I do not own The Vision Of Escaflowne. If I did, do you really think I would be a poor college student doing fanfiction? Puh-leeze. I would be working on the next installment for TV. This story has 26 chapters scripted out so far and as it progresses I make revisions; so you may want to re-read former chapters as it goes along. Also, I will try my hardest to get out one chapter a week, most likely Sunday evening; so pretend it really is on TV. But I am a college student, so there are other priorities. Thanks.

When I am done with the final revision of a chapter, I will put in this spot "FINAL REVISION".

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The Vision of Escaflowne: Return to Gaea

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~*~ Chapter 2: The Group From The Mystic Moon ~*~

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Was it all just a dream or vision? NO. It was real and it did happen. I found myself back on Gaea with the track team from school. And how do I tell my friends I have been here before…

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      Hitomi Kanzaki and friends were not having the best day. First the freaky trip via Mysterious White Column Express. Then the big metal thingy that attacked them. Now the group was looking up at the eyes of a monster most only knew to be true in legends.
      Nala took one full good look at the mythic beast and promptly fainted. Hiro was standing right next to her and caught her on the way down. Sakura and Ken were just staring at the dragon with the mouths open and closing like fish. Vannesa was standing still and just staring at the dragon in the eye. Hitomi was frozen solid in fear. And Amano and Yukari, although terrified completely, were experiencing the strangest sense of duja vu.
      And the dragon crept closer still…

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      Elsewhere…

      Wyeroh had come upon the wrecked remains of strange looking Guymelef and was tracking the prints of the people who might have been in it. He was following the trail when he suddenly heard several screams and shouts ahead of him. He started running to all the commotion.
      Suddenly, a tall violet-headed thing smashed into him, knocking him back a few paces but he managed to stay on his feet. The thing was a scared looking woman in strange clothing. She gave him a quick once-over and then pointed at his waist and said something in a language he didn't understand.
      Wyeroh looked down at his waist to see what the woman was pointing at. Suddenly, she jumped forward and grabbed his sword, turned-tail and ran back the way she came.
      Wyeroh, realizing his sword had just been stolen from him, gave chase.

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      Nala woke up from her one-minute fainting spell in Hiro's arms. She turned and looked at the dragon, which was looking straight at them, and started screaming. She startled Hiro so badly he tripped and fell backwards hard on his rump with Nala still in his arms. Both Ken and Sakura panicked and ran out of the clearing, Ken going in one direction and Sakura in another. Hitomi, Yukari and Amano were still standing frozen solid in fear. And then Vannesa started to do something crazy…
      Vannesa began to run closer to the dragon and started waving her arms and yelling, "HEY!!! YOU BIG UGLY FRIKKIN' LIZARD!!! HEY LOOK AT ME YOU STUPID BRAINLESS SNAKE!!!"
      The dragon turned its menacing gaze from the couple on the forest floor to the crazy acting figure headed towards it. It breathed deeply and its chest started to glow.
      "Oh, no!" thought Vannesa. "Don't tell me the damn thing can breathe fir-ohhhh ssshhhhiiii-"
      The dragon opened its mouth and spewed out a massive flame straight at Vannesa. She managed to duck behind a large tree, just barely avoiding being burned to death.
      Vannesa sensed, rather than saw, Sakura's return. Turning, she saw Sakura was back again in the open area. And… she had a sword?!?!
      The dragon also sensed Sakura and turned its body and head towards her with a menacing snarl.
      "Where the heck did she get that?" Vannesa wondered. "Who cares, it's still better than nothing." Then she saw a strange man wearing a strange outfit enter the clearing right after Sakura.
      "Sakura!" screamed Vannesa. "Throw me the sword! Now!"
      Sakura nodded, and with a graceful movement, tossed the sword to Vannesa. Vannesa ran towards it and jumped over the dragon into mid-air, catching the sword and as she came down managed to take out one of the dragon's eyes. The dragon screamed in pain and started lashing out at anything near it with its massive body and powerful tail. Everyone except Vannesa and Sakura were out of the dragon's way. When the tail came swooping at Vannesa, she neatly jumped into the air out of harm's way. Sakura, stunned from Vannesa's acrobatic display and the battle with the dragon, could only stare at the dragon's tail as it came straight at her.
      Suddenly, Sakura felt herself pushed to ground. Falling, she landed on her back to see the man whose sword she had grabbed take the full blow of the blunt side of the dragon's tail. The force flung him across the clearing and he landed on the ground with a harsh thump. He didn't move.
      Sakura layed there still stunned and little mewing and moaing sounds started escaping her throat.
      The dragon, sensing it had hit something with its tail, stop thrashing about and sniffed at the man's body. Sensing no threat, it turned its remaining eye upon Sakura. Sakura lifted her gaze from the man's body and looked into the dragon's eye and the dragon advancing closer to herself. She stiffled a scream.
      Vannesa could see Sakura while watching the dragon from behind it.
      "Sakura, when I say 'move', I want you to move your fat big butt as fast as possible. Got me?" Vannesa yelled.
      Vannesa's voice helped Sakura to snap out of her fear-induced paralysis and she nodded and got to her feet but stayed where she was.
      The dragon, also hearing Vannesa's voice turned its head to look at her. Then it focused it attention back on Sakura.
      Vannesa, closely watching the dragon's body body language, steathly began to approach it. The dragon inched its way forward to Sakura and was finally a few yards away. It lifted its tail, preparing for a strike. It hissed at Sakura. Sakura started trembling violently. The dragon had its tail in the position to strike.
      Vannesa was watching closely. She saw the dragon tense up all over. "MOVE!" she screamed to Sakura. The dragon striked and hit the ground. Confused, the dragon looked around for the prey it was sure it had killed and saw that it had moved out of the way just in time. Now its tail was embedded in the ground and it began trying to pull its tail free.
      Vannesa, seeing her team mate was safe and out of the way, advanced on the dragon. Jumping into the air, she brought the sword down right above the tail end, slicing through the dragon's underbelly, all the way to the dragon's legs. The dragon screamed in pain as green dragon blood splurted all over Vannesa. Reaching the ground, Vannesa yanked the sword free and ran to the front of the dragon. The dragon began swinging its head in pain. Seeing Vannesa, it reared its head back and its chest began to glow. Vannesa ran forward and with a horizontal strike, sheared through the two glowing sacs on the dragon's chest. The dragon reared up its whole body and let out a black cough. Then, it collasped on its side. It had breathed its last.
      Hitomi, Yukari, Amano, Nala, Hiro, Ken and Sakura watched as Vannesa stared at the fallen creature. Then, to the surpise of the team, Vannesa walked up to the dragon's chest. Taking the sword, she made an incision perpendicular to the first cut. And to the astonishment of the others, Vannesa reached INSIDE the dragon's body with her hand and proceeded to pull out a hand sized red-purplish rough looking rock.
      The rock began to glow a soft red light. The dragon blood covering Vannesa turned to vapor like steam that rose up and dissapeared, leaving no residue. Then it stopped glowing. The dragon's corpse remained.
      Hitomi stared at Vannesa, unable to comprehend how Vannesa knew about energists and why the dragon's body didn't melt away like the one she has seen before.
      Hiro approached Vannesa. When he reached her side, Vannesa was still looking at the rock. Hiro reached out with one hand and gently touched Vannesa on the shoulder.
      "Hey...Are you okay?" he asked. Startled, Vannesa turned and looked Hiro in the face. They made eye contact. Hiro took an involuntary step back.
      Vannesa blinked twice and looked past Hiro's shoulder to the rest of the group. She counted heads to make sure everyone was present, and satisfied everyone was, turned back to see that Hiro was still staring at her face.
      "Yes, Hiro, I am fine," Vannesa stated. "Are you hurt or are any of the others in need of medical attention?" ahe asked.
      "Uh...no. Nobody got hurt but I think we are all in shock," said Hiro.
      Vannesa nodded and then remembered something. Turning she looked for the strange man. Seeing his still form on the ground across the clearing, she ran towards him. The rest of the group followed.
      Upon reaching the stranger, Vannesa got down on her knees and immediately checked for breathe and pulse. Both were strong and steady. She then checked his eyes for dilation and then started feeling his body for any possible breaks or cuts. Finding nothing alarming, she stood up.
      "Well, I do believe that he got knocked out when the dragon threw him and he hit the ground," Vannesa said. Looking up, she saw the concerned look on Sakura's face. "He should be just fine. Most likely very sore, but nothing serious," she added for Sakura's benefit.
      Vannesa held up the sword.
      "Er, Sakura, is it safe to say that this belongs to him?" Vannesa asked. Sakura just nodded, her eyes still on the man who saved her life. In the background, from the direction that the stranger came from, the group heard yelling voices.
      "Grab your things and let's go! Now!" Vannesa said.
      "But why?" asked Nala. "Shouldn't we wait here for them?"
      "I agree with Vannesa. The people coming, including this guy, could be associated with the thing that attacked us earlier," stated Ken.
      "If the men coming know this man," Vannesa said and pointed at the unconscience body, "they can help him well enough without us. Even if they don't know him, they will probably help anyway. We were attacked and we still don't even know how we got here or why. I think it best that the less attention we call to ourselves, the better."
      The rest agreed. Vannesa took the sword and drove the blade into the ground next to the fallen man. Looking up, she noticed that Hiro was still staring intently at her face.
      "Something wrong, Hiro?" Vannesa asked. Her question jogged Hiro from his intent scruntiny.
      "Er..no. Nothing is wrong," Hiro stated and turned to get his things. 'But it is odd,' Hiro thought to himself, 'I could have sworn for a moment there that Vannesa's eyes were...red?'
      Gathering their belongings, they left the clearing moments befor Fanelian soldiers entered.

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Read and review at your discretion. I do this for the love of writing and the series. And no comments about the discrepancies please; I am aware of them.