Fortune 11-Separate Ways

"I'm sorry," Hitomi's voice was apologetic although her eyes stared defiantly at her younger cousin, "but I just can't do that." Asking her to forget was the same as asking her to stop caring and that was certainly not something she could do.

Star didn't say anything and after a moment she turned around and shrugged, saying, "Whatever, I'm leaving."

The brown-haired woman rubbed her eyes, dealing with the girl was starting to give her a headache. "Alright," she said reluctantly, and tiredly, "I'll tell the others," she was in no mood to argue with her cousin.

Back still turned toward Hitomi, the teenager pointed over her shoulder at the bush behind which Blai and the others had taken refuge. "Don't bother," she said, "they already heard." The girl couldn't quite explain it, but although she had known long ago that they were already there, she couldn't bring herself to make them leave. Maybe she was just caught up in the moment…Star tossed the thought around inside her mind with ill humor. If that was the case she would need to watch her emotions much more closely, she couldn't allow too many outbursts like that one.

Blai jumped up from where he had been so-called 'hiding.' "I'll go with you," he said much too loudly than was necessary. "Even if you find the EscaFlowne, you wouldn't be able to pilot it; it'll only accept someone from my family…"

Once again, Star gave an unconcerned shrug, "Suit yourself," she said in a bored voice before walking off in the opposite direction of the fragile crystal city. Blai ran after her and both teenagers disappeared in the midst of the forest.

Hitomi looked back at the others, her long-time companions, and gave a deep, almost relieved, sigh. "We'd better get going, too, then," she said to them all, though her gaze was directed at Van who was staring determinedly at the ground. Rare an occasion though it was, he was ashamed of what he had just witnessed and at a complete loss for words.

"We shouldn't be ashamed," Chid said with the same guilty determination in Van's eyes. "But why does it feel as if we have been caught intruding on someone's most private secrets?" It couldn't possibly be because that was exactly what had happened…

Once again, the woman from the Mystic Moon sighed and rubbed at her eyes. She certainly was not in the mood to say anything, so Dryden did for her. "Maybe…" he began with less than his usual calm, "maybe she really is the maiden of legend." The others stared at him; Hitomi even took her palms away from her green eyes to focus them on the man. "Well," he said, sounding as if a technical lecture was about to take place, "she's been through something awful," what an understatement. "Maybe we should try to find the EscaFlowne before those two kids do," he added thoughtfully.

"Yeah," Hitomi said, dropping her hands to her sides, "Van and I will go, since Van and Blai are the only ones who would have even a chance of piloting it." Unfortunately, the woman didn't have the slightest idea as to where to look, after all, she had lent the pendant to the king's son. The dark-haired man finally looked up and gave a curt nod before dragging the woman into the trees.

The group watched as the two also disappeared amongst the thick trees. "Ironic, don't you think?" Dryden asked casually, pushing his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose. His wife, nephew, and Merle gave him identical curious glances, "Hitomi and Star are related, as are Van and Blai." They still had no idea what the man was rambling on about. "Hitomi and Star are both from the Mystic Moon," Chid found himself wishing that his uncle would stop placing them together, calling them 'Hitomi and Star' as if they were the same being. "They also both have powers that we could never even begin to fathom. History is repeating itself."

"I think I get it," Chid said with a slight grin playing on his lips and an understanding nod. He wondered briefly that, if Blai was to be playing the part of Van and Star was Hitomi, who would be acting as Allen in the mixed up play that had turned their lives upside down.