There and Back again

SD: Takes GA1's picture on GA1's picture phone MWAHAHAHAH!

GA1: I'm going to murder you! Tries to take phone

SD: Aww…but it's so much fun smirks

GA1: growls

Disclaimer: Since we are now college bound, all our money goes to books and schooling. Therefore, we have no money, and can't own Escaflowne. That's Bandai's job. We do however own or respective characters:

Spirit Dancer: Aiko, Shiva

Glass Angel1: Ayane, Fira, Merlin, all the Province 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 girls' 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. 29 Fate's Trial

It really did suck to be a king at the age of four. No one paid any mind to you once they got what they needed, and then they just pushed you aside. Shid sat on the cold stone stairs somewhere on the outer walls of the temple of Fortuna. The setting sun peered down through the small slit windows that were cut into the stonewalls. From here he could see the Zaibach soldiers running about, he hadn't seen any of the temples inhabitants for a while, but that was probably because they were being held somewhere. The young blond duke had managed to slip away unnoticed after they released the seal on Atlantis. That was just one big light show. Whoot lets go around breaking pretty pieces of glass with a giant boulder. The small little helmet that had been on his head now rested in his hands, as he looked down at it uninterested. It's amazing how fast the world can collapse around you in the manner of moments. At the moment he really did wish he were back in the palace, staring out in the gardens in pure boredom. At least then, everyone dear to him was still alive.

Sniff.

"Hey there... What's with the sad face?" He looked up to see the young black haired girl from earlier knelt down in front of him. Her black hair tipped with dark blue hung down off her shoulders as her gray eyes studied him. There was a light smile on her pink lips. Shid just sniffed again, trying to keep the tears from falling down his cheeks. Her hand touched the top of his head lightly. "You're the young duke aren't you?" Did they finally notice that he was missing? Really if they had all it would take for someone to find him was for them to look for the only kid in this place. Or was it just that this personal maid of the Vione found him while running an errand for her lord. She moved to sit down besides him on the stairs, smoothing out the white skirt of her uniform. Her soft hand titled his chin up so that he was looking at her. "Would you mind me asking you something, your highness?"

"What?" Shid blinked his tear full blue eyes, trying to keep them from falling. He was not going to cry in front of them. He was a grown man, or well at least that is what a duke is supposed to be. Whether or not he was one was probably very clear given he could sneak anyway from all the adults unnoticed.

"You would have happened to have seen my friend by chance? She oooo, about this much taller then me, green eyes and has one really bad attitude towards some people. Last time I saw her she was with a young king, and a feisty little catgirl." Her hand fell down back on to her lap as she continued to look at him with a slight smile on her face. "You see we got separated along the road… Me being a prisoner and all. You see I'm just a little worried that she may have gotten herself into trouble with a certain lord, and gotten her head looped off. I'm really amazed she didn't get to cut off a long while ago..."

"Aiko?" The description seemed to fit the wild woman pretty well, given that the young duke had only known her for barely a week. Again, fate had one twisted sense of humor. A week was all it took to rip apart a world of four years. The woman next to him stopped talking for a moment, she seemed to be going of in a nervous rant really.

"She did leave with the Crusader then…" Her hands fell into her lap as the words left her in a quiet whisper. That was all she said as the silence returned. Shid, finding no interest in this, turned his head back down to look at the gold helmet in his hands. He wanted to be left alone, that's all he really wanted. To be alone, and reflect on what he was going to do. From now on he had a lot to think about, like for starters there was a palace to rebuild. Or did he get to do that now that Zaibach had taken over? Was he a duke or was he just some kid without much to his name? Too many things to think about and no one here to help him find his answers. Where was Boris when you needed him? O wait, he was dead too. Shid sighed inwardly as he fought back the tears. There was a sudden 'click' from where the young woman had sat down next to him. His blue eyes looked away from the helmet in his hands to look at her. Between the delicate fingers of her right hand was a small silver box. Her thumb flicked the top of it so that it opened slightly before snapping back down. The steel gray eyes of her seemed to look down upon it in very little interested. From here he could see something etched on the side facing him. E.Y.O. "I have a hard time imaging what it must to like for you……Shid wasn't?"

"Yes…" He looked away from her. He really just wanted to be left alone. The click came again as she popped the small metal box open again. Maybe he should wonder some more until he could find a place were no one could find him for a while. That was if he could get away from this woman.

"Don't worry, you're not alone…" Her words were so sudden and completely random that they caught him off guard. Shid almost jumped from the stone set that he was sitting on when she spoke. Her voice also seemed a little different, more distant. The little metal top was still up, and this time there was a little flame dancing on the exposed part of the box. "It may seem like it now, but there are people who will help you. So don't worry too much. Things might start out just a little rough for you, but in the end the result of all your hard work will show." The thing snapped shut as she flicked her wrist, killing the little flame. Her gray eyes turned to him as her empty hand rested on top of his head. "Don't be discouraged ok?"

"I don't think I can be that certain about it…" Shid looked away from her down to his hands again. Her hand still rested on his head. For a few minutes she said nothing else, but just like all this had started, her hand suddenly felt tense on his head. He looked at her again, gray eyes staring forward at something that wasn't there, her face frowning. She stood up slowly and turned to walk up the stairs.

"You see my young lord. My visions don't tend to be wrong very often.." She took a few steps upwards.

"Visions?"

"Ayane! Where the hell did she go?" Someone's voice yelled suddenly, pulling the young duke away from her to three Zaibach soldiers, one of which was walking really quickly through the crowds in his direction. He was walking in the middle of two others; the one to his left wore a dark velvet armored uniform, her dark green hair pulled up off her shoulders. The other soldier was in a dark green uniform, with her long red hair falling over her shoulders. These two wore uniforms of commanding officers, the boy between them just an officer of the Special Forces that called themselves Dragonslayers. Shid had seen him earlier too; he was the guard escort for the Stratigoes.

"Calm down, Miguel, she couldn't have gotten to far…." The woman in the dark velvet uniform said. Miguel just grumbled as they came to a stop just a few steps away from him.

"Liaden, I left her here with him.." He sort of pointed down at Shid, before turning around to look at the people moving about. Got to love it when people talked about you as an object. Liaden shook her head.

"We'll find her before she finds out don't worry. Besides its not like she can get back to the Vione right now anyways…" Were they talking about that dark haired woman? Shid turned his head to see if she was still walking up the stairs, there was no way she could have gotten to the top without being noticed. But when the young duke looked behind him she wasn't there. He could see the empty platform above him to. The girl wasn't there. How did she….?

"Furiea? Will you take care of things here?" Liaden looked over to the red head officer, who nodded her head. "Come on Miguel she couldn't have gotten to far…." The two walked away headed off to find the mysterious woman who had just disappeared. Shid watched them walk away, but didn't notice as Furiea sat down next to him where the woman had once been.

"Your name is Shid right?" Well, so much for being left alone. Shid looked over to the woman who held out an ungloved hand to him. The glove was in her other hand that rested a crossed her leg.

"Yes…" Shid didn't take the out stretched hand.

"My name is Furiea Caim, from the Province Niuroa." She didn't pull back her hand. "And like you, my young lord, I too am from a country Zaibach has ruthlessly taken over… "

xXxXxXxXx

No one seemed to notice her, hell no one even saw her get here. Her stomach felt queasy, just like it had the first time. The land on the balcony in his room was even more unsettling, but it only took her a few minutes to regain her balance. In Fanelia she had fallen straight into that damn fountain. She ran down the corridor and down the levels to this hanger. It was the only place she could be sure to find any working melef. Miguel wasn't going to be using it anytime soon, hopefully he would forgive her. Hopefully they all would. Not a single member of the hanger crew questioned her as she walked past them to the lone guymelef. Everything was chaotic it seemed since the Dragonslayers launch without Folken's consent. She knew he had lied to her, but it didn't matter now. All that mattered was IT. Ayane stood in front of the blue giant. Actually she was staring into the red chamber that held the heart of some poor, long dead dragon. The wind tossed the skirt of her uniform. She probably should have changed her clothes. Doing this in a dress may not have been the smartest of ideals. But it didn't matter now, it was too late. Now or never. Ayane stretched out her hand towards the red chamber; this was the only way to open the cockpit. Miguel had told her that. Inches away from it her fingers curled away so that they would not touch it. Her breath was coming in hard gasps. She was horrified; the feeling wouldn't go away no matter how hard she tried.

"Whispers…..Of the forgotten…" The words left her as her lips trembled. Everything stopped. The sound of the working crew, the clicking sounds of the Vione's engines. There was nothing but total silence. Not even the breeze from the open hanger doors graced her face anymore. The colors before her began to fade away into shades of black and gray.

"Why do you call me that?" The voice of a child asked. Without dropping her hand down away from the chamber Ayane looked down to her right. A little blond girl stood not to far from the melef. Eyes as blue as sapphire peered up at Ayane from under the little girl's long hair that fell over her face. The white tunic the little girl wore fluttered a bit in a breeze Ayane could not feel. Her blue eyes studied her gray ones before looking over hand her out stretched hand. "Do you want my help to change their fate? Is that it, child?"

"Please….." Tears, tears fell down the sides of her cheeks as she looked away from the little girl to melef in front of her again. "I don't want them to die…"

"Even if it means you must sacrifice your own happiness?" Ayane closed her eyes trying to stop the tears she couldn't even remember allowing to start.

"What happiness will I have if they are gone? Where is the happiness in being alone?" Something soft turned her out held hand. Ayane opened her gray eyes to look at her hand. The little girl's hand rested just below her curled fingers. She looked down into the face of the blond haired child. Sapphire eyes beamed a childish laughter but beneath it Ayane could see the all-knowing knowledge they hide.

The noise of the hanger blasted in her ears as everything came back to normal. No little child stood by her, not hand was upon hers. But as Ayane looked back at the red chamber, she uncurled her hands. Something was pulsing through her, something new. No fear made her hand trembled as the cockpit opened. Her breath came in easy breathes as she fell down into the giant machine. As it closed around her she could still hear the little girl's voice whisper to her.

"Then I will give you strength, the power you need to defy their destiny….."

xXxXxXxXx

Aiko groaned as she slowly began to gain consciousness. The sounds around her seemed muffled as if she were hearing them through thick wool. Pacing. Pacing was the first thing that her pounding head recognized. When she opened her eyes, the light pierced through her eyes, making her head pound all the greater. She quickly shut them, again as she tried to sit up. The pacing grew slightly louder as she opened her eyes again.

"Van-dono…" Merle paced outside of a heavy wooden door, her hands clutched tightly against her heart. The pounding in her head receded a little, allowing her to think a little more clearly. Blinking against the light, Aiko looked over at Merle.

"Merle…What's going on?" Merle froze in mid-stride, and ran over to Aiko, clutching the edge of the bed as if her life depended on it. Now that Aiko was able to get a closer look, she noticed tears shimmering in Merle's baby blue eyes.

"Aiko, you have to talk Princess Millerna. She won't let me into the room. Who knows what's going to happen to Van-dono!" Green eyes shifted over to the wooden door, as if willing it to open and allow the poor cat girl in.

"Is he ok?"

"Right after you collapsed, Van-dono's wings came out. That's when He collapsed, and Princess Millerna shoved me out of the room because I 'was getting in the way'. Oh Aiko, what if Van-dono dies?" Aiko glared at the door. It was like the pink princess to shove everyone out of the room, and not give them any news in the matter. Aiko got up, headache slightly forgotten as she opened the door, and entered the room. She was instantly hit with smell of blood as she walked towards a table in the center of the room. Millerna looked up at her, but then went back to Van. The crew of the Crusade was standing in random lines along the wall, and Allen was standing next to Millerna, talking in low tones. Aiko could hear Merle walking behind her, and was able to hear Millerna when she got close enough to the table.

"I don't know what to do…" Merle saw the state of her young king and gasped, the tears rolling down her fuzzy cheeks as she ran to the table.

"You're a doctor! Do something!" Millerna looked over at her, eyes showing both how tired and agitated she was.

"There's nothing I can do! The bleeding won't stop." Aiko started down at the boy on the table. He had wraps in over ten different places, and all were almost completely soaked with blood. His eyes were shut as the pain pulsed through him, Teeth clenched from crying out. The blood drained from her face as she walked slowly towards the bed. This couldn't be happening…Van couldn't die. Kneeling next to Merle, Aiko looked studied the wounds. There was one on his head somewhere past the hairline, one on the right shoulder. Both wrists were wrapped, the space between the knee and the ankle was wrapped. His hands were wrapped as well, and Aiko would see them twitching as the pain continued to torment him. She couldn't keep the tears from welling in her eyes as she watched him suffer through the pain that Zaibach had put him through. Anger welled through her as she stood up, and ran out of the room. Her anger grew as the image played back in her mind. Well it was his own fault. She warned him not to go out, but did he listen? NO! Of course not. And look at what happened because he hadn't listened. Her footsteps echoed off the floor of the hanger as she stopped to catch her breath. She looked up at Escaflowne, glaring at it, as her anger grew to new heights.

"It's all your fault! You were supposed to protect him! You were supposed to take the hits, not him!" Aiko sat down on the ground as her last words echoed off the walls and bounced back to her. Looking up, she glared at the machine in front of her. "It's so weird…Its like you both took the hits…but how is that poss-" Aiko gasped and stood up as the answer popped into her head. Looking at the Escaflowne more carefully, she began to understand. The head was slightly smashed, the wrists and hands were damaged, and the legs themselves had a good deal of damage themselves. "They're the same wounds that Van has…" It was then that the memory of her warning popped into her head.

"I'm getting ready for battle…I'm going to protect you, Aiko…I promised Ayane that I would…And I don't break my promises…"

That was it for her strength as the tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. It wasn't his fault, and it wasn't Escaflowne's fault either. It was all hers. She was the one who had taught him how to do the damn trick in the first place. She was the one who helped put the idea inside his head. It was all her fault.

"But what good is a promise if you're dead?" Clenching her hands in to small fists Aiko turned on her heels back the way she came. It had to work both ways. If Van was feeling the pain of the Escaflowne, then the only way to stop him from bleeding to death was to FIX the Escaflowne. It wasn't like it was impossible to do that right? After all, she had seen them fix the Scharazade so fixing the white dragon should be simple right? She ran quickly back the way she came. Even though she sort of loathed the blond haired knight, if there was anyone on this damn floating thing of wood it would be him and his crew. Millerna couldn't do much; the pink princess had enough problems to with as it was. When she got back to the room, it hadn't changed much. Allen was trying unsuccessfully to calm the pink haired cat girl, who was yelling at Millerna to save the young king on the table. Heavy breathes come out of her mouth as she held onto the doorframe to keep her balance. Had she really been running that fast?

"It's…It's the Escaflowne…" The words come out in puffs of breath. At first nothing seemed to stop the commotion in the room. None of them noticed she had even come back in. That was always frustrating. Being lost in the crowd and never heard. Aiko hated when none paid attention at something important she had to say. Now was not the time for them to be ignoring her. "Damn it! Listen to me!"

That sure got everyone's attention. Merle stopped yelling at Millerna, who had been trying to tell the cat girl that she couldn't do anything more for the young king. Allen finally looked away from the two of them to her. Aiko stood up in the doorway, not holding onto the frame anymore. She was still out of breath when they finally all were looking at her.

"It's the Escaflowne. Van did something and now whatever the Escaflowne feels he's feeling it. To save Van, we need to fix the damn dragon!"

xXxXxXxXx

Well, at least the blond knight had some good points to him. It only took a little while to get it into their heads why they needed to fix the Escaflowne. Or better, how it all happened to turn out this way. Now, she sat curled up on the hard floor staring across the room at a still conscious Van. Millerna had tried to put him to under, but it wasn't working. The blond princess was to afraid to overdose the young king and refused to try again even after Merle pleaded with her. Merle was sitting down on a small box crate that was in the room, head buried in her legs. This whole thing was tearing the young girl apart inside to see her childhood friend's life in danger. The only family she had left looked like it would slip through her small hands. Some how, even though Aiko loathed the cat girl at times she understood the feeling. Millerna was in the room looking after the young king the best she could. They really needed a real doctor on this ship and not a wanna-be. Aiko could bet the girl wasn't even qualified to be doing anything. Could anyone say 'malpractice suit'? Every now and then Millerna would change the bandages on Van. Even though there were no really wounds, Van was loosing his own blood. A sniffle from the feline took Aiko's attention any from watching the pink princess try and be a doctor. About everyone had gone to ignoring the frantic teenager, which was why Merle curled up in the corner. It was odd seeing Merle like that, she was normally the one yelling at Aiko for being stupid, dong something stupid, or 'getting in her way'. Somewhere, some how she was feeling sorry for the feline more then she would rather care to and for some odd reason she wanted to cheer her up a little. But Aiko was no good at that, she had more practice at being the one cheered up then the one doing the cheering. Ayane was the queen at that the girl never seemed to be too down to find the time to find humor in the oddest situations. Or well, when the situation included Aiko being depressed about something. To bad the woman wasn't here anymore, Aiko could really use her help right about now.

XoX

"Go away…" Aiko rolled over in the bed, her sides really hurt, and so did her head. She had come to the apartment sometime before one o'clock during the night banging on the door. Ayane had answered in nothing more then a loosely tied robe. One look at her friend, and that was enough. She pulled her in and placed her down on one of the stools that were in front of the breakfast bar in the kitchen. The door closet sharply behind Aiko when she was pulled in and pushed the few steps to the kitchen, Ayane had turned on the smaller lights in the kitchen so that she could see enough to find things. In less then a few minutes she had an ice pack to place on her friend's swollen cheek and the first aid kit out. Without much words of argument, the gray-eyed girl had rustled Aiko out of her shirt, and started to wrap the bruised ribs. With a short of morphine (how the Ayane had stuff like that was better not asked) and a gentle push she had placed her friend in bed, an operation that had only taken the toll of fifteen minutes. It was amazing how much practice could help things get done so quickly. In two years, this late night appears seem to no longer effect Ayane, and now where the automatic thing for Aiko. It was now six thirty in the morning on a school day. Ayane was standing in the door way, almost completely ready to go. Aiko was in to much pain to even think about getting up. The lights had been on for a while, but the curtains around the bed kept the lights out. Or had until Ayane opened them.

"You are going to school…Even if I have to drag you in your pajamas." Ayane growled as she yanked the blankets off the bed. She turned away and walked over to her closet to pull out the spare school uniform she kept. Aiko growled as she sat up. The side of her face wasn't as swollen as it had been when she first got there, but that didn't mean there wasn't a HUGE bruise on the side of her faces. The sides of her torso still hurt every time she moved. Ayane returned to the bed and place the uniform down.

"I'm not going."

"You are too."

"Look at me! I'm not going like this!" Aiko growled, the gray-eyed girl just stared at her as if nothing was wrong. "I look horrible!"

"You're right. You do." Ayane said flatly without much thought as she looked at her friend. "You look like you got hit by a bullet train while running from a speeding car that was being chased by Godzilla who was having a bad day because his pet King Kong died after eating a bad banana that had been mutated by some mad scientist who just got dumped by his hot underwear model boyfriend who was cheating on him with our math teacher who knew all of these was going to happen that's why he set up the big exam we have to take for today and if you miss it your going to flunk the class." The girl stopped for a moment and glared at Aiko who started a laughing fit even though it hurt her ribs even more. "Well now, Ms. The-world-is-ending-because-I-have-a-big-bruise-on-my-face-that-I-know-my-super-cool-only-best-friend-in-the-world-can-hide-with-all-the-damn-make-up-she-hides-in-her-bathroom get your ass out of bed and get dressed!"

XoX

How did Ayane say stuff like that and still keep a straight face anyways? Shaking her head, Aiko took a deep breath and walked over to Merle, and crouched down in front of her. This probably won't work, but Aiko was going to try.

"Hey Merle…Everything's gonna be ok…Van's been through worse situations before…" The cat girl didn't move it seemed as if she hadn't even heard the girl talking to her. Biting down a growl, Aiko tried smiling. "But hey, it could be worse…We could have the Bastard following us with that stupid flamethrower of his and catch the ship on fire because it's made of wood. Then we'd smash into the ground and then we'd all really be in big trouble…" Again, the cat girl made no attempt that she had even heard the woman crouching in front of her. The smile vanished and this time the growl made it passed her defenses and escaped through her clenched teeth. "Damn it! What does Aya have that I don't? How can she come up with these things so damn easy!" There was a small moment of silence before a giggle broke through her irritation, and caused her to stare at the small girl in front of her, to make sure she wasn't hearing things again. She giggled again, until it broke into a small laugh. Aiko looked at her, utterly confused. What had she said that made the girl laugh? The laugh slowly grew louder, until Aiko could see the girl's shoulders shaking. When the Merle looked up, she laughed even more.

"Your face…" Her voice was drowned out by laughter again as Aiko continued to stare at her. She shut her eyes, and shook her head. From now on, she was going to leave the humor act to someone else to handle. She obviously sucked, but it sucked enough to work, so she was content. She stood up slowly, and looked down at the girl.

"Well, I'm glad that you're feeling better…" And to her surprise, she found that she actually meant what she said. "Because being depressed is my job." Merle sniffle a little as she leaned back against the hard wall behind her. Well at least she was uncurling from that ball she was in. Aiko sat down on the floor next to her and looked over at Millerna who was till keeping herself busy. That was about it; no one else moved or said anything else for a while. Besides Millerna changing the bandages on Van everyone else was still. Some time past before the sound of boots coming down the corridor finally came. Merle's ears were the first ones to pick up the movement, Aiko and Millerna were last. They only noticed it just before Allen walked into the door, shaking his head.

"Well?" Merle was up on her feet. "Can you fix it!"

"If we had the tools to, yes, but we don't."

"What do you mean you don't?" Aiko growled as she stood up and placed a hand on the cat girl's shoulder. "I've watched you fix the Scharazade here!"

"The Scharazade and the Escaflowne are two different types of guymelefs." Allen shrugged as Aiko continued to glare at him. Merle wasn't looking to happy either, or was probably on the verge of another break down. Feline break down or yelling at Allen? Hm… Hard choices. "And besides, if what you are saying is true, then repairing the Escaflowne may put Van through more pain then he already is in." The blond knight had a good point. A very good point. A point Aiko hadn't thought of. It everything the damn dragon felt Van felt then that did leave there options very low. There was an outstanding point that if they didn't fix the Escaflowne Van was going to die anyways. Wow, what great options Van was giving them. The damn boy better be learning his damn lesson about not listening to her when he should be. Someone was running down the corridor to the room. All their heads turned as Gaddess entered the room, out of breath.

"Allen… We're about to interest with an Asturian merchant convoyed. I've tried to steer passed them but who ever it is has noticed us. Their moving towards us."

"It's Dryden…" The name came out of Millerna's voice as if it was some haunting curse.

xXxXxXx

It was amazing how things could go from "Van is dying we have to save him" to "O, there some creepy guy that Millerna is going to hit on to see if he knows how to fix the Escaflowne". And oh, by creepy, Aiko meant creepy. Right, it was bad enough that she was stuck with the blond playboy and a pink princess who was head over heels for the said playboy. It made it worse when they ran into the man the pink princess was supposed to be marrying, but clearly did not want to. The man looked as if he hadn't shaved in a few days. Older men on Gaea must have a thing for long hair, and if anything, the man's clothes oddly struck Aiko as something a cross dress would wear. Once they met up with the merchant convoy Millerna had disappeared aboard to go speak to the man. Now she came back with this THING they called Dryden. Allen and the princess were hoping the man had the tools they needed to fix the Escaflowne, or at least had an idea of HOW to fix it. The man was supposed to be pretty smart. Well, from Aiko's take on him, he didn't appear it. He kept jumping around on the Escaflowne Oohing and Ahhing as if the damn machine was on display, and it was starting to grate on Aiko's nerves. Well, it had started eating her nerves the moment she saw him, but that wasn't the point. The point was that Van was slowly dying by loss blood, and this guy was taking his sweet old time examining the damn thing that caused this whole mess in the first place. At the moment it looked as if he was looking for something, after examining the machine a few hundred times.

"Oh where is it?" It seemed as if he was asking himself more then the group that was on the ground looking up at him. Millerna was the first one to ask the question that was on everyone's minds at the moment.

"What are you looking for?" Even the pink princess couldn't keep the agitation and impatience from her tone. Aiko almost felt sorry for the girl because of her arranged marriage…Almost. She couldn't help but growl as the thing continued to jump around.

"I'm looking for the Isphonal calling card…" OK….Aiko was ready to climb up there and deck him one. Van had never mentioned a calling card, so why was this guy looking for it? Since the cockpit was open, Dryden bent down to look into it. "AHA! Found it…" The room was filled with a bright light, causing Aiko to cover her eyes with her hand. It took him forty-five minutes to find a button? Aiko tried to swallow her anger as Allen started shouting at Dryden.

"What did you do?!" Dryden stood up, placed one hand n his hip, the other to push his glasses up his nose.

"All I did was call the Isponal mother ship. These babies know how to call home." The dragon energist that was on the Escaflowne was now glowing a strange green color along with the dragon's eyes. Well, if that was all the damn man was going to do then why didn't he do it sooner? Dryden hoped down from the Escaflowne to the hanger floor. He seemed quiet relaxed about the whole thing. Did Millerna even tell him the whole truth or that "O, do you know how to fix an Isponal?" "Right, now all we have to do its wait." No sooner had the black haired man said that then did the sky roll with thunder. Which was a little on the odd side given that there were no rain clouds in the sky. Actually the sky was pretty damn nice today. But above, just a little ways from the Crusader as Aiko looked up outside from the open door, the sky was rippling like water does when a rock is thrown into it. Something large was falling down out of it towards them.

"Well now that was pretty damn fast." Dryden said as he looked out the open hanger.

xXxXxXxXx

Well things were moving diligently slowly. So yes, they were now dealing with the Isponal clan, which reminded Aiko a lot of one of the little critters in the movie Star Wars. They were all around the Escaflowne doing some weird chant or well had been for the past half hour. What was with people and wasting away time when someone's life was in danger? Millerna and Merle stayed behind on the Crusader to look after Van. Allen and a good part of his crew were here, Aiko came with them without a single word of argument and then there was Dryden. Allen made it pretty damn clear that he did not want the man to come with them, but the dark haired merchant still came with them anyways. They were all waiting quietly and well, in Aiko's case, angered by the slow process. After a few more moments the chant of the Isponal clan came to an end as they repeated the Escaflowne's over and over again. The one that had been standing on the white dragon throughout the entire thing came down to them.

"Well?" Allen asked as the little thing stopped in front of them. They were things though; there wasn't much in trying to tell the sex of something when it was covered in a black cloak and face was covered in darkness as well. The little thing looked up at the blond knight and held out its hand.

"Thirty million."

"WHAT?" The word came out of all of their mouths, well all except for the merchant who was just standing behind them.

"Boss, how long would it take us to make that much?" One of the Crusaders' asked.

"About fifty life times…" Gaddess answer as Allen was trying to keep from going into a cursing fit at the little man.

"No pay, we go…" The Isponal man turned to leave.

"Hold on.." Allen started to say, the little man turned back around.

"You have money?"

"Well, no. Not at-"

"Then we go.." Aiko couldn't hold in her anger any longer. It was taking the last of her self-control to keep from using the little Star Wars critter wanna-be as a punching bag.

"What the hell do you think you're doing! A boy is dying because of the damage! YOU HAVE TO FIX IT!" The creature turned to look at her.

"We no care. No money, no fix." Aiko growled as Allen came over to try and pull her away before she did more damage, but she shook of his hand with a harsh shrug.

"Can't we pay you back? Like in payments?"

"No payments. Upfront or nothing." For someone who had a mad women yelling in their face, the little creature sure was calm. This however only added to the fire. Aiko was beginning to see red. How can he not care?

"I'll pay for it." Dryden's voice cut through the silence. Aiko blinked and looked over at him. If she wasn't so angry, she would have laughed.

"Dryden, this isn't a game…" Allen half growled at him as he took hold of Aiko's shoulders to keep her from jumping the Star Wars critter wanna be. The merchant just shrugged.

"Who said it was, Allen? Clearly the only way you're going to save the young king is if the Escaflowne is fixed right?"

"Yes…" Aiko hissed.

"And none of you have the asking price right?"

"Get to the point Dryden…" Allen snapped as the dark haired merchant walked forward to the little critter in the black cloak.

"The point is, Allen, I'm a merchant. Let me do the money talk." He waved his hand at the blond knight as if to dismiss him while he looked down at the little man. "The convoy below, would that be enough to pay?" The little thing was quiet for a few minutes before nodding its head.

"Yes, that would pay."

"Good! Let me sign the paper work, and you can get the job done!"

xXxXxXx

Aiko held her hands around Merle's shoulders holding her tightly as the girl buried her face into Aiko's shoulder. Why was it things always had to get worse before they got better? She had to blink back her own tears at some points. Van had been screaming, having convulsions nonstop for a long time now, and the sight was anything but pretty. Allen and Gaddess had to hold down his shoulders and legs to keep him from hurting himself even more then he already was. Aiko shook her head as she continued to look at the poor boy. It was his own fault…If he had listened to her and not gone out, this would have never happened. It's his own damn fault that he's in this mess. Out the window across the room from her, the Escaflowne was covered in the Ewok wanna-be's as they repaired the guymelef. It was taking too long…If it took much longer then Van will…Aiko turned her eyes back to the table. Millerna was trying to re wrap the wound as best she could while Allen and Gaddess were trying to tell Van to stop moving so much. What were they, idiots? Anyone going through that much pain wouldn't be able to sit still. She should known that better then anyone. Even though Aya never let that happen, it didn't mean that Aiko didn't know how much pain a person could bear before the body started to move on its own. She was starting to feel bad for the guy. Even though it was his fault that he's in this situation, Millerna can only apply so much of whatever the painkiller was here without the danger of causing more harm then good.

How long had they been here like this? Merle had broken down the instant his cries filled the room. And who could blame her? The only family that she had left was withering in pain, and forget death knocking at the door… It had already blown the door down and was ready to take him. Though Aiko couldn't blame him either. She knew those thoughts all too well…thoughts to do anything….anything just make the pain go away. Merle's tears made a dark circle on the girl's shirt, but Aiko didn't notice nor did she care. Van was dying, whether they liked it or not. Why was it that all of the people she truly cared about seemed to be disappearing and leaving her all alone? If Van died, what else did she have to live for? Nobody but Ayane had truly cared wither she lived or not. And Van…All he was doing was fulfilling a promise right? What ties did she have to this world if the King of Fanelia died? And she didn't know how to go back the way she came…not that she wanted to. Without Aya, life really didn't seem to be worth living. Van was really the only tie that was keeping her alive right now. If that tie was cut, what reason would she have to stay here? Claws dug down in her arm, as the screams took a sharper tone. Outside beyond the glass wall, Aiko could see the little things tear up one of the shoulder plates on the Escaflowne. How long was this going to take?

"Amazing……By now I thought he would be dead…" Dryden was standing not to far from her left size where Merle was attached to her arm. His right hand was resting on his chin in that thinking manner some people have as he looked over the scene before them. Her arm moved before she knew what it was doing. However, since he was just outside her range. Her nails barely grazed his cheek, the momentum sending both of her and Merle to the floor. Surprisingly, it was a lot more comfortable on the floor then standing. Aiko glared up at him.

"How the hell can you say that? Are you really that heartless?" Merle's grip had lessened a little now that they were sitting and the feeling in her arm was beginning to come back. Dryden rubbed the place where her nails had made contact, and looked over at her.

"It's a complement…A testimony on how strong His Majesty really is…" That was it. Aiko swung her leg around, and this time the action made contact, though not as well as the green eyed girl would have wished. Dryden backed away from the two, rubbing his sore ankle. "So the girl has a bite as well as a bark..." Aiko rolled her eyes, and sighed. This wasn't making her, or anyone else for that matter, feel better. Truth be told, Aiko didn't think that he would last this long either. Nothing against Van, but she knew that there were limits. And Van was breaking them all. There was a loud bang from out beyond the glass wall, Aiko's head snapped away from the creepy man that was well earning her anger at the moment to see the little Ewoks climbing down off the Escaflowne. It took her a moment to realize that the room had gotten quiet. It was only when Merle's claws finally stopped digging down in her skin that Aiko figured out why. Allen and Gaddess were relaxing their grips on the young king who was no longer screaming in pain. They were finished? Van slowly sat up on the long table that the Ispano had set him on when this all started. Her ears were still ringing from the sudden quiet, her eyes glued to the young King. Merle dashed forward, tears begun anew, and threw her arms around him.

"Van-dono! Thank goodness! Thank goodness you're ok!" Aiko's lips twitched as a small smile slowly grew across her face. He had survived. Van had wrapped his arms around the crying cat girl shaking slightly, returning the hug even though he looked a little unsure. It was finally over. She let out a breath that she hadn't realize she had been holding. Everything was going to be ok. Relief flooded through her…Relief that he was ok, and relief that her guess had been right.

"Wow…not a scratch on him…" Aiko turned and glared at the merchant who was looking over Millerna. The pink princess was walking around taking off all of the blood-soaked bandages. Aiko looked out the window at the Escaflowne, as the Star Wars wanna-be's disappeared underneath them. Everyone was crowding Van now, patting him on the back, and Millerna asking her doctor's questions to see if there wasn't anything else that she needed to take care of. Aiko stood up, and leaned against the wall, arms crossed over her chest, her right foot at a 90-degree angle to the wall, the smile still in place. Even though it wasn't genuine, she could still make the others think that she was happy.

"You all must leave." Every head turned to the Ewok wanna-be that now stood in the doorway. "Guymelefs coming. We not in war." Allen and Gaddess looked at each other. Had Zaibach found them already? They weren't even out of Freid air space. The Ewok wanna-be walked over to where Van was still sitting on the bed. "You…You use cursed blood. Can not guarantee." Aiko's eyes widened slightly. This was bad. If the blood wasn't guaranteed, then what would happen to Van? Would this nightmare make itself known once more?

"What's that suppose to mean?" Merle's eyes narrowed down at it.

"Draconian blood not mean for Isponals. Only Arch. Not guarantee further interference…" The little Ewok thing turned and walked out of the room. Aiko stared at Van as he turned his head to look at the Escaflowne behind them. If Van even thought about going out after this, then he was one dumb cookie.

xXxXxXxXx

It didn't take that ship much time to leave once they were kicked back onto Dryden's main ship, the only one in his convoy that he kept. It didn't take Gaddess long to find how many they were against, and that there was no time to run. The chaos that took place aboard the merchant's was an understatement from the one going through Aiko's mind. None of the Guymelefs Dryden had in the hanger were even real ones. As he put it they were only for show. Twenty Zaibach melefs were only minutes away, and the only thing they had to protect them?

The Escaflowne.

No way in fucking hell. She didn't care what he did to her, there was no way he was going out after being on deaths door for the past four and a half hours. Merle was the first one to actually try and stop him from walking to the Escaflowne... Aiko quickly joined her, and tried to stop Van by pulling on his arm.

"Van, you are being irrational. You almost died. There's no was in hell you are going out there. I forbid you!" Van glared at her, and was able to throw Merle off of him onto the ground. Aiko however, kept her hold on his arm.

"Aiko, there's no time! Zaibach is coming. If I don't fight, we will all die!" Aiko dug her feet into the ground and was able to stop him for a few moments.

"Do you want to have a repeat of what happened? I don't know about you, but you worried a lot of people! How do you think Merle feels every time you go out, now knowing whether you are going to come back! Fighting irrationally will get you killed."

"Please, Van-dono! Listen to Aiko." Merle yelled, as she sat up, her hands in front to support her. Van glared at her, and relaxed. Thinking that she had won, Aiko loosened her grip on his arm. Van glared at her and yanked his arm out of her grasp.

"I will protect you. I will keep my promise." He then turned and ran up the stairs and into the Escaflowne before either of them could say words to stop him. Aiko glared at the Guymelef's face.

"What good is your promise if you're dead?"

SD: I thought we were gone with cliffhangers…..

GA1: Grins I am Evil…

SD: But… No more cliffhangers…

GA1: I am Evil…

SD: ………………

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Edited: 08/04/07