Emergence of Evil

 

"You're what?" Allen asked through tightly clenched teeth.

"We're getting married, brother," Celena repeated.

The wine glass in Allen's hand shattered into a thousand pieces in his tight grasp but he didn't even notice.  Even when his blood began to drip to the floor to mix with the wine and shards.

Celena's blue eyes grew large with concern but she didn't move from away from Van.  They both stood facing him and the fire, with Van's arm wrapped too casually about Celena's waist and her head resting gently on his shoulder.

"So, are you asking my permission?"  Allen finally asked.

"No," Van said quietly.

"Just your blessing," Celena added.

Allen shook his head.  "I can't give it to you.  I won't allow you to marry him, Celena.  I won't loose you again."

"You aren't loosing me, brother,” Celena sighed as if she had already explained it a dozen other times.

"If you marry him," Allen nodded towards Van. "Then I will loose you."

"What are you talking about?" Van asked darkly.

"I gave Hitomi to you.  I loved her too, you know, but I gave her up to you.  And you let her go, Van.  You claimed to care for her, but you threw that love away.  How can I let someone like that take my sister?"  Allen shook the remaining glass in his hand to the floor and left them.

+++++++

Van sat alone atop the palace wall of Fanelia gazing at the Mystic Moon above.  Everything seemed to be falling apart all around him even as his kingdom was being rebuilt.  He'd told Merle earlier about his decision to marry; she hadn't taken it much better than Allen.

"Hitomi," he whispered.  "I loved you, but I couldn't tell you how to live.  Returning home was your choice to make, not mine."

"Van," Celena came up behind him her long silver curls dancing restlessly behind her in the wind.  "You still love Hitomi, don't you?"

"I might as well love a phantom," Van replied.

Celena ran her fingers through his dark hair.  "But you love her, right?"

"Does it mean I can't love you as well," Van said and kissed her gently on the cheek.  "You know I love you."

"Nobody’s happy about this wedding," Celena said rather sadly.  "Maybe all of this is a mistake."

Van looked back towards the Mystic Moon again. From somewhere in its glow a piller of bright emerged coming towards the forest of Fanelia.

"Hitomi!" Van gasped.  In one moment he was off the wall and vanished down the dark corridors of the palace.  Alone on the wall Celena knew where he was going, and knew that her brother's words had been true.

+++++++++++

As quickly as his legs would carry him Van ran through the forest, not caring that the thorns and branches tore his clothing and left him bleeding.

A clearing up a head and somehow he knew that Hitomi would be there.  At the edge of the clearing he stopped in shock.  Allen had beaten him there and stood next to the green-eyed girl.  Tears were rolling down Hitomi's cheeks and Allen held a long knife next to his own neck.

Too out of wind to speak, Van watched as Allen cut from his head the long shanks of golden hair.  They fell from his head in clumps and dropped into the stream nearby.  When he finished he held the knife out for Hitomi to take.

Van stepped into the clearing with them.  "What's going on?"

"You're getting married?" Hitomi asked her voice cracking with emotion.

"You left," Van explained pathetically.  "It's been two years..."

It was enough.  Hitomi pressed the cold metal blade against her cheek and sliced a long wound down the side of her face.    Van gasped in horror.

"Hitomi!  What are you doing?"

Allen caught her as her knees wavered and looked at Van darkly.  "Becoming what me must, Van.  You destroyed everything else."

 

"Van sama," a voice sighed behind him, but lacked its usual enthusiasms.  Merle emerged from the dark forest and Van stumbled back as she pushed him aside.

Her bright pink hair was no longer to be.  Silver strands fell about her face instead.  She joined Allen and Hitomi her eyes disturbingly without life.

"Look what you did, Van sama" she whispered and offered a handkerchief to Hitomi's bleeding face.

"Van, you hurt us so much," Hitomi said.  "No more, no more."

A wicked laugh came from the woods behind him and Van spun around to see a pair of red eyes piercing him with their demonic gaze.

"Celena?" Van whispered.

"Not Celena, Van," Dilandau taunted.  He laughed again as he emerged from the forest; he was naked from the waist up.  "Surprised, lover?"

"I don't understand!"

Dilandau passed him by and went to Hitomi.  "Excellent, Hitomi."  He took the knife, still stained with her blood, from her quivering hand.

Van backed away from them and stumbling over a tree root fell to the soft earth.  Dilandau came and stood over him.

"A question Van.  When you've destroyed everything that is good; what's left?"  An evil grin spread across his lips as he mouthed one simple word. 

'ME'