Welcome!  Welcome!  Here is another chapter of my story.  I hope you are all enjoying it so far.  For myself, I am happy with the story's development.  It has been a while, but the evolution of this epic has been close to my heart and I'm truly grateful for all the reviews and readers that have accumulated over the last year.  Thanks so much!!

Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Escaflowne, its characters, themes, etc.  I do however own all my characters and ideas that I have added to this wonderful anime. 

Vision of Escaflowne: Homecoming

Chapter Sixteen: And All The King's Men

            "Prepare to activate the Field Canceller," Tamra commanded as she maneuvered her guymelef into formation, "Once we're within city limits turn it to full power."

            Chelsea took her place in the battle formation with another sect of guymelefs.  Her troop was carrying the Graveler and was to protect it and its team, for them to achieve their goal.  Tamra's troop was to be the distraction and the main force behind the attack.  Chelsea's team crested the last region of cliffs surrounding the desert city. 

            "All teams are a go!" Chelsea ordered as they swooped down into the heart of Freyd.

            Ryley looked up from where he and Pristelle had fallen asleep.  The sight of a swarm of guymelefs and airships came into view.  Immediately he was alert, "Pristelle, wake up."

            "Hmm," Pristelle stirred and opened her eyes, "What is it?"

            "We have to get back," Ryley pointed to the black blanket of machines headed their way.

            Nodding, Pristelle and Ryley climbed back onto Thashius and took off.  Pristelle peered into the black expanse and saw a large orb surrounded by electricity.  She gasped, "Ryley!  It's the Field Canceller.  We won't be able to communicate telepathically once they're within the city."

            "Damn it!" Ryley swooped Thashius back into Freyd, "Contact Hitomi and the others."

            Closing her eyes, Pristelle concentrated on reaching everyone's minds, "It has begun.  Kirok's forces are here and they've brought the Field Canceller."

            Tardus and Merle began to run towards the area where the guymelefs were held.  Once there, Merle quickly kissed Tardus, "Come back to me." And then Merle ran towards the bunker to join Millerna, Dryden and Cid to assist with the injured.

            Hitomi, Van, Yil and Selena soon joined Tardus in the guymelef area.  Selena quickly kissed Yil good-bye with a look in her eyes that belied her confidence.  Yil hugged her close then proceeded to activate Dredge.  Selena gave a thumb's up to the rest and headed to the bunker to help as well.  Myami and Allen finally joined the rest of them as they began to activate their guymelefs.  Tardus quickly handed them communicators.

            "Why do we need these?" Van asked as he put on the device.

            "Can't we just communicate through telepathy?" Hitomi inquired, "It has something to do with the Field Canceller that Pristelle told us."

            Ryley and Pristelle landed near-by and hopped off Thashius.  Pristelle ran to the group, "He's sent the elite force.  I didn't see Dorser or Nigel with them."

            "New recruits?" Yil slipped on the communicator.

            "Probably," Pristelle shrugged, "They had to replace us when we left."

            "Field Canceller?" Myami crossed her arms.

            Ryley nodded, "Already activated.  It will probably be at full power as soon as they enter the city.  It will cancel out all our telepathic powers and those who aren't well versed with telekinesis will be cancelled out as well."

            "That cuts our advantage a bit," Allen thought, "Let's get into our ready positions."

            The group agreed and each rushed off to man their guymelefs. 

            "We're within city limits," Chelsea began, "Tamra begin the frontal assault.  We're closing in on the main castle."

            Tamra grinned, "Affirmative." Then addressing her team, "First wave initiate."

            The airship within Tamra's group landed and a force of ground troops emerged from within its depths.  The black armored troops armed with swords and Kirok's laser technology swarmed into the city.  The first group of guymelefs landed as well, quickly devouring the ground on which the advanced into the city.

            "Are all the communicator's on?" Van moved Escaflowne into position, next to Friezha.

            "Yes, Van-san." Dryden's voice came over the ear pieces, "The Haven's equipment is up and running.  We'll communicate anything strategic that we can give you."

            "Is everyone in position?" Allen's voice inquired.

            "Hai," Tardus affirmed, "The first wave has been sent in.  Ground troops should move to counteract the opposition."

            Hitomi's voice streamed through, "Where's Myami?"

            "Here, Tom-Tom," Myami answered, "Tardus.  You, Yil and I will confront the first wave of guymelefs.  Ryley and Pristelle will have our backs.  Allen, Van and Hitomi should protect the castle and bunker.  Agreed?"

            Affirmatives ran through the communicators.  The Freyd guymelefs began to disperse among the three teams. 

            "They knew.  The Betrayers are here!" Tamra exclaimed as she clashed swords with a Freyd guymelef.

            Chelsea's team moved closer to the castle, "This may be more difficult than planned.  Bring in the Graveler.  We'll use it to get the staff."

            Hitomi clashed swords with one of Kirok's guymelefs that were able to slip through her sister and friends, "Damn!  How many of these guys did Kirok send?" Hitomi quickly dispatched her current adversary and started in on another.

            "Are you all right, Tomi-chan?" Van pulled his blade out of an enemy and proceeded to hack at another one.

            Hitomi found herself grinning at Van's new nickname for her, "I'm fine Van-chan.  How about you Allen-san?"

            "Good," Allen slashed the arms off another guymelef, "These bastards are quick."

            "Freyd's ground troops are holding off Kirok's ground troops," Dryden's voice communicated, "The screens are indicating an approach of a huge vehicle behind the castle.  Another wave of guymelefs are also attacking from the front.  They will surround."

            "Thanks, Dryden-sama," Myami grunted out as she pushed a guymelef away from her sword, "Tardus I think a fire screen would prove helpful.  Yil, I think Dredge's earthquake should prove useful to the one's advancing behind us."

            "Hai!' Yil and Tardus immediately obeyed Myami's commands.  Yil quickly made his way to the back of the castle, with Allen watching his back, Yil's guymelef transformed and the large bear dug it's claws into the ground.  All of a sudden energy could be seen circulating the bear's arms and pieces of the earth began pushing up through the ground.  Large rocks flew out of the surface, impacting many vehicles and guymelefs. 

            "Feel the force of Dredge's Earthquake!" Yil yelled as more energy yielded into the ground and the earth shook with its force.

            In front, Myami pulled back Freyd's troops as Tardus' guymelef, Ferral transformed.  The large lion reared back, stomping its paws.  "Fire Blaze!!!" Tardus shouted out as fire erupted from the lion's mouth incinerating the opposing forces and completely taking care of the second wave of the onslaught.

            Ryley and Pristelle quickly saw that the city was being systematically destroyed.  They were concentrating their efforts in protecting the main castle, the only place where there were still people.  Hitomi noticed this as well; Freyd would have a lot to rebuild.  Although they had already braved through four contingent units, the battle was still raging on.  It seemed that the enemy had limitless resources.  It was then that she felt the ground rumble once again.  Thinking it was Yil engaging in another earthquake attack, Hitomi quickly went to back him up.  What she saw was not what she expected, "Myami!"

            Myami pulled her guymelef back and sliced across three enemies, "What Tom-Tom, I'm busy!"

            "The Graveler!  Its here and Yil has been thrown back!" Hitomi yelled as Van came and parried a blow meant to take Hitomi's head off while she was distracted.

            "Tomi-chan, don't lose focus!" Van sought to calm Hitomi.

            Hitomi sobered up, "Cover me.  I'm going to see to Yil."

            Van and Allen took the cover and engaged with the guymelefs protecting the Graveler's advance.  "We need help back here," Allen grunted as he clashed blades with another guymelef.  The Graveler was quickly making scrap metal of Freyd's guymelefs.  It wouldn't be long before the only guymelefs that stood would be Scherezade, Escaflowne and Friezha.

            "Ryley.  Pristelle," Tardus instructed, "Go and assist them.  If Yil is injured make sure he doesn't try to fight again.  Send him to the infirmary.  Myami and I can handle the front line." Tardus moved closer to Myami's guymelef, "Change forms.  I think some rain will be of assistance.  If we can't beat that new machine with magic and regular weaponry, we can at least slow it down."

            Myami immediately switched into griffin form.  Lifting off the ground, Myami gave warning, "I'm going to cast a lightning storm.  Freyd's desert sand will be hard to maneuver in, so be prepared." Myami awaited everyone's confirmation and then soared above the castle.

            Chelsea looked up from the Freyd guymelef that she just dispatched, "Tamra!"

            "Hai!" Tamra answered.

            "That guymelef, its one of the Betrayers.  Master Kirok warned us of them." Chelsea continued to advance in on the castle, "Stop it before it does whatever it's going to do!"

Tamra took off, determined to bring down the griffin guymelef.

            Electricity gathered in Myami's wings as she began to build up the necessary energy for her attack.  Sensing the amount of electricity, Myami pulled the griffin to face the sky, "Lightning Storm!"

            Power radiated from the griffin's mouth as it released the pent up energy into the sky.  Almost immediately the skies around them filled with clouds, making the already dark night even darker.  Lightning surrounded the griffin as the rains began to pour out of the clouds.

            Tamra got caught in the lightning and was struck down.  The electricity, short-circuiting everything in her guymelef, effectively put her out of commission.  Tamra's anger was evident.  Opening the hatch, Tamra quickly dashed across the field, dispatching any enemy soldier in her way.  She had to make it back to the ship.  Her communication equipment had been fried in the electrical field and the only way she could communicate her next move was to get back to the airship.

            Chelsea had witnessed Tamra's fall and knew exactly what her friend would do next, if she were still alive to do so.  Chelsea cursed, "Fuck!  Get the Graveler into position now!  I want that staff and I want it now!"

            "Myami," Hitomi called through the communicator, "The Graveler is hovering.  It won't be affected by the sands, but we will."

            "Damn!  Tom-Tom our guymelefs are all equipped for flight.  Hover and counteract that.  I don't know about Scherezade or Freyd's guymelefs though," Myami flew back down and sent out another lightning beam, this time at the enemy force.

            Allen's voice came through, "Scherezade can maintain a hover, but not for long.  I'll try making it through the mud first.  It might slow me down, so I'll need Van and Hitomi to cover.  Pristelle and Ryley are covering Yil.  He's not injured but he's shaken up.  He'll be joining the fight again soon."

            "Hitomi," Myami's voice rang with authority, "You need to stop the Graveler.  I know it may be resistant to magic, but the magic from our guymelefs revolve around the elements of Gaea.  Use your Ice Beam or Ice Lance.  That will give Tardus and I time to make an attack on the main airship."

            "She's right.  We need to destroy the Field Canceller, otherwise their numbers alone will defeat us." Dryden took control, "Myami, Tardus.  There's an opening through the left sector.  Take it and head east towards the ship." Dryden then rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Hitomi, you're going to need to be in panther form in order for you to use your Ice Beam.  If you're going to stay in guymelef form, use your Ice Lance."

            "Copy that," Hitomi broke free from the formation, "Van-chan, Allen-san.  I need you to clear me a path.  I need a direct hit on that machine."  Hitomi proceeded to transform into panther form.

            Having hitched a ride on an ally guymelef, Tamra quickly reentered the airship.  Storming into the cargo bay, Tamra let out her frustrations, "Captain!!!"

            "Hai, Lady Tamra," One of the captains stood at attention.

            "Prepare the Cannon!" Tamra quickly took control of another guymelef, putting on her communication ear Tamra ground out, "Chelsea, I'm bringing out the Cannon.  Get that damn staff!"

            Chelsea heard the communication and groaned as she took care of three more enemies, "Fine.  Give me five minutes.  Graveler team?"

            "Hai, Lady Chelsea," A voice came through the line.

            "You have five minutes before Lady Tamra starts the Cannon's firing sequence."

            "Hai."

            The team inside the Graveler inputted a sequence of commands into the computer.  The machine took the instructions and began to glow with power radiating from its generator.

            Chelsea saw this and grinned, "All units, cease main attack.  All units come to the far west quadrant and assist with protection for the Graveler."  Now they will see the true power of Master Kirok's creation.

            "All right, I'm ready!" Hitomi smiled.  The power she could feel in her guymelef thrilled her.

            Allen took out another guymelef and threw it aside, "You're clear, Hitomi."

            Van moved to the side of Hitomi's guymelef, "Do it now.  It seems that something is happening with the Graveler."

            "Okay!" Hitomi dug the Friezha's paws into the muddy sands, "Friezha, Ice Beam!"

            Out at the castle's front, Myami and Tardus made quick work of the remaining guymelefs.  They had made good headway and were now standing in front of the Field Canceller.

            "Something's wrong," Myami stood in a defensive stance behind Tardus. 

            Tardus was using his short sword to break through the barrier protecting the machine, "What is it?"

            Myami blocked the attack of one guymelef and pierced her second blade through another, "Where are the rest of them?  Its like the field just cleared."

            "I'm in," Tardus reached into the small break in the barrier and closed his guymelef's hand on the orb, crushing it in his grasp, "Done." Tardus turned back to Myami and helped her take care of a couple more guymelefs, "Its clearing like it did in Astoria."

            "The Cannon!" Myami and Tardus breathed out the same time.

            At the back of the castle, Hitomi was beginning to get frustrated, "They keep on getting in my way and that Graveler looks like its ready to give off that energy."

            "They've got good defenses.  I'll give them that," Ryley offered.  He and Pristelle had since joined, Allen, Van, Yil and Hitomi, in trying to break through to stall the Graveler.  The sheer number of guymelefs kept them at bay as the Graveler's team began to count down.

            "Graveler at full power," one of the crew commented, "Ready to commence attack, Lady Chelsea."

            Chelsea grinned, "Execute the command!" She called to Tamra, "Its time.  Warm up the Cannon.  When I give the signal fire immediately."

            "You got it!" Tamra maliciously grinned and turned to the soldiers in command of the Cannon, "You heard Lady Chelsea!"

            The Graveler entered its last sequence and a bright glow enveloped the battlefield.  Everyone shielded his or her eyes, as the extreme white of the light pierced through the darkness.

            "Tom-Tom!" Myami called out, "The Field Canceller is destroyed!  Get out of the way, the Cannon is here!"

Hitomi heard the command and immediately moved out of the way.  She telepathically signaled the others and the field quickly cleared around the castle.  It was then that the light died and the Graveler disappeared.

"What the hell was that?!?" Dryden scanned the field.  The Graveler and its surrounding guymelefs had all disappeared off the field.  The only enemy on the screen was the team to the front of the castle wielding the devastating laser Cannon.

"Dryden?" Allen spoke through the communicator, "Where are they?"

"They're not on my screen.  Its as if they vanished into thin air." Dryden replied, "Tardus, Myami are you still on route to the others?"

Tardus grunted, "We're here.  We kept running through that blinding glow.  From the looks of things that Cannon is about to release its energy.  Get everyone to safety now!"

Dryden relayed the command to the rest of Freyd's army and their allies quickly retreated to the safety of the cliffs.  Dryden knew what was about to occur and turned weary eyes to Freyd's young king.  Cid caught Dryden's gaze and instantly knew that things were not going well.  Cid stood and walked to the opposite side of the bunker to be alone.  He sighed and looked out of the bunker's window.  At least he had had the foresight to evacuate the city. 

Millerna also caught her husband's stare and wanted more than anything to comfort her nephew.  She was about to stand and follow him, when her husband laid a hand on her shoulder.  Millerna turned to look at him as he shook his head. 

Selena and Merle were also privy to the situation and were glad that everyone was currently on their way to safety.  When Selena had heard that Yil had been thrown, she couldn't contain the emotions swirling through her mind.  Merle had seen this and quickly diffused the situation by telling her that Yil would be fine as long as the rest of the group was still standing.  Selena had comforted herself with that and waited until anything further could be discovered.

Now knowing that the same destruction that had occurred in Yarfan and Astoria would occur here, frightened the two women.  They held each other awaiting the next transmission from the team.

Back on the battlefield, the group once again united, began to herd their allies towards the cliffs.  Hitomi turned one last time to see the castle and the Cannon preparing to fire.  It was then another flash of light illuminated the skies.  "Onee-chan!" Hitomi yelled.

Myami gazed at the area Hitomi was pointing out to her and there by the Cannon stood the Graveler and the rest of the enemy fleet.  Using her guymelef's superior eyesight, Myami peered at the enemy.  It seemed that the person coming out of the Graveler was holding the Largaras Staff.  That meant that during the time they had disappeared, they had somehow been able to retrieve the Staff within the castle walls.  But how could that be?  The Graveler had to be three times the size of the castle's doors and from what she could tell no damage had come to the castle so far. 

"Mya-chan, move!" Tardus came up behind her, shaking Myami away from her thoughts, "Let's go, the Cannon's about to fire."

Just as Tardus said those words, the large laser beam pierced through the air and wreaked its terror on Freyd.

            Chelsea stood on the airship's deck as she stared over the smoking remains of Freyd's capital city.  Their team had been successful in retrieving the Largaras Staff and they were now packing up to deliver the artifact to Master Kirok.  Chelsea grinned to herself.  They had been strong enough to repel the Betrayers. 

            "Things have gone well," Tamra came up from behind her to lean against the deck's railing, "We're off to the base?"

            Chelsea nodded and watched the sun slowly peak over Freyd's cliffs as it began to illuminate the demolished city.  She turned and walked into the ship.  Tamra stood outside for a moment longer, a cold smirk gracing her features, before following Chelsea.  The large airship lifted off with a small contingent of surrounding guymelefs lifting off as well as they headed towards the Underground.

            Hitomi walked through the infirmary one last time, making sure that the workers didn't need any more assistance.  It had been two hours after their battle and people had yet to catch any sleep.  Yawning, Hitomi exited the makeshift area and headed to the small area where Myami had been speaking to Dryden, Van, Tardus and Allen.

            "How's Yil?" Tardus inquired as Hitomi sat down next to Van.

            Hitomi allowed Van to pull her to his side, "He's got a headache.  Besides that he's doing fine.  His pride is pricked about what happened, but he's taking it well."

            Millerna, Selena, Merle, Pristelle and Ryley were busy attending to the wounded inside the infirmary.  Cid was busy with his generals and advisors planning the reconstruction of Freyd.  The battle had gone along the lines of what they had expected, although the loss of the main castle stung the pride of the protectors.  Cid hadn't been as upset as the warriors had thought he would be.  He had been incredibly understanding and grateful for the help that they had provided.  Dryden, Millerna, and Allen were proud of Cid.

            "What happens now?" Van unconsciously began to massage Hitomi's neck, "When Kirok finds out that the staff he has is a fake…"

            "I know," Myami interrupted Van, "We can't linger here.  We have to get moving."

            Allen nodded, "I agree.  We need to retrieve the rest of the artifacts before Kirok does.  Then we can let him know that we have them, that way we can avoid what happened here happening in any other city."

            "I'll have Cid send out messengers to the cities, so they know of what is going on.  That way when you get to the other cities they will be able to give you the artifacts without question," Dryden stood a solemn look in his eyes, "I'll continue to translate the tomes.  I'll send all the information that I can gather."

            Myami stopped Dryden from walking away by grasping his wrist, "Dryden-sama?  Since Eries has agreed to stay with Cid, I think it would be a good idea for you and Millerna-sama to go back to Astoria.  It will also be good for your people's morale.  But before you head back there, I would also like for you to go with Yil and Selena to the Haven.  That way you can speak with the Ispanian dwellers and some of our elders can help with the tomes."

            "What are you thinking of doing?" Dryden turned to Myami and raised an eyebrow, "What's going on in your mind?"

            Myami stood and began to pace as she formulated a plan, "It's safer for you and Millerna to return to Astoria and since I'm sending Yil and Selena to the Haven to retrieve Quatheir, it would be prudent to have you accompany them." Myami turned to the others, "We do need to expedite things.  I think we should split up into groups.  That way we can retrieve more than one artifact at a time."

            "That's a good idea," Hitomi straightened in her seat, "With more than one group moving, that should give us a time advantage."

            Van thought for a moment, then he brushed his dark bangs out of his eyes, "I agree, so how does this work?"

            "Hitomi, Van, Myami and you should be one team," Dryden addressed Allen, "As soon as Yil and Selena are done escorting us they should join you." Dryden rubbed his chin, "Tardus, Merle, Ryley and Pristelle should make up the other group.  Myami's right about Millerna and I returning to Astoria.  We should be there for our people.  I'll go tell Cid our plans and have the messengers sent out right away," Dryden smiled at the small group and walked back to the infirmary.

            "Now that that is settled, what do we do?" Tardus stood up and stretched with a natural feline grace.

            "Get the airships ready," Van answered with a grin his dark brown eyes shining with determination, "Tomi-chan, Allen-san, Myami-san and I will take Allen's ship.  You should take the other airship.  Yil, Selena, Dryden-sama, and Millerna-sama will procure transportation from Cid.  We should get supplies and load our respective guymelefs on the according ships."

            Allen stood and patted Tardus on his back, "Let's get this show on the road." And with that the duo left.

            Hitomi turned to Van, "Why don't you go help them?" She kissed Van lightly, "I'm going to stay here with Onee-chan."

            Van nodded, kissed Hitomi again, this time with a bit more passion and turned to leave.  He squeezed Myami's shoulder in support and joined the others.  Myami grinned at Hitomi as Hitomi watched Van leave, "Nice ass, huh?"

            "Onee-chan!" Hitomi's cheeks turned crimson.

~ Kirok's Airship Force – Chelsea's cabin ~

            "We did it!" Tamra had yet to sit down after the battle.  All her senses were humming with the afterglow of victory and she had been pacing the confines of Chelsea's room, restless with excitement. 

            Chelsea only nodded to Tamra.  She also was basking in the afterglow of the battle and could not wait till they saw Master Kirok again.  Turning in her chair, Chelsea stared at the Largaras Staff.  They had retrieved the item and bested the Betrayers.  Although she had been itching to test her battle skills directly with Myami, she did not, knowing that the goal was the most important part of their mission.  Myami would have to come another time.

            Tamra finally sat down on Chelsea's bed, "What now?"

            "We've done what we were asked to do and we did it well.  We'll drop off the artifact with Master Kirok then go on to the next city." Chelsea rested her chin on her hands, her ice blue eyes twinkling with anticipation, "It will be two days before we reach the Underground.  There are a lot of repairs needing to be done and we can take these two days to collect ourselves before we see him."

            "You're right," Tamra blew her bangs out of her face then turned to Chelsea with a huge grin, "I just can't wait to see Dorser and Nigel's faces when we see them."

~ Allen's Airship ~

            "Is that everything?" Allen checked with his crew as the loaded the last of the guymelefs into the cargo bay.

            "Hai!" One of the crewmembers called up to him.

            Allen nodded and headed towards the helm of the ship.  It had taken them four hours to prepare the three airships that were to depart from Freyd.  Allen's ship would head towards Theter, the City of the Sword.  The airship that they had arrived in Freyd in, now dubbed Quest, would go to Iacopina, the City of White Magic, where Pristelle had first come from.  Finally the airship, which Cid had provided for Dryden, Millerna, Yil and Selena, would fly off to the Haven.  Each ship had it's own mission and knew that they were all on time limits, so the rush to get ready flowed through the large group of friends.

            The messengers had been sent to the cities three hours ago and they would be ready to leave within the next two hours.  The messengers had been instructed to warn the cities and to inform them to hand over their artifacts for safekeeping to the arriving airships.  They were traveling on the heels of the messengers and they knew that that was all that time would afford them. 

            Hitomi walked back to where Myami had been sitting and watching the preparations.  She had been unusually quiet since they had begun getting their plans together and Hitomi was getting worried.  Hitomi settled herself next to Myami and brushed back some of her dark blonde bangs, "What is it?"

            Myami, still staring out at the airships, smiled to herself, "What is what?"

            "Don't be difficult, Onee-chan," Hitomi grumbled, "What's bothering you?"

            "I still haven't told Allen about the last pendant." Myami voiced her concerns, "And I think I'm falling in love with him."

            Hitomi grinned, "That's fantastic!  Have you told him how you feel?"

            Myami closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose, "No.  It's a bit more complicated than that."

            "You're worried about Kirok and Allen's pendant?" Hitomi frowned, "As far as we know, Kirok hasn't discovered that he actually has it.  That works to our advantage."

            "It may work to our advantage but we've yet to find out what our pendants will do when they're all together.  Will they contribute to the Immortal's release or help us in hindering it.  Besides, as far as me being in love, I'm still not sure.  My feelings are so confusing when I'm with him." Myami sighed loudly.

            Hitomi leaned back and folded her hands on her chest.  Closing her eyes she snickered, "I never thought that I would be giving you advice about your love life, but here I am doing it."

            "I never said I needed advice, Tom-Tom," Myami added a touch of annoyance into her tone.

            "Yes you do need the advice," Hitomi smiled even bigger, "And I'm going to give it to you.  Tell him, Onee-chan.  He can either accept or reject your feelings, but at least you won't have it weighing down on you as a burden."

            Myami mimicked her sister's laid back position, "I never said it was a burden.  It is another thing that's on my mind though, but I can handle it.  I don't know how he feels yet and I'm not about to risk whatever feelings I may have." Myami exhaled loudly, "Right now I'm worried about our time frame, the artifacts, and that last pendant."

            After Myami's last comment, Hitomi and Myami remained silent.  Thoughts of the next leg of their adventure together drifted through their minds.  It was a while before their mutual silence was broken.

            "Onee-chan?" Hitomi whispered out, hoping that Myami had not fallen asleep.

            "Hmm?" Myami didn't open her eyes.

            "We'll get through this.  I don't know how I know, but somehow I can say for certain that we'll come out on top." Hitomi reached out and squeezed her sister's hand in reassurance.

            Myami squeezed back, a small smile gracing her face.

            "I guess this is where we part," Dryden grinned at his friends, "We'll meet up again in Astoria."

            Van grasped arms with his fellow king, "In Astoria, Dryden-sama.  Please check up on Fanelia for me.  I've sent for Fanelia's artifact to be delivered to the Haven.  Yil and Selena will bring it to us when they leave."

            "We'll pray for your success, Hitomi-chan," Millerna embraced her friend, "Take care."

            Hitomi released Millerna and stepped back to stand with her sister, Merle and Pristelle, "We'll take care, Millerna-sama, and thank you both for everything."

            Selena grinned and hugged everyone good-bye.  Once she was done she linked arms with Millerna, "We'll see you soon."

            Yil nodded to everyone and then proceeded to herd, Millerna, Dryden and Selena onto the ship.  With one last wave from Millerna and Selena, they began their take off sequence.  The remaining eight friends watched as the airship lifted off the ground.  Cid had already wished them farewell from within the bunker and had proceeded to take over the renovations of his country. 

            Quickly the eight wished each other good luck and headed towards their respective airships.  Time was of the essence and they had none of it to waste.  Once everything was in place, they took off and headed towards their destinations. 

            Aboard Allen's airship, Myami busied herself with the maintenance of everyone's guymelefs.  She was avoiding Allen and was glad that he was busy on the bridge of the ship.  Glancing up at the catwalk, Myami caught sight of Van and Hitomi.  Myami couldn't help but smile as she watched Van pull her sister out onto the deck.  Van had talked with her earlier about Hitomi and what he felt for her sister.  Seeing them together, Myami knew exactly what was going to happen.

            "Van, what are we doing out here?" Hitomi giggled as Van picked her up by the waist and into his embrace.

            Van held Hitomi close, reveling in the feel of his beloved.  Hitomi closed her eyes and enjoyed Van's strength.  He never acted so free with anyone else but her.  She had noticed that he still kept a part of him reserved in front of Merle, his best friend, but with her he was incredibly honest and Hitomi felt honored.  Van gently set Hitomi on her feet, but kept her within his arms, "I wanted to spend some time alone with you.  There's something that I've been meaning to ask you."

            Hitomi brushed away Van's stray bangs and caressed his cheek, "Is there something wrong?" She noticed the intense look in his eyes.

            Van shook his head, kissed Hitomi's forehead and went down on one knee, still holding her hands, "I asked Myami how they did this on your world and she gave me some pointers."

            Immediately Hitomi became aware of the situation and could only nod as she stared deep into Van's chocolate eyes.  Van smiled and reached into his pocket, retrieving an ornate emerald ring.  The emerald was cut in a rectangular shape and was set in an intricately carved gold ring.  Holding out the ring to Hitomi, Van looked up into her eyes, "I have no idea what our future will be like, Tomi-chan, but I do know that I can't imagine a future without you by my side.  I love you so much.  Will you do me the honor of marrying me?  Be my queen, Tomi-chan."

            Hitomi's deep green eyes glistened with tears of joy.  Hitomi threw herself into Van's arms and whispered into his ear, "Yes, Van.  I love you with all of my being and would be honored to be your wife and queen."

            Van pulled back a bit and helped both of them to stand.  Taking her left hand, Van slipped the ring onto Hitomi's ring finger.  Hitomi smiled brightly at her fiancé.  Van enclosed Hitomi once again in his arms, tilting her chin up as he touched his lips to hers, pouring all of his love into the kiss.

            Myami stepped away from the deck's door and headed back down towards the guymelefs.  She was so happy for her sister.  Sighing, Myami indulged the romantic part of herself.  Seeing such a scene made her want to find someone of her own.  Immediately a vision of Allen entered her mind and Myami quickly put away those thoughts.  She didn't want to think about the blonde haired man right now.  He confused her feelings and thoughts so much that Myami felt so vulnerable. 

            Wistfully Myami shook her head.  Thoughts of Allen had to wait.  Making her way back to Friezha, Myami began working on her sister's guymelef, hoping that the concentration required for the task would keep her mind off such things.  Myami allowed herself another smile as she sent a message to her sister, Way to go, Tom-Tom!

End Chapter Sixteen

Author's Note:  I read somewhere that this thing that authors do shouldn't be called "Author's Note" but "Author's Afterthoughts", so that's what I'm going to call this section from now on.  Sorry about the delay but I had a bit of trouble with the battle scene once I started on it.  I'm glad to say that Chapter Seventeen is on it's way and I can't wait to hear from all of the readers.

I really hope that you've enjoyed this chapter and please don't forget to READ and REVIEW!  We're so close to reaching my next goal of 150 reviews.  I want to thank everyone that reviewed so far and that helped me to get to ONE HUNDRED reviews.

Thanks again for reading and reviewing and stay tuned for Chapter Seventeen: The Hunt

Jayli