Disclaimer: How many times must I say this? The Vision of Escaflowne is not mine, will never be, and anyone who tries to sue me shall run away with their tail end smoking! **stomps away, exasperated**

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Chapter 5: Foreigners

Van shifted his position slightly, struggling to keep from awakening the sleeping girl in his lap. He had taken joy in soaring above the treetops, pointing out certain aspects of the mountain…only to find that the wingless angel he carried with him had fallen asleep long ago. He had landed a distance away from the palace, where he could see it but the servants wandering the grounds could not see him. He curled his arms around Hitomi and pulled her closer to him, circling the both of them with his wings. The mountain breeze that played with his hair and wing feathers gently brushed back the hair from her closed eyes framed by long lashes. He gently stroked her cheek with his forefinger, pausing to bend down and plant a soft kiss on her temple.

His kiss slowly aroused her, and she opened her eyes to gaze at him lovingly. She sat up straight, stretching her arms with a wide yawn, and blinked sleepily. She took in her surroundings, her blinking turning from sleepiness to curiosity.

"Van? Where are we?" she asked, leaning back against his bare chest. She felt his arms tighten around her midsection, and lazily drummed her fingers on his forearms.

"The mountains that surround Fanelia," the boy replied, nuzzling the top of her head with his cheek. "Do you like it?" Freeing one hand from Hitomi's drumming, he gestured to the foliage: lush, leafy trees, some adorning rich fruits; cattails and tall grasses; tiny late-autumn flowers…. Hitomi nodded appreciatively; it was beautiful.

"I love it," she said, capturing Van's arm and securing it firmly around her waist again. She snuggled her head into the crook of his neck. "You know I love Fanelia and everything around it, Van. And that I love her king even more." She turned her head to grin at him, amused to see a faint blush on his cheeks. She squirmed until he loosened his grip, and then turned around in his lap until she was facing him. "Shy-boy," she teased, kissing the corner of his mouth. She moved to kiss his lips, and felt him deepen the kiss, his hands caressing her back. When she broke it, his face was the color of blood, and he looked everywhere but at her. She stuck her tongue at him and mumbled another "shy-boy" before relaxing against his body. She reached behind him and played with the base of his wings; he did not even try to stop her.

"Van-sama!" Merle's high-pitched cry broke their peaceful, romantic reverie, and Hitomi was ready the throttle the pink-haired furball. "Van-sama, Ayseth wants to see you!" Merle continued shouting as she approached them. With a long, exasperated sigh and a look of apology at Hitomi, the young king rose to his feet, spreading his wings at their widest. He offered a hand to Hitomi. She accepted, and he hauled her effortlessly to her feet.

Merle looked back and forth between the two lovebirds, and shoved her hands on her hips, clucking her tongue. "You should not be playing around here in the mountains when there are prisoners who are demanding to see the king," she scolded playfully. "Ayseth said he wants you to come down right away if it's not too much trouble. His men found some wanderers on the border…and, well, it's a long story; but basically, according to Ayseth's men, these prisoners weren't too keen on being dragged to the dingiest dungeon and locked up with at least a dozen swordsmen sticking spears between the bars."

Van blinked as he tried to follow the cat-girl's quick, careless speech.When she finished, he blinked again and nodded slowly. Prisoners who won't do anything until they see me… I think I got the gist of that, he thought.

"Van-sama!" Merle admonished, springing on him.

"Hold on to your tail, Merle-chan," Van said. "Tell Ayseth I'll meet him in the dungeons in a few minutes."

Half an hour later, Van descended the creaky steps to the dingy underground dungeons that were spread out below the servants' quarters on the bottom floor of the palace. The entire dungeon was constructed with hard stone that could not be pierced by weaponry; only an explosion could cause the dungeon walls to give way.

"I really don't like this place," Hitomi muttered between chattering teeth. She wrapped her arms around herself firmly. Despite the fact that the weather outside was comfortable, even if a bit chilly, the dungeons had to be well below freezing; Hitomi felt as though she would turn into an ice cube if she remained still for even a millisecond.

Van smiled at her, and the warmth in that gesture seemingly melted some of the bitter cold; Hitomi felt warmth spread through her body like liquid, and she gazed admiringly at the young king.

"I'm sorry," Van said, the warmth of his smile increasing. "But it's always this way down here: below freezing in the winter, and as hot as the fires of hell in the summer." His shoulders shook with silent laughter. "At least it keeps the prisoners under check," he laughed heartily, the noise bouncing off the walls like a ping-pong ball. His gaity spread, and Hitomi could not help but laugh with him.

The king's laughter subsided as the clinking sound of metal on stone drew near. A few seconds later, a soldier rounded the corner and saluted to the king.

"Ayseth," Van greeted the head of the Fanelian guard. "Where are these prisoners?"

"This way, Your Majesty," Ayseth said. With a bow, he led the two teenagers threw weaving twists and turns, to what seemed like the very end of the dungeon. We must be at the opposite end of the castle now, Hitomi thought, shivering as the cold enveloped her. She felt sudden warmth in the form of an arm being wrapped around her shoulders, and smiled gratefully at Van. He waved a hand dismissively and flashed her a lopsided grin.

"Here we are, Your Majesty." Ayseth gestured to the stall in front of him, and Van stepped up to the bars. He was greeted with five pairs of bright eyes, one of which looked remarkably snake-like. He blinked, and almost backed away. What are these people? They certainly aren't human. But then they must be… He peered closer, narrowing his eyes, and heard a low growl, followed by a light thwap and a tiny yelp.

Taking a deep breath, he allowed his voice to carry as far as it willed. "Who are you, and why have you come here?" he demanded, keeping all skepticism and whatever fear may be lying unnoticed beneath his skin out of his voice; he shoved authority into his tone and adopted a royal demeanor he knew was much more suited to an older man than to a boy.

There was the sound of soft footsteps padding across the floor, and one of the pairs of eyes—a bright, shocking green—moved forward. The figure stepped into the light, and Van found himself blinking in mild surprise. The green eyes narrowed, as the figure bared sparkling white fangs. Black fur bristled, and a bushy tail stuck straight out, as though it were a stick covered in tough hairs. Velvety black ears flattened back, disappearing in thick, straight black hair that, Van suddenly noticed, fell past the figure's waist in a long, loose ponytail.

It was a cat-girl.

Behind him, he heard Hitomi whisper softly, "What's this?" The cat-girl tossed her head, her ears perking forward. She placed one hand delicately on her hip, drawing Van's attention to her attire. A short, cream-colored tube top and hip-hugging pants left her furry midriff exposed. A loose gold cloth was draped over her hips, bunching up at her tailbone; her tail waved at the air behind her.

"We are from another land," the cat-girl said slowly, her voice thickly accented. "We are more than willing to tell you where we are from; but we cannot do so in the presence of your guards. We are directed to speak only to Van Slanzar de Fanel, His Majesty of Fanelia, and Kanzaki Hitomi, of Earth, or the Mystic Moon. You are King Van and Miss Kanzaki, are you not?"

How does this person know my full name? And how does he know Hitomi's name for her homeland? No one on Gaea knows the Mystic Moon as 'Earth,' Van thought. Who are these people?

"Yes, I am King Van of Fanelia. Who are you?" he said. "And what business do you have here?"

The cat-girl paused, glancing over her shoulder at her still-hidden companions. She nodded, and turned back to the king. "I am permitted only to tell you my name, but where we are from, and what business we have here, is saved for the ears of you and your lady only. No one else is permitted to hear this." She shot a dangerous glare at the guards, who cringed and aimed their spears at her face. She did not flinch. "My name is Kirra, and that is all I am allowed to say, Your Majesty."

"How dare you mock our king!" Ayseth growled, his eyes flashing.

"That's enough, Ayseth," Van said firmly, his eyes never leaving the cat-girl's face. "Fine then, Kirra, if that is how you wish it, then I shall grant you a private conference with myself and Hitomi. And we shall not be accompanied by any of the guards." He directed this last statement mainly at Ayseth and his men, who seemed apt to rip the prisoners' insides out if it were allowed. "See to it that they reach the conference room, and then leave them there," he instructed the men, before turning on his heels and walking away. "I shall expect them there within the hour," he called back, without turning around.

~*~

That one hour later found Van sitting in the high chair in the conference room. As usual, he had not bothered to change into anything suited to royalty, but insisted on wearing his ordinary red sleeveless shirt and khaki pants. He leaned forward on his elbows, drumming his fingertips on the marble table in beat to his humming.

Beside him, Hitomi was a bundle of nerves. Something about Kirra's sharp gaze had poked her neurons, and now she was having the worst time trying to sit still. She clenched and unclenched her hands in her lap, twisting the fabric of her pants until it nearly torn. She forced herself to relax and listen to Van's soft humming. She glanced at him; he had his eyes closed and was tilting his head from side to side in beat to the song. He looked so…content. It did not fit. How could he be so calm? Hitomi sighed.

Van's humming paused, and he glanced at her questioningly. When she shrugged and looked away, he leaned back and looked at the clock that hung over the double doors.

"Ayseth's late," he murmured, clicking his tongue softly, as if trying to match the ticking of the clock. "I wonder if he and his men had that much trouble with the prisoners…?"

As if on cue, Ayseth burst into the room, bowed hastily, then turned and beckoned. About a half dozen of his men marched into the room, saluted, then dropped their luggage on the ruby carpet. Van stood and leaned over the table to get a good look at the 'luggage'…and nearly did a double-take. He did not know what he had expected of Kirra's companions when he had first laid eyes on the black cat-girl, but whatever it was, it certainly was not…this.

Hitomi stared at the newcomers, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. She, too, did not know what she had expected, but she was certain that this was the last thing on her list. At the most, she had assumed that Kirra was traveling with others of her kind, or at least with other beasts. And knowing how odd the beast-folk could look here on Gaea, she had set herself to expect the unexpected.

Well, this was the unexpected, but she certainly had not expected it.

Kirra was the first to rise, and she glared challengingly at the king and Hitomi, as if daring them to make any comment on what lay before their eyes. At Van's gesture, she took the seat across the squared marble table from him, her eyes never leaving his face. For one brief moment, she glanced at Hitomi, and the Earthling felt a chill shoot up her spine. She averted her gaze, and found herself staring at the cat-girl's companions.

She had seen wolf-people before, but this wolf-boy did not look anything like Ruhm and his pack. His fur was white, like the Artic wolves found on Earth. There was no trace of human in his face, unlike with Gaea's wolf-folk; his entire face was wolf. The long muzzle ending in a wet-looking black nose… The slanted amber eyes… The triangular-shaped ears that rotated back and forth in their sockets…

Beside him was a dog-girl, who looked like a cross between a Siberian Husky and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, with the spaniel's markings. She had the long muzzle and slanted eyes of a husky, but her ears were long and floppy, like a spaniel's, and she had a white stripe down the center of her head that broke through the creamy-red of her fur.

As for the other two inhabitants of the room, Hitomi was speechless. One had enormous golden-brown wings that reminded her of the golden eagle, and bright amber eyes that darted the way she imagined a bird's eyes would. Her face was pure-white, but it did not look ghostly. Her long black hair was stick-straight and thin, and fell over her shoulders and down her back like a waterfall. Her nose was pointed, like a beak, and Hitomi had a feeling that her feet, hidden by her draping gown, were taloned.

The second was a boy, and Hitomi had to admit that he was interesting to look at, if not downright frightening. A long, thick, scaly tail floated in the air behind him; but instead of being green, as Hitomi would have thought it would be, it was dark blue with black speckles. Two dark blue stripes ran down the side of his face, drawing attention to his reptile-like golden eyes and green-tinted skin. Thick black hair trailed down in back in a narrow tail. Hitomi noticed that his arms were the same color as his tail, and shuddered when her eyes fell on the sharp, lethal claws at the ends of his fingertips.

"What the hell…?" Van muttered.

Kirra leaned back in her chair and cocked her head, her eyes never leaving Van's face. "Now that we are alone, I am free to answer any and all questions you may have." For the first time, Hitomi noticed how thick her accent was, and was silently grateful for the fact that she was speaking so slowly that it was almost unnerving; otherwise, it would have been nearly impossible to understand her.

"First, I demand to know where you are from," Van said coldly. Hitomi looked at him, and was taken aback. It was as though someone had painted a thin coat of frozen, dried blood over the king's eyes.

The cat-girl was unfazed; she simply tilted her head in the other direction. "We are neither from Earth nor Gaea, but a third world, Nya'tory," she said, in that agonizingly slow speech.

"Nya'tory?" Van stumbled over the foreign word.

Kirra nodded. "A world invisible to those who are not aware of its existence. We can both Earth and Gaea from our skies. We can even see Earth's moon," she added, her gaze flickering briefly towards Hitomi. The brunette felt a cold chill shoot up her spine, as those mystical emerald orbs focused on her.

"Are you all from the same country?" Hitomi ventured, trying to shake off the chill the cat-girl's mystical gaze left behind.

"We do not have 'countries,'" a deep, warm voice rumbled: the wolf-boy. He was standing behind and to the right of Kirra, one furry hand gripping the back of her chair. "Our world is one entire kingdom, not divided, like yours are. We are all under the rule of one monarch, who has what you might call 'governers' stationed around the kingdom, to keep an eye on things. Our wars are clan-oriented; not everyone is involved."

Van raised an eyebrow. "And how do these 'governers' report to your ruler?" he said, finding it hard to believe what they were saying. How can an entire world be under the rule of one person? he thought. That's next to impossible, unless their world is the size of a floating fortress.

The beast-people stared at him, as though he were the stupidest creature in the world. Van felt a surge of anger that quickly dissapated. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, and stared hard at the cat-girl, who had yet to look away from him. It was as though her eyes were glued in place.

The response was a simple word from Kirra's mouth: "Magic."

Oh no, not this again, Hitomi groaned mentally. I've had enough of magic and spells to last me a lifetime. I don't want anymore.

"Before we go any further," Kirra said, "it may help you to know that we are all inhabitants of the royal palace of Nya'tory, in the Court of Her Majesty Queen Alakana. Our parents are members of the Court, or members of the royal guard."

Members of the royal guard and royal court? Does that make them nobility? Hitomi wondered. She glanced at Van; this was something he would know more than she would.

"And will you tell me your names?" Van said politely, though it was more of a demand than a request. "Your full names, if you will," he added suspiciously.

"Kirra Noir'chatte," the cat-girl said. She pointed to each of her companions in turn. "Urufu Oo'kami, Aurelia Chie'nyne, Muniya Syor'aves, and Nyoka Vaye'ocard."

Van sighed mentally. I was hoping for more than that, such as what position their parents hold; and I was hoping that they would each introduce themselves. But I guess that's better than nothing, he thought, resisting the urge to press for more. "And what business do you have here? Why have you come to Gaea, and why did you refuse to speak to the guards? Why must Hitomi and I be the only ones to hear you out?"

Suddenly, Kirra's face changed. Her eyes darkened, and her mouth formed a thin, straight line. Her ears flattened on her skull, diving beneath her thick hair. She sat up straight in her chair, as though wooden boards had been pressed against her body, prohibiting movement. When she spoke, she sounded as though her vocal cords had been shoved underneath thick tissue; her voice was low and throaty, her tone bone-chilling. And she said only two words:

"Kalryn's Devil."

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To Be Continued…

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I know this took me forever to update (if one wishes to count eight days as "forever") and I'm terribly, terribly sorry for keeping everyone waiting. Thank you for being so patient. But due to the my suddenly very busy schedule, I won't be able to update as frequently as I (and undoubtly you) would like. In fact, I may be able to update only on weekends—though, unfortunately, I can't guarantee updates every weekend. I am going to try to make each chapter longer, so you have more to enjoy when I do update, but that will make the update dates farther apart. So bear with me, please. You shall be rewarded in the end.

fallen-dark-angel: Of course I can mention him. What makes you think I can't? ^_~

SabineballZ: *sigh* A shame that part of this chapter had already been pre-written, otherwise I would've encorporated your idea into this. Ah well… I'm glad you enjoyed this. ^_^