There and Back again
GA1: I apologize again for my slowness…
SD: Her massive slowness…
GA1: glares AMYWAYS, here is the next chapter… School + New Job no free time
SD: Just now noticing that?
GA1: Shut up…… frowns I work more then you do…
SD: sticks out tongue
Disclaimer: Welcome to the world where anime freaks own everything that they wish. Where Dilandau and Van are really people, who we all fight over for, and where we can burn Allen's long blond hair until he has none. This place is found in our heads. Thus it is not really… So I am sorry to report (to ourselves anyways) we do not own Vision of Escaflowne. Suing us will not get you anything. But we do how ever own our respective characters:
Spirit Dancer: Aiko, Shiva
Glass Angel1: Ayane, Fira, Merlin, The Providence Children, Caim and any other random 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
xVxVxVxVx; same place different point of view
xXxXxXxXx ;scene change
italic; vision
XoX ; Flashback
Chpt. 17 In the Amidst of the Sky Dragon
Aiko stared at the fire clearly bored. They had flown quite a long way from Palace, and could no longer see the ocean against the moonlight. The ideal was to land in the forest so that they could manage to get some rest; Merle wasn't too far from her, and Van was on the other side of the fire poking the fire thoughtlessly with a long stick. Sighing, Aiko took out her cell phone, flipped it open and started to play with it; running through all of the different options it had to offer. Being tired didn't seem enough for her to go to sleep, and that was all she wanted to do. Sleep, to forget.
"Oooooo, what's that?" Merle asked, pulling the dark haired girl's attention away from it. The feline was eyeing the silver phone evilly. Aiko just looked away from her back down at her small phone.
"It's my cell phone………….." Aiko missed Merle's evil smirk, as she played with the backgrounds of the phone. In a flash, her cell phone was taken from her. It took a second or two for Aiko to realize that it was missing, giving the orange cat girl a chance to make a hasty get away. She ran up to the tree the Escaflowne was knelt down next to. Snapping to her feet, Aiko started after her. "You stupid cat! Gimme my cell phone back!" Merle chuckled as she rested on the highest branch that was able to hold her weight. Glaring at catgirl hard, she climbed up the Escaflowne, hoping to get to the same height as Merle.
"Ha, ha, ha! You can't get me!" She taunted as Aiko continued to climb. She barely managed to half way up the left leg before slipping down off onto the grass, landing of her butt.
"You fricken cat! Give me my cell phone!" Aiko yelled glaring at Merle hard. She stuck her tongue out, and jumped up onto the Escaflowne's shoulder. "Fine… Be that way!" Growling in defeat, she slammed her fists down onto the moist grass. Reluctantly she left Merle with her phone, and flopped back down on grass next to the fire. Leaning back out of complete anger, Aiko watched the Earth and the moon move slightly across the sky. Something popped into her empty mind, as her jade eyes lingered on the Earth. There had been something missing in this picture that she just now noticed. "Hey Van? I didn't see your parents at the castle in Fanelia…where they away or something?"
"Huh?" He looked up at her, as he stopped poking the fire, somewhat confused by her question. Aiko frowned slightly at his expression. Where was Ayane when she needed her? She was the medieval fanatic, and that look Van was giving her was probably because she had said something dumb. Tossing the stick into the small, dying fire, Van laid out on the grass to look up at the starlight night. "My parents… Have been dead for a long time…"
"Oh….." Aiko looked back at Merle as she heard her cell phone beeping from the buttons that were being pushed. Sighing and silently praying that all of her hardware will be in tact when she finally got it back. The damn catgirl was going to get it when she came down if not. Tilting her head back, Aiko looked up at the moon again. "…Do….. Do you remember them?" There was silence for a long time. Aiko looked sideways at him when he didn't respond.
"A little…… My father pasted on when I was no older then five…… My broth-" Van caught himself before he said it. From his facial expression, Aiko could see that there was still pain from the betrayal of his brother. "When Folken failed the succession ceremony, my mother disappeared looking for him…… Since then, the only family I had been Balgus and now, only Merle…"Aiko looked back at the moon, twisting the ideas around in her mind. Ayane was so much better at this; she at least had an idea how to put stuff together to make sense. Aiko always missed the obvious.
"Folken……isn't he your brother?" Aiko knew she was on questionable ground, though she couldn't help but ask. Again, stupid questions beget stupid answers. She almost regretted asking the question when she saw the look on Van's face. There was a slight pull in her chest that made her feel slightly sorry for him. But, at least his family cared for him. Aiko scowled at the thought though she was still curious to hear Van's answer.
"He…was…… Folken ran away from the right of succession, he turned his back on his own country!" There was a half bitten back growl in his face as Van sat up again, left hand gripping down on the grass. "Then he betrayed us by helping Zaibach, he's no brother of mine!" Aiko looked at Van slightly shocked. She wasn't expecting him to get this angry.
"I'm sorry Van……" Aiko drew her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around them, and laid her head on the tops. She had better think fast on how to change the subject. Angry Van was a little on the scary side. "It must be hard to run a country all by yourself……" Sighing, Aiko looked up at the skies to the moons. She felt sick just thinking of the place. But, she kept looking up at it. Why, she didn't know. Maybe there was some longing to think that they actually missed her, that her father was actually looking for her this very moment to say that he was sorry. To apologize for all that he had done. Ya right, like saying "sorry" was ever in his vocabulary. "I hope I never go back there" She muttered to herself, to deep in thought to realize that she had said it aloud until her voice reached her ears.
"Why?" She jerked her head up to look up at him. The fire light illuminated his face slightly as he lay out of the grass looking up at the sky. His eyes, though, hidden in the shadows made by his hair. Big chocolate colored, they were, reminding her of cookies for some reason. The big double chocolate cookies her mother use to make when she was little. The looked on his face was from his own curiosity. It was only fair right? She had hers, now it was his turn.
"I really don't want to talk about it……I just…Don't like it there……" If I don't talk about it, then it doesn't exist…Looking back at the ground, Aiko tried to think of anything else besides the terrible images that were forcing themselves into her mind. From afar, having been listening to the conversation, Merle's ears perked at her last statement. She had lost her interest in playing around with Aiko's 'cell phone' and the conversation the two were holding below had caught her interest. After they left Asturia, Aiko's 'freak out session' had been sort of forgotten, well at least not by Merle. Ayane was gone, probably stuck in that place with the blond princess and her annoying playboy knight or even worse, a prisoner of war held by the Zaibach Floating Fortress and that pyromaniac. It was time for a slightness of revenge, and the chance to annoy the girl was too great of a thing to pass up.
"Why not?" Aiko looked up at the cat girl, who stood on the shoulder of the Escaflowne. Mentally, she entertained the ideal of the feline falling off from there and landing face first into the grass. She turned around to glare at her.
"Because I don't. It's none of your business anyways, you orange fluff ball!" By now she had gotten up, and walked to the base of the tree, looking up at her.
"That's not good enough!" Merle snapped back at her, hands now resting on her hips, legs spared apart. "Why don't you want to go back to your own world…?"
"It's none of your business! When I say I don't wanna talk bout it, I don't wanna talk about it… Now leave me alone and gimme back my phone!" Van watched as the two started another bickering match. Sighing he laid back down on the grass as he listened to them, it was better to stay out of the way. There was only one thing he could understand about the opposite sex; was that getting in the middle of a bicker match meant curtain death. It would be best if he just intervened when it was getting out of hand. Though he hoped the two wouldn't go passed yelling. Slightly tuning them out, he stared up at the green-blue moon above.
"That's not a good enough answer!" Merle yelled back at the woman standing below her on the ground. Sometime during the day before their escape from Asturia the girl had gotten out of the dress she had been and now was in the weird clothes that she had arrived into Gaea with. Aiko just rolled her jade eyes at her, having enough of this little fight that wasn't getting them anywhere. Turning on the heel of her boots; she headed back to the dying fire, before something hard smacked her in the back of the head. Wheeling around again, hand on the bruised part of her head, she glared down at what was thrown at her to find her cell phone lying in the grass. "Not good enough! Why not!" Aiko growled at her before stomping back over to her.
"Because no one there cares for me! My parents, if you can even call them that, beat the shit out of me whenever they fucking feel like it! No one gives a shit 'bout me up there besides Ayane, and I just finished beating the shit out of her because I was fucking sleep walking! She's the only friend I have and I go off beating the shit outta her in the exact same way that I'm beaten every fucking day!" Tears were spilling down her cheeks but her voice remained steady. "Its living hell up there, and I don't wanna go back! Was that the answer you were looking for, Merle? Are you happy now?!" Aiko glared at her once more before running past Van and into the woods as fast as she could. Branches scratched at her face and clothes as she ran, but she didn't care. She didn't stop even though her muscles were screaming at her from their abuse. Finally, when she couldn't run anymore, Aiko slumped against a tree panting heavily. The camp was lost somewhere behind her. She could not see the fire light when she turned to face it.
Shit………I lost control …Now they both know… Aiko leaned against the tree, tears blurring her vision. She looked around, but didn't recognize any of it. She sighed trying to calm her nerves and felt her mid-thigh pocket. Feeling it empty, she cursed mentally. Damn it…I left my compass in my bag……… As soon as she finished the thought, a dragon's roar could be heard, not far from her. A chaotic smile filled her features. "Who needs a knife when you can have a dragon?"
xVxVxVxVx
He watched her run off into the woods, leaving in her wake a startled Merle, and a stunned king. Slowly rising to his feet, Van looked up at the cat girl, whose jaw was slightly hanging down. The night's breeze slowly tossed her pink hair slightly, and ruffled his as it once again fell over his brown eyes. Their actions and personalities had always leaded him to believe, these past few weeks he had known them, that there was something there. That there were secrets that left some deep scars that they cared not to reveal. One was cunning in her actions, able to bend anyone to her will; a talent long in practice, and yet she hide behind false smiles. The other, had her shyness, wishing to hide from the realities around her, but the reason for that was not one Van had thought of. Abuse? What on Gaea was wrong with the Mystic Moon? Was the only reason Gaea's people thought it was cursed was because the people of the Mystic Moon were so fickle?
"I……I didn't know……" The words slipped out of Merle's mouth, they seemed sad, and apologetic for the mistreatment. Yet the damage had already been done, and there was nothing to change the fact Aiko had run off into the woods. Maybe it would be best if he waited a while before going after her, letting her cool off from her out burst.
"Merle it's-" Van started to say but stopped as the roar of a dragon shook the ground. The shocking realization hit them both as he watched Merle's eyes grow wide. Before she could say a word, he dashed into the woods, chasing off in the direction they had only moments before watched her run. There was a promise he had to keep, and there would be a snow balls chance in Hell that he would break it. Sliding his sword out of its sheath, Merle watched her beloved friend, brother, and king (all rolled into one) run off leaving her standing on the Escaflowne alone to save the girl she had driven off.
"I-"
xVxVxVxVx
Aiko's smile remained as she went searching for the dragon. As she walked, the breeze rustled her hair, which had fallen out of her pony-tail back when she was running. The cuts on her arms were deep enough to bringing out some blood, and had begun to sting. The breeze once again tossed her hair over her face, bringing with it the light scent of rain.As she went around a tree the rain began to pour, soaking her instantly. There was a feeling of lost ness that lingered in the back of her mind as she kept going. There was no why she would find her way back. Not that she cared; there was no going back now. She had come too far to chicken out and turn back now.
"Here dragon, dragon, dragon……" Aiko said to herself. As if on queue, the dragon roared again, only this time it sounded as if it was right behind her. Aiko jumped and froze. Slowly she turned around, and gasped when she saw how big it was. It had to be almost the size of a two story house, it's long neck turned off into another set of trees hiding not only its head from her view, but her from its. Its body was black and slender from what she could see, there were long masses of what looked to be folded skin on its sides; this she guessed to be its wings. Behind it all, moved a long tail, knocking over some of the trees. I don't think the dragons were this big……… Aiko slowly backed up as shivers ran down her spine not of the coldness that filled her bones, but fear. For the first time in her life, she was afraid to die. She continued to back up until her back met tree. Someone help…
There was an ear breaking roar, as she watched the chest of the dragon become smaller with the release of air. The trees around the neck that covered the head from her view began to shake. Soon it would be back in this clear space, and able to see her. In the back of her throat, etched a scream wishing to make its way out but she refused it. Without realizing it, Aiko had pushed herself off the tree and was still walking backwards away from the gigantic form of the dragon. She could see some type of horn ends appear as the dragon's neck recoiled more from the trees, and the lower part of its jaw. Aiko could have sworn, before a strong hand grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her off the path, that she had seen the starts of the dragon's eyes. Her jade eyes met red as whoever it was who pulled her from the path. Strong arms wrapped themselves around her, holding her still. The sudden warmth was welcoming as her mind triggered that her body was freezing cold. The redness was soon found to be the cloth of someone's shirt, her hands balled into fists holding some of it between them. There was another roar was the dragon exhaled its breath, the ground shook as it took a stepped forward. Hot breath teased her ear as the person holding her bend their head closer down to her.
"When I move, follow me…" A voice, male, it was familiar but her fear shaken mind was to slow to name it as he started to slide to right. With each ground trembling step the beast took, they took two steps to the right. Aiko lost count on how many they took before he stopped moving all together. Yet the dragon continued its ground trembling steps, but soon they seemed to die off, not having such a nerve racking effect that they had only a few minutes before. The person she held onto didn't even breathe again until the steps were nothing more then echoes against the trees. The cold rain fell down her closed eyes. The strong arms soon relaxed slightly. "Are you alright, Aiko?" Van… The voice was Van's. Aiko was shaking from head to toe and it wasn't from the cold. She wrapped her arms around him and let the tears fall; soaking his shirt even more. Her legs gave out from pure exhaustion, making them both fall to the ground.
"Van………" That was all she was able to say among the sobs as she clutched him like a life line. The though that she wanted Ayane was the only thing that crossed her mind. Ayane was her pillar of strength when she was too weak to stand on her own, but she wasn't here, and all she had now was Van. Though was the young king strong enough to hold her crumbling world, now as its reality went down her cheeks in the form of tears? The rain continued to fall steady drowning all other sounds. It was the first time that she had actually cried since she had left Earth. After a while, the cries subdued to small sobs as she let go and rolled herself into a ball. No longer needing to hold onto him, she wrapped her arms around herself, and resting her head on her knees. Still shaking, Aiko willed herself to breath and calm her nerves. She wasn't ready to see Van's reaction from what happened earlier. He probably thought that she was crazy, cursed like her home was.
Silence, he had given her emotional break down its silence to calm itself. All he could do for her was to hold her until she could control it again. The rain continued to pour down as her sobs died away, there would be no hope of warming up by the fire now. It would be long gone soon. She let go of him suddenly and moved away from him, curling up in a ball. It was then Van become aware of that fact he was shaking as well. Not from the cold that burned into the cores of his bones, but from the realization of what he just crossed the path of. A black sky dragon. They were closer to Fraid then he had thought. The sky dragon unlike the earth ones that roamed the forests of Fanelia had a hot tempter, and was fast. There was no soft underbelly on this one either like the one he had to slay. If his sword during the succession ceremony could not cut through the hard scales of the earth dragon then, there would have been no way they could cut through the scales of THAT dragon. Balling his hands into fist inside their dark brown gloves he forced himself to stop shaking. Aiko wasn't looking at him, so she probably hadn't noticed, not that it mattered seeing as she was still shaking herself. They need to get back to the Escaflowne and Merle. At least there they would have to worry about that dragon attacking them. Isponal Guymelefs seemed to act like reflectors to dragons, driving them away instead of drawling them in like other Guymelefs did. Though, from the way Aiko looked at the moment, the thought of letting her walk on her own was not something that Van wanted to do. He pushed himself up off the ground and knelt down next to her. She didn't notice him, as he slipped one arm under her legs, the other around her back as he picked her up off the muddy ground. The sudden jolt in the air sent her hands balling up in his shirt again to keep herself from falling. Van looked down at her to make sure she had been safety secured in his arms before he made their back to camp, but he stopped when he caught her jade eyes as they stared up at him in silence. Fear was still etched in the far depths of them. Odd, he hadn't noticed it before when he looked at her, the dark shade her eyes took. Nor the shape of them. Mentally shaking his mind clear, he looked away from her and back to the forest around them.
SD: This…… was not the chapter I thought came next...
GA1: hugs Dilly-sama plushy
SD: You tricked me………
GA1: just smiles
Editing: 12/28/06