(Legal fucking mumbo jumbo. Not mine. Someone elses. Writing for fun..ya get the drill. Well I haven't seen the last few episodes, so please excuse any mistakes I made ^.^)



"The true rulers of Gaia, once powerful over all, will rise once again to destroy those they created." the voice echoed off the walls of Vans head, the words ringing through his thoughts. He sighed and laughed. He couldn't possibly think what that had meant. He did not know how he let Meruru convince him to see a silly fortune teller anyway. He ran his fingers through his hair, and looked about the palace. It almost resembled the one that in which he grew up in. He had designed it that way. The village was also very similar to the previous one, with a few adjustments made. He closed his eyes, thinking back to childhood memories, of how he and his brother would sneak off to steal mothers clean bed sheets and muddy them up again. He laughed aloud at the thought. Folken.he couldn't stop thinking of him for the last three years. Three years since the war. Three years since Hitomi left. Three long years. He turned his head to the familiar sound of giggling and small feet padding down the hall. He turned, only to face Meruru, who clung to him eagerly, licking his honey brown skin. Van smiled at the girl, patting her on the head softly.

"How are you this morning?" Van asked quietly, almost sadly. Meruru giggled and canted her head to the side.

"Hungry!" she bounced off of Van, her tail flipping about eagerly. Van laughed. Meruru hadn't changed in three years. Well, not in attitude. She was still as bouncy as ever, maybe even bouncier. She had grown, no doubt about that. Her hair was longer, and a duller shade of pink. Van was pulled from his thoughts when the cat girl grabbed his hand, and pulled him eagerly along.

"Now that's no way to treat the king of New Fanelia," Van smirked. Meruru gave a tug to his arm.

"You're such a kidder!" She giggled.

"Where are you taking me?" Van looked to her, and smiled.

"The kitchen of course! I said I was hungry, didn't I?" She giggled.

The reached the kitchen. Van looked about the large area, and lit a small candle, then proceeded to light to torches in the room. By the time they were all lit, Meruru was already munching greedily on some crackers. Van rolled his eyes, remembering cats abilities to see in the dark. He began to put out the torches, but heard a sword being unsheathed. He left one torch burning, looking cautiously about the room. Meruru growled softly, and sat on all fours, claws retracted. Van placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, hand shaking.

"Meruru.is there a scent of anyone we know?" Van asked quietly, under his breath. Meruru shook her head. No scent at all. Van felt a blast of cold breath on his neck, and spun about. There was a black cloaked figure, with to short bladed swords. He pushed Van out of the way, and darted for Meruru. She gasped and pounced onto the counter, and over the mans head, out the door. The man growled, and darted after her. Van leapt up, pulling out his sword, and stabbing the man before he could reach Meruru. The man paused, let out a scream of pain, and vanished as quickly as Van had stabbed him. Van jumped back, staring at the spot where the man was. There was no trace, except for a spot of black blood.

"Van-sama!" Meruru leapt towards Van, and swung her arms about him. She cried into his shoulder. "Are you okay?? Van please say you are alright!" Van patted her on the head, and nodded. He rocked her gently.

"More importantly, are you alright?" He looked down to her. She looked up, sniffed, and wiped away the tears smiling softly.

"I ought to talk to Allen about this." Van released Meruru, and headed down the hallways. The Fortune tellers words flooded his memories as he ran down the hall, Meruru following close behind.

************

"Black blood?" Allen rubbed his chin in though, which now had a small goatee. He paced back and fourth, and Celena looked curiously at the other three.

"He vanished without a trace?" Celena looked to Van and Meruru, who sat on Celenas bed, looking miserably at one another. Van nodded, Meruru only cried. "He came after me!! Who would want me dead??" She cried into Vans shoulder. Van sat down on his bed next to Celena, who looked down to the floor, confused.

"I'm not sure.but whoever it is, we should take necessary precautions to protect Meruru. This person seems powerful, if he can vanish and reappear at will.Van?" Allen looked towards Van, who gently rocked the traumatized felice.

"Yes?" He asked quietly, looking towards Allen.

"You will double security, yes? I see no other way of getting around it," Van nodded, and stood. Meruru clung to him tighter, but eventually plopped onto the floor beside Van. Van bowed. "I'll make necessary preparations. Meruru. Stay here.I think You're safer around Allen," Meruru sniffed, but nodded her head, wiping away a few stray tears.

~~~*~~~ ~~~*~~~ ~~~*~~~ ~~~*~~~ ~~~*~~~

By nightfall the palace was teeming with gaurds, mostly felice and anthro. (Anthro, part animal part human). They surrounded the doors and windows, and lined the roves.

Celena slipped into her bed, looking across the room to Allen, who was now fast asleep. She smiled at her brother, and stared blankly at the ceiling, and to the guard standing on the inside of the door.

"Sorry you can't go to sleep too. That must be rough," She said to him. The guard laughed cynically. "At least I get paid to stand around,"

"True," Celena said slipping into the bed. "Could you put out the torch please?" The guard nodded, and walked over to the torch, putting it out. As the light dimmed, Celena slipped into bed, and heard a thump against the ground. She shot up, looking nervously about. "Guard?" She managed to whimper. There was no reply. She felt cold icy breath on the back of her neck, and turned around to see a black cloaked figure. The cloak slid off his head and shoulders, falling in a heap around him on the ground and vanishing. Celena tried to scream, but found no sound at all came from her throat. She looked to the figure in horror, and her eyes widened. The red eyes, pale skin and blue hair were dulled with the years, but the purple teardrop tattoo on the figures cheek brought back memories she never thought would resurface. With a soft smile, he reached out and took her by the throat, lifting her into the air. She reached up, placing her hands on his, feeling they were ice cold. He had a grip like a dragon. She became weak and fell limp, closing her eyes.

"Dilandau," The figure said, yet there was no sound coming from his mouth. In fact it wasn't even moving. The voice was in her head. "Come on out Dilandau.Enough hide and seek," She whimpered, as she felt her body grow hot, the memories of Allen and rebuilding Fanelia with Van slowly began to vanish. Fire.was all she could think about now, and the flames licked at her memories, burning them to cinders. She tried to scream out Allen's name, but fell unconscious in his hands. Black.was all she could see for miles, and not a speck of light was to be seen.

"Dilandau.Are you ready to go?" Folken leaned down, and caressed the boy gently. "I've missed you so much," Dilandau looked up at Folken, eyes teeming with tears. "I thought you were dead! I thought I was dead." Dilandau whimpered, and began to sob. Folken smiled gently, and slipped of the black sheet covering his body. The Sword bit was still in his chest, dead blood crusted about it, nearly a green color. Dilandau covered his mouth. "You're a G-" Folken placed his fingers of Dilandau's lips. "I prefer to be called a wraith, thankyou.," Dilandau cried, and fell into Folken's arms, and the vanished together, just as Allen began to stir gently.

Allen awoke, and looked towards Celena's bed, and jumped up. "Celena?!? CELENA!!" He looked out the window, and noticed all of the anthro and Felice guards lay on the ground, disemboweled, amputated, and beheaded. He felt sick, and ran out of the room, down the hall. He stepped on one of the guards heads, and blood splattered around his foot. He looked up, and saw all of the human guards were merely unconscious.

"VAN!!!" he ran down the hall, and kicked open Van's door. He stepped over the sleeping guard, and to Vans bed, shaking him briskly. He looked down to Meruru, who slept peacefully next to him unharmed. That he was relieved for, but still shook Van. Van sat up groggily, and looked to Allen.

"What?" He moaned.

"The guards.T-they .unconscious! The Anthro Guards.Are dead!! Van they're dead!! Celena is gone!!" Allen fell to the floor, sobbing softly. Van looked over to Meruru, and sighed. He returned his attention to Allen, and jumped up out of bed, picking up Meruru, carrying her with him.

"We'll spend the rest of the night in the dungeons. No one would go and kill a few measly prisoners," They all headed to the dungeons, but were sickened by the sight. All of the Anthro and felice prisoners were dead as well. Van nearly passed out.

"Sorcery.Nothing can kill so swiftly and silently without the aid of magic," Allen murmured. Van looked down, recalling how swiftly his country was burnt down, the soldiers torn to bits. But that was the work of a guymelef, and a melef would have trampled the building and woken everyone up. He shook his head sorrowfully.

"We'll have to evacuate the palace, and have a messenger ride out and tell the villagers to be cautious, Especially the felice it seems.," Van kneeled over to the sleeping human guard, and shook him gently. The guard stirred, and looked up at Van with sleep filled eyes.

"hmm..Oh! Yes sir!?" He jumped up, standing straight. "I need you to take a horse, and tell the villagers to be cautious of any strange figures, lock doors. Make sure all of them hear it! Deliver this message to everyone else," The guard nodded, and ran out, waking other guards. Van turned to Allen, who was staring at the floor sadly.

"C'mon Allen, we'll take a carriage to an inn beyond Fanelia.," The three ran out, Allen following Van close behind.

~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Where are we, Folken-sama?" Dilandau's eyes scanned the empty ruins, filled with tattered metal, skeletons, and rusted melef parts. Folken was silent. He looked down to Dilandau, who looked at him with a childlike wonder in his eyes. He took the boys hand, and pulled him along behind him as they walked. They proceeded into a large room, on one of the upper levels. This room was relatively cleaner than the rest, and more fit to sleep in. Smoke billowed from sticks of incense, and candles gave the room a soft, natural glow. As Dilandau, he saw his old red velvet chair, and a tall figure with long purple hair sitting in it. He stood, and nodded to Folken, who knelt, and walked forward to him, Dilandau still in hand.

"Here he is, My lord Ezekel," Folken stepped back, leaving Dilandau staring at the mans face. The man snickered slightly.

"He's alive," he said, in a deep voice, which seemed to emanate off the walls of the room. "You assured me he was dead!" Folken twitched slightly when he yelled. "There were complications my lord, the boy resides within the body of a girl.And I needed to bring Dilandau out again.However my time was cut thin," Folken said, his head downcast to the floor. Dilandau took a small step backwards, his heart pounding. A fine sheet of sweat was beginning to form on his forehead, his legs threatening to buckle beneath him.

"We'll have to change that," Ezekel said as he approached Dilandau. Dilandau gasped, and turned to run, and Folken remained in his crouching position. Dilandau felt himself falling, as if someone tripped him. He was lifted into the air, and held, suspended there. Ezekel approached Dilandau, and reached up to stroke his cheek. His yellow eyes focused on the boys red ones.

"Such a pretty thing.I'll make him mine.My puppet," Ezekel said, and threw Dilandau up against the roof. Dilandau coughed, blood spilling onto his shirt. He could feel his ribs breaking, poking through his skin. Screaming was no use, for only a faint dry gasp passed his lips. He then felt himself falling, and thudded onto the floor. Folken twitched, shoulders tensing. Dilandau felt his leg break form the fall. Ezekel approached Dilandau, and held his hand out, a small ball of blue light forming. He threw it at Dilandau. The ball expanded over his body, and swallowed him up, rising into the air. There came a blood curdling scream from the orb, sounding neither male nor female. Only a scream Dilandau could seem to manage. Folken jumped up and ran to Ezekel.

"Stop it!!Please don't kill him!" Blood tears spilt down Folken face. Ezekel laughed.

"Indeed I didn't. I only said I wanted him to serve me, but as you well know, I want the dead to serve me. I can't exactly have a new dead servant and not kill him, now can I?" Folken bit his lower lip.

"Please, Lord Ezekel. Let him live. Someone living can accomplish more for our cause than someone dead.PLEASE!" Another scream came form the orb. Folken whimpered, and Ezekel only ignored Folken pleas.

"Remember how you were suffering in the depths of hell? How you sat in that cold barren wasteland they call an afterlife, just repeating your sins over and over again to yourself. I took you from that.I saved you! You are not to talk back to me, or I'll send you back to that place, that you begged me to take you from," He returned to Dialndau. There was one more scream of pain, and the orb vanished. Dilandau floated in the air, staring blankly up at the ceiling. Ezekel slowly let him fall to the ground. Folken ran over, taking Dilandau up in the arms, staring down at him, shaking him softly.

"Dilandau-kun? Daijoubu?" Dilandau turned slowly to Folken, cold eyes staring up at him.

"Hai, Folken.I'm alright," He smiled softly.unnaturally. Folken turned to Ezekel, narrowing his eyes.

"Bastard."

(Okay if I don't get some replies on this.NO MORE!! I'LL LEAVE YOU HANGING! Oh aren't I such a precocious little scamp! Hah hahh hahaahahahahahahhhaahh.hmm.please look forward to the next chapter Minnasan! ^.^ )