been pestering her father for months since he took her to the ball that high status citizens are expected to go to.

Another thing she was not looking forward too. Maybe if she were lucky her father wouldn't force her into that. He never really forced her into much unless it was truly for her benefit.

She looked up to see Deziree tapping her toe impatiently and Ashtik standing near the wall for good measure. She obviously didn't want her head lopped off.

"Well? Are you ready yet? We don't have much time to waste ya know." Deziree had her hands balled on her hips and tapping her foot. All the while she still held the sword.

"I'm never gonna be fully ready Dez." Heather sighed in response.

"Then we should practice NOW!" At that Deziree crouched into a fighting stance.

Heather tried to imitate the stance but had much trouble considering she couldn't remain standing that way for more then five second because it put too much strain on the back of her legs and they would give out.

"We're doomed!" Ashtik groaned as heather fell for the third time.

"Not yet. If we're lucky, I can get Heather prep'd and ready for battle…but then again…" She hung her head as Heather fell on her rear end for the ump' tenth time and join her comrade in silent prayers for mercy from Dilandau. They both moaned, "God help us all" in unison while Heather staggered to her feet.

"Ow…I can do this! I swear! I just… just need some more time…yeah…"

"Time is one thing your out of I'm afraid. Well, not really afraid." Dilandau snickered at Heather as he strode into the room with his slayers walking obediently behind him.

He walked to the middle of the training arena and drew his sword slowly to `freak' Heather out, there by giving him even more of an advantage then before with what little of a defense she had down.

Heather surveyed her surroundings looking for an escape route to get out of this `asylum' as she saw it, while she walked slowly towards her freshly made advisory. All she saw was the door being blocked by the slayers; intentionally or unintentionally, she did not know; and ventilations shafts with their grates screwed on tight by the looks of it, and there were no windows.

She took in a long shaky breath as she stepped up to Dilandau attempting to mentally ready herself for death. Her heart thundered in her ears as she let out her breath in a small sigh while Dilandau grinned devilishly as he slowly dropped into a fighting stance.

He motioned for her to make the first move still with that confidant grin plastered to his face. She reluctantly dropped into a stance then rushed forward not giving her legs a chance to give out on her. She brought her sword down vertically. Dilandau pried it easily and pushed her back to stagger a few steps behind trying to remain standing but he didn't give her the chance.

He charged at her with sword pointed at her, she brings her sword up only to have Dilandau pry it out of her hands. Her sword flew across the room and landed on the floor with an audible clang. Dilandau rammed her, knocking her off balance. She fell onto her back, when she looked up his sword was pointed directly between her eyes, and then moved it down to her neck.

"Your dead, I win." He said as he pulled his sword away from her neck, Heather subconsciously rubbed wear the point had hovered over her delicate skin. "You weren't a challenge at all, how pitiful." He turned his back on her and walked over to his slayers, bidding them release from duty for an hour.

Heather propped her self up on her hands; at the same time Deziree walked over to her, reached down, while putting her feet on Heather's, and took a hold of her hands and yanked her to her feet in one simple motion. Heather wobbled for a moment; when she steadied herself she turned to her friend and said thank you.

"Catch."

At that moment Heather turn around just in time to duck from being hit by a sword that was tossed to her after Dilandau said catch.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Pick it up!" Dilandau dropped once more into a fighting stance and stood that way for a few moments while Heather held the sword blinking at him.

"Um…excuse me but what do you want me to do exactly?" Heather straightened her back standing some what side ways in relation to him, still blinking in confusion.

"We are going to do a little hard work," he looks at her condescendingly, "that is long over due."

Deziree answers before anyone else can, "And that's supposed to mean…?" She rolls her hands for emphasizes.

"Since you obviously are unable to fulfill you boasts of superiority, `I' will force you to rise at least to the standards of our army's lower ranks through intense training. Wither you agree to these terms or not. Now are we going to begin or must I do this while you just stand like a fool's play toy?" He says as he remains in the fighting stance as before.

"Well what da ya know! I think he's choosin' to help us!" Exclaims Deziree

"How presumptuous, what makes you think I'm doing this for your good? If you must stay with us as our guests then you at least have to have some dignity by being able to defend your selves for the most part. Now hurry it up! I don't have all day you know!" Dilandau by now was getting frustrated and didn't fail to mask it.

Heather gulped but begrudgedly complied with his insensive demands and dropped it a stance that she could get as close as she could to a normal one with out falling and charged.

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Three months later (in Gaean time)

Heather yelped in mild alarm as she was pushed off balance by her sparring partner and close friend, Deziree, as she once again got the upper hand and knocked her to the floor for a third that week. `Dilandau is gonna be so pissed…' Her thought was echoed by the haughty captain as he yelled her name. `…joy…' She thought as she picked herself off the floor, Deziree grimaced at her apologetically as Heather turned to walk over to Dilandau but not without flickering her eyes to her comrade in reigniting of her silent apology.

Her once light body mass was now more stockier with the developing muscles that she started to form with the vigorous training that Dilandau had been putting all three girls through. Ashtik had at numerous times called it `hell let out of its cage or pit'.

When she had walked up to the fussing tyrant she was immediately slapped across the face and knocked to the ground before she could ask him what he called her for.

"What was that?!" He roared at her rising form.

"What was what, Lord Dilandau?" Venom hid in the words mockingly as she stared at him in fake obliviousness to the thing he was insinuating to.

"You know what I mean Goldie Locks! By now you should be able to be doing what Deziree does to you! Or do I need to do a little one on one with you again?" He stated the last part with sadistic pleasure.

Heather eyes opened wide in vague fear, she didn't want to go through that again and she would do all in her power to avoid it. Last time was not even close to anything close to boring.

"Yes Sir! I will see to it that I will be able to beat my opponent by the end of the month."

He simply glared down at her then spun on his heels and stalked off in an air of haughtiness to another part of the training room. Heather let out a sigh of relief from the tension that was created by just the mere presence of Dilandau.

She looked around the room as she trudged back to her friends. Deziree was currently sparring with Ashtik, winning easily mind you.

"Hey, why doesn't Dilandau bug you Asya? You lose to Dez' more then I ever have." Mirth ranged from her soprano voice.

"I dunno know and I'm not complaining. Yo, what was that all `bout anyways?" Ashtik answered while rubbing her rear after getting up from her current sparring partner's onslaught.

"I swear Ashtik that you don't have ears! Or just selective hearing, she just said why doesn't he bother you as much as he bothers Heather for losing in a sparring match."

"Who?" With that Deziree and Heather threw their hands in the air in exasperation.

Just as they were about to retort back to their dumbfounded friend, a blinding white light fell from the ceiling and enveloped everyone in the room. Heather faintly remembered thinking `not again…' as she rose into the air with everyone else and passed into blackness that was unconsciousness.

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A/N: Sorry if that's too short to your liking but I got the literacy test to do tomorrow :s and I have to do…stuff… to get ready for school like make my lunch, get everything together, etc. and its already late. Which me luck Don't forget to R&R, it helps make everything go a little more smother ;)