Second Destiny By Another Cat Girl

Chapter 13:

The Dragonslayers stepped out of the small aircraft and stood enveloped in a sense of victory in the darkened corridors of the Vione II's dock bay. They had completed yet another mission successfully, and better yet, they finally found Dilandau-sama.

Dalet was the last to exit the leviship. He looked up to see Folken lean down to say something to Dilandau. Dalet could see Dilandau's shocked expression as Folken pulled his skeletal hand back from his neck. The young general slumped to the ground.

"Lord Dilandau!" Dalet rushed forward angrily to catch the young pyro before he fell to the floor. The other Ryuugekitai stood by with surprise etched on their features. Shesta drew his sword and pointed it at the emperor of Zaibach.

"I don't care who you are! If you hurt Lord Dilandau you answer to me! Was that poison!?" His arm shook as he directed the last question to Dalet.

"No, I think he's just passed out." Dalet looked up at Miguel, who was examining their leader's pupils.

"What in Gaia did you inject him with, Folken!" Miguel muttered angrily.

Folken put his hands up defensively and closed his eyes against Shesta's insulting words. "It is nothing harmful. It was just a sleeping draught. Again, I have done what needed to be done. Don't you remember in Asturia when he changed from that girl?"

The Slayers nodded reluctantly. They didn't really want to think about that. They just wanted to have Dilandau back without any unusual problems.

"Have you ever wondered why Dilandau never mentioned his past? Why you've never met anyone besides yourselves who cared to know him?"

Shesta's katana faltered.

Folken opened his eyes. "It is because his past was hidden from him. Or, I should say, their past was hidden from them."

"What do you mean?" Miguel asked.

"Could you carry him and follow me? This place is not conducive to explanations." Without another word, Folken turned and walked to the door leading to the laboratory.

Miguel considered for a minute, then silently gathered the general in his arms and followed. Other Dragonslayers started to quickly follow suit.

Dalet sneered from his position kneeling on the ground. "That arrogant, worthless politician! Why can't he just explain what he means!?"

Gatti hit him in the shoulder. "Shut up! He's the Emperor! He's to be respected, you baka! And I really think he wants to help Lord Dilandau. He went to all this trouble to help us get him back. Be thankful." He walked out without a backward glance.

Dalet winced as he got up. "I hope Gatti doesn't tell Lord Dilandau about that…" He rubbed his cheek thoughtfully as he left the silent, cavernous room.

*~*~*~*~*

Allen ran to the infirmary. His heart was in his throat with stress and anxiety.

His plans were not unfolding the way he wanted. Of course he hadn't had time to pay attention to how his sister was. He was the King of Asturia; there wasn't enough time to do what everyone else wanted of him, let alone make sure one of his worst enemies wasn't living in his castle. He would rather be doing…other things with the little extra time that he had. The gossip he heard about Celena hurt Allen's reputation much more than it would hurt her. All the more reason he should have dumped the burden on someone else's shoulders when he had the chance.

~Why didn't I have her killed off? No one would have questioned it! ~

It was necessary to make sure she didn't turn into Dilandau again; that is what he kept Jajuka around to do. Unfortunately, Jajuka hadn't answered his frantic summons yet. The situation wasn't looking good.

He raced into the infirmary and stopped dead in his tracks. Her bed was empty. The stuttering guard followed him and looked up at the blonde ruler questioningly.

Allen slowly started to walk toward the bed where he last saw her. "Where in Gaia is Jajuka?" Allen whispered. "Has he abandoned me? I thought I sensed he was a traitor to begin with."

He sat down on the bed heavily and grabbed the white sheets to either side of him. His hands started to shake. "This smells like Folken's handiwork."

"Sir? W-what?" The guard wanted desperately to get away from the crazed king.

"Baka," Allen whispered. He looked up at the timid guard in disgust. "What a waste."

They both looked up when they heard a crashing sound outside the door. Allen got up hurriedly to see what it was.

~Celena? ~

A weasely little man in a rumpled pink nightgown looked blurrily from the vase he just knocked over to the King. He squeaked and rubbed at his eyes in surprise.

"King Allen? Is that you?" His mouth gaped open like a fish.

Allen grimaced. "Yes! Who are you!?"

The tired fool gave a weak bow. "My name is Prince Merlot, your majesty. But you surely remember that. We've met before."

"Whatever. What are you doing wandering around at this time of night?"

Merlot gulped nervously. "Uh…just getting a midnight snack, majesty. I do have an injury and need to be nourished." He pointed to his still-bandaged head. His skin was peeling off where he had been burned. It made him look like a snake in molting season.

~Nourished? ~ Allen remembered something Jajuka said.

"Are you the prince that got injured by someone with a frying pan?"

Merlot made a face. "Yes. Celena has a demon that follows her wherever she goes. Everyone should stay away from her or be destroyed." He nodded sagely.

For the first time, the king became interested. "Did you see a boy with white hair like Celena?"

Merlot squinted. "The man who attacked me looked like that. Of course, you must have seen him, too, because you are her brother. I wonder how in Gaia you survived this long being related to her. Perhaps she should be dealt with before she harms anyone else. I wouldn't say this unless I didn't already hear that you didn't care much for her."

"Where did you hear that?"

Merlot smiled viciously. "Let's just say I have my sources."

Allen fought the urge to punch him. "Where did you hear that!?"

Merlot lost his composure quickly. "Uh…I heard it from some people talking yesterday. They said you ignored her to the point that she started to act demonic."

"How dare you!?" Allen grabbed the weasel by the collar of his frilly nightgown.

"Forgive me, majesty, if I am in error! I just don't think the man who injured me should go unpunished. And if Celena is a demon, she should be put to death!"

Allen repressed his anger easily and set the little man on his heels. "I completely agree. I am sorry, your highness. Please forgive me. I was on edge because I just found out Celena has been kidnapped."

"The demon got away!? That's awful! She could kill someone with her demonic powers! Who would bother to kidnap someone so evil?" Merlot brushed his clothes off thoughtfully. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Allen's eyes grew maliciously thoughtful. "Yes, I believe there is. Help me spread the rumor that the Zaibach Empire kidnapped Celena. That might help me 'encourage' the Duchy of Freid to help in the war effort."

Merlot's eyes grew wide. "I'm honored that you would include me in your intrigue."

Allen smiled. "Oh, it's no intrigue. Zaibach really kidnapped her. Her demonic protector is a former Zaibach general."

Merlot and the timid guard looked at Allen and found they couldn't say anything.

(Hmmm…I don't think that having stupid Merlot on your team is the best of plans, Allen. Oh, well.)

*~*~*~*~*

Hitomi looked up at the ceiling and frowned. Her annoying little brother had taken all of her glow-in-the-dark stars again. She shrugged. There was time enough to find out where he hid them later.

She was lying on her bed in her dimly lighted room with an ice pack on her forehead. The high school student had a headache from when she fainted earlier that day. Her friends had taken her home right after the CD incident. As they left Amano was still cracking jokes about anemia.

"He's such a jerk sometimes. Amano really does remind me of Allen."

She closed her eyes against the painful thoughts of Gaia and the question that wouldn't stop bothering her.

~Why has Van stopped visiting me? ~

She felt tears pricking. There was no way for her to ever know. Van had her grandmother's pendant, so Hitomi could never get to Gaia again if Van didn't come for her.

Which had been the point when she left from Gaia so long ago.

It was childish to change her mind after so long. But she had made the decision without knowing the boredom the future held in store for her. Who would pass up the chance to be in a world full of magical adventures?

The tears started to flow down her cheeks.

She would!

She curled up on her side and sobbed quietly.

"Oh, Van," she whispered. "I change my mind! I want to be with you!"

*~*~*~*~*

It was raining in the Duchy of Freid. Millions of fat droplets cascaded into a swirl of gray colors. A coach drew up to the Duke's castle. The coachman, uncomfortable in the downpour, jumped down and quickly opened the door of the gilded carriage. Queen Millerna of Asturia stepped out. A blue hood slightly concealed her identity, but there was no mistaking the blonde hair, not to mention the necklace that she wore on her forehead.

Allen had no idea she was there, but that was what she wanted. Millerna had tried to tell him where she was going, (her story was going to be that she was visiting her nephew, Duke Chid) but no one could tell her where he was. It made her angry, but there as no hope for it.

Or her relationship with him. There was no doubting the fact that Allen was a player. She had known he was Chid's illegitimate father even before she finally decided to accept his hand in marriage. After Hitomi told her to follow her heart, it had led her to Dryden, the filthy rich but humorously interesting young bachelor that she had been engaged to for years. And after Dryden left her alone because he didn't feel he was a good king, she got over her aching heart slowly.

Her second choice, the dashing knight Caeli Allen Schezar, was obvious. The public expected him to become king and lead the nation out of war. There had been problems, though. Immediately after there marriage, Millerna was the happiest she'd ever been. Allen was everything she'd ever wanted. But there were rumors (that Allen denied, of course) that Allen, the biggest playboy in Asturia, didn't feel confined by his wedding vows.

Allen didn't know the first thing about being a king. He knew nothing about running anything but a leviship and his little manor in Asturia. Allen had insulted important diplomats right and left. He didn't know how to handle political pressure, and Millerna suspected that he had become a heavy drinker.

Worse of all, he was convinced that the Zaibach Empire (which quickly recovered from the Destiny War) was what could fix the Asturian Government's slight economic depression. He thought that if Asturia finally conquered Zaibach, then the mineral deposits there would enrich Asturia enough to get out of its war debt.

What Allen didn't think of was the fact that if they lost the war, Asturia would become a part of Zaibach. And in the condition Asturia was in, compared to Zaibach, they would lose. The only ones who supported Allen's way of thinking were either blind or in the military.

She sighed. There was no use worrying about it now. There were more important things to do, like convince Chid not to help Allen fight another war against Zaibach. And she had to find a way to speak with Folken. She heard he was the new Emperor of Zaibach. She had met him long ago and thought that he would listen to reason. At least, more than Allen would.

She quickly walked through the rain and mist, hoping that the weather wasn't a foreshadowing of things to come.

ACG: Sorry for the short Dragonslayer part, guys. (Dilandau didn't even TALK!) This chapter needed to be a filler to explain what was happening politically. (I am so terrible at explaining political crap ;_;) I also remembered that I had put Millerna in and then taken her out again really quick, and that I wanted her to do something for me (I like Dryden, too. He's so nice!). *looks back over chapter* Yeah, I guess that's all I wanted to do with it. Make sure to tell me if my terrible writing of politics was contradictory and whatnot. Hey, all of the characters were in that one! *dances a jig* Hooray! And next chapter will explain all about Celena and Dilandau. Expect long, Folkeny explanations!

IMPORTANT: I really, really need to know what couplings you guys want this to be!!!!! I absolutely refuse to do a Celena/Dilandau fic. In this one, they are more like brother and sister. And Van and Hitomi aren't getting together. So sorry, there are plenty of other V/H fics out there, and that pairing really doesn't fit my story.

So the pairings can include:

Hitomi with Folken OR Dilandau OR a Dragonslayer

Celena with Folken OR a Dragonslayer OR maybe Van (oh, the irony!)

If you have ideas of whom the Slayers should pair with, review and tell me!

Millerna's gets together with someone special. And I've already decided. (Don't worry; she WON'T become a main character! I promise!)

My sister says that Hitomi AND Celena should get together with Folken, 'cause he's a hussy…but I don't do that kind of thing! So there!

BELOVED REVIEWERS:

Nihongo: You're always first…hmm…oh, yeah, thanks for letting me bounce story ideas off you! You're so helpful, cousin! And yes, I did take that glow-in-the-dark star idea from you and your brother! It will come into play later…and please give me a fudgecicle again? Please? ;_; It was so good…

WaTaShIwA ShInImEgAmI: *blushes uncontrollably* O_o THANK YOU SO MUCH! That was one of the best reviews I've ever read! *smiles* I try my hardest. I just didn't think it made sense that Dilandau and Celena couldn't have a continued story together. You know good stories? Please tell me! *Shesta gives you a huge bear hug 'cause he loves you so much!* I don't know how I'm going to kill off Allen yet. Slow and painful sounds appropriate, though. O_o You don't like Van? Yeah, he was mean, wasn't he? And you probably will like him even less after the next few chapters. I'm really glad you took the time to read my fic! Hope you enjoy! I like your little face! ^-^v LOVE AND PEACE!

Anime Obsessed Raye: I wish I had Escaflowne with me…I don't! ;_; I'm so jealous…I guess I'll just have to steal some tapes from Nihongo! Have a good time with the Escaflowne watching and everything. Just leave some time to read my sad, sad almost Dilandau-less chapter!

Feye Morgan: *sniffles* Thank you, thank you! Sorry there wasn't much Dilandau…;_; I was sad about that…so little Dilandau…Oh, you saw Escaflowne? ;_; Wasn't it sad when Folken-sama died!!! I almost cried!!! Oh, fine then, you can burn his hair. He was mean in this one… O_o I haven't had the chance to use the word 'moero' yet! Arrrgg!! *tosses Fred a madoushi plushie* Hey, those crazy sorcerers are going to make some trouble in the next few chapters! Maybe the next one! Oh, thanks for saying you liked my Dilandau portrayal. I feel better now!

Blue Demon: I try to make my chapter names a little funny, since my fic isn't going to be funny anymore…;_; *starts to cry* This fic was going to be a FUNNY one! Not informative or political or anything! FUNNY!! Hmmm…do you think I could write humorous fics well?

I really got to make that Author's Note section and Disclaimer section smaller next time…

PLEASE REVIEW FOR ME NOW!!! PLEASE!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!