And now we continue...


She was a liar.

She was such a horrible perfect liar.

Van was right. He was right all along. There was no such thing as good people. Morality? There was no natural born morality. She had lied to his face and he said… he said…

"Oh, God," she moaned into the palms of her hands. "I called Allen and I told Van I didn't and now… oh, now he-" she shouldn't finish it. "I did it because I have to know for certain. What if Allen is only using me to get to Van? What if he's part of this company that is after him? I want… I want to help him. I'm doing it to help him."

His face, those beautiful eyes flickering with nervousness, unease, and that warmth.

He… loved her.

And she… she loved him back.

Van had called her pure.

And she was just as tainted as everyone else.


Folken finally learned how the silver-haired woman died.

The whispers were growing rampant:

"… let the virus bypass the security mainframe…"

"…passwords have been leaked and can't be traced…"

"… take weeks to sort out the security system…"

"…whoever set this up has no idea who he's dealing with…"

"…shot her in the face because she let it slip by…"

"…stupid bitch has put the entire company in danger…"

"…glad he killed her. Dornirk even said she was a waste…"

The golden twin had stopped crying in public.

Her sister was the cause of it all.

Folken turned in his chair and saw his reflection in the window.

A shadow. A shell of a man.

The golden twin had become the same as him. A shell of a woman.

Or maybe…

She could become an ally…


This time, Allen was waiting outside the theater for her to show. Her green eyes tossed over his thick jacket and flannel scarf. His long hair was braided at his back. He opened his arms to hug her and she stiffened as they wrapped around her shoulders.

"I'm so happy to see you," he whispered in her ear. "I made sure to get here thirty minutes early just so I'd be here before you."

"That was considerate," she replied shortly not returning his hug. Taking a step back, she asked, "So, what's the plan then?"

"I had thought we could grab a bite and then go see a movie." He pointed his thumb to a poster of a woman and a man embracing. "I'll go get the tickets. You can wait here if you want."

"Sure," she said. She glanced back at the poster, her heart sank at the title: 'A Simple Walk Home'. She pictured dragging Van to this movie and unthinkingly smiled at the thought. He'd have a field day making fun of it. And honestly, she'd probably be more entertained by that then the actual movie itself.

Van…

She shook her head to get rid of her thoughts as Allen walked back up to her. "There's this Chinese place. It's to die for," he grinned charmingly. He offered her his arm and she took it hesitantly. "It's just down this block."

She walked with him, half-heartedly listening to him talk about this gym he'd been to the day before. How would she go about bringing up the conversation about his work? She'd have to maneuver her way around it somehow…

Turns out, she didn't need to worry. The conversation came quite easily.

Just as they'd placed their order of steamed dumplings and fried rice, he turned to her with his blue eyes falling serious. "I'm sure you have questions for me."

"Questions…" she said with a quirked eyebrow trying to hide her surprise at his openness. "Yeah, I do… where were you on Groundhog's Day?"

"I told you I was called into work. I already had signed a contract with some people and they needed my help with delicate matters."

"Some people? Delicate matters?" she repeated with exasperation. She lowered her shaking hands into her lap to hid her nervousness.

"Allen, please, tell me what is going on. I want to trust you, but you keep hiding from me. You said you wanted a relationship, remember?"

His pale features fell and he expression turned sad. Then he took a deep sighing breath.

"I am a contract agent of a private investigation company that specializes in IT protection. The company serves politicians, governments, even other countries. I am called in when cases are extreme. Ironically, there was a reported virus in their systems that has been leaking information from their private files. The virus had grown – multiplied – it was copy/pasting their most sensitive data to an unknown location. Whoever had set up this worm knew what they were doing. The copied files were unreachable. The company couldn't track down where they were going. That's why they called me in."

"You're a hacker?"

"I'm a contract agent," he corrected. "I have the skills required to fight for whomever can pay for me."

"And they had a contract with you?"

"I had signed the contract previously. I have worked with them quite a bit in the past."

"What happened to the virus? Did you get it?"

He lips cracked a graceful smile. "I tracked it down and ended it. It took two whole days, but I finally cleaned the entire system. I'm still on the case though. It's going to take a while for investigation." His charming smile twisted a bit at the corners. "The copied files are still untraceable, but the one responsible for the mistake has been taken care of."

A strange shiver ran down her spine.

"That's unfortunate, but I'm so glad you were able to help the company solve the issue quickly. I understand now why you stood me up. But… why did your phone break?"

The smile twisted a bit further and she felt a drop of cold fear lace in her stomach. "I use my phone with my work and I wasn't informed properly about how the virus spreads. It got in my phone and I had to smash it before it took everything. I'm worried this guy who made this thing has everything about me."

"Oh, no!" Hitomi cried covering her heart with her hand. "That's terrible, Allen. If you had told me sooner I would have understood. Please, forgive me that I got mad at you. Had I known how dangerous your work is I'd-"

His hand reached out from the table and he extended his long fingers to her. With a sweet smile, she placed her palm in his. "Thank you for understanding."

"Of course, Allen. I never knew you were so talented. When you said contractor, I-I mean that could be just about anything really." She turned up the charm a little higher as his fingers slowly closed over her hand. "I don't even think I have a proper social media account now that I think about it. How did you get to be so good at computers?"

"Some people just have a natural born gift," his grin spread wide on his face at the compliment. "Analytical thinkers."

"I don't know anyone like that," she leaned her cheek in her free hand. "I'd love to hear more if you don't mind. It's like a secret world with you, Allen."

"Vigilante with computers," he chuckled.

"You got the motorcycle to go with it, too," she added. "All you need is a cape."

"You're a hero in your own right, Hitomi."

"What do you mean?" she asked surprised by the turn of conversation.

"Well, you work really hard at the hospital. You take care of patients there. You are probably a hero to one or two of them."

"By cleaning bedpans?" she giggled. "Watch out, Allen, it's Super-Nurse!"

"Exactly," he grinned. "You're Super-Nurse."


He was working for the company.

He was a hacker that worked on contract.

He had found Van's worm and destroyed it.

She sat trembling at her vanity back at her bedroom, her green eyes on Merle's frozen little cat face.

She had acted as well as she could. She'd lied and charmed and survived the night.

Her eyes glazed up to see her pale face. God, she hadn't thought this through. She hadn't realized that she'd have to tell Van she called and actually went on a date with Allen in order to learn this information. He was going to be furious at her. He'd call her an idiot. Say that she'd put herself at risk.

But the question remained deep in her head:

Was Allen seeing her because he knew about Van? Was he using her to get to him? Or did Allen really not know that she was Van's nurse?

And then the horrible thought crossed her.

What if she was putting Van in danger? What if her seeing Allen was bring him closer to discovering Van was the one with the virus – and therefore, the information that was stolen?


The day had passed so slowly Van actually found himself wishing Wheel of Fortune was on. Instead, he flicked the remote and scrolled through another series of channels. News, news, sports, drama, foreign drama, news, cartoon about ponies, news…

"Yo," a knock and a face appeared at his doorway. Van smiled.

Dryden.

"How's it going, man?"

"Not too much. Just resting from arm weights."

The brown-haired neurologist whistled as he spied the small weight bells on his table. "Moving on up to five pounder. We'll have a lifting gym in here before long."

Van snorted. "I feel bad for skipping leg day though."

Dryden strolled forward and turned the guest chair around to sit on it backwards. "It happens when you can't even walk straight. Which brings me to what I wanted to talk to you about."

"What's that?"

"Discharge date."

Van blinked in surprise. "Discharge? You kicking me out, doc?"

"If it were up to me, I'd hit your head with a hammer to keep you here, but Millerna's insisting. Once you pass leg rehab, we gotta get you out and into the world. The sooner you get to walking, the sooner your life can return to normal."

"Yeah… normal…" Van murmured. "I'm the only patient with bodyguards. Completely normal."

"Oh, you can take them along with you if you want," Dryden smirked, pointing over his shoulder at the doorway. "You don't get to see them because you're safely in here, but two of them look like they could punch a hole through my brain with a flick of a finger." The brown man winced. "Too soon for hole in brain jokes?"

He laughed. "I've been waiting, doc. I'm surprised you took so long for those jokes."

"Damn, I'm going to miss you," Dryden's smile lowered. "You get it, don't you?"

"Yeah, man. I get it. I'll miss you, too."

"But hey! You're not gone yet!"

"Still missing leg day!" Van added wiggling his legs under the covers.

"I'll get back with you on the exact date, but I just wanted tell you in person."

"Thanks, doc, I appreciate it," he said honestly.

"Dude!" Dryden checked his watch. Turning his chair sharply to the TV, he pointed, "Channel 25 now! Wheel of Fortune is on!"

"Don't you have patients or something?" Van chuckled picking up the remote.

"Waddya talkin' about? I'm with one right now," the brown-haired man laced his fingers behind his head.


She came in quietly, her green eyes unable to look at him. He knew he should have been nervous or embarrassed, but he wasn't.

Hitomi, his precious Nurse, had rejected his confession. It sucked ass, but that's how it goes. He found that he was content she still decided to come in here to read to him. Even if she couldn't return his feelings, he wished that somehow they could continue the easy relationship they'd shared together. The fact that she came to him tonight was encouraging at least.

"Hi, Van."

"Hello, Hitomi, had a good day off?"

"Not really. Didn't do much. Just needed to rest."

"That's good."

"You?"

"Worked on legs a little more. Gotten a bit better." He pointed at the folded wheelchair beside his bed. "I get to move around a bit at least. My arms are pretty much back as they were."

"Congratulations."

So much for easy relationship.

He sighed. "Look, Hitomi, I know what I said before probably frightened you. I'm sorry. I like having you in here to read to me. Even if you don't feel the same way that I do, I can deal with that. So, please," he gestured to the chair. "Stop standing there and tell me what happens to the king and that damn Knight and the Mystic Moon girl who can't make up her mind. Let's see who wins a steak, okay?"

She didn't look as relieved as he wanted her to be, but she did reward him with a soft smile and a nod.

Heading to the chair, she sat down and her sweet smile grew a little more. Her green eyes had a warmth in them.

"What?" he asked gently.

"I saw a movie yesterday," she started randomly. "I thought of you the entire time. It was a romance movie. It was awful."

"Did it at least have a giant robot?"

She giggled, "No, but it did have a fist fight in the middle of a Valentine's Day Party."

"Good enough for a chick-flick then."

She opened the book and ducked her head shyly. "Alright… let's keep going, shall we?"

He smiled at her.

"Asylum! Stratego of Zaibach is asking us for asylum?' The voice echoed broadly down the newly refurbished throne room. The long table of counselors sat in awe as the tall Fanelian stood before them, his head held high. The guards at his side shifted anxiously.

'That Emperor's insanity knows no bounds!'

'It's inevitable that Gaea will see the worst disaster in her history!'

'That is why you come seeking asylum?'

'No government can trust an enemy unconditionally!'

'Yes, that's right,' Merchant injected smoothly, his hands folded together. 'This is far too premature.'

'Of course, I come bearing gifts,' Stratego spoke up. Every back straightened in their chair at his announcement.

Outside the throne room, standing on the balcony, the girl looked out at the cheerful blue sky. Her feelings were mixed with apprehension and worry. Stratego's arrival changed everything. He proved everyone's suspicions about Zaibach. Austuria formed a military alliance with her neighboring countries. Austuria took in Stratego to gain information on Zaibach. He used his knowledge to plan military strategies, provided the blueprints for technologies so far in advance. He even assisted in the retrieval of his floating fortress from the ocean floor.

But the king… her eyes fell to watch the workers hammering wood – still rebuilding after the destruction of the intensified luck soldiers.

The king clearly didn't trust him. She had seen him cleaning Escaflowne in the Guymelef hold, ignoring his brother as he walked past. He avoided him at every possible turn.

But it was inevitable. They had needed Stratego. He was invaluable.

She sighed and knew it was time for her to be headed back to the small chapel. Though it was located outside the city, it was being used as a main headquarters for extra supplies. If she didn't head out soon, Merle'd come to get her anyway. The girl turned away from the balcony - and her thoughts.

She was surprised to see the king already there when she arrived. He did a double take and nodded a simple greeting before continuing to braid the rope in his hands. She walked to him, picked up three pieces, and began to help him.

'Wouldn't it be enough to help out at the castle shelter?' he asked glancing at her.

The girl caught his eye and looked back down quickly. 'No,' she said softly. 'You see I'm partly to blame for-well, for what happened to the city.'

'Great, then why didn't you come yourself?' Merle yowled snarkily behind her, carrying towels.

'Hey, no one asked you to come along, Merle.'

'Are you trying to pick a fight?' the cat girl growled.

A rustle of hoof prints and carriages resounded outside and everyone stopped to look at the doorway. One of the head priests jumped forward as a whisk of long blond hair appeared out the carriage door. 'Thank you for coming all the way here, Princess. You grace us with your presence.' Merchant filed out behind her as well as Knight.

'It's nothing, I will do anything I can to help those who have met with such hardship,' she said warmly. 'There has been food delivered from our allies. We are needing assistance in handing it out to families.'

'I will gather volunteers,' the priest bowed.

She wasn't kidding about the delivery or the assistance. As the girl, Merle, and the king arrived back in the city, Palas' market was bustling with crowds of people. Merle was the first to jump up.

'I'm going to go help!' she shouted.

'Yeah, me too!' the girl hurried to follow. The king took a step back, watching the girl hand out small packages of fruit to an elderly couple. His back hit the wall behind him and he crossed his arms worriedly. Merchant came over to join him.

'You know, Zaibach might attack while we're doing this,' the king grumbled, watching a small child pull on the girl's shirt.

'Seems your mind is always on war, isn't it?' he answered with a toss of his brown pony-tail.

'If you don't fight you're just waiting to be killed.'

'Hmph,' he turned to give the king a crooked smile. 'You soldiers are a strange bunch. Don't you guys think any other way?'

'Zaibach is going to destroy Gaea just like they destroyed Fanelia.'

'Huh?' Merchant's smile dropped from his lips. He sighed, 'I know it's tough, but you gotta try and not let it get you down, Fanelia.' He pushed off the wall and walked to meet the Princess. He turned his eyes to the ground and ignored the sound of footsteps coming up to him. Somewhere in the crowd he heard Merle shriek, 'Hey! Don't pull my tail, you little brat! Give that back!'

'Well, would you look at that?' the girl's voice came from his left. 'She really fits in.'

'Merle understands what they're going through,' the king said. 'All those children over there lost their families. Merle did, too. I wonder if war will make more kids like them. I hope not.'

'Me too,' she agreed sadly. 'I wish there didn't have to be war.'

'You want to live, don't you?' he grunted before standing up to walk away.

She couldn't respond, her green eyes following his stiff back.

'There you are!' a sharp tone called from behind her. She turned with confusion to see Knight's face crunched in anger. 'Why are you here!? What are you doing!?'

'W-Well, b-because everybody's doing something,' she stammered at his anger. 'I couldn't just sit there and not help.'

'How could you leave the castle!?' he grabbed her shoulders roughly and shook her slightly. 'Don't you understand how important you are to the future and well-being of Gaea!? You're always leaving without asking! Like when you went to Fanelia with him!'

'Stop that,' she shifted out of his tight grip. 'I really don't think that's any of your business, Knight.'

'Don't hide anything from me, alright?' his blue eyes sparked with suspicion.

'Hide what?' she cried. 'I'm not hiding anything from you!'

Brushing past him, she walked back to the crowded market.

'Where are you going?' he called at her back.

'I'll go back to the castle later by myself!' she took off running and disappeared easily within the sea of people.

Sneaking out to the east gate, she kept her head down as she walked a dirt pathway back to the chapel. 'What's the matter with me?' she chided herself. 'I got mad and told Knight off. I can't believe I just did that…' Her eyes lifted to see the beautiful blue sky. The two moons, always visible, glimmered brightly at her. Home… It was so much simpler back then. No wars, no kings, no robots. Just a simple girl with a simple necklace. She bit her lower lip. There was a time long ago when she ran. She ran and ran and her head rushed with the adrenaline of exercise, not fear. Her body pumped with strength, not cowered in fear.

Bending down in the grass, she wondered if she still had that good form that Amano had commented on before. Her feet braced where she used to have them, her head and spirits lifted with the familiarity. A bird flew over her head and she took off like it was a gunshot.

And she ran. She pushed her legs hard, stretched for more distance. She soared through the field, leaping over the fences, scattering flocks of seagulls that were lazily perching on the beach. She changed course, entering the city, running over cobbled stone, her head – for the first time – emptying of all her worries.

It was dusk by the time she entered the castle. She collapsed on the side of a pillowing fountain and felt the muscles in her legs still warm and ready. How long had it been since she'd ran this much? She felt a sense of pride that her endurance had not left her. Stretching her arm across her chest, she started as a voice called to her from behind.

'Do you miss your homeland?'

Turning around, she saw Stratego walking towards her, a faint smile resting on his lips.

'I… I do…' she admitted surprised he could read her so easily. 'I used to run like this as a sport.'

'You did? I can understand why. You are a fast runner.'

'Thank you,' she said softly, her cheeks blushing not just with adrenaline. 'Hey, can I ask you something?'

'What about?' He took several steps to her.

'It's about your brother…'

Dusk had long faded into night as she finished, '… he doesn't trust me. Or you. Or anyone. He only thinks of war now. This was not who he was when I first met him. He was kinder back then. I try to think of things that might cheer him up, but…' she stopped.

'He never changes, does he?' Stratego injected.

'I only wish I could get him to understand…'

'Why aren't you scared of me?' he asked quietly and she looked up at him in surprise. 'I'm the man who used the intensified luck soldiers and made them try to kidnap you.'

She shrugged awkwardly. 'I can't say I'm okay with it, but…'

'But what?'

'If I was scared of you then you'd be on your guard, right? I don't want to do that. If you don't trust people then they don't trust you.'

His eyes grew dark. 'Do you understand that seeking refuge here may just be part of my plot?'

The girl smiled. 'Even if you were, I've very sure you'd return that trust. It might not be that apparent though.'

Stratego was taken aback by her honesty. Her absolutely faith and trust. So, that was her power. She believed in people.

Deep in the shadows hidden from their eyes, the king stood listening.

He'd heard every word.

Miles away, over the mountaintops of Rampant Fortress, a banners of green laced with a golden iris came forth gliding from the night sky. A large humming ship was guided into the massive loading dock that had been carved into a giant cave.

'The Guitomian Trevele has arrived,' the lookout announced from his post.

'What about the advance forces from Palas?' One of the soldiers called with a cup of tea in his hand.

'I received word they were arriving at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning.'

Inside Rampant's Hold, massive ships, all with various banners of color and shape were parked together. 'The armies of Tedalas, Joko, and even Basram!' One of the soldiers whistled. 'Looks like this is going to be the first Great War in Gaea's history.'"

"War again it seems," she commented, turning a page. She felt Van's eyes on her face and she knew she was starting to blush.

"It was a clear, crisp night. The girl cleared the steps on the balcony. Knight came from behind a pillar to greet her. Her memory flashed with a picture of him and Princess sharing a passionate kiss… she closed her eyes and shook the thought away.

'You wanted to see me? What is it?' she asked softly.

'Dispatch orders have come down,' he told her. 'The king and I will leave at dawn.'

'What?' she gasped.

'But before I go, there's something I want you to hear: Prince Chid of the Duchy of Freid… he was born out of the result Princess Marlene and I surrendering ourselves to love. Prince Chid is my son."

A small 'oh' came from her. That was all she could say.

'I had to tell you,' he took a step closer. 'My heart won't let me hide things from you because I love you. Now that you know everything… I don't know if you'll still love me… The two of us together under the same sky. Bathed in the same moonlight.'"

"What a creepy ass…" Van shuddered.

The reaction was so Van it made her burst out in unexpected laughter. He looked at her surprised before joining in. It was a couple of minutes before either of them could speak again. When they finally stopped, they were smiling gently at each other.

"The room was dark. A familiar glass of pink wine stood next to his table. 'Where… where am I?' his voice rasped out.

'You are on the floating fortress of Delate.' A canine man answered.

'Delate?' Dilandau repeated confused. His red eyes tossed around the empty room. 'Where's Chesta?'

'He is dead,' the beast man said.

His hand shook as he reached for his wine. 'And where is Gatti?' he hissed.

'He is dead.'

'And Dallet?' his trembling fingers picked up the glass and wine sloshed from the rim.

'Dead.'

'And Veole?'

'Dead.'

'They're… dead…?'

'All dead,' he answered.

'DEAD!?' He threw the glass at the canine and it shattered on his armored chest. Pink wine stained his coat and fur.

Dilandau stood, his eyes wavering on the man's quite features. 'And so who are you then?'

'My name is Jajuka.'

'Jajuka, huh?'

'I'm a soldier under your command. I am alone.'

The word stung him.

Chains… white hot pain…

I am alone…

I am alone…

Dilandau screamed grabbing his head. The pain! The lights! There were chains on his wrists! He was alone! The wires! The wires were on his chest! The silver-haired boy ripped his shirt trying to take them off. He scratched his body with his fingernails before falling to the ground in exhaustion. His panted and then his breathing leveled out and he sighed.

He looked up sharply.

'Jajuka, get me my new Guymelef. I trust a new one is ready?'

'Yes.'

Dilandau stood shakily, but his lips curled in a smile. 'I haven't fought in a long time.' He said, pulling on his coat. 'I'm looking forward to this.'

Dawn came faster than anyone wanted. The levee ships deployed and they headed out to the Rampant Garrison. The king stood in the hanger with the Escaflowne watching Palas disappear into the sunrise.

'Hey, here's where you went,' Knight came up behind him. 'I wanted to talk to you.'

'About what?' he asked not looking at the blond man.

'About her…'

The king knew who he was talking about. His shoulders tensed but his voice was calm. 'She means nothing to me.'

'Yesterday, I asked her to marry me.'

He took a sharp intake of breath; his mahogany eyes closing tightly. His stomach curled like he'd been punched in the stomach.

'She's to give me an answer when I return.'

He remained silent; the words still washing over his mind.

'I don't know why but my heart's at ease when I'm with her.'

'I want you to promise me something,' the king finally said. 'I want you to promise you'll protect her.'

'I promise that I'll never let anyone take her,' Knight's blue eyes narrowed. 'Even if it costs me my life.'

The object of their conversation woke with a heavy head later that morning. Rushing to the window, she knew it was fruitless to say goodbye. She'd overslept and missed their departure.

'Knight…' she sighed into the morning.

Getting dressed, she headed down to the castle square to assist in supplies; however, her mind kept turning back to the night before. Knight loved her and wanted to marry her. This was what she wanted. She wanted Knight.

Right?

Leaning against a pillar, her eyes flickered to the two moons in the sky. 'Can I ever go…' she stopped as a wave of homesickness hit her.

'Oh! Check it out!' Princess' cheerful voice called from beside her. She turned with surprise to see Princess twirling in a lacy apron. 'What do you think?' she giggled, holding a box of wet clothes in her arms. A woman came racing forward.

'Oh, please, Your Highness, you really shouldn't.'

'Don't worry. I don't think Merchant will complain if I do a little laundry, right?' she smiled beautifully at the girl. Motioning with her head, she ignored the lady's protests. The girl followed closely behind as she led the way to the servant's quarters. Up the stairs and through a doorway, the Princess dropped the basket and yanked out a white sheet to hang. They worked together for several minutes in silence.

'Um… I… I need some advice,' the girl said hesitantly. 'Could you help me out?'

'Sure!' she chirped back happily. 'But what could you need advice about?'

'Well, I… I sort of have this really good friend, you see, but she's found out that this guys really a playboy.'

'Okay,' the Princess encouraged.

'And he even has an illegitimate child! At least that's what I've heard.' Both women blinked. This was beginning to sound way too familiar…

'So you knew-'

'You found out-'

The Princess' shocked face turned sad. 'I thought I was the only one who knew. I guess that all sorts of things happen in one's life. You can't really do anything about something they did before you met them.'

The girl blinked and looked away from her fading happiness. Princess… she was still in love with Knight…'

Meanwhile, the Palas levee ship had finally reached Rampant. Knight leaned against the wall of the deck as the ship turned course to head inside the cave. A dark flicker in the sky made him start. What was that?! Just as Gadeth gave the command to ready anchor, a floating fortress flickered into view above the mountain top.

'Turn about!' Knight yelled, running up to the window. 'Don't head into the cave! A floating fortress!' Numerous black dots like a swarm of bees from a hive came racing from the bottom of the fortress.

They were here! They had been waiting!

The other countries already at port were leaping into action.

'Send out the Garrison!'

'All pilots to Guymelef units!'

It was an order too late. Zaibach Guymelef's had landed. Cremma claws shot, destroying ships and hangers alike.

And then a scarlet Melef dropped into the scene.

'I'm here…' Dilandau's eyes shined with delight. Lifting up his arms, he flicked on his flamethrowers and shot two deadly streams of fire into the hold itself. He roared with laughter, flecks of spit hitting his controls.

The co-pilot in the Palas levee ship gasped. 'Commander! It's on fire! The entire harbor's on fire, sir!'

'It's a Zaibach sneak attack! Take us in now! I'll go out and hold them off! GO!' Knight ran out the door without another word.

'You heard the man! Take us in!' Gadeth barked at the pilot.

'YES SIR!' the man roared, turning the large wheel in his hands.

Within minutes, the Escaflowne and the grey Guymelef were standing together outside the loading bay.

'Knight, I'll go in first!' the king said through his control chamber. 'I'll split their forces!' With that said, he dived out of the ship and tossed the Escaflowne into Dragon Frame. He flew ahead of the ship. Hurrying to the Hold, he sucked in a startled breath. 'Good God, it looks like a sea of fire! Damn!'

'Cover the right flake!' an officer cried just before he was hit with a spiral of fire. Zaibach Guymelef's just stood, their flames consuming everything in their path.

'Bastards!' The king snarled, changing the Escaflowne to Knight Frame. Holding his sword high, he fell fifty feet and used the momentum to slice a Guymelef in half.

'It's the Ispano!' one of the Zaibach pilots cried.

The king zeroed in on his kills, picking them off one by one.

Back in Austuria, the girl entered back into her room with a tired sigh. A flicker of a light caught her eye from the glass window and she glanced at it curiously. It flashed again… sparking… like clashing swords… like… fire?

'What?' she gasped. 'What-what's happening…?' Taking several steps closer to the glass, she stumbled backward as it broke. A vision… no…

Something worse…

She ran to the balcony, her eyes searching the sky fruitlessly. She suddenly saw her pendant swinging before her eyes. 'I'll protect you…' the king's thoughts came through to her.

He dodged a cremma claw just in time and crunched his sword through the attacker. He saw the pendant and watched it swing to the right. He turned just as a scarlet Guymelef slid into view. The laughter could be heard through the fury of flames.

'Oh… this is too good to be true!' Dilandau shrieked with laughter. 'Whoever thought I'd run into you here of all people!'

'The red Guymelef…' the king whispered, readying his sword.

'It's been a while… so LET'S PLAY!' the boy lifted his right arm and shot the cremma claw directly at him. He met the claw with his sword. As he blocked, the scarlet Melef thundered in for a frontal attack. His cremma claw transformed instantly into a hard sword. The sparks flew as they clashed together. Jumping back, Dilandau shot a stream of fire. The king dodged, but still felt the flames lick the Escaflowne's body. The skin on his left leg and arm stung.

'Careful you might get burned!' he screamed with a sharp laugh. It was cut off as a ship's shadow covered the ground and a grey Guymelef came dropping into the scene. He flew down to the scarlet mecha and was blocked instantly. Driven back, he landed in front of the king.

'Knight… I HATE YOU!' He snapped the cremma claw and Knight blocked the attack just in time.

'Cover me from behind!' Knight roared at the king.

Turning the Escaflowne, the black-haired king caught the shadows of stealth cloaks. They hid in the billowing smoke.

They couldn't hid from him.

'That's the Ispano Guymelef everyone's been talking about!'

'If I defeat it, I'll be a hero!'

'I will be rewarded for my service!'

He saw the pendant. He saw it lazily swinging.

'No, please!' the girl called out from miles away. Her vision latched on to his will. He was pulling on her strength to keep from failing. 'Stop it!'

He roared as he charged an invisible Melef. He tore it to shreds.

'I'll protect you,' his voice spoke through her mind and she saw the pendant swing again.

'No…' she grasped the balcony for support. 'Please stop fighting!'

He blocked an attack from the right.

Several yards away, the grey and scarlet Guymelefs ripped at each other. Knight countered an attack and drove the butt of his blade into the silver-haired boy's chest. Seeing sparks, the boy snarled, 'I see you're as good as ever…'

As Knight raised his sword for a final blow, another mecha came charging in from the side and rammed him off-balance.

'No, Lord Dilandau!' Jajuka's usual gentle eyes were in a wild panic. He fought to control his momentum.

'Stay out of this, Jajuka!' Dilandau snarled. The beast man matched Knight's blade and they contested strengths.

'He's good,' the blond man panted.

Meanwhile, the king bellowed as he sliced another… and another… and another… guided by the pendant's power.

He was invincible.

'I'll protect you,' his voice sang in her ears with each kill he made. She trembled in fright. 'Why can I see this…?'

With shoulder gears sparking wildly around his head, he raised his sword to strike yet another.

'Please, that's enough!'

'I'll protect you.'

He turned after cutting a Guymelef in half to see the scarlet mecha charging after him with both cremma claws melted into blades. Dilandau laughed manically. Ringing steel sang in the fiery air as they met with a flurry of clashing swords.

'Enough…' she had fallen to her knees. 'Too far…'

'I'll protect you.'

He broke the scarlet's hold and blocked yet another strike. 'I don't get it,' the king panted. 'Why is this guy so bloodthirsty?!'

'Can't you hear my heart pounding?' Dilandau shrilled voice echoed out. He thrust forward and the king barely had time to evade.

'Damn,' he hissed as a small cut hit the Escaflowne's leg. He felt the cut dripping down on his own.

'No!' Knight yelled, seeing the king's plight. Jajuka rained another heavy blow and he realized he couldn't help.

'NOW DIE!' Dilandau screeched stabbing both blades towards the Escaflowne's chest. With gritted teeth, the king shoved his sword sideways just in time to block both.

'What!?'

'I WON'T BE KILLED BY THE LIKES OF YOU!' The king roared.

'I'll protect you.'

'STOP IT!' she cried covering her head with her arms. Her pendant began to glow a sharp light as he drew even more power. Likewise, the Escaflowne's control jewel instantly resonated, covering both the Dragon and the scarlet mecha in the white beam. The power was flowing through him. The will to protect.

The will to fight!

'Lord Dilandau!' Jajuka shouted, driving his sword from Knight's and rushing towards the boy.

'Jajuka! JAJUKA!' he shrieked backing away from the white monster. As the king lifted his sword for a final blow, the dog-man rushed in and caught the blade.

'Go, Lord Dilandau!'

The boy's vision was wavering. The hard chains. He was alone. But the fire. There was heat all around him. But the chains were there. Dilandau… Dilandau… he was Dilandau… he screamed, falling to his knees with a crumbling thud. But the chains brought him back. They always brought him back to the place.

The place where he was alone.

The beam of light flashed again, this time engulfing the scarlet mecha. All three men stood in awe as Dilandau rose into the sky and disappeared with a flash.

'He… he's gone…' the king panted, his mahogany eyes wide.

'NO! Lord Dilandau!' Jajuka threw his Guymelef into Flight Mode and took off into the sky. The floating fortress above their heads crackled as the stealth cloaks were activated and it vanished from sight. The king stood silent, his gaze never leaving the spot where the fortress disappeared. However, Knight turned his head, his blond hair falling over his blue eyes as he looked at the destruction of the Rampant Hold.

'They got us… they completely out-maneuvered us. We must return to Palas.'

She was crumbled forward holding her pendant tightly in her hands. Her heart beat terribly in her chest. Her stomach felt sick. 'Why…' she sobbed, tears falling on her lap. 'Why is everyone fighting…? I don't want to see this anymore.'

The announcement was made several hours later. The battle levee ship had docked back in Palas. With her eyes still puffy, the girl joined Merchant and Merle to greet the returning soldiers. Merle pestered her only once before stopping with her ears lowering. As they walked through the streets, she felt the cat-girl's hand slip into hers.

Merchant instantly hurried over the brinks to Knight, the king, and Gadeth as they disembarked from the ship. She let go of Merle's hand to walk slowly closer.

'Hmm, I see,' he murmured as Knight finished telling what happened. 'Rampant was completely destroyed. We must hold the meeting with our allies here in Palas.'

'Yes, you're right,' the king nodded. 'Zaibach will come at us with everything they've got.'

'Yeah,' the brown-haired man rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

'We could launch a pre-emptive strike. It's going to be either us or them-'

'Why is fighting the only thing you can think about?' her voice echoed out, startling the men. Her question wasn't posed to Knight or Merchant – but to the king. She took another step closer, her green eyes glaring.

'What are you saying?' he asked confused. 'We've got to fight to protect you and everyone else.'

'I saw it!' she cried almost like accusing. 'I know that you enjoyed the fighting! I really don't want you to protect me if that's what it does to you! I'm s-sick of all of it!' her words broke. 'I'm sick of this whole world!'

'No,' he breathed. He pushed Merchant aside.

'Someone send me back!' she screamed. 'Someone send me back to my world!'

Her wish was heard.

And granted.

The pink pendant glowed brightly and a beam of light shot down to cover her. She rose slowly into the air, her green eyes closing in relief.

'NO!' The king yelled, running up as she flew faster. It disappeared as he reached where she was taken.

He was left with his arm outstretched.

She was gone.

Somewhere a clock was ticking. A window was golden with the setting sun.

Lying in a bed in the infirmary, a tall figure watched over her as she slept.

Amano."

Hitomi lowered the book with a quiet sigh. "End of the chapter."

"So… uhh… I'm a little confused," Van said with a frown tapping a finger on his chin. "She came back after just wishing hard enough?"

"Power of wishes, I suppose."

"So she could have done that anytime?"

"Maybe?" Hitomi shrugged.

Van leaned back with a sigh. "You know, I side with the king a lot-"

"A lot?" she interrupted with a smirk. "You side with him on everything."

"Because I can understand where he's coming from. This whole scene where his voice is telling her he's protecting her. I get why she's upset, but I also understand his feelings."

"Do explain then, Fanel the Wise," she grinned cheekily.

He gave her a lopsided grin and rubbed his forehead thoughtfully. "Well, for starters, he's already got a vendetta with Zaibach because of Fanelia, then the whole thing with his brother has already been proven to be screwing with his head, and then Knight telling him he's marrying his chick… He's got frustrations. He's got problems. And what's the best way to relieve that frustration? Punching something in the damn face!"

She giggled lightly.

He continued, spurred on. "Of course he was enjoying it. This was something he could control. His world is falling apart, but on the battlefield, he was the one pulling the strings. Everyone recognized him in the battle. He was the center of the driving force that probably saved lives in that Hold. Exactly how many Zaibach Guymelefs did he destroy on his own?"

She turned back three pages and silently counted. "At least ten or eleven, I think."

"And there's my point." Van nodded confidently. "The guy's gotten hit at every turn. From his country to his broken nut-job brother to his crappy love life. The girl wonders why he isn't some cheery ball of happiness and then she blames him for enjoying something he can take care of with his own two hands. Something that fulfills that need inside to be important."

"But he was doing it to protect her, too. Remember her hearing his voice."

"It's the same thing. He couldn't protect his country, so now he has turned to the only thing he has left: her. He's gotta protect her now. Destroying your enemy one by one sounds like a good way to protect somebody. Why not work off a little stress while doing so?"

"So you think he's in the right to kill-"

"I know you have a problem with that, but-"

"No, no, you misunderstood me. He has the right to kill those men. He was in battle with Zaibach. What I was going to say is you think he's in the right to kill because he's stressed? To lash out at someone because his world is falling apart?"

"He wasn't lashing out though."

"In a way, he has been," she said. "Throughout the book, he's ignored her suggestions, recklessly does what he wants, and now that she's rejected his feelings " – Van's eyes turned to stare at the quilt as a slight pang hit his heart – "he keeps storming off every chance he's got. Is this how a normal person should handle stress?"

"Now you're taking it too far. I was just saying that he feels like he's in control in the battlefield."

"Well, life isn't always a battlefield," she said, her voice raising slightly. "There isn't a swordfight you can just jump into as soon as something goes wrong. Sometimes you just gotta face it! No face punching! No robot slicing! Sometimes life just kicks you hard and you gotta stand there and take the hits!"

"That or flick off Knight as you steal your girl back," he joked.

"I'm serious, Van-" her mouth opened and she shut it with a snap. She had a sudden temptation to tell him. To tell him everything.

That Allen was part of the reason he was in this hospital bed. That sitting here with her like this was endangering his life further.

That she loved him so much it hurt inside.

Sometimes you gotta stand there and take it, her words repeated back to her.

Or in this case… give it up…

"Do you have time to keep going?"

She blinked out of her thoughts and smiled. "Of course."

"Her eyes were tired, but she made them open anyways. The room was a bright orange with sunset. Merle let her sleep all day?

A familiar face looked down at her gently.

'Knight?' she whispered.

'Hey, you're awake!' Amano smiled in relief.

'Amano!?' she jumped up in surprise.

'No, no, you should stay in bed,' he stopped her.

Am I… am I dreaming? She blinked. Or… have I really come back?

She had. The world around her was much the same as before she left. Outside her window, the girl's track team were packing up their equipment. She glanced down and she was dressed in her old gym clothes.

'I really am back…' she whispered out loud.

'Back?' Amano asked still smiling.

'Amano, I had the craziest dream or vision or… I don't know…'

He sat on the bed beside her and put his hand on her shoulder. 'What was it about?'

Meanwhile in the girl's locker room, her best friend was filling out the chart for the practice records. Being team manager had its perks, but it did require a lot of overtime work. Her pencil stopped as she remembered Amano running in after the girl had fainted on the track.

'I'm so thirsty,' a schoolmate wined behind her.

'Wanna go someplace?' another piped up.

'Hey! You wanna go for some tea?' she felt a hand hit her shoulder.

'Sorry, guys, but I have to straighten up these stats. I'll go home later with-'

'You shouldn't bother Amano and her!' one of them giggled.

'Yeah, you shouldn't!'

She stood and flicked her auburn hair over her shoulder. 'That's okay,' she put her hands haughtily on her hips. 'I'm going to butt in!'

'You sure are mean!' they giggled together heading out the door. 'See you tomorrow.'

'Yeah…' she sighed, sitting down on the desk. Her eyes turned to the chart she was working on and they filled themselves with one name…

'Amano, it was like it was real,' the girl explained.

'A planet called Gaea? A place where you could see the Earth and Moon in the sky? E-Escaflowne? Oh, you are such a romantic,' he sighed. 'I'd like to have a dream like that.' His eyes glanced down to her necklace. 'Hey, that's a really nice pendant.'

'Yeah!' she smiled lifting the chain over her head. 'It's my good luck charm! It used to be my grandma's. It's kind of neat actually. When you swing it back and forth it keeps perfect time. It always completes one cycle a second, never slowing down.' She showed him.

'Wow!' he looked impressed. 'Can I try it?'

A flash of before. This had happened… this had happened and he'd taken it from her to swing with the clock. She watched as he took the necklace and he turned to watch the clock. He counted as it swung.

Just like before…

And just like before…

Amano stopped the pendant abruptly at count sixteen. 'I-I' his shoulders rose up nervously. He glanced back at her and she had a sharp vision of Knight. 'The truth is…' he moved to lean over her bed. 'I-'

She backed away as his head came closer.

The door opened and here came her best friend. The girl, instead of being surprised – considering she already knew this was going to happen – watched her friend's face fall and her eyes drift to the floor. They walked home together as always, but the girl felt an air of awkwardness between them this time around. Before, she hadn't seen that look in her friend's eyes.

'Well, guess I interrupted something…' she joked hurrying ahead.

'Oh, come on! It's not what you think!'

'Well, I might just forget what I think…But it's going to cost you. It's going to cost you pretty big. Let's say that piece of cheesecake you have in your lunch and then a different dessert for the next say… week or so!' she turned around to shoot her a wink.

'Huh?' the girl blinked. Another repeated moment. It was all the same as before… just like that fateful day…

'I know!' her friend continued. 'A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do! You know what they say, 'All's fair in love and war'!'

She walked in silence, listening to the same chatter.

Why was it all the same?

'Hey, what's wrong?' her friend stopped her as they climbed down the stairs. 'You don't look so good.'

'Oh-oh, ahh, really?' she blushed.

'Or do you know about…?' seeing the girl's curious face, her friend turned away, 'Oh, never mind! Let's go!'

She watched her friend's back as she rushed down the rest of the stairs. That look in her eyes. The girl knew that look. It was… heartbreak. Fear. Sadness. All covered up with a mature cheerfulness. It reminded her of Princess and Merchant. A settle for the inevitable.

'Hey, have you ever done a tarot card reading about Amano?'

'No,' she answered shyly.

'How come?'

'Well, I'm afraid that the cards will tell me that he doesn't like me. Come on, what's the matter?' she stepped forward to grab her friend's arm.

'If you like him… if you like him then I really think you should tell him about it. The thing is… I just heard…' she took a deep breath and turned to the girl. 'Look, I just accidentally overheard some of the upperclassmen talking. They were saying that… Amano was leaving the country. His father's got to go to England. He's not even going to be at the prefectural track meet. You know that you are my best friend and I know how you feel…' she wrapped her arms around the girl. She was trembling. 'I know how you feel about him… so you should tell him. You'll regret it if you don't.'

Her friend gave a solemn wave as they passed by her house. The girl passed her street and kept walking. She had to clear her head. She knew that her friend loved Amano. She probably loved him more than she ever could. And yet she was giving up her love. Her stomach twisted as she waited at the train station. A twist of nervousness and fear and panic. It was the same feeling Knight used to give her. She was torn. Torn between her emotions.

Turning she looked at her reflection in the dark window. Her green eyes stared back, troubled. A whisper brushed past her right ear and she gasped lightly. Glancing down at the seat beside her, a white feather innocently rested on the cushion. She blinked in surprise. Reaching down, she had barely touched the feather when it suddenly vanished from sight.

A vision of dark hair, white wings, and sharp mahogany eyes flashed through her mind.

Back at Palas, Princess let out a light gasp. 'She disappeared?'

'Damn it, I just don't get what's going on around here…' Merchant mumbled ruffling the back of his hair in frustration.

Her hand flew to her chest. 'Tell me that Zaibach-'

'It's not possible…' Stratego announced, his face looking out to the large window in front of them. 'Even with the power of the Emperor's science, it's not possible to create a pillar of light.' He turned to give his brother a stare.

'But… where did she go then?' Princess asked.

'She went home,' the king murmured, breaking his gaze on his older brother to stare at the floor. 'She said she wanted to go back to the Mystic Moon, so she-she left.' He glanced up, the optimism not quite reaching his eyes, 'But of course, this is really good news for us. Zaibach can't use their Fate Alteration Engine now.'

'Commander!' Gadeth pounded the door open. 'The Zaibach army! They've set up a perimeter around our borders!'

It was a startling amount of floating fortresses. They hung in the blanketed night sky like ominous clouds.

The Four Demon Armies had gathered together.

Back in Zaibach, the king's prediction was correct. 'It's no use! We can't pick up the girl's signal, Majesty!' one of the sorcerers called out.

'The unknown element… why can't my dreams come true…?' Scientist whispered angrily. The Engine was an unhealthy red color, the gears barely moving at all.

Meanwhile in Palas, a pillar of light hit the back gardens of the castle. A thin figure emerged, barefoot and quiet. Stumbling slightly, she reached up to brush the short blond curls out of her blue eyes. She was cold, but not uncomfortably so. It had been hot before in that metal thing, but now the dried sweat had chilled her slightly. She walked further, her arms tossing lazily by her side.

Suddenly, she stopped and a smile crossed her lips.

It was a lit up house.

'Father, I was ready to protect her…protect her forever…' Knight murmured under his breath. Sitting at the desk his father used to, he took another sip of his wine and closed his eyes. 'But then she left. In only a second, she was gone. For some reason I cannot explain, my heart is surprisingly calm. I mean, I miss her, of course, I miss her now that she's left Gaea, but I'm also happy for her. Happy that she's managed to return to her own world and family. Perhaps…' he sighed finally admitting the truth. 'Perhaps it was because I saw my little sister in her.' He looked up at the empty chair in front of him and the shadows played with his eyes. It was like a ghostly silhouette was sitting here with him listening to his thoughts and feelings.

'If that you, father?' he asked gently. But then the door opened to the office and Knight gasped.

A broken skinny thing, her head was tilted slightly in confusion. She looked back at her brother.

'No, it can't be… sister…'

Back on the Mystic Moon, the girl heard her mother's familiar call tell her the bath was ready. She laid on her bed though, her arms folded over her chest. This was when she did the tarot card reading for Amano.

This was where it all began.

'Oh my poor friend…' she whispered, her green eyes tossing over to a picture. It was the three of them just after track tryouts. She had never noticed back then, but her friend's eyes were slid to the right… slid over on Amano's smiling face. 'I never realized until now that you had such strong feelings for him.' She groaned as she sat up, still looking at the picture. 'I thought I was serious about him.'

The wind blew from her open window and her tarot cards were disturbed by the wind. She gasped as one card in particular flicked in the air and came gliding up to her.

The tower.

The very card she'd gotten before.

'That's strange. Why did this card-' Her vision flashed of a blood-orange sky. A large white Guymelef stood with his sword raised high. His red cape bellowed out over his shoulders.

'E-Escaflowne…'

She looked back at the cards and her pendant began to glow. Standing up, she walked over to her desk. The reading she did… the tower… separation… her hand shook, but she pushed her fingers to turn over the next card.

The dragon.

'Why… please, not again… I don't want to go back to that again… I don't want to go back…' a tear slipped down her eye as the dragon seemed to twist in his own card. And then she saw him looking back at her. His eyes sad. So sad. As he disappeared, his hand rose to reach her. On reflex, her fingers brushed over the card to touch him.

But he was gone.

His mind was on her. Always on her.

He laid on the rooftop of the windmill, his eyes staring at the Mystic Moon. 'Earth', she had called it. Her home. He wondered if she was happy back home. Of course, she was. She had left because she couldn't stand this world anymore. Couldn't stand him anymore. He took a deep breath, his hand slowly rising in the air to her. Then he snorted to himself and lowered his arm. What a fool he must look like. But… his eyes continued their unblinking stare.

'My Lord?' a familiar chirp came from behind him. Sitting up, he saw Merle's curious face peaking over the side of the roof.

'Oh, hey, Merle,' he greeted softly.

The ever-aware Merle caught the miserable look in his eye. 'Please tell me, my lord. What's the matter? You don't seem like yourself.'

'It's nothing,' he lowered his face to glance at the ground below.

'You're thinking about her, aren't you?'

His breath caught slightly in his throat, but he shook his head, 'No, no, I'm not.'

'That's a lie!' she cried.

He lowered his head further.

'I've always been by your side, my lord. I know you better than anyone. You're thinking about her.' There was a pause in her voice, as if she didn't want to say the words out loud. 'You love her…'

He couldn't deny it, but he didn't want it to be true. He gasped as her arms wrapped around his shoulders. 'You haven't figured out how you really feel, have you? To be honest, I've known for a very long time. She always said that thing, right? That people return your feelings…' she was obviously holding back tears as she said, 'What you feel will reach her. I know she feels the same.'"

"King." Van said simply, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

Hitomi was quiet for a moment looking at him. Van, his long black hair and cheerful warm eyes. His lopsided smile and his cheeky personality. He understood the king probably a lot better than the author herself. To create a character so real, so alive. His problems, his personal struggles matched Van in such a way that the story almost tailored to him.

Maybe… it was destiny she'd picked up this book to read to him. Maybe it was destiny that she'd been given him as a patient and her his nurse.

Maybe it was destiny that they sat together like this, smiling at each other even though an unknown future lay before them.

"King." She agreed."Looks like I owe you dinner."

"How about I get this one and we can rain-check on the steak?" he suggested, his tan skin actually hitting a pink tinge.

Hitomi blinked quickly, feeling her heart jump. "Are you-are you asking me out?" she said in a tight voice.

He laughed quietly, such a warm sound. "Unless you want to eat frozen corndogs instead."

She blushed heavily, her right hand starting to fiddle with the pages. "I-I-I-"

"Finish the chapter, Hitomi," he smoothly instructed.

"The graveyard was orange in the light of the setting sun. Old withered flowers of 'forget-me-nots' laid on the small gravestone of his father. He'd taken her here, but she didn't seem to understand. Whatever had happened to his sister had kept her in a childlike state. A butterfly flittered over her shoulder and her innocent blue eyes rose to meet it.

'Are you certain she's your sister?' Eris asked quietly.

'Yes,' Knight replied gently. 'It's been years, but I'd recognize her anywhere.' They watched the young woman with sad eyes. 'My poor little sister…She doesn't remember where she's been all this time.'

'She's lost her memory?'

Knight closed his eyes, almost like he was unable to watch the simple girl in front of him. 'Princess Eris, please watch over my little sister while I'm gone. I can only trust you. Please, tell me that you understand.'

'Very well. She is a sister of a Soldier of Caeli. I'll take care of her at the Palace.'

While they were talking, the short-haired woman gave a strangled grin, her head tilted slightly. Reaching up, she snatched the butterfly out of the air and crushed it with her fingers. She smiled as the broken wings flew away on the breeze. And then something seemed to stir inside of her. Something dark and terribly strong.

She gave a terrible cry, erupting in both laughter and tears. Her voice broke, her body mutated. Her shoulders expanded, her hips narrowed. She placed her hands over her face as her laughter seemed to lower.

'Sister!' Knight rushed forward but backed away as she stood.

'Sister?' the shadow of a woman's voice was held in his throat. The blond curls had straightened into silver wisps. Turning, he snarled, 'Where am I? What am I doing here?'

Knight held a hand out as if to steady himself. 'Wait-'

He screamed, his hands clutching his head.

'Wait, are you a doppelganger?!'

'JAJUKA!' he bellowed, the name tearing out of his throat. 'JAJUKA! JAJUKA!'

To answer his screams, the entire right side of Knight shimmered dangerously. A stealth cloak! Immediately jumping into defense, he shoved the princess behind him and whipped out his sword. A giant Zaibach Guymelef swiveled into view and instantly knelt before the terrified boy.

'I'm here!' The canine's voice rang from the mecha. 'Lord Dilandau, I'm here!'

'Jajuka!' the boy's eyes glimmered with relief.

'Dilandau…' Knight hissed, unable to believe his eyes. He watched shocked frozen as the boy climbed into the Guymelef's hand and it disappeared. And then he realized as the Stealth Cloak was activated and it took off into the sky.

'My-My sister… is Dilandau…'

He was in the study, his sharp eyes glossing over the many titles. Knight could think of no other person to ask.

Stratego sighed, his hand resting on the back of the chair. Knight's face was twisted into a grimace. 'Dilandau…? I'm sorry, I don't know much about Dilandau's past. It seems certain that the sorcerers are behind it though.'

'The sorcerers?' Knight asked in a broken voice.

'Zaibach scientists that answer only to the Emperor. They are a very dangerous group of men. Rumor has it that in order to change a person's fate, they held experiments on live subjects. They used mostly children.'

'You mean my sister was…' Knight couldn't finish his sentence. Princess and Merchant were silent as the realization set in.

'They experimented on… people…'"

"Sooo… that's a thing…" Van said with a raised eyebrow. "Dilandau was actually Knight's missing sister. Weird plot twist."

"Poor girl…" she sighed.

"I have one question though. I understand why Zaibach would experiment on children, but why did they have to give her a penis?"

The nurse blushed deeply and stuttered in surprise.

"M-Maybe it was a result of an experiment or something."

"So Zaibach just has a spare penis' lying around and are like, 'hey, you know who doesn't have a penis? This girl. Let's strap it on and see what happens,'?"

"You are so crude!" her face was red as a tomato. "Spare p-penis… what the crap…"

He snorted a laugh at her shocked face. She was too easy to tease.

His laughter died awkwardly in his throat.

"Her days were simpler, easier. She walked to school, ate lunch with her friends, and spent her days studying. Just like it used to be. Just like it should be. Sitting at her desk, she casually listened to the teacher's monologue about universal gravitation. The Scientist who discovered gravitational pull also was interested in the study of alchemy and chemical components. She glance up just in time to see her teacher toss an apple into the air. The girl blinked and her vision clicked to a blackened sky. Two moons, a pair of bright mahogany eyes staring. The vision was whisked away almost as soon as it appeared.

But then…

A large, beautiful, white feather floated past her nose. She watched it gently glide onto her notebook. Reaching up to touch the feather, it disappeared as soon as her fingertips grazed its soft vein. Another brisk image of two moons hit her and she saw him with his hand raised.

Extending. Trying desperately to reach her…

She knew now. She knew why she was seeing those feathers. Why she was seeing him…

'He's calling…' she whispered.

Deep in Zaibach, the sorcerers had gathered. 'Your Majesty, the preparations are now complete. If we separate the gravity between the girl and the dragon, we believe it is possible to generate elemental fate particles.'

'Yes, gravity is at work. The girl will appear on Gaea once again.'

She stood in the locker room dressed in her track uniform. In her hand, the pendant glowed lightly. The pendant she'd used long ago to count her record. The record that if she'd beat, she would have gotten her first kiss.

The same pendant that had called forth the king to her side.

The door burst open behind her and her best friend came running in.

'What are you doing!? Amano is going to leave if you don't hurry up!'

The girl closed her fingers on the necklace and sighed. 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry,' she whispered.

'Huh?' her friend looked confused. 'Sorry?'

'You're my best friend and I didn't notice it. I never noticed your feelings for him. But… but I have to go now. I… I have someone waiting for me. And it's him I want to see. If fact,' she grabbed her friend's shoulders tightly. 'I have to see him! I'm sorry about all of this! I hope you can forgive me! I have to go now!' Hugging her swiftly, she let her go and ran out the door.

Her friend just stood shocked.

'See who…?' she blinked.

He couldn't stand it anymore.

Merle had left for the castle, leaving him once again to his thoughts. 'What you feel will reach her. I know she feels the same…' her kind voice repeated. It was surprising how hard those words had hit him. They had struck a strangely painful cord inside him. He turned on his side on the rooftop. The shine of the Mystic Moon illuminated the world around him. 'You haven't figured out how you really feel…'

He lowered his head further. He tried to keep his eyes from looking at the sky. How many times had he found himself reaching out to it, he'd lost count. He should just give up. She was happy where she was.

She was home.

'You're thinking about her…' The king groaned and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands.

'You love her…'

'Damn it…' he cursed opening his eyes back to the moons.

Then he felt it like a jolt of lightning. Sitting up swiftly, his eyes widened. His vision wavered and he saw her. She was staring at the pendant, her lips downcast in thought. Suddenly, she looked up, her green eyes staring straight at him. Her fist closed over the pendant and he knew she saw him, too. Her hand reached out and his immediately stretched for hers.

She disappeared – fading back to the two moons.

His heart was beating wildly in his chest. His arm still extended for her hand.

She was calling him.

The king leapt from the rooftop, landing inside the mill. Jumping into the control chamber, he charged the Escaflowne out of the windmill and instantly tossed it into Dragon Frame. Glancing back up before taking off, he saw the moon shimmer.

She was there.

And he was coming to get her.

Lifting the dragon up, he soared through the sky, straight at the moon itself. Her face was all he could see.

'Element fate particles at critical!' A sorcerer cried. 'Now activating!'

The brilliant light of the Fate Alteration Engine rained on the old man as he lowered his eye to the telescope once more.

He flew faster, igniting the jets. He had to make it. He saw her once more, reaching from the moon. The winds were pulling at him and he spun several times to gain control of the gears. Pushing even faster.

'I know now… I know what I want…' he whispered into the wind. 'I want to see you again. I want you.'

She repeated her life. Catching up to Amano, she asked him to time her race with the swings of her necklace. Taking a huge breath, she ironically asked for her first kiss with a bitter-sweet smile on her lips. Just like before, he gently agreed, his fingers grasping over the pink stone. Her fingers shook as she readied herself. Wishing, hoping that he could hear her.

This is the only way I know how to bring you back, she thought walking to the starting line. She got into her track position and her heart beat hard in her chest.

'Are you ready to go?' Amano called.

She released a deep breath. 'Yes, ready when you are!'

She jumped as the lights suddenly turned on. Her friend stood at the chain link fence, waving with an encouraging smile.

'Ready!'

She lifted her head, his mahogany eyes the only thing she could see. 'Now focus everything…' she murmured.

'GO!'

The Fate Alteration Engine gave a strangled hiss.

He rose even higher.

She leapt from the starter and pushed her legs as hard as they could go.

Both their thoughts and wishes the same.

Both slowly reconnecting in this wide separation.

She ran, he flew.

The pendant glowed.

The wish was heard.

And it was granted.

Sparks flew from the Engine and hit several of the sorcerers standing nearby. Lightning shivered through the machine, igniting it at full maximum.

'Yeeees!' The Scientist grinned.

The Escaflowne tossed once more in the air and streaked into a beam of light shooting straight for the Mystic Moon. Amano counted each second, the pendant's glow invisible to his eyes. But he couldn't ignore the raining pillar of light that shot down in the middle of the race track. She gasped.

Unlike before, he had come down with the purpose of fighting a dragon. But now his purpose was different. He came for her, the dragon conquered. He flapped once, twice – throwing Amano off-balance and landed right before her eyes.

He turned to her, letting go of his controls and opening his arms for her. She ran harder than ever, a brilliant smile spreading on her face. There he was, the king, his face alighted with joy as he called to her.

'Come to me! Here! Take my hand!'

Her fingers clasped around his palm and he pulled her easily into the cock-pit. Her arms wrapped around him tightly. Pressing her forehead against the side of his neck tenderly, he blushed and reached up with a timid hand to stroke her hair. 'I've got you,' he said to her, his hand sliding down to cradle her back. 'I-I'll never let you…'

'Don't let me go…' she finished for him. 'Don't ever let me go.'

The pillar of light began to recede and he grabbed his right controller – his left hand unable to stop holding her close. They slowly rose into the sky, still embracing. Amano ran up and stood under the light.

'No!' he cried, his hand reaching for her.

The pendant slipped off his fingers and disappeared with the beam of light. It vanished in the twinkling night.

Back on Gaea, the pillar shot down and the king had to let her go to control their descent. She wrapped her arms around his waist and he felt her hug him tightly. As they landed, he smiled back at her. 'No doubt about it,' he said. 'This is Gaea.' They both looked up at the two moons together.

The sky had just started to turn a slight pink with the coming of dawn. Looking back around them, her fingers clutched his shirt and he recoiled in horror. A massacre stood before them. Broken bleeding bodies, Guymelef wreckage.

'What's happened!?' he murmured with eyes wide.

She held the pendant close.

She had returned to Gaea. To a world at war."

Hitomi turned back to the list of chapters at the front of the book. "We're almost done with this."

"How many more chapters?" he asked.

"Two."

"Oh."

"I guess that's a good thing considering you're getting discharged soon." She shrugged with a strained smile. "We can finish the book just in time hopefully."

"Hopefully…" he repeated.

The silence that fell between them was almost too much for him to bear. He couldn't stand it any longer; this dodging look in her eye and this pained expression that crossed her features.

"Look, Hitomi, about what I said before – about how I feel-"

"Whatever you were going to say actually needs to wait." She interrupted quickly and looked at her watch. She stood from the chair. "It's time for me to go."

"I just want to tell you-"

"I really need to head back, Van."

"You can wait a couple of minutes, right?"

"I am pretty late."

Van sighed with a swirl of frustration. "Alright, fine. Just go then."

She lifted a hand to wave and he refused to meet her eye, opting instead to stare at the tile floor.

"See you tomorrow, Van."

The door shut.

His heart hurt. His head hurt.

What the hell happened? He had been certain of Hitomi's feelings for him. He'd been certain she'd at least cared for him. It didn't have to be love. It could have been a great friendship. Something happened since a few days ago.

And Van had no idea how to fix it.


"What do you want?" the golden twin leaned against the door with her hand on her hip. She was the spitting image of her silver sister.

"Close the door," Folken commanded lowly.

"No point. You know there are cameras in here, right? They watched you fuck my sister." Her eyebrows rose a fraction.

"Does it bother you I was with her?"

"Not especially," she shrugged. "She always had a thing for shitheads."

"I want to give this to you." Folken stood up and fished out the envelope from his pocket. "It's important."

"Important?" she said slowly. "Am I getting a golden ticket for the Wonka Factory or something?"

"Something even better."

"Oh, yeah, what's that?"

Folken smirked. "You'll see."


Allen had called. She had turned her phone off when she read to Van.

She didn't want to see him. She didn't want to see anybody. All she wanted was to go back to her simple life of blood pressure checks and changing sheets and assisting in making people better. She lived to make people better. It was what she was good at. Helping, holding hands, taking care of the pain.

But she was causing pain. And seeing the look of rejection in Van's eyes hurt her far worse.

Her lies, her betrayal.

Her eyes switched back to the silent phone.

But there was a way.

A possible way to fix this.


Folken was waiting for her at the Scherazade Club. He sipped his drink and avoided the eye of a little girl down the bar.

And here she came.

Like a siren, all eyes fell on her. Dressed in a black mini-shirt and revealing top, she tilted her head and let her long curly golden hair cascade over her shoulder. She came up to him and Folken saw the little girl's mouth open in shock and looked away quickly.

"I read it," she said simply through the pounding music.

"And?"

Her lips curled into a feral smile.

"I'm in."

"You can handle it?"

Her amber eyes sparked. "You know that bastard shot her face off, right? I heard it was seven bullets." She made a gun with her fingers and put it to her forehead. "I don't care if this is suicide. I don't care about anything anymore really. But my question is: will he be willing to join you. You did try to kill him twice. Lucky for us he's a resilient bastard and he hasn't been seen as a threat since he's been in the hospital. I think the company has even forgotten about the execution order."

"That's good. The more they don't notice him, the safer he is. And with him on our side, we can move up in the plans."

"Such faith…" she rolled her eyes. "What makes you think he's going to join us? Does he even have the talent?"

"That worm was his," Folken said. "Allen is still fighting against something he made years ago."

"The worm that killed my sister," the woman hissed. "They blamed her for it entering the system. They blamed her for not finding it soon enough! They still don't know how much information was stolen."

"Van did it as a precaution, I know it. He already had it tied to his files whenever you sister first tapped into them." Folken shook his head. "The one that killed your sister was the company, not Van. Allen killed your sister."

"But I burned his shit to the ground. How the hell did he hide it in the files? How the hell did it even transfer the information without us noticing?"

"Van's a genius," a toss of pride fell over Folken's expression, but was gone in a second. "He's probably got a secret database hidden somewhere."

"Secret database? Sounds damn stupid if you ask me."

His eyes tightened and Folken grabbed her arm hard. She winced in pain, but held her eyes straight on his. "Never say that ever again. He's the only one who can help us. The only one with the systems and the know-how to take them out permanently."

"And you just know this?" She shook his hand off of her with a glare.

"I have faith in him."

"So, how do you plan on seducing your brother to our side? It's not like he's going to be ready for a family reunion. He might even try to kill you when he sees you."

"It doesn't matter if he kills me. I've already made up my mind that I'm dead anyways. All I want is to do something right for once in my god-damn life."

"Well, aren't you the little angel? Turn around and I bet you have a pair of black wings somewhere on that back..."

"My only concern is for him to stay under the radar for now. No one at the company knows it was his worm except for you and me."

"You do know Allen is still working the case, right? He's got an 'in'? He probably has a list of suspected people and is narrowing it down as we speak. He's not going to be under the radar for long. Your brother will be dead, if he isn't already."

"We have to work fast then."

Flicking her fingers down her blouse, she pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. Igniting the end, she blew out smoke and smirked. "Good. The sooner we get started, the sooner I can burn them to hell. She said to keep my matches on hand, right?" she licked her lips seductively. "So, let the flames begin..."


"You called!" His voice was cheerful. "This actually is the perfect time! I was just thinking about you!"

"Hi, Allen, actually there's something I want to tell you," she said softly. Glancing from the doorway of the break room, her green eyes focused on Van's bedroom curtains.

"And I want to ask you something! Could we meet up for an early breakfast?"

"You sure are happy for it being so early in the morning. What are you up to?"

"Just out and about."

"Did you find anything else about the case you were working on?" She asked with a smile in her voice.

Keep it cheerful, keep it light.

"I did, actually. I found out it entered the system about two months back. Still can't trace where it's taken the files though. Hey, I was wondering if I could stop by the hospital! That way I can pick you up!"

"No!" she shouted and winced. She glanced back to Van's door and sighed. "No, I'll meet you somewhere."

"If you say so, but I was thinking earlier that I'd like to meet some of your patients sometime."

"Oh, why is that?" her voice hitched and her heart jumped in her throat. She tried to keep her voice calm.

"You work there all the time, you probably know some of them pretty well. I'd like to get to know the workaholic Hitomi, not just the beautiful one I'm dating." His voice was dripping with honey. She swallowed in a tightened throat. "I bet there's a few there that absolutely love you."

"Actually, there are really strict protocols, Allen. You shouldn't just barge in how you please. This is a workplace establishment and rules must be-"

He laughed charmingly. "Keep your silly rules then, Super-Nurse. I just was wanting to see more of you. So, are we on for breakfast?"


Dryden came in the next morning, his eyes sleepy. "Sup, Fanel," he waved to him and came to sit in the chair. "Got a minute?"

"Yeah," Van said, turning off the TV and sitting up in bed. "What's up, doc?"

"There's a guest wanting to see you. Also, there's the thing I mentioned yesterday."

"Wait, wait, and hold up, a guest?" Van blanched. "Who the hell wants to see me?"

"He seems like a really weird guy, but he said he was your brother."

Van instantly sat up straight, his mahogany eyes wide. "M-My brother…"

"What? You two have a thing?"

Folken… why would Folken dare come in here to see him? In the middle of daylight… in the middle of everyone… So many witnesses… what was his game?

"Yeah… we have a thing…" Van replied darkly. Dryden's eyebrows rose and he held his hands in surrender. "Dude, just say the word and I'll have him escorted out. He's got a hottie with him though."

"A hottie?"

"They can wait though. There's the issue about your discharge date. We were looking at your charts and it looks like you can leave sometime this week if you continue improving like you are-"

"Dryden… can we talk about that later? Can you send my brother in?" Van said softly bending his head to hide his eyes behind his long fringe.

Dryden's brown eyes fell slightly. "Sure, man. Whatever you say. I'll come back in an hour or two."

"Thanks."


They stood together, an odd pairing. His tall silhouette towering over her petite form. The stark white hospital seemed to contrast them further. She crossed her arms underneath her chest and glared at everyone who walked by.

"He said he'd see you, but the bodyguard needs to be in the room at the same time." The brown-haired doctor announced before moving closer to the golden woman, a lopsided grin stretching on his lips. "Unless you want to hang out with me for a while."

"No," she said without blinking an eye.

"We need to see him without the bodyguard," Folken said.

"I'm sorry, man, them's the rules."

Folken gave her a sharp look and she took the hint. "How's about you let us speak to his brother in private and then I can do something private for you as a favor...?" she purred, her finger reaching up to tuck Dryden's brown locks behind his left ear. "I promise it will be a real quick, but reeeeeal satisfying..."

'Uh-Uh-hem," he choked. "I'm-I'm actually in the process of..."

"Let them in," Van's voice came from the doorway. He was sitting in the wheelchair, his mahogany eyes burning.

"I wanna see what they have to say."


And I had to end it there. I hated that it's shorter than the rest of the chapters, but this is getting into heavy plot and I want to make sure everything is correct. It might be another day or so before the last chapter is out just because I want it perfect.

Questions, comments, concerns, debates on what will happen next? Let me know! :D

Regardless, I hope you've enjoyed the story so far. It has been a thrill writing this and I'm so glad/sad that it's almost over.

Thanks again for all the love! You guys are the best!

Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day! Looks like this is moving on to celebrate President's Day as well! lol!

Love to all!

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