Part Three: Wake Up, Angel

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Wincing, Ahiru opened her eyes to greet the morning sunlight. Such beauty brought such pain. How annoying. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and glanced around her room. The stone walls looked so cold and uninviting; like the promise of loneliness. She pushed herself up to a sitting position and took a quick look around her room. There were flowers on the nightstand, fresh ones.

'Miko must have put those there,' she thought, reaching over to touch one gently.

She smiled. The flowers were a mix of colors: green, red, blue, black and white, as if it had been tie-dyed. These flowers were only found here, in Andrealine.

Andrealine. The only nation whose powers rivaled that of Zaibach's. A nation which she now led, since her parents' deaths.

She sighed heavily, moving her hand away from the flowers before throwing the blanket off of her. She inched her way to the side of her bed and swung her feet over the edge. Every day started exactly the same. In a few minutes, undoubtedly, Miko would knock at the door, insisting that she come down for something to eat. And once she was dressed and downstairs, advisors would flock to her side and make demand upon demand, until she became so irritated she snapped at them. Miko would bring down Kaiou and then breakfast would be served.

*KnockKnockKnock*

She sighed at the dull banging on the door. Yes. It was starting. Miko's voice followed the banging quickly,

"Tomi-sama! Come down and get something to eat!"

First thing in the morning, today. Miko was too predictable. Life was too dull. Nothing ever happened. It was all just too... perfect. After the War of Two Empires, nothing ever happened.

"Tomi-sama!"

"Alright, Miko!" she snapped, surprising even herself. "Just let me get my robes on. Geez, it's the morning."

Satisfied with the answer, Miko skipped off. Ahiru sighed heavily once again and slid off of the bed. The floor was cold, made of a dull, grayish, polished stone. She slipped on a pair of slippers and walked across the room. Dim light peeked through the red velvet curtains. She sighed yet again; something that she had done all too much in the last three years. She smiled sardonically, thinking of what her brother had said to her once.

~ "Every time you sigh, a little bit of your happiness escapes." ~

But that had been a long time ago, and somewhere along the line they had grown apart. Not that she blamed him. Ever since the engagement had been called off, she had found herself full of anger and rage. In that time, he had slowly disappeared and then was gone, and she was alone. Miko was there, of course, and so was Kaiou, but she still felt so alone and empty inside.

*KnockKnockKnock*

She growled in response this time. She fixed her thin nightgown, grabbed her morning robe, threw it on and opened the door.

"What?!"

She stopped, then looked down. A young face gazed up at her, looking shocked, almost afraid. It was a young boy, about the age of five, maybe a year younger. He had chocolate brown eyes and dark black hair. He wore a simple outfit: brown pants, beige T-shirt, and brown boots.

"Oh, Kaiou. Gomen-ne(1)," she apologized, kneeling down and opening her arms to him. He smiled and threw himself into her, wrapping his arms around her neck.

"Oka-san!(2)"

"Kaiou, is something wrong?" she asked, holding her son close.

"Iya, Mama. I just missed you," he said softly. She smiled. He was such a smart child, so sweet.

She chuckled, positioning him so that she could lift him as she stood at her feet. She walked, almost floating, as she strolled towards the main eating hall. She smiled, kissing her Kaiou's forehead softly.

"Mama, you seem sad today."

"Huh?" she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "What did you say?"

"You seem sad."

"I..." She found herself at a loss of words. Even as he was a young child he was so smart. "Let's go down for breakfast, Kaiou! A growing boy needs nourishment."

That seemed to distract him.

"Oka-san! I want sweets!" he declared.

"Iie. Iie. You'll get fruit and some bread and oatmeal," she corrected. He frowned.

"Demo(3), Oka-san-"

"No."

"Fine." He pouted.

"You're such an adorable kid, Kaiou," Miko called to him, peeking up from the mass of advisors surrounding her. Whenever Ahiru wasn't around, it was Miko's job to be in charge. "Hey, Ahiru, today's a free day, you know. I'll handle everything. I even planned a picnic for you and Kaiou later on."

"Thanks, Lady Miko," Ahiru called back, placing Kaiou on the ground as he squirmed about. He ran up to Miko and threw his arms around her legs.

"Auntie Miko! Good morning!" he exclaimed, laughing. Ahiru bit her bottom lip, trying to hide her smile.

"Let it out. That's not healthy." Miko chided.

"If I've got the day off, I'm getting more sleep," she stated, turning to return to her room. She could hear Kaiou laugh and wish her more sleep.

'

-- * --

Ahiru found herself standing in the center of her room, watching the world outside of the castle. She rarely visited there anymore. Her elder brother used to take her there, almost everyday. It had been so much fun, and she'd even gotten to play with the other children. She smiled. She had gotten a taste of a normal life, as had Miko, but Kaiou hadn't gotten a chance to experience being a normal child, without the pressure of royal bloodline.

"Something isn't right," she told herself. "Look at the world and tell me what you see. There's nothing like what once would have been. Zaibach... our rivals. Gaea lives in peace only because we can stop them. Because I can stop them. And why is that? Am I really so special that I can defeat an entire empire?"

She sighed heavily. So much had happened, and it was her mother's wish that she defend the last of the 'power', the power that was rightfully passed down through the Andreal bloodline.

"Father... Mother... why did you leave me alone like this? How come I have to be all alone? I'm so scared, so helpless... and yet no one else can see it. Onii-chan saw it, though, and he left. Is weakness really that despicable? Do I deserve to suffer because I am not strong?" She closed her eyes, a single tear trickling down her cheek. "I'm so sorry that I'm not strong enough..."

She gasped, her body tensing up as a horrid pain tore through her. Through her chest. She threw her head back, gasping for air through the pain and the actual inability to breathe. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't breath. It hurt so badly, and she could feel herself growing cold quickly. Her sight began to fail her next, and she fearfully welcomed the darkness that advanced upon her.

The object which had struck her slid out of her chest with a sickening "plop". She fell to her knees, feeling nothing but fear now. Fear of the unknown. What was going to happen to her now? Would the darkness engulf her? Leave her with nothing. No life. Would she leave Miko and Kaiou now? What had happened?

"Mama!"

"What?" She glanced into the darkness, finding herself able to see amazingly well suddenly. There was a girl, a young girl, only four or five years old, standing in a forest. All alone in the forest.

"Please! Mama! Someone! Help me!"

The child was sobbing loudly, too scared to move. Helpless. Defenseless against the ruthless predator which was noisily advancing upon her. Ahiru could hear the trees snapping in half, splintering under its weight and cracking as it threw them out of its way. The girl had no way to escape.

But she knew this girl. This girl was...

"Hitomi! Run! Get away from here! now!" she ordered.

Clearly her voice went unheard. The child continued crying, and the predator, a land dragon, was approaching quickly. But this had happened before, hadn't it? This moment had passed. This was... her past, wasn't it? This was how she came to Adrealine. How she came to Gaea in the first place.

"You are me, aren't you?" she asked the crying girl. "Only... different. I've changed. I'm not the same. I was once you, once I was... Hitomi?"

"Tomi-sama!" Miko's voice echoed throughout the darkness, followed by her giggle. "C'mon, let's go this way!"

"I'd forgotten. I am Hitomi... Kanzaki Hitomi. My mother... she was from the Phantom Moon, that was where I was born, and my father, he was the prince of my country, of Andrealine. How could I have forgotten this?"

The image of the child faded into darkness, and she found herself standing alone once again.

"What a rather pointless memory," she stated bluntly. "But... Kiitsu, he saved me that day. He brought me to my father, and my new mother. And that was how I discovered that... that I was of royal blood, and that it would be my destiny to rule this country, should I have no younger brothers or sisters. One was born, shortly after I came here... and I betrothed to the youngest prince of Fanelia."

Memories she had long since forgotten were returning, flooding her mind. In all, there were very few painful. Many were happy, with her elder brother. Her fiancée's elder brother, to be more exact. There was so much she could remember, but why was so much of it clouded? Why just now was it returning to her? She hadn't even known that she'd forgotten it.

"Tomi-sama! Tomi-sama, wake up!" Miko's voice echoed in the darkness once again. Ahiru turned around, facing the young cat-girl. It was Miko, but... younger. "Tomi-sama, you gotta wake up!"

"Miko-chan... why are you...?"

She felt so confused. Miko had lived fourteen years now, and had calmed down considerably in the past years. But this Miko, in front of her, looked only to have seen nine years, and still held that massive amount of energy.

"I'm dead, aren't I?" Ahiru asked flatly.

"No, you're alive. You're just sleeping," the young girl said with a smile. She giggled and shook her head wildly. "That's why you gotta wake up now! You're in trouble!"

"Did I... Did I do something wrong?" She couldn't help but be confused. What Miko was saying made no sense at all. "What kind of trouble?"

"Zaibach."

"Zaibach? But..." She looked around. "Are they attacking Andrealine? Miko, how do I wake up?"

"Not Andrealine. They're after you; after the you known as Hitomi," she told her, still smiling. "You gotta wake up and protect yourself."

"The me known as Hitomi?" she questioned. "Miko, that doesn't make any sense. How could Hitomi be in danger, if I'm Hitomi and I don't see myself in any danger?"

"There were two of you formed. Two distinct personalities. Hitomi was formed by your life on the Phantom Moon, and you, as Ahiru, was formed by the eight years you spent growing up on Gaea."

"How could that be? Ever since that day, I've still been here. That's eleven years, not eight."

"In that last battle, when you took the hit from that red guymeluf. I know you remember. After that, you left us to return to your birthplace, to seek sanctuary from Zaibach with your mother," Miko explained. "But... you returned to your original age, and when you awoke, it became nothing more than a dream. Hitomi grew from then on, and you lay dormant inside your mind, waiting until you were needed. Hitomi is on the outside right now, and Zaibach wants her. She's not as skilled as you, with your powers, and she's pretty much defenseless. When you wake, you'll both become one powerful entity. You with the knowledge of Atlantis and its power, she with the personality formed by living on the Phantom Moon."

"If the only thing she has to offer is 'personality', then why is she needed?" Ahiru snapped.

"Hitomi is the original. She has lived a full life, while yours is somewhat incomplete. Everything that you remember since that battle has been false. You're skills are impressive, but you as yourself are not complete. What you both lack, the other makes up for. And your memories of your real life on Gaea will remain intact. you needn't worry about anything else now."

Ahiru sighed. It still didn't make too much sense. How could everything have been false? How could it suddenly become fantasy?

"How do I wake myself up?"

"You just have to want to. To be willing to give up the comfort of the life that you've created in your subconscious. When you're ready, you'll wake up," Miko instructed her.

"Zaibach stole everything away from me. My parents, my brother, even my freedom," she muttered. Knowledge she hadn't gained on her own was coming to her. It had to be Hitomi's. "I won't be afraid to face them down now. For... Folken... I'll free him again."

"That... was a little too easy," Miko muttered to herself.

-- * --

(Present)

Hitomi opened her eyes slowly, feeling surprisingly calm as the crima claw came at her. Inside of herself, she felt as if she already knew the battle was over.

"Weaklings. Trusting something so fragile as luck," she hissed. Her iris flashed pink, the same color as her pendant when it was glowing.

The crima claw drew close, then stopped as if it had hit something. It struggled a moment, then began to spin uncontrollably in a large circle around her before striking the ground. A faint pink glow, in the shape of a dome flickered around her. Both guymelufs backed up, and the crima claw retracted.

"What... what was that?" Naria gasped. Hitomi's hair had changed lengths. It had suddenly fallen to her shoulders. "She changed?!"

Eyria shook her head. "That's impossible! How did she summon so much power?"

"Hi-Hitomi…?" Van gasped, not sure what he should do.

"She…" Allen was at a loss for words. What had Hitomi done?

Hitomi looked up at the two guymelufs, her eyes dark and full of anger.

"Let the gathering begin,"

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Whee... Part three is done! It's taken a while, and now that Winter Vacation is over I can finally load all this stuff up. And thanks to the vacation being so long, I managed to make this the longest part so far. (Five pages according to Word... HaHa!)

I've been playing with this idea for a while, probably ever since I saw the episodes this is based on about two years ago. I'm just glad I can get it up into proper words and that people like it. I honestly don't know where it'll go... and I'm very sure that there's many questions about this fanfic being raised. Like… About Kaiou? He's a sweetie (but is he really her son? Does he really exist?). Okay, I'm starting to mess with you now. I'll just leave things unanswered so that the next part can answer just about all of your questions.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed to this fanfic so far. I appreciate all of your support. And don't worry, I won't stop putting up new chapters until the story is long over! Maybe put up a sequel as well? (Post your opinion on that in your reviews, please). I'm just glad this has hit four chapters (part three). I've been stuck on part three of my other Escaflowne fanfic for well over a year now. (Gah! Bad procrastinating me!) Okay, so tell me what you like, and if you'd maybe like to see me get up a sequel when I finish.

And, hey, if you really want to get a hold of me, faster, there's a link in my profile that'll lead you to a message board that belongs to me called Nekura Anime Obsession. I'm on there just about everyday so it's the fastest way to get a hold of me.

- Nekura