Van was yelling into her face when her vision cleared. Merle was crying beside her. She could see Dryden over Van's shoulder, speaking urgently with one of the staff of the inn. Van embraced Hitomi firmly, almost knocking the air from her again.

"Hitomi," he said, in a hushed voice.

"Hitomiiii," sobbed Merle, also throwing her arms around both Hitomi and Van.

Hitomi tried to speak, but it caught in her throat and she coughed instead. Van and Merle let her go.

"Hitomi, what happened? You weren't breathing!" Merle cried.

Hitomi looked to Van.

"You fell over, convulsing and gasping for breath," said Van. Hitomi could feel a hint of the fear that had gripped him moments earlier. "What happened? Did you see a vision? Was it the Mercury? Zaibach?" he said in a hushed voice.

Dryden had returned with the innkeep. "Is she alright?"

"I think we should return to the ship," said Van, as he began helping Hitomi to her feet.

Hitomi finally found her voice, and whispered urgently to Van, "I need to tell you what I saw." Her legs buckled under her again, and Van caught her before she fell.

Dryden watched as Van clutched at Hitomi to keep her from collapsing. "I think it would be best if the three of you lodged here tonight, give Hitomi a proper chance to rest before boarding the cargo ship again."

"We couldn't possibly impo-" began Van.

"Don't even think it. You are my guests. Stay here. Rest. I'll see you in the morning for our journey to Palas." Dryden walked away with the innkeep to work out the arrangements for the night.

"Our journey," said Van, as he shared a look with Hitomi.

They were given adjoining rooms on the second floor of the inn. Hitomi was to share one room with Merle, and Van was in the other. Hitomi was thankful to Dryden for offering his inn. The beds were a vast improvement over the cots they had on the ship. She may actually be able to recover a bit while here. Merle was already cured up at the foot of the bed. Van had made sure she had everything she needed and then adjourned to his own room.

Hitomi sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her brow absently. Her head had begun to hurt soon after she was awoken from her vision. She didn't want to tell Van what she had seen, or what she thought it meant. First, it told her nothing of the Mercury or the rest of its crew, whom she knew Van was filled with worry for; second, it concerned Escaflowne, and she knew Van wanted nothing to do with the giant anymore. She tried to reach out to Van to get an idea what his mood would be if she tried to speak to him now, and was hit with a wave of dizziness. She tried to use her sight to find Dryden, but her headache only increased. She closed her eyes and tried to see Merle next to her, and barely received a faint image before her headache clouded her vision.

Panic began to rise in Hitomi's chest. What if I can no longer use my powers? What's wrong with me? If she couldn't use her powers, would she then be of no more use? Would Van leave her behind? She decided to nap for a short while before speaking to Van. She hoped it might clear her headache and maybe fix whatever was wrong.

Hitomi slept like the dead. She had neither dream nor vision. It was the most restful sleep she had had in weeks, perhaps even months, and she woke feeling renewed. The fatigue she had experienced since waking in Fanelia had all but vanished. She still did not feel entirely herself, and doubted that she would have the energy for the running that she used to be able to do, but she at least felt awake again. The sun shimmered through the open window, kissing the old wooden floor of the inn.

She tested her powers by reaching out first to Merle at the end of the bed, who she could now clearly see even with her eyes closed, and then to Van who was still sleeping in his bed in the adjoining room, though Hitomi could tell he was close to waking. She reached out to the rest of the inn and could feel people in nearly every room. She located Dryden in a room just down the hall from their own quarters. Her headache was gone, and the dizziness that using her powers had produced seemed to have just been a fluke. Hitomi heaved a sigh of relief and climbed out of bed.

Hitomi was already dressed, but she slipped on shoes before walking to the adjoining door, Van's door, and knocking lightly. "Van, are you awake?"

Van heard Hitomi's voice clearly through the door. The moment he heard her he was instantly awake. He hurtled to the door and yanked it open to reveal a bright eyed, fully clothed Hitomi. Van, himself, was only dressed to the waist. He hadn't thought about it as he rushed the door, but now he felt unusually exposed. Hitomi looked so small in the doorway. He supposed it wasn't so much that she was small, but that he had grown in height a bit over the last year and a half. He was tall enough now that he could rest his chin on her head if he wanted to; but he refrained.

"Van, can I talk to you about my vision?" Hitomi seemed more reserved than usual in her request.

"Come in," he said, motioning to his room. As she entered, he turned his back to her, grabbed his red shirt from the edge of the bed and pulled it over his head.

"Van… I think it was a message. I don't think it was a premonition this time." Her voice quivered some as she spoke to him.

The sound of her voice behind him made his skin tingle and the hairs stand on end. His body was always on high alert when she was nearby. Usually they were accompanied by companions, but as Van turned to face her, he was acutely aware that at the moment, for the first time in awhile, they were alone.

Her face was slightly flushed. Van moved away to the other side of the bed, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. They had more important things to face. He looked out the window at the merchant town. From the room's location, he could just about see to the main street. The stalls were just beginning to set up. It must still be quite early in the morning. He turned back to face Hitomi. She stepped into the path of the light that streamed in from the window and her grey-green eyes appeared to glow as if lit from inside. Van had a difficult time maintaining his composure.

"What makes you think it wasn't a premonition," he asked her.

"It umm…" She didn't seem to want to say what she had seen. She moved towards him. He had nothing but the wall and window behind him, and couldn't put any more distance between them. "It was Escaflowne. I think it was a message from Escaflowne."

This shook Van from his attention to her presence. "Escaflowne? What kind of message? You're sure it wasn't a vision?" If it was a vision and someone else managed to awaken Escaflowne… but that was impossible. No one else had the bond other than him. He was the only one who could wake Escaflowne.

"It wasn't a vision. Van, I felt like I was suffocating. I couldn't breath. Something… Something was killing me. And then..."

Van reached out and gripped Hitomi's shoulders. "What was killing you, did you see it? Is that what Escaflowne was there for? Was Escaflowne hurting you?"

Hitomi shook Van's hands from her shoulders. "No!" she exclaimed. "Escaflowne saved me!" She appeared upset, even defensive, at the suggestion Escaflowne could have been the cause. Hitomi collected herself and continued more calmly. " Van, Escaflowne rescued me from whatever it was. I believe it was a message from Escaflowne. I think we need Escaflowne."

Van bristled at the idea. "Escaflowne is a machine; a tool, of war no less. How could it send you a message?"

"I don't know, but what I saw, what I felt, was that Escaflowne was there to rescue me. We need Escaflowne. I think it means we have to wake Escaflowne." Her conviction had solidified on her face.

"We? You seem to forget that I am the one bonded to Escaflowne. I am the one who will be responsible for the deaths caused by Escaflowne. I am the one responsible for the escalation of the war should I bring Escaflowne into it." How could she ask it of him. He thought she understood his reasons. I am the one who will die if Escaflowne can't succeed. He refused to express that fear to Hitomi, though. He was not afraid of dying in war. On the contrary, he had always been willing to put his life on the line for Fanelia, and all of Gaia, but his experience inside Escaflowne, almost losing himself, had been the single most terrifying experience of his life. He could not admit to Hitomi that Escaflowne made him feel like a coward. "I do not believe Escaflowne could send a message on its own. There must have been another reason for the vision."

"Van, you cannot pick and choose which visions of mine you wish to accept. You believe my visions, or you don't. We can argue all day about the interpretation, but they are in my head, I need you to trust my interpretations. I'm not just guessing. I can't really explain it, but it's like a part of me just knows."

Van paced past Hitomi and stalked back and for in the room. She was asking the impossible of him. He turned to face her and saw the stern determination in her eyes. He wasn't going to win this debate. "You just know?" He shouted at her. He felt backed into a corner and was struggling to find a way out. "If you're so confident about your visions, then what happened on the Mercury?" He said it before he had time to think.

Hitomi's face blanched. He could see he had struck a nerve. Don't say anymore.

"Where was your confidence then?" His anger at their present situation fell out of his mouth without his consent. It wasn't her fault; he knew that. "Where was that certainty before we were attacked?! Why couldn't you see them then?" Stop " If you are so sure of your power, how about putting that towards finding Allen and Gaddes instead of chasing fantasies!" He waved his hand dismissively.

Hitomi had shrunk under his tirade. He could see himself through her eyes; a head taller than her, glaring down at her with an anger he didn't know he had. He knew it was more fear than anger, but it wouldn't look that way to her. He knew he'd said too much. Her hands shook at her sides. He had hurt her. He needed to put an end to this conversation.

"Escaflowne will not be awoken. As master of Escaflowne, and King of Fanelia, that is my order." He said it as calmly as he could, but he could feel his voice shake as he said it.

Hitomi didn't say anything more. Her gaze turned steely again. With hands clenched at her sides, she looked him straight in the eyes, then turned, left his room, and pulled the door shut behind her.

Van sank onto the bed, utterly exhausted. Had he lost her? Nothing had gone right between them since the first moment she arrived back on Gaia. Why couldn't he ever say the right thing? Perhaps it was for the best. She didn't deserve someone like him making her miserable anyway. She was so brave, had endured so much, what would she think of him if she knew how scared he really was. Maybe Escaflowne would help them beat Zaibach; but at what cost?

He was a selfish and fearful leader who put himself and his own above the needs of the people. He didn't deserve her. He probably never would. Now he may never know.

His insides squirmed like snakes. Not for the first time, he found himself wishing she had remained safe on her own world. Despite his determination to keep her at arm's length, her approval, her opinion of him, her presence mattered more to him than anything else.

Hitomi shut the door behind her. Her worst fears were realized. The disaster with the Mercury was her fault. She knew that now. She should have been better. She should have understood what that feeling meant. She shouldn't have allowed herself to be distracted. She wasn't strong enough yet, and it was her fault that Allen, Gaddes, and Daniel were in trouble. Van had confirmed what she already believed. She wasn't powerful enough yet to be a useful tool for the King of Fanelia.

Hitomi choked back the lump that was forming in her throat. She wouldn't cry. She couldn't cry. She would fix this.

Merle yawned and stretched as Hitomi walked back to the bed. She stopped mid stretch and looked at Hitomi.

"What's wrong? what did he say this time?" Her tail twitched as she observed Hitomi.

Hitomi sighed and swallowed the last of her sorrow. "He only said the truth."

"It looks to me like he needs a little bit of truth himself," the cat said as she bounded from the bed towards the door.

"Merle… thank you," said Hitomi. She didn't know exactly what she was thanking her for, but she was grateful for her support all the same.

"I'll sort him out. You'll see." Merle slinked out the door, and Hitomi was left alone in her room.

Hitomi sat down on the bed in the quiet and began to stretch her vision. She needed to be able to see farther, clearer.

She remained that way until Dryden fetched her to depart. She barely spoke, except for what was necessary, and maintained all her remaining concentration on her sight. She wouldn't be caught off guard again. She searched the outskirts of the small town into the woods in the distance, but all she felt were normal strangers. She felt none of the wrongness she had felt at the Zaibach border.

Van seemed to watch her cautiously, be he didn't try to engage her. Whatever distance had closed between them had once again become a chasm Hitomi wasn't sure they would ever be able to cross. Hitomi found herself jealous of Merle as the cat-girl chatted with Van so naturally. She saw them with her eyes as she saw the surrounding area with her mind. Just as Daniel had observed, her eyes seemed to fall on Van even while her sight was trained in the far distance.

Merle was his family, she couldn't begrudge them their kinship. Merle had been around much longer than she had. Merle was almost like his little sister. Perhaps that was all he felt for Hitomi as well. He protected her because she was family. He took her along because she could be useful. She couldn't remember a time when he had given her any indication that his feelings toward her were any more than familial; and she had given him nothing but trouble. She didn't want to be his sister, though. She didn't want to mean the same to him as Merle. I want to mean more.

She felt guilty for thinking it almost as soon as she'd thought it. She didn't deserve to have more; not until she fixed her mistakes; not until she could really be of use.

Day and night, Hitomi stretched her vision. She didn't feel she needed sleep; in fact she didn't feel tired at all. She wondered why it had been that using her power before had drained her so completely, but she put it from her mind for now. She needed to concentrate and it was a blessing not having to worry about fatigue. She was now able to sense miles into the distance. Her vision travelled along the ground, passing small animals, bugs, and occasional people trekking between cities. She could see out over the Asturian bay, to other ships carrying their goods across Asturia. She could feel them nearing Palas before Dryden approached her to let her know.

Dryden had been particularly kind to her since their journey together began. He seemed to sense the tension that had formed between Van and Hitomi the morning of their departure from Cesario. Whether or not he had been provided the details, Hitomi did not know.

"You will eventually have to speak to each other again, you know," he said as he helped her to her feet. "It is only when speaking to each other, that two people can reconcile. You must be truthful with one another."

"We have been truthful," Hitomi replied.

"Have you? The whole truth?"

Hitomi wasn't exactly sure what Dryden meant, or how much he knew of their circumstances, but there was a mischievous look in his eye that said he knew more than he would let her know.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she dodged his question.

She could feel the large population of Palas in the distance. Before letting go of her sight, she sent her vision again out into the forest beyond Palas, to see how far she could go.

She recognized some of the creatures from her experience on the Mercury. Just before she decided it was enough, she felt a hint of the wrongness again. It was faint, but it was something she could learn from. She focussed everything she could on that tiny spot. It seemed like an animal, but it felt strangely warped, like she was seeing an object that was alive, rather than a living animal. It wasn't a resolved image either. All the animals and people she had observed had a unique feeling to them, sharp, with clean edges, like they were in focus. This wrong spot wasn't clearly discernible. It hurt to focus on, like staring too long at a bright light, or trying to focus one's eyes on an out-of-focus picture.

Hitomi followed the wrongness as it moved through the woods. She sense more spots as she did so, and noticed they were getting more dense as the spot moved closer to Zaibach. She was nearing the edge of the range of her vision when she felt something else familiar.

She wasn't sure if she should believe it at first. It was too good to be true. It was too lucky. She could feel Allen, faintly, in the woods. Somehow, that little spot of wrongness had lead her right to the true query of her search.

She almost squealed with joy. Dryden was still beside her, and he jumped at her sudden sound.

"I found them!" she shouted.

"What? Who?"

"I found them, I found them!" she recited, all the while maintaining her vision on Allen's location. He felt faint, but it may have just been the distance. This was the farthest she had ever pushed her sight.

"Van, Hitomi has seen something," Dryden called to Van.

Hitomi clutched the pendant at her neck instinctively, and focused as hard as she could on Allen so as not to lose him. Her chest was bursting with joy. He was alive! Her mistake had not cost the life of her friend!

The pendant began to warm in her hand, but she was so focused on Allen, she paid it no mind. She felt Van approaching and turned to tell him the good news as the light came down around her. She saw the shock on Van's face as her feet lifted off the ground.

"Hitomi!"

She tried to call out to him, but her voice was swallowed up by the power the was lifting her into the sky. She could still see Allen in her mind, but it was Van's face she was focused on now. She could see panic and anguish contorting his face as he called her, until he disappeared from her vision and she found herself looking down on trees instead of the deck of a cargo leviship.