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

"Ren, what's happaning!?" She yelled when it had stoped jerking so badly.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Ren grabed ahold of the wall and headed toward the wheel. Libra made her way toward Folken's room. He was huddled in a cornor crying. as she reached him the airship dipped down suddenly, but this time it didn't right itself.

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


~~~~~@ @~~~~~


Ren arived in the wheel house to see the piolet sturgling to hold it steady.

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

"She's losing presure. The left levy stone is unstable. We are dropng."The poilet fought to keep the airship afloat.

Ren watched in horror as he lost his battle to control the ships stablity.

"We jsut lost the left levy stone!" Ren felt the foor fall form beneth her feet as the airship diped down toward the ground below. Her head slamed into somthing hard and Ren's world went black.


~~~~~@ @~~~~~~

Van flew as fast as he could toward Frieds boarder with Bashram. Memories of that night coming to him in brief flashes.

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

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

Then he remebered fighting back to back with Hitomi, holding her when that young girl died. It had all started here. Here in this rocky, bloodstained land. Van was pulled from his thoughts by the smell of smoke. He quickly flew down closer to the ground. There, the smolting remains of an airship could be seen. Van warred within himself. To go and help or try to catch up with Hitomi.
Finally he sighed and dived down to earth. Smoke filled his eyes as he got closer to the reckage. The body of the poilet was a few feet away from the shattered panes of the wheel house. Van walked toward the ship, kicking some debree out of the way. He tried to see the embolem. It looked like...like Freids embolem. Could this be HItomi's ship?

"Oh God...God No!" Van started his franic search for suvivers.


~~~~~@ @~~~~~


Hitomi moved silently down the dark halls of an unformilerplace. Shadows filtled just beyond her vision's range. Hitomi felt a cold ghost like hand brush her shoulder. A scream filled her mouth and throat, but no sound made it past her open lips. She turned to run but came face to face with the pale phantom image of Folken Fanel. He never spoke, just took her hand and lead her down the hall ways. Hitomi noticed that the shadows still danced hauntingly at the edge of the darkness. Folken presently stoped at a door and gestured for Hitomi to open it.

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

Her eyes searched for the sorce of the ound, and fell on a darkly clothed man standing over a small boy. Who was baund and laying on the floor. HItomi knew in her heart that this was her son. She knew why Folken had brought her hear.

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

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

Hitomi knew that face. This was the monster that killed all those girls, Maya and Asago. She tried to rush toward her son, but Folken grabed her,she fought his hold untill suddenly everything was gone. The Beast King, her own son, the dark walls, everything. She stood with Fole=ken in a meadow.

"Why?Why would you not et me save him?" She cried despertly.

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

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

"No you can't Hitomi, not form hear," Folken told her gentaly.

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

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

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

Folken sighed," I can't tell you all, but what information I have is yours. The so called Powers of Heaven is somthing the ancients called Destiny's Way. It is said that those who posses it can control fate...No it is more than that....than jsut com=ntroling Fate...They become Fate itself. To get this power there must be a key. beyond that I can not say." Hitomi took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves.

"I'm ready to wake up now. I need to find my son." Folekn walked forward and places his palm to her head.

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


~~~~~@ @~~~~~


Van had managed to find Ren, and three other suvivors, but no Hitomi. He was in what was left of the sleeping quateres now, this area was his last hope. Van put his hand to a knob amd tried to puss the door open. It didn't bge. From inside he heared the sound of moaning. At the same time what was left of the ship above him shutered. Van didn't have long before it would colapes. Giveing up on the door, Van drew his sword and broke a pathway into the room. Amid the ruble he could see a patch of long golden hair. Van hurried over to lift a fallen bookcase off the person.


~~~~~@ @~~~~~


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

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


~~~~~@ @~~~~~


Van pulled Hitomi's limp body into his arms. She was bleeding badly from a gash on her arm and another somwhere around her stomache. He looked for Folekn, but couldn't find him in any of the other rooms. Van only hoped somone elde had found his son. As he struggled to climb out of the recage with Hitomi, he could feel it's remaining stablity waning.
Just as he pulled himself over the last bit of broken metal the structure gave way and the ship caved in. Van hurried over to where Ren sat. She had a nasty head wond, but one of the crew was bandeging it for her. Van took hold of the bottom of Hitomi's robe and tore it. He then tried to stop her bleeding.

The over head sound of an approching airship filled the air. Van reconized it as Dryden's ship. Millerna would be with him. Everything would be fine.


End of Chapter.



A/N. Well I've coma long way!! Jsut so you know Hitomi is never called Libra from now on. She has no use for the name now that Van knows who she is. And every one called her Hitomi most of the time in private anyway. Jsut htought you would like to know.















We only have 5 more chapters to go!!