Disclaimer: Oh how I would've loved it if it were really mine, but it's not!

AN : Well, well, well... it's the sixth chapter folks! Oh my, I'm quite stoked about this chapter and the upcoming chapters. I would like to apologize once again. Yes, yes I know I've said it so many times that it'll make you wanna hurl. Reason? For the chappy's being somewhat short but plz... bear with me ok? Alright, enough with my endless blabbing and on with the chapter!

Skyway

In the vast beautiful sky of the capital of Anatoray, a little red vanship with Silvana's insignia streaked away from the city in such amazing speed. For those who had seen a glimpse of the speeding craft would simply wonder whom it's pilot was as it quickly vanished beyond the great horizon.

Not a minute later another vanship, a very sleek silver one blasted off into the peaceful sky, somewhat disrupting the still calmness the first one had left behind and went blazing after the red vanship in such alarming speed.

It too, quickly vanished beyond the great horizon, right where the red vanship had gone. Within a minute or so, it was over. The whole event itself seemed to have happened so fast that it never seemed to have taken place.

Sophia stood at the top balcony of the royal palace looking up at the azure sky, quietly thinking to herself about what just transpired not long ago, and about what's yet to come later on.

Sophia slowly exhaled, and then thinned her lips to what might have been called a smile. "So it begins," she said softly, and gracefully turned back to the door and went back inside looking amused.

xXxXx

The air felt chilly, they had been tailing the red vanship for at least an hour now and had done their best to keep out of sight. Alister wasn't sure where Tatiana and Claus were heading to, but she did have a clue just where.

She checked her trusty map for the second time, and it seemed her guesss was right on all along. Alister stick out her right hand so she could feel the air, and it was strangely cold. It was still summer time after all and the temperatures were in the 80's when they left the capital and now the thermometer was reading in the 30's.

Alister switched on her comlink; the pilot and her were on radio silent mode just as soon as they were off the ground and now she was certain it was ok, since everything had been going quite smoothly and according to plan.

"Cael, do you copy?"

"Yes, I copy," a voice replied in the comlink.

"We've been following the two for an hour now and our fuel in the reserve tanks are almost at empty." Alister tabbed the fuel gauge to see if it's correct and it was, "You think we should drop the reserve tanks and start using the primary tanks or wait until Tatiana and Claus do theirs first?"

Cael was silent for a moment and then answered, "Perhaps it is best if we should wait until they discard theirs first or wait until we've actually ran out of fuel in our reserve tanks."

It was her turn to be silent. "You're probably right," she finally said and looked at the fuel gauge again, a tad worried.

"Miss Alister?" Cael spoke suddenly.

"Yes? What is it?" She jerked her head up and looked his way.

"They're descending," he said.

"They what?" Alister said in a tone as if Tatiana and Claus are actually crazy to do so. "With their reserve tanks still on?"

"So it seems--wait," he cut himself off. "They've just discarded their reserve tanks and are starting to accelerate. What are your orders, Miss Alister?"

Have we been spotted? She thought but then realized there was a canyon right below them.

"Drop the reserve tanks, after them and don't lose them," she immediately ordered.

"Roger." Cael quickly dropped the tanks and zoomed after the speedy red vanship.

In Alister's mind she was thinking she had made the right decision by selecting Cael as her vanship pilot. Him being eighteen years of age he was the best without a doubt and had fought in the frontlines when Anatoray and Disith still had their differences and was an ace pilot like Tatiana Wisla as well.

The Shephra family, a very prestigious family if you well, had went and adopted Cael who was in fact born a Guild. It was during the time when the Guild was in civil war twenty years ago. It was then; the Shephra's in desperate need for a son claimed him as their son.

Nearly twenty years later, Cael certainly had lived up to the Shephra's expectation and family values, that being was to excel, to be the best and to always give it your all, no matter what the circumstances. And now here he was, doing what he did best. Flying a vanship with such elegance and skill that they easily blend in together as one.

xXxXx

Esper canyon was rather narrowed and vertically challenged from top to bottom. The canyon was well known for its ability to harbor thick fog year around. Not many vanship pilots dare ventured in the canyon because it was too dangerous and fatal if the pilot and its navi were not mentally prepared for such endeavor. Only those brave few who know the canyon like it was the back of there hands flew in and out frequently.

But every once in awhile, someone new from the outside would safely make it through the treacherous fogged up walls of Esper canyon and would then arrive to a remote village that laid at the bottom of the canyon, Koben village. The village was decent and had a population merely around 500. Koben village's main source of food were essentially fishing, farming and hunting; although the farmers had to travel two miles up on a well-paved trail zigzagging all the way to the top, where they attended their crops and some other things that were of importance.

Claus was sitting in the navi seat behind Tatiana and was starting to get nervous by the second as they descended into the thick fog that filled Esper canyon. To be honest, Claus wasn't too fond of fogs to begin with. Mainly, because it heavily decreased the pilot's visibility and it also upped the pilot's chances of crashing into someone or something. He didn't mind flying in the immense clouds way up in the sky, which was miles away from the ground. He was definitely ok with that.

The chances of colliding into someone or something were pretty slim, maybe in a 1 in 600 odd. Well, not unless if you're in a dogfight or race, which greatly reduced it by half. Anyway, Claus sure was glad Tatiana was doing the flying, knowing her she probably wasn't nervous as he was and has herself in a reserve state while flying the vanship in this dangerously narrowed foggy canyon.

Claus sure envied that about her, the ability to keep oneself cool, calm and collected even if certain death was staring at one's face. He looked to the left and squinted through his fogged up goggles. He could barely make out the canyon walls as they slowly zoom by them. Again, he was certainly glad he was not the one flying and sighed inaudibly.

"Tatiana?"

"Shhh,"she suddenly hissed.

Claus raised his brows at her response, "Tatiana are you--"

"I said can it," she said again, trying to concentrate.

Claus made one silent gulp; this didn't sound good at all. Tatiana chewed her lower lip anxiously; her hands had stiffened up and were now clamped down on the stick as her eyes frantically tried to scan through all the thick white fog. What are you doing here? Her own mind bleakly asked her.

She blinked and breathed out unsteadily."I can do this," she quietly scolded herself.

Tatiana took her eyes off her flying for only a second, to check her starboard side when Claus suddenly yelled in the comlink, "Tatiana!Wall! Wall! Dead end! Pull up! Pull up!"

Her hands instinctively came to life and pulled the stick backwards hard before she could actually grasp on the situation herself. The vanship roared into action and started its climb up the canyon wall right before them. Tatiana winced at the heavy fog as the red vanship continued its seemingly endless climb upwards.

The stick trembled uncontrollably in her hands, making it extremely difficult for her to keep the craft steady and responsive. Tatiana heard Claus's excited voice in the comlink, but she couldn't comprehend what he was really saying. The rapidly spoken words sounded unusually foreign to her ears. She gritted her teeth, trying hard to cut the words out from her hearing as it relentlessly continued to sound in her ears.

She had completed an amazing loop maneuver between the canyon walls in eye bulging seconds andinstantly shot the vanship into another path, hoping on her luck that it wasn't like the one they took minutes ago, which abruptly ended in a hair raising dead end.

"Holy moly, that sure was close," Tatiana commented in a relieved tone.

"Ye-yeah," Claus said hesitantly. "Hey, Tatiana?"

"Mmm?"

"I think we almost hit that silver vanship back there, you've probably scared the bejesus outta them you know."

"Yeah, you're probably right about that," she said in an obvious smile in her voice. "Whoever they were, that pilot sure was skilled enough to get out of the way."

The image of the silver vanship perilously hugging the canyon wall came back to Claus. He wondered if the pilot and the navi of the other vanship they cross path with were all right. Claus had to agree with Tatiana that whoever piloting the vanship had been quite skilled and was capable enough to pull off such an eccentic stunt just so their red vanship could squeeze by. But why did it have Anatoray's military insignia on it though? He pondered.

"That sure was some flying there, Tatiana," he remarked, deciding to just let it be.

She laughed. "Thanks Claus, but we're not even there yet. So safe your praises until we've actually gotten there ok?"

"And where is that?" He asked curiously.

"Koben village," Tatiana replied.

"Koben village?" Claus repeated not knowingly.

"You probably never heard of it, I take it," she said. "I'm not that surprise, not a lot of people really know about that place and it's pretty isolated too."

"So... why are we heading there then?"

"To meet a friend of my father's," Tatiana simply said.

He leaned back against his seat and sighed. "Oh, joy," he furtively commented.

Tatiana slightly lifted her head and looked in the rear mirror, which had Claus's face and smiled. He immediately locked eyes with her without him even knowing and plainly stared back motionless, unable to blink. She held his comely gaze for a few seconds with those intense grey eyes of hers and broke it gently so she could return back to her flying the vanship.

Claus shakily exhaled; unaware he was actually been holding his breath during that brief moment they shared together. His hands were sweating underneath his gloves and felt fidgety at the same time. For as long he had known her, never had she looked at him that sort of way until now. He had to admit it was quite riveting which sent chills up and down his spine and shivered internally.

Sure, Lavie had thrown him those similar looks from time to time but never were they of this magnitude. He'd absentmindedly dismiss them thinking they were just another of her usual earth-to-claus kind of looks.

He inhaled deeply and breathed it out, daring not to even look back in that rear mirror because he knew if he did he'd surely lose himself in those intense captivating eyes of hers again. Mesmerizing her eyes was, Claus didn't want to be caught in it again like some insect in a spider web or like some silly moth drawn to a simple light.

"Is something wrong, Claus?" Tatiana interjected his thoughts, "You've quieted all of the sudden."

"I'm fine." He answered uncomfortably, not meeting her gaze.

She gave him a studied look. "We're here," she firmly announced. "Koben village."

Ok... that concludes the sixth chapter, so how was it huh? Plz give me ur reviews, and remember e-chan sure does loves reviews!