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Chapter 4. Before Night Falls

* * *

The steaming water trickled down her bare back as Hitomi slouched in the shower stall. No one ever took showers in the locker rooms anymore; most went back to their apartments because it seemed healthier and gave more privacy. However, she did not want to travel back to her home feeling so dirty and disgusting. She sat on the slippery tiled floor and held her head in her hands, reflecting on the race she just had.

"Kanzaki! What the hell happened out there!? You gained two minutes on your time!" her coach yelled at her once she crossed the finish line, gasping for air.

Hitomi didn't know what to tell him. Should she explain that she has mind-splitting visions from another world that no one could see for it was shrouded in magic? Or should she just lie to him?

"I don't know, sir. I felt light-headed and faint." She looked at her feet. "It must have been something I ate."

"You need to take better care of your body. You're a runner. You know these things."

"I know, sir. I'm sorry."

But why had she seen those devastating visions? She hadn't received any premonitions for years, and then this one came out of nowhere. Was Gaea in trouble? Was Van in danger? She wished she was still linked with him, so that she could know why she saw his world's destruction. She rubbed her shoulders, sighing in discomfort. Lately, her upper back ached after every meet. Her coach said it was probably the stress building up from school and all the running. She sighed loudly.

"Dreamer, are you in here?" a voice echoed in the empty locker room.

Hitomi turned the shower knob and shut off the water. Her stall was overflowing with steam as she sat up. "Hey, Naoko. Can you hand me my towel?"

A large, white cotton towel flew over the door. "Is anything wrong? Your coach was outside saying you had a lousy race. I told him to shut up and mind his own damn business that you were sick and still ran. You should have seen the look on his face..."

Hitomi semi-listened to her friend as she dried herself. "...and your friend, Yukari called from America. She just wanted to check up on you. She said the baby is doing fine and she and Amano want you to visit someday."

"Uh huh," Hitomi wrapped the towel around her body and walked out. "Thanks, Naoko," She gasped at the sight of her roommate. "My God, what did you do to your hair?"

Naoko fluffed up her now layered jet-black hair with bright red tips. "You like? It’s for my costume. I was having some fun today."

"Oh, the party. I forgot."

"Are you still up for it? I brought you your costume." She gestured to the hanging garment bag on the locker.

"Yeah. So we're going straight there then?"

"I hope that's okay. Was there anything you needed at home?"

"Well, just in case I didn't like what you chose for me, I could change."

Naoko snorted. "Dreamer! You're so silly! I know you'll like what I got you. I spent all afternoon looking for it." She pulled down the zipper on the garment bag hanging on one of the lockers, revealing a sparkling, red-sequined short dress.

"Naoko! There's no way I'm wearing that!"

"Silly, that's for me. This is yours." She removed the dress and pulled out a simple white gown with doves' wings attached. "I'm the devil. You're the angel."

Hitomi stared at the white costume. Silver cords crossed in the front, holding the wings in place on the back. The skirt was long; it would probably drag behind her. "It’s pretty," she finally said. "What possessed you to get this for me?"

"Well, for my Shakespeare class, we were supposed to read Romeo and Juliet. I said 'screw that' and went to the video store and rented a movie. I got the more 'modern' version ‘cause I like that Leonardo-fellow. Anyway, Juliet totally reminded me of you and that's what she wore in the movie. And..." she pulled out a dark-brown wig. "...this is for you as well."

"A wig?"

"I've never seen you with long hair. It's always been short."

"And I like it that way."

"C'mon. Halloween is the one night out of the entire year that you can dress wild and totally be someone besides yourself. It's time for change, Hitomi."

"All right," she sighed, pulling the gown over head.

* * *

Music blasted out the front door as Naoko and Hitomi pulled up to the residential house. People dressed as murder victims, nuns, pirates, gorillas, and other insane costumes ran across the yard with water guns. Others sat on the steps drinking and laughing.

Here goes nothing, Hitomi grimly thought as she walked up the front steps behind her friend. Naoko wore flashing devil horns along to complete her costume with red glitter over her eyelids. Hitomi carefully rubbed her eyes, afraid she would smudge the mascara, black liquid eyeliner, silver eye shadow and glitter on her face. Naoko went crazy, applying the powder all over her arms and chest.

She peeked into the room, observing the dancing people. The music dulled her hearing senses, but she could her Naoko telling her to follow her into the back. She grabbed her hand, trying not to lose her in the crowd.

"Naoko, babe! I'm so glad you made it!" A young man dressed up as a diva kissed Naoko on the cheek. "Wow! You look great!"

"Thanks! So do you!" she turned around. "This is my roommate, Hitomi."

"A pleasure to meet you. Naoko talks all about you." He handed her a drink.

"No, thanks. I don't really drink," she refused, remembering a certain night when she first tried wine.

"We really need to talk, hon," Naoko grabbed the man's hand, showing his bright pink fingernails. "Hitomi, you'll be okay for about ten minutes, right?"

"Uh, sure," she said as she watched the two walk away. She wandered around the house, looking for people she actually knew. But no one looked familiar, especially in their costumes.

Maybe this was a bad idea...

"Hitomi?"

She whirled around, staring at a knight dressed in tin armor. He pulled off his mask, to which Hitomi sighed. Then again, perhaps not.

"Shinji! I'm so glad I actually know someone here."

"You look wonderful. I like the wings."

"Oh, me too." She felt awkward around him, not like any other male friends that she had. Could it be because I like him?

He cleared a spot on the sofa and beckoned her to sit down with him. "We never get a chance to talk," he said. "Let's start."

Hitomi sat next to him. "What do you want to talk about?" she asked.

"You," he said, grinning. "What's your major?"

She stared at him for moment, consolidating on the question. "I don't know," she said finally. "I thought I wanted to go into psychology, but after taking the classes, I find it’s really boring."

"So what do you want to go into?"

"Hmmmm. Something exciting. I want to help out others. I like working with people. What about you?"

He smiled. "Psychology. Maybe it’s not as boring to some people as it is to others."

She flushed. "Sorry. Open mouth, insert foot, huh?"

"Nah, it’s all right. Besides, I know exactly how you feel. I was studying to get into medical school and be like a pediatrician. But then I changed it because the field didn't interest me anymore." The vibrant beat of the dance music flowed into a soft, old slow song.

"Do you want to go dance with me?" he held out his hand.

"Okay." He lured her out to the dance floor. Finding a spot, he pulled her in closer to his body. Hitomi could feel the heat radiate on her skin as she blushed. She encircled her arms around his neck and stared over his shoulder. He smelled nice, not doused heavily in cologne, but having a unique scent. His hands wrapped around her slender waist, being careful not hit the wings.

"I'm really glad you came. I've always wanted to talk to you in class but I never had the guts," he whispered into her ear.

"Really? That's the same with me!" He stepped on her toes. She tried not to show the pain, but Shinji saw her wince.

"Crap, I'm really sorry. I'm not a very good dancer," he frowned.

"That's okay, I'm not very good either," she giggled. She leaned back into him and felt his hold tighten on her waist.

“Wanna get out of here?” he whispered. His breath upon her bare neck gave her chills as he spoke.

Hitomi was unsure. She normally was never this forward before with a guy, but there was something about Shinji that had set her off. She almost liked this feeling that she was not being herself.

The song ended, and a new, techno-beat song began to play, drawing more people onto the floor. Lights began to flash harder and the pulsing rhythm flowed throughout her mind. She began to sway as her feet lost their balance.

"Hitomi! Are you all right?" Naoko grabbed her hand as she slumped to her knees. Shinji and another young man, most likely Naoko's "date" stood above, looking down at her.

"I'm fine, I just have a headache," she forced a smile.

"C'mon, Dreamer, let's find you a place to lie down."

* * *

"Really, you guys, I'm fine," Hitomi pouted as she lay on a wide bed upstairs. She tried sitting up, but Naoko pushed her back down.

"Relax, sweetie. Just take it easy for a second," she said. Shinji walked into the room, carrying water and pills.

"You guys can go on down, I'll stay with her," he declared as he handed her the glass.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she muttered as she forced down the aspirin. “Go have fun. I don’t want to spoil your night.”

Naoko started at her intently and Hitomi flashed her a look plainly describing that if she didn’t leave at that moment, she’d kill her. "Okay, I'll see you in a few, Dreamer," Naoko gave her a quick grin of reassurance and then stepped out of the bedroom with the other man.

"Why does she call you 'Dreamer'?" Shinji asked as soon as she left. Hitomi noticed that he had removed the armor of his costume and sat in a plain T-shirt and jeans.

"Oh, it's just a nickname she gave me. She caught me staring off into the clouds one day and started calling me that."

"Do you always day-dream?" he asked softly.

She pondered on the question. "Not as much anymore,” she started. “See, I used to have this friend. I met him a few years ago and we got this... connection, I guess. We used to talk all the time. But after awhile, things started to die down and we stopped talking." She paused. "I guess I stopped dreaming as well."

"You never stop dreaming, Hitomi," Shinji said, staring into her olive green eyes. "You may not know it, but you still dream. Your mind still desires and wishes, even when you are asleep, so technically, those are dreams."

"Maybe you're right," she mumbled. "Thanks."

Shinji stared at her hard, boring holes with his own dark eyes. Hitomi tried to hide her amusement and blush rushing to her face. She had received that look before... twice, actually, from a knight and a King so long ago. She could only imagine what thoughts were racing through his mind and wondered if they matched the ones in her own.

He leaned in and kissed her. Not taken fully by surprise, she closed her eyes and kissed him back, tasting the alcohol on his breath. He deepened the kiss, urging her to let him in. She accepted reluctantly. She brought her hand to the back of his neck as he put his around her back, stroking her through her dress. His other hand began to slide up her leg, lifting up the dress. Suddenly becoming very aware of her current situation, she pulled her head back.

“What’s wrong?” Shinji asked, still kissing her throat.

"What are you doing?" she asked, alarmed.

"What, this isn't what you wanted?" he posed, his voice was subtly annoyed.

"Well, not really," she said, confused. "You're nice and all, but we just met. I don’t want to move any further."

"I can’t believe this! You were completely asking for me!" he cried in anger. He leaned in once more and kissed her mouth, this time viciously and biting her lip. Hitomi moaned in pain, his body pinning hers to the bed so she was unable to move. She panicked, only able to do one thing in her defense.

She kneed him hard in the crotch.

Shinji rolled off the bed, howling. She slid her dress down and stomped on him as she left. "Jerk," she muttered.

* * *

The first thing one should do when taken advantage of is to notify someone else of the situation. So, naturally, Hitomi searched for Naoko to let her know that she was leaving.

Her eyes scanned the crowd, trying to recognize her friend's hair, but she had trouble picking her out of the sea of brilliantly colored tresses. She spotted her in the middle of the dance floor surrounded by three men.

"Naoko, I'm going home!" she shouted at her.

"What!? So soon!?" she yelled back.

"It's all right! You can stay! I can find my own way back."

"Are you sure, is everything all right?"

"Yeah," Hitomi lied. She didn't want to tell her friend anything at this moment. Why should I ruin her fun? "I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, bye!"

Hitomi ran out the front door, careful not to trip on the passed-out pair of pirates on the steps. She removed her shoes and hiked up her dress, trying not to destroy it.

The night was still fairly young. She could see some trick-or-treaters out and about the neighborhood. It must be around ten, she thought, sad that she didn't have her trusty watch on her wrist. She placed it into her duffel bag, which she had left in Naoko's car. Along with everything else. Naoko can give it to me tomorrow.

Her head spun with a sudden violent wave of nausea. She grabbed the street light for support, trying to let the surge rush past. What's wrong? Is this another attack like on the floor?

Instantly, her mind flashed to the pills that Shinji had given to her for her headache. She could see them plainly; no letters upon them advertising the company. They must be like those date-rape pills, she realized in horror. She mentally slapped herself. How could I be so stupid not to check?

"Hitomi..." a voice called her from behind. She whirled around, seeing Shinji slowly stalking her.

"What have you done to me?!" she cried, slipping down to the cold pavement. She was too weak, unable to do fight back as he leaned down on top of her. He stared at her with cold, dark eyes.

"You see, Hitomi, I have dreams about you," he said with a twisted smile. "But you never fought me off." He dragged her to the dark playground so that the light could not give them away. He settled her down and began to unbutton his pants.

"Please... please don't do this," she pleaded, tears falling down her cheeks as her vision began to blur. He ignored her and lay on top of her, beginning to kiss her harshly. She tried to resist, but the effects of the pill began to take place. She knew she would slip unconscious at any moment and would not be able to protect herself.

please god, i want to be in my home, my own bed. please, please take me home!!!

She had always been astonished at how quickly and silently that mysterious light came down from the heavens. Her mind, although heavily drugged and fading, recognized the soft warm touch and comfort that it gave her. She didn't notice that Shinji had been blasted with so much force that he flew about twenty feet away from her. She could feel the gravity drawing her upwards, floating up to the clouds.

But she slipped unconscious before she could actually see Gaea through the dimensional gap.

* * *

The blazing bonfire danced joyously, consuming the wood that fed it. Celena stared at it, fascinated by its movements. Fire is amazing, she thought. It’s so beautiful... but deadly.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of a thin beam of light hitting the grounds outside the city's walls. She stood up from her chair, gazing at the brightness. Her sharp eyes could see a figure falling to the ground inside the beam. Funny, that's a lot like the beam that Van was telling me about...

"My gods," Allen whispered behind her. "Could it be her?"

Merle crept up behind the Schezars. "We have to go tell Lord Van."

Celena heard the faint neighing of a horse and saw a dark-haired man climb into the saddle. "Uh, it's a bit late for that," she said, pointing to the young King.

"C'mon, let's go after him," Allen yelled, running to the stables, Merle and Celena following shortly behind him.

* * *

"Damn you, you stupid beast! Can't you go faster!?" he growled at his steed. The horse panted, not used to the sudden bursts of galloping through the empty streets of the city. He raced down the cobblestone steps and continued along the main road.

"Open the gates! Open the gates!" he shouted at the watchtower guards. They quickly obeyed, parting the heavy gates a crack so that he may squeeze through. Van wished that he could transfer the energy radiated from his wings to the horse.

Could it possibly be her? Is she all right? Or could it be another person from the Mystic Moon? Thoughts poured into his mind as he reached the field clearing.

The beam of light ceased and resigned back into the clouds. A figure rested on the ground before him... someone dressed in white. He pulled the reins of the horse to a halt, jumped off, and ran the rest of the way. He reached the girl and rolled her over.

It was Hitomi, he sighed, relieved. She was unconscious; her breathing was deep. He held her closer, brushing away the loose hair away from her face.

"Hitomi? Can you hear me?" No reply. She was out cold. Her willowy dress rippled in the cool mountain breeze. She shivered in her sleep, moaning something incoherent. Van held her closer to his body.

"Gods, it is her!" Allen's voice said. Van saw the Knight Caeli appear, riding one horse and Celena and Merle riding another.

"I think she's been drugged with a sleeping potion," he informed the others. "And I think she's been in a fight or something. Look at how dirty her dress is."

"C'mon, let's take her back to the castle. Millerna can take a look at her," Celena said, her eyes filled with shock. Merle nodded.

Van picked Hitomi up in his arms and mounted his horse with some difficulty. The cadence of the horse's footsteps made Hitomi snuggle closer to him. "Van..." she sighed softly. He looked down at her, startled that his name escaped her lips. Smiling, he drew her in closer, and rode back to his palace.

* * *

to be continued...

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