-94-
Van walked slowly down the hall, desperately trying to control his breathing. All day Sunday and all day Monday. It was Tuesday morning, and still, no sign of Shiro or Kerenai! Normally, there probably wouldn't be a problem. But Shiro was so emotional when he left. He wouldn't be able to think clearly! And Kerenai would've brought him back by now! She must've not been able to find him! Or maybe she was lost. People had been known to get lost for a week in the royal forest!
He stopped. Took a deep breath. In. Out. And just fell to the ground, spreading his wings as he fell. Van knew it was wrong to react that way, but he couldn't help it. His breathing was labored now, and he could feel his mind slipping away. No matter what he did, he couldn't stop thinking about what might have happened to Shiro. He could feel his throat tighten, his eyes swell, his lungs explode. It was too much. Too much pain for one person to bare! He thought that day with the Ispano was pain. It was nowhere near close. Besides. That was only a few hours. He didn't think this pain would ever go away. Even if Shiro walked through that door right that minute. But he didn't. He didn't. It was maybe that particular hall and find Van, lying in a puddle of his blood and tears. Yes. Yes, it was true. His wings, his black, deathly wings were dripping and oozing of his blood.
-95-
The sound of Kerenai's palm hitting D'Artagnan's cheek reverberated through the trees.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"I…I…I'm…"
"No! I don't even want to hear it!"
"Let me explain, I…"
"Stop! How many times do I have to tell you?"
"But, I…"
"No! Just…just…" She started to back away towards the shack. "Just leave me alone." Gone. She was gone. Inside the house. Gone.
-96-
"Hey, Hiroki, have you seen Chu-ni around? I can't find him anywhere!" the hyperactive cat-girl said as she skipped into the Dining Hall. Her face twisted. "I'm going to wring his little neck!"
"Big surprise! Not that I'm ever able to find him, but I haven't seen him since Sunday. Why? What did he do now?"
She held up a pair of pink underwear. "I FINALLY found my underwear! In HIS room! The perverted little brat! I'm gonna…"
Hiroki, much to Merelu's surprise, was laughing.
"Nani? Do shite? You…You're laughing at me?"
Hiroki shook his head 'no', still laughing. "It's just…wouldn't it be funny if he had followed Shiro and Kerenai?" Suddenly, he stopped laughing. "Oh, shit."
-97-
Hitomi. If Hitomi were here, she would know what to do! If Hitomi were still…
Van looked down at the objects in his hands. Hitomi had tried to explain to him what everything was, but it was so hard to remember.
There was Hitomi's "Fuku", her "Track Uniform", the "CD player", and the "CD". Van looked at the "CD". Hitomi told him once that she found this CD in a market in Asturia. He put the "CD" in the "CD player" and hit the button that said "0". It made an odd sound, and then music started coming out of it. Van started wondering about Hitomi. "Wait! How was this 'CD' in Asturia if they only existed on the Mystic Moon?" he thought. It didn't make sense. Well, there were other people from the Mystic Moon on Gaea, but not one since his Hitomi's grandmother's time! How could…
A knock at the door. Van snapped to. He pressed the button that said "C" and got the door. It was Hiroki. He was sweating, and looked VERY pale. "Hiroki! Come in! Sit down! What's the matter?"
Hiroki bowed politely. "Excuse me, Van-sama, damo…"
Van looked up. "Hai?"
Hiroki hesitated, then, determined, stood up straight. "I have reason to believe that Chu-ni may have followed Kerenai and Shiro."
Van's eyes widened in fear. "No…"
"What are we going to do if they don't…" Kerenai stared at the ground. "What if Chu-ni doesn't wake up?" She looked back at D'Artagnan. "What if Shiro has another 'vision'?"
Shiro was asleep now, in what Kerenai hoped was a peaceful slumber. She was very worried about the two miyas. Especially Shiro. But she knew that he'd be okay physically, at least for now. Which was good. 'But what about Van-sama?' she thought. 'He must be worried sick!' If she could just go back to the Palace, even for a minute, to get Van, then he could come see Shiro, and both of them would be so much happier. But she couldn't leave him alone!
"Don't worry. If Chu-ni doesn't wake up in an hour, I'll go get the doctor. And Shiro will be okay. He's strong. He'll pull through. I know. He'll be just fine." D'Artagnan smiled brightly to cheer Kerenai up. He felt so bad about what had happened before and was surprised that Kerenai was even talking to him again. Maybe she just couldn't keep it all bottled up inside. Either way, D'Artagnan was truly intrigued. Perhaps because no woman had ever refused his advances before.
Megumi opened the large, wooden door with her free hand. As she looked into the grand court hall, she felt her grasp on the breakfast tray slip. When she let go of the doorknob to save the tray, the door slammed back shut with a large 'thud'. Megumi cringed.
"Mistress won't be happy about this!" she thought.
She reached back to open the door again, but it flung open just as she was turning the knob. There she was, the duchess, standing in her nightgown, fuming. Why did this always have to happen?
"Megumi, is there a reason you slammed the door?"
Megumi blushed. She attempted to bow, but failed miserably.
"Gomen nesai, Mistress. I didn't mean to disturb your sleep."
"Like hell you didn't! You did it on purpose, didn't you? Why you little…" As her hand rose in the air to strike Megumi, Megumi pulling away, another hand grabbed the duchess' wrist.
"Don't do something rash, dear."
Megumi looked up. Chid. Megumi bowed, leaving the tray on the floor at her feet and excused herself. She didn't want to get involved.
Shiro sat up slowly. That first moment after waking up got him, every time. He stretched, yawned, and smiled contentedly, throwing his feet over the side of the bed. That's when the pain hit. He grabbed his throbbing head, which only hurt a little more than the rest of his body. Shiro bent over forwards just in time for the dizziness to set it. What was going on?
Shiro looked down at his hands. They were red. Red with blood. But whose blood? When he looked up, he saw his father, but young, like himself, maybe 15, dripping in blood, dizzy with pain limping towards…Merelu, Allen, and…his mother! Shiro's mother! For an instant, Shiro was happy, just like when he first woke up, but then the pain flooded over him again, only somehow worse. He felt his skin ripping, being torn off, and bleeding. Shiro and Van stood and screamed in pain as both spread their snow white wings, stained with blood and fell to the floor. As his surroundings slowly returned to D'Artagnan's shack, Shiro sighed because he realized that it was just a "vision: and the pain would go away soon. He wasn't really even bleeding!
But the pain didn't stop. All the pain just got worse and more intense. It was like someone was trying to rip him apart. Shiro opened his eyes just long enough to see Kerenai and D'Artagnan, and to notice the blood-soaked white feathers floating through the air.
Van sat up. What would wake him from such a silent sleep?
"Shiro," Van whispered.
Somewhere, Van knew that his only son was in pain. Van couldn't take the waiting anymore; he had to find Shiro!
Van stood from his bed and quickly took off the bandages around his upper body. He felt the stinging as the quick tearing opened up some wounds. As he strained to spread his massive black wings, there was a knock at the door.
Van let out a painful cry as he managed to achieve full wingspan.
The door opened and a worried Allen and a frightened Serena stood in the doorway.
"Nani? Where…What are you doing, Van?" Allen blurted out, as he took two large strides towards Van.
Short of breath, Van whispered into Allen's ear, "Just make sure there aren't problems here while I'm gone."
Allen closed his eyes in meditation. "Ho."
"I don't want any trouble with," he lowered his voice even more, "DILANDAU."
Allen's eyes shot open in horror just in time to see Van disappear out the window. He turned back to see Serena, peaceful Serena struck with fear. Allen took a step towards her, concerned.
She flinched.
Her eyes watered up, and she wiped them, head down, with her sleeve.
When she looked back up, Allen gasped.
She was smiling.
And her eyes, normally sky blue, were a deep, dark, fiery red.
"What do you mean, 'he's gone'?"
"Well, Merelu, he just left." Allen was trying and failing miserably, to calm her down.
"Why does this all have to happen right before my wedding? It's in a month, and I'm gonna kill someone if it's messed up!"
Allen was desperately gasping for air as the Palace cat-girl slowly tightened her grip around his neck, obliviously.
"Don't worry, Merelu," Allen explained. "Everyone and everything will be back to where and how it's supposed to be before then. There's absolutely nothing to get so >cough< excited about."
-103-
"No! Let go of me!" Kerenai was struggling to get her arm out of D'Artagnan's grasp to put on her other shoe, or rather, Shiro's other shoe.
"Kerenai, you can't just leave me alone here with Shiro and Chu-ni! What happens if the doctor doesn't show up in the next hour? What if Chu-ni wakes up? What'll I tell him? I need you here!"
Kerenai finally escaped from D'Artagnan's hand. "I have to get Van-sama! It's more important! He might know more about what to do! I just…" She stopped and then finished lacing her left boot. "You can do it without me."
"Maybe I don't need you here, but Shiro needs you here!"
And with that, Kerenai picked up her sword and ran out of the front door of the shack.
-104-
As Kerenai ran through the forest she came to a clearing just in time to see a strange shadow pass by. She looked up, but the glare made it difficult to see. She ran through the trees, looking up to make sure she was going the right way. At least three times, she almost slammed right into a tree. Pretty soon, she got a good view of the shadow-caster. "O-sama!" she gasped.
Van looked down to see where the familiar calling came from. Then he saw Kerenai, panic-stricken. He swooped down, worried, knowing something was wrong. "Kerenai! What is it? What's the matter?!"
Kerenai was half-speechless, as she tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Finally she managed to say "Shiro's this way!" and run in the direction of the shack.
-105-
Van stopped. He put his hand over his mouth, and fell to his knees. His son, the person he loved most in this world was in so much pain!
The doctor, who had just finished his examination, stood up, shaking his head. He turned to see the king, and realizing who he was, fell to one knee and bowed his head. "O-sama!"
Van forgot about the treaties, and appearances, and secrets. All he cared about was Shiro. "How is he?" Van stood and grabbed the doctor's arms. "You're a doctor, ne?" Van shook him as hard as he could. "Well, how is my son?!"
The doctor's eyes widened, and then he lowered his head. "I have to be honest. I don't know what's wrong with him. He's bruised and bleeding, but it's almost as though all the injuries were caused from the inside!"
Van froze. There was no way the blood pact could effect Shiro as well, was there? No. No, it couldn't be! Now that he thought about it, all the injuries were in the same places as his had been over seventeen rotations ago! But Escaflowne wasn't…There were only two people who would know what to do; Hitomi, who was just slightly inaccessible, and Dryden.
Van stepped over to Shiro, letting go of the doctor. He leaned over his moaning son and kissed his nose, which wasn't hurt. Then he whispered, "Try to think of the most beautiful girl in the world. That always helps me."
He turned to Kerenai and bowed. Kerenai blushed bright red: the king was bowing to her. Quickly, she got to one knee and said, "O-sama, if there is anything I can do for you, anything at all, just ask."
Van stood and looked at Kerenai. She was very much like Hitomi. "Please, Kerenai, if you'll stay with Shiro a little longer, he need's someone here that he knows."
Kerenai looked up in surprise. "Nani? Aren't you going to stay here, O-sama?" She turned crimson and bowed her head again. "Excuse me, O-sama! That was out of line, O-sama."
Van frowned. "Please, you needn't be so formal now. But to answer your question, I am leaving for Asturia."
"Asturia!?"
"Yes, Dryden knows what to do, I'm sure. And, well, I guess I'm the fastest messenger that Fanelia has. You look confused. Is there something you want to ask me?"
Kerenai, unassuredly, stood and took a step towards Van. "Why are your wings black?"
Van's eyes widened. He forgot that she knew, but did she know about Shiro, too? "A Draconian's wings turn black when he's going to die." Kerenai gasped. "But I'm not going to die. It's just…It's just that part of me died when Hitomi passed away."
Kerenai's eyes summed up the fear she felt. "Shiro's not going to die, is he?"
Van looked at his feet. "I should go now." And with that, he ran out of the shack, spread his wings, and leapt into the air.