There and Back Again

GA1: Erk, forgive me readers for the lateness in getting chapters up... Florida has become a hurricane magnet and ever thing has been hell for the past two weeks...

SD: Hell? That's an understatement...

GA1: O shut up...

SD: O.o

GA1: -.- ANYWAYS.. For my lack of it, there are two chapters for you up now. Read, review... or else my exploding teddy bears will find you..

SD: O, lord, you found them?

GA1: Yup, you don't hid them very well :-P

Disclaimer: Escaflowne does not belong to us weird little people, it belongs to the creepy guys in crispy business suits. So don't sue us, we having nothing to give you, except maybe our teeth? We, however, own our respected characters, and changes in plot line.

Spirit Dancer: Aiko, Shiva

Glass Angel1: Ayane, Fira, Merlin, the Providence Children and any other character that I must create for the production of this story.

All rights reserved.

Summary:

Not just an ordinary retelling of Escaflowne. Two girl's wish away their lives of family abuse, only to find their wish answered. Destiny plays its hands hard as these two friends find themselves caught up in a war of a world they barely know, only to be torn apart along the way. Will they be able to overcome their trouble pasts, and save this new world for its own destruction? Or will their pasts become its means of destruction?

Category: Action/Adventure/Romance

xXxXxXxXxXx : scene change

xVxVxVxVxVxVxV; same scene different view

italic : vision

XoX; flashback

Chpt. 8 Angel's Faith

"Are you sure Boss? Is Zaibach really going to attack us?" Allen sighed, as he leaned against the door frame looking out onto the setting sun. Nauru chirping lightly as he moved in his cage.

"The look in that kid's eyes..." He walked across the room, sort of ignoring the question by not answering straight out. "He has a blood lust. If Zaibach really attacked Fanelia, then it probable doesn't want any survivors to tell the truth... Gaddes…"

"Yes, sir?"

"Load the Escaflowne on to the Crusader."

xXxXxXxXxXx

"Thank you, Van-dono!" a familiar cat-like voice cried happily as she slowly came around. She felt hot, thirstily and most about all, sticky. A bath was in order but it wasn't very likely that she was going to get one anytime soon. The bed moved as someone sat down next to her, a cool hand brushed over her forehead. Cracking her eye's open slightly she looked up at Van.

"Your fever is breaking..." Aiko opened her eye a little more, but then closed it as she tried to kick off the blankets that she was sleeping under. Unfortunately, she couldn't get them off.

"Get...off..." Her voice was hoarse due to the lack of water that it had recently. She tried to kick the blankets off again, but they still wouldn't move off of her. She gave up eventually panting slightly. She attempted to open her eyes again, and when she did, her jade met angry blue ones. Merle was sitting across the way on what looked like make shift bed on what once was a bench. Van stood up off the bed and walked across the room to get something. This gave Aiko the time she need to kick off the heavy blanket. Merle's tail suddenly fluffed up at something that Aiko quiet didn't catch as Van came back, this time handing her a small cup of water which Aiko took greedily.

"The best I could do for you is a basin of water..." Van started to say, Aiko frowned at him. It took her a moment to figure out what he was talking about when he sat her green bag on the bed. "I'll step outside until you're done changing... It would probable be better for you to put on your own clothing right now then that dress. The cuts on your legs are still open enough to get infected again." Aiko looked up at him and nodded. Cuts on her legs, these had been something she had been ignoring for a while, and had thought nothing of them as small as most of them were.

"Thank you, Van..." Her voice was still a little hoarse, but it wasn't as bad as it was before. Van nodded, and went out of the room. Aiko slowly sat up, and waited for the room to stop spinning. When she looked at Merle across the room, she saw those angry eyes once again. "Look, kitty cat, I don't know what your problem is, but whatever it is, you need to stop giving those dirty little looks. If anyone should be giving any dirty looks, it should be me." She growled weakly as she sat up, and unzipped her bag to make sure everything was still there. The first thing she checked on was her compass. After that she went down the check list, but froze as her fingers grazed something soft. Inside her bag was a black teddy bear with a red ribbon around its neck, the look on its small little face was that of one crying. Aiko picked it up, and stared at it, making sure it was real. Tears made their way down her cheeks, even though she tried in vain to keep them back.

XoX

"What is with you and that damn bear?!" Aiko crossed her arms before her as she watched Ayane sit back on the small bench. Behind her grew the small bushes that invested this part of the park, behind Aiko was the small water fountain that they always sat next to. Ayane just stuck her tongue out at her as she smoothed the skirt of the dark green dress, a new bazaar one that Aiko was going to have to add to the list of 'Ayane's many bazaar dresses to remember.' The small black teddy bear sat in her lap, the small black button eyes looked at her. It wasn't one of those 'happy go lucky' bears one normally sees at stores, this one looked like it had been crying; there was no smile on this bears face but a frown. The only color on the black bear was the red ribbon tried around its neck.

"It's a bear, is there suppose to be a reason for it, your Highness?" Aiko glared at her. The two had had a bickering fight a few days before, and Ayane had invented something new to annoy her with.

"Of course there's supposed to be a reason to it, Aya!" She sneered back at her. "I mean you NEVER go anywhere without the damn thing!" She watched her roll her steel grey eyes at her, snuffing down a chuckle.

"If you must know, it was a gift..."

"A gift? From who?"

"No one particular.." Aiko nearly fell from the response.

"No one particular?! And yet you drag that thing everywhere with you? Aya, you make no sense what so ever!" She just waved a hand in the air, giving one of her smiles that only Aiko ever sees her use.

"If you must know, it's not the person that gave it to me which makes me take it everywhere with me."

"Its not...?" Aiko was starting to get a headache. Ayane loved to make things complicated for her, never something easy and simple, always just confusing. "Then why?"

"Because..."

XoX

Aiko hugged the teddy bear as if it were her life line. She placed it back in the bag, and got out the clothes that she wanted to change into once she was clean. Just when she was about to get undressed Aiko remembered that there was another...thing in the room. Aiko looked at Merle and rolled her eyes as she pulled out her jacket, throwing it onto the cat girl's head.

"NO peaking..."

"Why would I be peaking?!" Merle yelled back, even though the jacket was over her head Aiko could still see the fluffed cat's tail. Aiko shrugged.

"I don't know..." Aiko said as she stripped and grabbed the cloth that was lying on the rim of the basin. She got it soaked, and wiped down her body. She wrung all of the water out of it, and used it as a thing to dry with. Putting the hand towel back, she got dressed in black cargo pants, and a black spaghetti strap shirt. She put her hiking boots back on, and then she walked over to Merle, tooking the jacket back. Letting out a sigh, she fell back on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. "Now that feels so much better." She said with her eyes closed. Getting up, she rummaged through her bag to find a black hair tie, and started to work on her hair. In a few minutes, her long hair was swept back into a loose braid.

"OK...I'm done..." She said turning around, her back facing Merle. "Your turn."

xXxXxXxXxXx

"Looks like they're excepting us…" One of his Dragonslayers' voices came on over the crackling com. Frowning, Dilandau turned his head to the side to look over the small radar to his left.

"Seems so, eh Gatty?"

"Yes sir, there are soldier out in the trenches in front of the fort. There also seem to be some old fashion guymelefs inside the fort." Sighing Dilandau rubbed the back of his neck to work out a sore. A, yet again another boring battle, Folken must really be having a hay day with this. Then again, Folken had a hay day with that lecture too, Dilandau growled as he took his controls again.

"Hey, any bets on who sees the Schezar guy first? Or are we going on who can hit so many pin heads in a row?" Viole's voice came over the com, not even one bit serious.

"Dilandau-sama can I please have a new partner?!" Miguel's voice begged, and Dilandau just chuckled. Listening to those two argue was the best why to forget about what he was mad at.

"O, Miguel-kuns! I'm hurt!"

"You'll be more then hurt if you call me that again..."

"Alright, you two…" Shesta's calm over the crackling com, Dilandau sighed. Good old Shesta, get it stopped before it gets out of control.

"Alright…" He finally said, before anything else could start up. "Let's level this place."

"Survivors?" Guimel's cool voice asked, even though the question wasn't really finished. Not that Dilandau need to hear the complete thought to know what he was talking about.

"The less, the better." Dilandau flipped the switch up for his flame thrower. "Let it burn!!"

xXxXxXxXxXx

"Allen, where the hell are you taking us?!" Van shouted, probable because he didn't think he could hear him. At the moment, Allen kind of wish he couldn't. What was this kid thinking, running out in the middle of a battle with nothing but that little sword? Which, by the way, would probably end up doing more damage to him then his enemy. Allen moved the Scherazade through the trees away from his burning fort. He slightly wondered where his pet owl had run off to, but no doubt Gaddes saw that it was already on the Crusader before it departed. Now, here he was with the boy king, trying to catch up to it. Along with trying and not leading anyone else back to the airship.

"Just a little further..." He mumbled to himself. Lord, was he tired, a nice hot bath, and something good to eat was in order. Well it would be, but all the Crusader had was nothing more rations, great… lovely. He lost his fort to a pyromaniac, and here he was with a King that had two very weird companions. Well the cat girl wasn't so bad, but the other one? Maybe she was just like that because their worlds were different. It may be best to watch her when they reached Palace. Allen stopped the Scherazade just before he walked it right over the edge down into the river. Come on Gaddes.

"Allen what are you...?"

"Hold on Van." He remarked as he stepped off the cliffs, he heard Van shout something but he couldn't make it out over the roar of the water fall. As if on cue, the Crusader made its way out from behind it, and the Scherazade landed on it. The wooded ship shook at the sudden weight of the guymelef on the top side. Turning around as he stood the guymelef up, Allen looked to where they had jumped off, by this time it was quiet a ways away. Something flickered near the trees, and then suddenly a red guymelef appeared.

xVxVxVxVxVxVx

Dilandau snarled as he watched the wooded airship make its way down the river way. Behind the waterfall, why couldn't Folken have told him that sooner? Then he would have posted someone back here. Well it didn't matter he was going to have to chase after them anyhow. The dragon was not going to get away from him a second time, even if he had the other 'irregularity', guess he was going to have to catch that girl too. So lost in his own little world that he couldn't remember quiet well why he punched Dallet's guymelef. It didn't matter that much, whatever it was at least Dallet knew what he did wrong that got him into trouble. Turning his attention back to the problem that was in front of him, Dilandau slide his hands down the controls.

"Alright, let's go after them!" He shouted over the com as he took off the cliff, he let the Alseides free fall for a moment before turning it to flight mode. The first thing he had in mind once he got to the damn airship was to push the Schezar right off the edge and into the water, just to watch him sink like a stone in the raging river. Periodically taking the moment to yell at one of his Dragonslayers to make sure that the airship was damaged so that it couldn't fly any faster, or even better to immobilize it, Dilandau took a shot at Allen, before landing down on the airship. He heard Viole shout something but couldn't hear it as the adrenalin rush through his veins. He was going to crush Austria's best knight.

"You're good, Allen!" Dilandau cooed over the open com, "But not good enough!" The Schezar met him move for move, even when the airship scream as two of his Dragonslayers destroyed the small propellers, one of them also damaged a lava stone on the left side. He could help but laugh as one of his other Slayers joined in the battle with the knight of the top of the airship. Then there was shouting over the com, drawling his attention away from the battle.

"Dilandau-sama! The dragon is getting away!"

"What the hell do you mean its getting away Dallet?! It's in this damn-" Dilandau stopped short when he saw the white dragon flying out of the open hanger bay on the small airship. "Shit! Miguel, finish this!" He took off after the dragon with the remanding slayers following him. He would have to finish playing with Allen another day, right now he had to finish what he came here for.

"Damn it, Miguel nice Swan Dive!" He heard Gatty shout over the came. "Miguel's down it's just the six of us left sir, we'll have to go back at get him." Dilandau could hear Miguel's cursing in the background.

"Hell… Miguel, stay where you are, we'll come get you later. The rest of you, get this dragon out of the sky!" Dilandau shout over the crackling on the com, some one really needed to fix it. "I hate heroics, little King!"

xVxVxVxVxVx

Aiko was looking out of the Bridge window when the whole ship suddenly tilted sharply to the left, pushing Merle and her against the glass.

"What the hell was that?!?!" Aiko asked Gaddes, who was the 'captain' at the time.

"Oh, it's just Scherazade joining us." He said smirking. The ship regained its balance and flew peacefully for a few seconds until something made it shake violently. Looking back out the window to see what all the commotion was, she saw three blue guymelefs fly over head.

"Damn it...they found us again..." She cursed silently as the ship began to shake even more. She could hear the shouts of the crew in the background, but only one thing caught her attention and that was what little she could see of the fight happening on top of the airship.

"The left lava stone has been hit!!"

"Two of our propellers are down!!" Aiko stared at the blue and red guymelef that were battling on top on the small ship. Looking at the blood red guymelef gave her the creeps, but at the same time, she wasn't afraid of it. Then, a white flash whizzed passed the window. Gasping, Aiko followed the white dragon until it was out of sight.

"Van..." Aiko muttered under her breath. Merle, on the other hand went crazy.

"VAN-DONO!!" Aiko had to cover her ears just to keep her hearing in tacked. Aiko looked at the window to the place where the white dragon, five blue guymelefs, and the red guymelef disappeared. The six blue guymelef took a swan dive off as the Scherazade knocked it off.

"Van...don't get yourself killed." Aiko muttered. After hearing herself, she shook her head. What the hell is wrong with me?!

xXxXxXxXx

Dilandau could almost laugh, even though the boy had saved his friends, he couldn't save himself. Shesta had hit the white dragon in the wing sending it spinning to the ground, and now that it had changed back into a guymelef; he was going to have some fun. Since his heroics interrupted his battle with Allen, Dilandau would just have to take it out on little boy wonder. Viole and Dallet had taken off on orders to bring Miguel back to the Vione, leaving Dilandau with just three other slayers. The each landed around the dragon and took to their stealth cloaks. Dilandau was going to make the boy sweat, not just this way, but also with the fire the rose up around him. A, one had to love the Alseides' flamethrower.

"Guimel, distract him!" He shouted over the crackling com, it was really starting to get on his nerves. Maybe he should have one of the mechanics' look at it when they got back to the Vione. "Shesta, Gatty go up behind him!"

"Yes, sir!" They all echoed, Dilandau just sat back and watched as the Fanelia king swung blindly at Guimel unaware of the two that were behind him. In the matter of seconds Shesta and Gatty held the white guymelef so that it could not move. How pathetic, and he was actually wanting to see, yet again, why this dragon was a threat to the Zaibach Empire. Sighing, Dilandau turned off his stealth cloak as he stood in front of the white guymelef, and flicked on the outline for the com.

"Well, well. Looks like you were able to save your friends for the time being, but not yourself..." He mocked, and then growled, that meant the other 'irregularity' got away to! He so hated heroics, time little boy wonder learned that. "But, you know king I just hate heroics!!" He slammed the left arm of the Alseides into the midsection of the white guymelef and then his right, repeating this process again, and again. He didn't even realize that the pilot had fallen unconscious until Folken's voice came over the come.

"Dilandau, I thought I told you that we wanted the pilot alive." Dilandau stopped, growling inwardly at his voice as he looked up at the Vione as it moved through the sky.

"A, but Folken, I was only having a little fun."

SD:...I think you have too much fun being the Dragonslayers...

GA1: ...

SD: Either that... Or you have WAAAAAY to much time on your hands to make up some of that stuff...

GA1: o.O

SD: -.- sigh

Edited: 11/17/06