Here's another chapter. Let me know what you think:

" Buts that's so simple it's like child play, how come we didn't come up with something like that?" Allen complained.

"Because we weren't expecting it," Van said as he ran for Escaflowne. Behind Van Allen prepped Sherazade and followed. They packed up and sat waiting. Soon there would be battle and they needed to be ready.

As Hitomi twisted and tumbled through the air a vision filled her eyes. It was from before when they were at Atlantis and Allen and Van and her got separated. She had to save him as the world around them was destroyed.' But I've already seen this why am I seeing this again" she thought. Melodical voices filled her ears as her vision cleared:

"Hitomi. Listen closely. You are the true wing goddess but only if you believe in yourself." The voices slowly faded away " Believe in yourself Hitomi ".

"I don't want to be a goddess!" Hitomi yelled.

Her back suddenly burned fiercely and she cried in pain. She knew what was happening and she didn't want this to happen but it was being forced upon her. Bloody wings slowly and painfully burst through her back and she stopped falling. The pain was overwhelming but either way at least she wasn't going to fall to her death. From there on she let the wings do most of the work as she made her way back to Van. Though she continued to cry the pain faded.

BACK AT THE VIONE

"Damn it!" Folken yelled.

"The more you tighten your grip the more that will slip through your fingers" Dilandau laughed.

"You!" he pointed at Dilandau.

"What?"

"You are going after her. I want her back here and ready for the experimentation now"

"Fine."

"And you are not to even get close to Van or you'll lose your head. Literally"

"Fine" Dilandau walked to the hanger and entered his guymelef. As he left the Vione he couldn't help but think how alone he was. All he had was Folken since his dragon slayers had been killed and Folken wasn't nearly as close to him as his dragon slayers had been. Alone. The thought made him stop mid-air. A jolting pain surged through his body and an ear splitting sound cut through him. Celene looked around her and couldn't help but cry as images past through her mind. Images of Allen, Hitomi leaving Gaea and her coming back so unexpectedly, Van rebuilding Fanelia. She cried softly as she couldn't help but notice that she was stuck in the air. Celene moved her hands a little and noticed that the guymelefs hands moved too so she tested a few movements and found to move forward you push forward. She looked over the land to find her way home to Allen and realized that she didn't know where he was and the only person that came to her mind was Van. He'd be with Van. So she guided the guymelef, to the best of her knowledge to the palace in Fanelia where she'd find Van.

Just past one of the forests near Palace she saw a group camping out near the road. When she looked closer she saw Allen and Van.

"Allen!" she said happily. She quietly landed behind some trees around the camp and climbed out. When she turned around after getting down she had several swords pointed in her face and she immediately started crying. Allen came running and shouting at the men holding the swords.

"What in the hell are you doing?" he yelled. The men lowered their swords and backed away.

"We didn't know who she was sir. We're sorry. But we saw her land in a guymelef from Zaibach" They all pleaded.

"I'll deal with that later now all of you back to camp" He looked to Celene then took her in his arms and comforted her.

"It's ok Celene. You're safe"

"I missed you brother" she sniffled as Allen wiped her tears.

"I've missed you so much too Celene" he hugged her tighter. Then he led her back to camp and settled her on a log with Gaddess and some of the others to keep her company while he worked with Van.

"So. What shall we do now? We aren't even sure if they took her to the Vione or not"

Van ran his hands through his hair. "I don't know either Allen but we're just going to have to wait a while longer until we figure something out," He said looking tired. He sighed." I'm going for a walk. I need to think"

"Alright but keep your eyes open" Van gave him a 'whatever' wave and walked deeper into the forest where he went up a small hill and down into a small clearing with a waterfall. It was a beautiful pool like spot that reminded him so much of his brother and him when he was younger. Then he remembered how his brother had betrayed him and he angrily kicked at some rocks. The rocks flew into the water and made small splashes. As he spun around and was ready to make his way back, a huge splashing sound echoed from the rocky falls and made him turn around in time to get splashed. A little shocked from the unexpected event he stared at the water and watched as a body floated to the top then stood up out of the water and stared back at him sadly.

"Hitomi!" he yelled happily and worried at the same time as he ran and hugged her tightly. When he pulled away he saw water saturated blood on his arms then looked to Hitomi who seemed calm. He grabbed her arms and turned her around to find two bloody slits on her back that were healing fast and a few feathers were stuck to her. Then he looked in the water to find thousands of feathers floating around. He whipped her back around and stared worried into her eyes. She stared back with a look of understanding.

"Oh god Hitomi" He pulled her close and hugged her tightly then half carried her out of the water and back to the camp. Once back at camp he snuck her into a tent making sure no one saw her back and quickly tossed her things next to her as she sat on the bed mat. Van grabbed a cloth from one the other bags and dumped some of his canteen water on it and started cleaning off her back. After he finished he gave her a few minutes to change.

She looked through her bag and dug out her bracelets and put all of them on both arms including a slave bracelet that had a ring connected to it that was small with a dark emerald on it. Then she put on one of her necklaces. One that was a pendant much like her own and it hung next to her Atlantian pendant. Her choice of clothing was a red bell sleeved shirt covered by a black corset with red laces. And a black skirt that was knee length along with her boots she'd already been wearing. She felt comfortable in her new clothes and she felt much better than earlier. After she'd finished, Van and Allen and his gang swarmed her with hugs and kisses on the cheek. They all missed her and had worried about her. 'Maybe I'm not alone' she thought to herself. The group spent the remainder of the day gathering their things and heading back to Palace as fast as possible so they might not run into any more trouble. All the way there she couldn't help but replay what happened in her head. Her being captured, her falling, and then when she was coming back she blinded by something and she came crashing down into a pool by a waterfall. But the thing that blinded her was what bothered her.

Once they arrived Palace all Hitomi could do was think about the voices she heard and what they meant. She did feel a little different since she'd escaped the Vione but she was still worried that Dilandau might come after her. Was she endangering Van? The others? Either way it would be best if she stayed away from them in order to keep them safe. Then her thoughts jumped to Van. He wouldn't understand and he'd probably come after me but maybe if I lie...NO! She mentally yelled at herself. I could never lie to him. Maybe I could do the dramatic leaving during the night thing and leave a note. But...Allen would get mad and Millerna would send a search party. Maybe I could sneak away and they probably wouldn't notice until after. When we go to the market place I could let the crowds pull me away from them, but where would I go. The situation always presents a strategy at some point in time so I suppose I'll have to find somewhere later.

Hitomi was immediately shoved off to a room, the one she had claimed hers and she hurried to the closet as soon as the door had closed. There was one of the bags that Millerna had given her that looked like her duffel bag and she started throwing everything in there and surprisingly it all fit. But halfway through zipping it she felt a wave of guilt. It was like she was taking everything and running, and they would assume she took advantage of them and used them. She couldn't do that to her friends, ever. So she dropped the bag on the bed and left it, instead she only took her satchel that she'd already had and headed downstairs. Hitomi got frustrated when she had to go down so many stairs. As fit as she was an elevator was better than stairs. She clumsily found her way to the great room where Millerna, Van and Allen were.

"Hello Hitomi" Millerna greeted her.

"H-Hi Millerna. If it's not too much to ask I'd like to go to the market" Hitomi was so nervous that she blurted the words out rather fast and totally killed her plan to be unsuspicious.

"Sure thing Hitomi, but you'll have to take someone else with you because I have a meeting in a little while"

"That's alright. Only."

"Only what?" Millerna smiled.

"Who should go with me?" she fumbled for the right words and was kind of surprised at herself.

"Well I'll have to take Van and Allen hostage for a while so why don't you take Gaddess with you"

"Ok." Just as she almost left the room she turned around "Where is Gaddess anyway?"

Millerna laughed. " The east ball room" again she laughed when Hitomi gave her a funny look. "Down the hall take a right and it's the door at the end"

"Ok. Thanks" Hitomi set off for Gaddess so nervously that she turned left and had to turn around and go right. The room was actually easy to find. And Gaddess was just walking out of the room when she was just getting there.

"Hiya Hitomi" Gaddess smiled brightly.

"Hi Gaddess. I'd like to ask if you'd go with me to the market?"

"Well you only need to ask and its yours"

"Thanks so much Gaddess. I just really want to get out of here"

He laughed even louder. "I was thinking the same thing" Gaddess looked deep into her eyes and smiled again. He could read her like an open book unlike Allen and Van but she still had a complicated way of acting. Gaddess led her out of the palace and into the town all the while he looked into her eyes as she kept her attention ahead of her. She looked like she was planning something. Then he understood. She was leaving because she felt guilty for all the trouble they'd gone through. He quickly blurted something out:

" You know, you feel guilty sometimes and you immediately think that getting away from them would make them safe. But in the end you're endangering them and yourself more than you want to" He bit his tongue hard. 'I can't believe I said that' he thought to himself.

Hitomi looked at him as soon as the words left his mouth and she stopped walking.' I wish I wasn't so easy to read' she said fiercely to herself.

"Gaddess."

"Yes Hitomi"

"I'm assuming you know what I mean when I say I have to do this" Gaddess looked at her sadly. And his sadness made her guilt even worse. His expression brightened.

"You got to do what you got to do but promise me you'll return soon and in one piece" Hitomi felt better and smiled.

"I promise." They gave each other a firm handshake and Gaddess pulled her into a hug. Before as he ran off he yelled back to her. "You owe me one"

"I know," she shouted to him as she watched him disappear back into the palace. Hitomi turned back towards the market and took a deep breath.

"Here we go"