Destiny's Pawns ~~~Chapter 23~~~

[Hitomi Lei]

A/N you haven?t missed a chapter?this one just starts out rather abruptly...the first few scenes are happening at the same time...




Libra let out a long scream as the airship shuttered violently.

"Ren, what's happening!?" She yelled over the chaos.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Ren grabbed a hold of the wall and headed toward the wheel. Libra made her way toward Folken's room. He was huddled in a corner crying. She tried to reach him as fast as the bucking ship would allow, but she couldn?t. With one last mighty shudder the airship stilled. Then, as if a giant hand had slapped it, the airship went plunging toward the waiting ground.

"Oh, God. NO!" Libra reached for her child and pulled him close to her. The last thing she remembered before the jarring impact was Folken's cries and her own voice. "Van...!"


~~~~~<@ @>~~~~~


Ren arrived in the wheelhouse to see the pilot struggling to hold it steady.

"What?s the problem here?" Ren asked trying to hold her voice level.
The first mate yelled to the pilot at the wheel, both of them to busy to talk to Ren.

"She's losing pressure. The left levy stone is unstable. We are droping altitude fast, estimatied time until the left levey stone gives out is 10 seconds.?The pilot fought to keep the airship afloat.

Ren watched in horror as he lost his battle to control the ships stability. For one frightening moment the world seemed to go still, nothing moved. Then the First mate spoke, "We just lost the left levy stone!"

Ren felt the floor fall from beneath her feet as the airship dipped down toward the ground below. Her head slammed into something hard and Ren's world went black.


~~~~~<@ @>~~~~~~

Van flew as fast as he could toward Frieds boarder with Bashram. Memories of a similar flight from that night so long ago came to him in brief flashes.

'"What do you think your doing, Van?" Allen had yelled as Van stood at the window.
" I'm going to find her!"

Hitomi killing with no mercy, and Ren yelling at him "Don't just stand there. FIGHT!"'

He remembered fighting back-to-back with Hitomi, and holding her when that young girl died. It had all started here. Here in this rocky, bloodstained land. Van?s vision became clouded, pulling him from his thoughts. The smell of smoke lay heavy in the air. He quickly flew down closer to the ground. There, the smoldering remains of an airship could be seen. Van warred within himself, to go and help or try to catch up with Hitomi? Van sighed and dived down to earth, he could never forgive himself if he left these people behind.

Smoke filled his eyes, as he got closer to the wreckage. The body of the pilot was a few feet away from the shattered panes of the wheelhouse. Van flew toward the ship. He tried to see the emblem on the side. It would tell him what country the occupants were from. It looked like...like Frieds emblem. Could this be Hitomi?s ship?

"Oh God...God No!" Van started his frantic search for survivors.


~~~~~<@ @>~~~~~


Hitomi moved silently down the dark halls of an unfamiliar place. Shadows flitted just beyond her vision's range, seemingly reaching for her with cold, slim fingers. Hitomi shuttered as she felt one of the cold ghost like hands brush her shoulder. A scream filled her mouth and throat, but no sound made it past her open lips. She turned to run but came face to face with the pale phantom image of Folken Fanel. He never spoke, just took her hand and led her down the many corridors of the dark palaces she found herself in. Hitomi noticed that the shadows still danced hauntingly at the edge of the darkness, but the specter of Folken seemed to keep their grave cold hands from touching her skin. Folken stopped at one of the many doors that lined the hallway and gestured for Hitomi to open it.

Inside the feelings of despair and evilness hit Hitomi in a rush. Folken stepped in behind her, and motioned for the young woman to move farther into the shadowed room. Hitomi began to hear the sounds of crying as she drew closer to the middle of the room.

Her eyes searched for the source of the sound, and fell on a darkly clothed man standing over a small boy. Who was bound and laying on the floor. Hitomi knew in her heart that this was her son. She knew why Folken had brought her godforsaken place.

Folken watched his namesake with sad eyes as the shadowed man spoke.

"You are a key to the powers of Heaven. I will use you to open the door. Don't fret, little dragon. This is your fate. The fate your father should have suffered." The man turned, his dark robes swirling around his feet at the movement. For the first time Hitomi got to see his face. He was hideous, with so many scares no one could tell if he were man or beast.

Hitomi knew that face for she had seen it in a vision long ago. This was the monster that killed all those girls, Maya and Asago. She tried to rush toward her son, but Folken grabbed her. Hitomi fought his hold until suddenly everything was gone, the stranger in black, her own son, the dark walls, everything. She stood with Folken in a meadow. The white flowers waving in the wind were a sharp contrast to the things she?d just witnessed.

"Why? Why would you not let me save him?" She cried desperately.

"You already know the answer to that Hitomi." Folken answered, his voice filled with sadness.

"This is a vision, isn't it? I can't help him from this plain..." her voice trailed off.

"No you can't Hitomi, nothing from this plain can interfere with the first world," Folken told her gently.

"Then how do I help him?" Hitomi asked Folken with tears in her voice and eyes.

"You must work with his Father. You can't save your son alone. Put aside your differences with my brother, that is the only way you will truly win." Hitomi looked down. At this point nothing mattered but her son. Another thought took her mind for a moment.

"What are these "Powers of Heaven" and why is Folken the "Key" " Hitomi looked at Folken with earnest eyes, hoping he had the answers she sought.

Folken sighed," I can't tell you all, but what information I have is yours. The so-called Powers of Heaven is something the ancients called Destiny's Way. It is said that those who posses it can control fate...No it is more than that.... than just controlling Fate...They become Fate itself. To get this power there must be a key. Dornkirk tried to find the key in the early days of his empire, but building the Destiny Prognostication Machine was quicker. Beyond that I can not say." Hitomi took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves.

"I'm ready to wake up now. I need to find my son. "Hitomi?s eyes held a new determination. She would find her son and make this monster who was threatening all she held dear pay for it. Folken walked forward and places his palm to her forehead.

"When you wake up, you'll be in much pain but don't lose hope...Van is there..." The rest of his words faded away as Hitomi left the world of dreams and came back to the crueler one of reality.


~~~~~<@ @>~~~~~


Van had managed to find Ren, and three other survivors, but no Hitomi. He was in what was left of the sleeping quarters now; this area was his last hope. Van put his hand to a knob and tried to push the door open. It didn't budge. From inside he heard the sound of moaning. Above him what was left of the ship shuttered. Van didn't have long before it would collapse. Giving up on the door, Van drew his sword and broke a pathway into the room. Amid the ruble he could see a patch of long golden hair. Van hurried over to lift a fallen bookcase off the person.


~~~~~<@ @>~~~~~


Hitomi opened her eyes as she felt a great pressure lift off her body. Folken was right, she was in so much pain. Someone was calling her name.

"Ren...?" No that can't be Ren...They're too strong...She never got to finish her thought because her world went black again.


~~~~~<@ @>~~~~~


Van pulled Hitomi's limp body into his arms. She was bleeding badly from a gash on her arm and another somewhere around her stomach. He looked for Folken, but couldn't find him in any of the other rooms. Van only hoped someone else had found his son. As he struggled to climb out of the wreckage with Hitomi, he could feel it's remaining stability waning.
Just as he pulled himself over the last bit of broken metal the structure gave way and the ship caved in. Van couldn?t give much thought to how close they?d both been to being buried alive as he hurried over to where Ren sat. She had a nasty head wound, but one of the crew was bandaging it for her. Van took hold of the bottom of Hitomi's robe and tore it. He then tried to stop her bleeding.

The overhead sound of an approaching airship filled the air. Van glanced up hoping it was help coming. He was surprised to recognize Dryden?s trade ship. How was it that they came along right in his time of need? Van didn?t know, but he did know that Millerna would be with her husband and everything would be fine.


End of Chapter.



A/N. Well I've come a long way!! Just so you know Hitomi is never called Libra from now on. She has no use for the name now that Van knows who she is. And every one called her Hitomi most of the time in private anyway. Just thought you would like to know. Also, Millerna was on her way to Chid?s party...that?s how they just ?happened? to be there! *snicker*
We only have 5 more chapters to go!!