Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne.

(twelve years after the prologue.)

Jan. 01. 2071 AA (A/N: Let's say that AA means 'After Atlantis')

I never once gave a thought about why I was trained to use a sword and other weapons ever since I was a child. Now I know. I know why he's doing all this stuff to me. He's hoping that I would be the top assassin after him. Oh, Allen, why can't you see that if I ever become what you want me to be, the first thing I would do is get revenge on my dead parents. For years, you have tried to manipulate me, saying that my father had died of illness; and that my mother was a suicidal woman who asked you to put an end to her life.

But it isn't true. It never was. You see, I'm not as blind as you think I am. When my training is complete, I will get my revenge on you, Allen, and the rest of the people who cooperated. I don't know who they are, but I will find out. And when I do, you will all be dead in a few minutes.

They had once said that a Kanzaki can kill five at a time. Being the last Kanzaki, I think I'll see if it's true. I've done my history homework, Allen. I am fully aware of who I am: Hitomi Kanzaki, last of the Kanzaki Clan.

The year 2074

Dilandau yawned as his math teacher passed out the graded tests. As she passed him, he saw a glimpse of his twin's test paper. C. 'Ah, well, Van.' He thought. 'Better luck next time.' Then, his own test paper came. D.

"What the fuck? How did I get a D?" he asked out loud. The teacher, Miss. Ling, turned sharply to him.

"What was that, Mr. Fanel? Did I just hear a swear word coming out of your mouth?" she questioned.

"No, Miss. Ling." he groaned. Miss Ling had the good ears. She was keen on swearwords as well. Unfortunately, she was also extremely strict.

"Detention for swearing after school, Mr. Fanel." she said as the bell rang for lunch. Dilandau groaned again. Dilandau grabbed his bag and went to his locker. He was soon joined by Dilandau.

"How the fuck did I get a D?" he mimicked Dilandau in his best falsetto voice. Dilandau punched his locker with his fist.

"Screw her!" he shouted. Van smirked.

"Well, see you after school, Albino boy. That is, if you make it home..." he vaguely said before joining his group of jocks. Dilandau scowled. Van had gotten detention with Miss Ling so many times that it was normal to see him hanging around until five after school. Miss Ling gave the worst punishments one could've ever imagined in her classroom. It was rather sad to see innocent students one after another stay in her classroom doing the hardest math problems ever. Even the nerds shuddered at the thought of those unnerving problems. Dilandau, who had the now-ended luck to never get detention, was going to face one hundred math problems he'd never want to face.

It was easy for Van who somehow sneaked a calculator in Miss Ling's classroom. Perhaps it was why Van had so many friends. Van was in the 'in crowd'. Dilandau was punk who didn't fit in well with the society. But it didn't matter much; Dilandau hanged out with people from other schools mainly. Fact: Dilandau was an anti-social guy who many girls drooled over, but had never asked out in school. After school, he was the badboy of the town. Those who knew his reputation stayed away from him especially at night. But even being the leader of the infamous gang, the Dragon Slayers, didn't prepare him for the shock that he was to experience later that day.

By three thirty pm, life for Dilandau Fanel was a death-trap. He opened his locker, jammed his books in, and turned left to Miss Ling's classroom. As he turned the doorknob, he hesitated. He heard a voice, strong and feminine, coming out of the room. There was the sound of clashing swords, then a splatter of... something. Opening the door, he took a step in. And there, was Miss Ling, bloody and beheaded. A katana laid by her feet. Looking up, he saw a girl with honey-brown hair and emerald, green eyes which seemed to be burning. She wore a black tank top, a yellow jacket that covered her arms, and black jeans. One could say that she was hot, except for the fact that she held a katana on her hand. It was bloodied by, obviously, Miss Ling's blood. She glared at Dilandau, and beckoned him to come closer. He took a few steps forward.

"Since you've witnessed this incident, you are coming with me. Don't try to escape, or you will regret it." she walked towards the tissue box and started cleaning her sword with a tissue. Dilandau couldn't move. He had been in fights before, but had never murdered. This girl, probably the same age as he was, had done that. Glancing up at him, she said,

"So, who are you?" Dilandau hesitated before he answered.

"My name's Fujiwara Kudo." A dagger shot passed him.

"Don't lie," the girl warned him in a deadly voice. But Dilandau wasn't frightened. He knew that if the girl hadn't kill him yet, she wouldn't be doing it anytime soon.

"Thomas Stanley." he lied again. This time, a knife whizzed by his ear. The girl didn't look up from her cleaning.

"Fine. It's Dilandau Albatou." Dilandau suddenly said. He didn't know where he got the name Albatou from, but it sounded nice with his name. Dilandau Fanel would've just sounded like a lie.

He watched as the girl slowly looked up from her work.

"I'll buy that," she told him, "but I still think you're not being honest." Putting her sword in her sheath, the girl stood up. "How many people are still out there?" she asked.

"A lot more." Dilandau answered. The girl sat down on a desk.

"Lock the door," she instructed. "And sit down. We're gonna stay here until lot's of people are gone." Dilandau raised an eyebrow, but did what he what he was told to do. "Now that I know your name," the girl said. "I'll give you mine." She waited until he was on a chair. Then in said,

"Watashi wa Kanzaki Hitomi desu... And I came here to get my revenge on the one who called herself Leaping Tiger."