© May 2003

DISCLAIMER: I don't Escaflowne. Shocker, isn't it? Read on.

~*~

Irishiko and Ivan were riding along at a steady pace when the sunset. Not too many hours after that, they caught up with the rest of the group that had stopped about a half an hour's ride outside of Fanelia. There they had set up a temporary camp so they could plan their next move.

"Korin must be furious," Ero observed, sitting around the fire with the others as he inhaled some food that Ivan had roughly put together. "With Van here with us, he can't ask for a ransom."

"Do you think he suspects that I'm with you?" Van asked.

"I'm sure he knows," Pye spoke up. "He's not stupid. And I'm sure he's even more pissed off about it."

He turned to Irishiko, who had been sitting a little way off from the rest of them and had kept silent this whole time.

"I'm sure that the Boss has a big plan worked out already," Pye said cheerfully, oblivious to the thick tension radiating from her. "Right, Boss?"

She raised her gaze to the blue haired man. "I'm working on it," she said quietly. I've had other things to deal with first, she added silently.

There was silence for a while before Irishiko stood up and moved closer to address all of them.

"I need to go back to where Korin is. I have to see the lay out of everything before we can do anything else."

"Wouldn't it be better for Ivan to do that?" Ero asked.

"No, he doesn't know what I want to find. I won't even be sure until I get there," she explained flatly.

"But you shouldn't go alone," Van said to her. She could end up getting hurt. He wasn't about to let her go by herself…

Her eyes flashed in his direction for a second before she bowed her head slightly so that a shadow fell over her eyes. "It's better for me to go alone. They're on the look out for me. If someone else goes with me, it makes it all the more suspicious. Besides, it's easier for one person to move in an out undetected. I can take care of myself. I've been doing so for a long time."

Van was about to protest to her preposterous motion, when Ero put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him.

"You won't win," Ero said in a low voice. "She'll always manage to do things her own way," he said pointing at the back of Van's head in a reminder of what had happened the last time Van had tried to intercede in one of Irishiko's plans. Whispering a curse under his breath, Van stood up angrily and walked a little ways away from the make-shift camp.

Irishiko followed his movements with her eyes, keeping herself neutral as usual.

If you don't feel anything, you don't get hurt.

"I'll meet you an two hours before sunrise in Lancen's old shack outside the city," she told Ero. "If I'm not there, get out of the area quickly."

Giving no one anytime to say anything else, she effortlessly mounted her horse and took off into the dark.

Van looked back over his shoulder when she heard her leave.

His fist suddenly made very painful contact with a nearby tree. The soaring pain told him that it had not been the smartest thing to do, but she had made him so mad! How dare she have such a blatant disregard for her own life? For him? Hitomi would never do something that cruel; she would never act in an irrational way. She always looked for the best way to resolve things peacefully, without forcing anyone to do anything.

His ruby eyes narrowed, the reflection of the fire glowing within them.

But, he realized, the woman who had just left was not Hitomi. She had said so himself. She had been Hitomi. Now, he could honestly say, the woman called Irishiko was a complete stranger.

~*~

All I Need

By Youjibaracuda

~*~Chapter Eighteen~*~

A noise outside her cell door stirred her from her sleep. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as someone she couldn't make out came inside without a word. She wasn't alarmed since it was probably only Mohku. Though it did seem curious to her that he would come back twice in one day, and at such a late hour. However, she got up off her cot, standing in the manner expected from her as a queen, imprisoned or not.

The person came up to her in a quick steps and hastily bowed before her.

"Your Highness," Sezarina was surprised to her a woman's voice ring in the room, "Please do not be alarmed, I mean you no harm. I have come to get you out of here."
Sezarina blinked at the words, sleep completely gone from her mind now, wondering how this woman first knew her and second had come to save her. Somewhere in the back of her mind she had been expecting Van to show up for her rescue in that brash manner in which he was known to do things.

As if reading her mind, the woman said, "I am working together with your husband in bringing this about. He isn't here because I wouldn't allow him to risk his life for what we're about to do. Besides, he couldn't pull it off."

Sezarina couldn't find much of a response since it was all happening very quickly. However, for some reason she didn't think that this woman was lying and so she put her faith in her.

Recovering a little bit, she thanked the masked woman.

"We don't have much time, so I can't explain and I don't want to alarm you, but I believe that you have been poisoned. I have an antidote…"

"It's not necessary," Sezarina interrupted. "I knew I was poisoned. Fortunately I found a friend in this dreaded place that helped me. He gave the antidote."

"A friend?" the other woman asked, "How can you be sure that he gave you the real antidote."

Sezarina looked through the darkness to the one standing before her. "He is a prisoner here also. But he risked a lot to help me. I have no reason to doubt him," she replied with a hint of sadness, knowing that Mohku had put his life in danger to help. Then an idea struck her mind. "I would want to get him out of this dreadful place too. I want to help him and end this life of misery he's been leading."

"Who is this one who helped you?" the woman asked after a moment.

"His name is Mohku Maeo," the queen answered.

The other said nothing, but in the darkness Sezarina could make out what she believed to be a smile on the other woman's lips.

"He's partially the reason I agreed to all of this," she told the queen.

~*~

Sezarina gripped the reins of the horse tighter in her gloved hands as she rode past the city gates of Fanelia. She looked back over her shoulder, her eyes peering through the holes of the mask to make sure she was not followed. She saw no movement behind her, so she quickly continued on the place the woman named Irishiko had old her about.

~*~flashback~*~

"Once you go past the main gates of the city, you'll ride about half an hour at a regular pace just to the right side, off the main road," she said while helping Sezarina step into her clothes. "Then, you'll come to a large Juniper tree with three large knots at about eye level. When you reach it, make a sharp right straight into the forest."

"Are you sure I won't get lost?" Sezarina asked, pulling on Irishiko's gloves and tying the woman's black sash around her own waist.

Irishiko shook her head, "Before long you'll come to a small clearing in which you will find a small shack. Tie up the horse and go inside to wait there. Don't light a fire, don't move anything, just in case someone sees you. From there, your husband will find you."

Irishiko stood back and threw her cloak over Sezarina's shoulders. She and the queen were to eerily similar in appearance that there would be no problem passing off Irishiko as Sezarina long enough to allow the latter's escape.

Sezarina removed the golden circlet from her head and placed on Irishiko's, standing back to see a near mirror image before her. Her mind wouldn't register until much later what it meant.

Irishiko stepped forward and put the mask over Sezarina's pale face.  

"There," she said softly, "Now go like I told you and you'll be fine. Just make sure that you aren't followed."

"What about you and Mohku?" the queen asked.

Irishiko smiled. "Don't worry about us. Everything will be alright. Just worry about getting back to your children. I'm sure they miss you as much as you miss them."

Sezarina nodded and they both made their way to the door. Irishiko slid her hand along a section of the wall, searching for the hidden spring that would release the door from the inside. She knew all to well how Korin constructed his holding cells.

The door popped open and Irishiko pushed Sezarina out with one more reassuring nod.

~*~end flashback~*~

Sezarina had finally arrived to the small clearing Irishiko had said, relieved to find it there. It wouldn't be long now, before this whole nightmare was over.

~*~

Korin drummed his fingers lazily on the table he was sitting at. Sunrise would not be for a good three or four hours yet, but he found he could not help. Lately, he had become more and more restless, and for the last couple of days he had become sorely annoyed. None of his spies could come up with any trace of the king of Fanelia. It was as if he had disappeared off the face of the planet.

He was sure Irishiko had something to do with it.

Thinking of her made his smile maliciously. It must have killed her to King Van and grovel to the kind of person she hated so much. It gave him some satisfaction to at least know that she was suffering for it.

It was a very small comfort, however. He was not getting what he wanted. Fanelia's advisors and nobles had proved to be more difficult to manage than he had anticipated. Any other group of advisors would have crumbled to his demands long ago.

Korin sighed, running a hand through his short platinum blonde hair. He got up and started walking.

Korin had to admit it was impressive the way Fanelia's kingdom was run. It had to be difficult to keep the country so isolated from the rest of the world and still be prosperous. It was really a shame, since Fanelia had been famous for its military strength. Zaibach had been smart at planning its first and most deadly attack upon Fanelia in order to cripple it. That way Zaibach was sure to have a the best chance to dominate. Too bad that they were idiots about going about it. That's why they were destroyed. They didn't know how to use the resources they had in their possession.

He made it a point not to make the same mistake.

He decided to check in with the asset that would ensure his rise to power. He lit a torch and walked towards the one-way window looking into the queen's cell.

He could make out her sleeping form within the dark room. He had watched her sometimes. It turns out that the queen of Fanelia was an intriguing sort of woman. Most people in her situation would be a nervous wreck or furious or would have already tried to escape. At the very least there would have been bribery.  But the queen had tried none of that. For the past three days she's sat in her cell, looking more bored than anything else, sometimes getting a far off look in her pale green eyes. She was always polite, never complained about the conditions she was in.

Korin smiled to himself. Perhaps it would be easier to try to control the queen than the king.

Just then the twin moons of the sky must have come out from behind a cloud, their light shinning through the high opening on the ceiling of he queen's cell. The pale moonlight shone down on her form.

Suddenly Korin's eyes went wide as he caught sight of a glimmer on her finger. There it was: the ring with the royal Fanelian crest. The very same one he had removed from her when she had been kidnapped.

He ran to the entrance of the cell and through it open, rage consuming him. He stomped over to the woman and lifted her up by her arm.

"IRISHIKO!!!" he yelled, thrashing her violently.

The woman let out a small chuckle. "Didn't I tell you I'd find a way around this?"

Korin cursed loudly and took hold of both her arms. "You think you've outsmarted me? You forget how well I know you, Iko. Believe me when I tell you that before this is over, you'll be begging me for your life."

Irishiko looked straight into his eyes.

"I don't believe you'll have the heart," she whispered coolly.

He lifted a brow at her, his eyes flashing. "We'll see."

He stormed out of the room, dragging the woman behind him, fire burning in his amber eyes.

~*~

"I've got a bad feeling about this," the usually stoic Ivan spoke up as their group turned at the large tree into the forest that would lead them to Lancen's old cabin.

"Do you see something?" Ero asked.

"No," the black haired man responded, "But I can't shake the feeling that something isn't right."

Van had to agree. Ever since Irishiko had left, there had been this awful feeling in his stomach, but he convinced himself it was nothing more than the effects of stress. Though in his heart, he knew better.

"Have a little faith in the Boos, will ya?" Pye spoke up, "She always comes through."

"Just stay alert," Ero said. With that the rest of the way was silent until they reached the clearing where the cabin stood.

"See? What did I tell ya?" Pye quipped when they spotted Irishiko's horse tied to the nearby tree.

There were comments of relief and 'I told you so's. But, Van thought, if everything's okay, why don't I feel better?

 Everyone dismounted and made their way over to the cabin to find out what Irishiko's new plan would be.

They walked inside the old shack, the door creaking open. It was pitch black inside, and no sight of anyone. Van's senses perked up. Something was definitely not right.

Ero sensed it almost immediately and therefore drew his crossbow, motioning for Ivan, Pye and Lancen to wait outside.

"Iri-sama?" Ero called out softly, silenty praying that she would answer.

There wasn't a sound.

Van kept his hand at his sword, ready for anything. "If there's someone here, show yourself!" he said forcefully with all the authority of a king.

"Van?"

The voice was almost an inaudible whisper of a woman. There was sound of movement and Ero breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Irishiko emerge from the shadows. His relief was to be replaced by pain when she let out a chocked sob and flung herself into Van's arms, holding on to him as if for dear life.

"Van, you're really here! I was so afraid!" her voice came muffled from his shoulder.

Van was in shock and it took him a moment to recover.

"Sezarina?" he asked in an incredulous voice. He pulled away form her to look at her.

Ero stared as Van removed the mask from her face only to receive the surprise that it was not Irishiko but…

"Sezarina!" Van recognized her and pulled her into his arms once again. "I don't believe it, I thought...How?" He was at a loss for words.

"I'm not even sure, it happened to fast!" the queen stuttered, relieved beyond words, "It all happened so fast. It felt like I'd been there forever when she suddenly came and then she said she would take my place and I escaped and I've been waiting here because she said you would come." She hugged Van even tighter. "And you came, you're really here." The tears flowed once again.

"Shh," Van stroked her hair much as he did with his daughter Varie, "It's all okay now."

Ero couldn't get over how similar the queen was to Irishiko. He had believed Sezarina to be Irishiko! It was almost uncanny…

And, both he and Van realized at the same moment, Irishiko had known.

She had planned a switch all along.

"SHIT!" Ero cursed as he ran outside.

Van saw him leave and taking Sezarina with him, followed.

Ero was already mounting a horse, muttering under his breath cursing Irishiko's stubbornness and disregard for her own life.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Van called to him.

"I'm going after her. I won't leave her in the hands of that crazy bastard!" Ero said matter-of-factly.

"You're not going anywhere without me," Van commanded. He turned to Sezarina. "We have to help her. I have to go." He looked at Pye, Ivan and a very confused Lancen. "Trust them, they'll keep you safe. We'll be back."

"Are you going after her and Mohku?" the queen asked.

Everyone but Van and Lancen froze.

"Did you say Mohku?" Ero's voice came out in a hoarse whisper.

Sezarina raised confused pale green eyes to Ero. "Yes, I did. He's also a prisoner of that awful man."

Ero numbly nodded and gave a hand up to Van who mounted behind him and they took off towards the main city of Fanelia.

Van wondered what was going on as they rode along, trusting the Ero knew where he was going. "Why did you ask her that? Who's this Mohku?"

Ero wondered how many shocks he could receive in one day. "You mean you don't know? She didn't tell you?"

Van set his jaw. More secrets. Just how long did she plan to keep things from him?

"I don't think she did," Van answered.

Ero's brow furrowed as he tried to find the best way to tell him, but since they didn't have time to be delicate, he bluntly said, "Mohku is Irishiko's supposedly dead husband."

Van felt like he'd been punched in the gut. Her dead husband?

"I'm surprised but I can understand that she wouldn't tell you how deep all this goes for her," Ero continued as they raced down the streets of the dark city. "I found out the other day."

"Care to fill me in?" Van asked, dying to know just exactly was in store for him.

Ero cleared his throat uncomfortably as they slowed down, nearing their destination. They stopped a few streets down from what Ero remembered to be Korin's place, his anger and worry growing as remembered just what this man was capable of.

"Korin and Irishiko have been feuding for a long time," Ero explained quietly as they dismounted. "At the beginning he kidnapped her husband in order to stop the work of the Akan. When she refused to comply, Korin killed her husband. Or at least that's what she believed. Apparently, things are different."

Van set his jaw, feeling a greater level of hate for the man who had caused so much suffering to the woman he loved.

"I'll kill him," Van growled, narrowing his eyes.

"Not if I get there first," Ero responded.

With Ero leading the way, they walked discretely towards Korin's place.

~*~

TBC…

This chapter is dedicated to Maboroshi Tsuki for her relentless and rant-like reviews. Anne, you brighten my day! ^_~

Baracuda here. How many of you are ready to kill me right now for that cliffhanger. I technically shouldn't even be writing at all and look! I wrote six pages worth of this stuff for the love of you people! I now have to cram for the oral part of my Japanese final and I don't have a bloody clue as to what I'm doing. GAH!!!!

Next chapter will be out soon! Till then!

--Youjibaracuda

"To retire is not to flee, and there is no wisdom in waiting when danger outweighs hope, and it is the part of wise men to preserve themselves today for tomorrow, and not risk all in one day"

--Sancho Panza, Don Quixote de la Mancha