A/N: Hey!!! Lol~ chap 17 … Hehehehe~ this one is for … LightningWolf … I know what you are up to girly … you've already won ShadowFox over and now you are trying to take my place as her devoted reader!!! *GASP* But, you shall never have it … It's mine … MINE!!! Oh, but it's for lifting her spirits … even if you being evil~ I guess you did good …


Disclaimer: *CrimsonFire jumps up and down in front of Thundersenshi17 (who is 5'11) and holding deed above CrimsonFire's head* …


Chapter 17: Return to Zaibach


Dilandau and the dragon slayers had burned almost all of Fanelia and only a few charred buildings were left standing. Victoria got back into her Alseides and slipped back into their numbers without anyone noticing her absence.

"Time to go back," Dilandau told them, "The King has vanished and cannot be found."

"Yes, Lord Dilandau ..." they all said and went into flight mode.


*MEANWHILE*


Emperor Doinkork sat at his destiny machine.

"I can see it!" he gasped "Kale!!!" he called down to one of the guards.

Kale shuddered and looked to Justin, the other guard, for help. Justin just shook his head and pushed him out. It was his turn to report to the nude *shudder*, wrinkly, pickle-smelling, shriveled raisin …

"Yes, my emperor?" he asked bowing.

"Go," he told him "report to Lord Folken and tell him that the shadow of the dragon no longer clouds my vision and the unknown element has been removed."

"Yes, Lord Doinkork" he said hand happily ran off to tell Lord Folken, glad to be away from the shriveled freak.


*ON EARTH*


Ry got online and talked to Anna and Ashley. Victoria hadn't been online in over a week and he wondered where she had gone to. He clicked on "CrimsonFire's profile page" and while reading one of the A/N's he saw that it was dedicated to Rachel: ElvenChild.

"Rabies' Girl" he laughed.

Victoria always called her that because she bit people (A/N: oO;;;) … as an inside joke …

So he added her to his buddy list, and since she was on he IMed her.

(A/N: Since I'm not gonna type out a whole IM I'm just gonna tell you what they said)

Ry asked Rachel why Victoria hadn't been on. Rachel was shocked he didn't know and told him how she had gone missing. Ry was frankly confused but Rachel said she had to go because she was spending the night at her friend Miranda's house.

Rachel got off and began to cook. When she was finished she'd pack and then go.


*MEAN WHILE IN ZAIBACH*


Victoria sighed and fell back on her bed smiling. All in one glorious day she had achieved Van and Hitomi's death as well as the destruction of Fanelia.

She unclenched her hand and stared at her prize.

"Hitomi's pendant." she glowed.

Now she had the power to go to Earth and to summon pillars of light.

After a mission and most regular days Dilandau didn't normally check on the slayer's. He had only done it to train Victoria and now she knew how everything was done so things went back to normal on the Vione. Dilandau was very busy considering he was the commander of all battle plans and war fare of General Adelfus … so the slayers were left to their own devices. Most of them chose to train or work on their guymelefs. But today Victoria had plans. She walked down the Vione halls and encountered Folken.

"Lord Folken." She bowed her head.

"Yes?" he inquired.

"I know Zaibach is a great nation of many soldiers and I was wondering … could you use some more recruits? … I know some very strong, and talented people that would be fiercely loyal to Zaibach. " Victoria asked hopefully.

Folken laughed and walked down to her. "We'll have to see them first."

"Really?" she asked and Folken nodded his head, tilting her chin up and looked into her eyes.

Victoria looked at him confused … but thanked him and ran back down the corridors and back to her room.

"What just happened?" she thought.


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


Victoria forgot about it and concentrated on her friends on Earth … if they could prove themselves she could bring them to Gaea and they could serve Zaibach!!! She stared off the edge of her balcony, deep in thought.

"I should only bring about one or two …" she thought.

She pondered it with great thought and made her decision. From watching Escaflowne she knew the key to summoning a pillar of light was the power of your wishes and concentration. Not to mention having the pendant amplified the power. Victoria held the pendant out in front of her.

"Rachel and Ry, you're coming to Gaea!"


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


Rachel finished cooking and packing. She said bye to her family and walked out the door and to a short cut to her friend Miranda's house through the woods. In the middle of the patch of trees where she could not be see, she was bathed in a pillar of blue light and sent up into the heavens.

At the same time:

Ry was in his room asleep. He had exams the next day and his parents made him get some early sleep. He also was wrapped in the same blue light and brought to Gaea.


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


Rachel and Ry landed on Victoria's floor with a thud.

Rachel was 14, 5'6, well developed, and slim. She had shoulder length dirty blonde hair, and emerald green eyes.

Ry was 15, 5'8, well-muscled (but not like OVER muscular) with black hair and green eyes as well.

(A/N: Aren't green eyes to die for? Well, not Hitomi's … but ya know'!!!)

They both groaned and slowly sat up.

Rachel was the first to take in her surroundings.

"Victoria?!" she asked and ran up to her best friend.

She poked her to make sure she was real and let out a shrill cry of happiness. Victoria harshly covered her mouth.

"Sssshhhhh!!! Be quiet, both of you … I'll explain …" she pointed to two wooden chairs.

"Take a seat …"

Ry was extremely confused but figured he was having a weird dream, so sat down.

First she addressed Ry. They had never really met so he didn't know who she was until she told him.

"Ry … it's Victoria, and believe it or not you two are on Gaea."

Ry just laughed. He figured this had to be his strangest dream yet, but Rachel on the other hand knew her best friend better than anyone else. She was deadly serious.

"Gaea is real," she though. Seeing Victoria in her Slayers' uniform she asked "are we in Zaibach?"

Victoria smiled and nodded her head, turning to Ry again.

"Ry, I am not kidding. I know you think that Escaflowne is an anime show but I was sent here and now with the help of this, " she brought out Hitomi's pendant "I have brought you two here as well."

Rachel gasped. Hitomi's pendant!!! Zaibach!!! The dragon slayers!!! She could feel her head spinning.

Ry was slowly taking this in. Their were only two explanations he cold think of. One was he was dreaming and two was some how this was actually true.

He looked at this supposed "Victoria". She was 5'7, with long lavender hair, and golden eyes~ slim and very fit. She wore a strange blue uniform and carried a sword.

"One thing's for sure," he thought "no one on Earth looks like that …"


*Mean while right outside her door*


Dallet came around the corner from training and heard voices from inside Victoria's room. He cocked an eyebrow and put his ear up to the door. He heard one male voice, one female, and Victoria's familiar one. He knocked on the door and their conversation ceased.

"Victoria?" Dallet asked "everything okay in there?"

Victoria's grin grew tremendously as she grabbed Rachel's hand and pulled her to the door. Ry just stood there blinking. She punched in her code and her door swung open.

"Dallet!!! I'd love you to meet some friends of mine!!!"

She pushed Rachel in front of her.

"This is R-" she was about to say when Rachel whispered in her ear.

"Can I be called Kiran? PLEASE?! I've always loved that name!!!" Rachel asked.

Victoria smiled. "Dallet, this is my best friend, Kiran. Kiran this is Slayer Dallet."

Dallet shook her hand and Rachel ( now known as Kiran ) just gaped. The actual Dallet!!! This was for real!!!

Victoria moved out of the way so Dallet could see the boy behind her. He was the same age as Dallet and the other slayers, but the second they saw each other they knew they weren't going to be friends.

"That is my friend Ry. Ry, this is Dallet." Victoria introduced the two.

Dallet hesitantly stepped in and walked up to him. They were the same height, too. He shook his hand grudgingly and when they briefly shook it was hard and they both squeezed it in order to hurt the other.

"It's nice to meet you both." Dallet said and looked them over. He could tell that these two were from the Mystic Moon.

Dallet turned to Victoria again and smiled.

"It was great to meet your friends but I have to get going." Dallet stepped out and waved. "Hope to see you three tomorrow …"

After Dallet left, Victoria spent the rest of the day telling "Kiran" and Ry about everything. From how she got to Gaea, to what had happened and was to happen. By the end of the day they both knew everything they'd need to, to survive on Gaea and mainly Zaibach.

They could both hardly believe what they were hearing but Victoria led them to the balcony. She pointed to the to orbs in the sky: Earth and the moon.

Victoria glanced at what had been taken with "Kiran." She had her duffel bag & her sleeping bag and pillow. She was glad "Kiran" had her things but Ry was not as fortunate. She laid the sleeping bag out.

"For tonight Ry will have to sleep here," she pointed to the sleeping bag on the floor "and Kiran and I can have half of my bed each."

Kiran looked at Victoria's bed. It was huge!!! At least four people could fit on it with room to spare!!! So while Kiran took her things to the bathroom and got ready to sleep Victoria went to the laundry room and got Ry a pair of clothes to sleep in.

She apologized and changed herself. She came out and all three were changed. Kiran had a pair or loose fitting PJ's, Ry with the simple white cotton shirt and black jeans, and Victoria in her short, lavender night gown.

She laughed and began to wish it didn't show so much leg. Ry was staring and she coughed loudly to get their' attention.

"Good night to you both. Tomorrow will be busy and hectic so we better get some sleep."

They both nodded and laid down, wondering what was to become of them.



A/N: There you have it!!! Chap 17 … Uhm, If you are confused about the Rachel thing I'm sorry~ heh … she wanted her name to be Kiran, so Rachel = Kiran, ok? Well, and Ry is Navi … yes, this time I'm only having two new characters for now … more to come … but, hey!!! Don't get in a fit!!! There is a sequel and you know what??? Who said that every new character was from Earth??? I may just have some of you from Gaea … well, anyway … YAY!!! Ry and Kiran are on Gaea!!! Two new characters!!! But what's to become of them??? Dallet isn't gonna get along with Ry, eh? What's going to happen!!!!???? If you didn't notice and you don't read my A/N's I did make changes in this chap … they weren't dramatic … but the character thing was … ~CrimsonFire




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