Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Wings ❯ Trama ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter Two: Trauma

Van carried Hitomi back to the castle as quickly as he could fly, arriving late that night. Flying quickly, and not all that steadily, Van was amazed that she some how managed to snuggle deep with in his arms and fall asleep, whether from her exhaustion or her pain. He landed as softly as possible and retracted his wings as he walked up the stone steps into the main hall. Glancing around quickly, he noticed Amano, Yukari, Merle, Allen, Dryden, and Milerna were waiting for them.

"How is she?" Yukari asked worriedly.

"She'll be ok, I guess." Van replied tiredly. "She passed out on the way home… I think that she's in a lot of pain. Adam caused a lot of damage."

"I'll take her so you can get some rest," Allen said, stepping up to Van, motioning for Van to hand her over to him.

Van resisted, not wanting to hand her sleeping body over to Allen, even if Allen was a long time friend, feeling as if he was losing her again, which was something he could not do.

"Van, you are exhausted. You should get some rest," Allen said. "Give her to me and go get some sleep. I'll bring her to her room. The room next to yours right?"

Van nodded jerkily as he gently set Hitomi in Allen's waiting arms. He attempted to walk forward, only to stagger a bit and nearly fall from exhaustion. Amano quickly grabbed Van before he fell to the floor, supporting his weight with an arm wrapped around Van's torso.

"Thanks, Amano," Van mumbled tiredly as Amano slung one of his arms over his neck. "I guess I am more tired than I thought."

"Flying takes a lot out of you," Merle supplied softly. "You should not have flown."

"I know, Merle, I know." He responded yawning heavily.

"We will leave you to your rest, your majesty," Dryden said, motioning to Milerna to accompany him to bed. Milerna's eyes lit up as Dryden winked at her, and she hurried after him.

"Come on, your majesty, let's get you to bed." Amano said, motioning to Yukari to accompany him. Yukari slung the king's other arm over her shoulders, and the two of them gently supported all of Van's weight, allowing the king to stagger quickly up to his room.

Allen looked down at the precious bundle in his arms, smiling ever so slightly. "She is so beautiful when she sleeps," he whispered softly.

"You had better be careful with that one, Allen, she could ruin everything." Merle spoke softly, but with a certain sneer to her voice.

"Aa, Allen, she could destroy everything we have worked so hard for these last seven years," a new voice sneered evilly. Allen and Merle's gaze snapped to where Dilandau was leaning, arms crossed, against a pillar in among the shadows of the main hall.

"Dilandau," Merle breathed. "I was wondering when you were bound to show up."

"I watch from the shadows, as always," Dilandau said smirking. "Wherever Van goes, I am always there, ready to stop him." He pushed off from the wall and sauntered up to Merle, towering over her, shifting his head to each side hypnotically as he smelled the scent of her bright red hair.

"Ah, Merle, you smell good." His nose turned up in a well-practiced smiling sneer as he clasped her close to him with one hand, causing her head to snap up to his, her eyes locking with his as she smiled. His head moved hypnotically from side to side again, his head just over hers, before he buried his nose in her hair and breathed in deeply, as his hand slipped up from his side into her long silky locks. Gripping her hair tightly, he snapped her head back carefully, to look deeply into her twin pools of sapphire.

Merle meowed in delighted pain ever so slightly as his hand twisted in her fiery locks. Dilandau leaned down over her, his lips capturing hers in a bruising kiss, his lips taking dominance over her. She mewed again, this time in passion, as she leaned willingly into his hard, lean, unyielding, muscular form. Dilandau broke off the kiss and pushed her roughly away, standing back grinning, his blood red eyes glittering.

"Mmm, Merle, you taste as good as you smell," Dilandau said.

"They say that evil always tastes better," Merle said carefully as she licked her lips.

Dilandau sneered and turned to Allen, "Allen, any idea how long my armor will take?"

"Not a clue" Allen replied smoothly. "It is difficult to create it undiscovered. Your physic, although similar to that of my sister, is hard to get with out raising some very uncomfortable questions we are not ready to answer yet."

"What about recruiting new Dragonslayers?"

"Same thing. We need absolute secrecy at this point of the game. Some potential Dragonslayers have been recruited and sent to Zaibach for training. I am trying."

Dilandau nodded, "Fine. Take the wench upstairs before you raise any more questions on why you are dawdling. I will meet you later at our spot." With that Dilandau turned on his heel and sank back into the shadows, pulling Merle with him.

Allen looked down at the sleeping bundle in his arms and sighed slightly. "How much more lovely you have become after all of these years," he whispered reverently as he stared at her peaceful face. "Do you know how you affect me?" He smiled a bit, but his smile withered as he thought of Van. "Why do you have to love him now? You used to love me so much, but I was too stupid to realize just what a prize you were. But now will be different," he pause contemplating her sleeping face. "Now I will get you back, I will protect you like he never could. I will treat you the way you should be treated, like the princess you are. If only I was not such an arrogant fool seven years ago when you were first here. If I had not been running away from Marlene's memory, you would be mine now. You would never have run to Van if I had not hurt you so badly. You would have been in love with me, you would be mine now."

Allen sighed, his thoughts incoherent and tangles, mixed with his thoughts of love for Hitomi and his anger towards Van stealing her away. He thought for a split second that maybe Van and Hitomi were actually meant to be, with both of them being cursed, but dismissed that thought out of hand, thinking that it was just not possible. He shrugged a bit then turned on his heel and carried his precious bundle up the carpeted stairs.

With one hand he held Hitomi close as he opened the door specified as her new bedroom with the other. He noted that her bedroom was connected to Van's, but dismissed it as part of Van's paranoid view over Hitomi's safety and the castle design. He pushed open the door with his shoulder and looked around the room, noting that this room was also the same one where she had dove off the balcony. He could even barely smell the remnants of the blood she left behind her when her wings exploded out of her back. He crossed the soft, dark blue carpet over to her huge, dark stained wood, four-poster canopied bed and laid her gently down on to the colorful quilt, watching mesmerized as her long hair spread over her sapphire pillows like a waterfall. Leaning down a bit, he pushed his sword hilt out of the way with one hand and reached out with the other to brush a strand of hair out of her face.

"Mmm," she mumbled as his hand contacted with skin.

He smiled a bit, then leaned down a bit farther and gently brushed his lips over hers, ever so lightly, so as to not wake her up.

"Van," she mumbled this time.

Jerking away, Allen sneered, whispering violently, "You will be mine, Hitomi, whether you like it or not." He stalked out of her room and closed her door quietly with a soft click, then turned on his heel and stalked out of the castle to a very private garden, known only to Van and himself, as he was Van's most `trusted' friend. The garden was a beautiful mix of elegantly shaped hedges and clusters of flowers and trees. The garden had a feel of almost being back in the Garden of Eden, decadent in its unashamed splendor.

"Took you long enough, Celestial Knight," Dilandau sneered, emerging from the shadows of the garden. He buttoned up his shirt and cracked his neck to each side insolently. "I was beginning to think you had gotten lost," Dilandau smirked.

He turned his head to watch Merle emerge from the bushes, her exquisite gown of fiery red hung half off of her body, the shoulder of the low cut bodice slipping down one shoulder as she held it to her with that arm. She adjusted the gown to sit in its proper place and laced it carefully up the back, pulling tight, then smoothed out her skirts, removing the wrinkles. She ran her fingers through her mussed hair and gently shook her head, so that her hair returned to its original position as waves of fire hanging like a waterfall down her back. She meowed a bit as she stretched upwards like a contented cat.

"It's about time, Allen," she said, her eyes becoming serious. "You are becoming too hung up over Hitomi already and she has only been here for a few hours. She is just another girl, you can have anyone you want, you have the Queen of Asturia, and all it seems that you can think of is Hitomi. It was better when she was still on the Mystic Moon. Dilandau, your thoughts?" Her voice was almost like venom this time.

"Hitomi is dangerous, but she is essential to our plans, remember? She will be the reason why Van will be destroyed, as well as all of Fanelia. She has the power of Atlantis, more than Van does. If we can crush their love, and use that power for our own plans, we can rule this world, and that of the Mystic Moon," he replied flatly.

"But how do you intend to do that, Dilandau? Rebuilding Zaibach was a good idea, as is recruiting for the Dragonslayers and the general army for our new and improved guymelefs, but how do you intend to keep this a secret for much longer? Your own position is tenuous at best, living in the body of my sister, and hiding you from everyone is incredibly hard. You had some brilliant plans for rebuilding and improving Zaibach, but I wonder how long you will be able to deceive Hitomi when you are Celena," Allen stated, one hand on his hip, the other on the hilt of his sword, his long blond hair swaying with the wind.

"You have so little faith in my abilities, Allen, Hitomi can try if she thinks that there is a problem, but she will never find me in Celena's consciousness. And Celena's absences from your side have already been explained as her tendency to take trips with Merle, or some other person. I am an expert, and Celena thinks that I am dead for good. She doesn't even remember you beating her every time you need to talk to me," Dilandau replied.

"Boys!" Merle inserted herself between the two men and held up her hands, one hand on each of their chests. "This bickering will get us no where. What we need is a plan of action, and an update from Zaibach."

Dilandau nodded, "The plan should be to lay low until Zaibach is done." He thought for a second. "Maybe the Celestial Knight could take an undercover trip to Zaibach to discover what is going on, with Celena, rather me of course."

Allen considered this for a second, "But how will I be able to take Celena? That kind of mission would be considered dangerous."

"Celena has been learning from the best, right? Then it is only natural that you would want to take your sister anyway to protect her and keep an eye on her. You could also say that this kind of mission is exactly what Celena needs to help her recover, to help her get confidence in her own ability to protect herself. Therefore, I'll be able to organize Zaibach's forces and met my new Dragonslayers, and finish their training."

"How much time will you need?" Allen asked concerned.

"Maybe a couple of months, we should have the time to pull this off, we could make it a long term scouting… to really `get a feel' for Zaibach's movements" Dilandau replied. "It should also be enough time for you to get a grip over your feelings for Hitomi."

Allen nodded. "Then I will announce my intentions to Milerna and Van in the morning, it is about time I got those two off my back." He paused for a second, and then continued, "Merle, will you do me a favor and watch over Hitomi for me?"

"Of course, Allen," she replied. She then turned to Dilandau and planted a careful kiss on his cheek. "Be safe, both of you." With that she turned on her heel and walked out of the garden and scampered up to her room in the castle.

*****

Hitomi opened her eyes slowly and blinked a few times. She stretched yawning a bit, and looked around. She took in her lush surroundings as she rolled over onto her back. She stretched a bit, wincing only slightly as pain lanced through her shoulders. She sat up and rubbed away the stiffness in her neck.

"Sleep well, my lady?" a middle aged woman asked, seemingly out of nowhere. She was garbed in traditional Gaean outfits, though it seemed like hers were a little worse for wear and not quite as tight. Her outfit was gray and black, with a white apron, which made her short, curly, bright red hair stand out all the more.

"Ne?" Hitomi responded half conscious, her hand running through her long tangled hair.

"Did you sleep well, my lady?"

"Hai, why do you ask, and who are you?" Hitomi asked groggily.

"I am Dasinai, I am here to serve you," she bowed humbly as she responded bubbly.

"Serve me?"

"Hai. I am here to help you dress and get anything you might need. His Majesty requested me personally to help you out. He mentioned that you came from the Mystic Moon, so I am also here to acquaint you with local customs and protocol."

Hitomi nodded.

"Would you like a bath, my lady? Unfortunately, we do not really have anything that would really fit you well, so I acquired some of His Majesty's clothing since you fell asleep in them last night. I also thought it would be more comfortable with the slashes down your back, though they look much better now than they did when I checked on you earlier. His Majesty said that he would send for a seamstress later to create you a wardrobe that would fit with local fashions."

Hitomi almost felt overwhelmed with the maid's bubbly personality, as she bounced cheerfully from one topic to the next. Hitomi could only smile at her, her warmth and honest caring was infectious.

"A bath would be fantastic, Dasinai. I would love to clean up a bit," Hitomi responded smiling broadly.

Dasinai smiled and gently took Hitomi by the arm and led her to the bathroom. Hitomi's eyes scanned the huge room, huge even though it was half the size of her own room. In one corner, it looked like there was a crude form of a toilet and sink. In another there was a towel rack, where two fluffy green towels hung and a chair that held a pair of folded khakis and a red shirt, like the ones she was wearing now. Next to that were a stool and a bucket filled with a scrub brush and soap, like old-fashioned Japanese bathrooms. Near that was an impressive sized tub, almost three times the size of a normal one, filled with steaming water. The tub had spigots, which apparently filled the tub. Apparently, Dasinai had already done so, anticipating Hitomi before they even met. With a nod of Hitomi's head, Dasinai excused her self, telling Hitomi to ring if she needed anything by the green pull cord hanging from the ceiling by the tub.

Hitomi slowly stripped off the tattered red shirt and pants and dropped them on the floor. Walking over to a mirror hung on the opposite wall, she turned around to look at the slices on her back. Two, two inch wide and over a foot long angry red jagged edged gashes marred the skin between her shoulder-blades, though slightly painful, they did not seem as bad as they were yesterday.

She sighed and bit down hard on the tatters of the shirt. Squeezing her eyes closed, she unfurled her wings. She opened her eyes wide when she realized the pain was bearable, and that she was only bleeding lightly. She giggled lightly when she saw the storm of red and brown tainted feathers littering the green and blue tiled floor.

She removed the pants and grabbed the bucket by the stool. Filling it, she sat over by the tub and poured it over her head, moaning in pleasure and the hot water rushed over her. She continued to pour warm water over her head until the water ran clear and all the blood from her back had washed away. Then she scrubbed herself clean, washing away remnants of dried blood and dirt, when what she really wanted to do was to scrub away the feel of Adams hands on her skin, though she knew she could never be able to do that.

When she was clean, including her feathers, she shook them out, testing out their flexibility and range of motion. Realizing they were more flexible than she previously believed, she tucked them in, though keeping the part closest to her back as flat as possible. Then she stepped into the tub, sinking deep into the hot water. Closing her eyes and sighing, she tried to forget everything and just relax.

Some time later, Dasinai knocked on the closed door, breaking Hitomi out of her reverie. Hitomi reluctantly opened her eyes and blinked. Looking down, she realized that she had been soaking long enough to make her fingers wrinkle.

"My Lady, daijoubu desu ka?" Dasinai asked gently.

"Hai, daijoubu. I just lost track of the time. I'll be out in a moment."

"When you are dressed, Her Majesty, Queen Milerna, would like a word with you."

"Arigato."

Hitomi stood and shook the water from her wings before retracting them into her back, which surprisingly only stung a bit. She grabbed a towel, quickly drying herself off and dressing, taking her time to dry her hair and run a brush through its length. She left the bathroom with the brush, brushing her hair into a long ponytail and securing it with a leather thong she found on the dressing table.

"Feeling better, Hitomi?"

Hitomi whipped around to face the origin of the voice. "Milerna, don't do that!" she bit out surprised. "You scared me!"

Milerna smiled, "I am sorry, Hitomi, I did not mean to. I did not realize that you were that jumpy. I would have thought that you would have felt safe here on Gaea."

Hitomi balked. "I… I do… I'm… I'm just not…" she pause her stammering. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, as if to compose herself and her sentences. She continued lamely, "I'm just not used to being on Gaea yet, Milerna."

Milerna raised an eyebrow inquisitively, but refrained from commenting on Hitomi's obvious discomfort. "Do you feel better, Hitomi?" she asked softly.

Hitomi nodded slightly.

"Let me see," Milerna demanded softly.

"Why?" Hitomi asked pointedly.

"Because I am your doctor, and your friend."

Hitomi sighed, closing her eyes for a second, then slowly removed her shirt and bra. Keeping her eyes closed, and the shirt held tight to the front of her torso, she let her wings expand, shaking out a shower of bright white feathers.

Milerna took in the sight carefully, noting that her back did not bleed and she did not wince. She walked up to Hitomi and gently placed her hand on her back between the wings. "Does this hurt at all Hitomi?" she asked softly.

"Not really. Very minor twinges at this point. I think they have been getting steadily better since I found out about them."

"Move the wings around."

Hitomi complied and moved them in their full range of motion, flexing them all the way forward and back, then up and down, with very little pain.

"Now try flying."

Hitomi complied by flapping her wings slowly and powerfully, lifting herself off the ground a bit. Landing softly, she spat out, "Are you finished yet, or are you going to poke, prod and test me some more?"

Milerna was a bit taken aback by Hitomi's attitude, but nodded, her face not showing her shock. "Retract your wings then I'll be done." After Milerna got a good look at Hitomi's bare back, she said, "I am done. Thank you for your patience, Hitomi."

Hitomi donned her clothing again, and turned to face Milerna. "What are your conclusions?"

"You are healing just fine. It looks like your Atlantean blood is helping you to heal much faster than an ordinary person. It also looks as if you are adjusting to your wings rapidly. You no longer bleed when your wings expand, and it is in my opinion that they will only get stronger with time. I am more concerned with your emotional state than your physical health."

Hitomi narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

Milerna bit back her anger. "Your attitude, Hitomi. You seem very blasé for someone who just went through that kind of trauma."

Hitomi grinned a bit. "Milerna, I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me, nor does Van. You don't need to pamper me like I am made out of glass. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"What do you mean by that, Hitomi?" Milerna asked confused.

"All of Vans' declarations of love. He doesn't mean them, he is merely trying to cheer me up, and make up for lost time." She replied simply, shrugging her shoulders.

"How could you say that, Hitomi!" Milerna asked incredulous.

"What? I deluded myself these last seven years. Why should he care now, just cause I got raped? Wake up, Milerna! He's only acting like this cause he wants to make sure that I don't run away from him again, like I did seven years ago, and yesterday." Hitomi snorted and shrugged.

Milerna stared at her in disbelief. She could not believe what was running through Hitomi's head. Then it dawned on her, and her eyes widened with the discovery. She was in denial about the whole situation. It was the only thing that made any sense. She also knew that it would take Van pounding sense into her head to get her to realize the truth. She also knew that Van would have to be strong enough to weather the other symptoms that would follow Hitomi's denial. He would have to be strong enough to support her through her anger, depression, and guilt, before he could help her to accept the truth.

"I think you are wrong, Hitomi. I think that Van loves you very much, but that is for you to figure out. Come, we are needed in the courtyard." Milerna said simply.

Hitomi nodded, ignoring Milerna's logic and followed her outside.

*****

Van watched as Allen fought the new recruits. Steel sparked against steel, as blows were parried forcibly. Swords charged towards the opponent, only to be parried by another sword, or blocked by a shield.

`These new people from the Mystic Moon are truly impressive. Even Allen is having a hard time with them," Van thought.

"Enough!" Allen said, halting his mock battle with Amano, both men covered in sweat and panting hard. Allen held his hand out to Amano, which Amano shook eagerly.

"Good job, Amano, I have never seen such skill here since Balgus," Allen stated plainly.

"I have been training intensively for all of my life, Allen, whether for track or martial arts." Amano held no pride in his voice as he answered simply and succinctly. He shrugged, "I've enjoyed this, thank you for the bout. I found it interesting to say the least. Though I have to admit, Hitomi could kick your ass right now, cause she can easily hand me mine." Amano grinned and walked back over to Yukari, who was wiping her sweat off of her neck as she had just finished a similar bout of her own.

She walked over to Amano and hung a clean towel around his neck, pulling him close. "Have fun?" she asked.

He nodded then kissed her gently on top of her head and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as he turned to face Van.

"Your thoughts, Van?" he asked.

"Impressive, you two, I have rarely seen equal to your skill." Van thought for a moment, then his face light up with an idea. "Care to try me out there on the field?"

"At the moment, your majesty… no. I think there is someone else you might like to try on for size first."

Van looked at Amano confused, and then turned his head to where Amano was looking. His face lit up as he saw her, walking calmly next to Milerna, her long hair in a pony tail and garbed in the same clothing he was wearing, red lose tank top and beige pants.

"Hitomi," he said walking up to her. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Better, thanks," she responded.

"Any more pain?"

She shook her head and rotated her shoulders to show him. "Nope, I'm fully healed now."

He looked over to Milerna who nodded in agreement.

"Care to try me on the field?"

Hitomi raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Which weapon?"

"Sword, if you would prefer."

"If I remember correctly, that was your favorite weapon next to Escaflowne."

He smiled and nodded, motioning for two swords to be brought to them.

She grasped the long, katana easily, swinging it around in precise circles to test its weight and balance, then sank back easily into a defensive back stance to await Van's attack.

Van charged with all the ease and grace that years of training could bring him. His attack was smooth and aggressive as she parried his attack with her own blade. Jumping back, she settled back into another defensive front stance, waiting his attack. Van attacked again, and she defended herself perfectly, her attention directed at reading his attacks, testing out his style and skill.

Then she attacked. She attacked him with all the anger and bitterness in her heart. Her thrusts were calculated just to get through his defense, to test the limits of his skill. She slashed at him, feigning a blow across his stomach, which he blocked, then slammed a fist into his gut.

Van was unprepared for a physical hit from Hitomi. Grunting in surprised pain, he brought his sword around just in time to block her next attack, this time more wary of her hands and feet.

`Something's wrong,' he thought as they continued to fight. He could sense something from her that he could not put his finger on. She almost seemed angry, yet depressed at the same time. He could not tell if the anger was directed at him or herself, but it was definitely translating itself in her vicious attacks.

He decided to take actions to get a better idea of what was wrong. He attacked her through one of her own attacks, his sword sliding harshly against the blade of her sword, forcing her sword hand up and over her head. With the other hand, he blocked a fist aimed at his face. He rotated his sword so it lay against her throat as he grabbed her empty hand and spun her around so her back collided with his chest. He was hoping to get her to drop the sword, for he had her completely off balance, the sword was only going to stop her from breaking free.

As expected, she dropped the sword to elbow him in the gut, causing him to drop his own sword. She whipped around and attacked him viciously, her pain finally registering on her face.

Understanding dawned on Van. `She blames herself for getting raped, and is angry at herself for not being able to defend herself.' He thought, having seen this type of emotion many times before from warriors who could only watch as tragedy happened all around them.

He was barely able to block her kicks and punches, since she was lashing out with all of her hate and anger. He knew that he had to wear her down to get through her defenses. It was very important that he do so, or she would never be able to forgive herself and heal.

Milerna, Amano, Yukari, and Allen watched this battle with concern. Van seemed almost cocky at the beginning, but then it seemed that something slapped him across the face, as Hitomi's attacks kept getting more and more violent. They watched with trepidation as her emotions sped across her features, and Van altered his style seemingly to counter her rage. To them, it seemed like there would be no end to this battle, that neither of them had the advantage, that it would only cease when either one of them was able to pin the other permanently. All but Allen hoped that Van would be able to pin Hitomi, as it seemed to be that that might be the only way to help their friend out of her depression, and help her get a grip on what happened to her.

Van could tell that Hitomi was tiring, just as he was, though he was determined to win this bout, no matter what it took. He needed to win; he needed to show her that she was not to blame, that he truly did love her. He needed her to face her fear and guilt, so that she could heal.

He swept a leg out, knocking her feet out from under her. She refused to go down, as she flipped away from him, and then ran in to attack. He blocked her attack, and turned her attack against her, unbalancing her for his next attack. He swept her feet out from under her, watching her fall heavily to the ground. Still having the advantage, he pushed her shoulder roughly down to the ground as he straddled her, settling his weight against her hips, keeping her down. He grasped her wrists and roughly pulled them up over her head, pinning them with one hand.

Hitomi's eyes widened as she found herself in the same position Adam had restrained her in. Tears of frustration leaked out of her eyes as she tried to buck him off of her with no success.

He leaned his head down till his face was right next to hers, his grip loose and gentle, but unyielding. "Stop, Hitomi," he commanded softly. "I am not going to hurt you. I could never hurt you, and you should know that, as well as the reason why."

Hitomi's eyes opened wide in shock as her struggles abruptly stopped.

"Hitomi," he continued just as softly, his voice gently. "I promised that I would protect you and I failed when Adam attacked you. But I swear to you that so long as you are here in Gaea, there will be nothing that could stop me from getting to you in time, and from now on, not even the barrier that separates Gaea from the Mystic Moon can keep me from you."

"Van…" she whispered, not sure of anything anymore. Somehow, she felt safe in his grip, even though it was the same position that had so many horrible memories. Maybe it was because she was on Gaea, or she was in her beloved's arms. She did not know, but she relaxed suddenly, her anger, resentment, blame, bitterness, and depression seemed to dissipate as she lay there feeling his hot breath in her ear. Reality slapped her across the face, as events from the last few days came to the forefront of her memory.

The sheer brutality of it hit her heavily, but the realization that there was nothing she could have done to stop him also washed over her as she reanalyzed Adam's actions. He had been prepared, he had premeditated the act, and ready to counter any resistance on her part.

Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes in hot, wet lines, as she finally faced it all, her fear, her feeling of powerlessness, and even her own feelings for the man who held her down to the ground. A man whose only purpose was to make her face this, as if he knew that she had to, so that she could heal her pain and move on with her life; a man who seemed to love her with all of his heart, even though she had been defiled.

Van saw her tears and grinned inwardly, knowing that she was going to be all right. He got off of her and scooped her up into his arms, holding her close to him, letting her cry into his chest, her tears soaking the front of his shirt as she clutched him. He stroked her hair and back, comforting her in her greatest pain, unconsciously sending waves of reassurance and love over their psychic link.

Tearfully, she looked up at him, and he raised a hand to her face, cupping her cheek as he wiped her tears away with his thumb.

"It is all right, Hitomi, everything will be alright now," he said softly.

She nodded and sniffed gently, composing herself.

Van stood, Hitomi still cradled in his arms. He let her slide down his chest, setting her gently on her feet and took her hand in his, lifting it gently to his mouth as he placed a soft kiss on the back of it. He looked up then, looking over to where the others were watching. Still holding her hand, he led the both of them over to Yukari and Amano, letting them comfort their friend, as Milerna smiled, relieved that Hitomi was going to be fine.