Hitomi sat on the main deck of the small leviship. She could tell Allen was in his quarters with Celena. She hadn't been any trouble yet, but they had only been on their voyage for a few hours. Gaddes was at the helm with Van. Daniel Evelyn was… approaching Hitomi. She opened her eyes as he leaned against the rail near her.

"Are you making any progress?"

"I can tell where everyone is. That's a lot better than when I started." Hitomi stretched her arms and back. She had been sitting in the same position for some time. It felt good to move.

"That's much more than we could have hoped. You must be a natural." Daniel smiled.

"I don't know about that… sensing people is about all I can do." Hitomi turned the pendant in her fingers.

"Well, if you can sense the people in the guymelefs, and the people behind the walls of Zaibach, that will be a great benefit for us, but don't work at it too hard."

Hitomi looked up and saw Van at the helm with Gaddes, just where she had felt them to be. Van was looking right at her. Hitomi felt a tingle in her chest, and she looked back out to the grassy sea over which they travelled. She could feel Daniel watching her. Hitomi didn't know what the other crew members believed about her and Van. They knew that it was Van and Hitomi in the heart of Zaibach when the fate alteration machine was destroyed, but she didn't think anyone was aware of how it was destroyed. Allen may have known. Sometimes Hitomi got the feeling Allen wasn't entirely happy with how closely Van watched over her, but most of the time he was completely focused on Celena.

"Who are you to Van Fanel I wonder?" asked Daniel suddenly. "You're treated much more fondly than a foreign dignitary. " He must have noticed Van watching them.

"I... don't know." Hitomi could feel her face flush. She looked down at her pendant. "We're just friends. I help him. He needs my power. We have been through a lot."

"It must be more than that. I know if I had been so close to you all that time, I would feel more than just friendly." His voice was a smooth and melodic as usual and he treated Hitomi to one of his sparkling smiles.

The door to the living quarters below deck opened and saved Hitomi from having to respond. Celena emerged, followed closely by Allen. She was dressed in a loose gown with slippers on her feet. She shielded her eyes from the bright sun as she walked through the door. She was smiling, and sprinted to the railing at the side of the ship once her eyes had adjusted.

Hitomi was still unsettled by her change of personality. This demure sweet creature seemed almost unreal, or ethereal, compared to the brutish coarse reality of Dilandau. She seemed as if at any moment she could disappear as a whiff of mist. Dilandau on the other hand, while not all there, was firmly rooted in the physical world. Celena was still a child experiencing the world for the first time.

Hitomi had seen so many horrors at the hands of Dilandau, it was still difficult to see Celena as innocent of those atrocities, especially when Dilandau could still emerge at any moment. She sometimes wondered if Van had been right to agree to have her along, even if it might have meant leaving Allen behind. Allen was not the man he used to be.

Celena excitedly pointed at something in the distance and Allen put his arm around her. He seemed truly happy at that moment. Hitomi had mostly seen worry on his face so far. It was good to see him happy.

The next few days passed in a similar manner. Hitomi practiced her vision each day with the company of either Van or Daniel. Van pushed her to see farther and with more clarity. He was constantly asking questions and seemed frustrated with her progress. The rest of the time he spent with Allen and Gaddes working on strategies for approaching Zaibach, and how best to remain unnoticed once they got there.

Daniel sat quietly with her. He would listen to her frustrations and encourage her about her improvement. He didn't say one more word about Van's or his own interests towards her. It was calming to be around him.

Celena spent more time on deck and seemed perfectly stable as herself. Allen still watched over her closely, but allowed her to interact with the rest of the crew on her own more.

The leviship had long since left the open plains that surrounded Palas. They were now weaving through dark forests, slowly approaching the borders of Zaibach. Van had ordered the engines to minimum to keep sound down. Allen spent his time at the helm, only occasionally switching with Gaddes for breaks. Celena was left mostly to herself, which didn't seem to be a problem. She hadn't had an episode since the beginning of the trip and had warmed up to those in the crew she hadn't known. Hitomi was even becoming comfortable having conversations with her. Her sweet disposition made it harder and harder to see the maniacal killer she used to be.

Hitomi spent her time sitting and using her vision to survey the surroundings. They were approaching Zaibach and Van had asked her to alert him if anything seemed suspicious. Her skills were to be truly put to the test now.

Hitomi's sleep had been more stable on the smaller leviship. It's motion was easily recognizable, unlike the large Zephyr, and the engines were quiet for stealth purposes. Even her dreams were mostly calm. Despite this having been deemed a dangerous mission, so far Hitomi had been more relaxed on this mission than any other time since she had returned to Gaia. She was on good terms with Van, to an almost uncomfortable point, though the close quarters of the leviship meant they never spent time alone together.

Hitomi was beginning to feel hopeful that they would find no evidence of Zaibach involvement. One night, however, her vision returned in her sleep. It wasn't clear, but she could hear screams, and could feel the floorboards of the leviship pitch beneath her. Three large melefs materialized in her vision, and a piercing, haunting laugh rang through her ears. Hitomi woke in a sweat. She pulled on a robe and rushed out on deck. The night was cool and silent. Gaddes was at the helm for his shift, but otherwise the deck was clear.

"Hitomi, it's late to be out."

Hitomi clutched the robe around herself. "Have you heard anything?"

"It's been nothing but peace and quiet. Are you alright?"

"Uh, Yeah… It was a bad dream… but…"

Gaddes frowned. "We've been learning to heed your bad dreams. Get some rest, I'll keep vigil."

Hitomi nodded to Gaddes and headed back to her cabin.

Nothing happened the next day, or the day after that, but Hitomi stretched her vision well beyond the leviship. She could feel the ground, and every small creature crawling on it, and she could feel the birds in the trees. She wouldn't let a single living thing escape her sight. It was not lost on her that she had the dream the day they arrived at the Zaibach border. They were now slowly weaving through dense forests just outside of Zaibach.

She told the crew of her dream, but unlike her other visions there was very little detail. There was nothing specific for them to prepare for. She remembered the three melefs and the cackling scream, but nothing else, and nothing had yet happened since then.

Hitomi sat on deck completely focused on the world around the Mercury. She was not yet familiar with the small creatures of Gaia, so she examined them each as she found them, stretching her vision yet further. Even when she wasn't concentrating, there wasn't a moment when her vision was not strained to keep a lookout for anything beyond their normal sight. The small critters were not all that different from Earth creatures. There were feathered birds with wings in all different colors, small rodent like animals, and bugs of all different shapes and sizes.

Most of what she sensed was actually relaxing and pleasant. Sometimes she even thought the animals could feel her presence with them as well. She used this to practice concealing her observations from them. It wouldn't be good if the enemy were able to feel her watching. Everything seemed normal, but there was a strange feeling that wouldn't allow Hitomi to relax. Every so often, among the other animals, there would be one that was different. It would feel in general like all the other animals but it would have a… she wasn't sure what it was.. a wrongness. It would feel off in her vision, like blurriness or an itch in the eye. Just wrong somehow. By the third day, she had lost count of how many times she had felt it. She told Van, but she really didn't have any way to explain what it was, so they agreed she should just keep paying attention to it, but not to let it be distracting.

For the three days Hitomi spent almost no time conversing with the rest of the crew. She had a harder time concentrating on her vision if she was speaking with someone. Most of the crew was quiet anyway to keep from being discovered, though if anyone was close enough to hear them, Hitomi would have seen them first. Daniel would sit with her most of the time, in silence. He had no other duties on the mission but to observe. Hitomi thought he spent a little too much time observing her, but he had seemed fascinated by the "girl from the mystic moon" since the very beginning.

Hitomi sat on the deck of the leviship with her eyes closed. It was early, and most of the critters on the ground and in the trees were still asleep, except for a few night dwellers. The sky was just beginning to get light. Daniel sat beside Hitomi. Allen was at the helm. Gaddes slept peacefully in his cabin. Celena was awake, but in her cabin as well. Van stood on deck, eyes scanning the forest for anything Hitomi might miss, his hand resting on the hilt of the sword at his hip. Hitomi could feel his unease. The rest of the crew had begun to relax, but neither Van nor Hitomi were ready to let their guard down just yet.

Daniel let out a sigh beside her. "You're watching him again."

"Huh?" Hitomi realized she was focused on Van. Her vision wasn't, but her eyes were. "Oh, I didn't mean to. I'm watching the forest."

"Of course you are. You're helping him with your power right?"

"Mm." Hitomi wasn't really paying attention to Daniel. There was a wrongness to the air, like the wrongness of the animals that she was trying to get a grasp on.

"I mean, I'm glad you are. We wouldn't be able to do this without you."

The sound of night time bugs was slowly fading as the first rays of the sun began to shine through the branches.

"I just… does it have to be for him? I know, you're friends, he needs you… but… "

Daniel shifted his position next to her. The wrongness grew heavier in the air. She was beginning to think it was about time to alert Van. She definitely hadn't felt the wrongness like this before. She began to motion to Daniel to hush but he grabbed her hand.

"Hitomi… I've wanted to say this for awhile…"

Hitomi felt the critters begin to move, but not like a normal morning. They were moving away from the leviship, away from this part of the forest. There was something here they were afraid of.

"I care for you. I like you. I have for awhile."

Hitomi's focus shifted to Daniel. Her mind was crying out that there was something very wrong in the air, but the incongruence of the feeling of wrongness and Daniel's sudden confession as if everything was normal caught her off guard. "What?" was all she could manage.

"I wanted you to know, I'm throwing my hat in the ring. You're amazing, in so many ways. You deserve someone who can see that." Daniel's smooth voice wrapped around his words like silk.

A sharp, hot bolt shot through Hitomi's mind. Humans. There were humans nearby and they were wrong, so very very wrong, like the wrong animals, but so much stronger. Hitomi was instantly brought back to her senses.

"Van!" she screamed, but it was too late. The first large melef appeared alongside the leviship on the right. The second appeared in the ship's path. Allen pull the helm hard to the left to avoid colliding with it. Large fluid metallic tendrils skidded across the deck, narrowly missing Van.

Hitomi was on her feet, rushing across the deck when she heard the cackle. It was exactly as it had been in her dream, but now she knew what it was. She turned to see Celena standing in the entryway to the leviship cabins, holding a sword tightly by the handle.

"It's time. I knew my chance would come." An obnoxious grin spread across Dilandau's face, and cackled again into the early morning.

"Celena!" screamed Allen from the helm, but if he left his post the whole leviship would be lost to the trees. Van unsheathed his sword and met Dilandau in the middle of the deck.

Another melef materialized on the other side of the ship and glided along beside them. Allen slowed the leviship to a stop. There would be no outrunning these melefs, and he had to get to Celena before Van was forced to do something they would all regret.

Van's sword met Dilandau's with a crash.

"Van! This time you die!" Dilandau swung his sword with force unimaginable for Celena's small frame. Van had trouble keeping up. He still favored the side with his injury. Hitomi could tell that it was causing him pain as he held his ground against the forceful blows of Dilandau's sword.

Allen raced across the deck, just out of range of Dilandau's swing, and unsheathed his sword. "I won't let you hurt anyone using Celena's body!" He shouted as he blocked Dilandau's next swing at Van. "Van, protect Hitomi, I'll take care of Celena," said Allen over his shoulder as he glared into the eyes of his beloved sister.

"Allen Schezar. You wont capture me again. This time, I'm returning to where I belong. Wait

till I tell Dornkirk of your plans. When you return to Palas, you will find it in ruins," said Dilandau with a sneer.

Hitomi watched in horror as brother matched blows with sister. Van reached her side in time to block a tendril from one of the melefs running her through. The tendril was deflected, but upturned several of the floorboards on deck. Daniel Evelyn was nowhere to be seen. He was not a fighter. Hitomi hoped he had found his way below decks to safety. He had confessed to her. Why now? She tried to concentrate her vision to make sure he and Gaddes were safe, but the clashing of swords and the attacks from the melefs surrounding the ship were too distracting.

She had a flash vision of a melef tendril coming directly at Van. She screamed to Van to alert him and he deflected the attack.

Hitomi heard Allen let out a scream. She looked over to see him falling to one knee. Dilandau had landed a blow on his lower leg. Dilandau was raising his sword to deliver a killing blow. Allen tried to raise his sword, but even Hitomi could tell that his timing was off. Hitomi screamed.

A small harpoon with a line attached flew through the air and lodged itself deep in Dilandau's sword arm. He let out a scream. Hitomi looked to the cabin door to see Gaddes standing in the doorway holding the barrel of the harpoon gun. He yanked on the line and Dilandau stumbled forward, but caught himself. He grabbed the end of the metal in his arm and yanked it out with a terrifying scream.

Dilandau turned and shouted up to the melef in front of the leviship, "My name is Dilandau Albatou! I am the leader of the Dragon Slayers of the Zaibach Empire. I have been held captive by Allen Schezar. I demand to be taken to Dornkirk immediately."

Van unsheathed his sword and began to charge at Celena, but a tendril flew from the melef before he had barely taken a step , wrapped around Celena's waist, and the both Celena and the melef disappeared.

The other two melefs that remained resumed their attack in earnest. They flamed the hull of the ship, and sent tendrils flying at everyone who was on deck. Van stood in front of Hitomi deflecting one after another. They were continually forced backwards with each blow. Hitomi felt the banister behind her.

"Van!"

Hitomi's shout was too late. With the next blow she was forced over the railing. She screamed.

Van turned just as she went over the railing and he jumped over to follow. Wings sprang from his back as he reached for her. Hitomi felt a weird sense of nostalgia come over her as they fell. The spell was broken, though, when Hitomi saw the tendril racing towards Van's back.

Hitomi tried to scream, but no sound would leave her throat. The pendant began to burn on her chest as she tried to scream, and a bright light engulfed both her and Van.

When the bright light subsided they were still falling, but Van had reached her and grabbed her into his arms, shifting his weight to swing himself beneath her at the same time. They crashed together into the underbrush, Van first.

As soon as they stopped, Hitomi got up to check that Van was alright.

He sat up next to her. "Are you alright, Hitomi?"

She threw her arms around him. He cringed in pain from his side. Hitomi pulled away and saw a small amount of wet darkening Van's red shirt.

Van could see the panic in Hitomi's face. "I'm alright. I think the fall just broke some of the new skin." He pulled his shirt up slightly just to reveal the wound.

Van seemed to be right. The wound was small, and was over a part of the gash that was only just finally healing. Hitomi heaved a sigh of relief. The moment she was relaxed enough, Hitomi noticed that the wrongness that had so completely permeated the woods was now gone. She sat up at attention. These were normal woods. Hitomi stretched out her vision, but only felt the normal animals she had become accustomed to on Gaia. She tried to look farther to sense Allen, or Daniel, but she felt nothing. They weren't anywhere to be found. They were gone… no, she was gone. She and Van teleported, but where to?

"What is it Hitomi? We should try to get back to the others as soon as possible."

"I don't think we can," She said.

"Why not?"

Hitomi reached out with her mind again, this time looking for anything. There were people in the distance. Maybe a lot of people, but she was too far away to really tell. She began walking forward through the trees.

"Hitomi…" Van got up and began to follow Hitomi as she walked. She ducked below tree branches and weaved her way between bushes and other undergrowth, until she and Van reached the edge of the woods. Both Hitomi and Van gasped as they looked out from the trees.

Before them rose the walls and skyline of the kingdom of Fanelia.