Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne or Castle In The Sky!
A reviewer just noticed that I'd posted the wrong chapter! Oops! Here's the real new chapter and end of the fic!
Enjoy!
After a while, he was resting against a wall when he remembered something else that he should've realized before. The weapons and technology that Laputa had could only be accessed with his stone, so that was one less thing that he had to worry about. Thanks for that. I don't want the humans below to be punished just because I accidentally fell off. I've found out that they're not horrible like the stories Haha-ue told me. Was it because I only had to find the right group of humans to encounter? There must have been a separate colony of my people on Gaea if Van is down here, one that broke off from the one in Laputa. They must've died off if Van considers himself the last one.
Suddenly, there were shouts of "Incoming!" and "Watch out!" that made him get up, seeing many Draconian warriors swooping in to attack. Yukimaru got up and began to run to the guymelef bay, Van seeing him go and nodding to Allen. They ran to the open bay and saw the redhead standing on the very edge and held out his hands, as if protecting what was inside. They stood slightly behind him and their eyes widened at the number of warriors swooped down and hovered in front of them.
"Yukimaru-o-sama! You're alive!" one of the soldiers shouted.
"Why wouldn't I be? I do have the royal heirloom to protect me," he answered, his narrow eyes making him seem unhappy. "Why have you come?"
"You've been captured by these Gaea-dwellers, and they're forcing you to lead them to our sacred city! You must come with us and preserve the location!"
"Why is it such a protected secret? Why must we hide? Most of the people of Gaea won't hurt us if we were to live among them!"
"We are denizens of the sky, while they are of the ground! They would never survive in our world, no matter how much they would try!"
"How can you know such things unless we try? I've found these humans and they don't judge me for what I am! I never wanted to be the ruler of such a city, to be the controller of such power!"
"You are Keiko-o-sama and Hajime-o-sama's only child! The only blood royal left in our city, the only one who can access the powers of the crystal!"
"Then I'll keep it, then!"
He jumped off, Van and Allen following him and taking one arm each.
"After the humans! They'll kill our prince!"
More than halfway down, the crystal lit up and the trio began to float. Allen gasped in surprise before he began to laugh. "This is amazing, floating like this! What do you think, Van?"
"I've never felt such a soothing way to free fall! What about you, Yukimaru?"
Yukimaru closed his eyes and tried not to pass out. Free falling isn't my favorite thing to do, even if my crystal won't stop working until we touch ground. I've now discovered that I'd rather fall under the power of my wings.
"Yukimaru, are you okay? You're looking almost green."
"Do you think you're going to be sick?" Allen asked in concern.
"Maybe…" the amber-eyed teen bit out through his teeth. "Or pass out."
"Perhaps this type of travel isn't for you."
"Take deep breaths, we don't need you passing out."
"The crystal will work even if I do pass out, as Allen-san will profess."
Allen looked up. "Incoming! They're diving after us!"
"Allen-san, get between me and Van, and on the count of three, we'll both spread our wings, okay?"
Van nodded as Allen moved and now was between them.
"One…"
"Give up the prince!"
"Two…"
"Do you hear us at all?!"
"Three!"
The two teens spread their wings and their descent halted, while their pursuers couldn't stop nearly as fast. Yukimaru flapped his wings and brought them around so they were heading towards Laputa again. "It shouldn't be too far. We should be faster on the wind than they are, since we're both lighter, even with Allen-san as a load."
Allen looked up at the Laputa prince. "You'll actually take me to see Laputa?"
"Yes, I will. I don't want to exclude my savior."
They flew until Yukimaru pointed. "That huge swirl of clouds is where Laputa lies!"
"It's a hurricane!" Allen shouted. "You're saying that Laputa is in there?!"
"Yes! I know how to get into the eye of the storm without getting us hurt! Hold on!"
He spoke in the same strange language and a shield erected around them, just as winds began to batter them. Rain, lightning and hail assaulted them, making the other two flinch even though it didn't harm them. The redheaded prince felt the change in weather and let the shield down, his two companions glancing up and seeing the floating city.
"Here comes the hard part. We have to flap all the way up there."
Van steeled himself for sore wing muscles later and began flapping in time with his friend. It took the good part of an hour to finally reach it, Yukimaru panting since this was his first time flying and his wings burned from such grueling exercise. Allen and Van stared at the city, mouths hanging open at how clouds coasted over the streets like they were still in the sky.
"So this is Laputa, the city in the sky," the blonde knight breathed.
"Yes, this is the place of my birth. You may start feeling lightheaded due to being so high after a while. Come, I'll show you around."
They walked along the streets, many of the citizens flinching back from the visitors. They looked relieved to see their prince back, but not at all pleased to see who he'd brought with him, for they didn't think Van looked like a Draconian. Allen and Van looked around with awe, the Draconian king observing, "Most of this place is a garden, and it looks like it's been around for a long time by the size of that tree."
"Yes, the tree is what holds the entire castle together. The common people live in the city, but the royal family lives within the black dome underneath. I am the only one who can enter by accessing the power of the crystal, but of course I could show you, which should be quick, since the warriors should be coming back very soon."
"Are you sure, Yukimaru-san?" Allen questioned, worried. "I wouldn't want you to get in trouble for breaking the laws of your people."
"I'm the only heir and prince of this place, you'd think I'd have enough authority to do as I please, but it's still a couple years until I'm actually king."
The crimson-haired prince led his companions down to the pathway surrounding the dark-colored dome, stopping at a part of it that appeared seamless. He took off his necklace and placed the crystal against a symbol the other two hadn't noticed before. A doorway appeared out of nowhere, the newcomers surprised by the display.
"It's magic…" Allen murmured.
"No, it's technology. This is how far ahead we were in comparison to the rest of Gaea. Come, it will close behind us."
They walked in and a large cube began to travel through the air, similar cubes floating all about.
"If the rest of Gaea had this technology, another war would break out, or we would build floating cities like this of our own, and here I thought that Zaibach had the most advanced technology," Van murmured in wonder.
The cube they were on stopped in front of a wall, where Yukimaru made another doorway materialize. It was here that the ground-dwellers gasped in astonishment, for in the center of the room floated a diamond-shaped crystal, a pedestal off to the side.
"Is that a crystal just like yours?" Allen asked, eyes wide in amazement.
"Yes, that is what keeps this place floating. The largest one of its kind ever made. All this power at my fingertips, the power to destroy the world below… Why does it even exist in the first place? Do my people think themselves as gods?"
"Yukimaru, you shouldn't feel guilty for what you haven't done," Van advised, "although if you ever marry and have children, this power might be abused."
The amber-eyed youth nodded, before he went to the pedestal. He placed the crystal over its carved surface, and the symbols lit up, before he began to speak. "People of Laputa, my people. This is Yukimaru, your prince. The time has come for us to come down from our perch in the sky and live amongst the people below. Flee now, before the entire city is laid to waste, for the power of Laputa will never be used to terrorize the people of Gaea any further."
The teen then walked towards the large hallway that emerged out of the wall. Allen followed, then Van, the taller of the two demanding, "Are you banishing your people to life in a place they've never even seen? Is this wise?"
"My people need to learn that they are not all-powerful. We Draconians are known for our arrogance and I won't support such conceit. I was blind to it, not knowing why I never was allowed to discern the truth. In the very throne room I was supposed to inherit I will destroy what could've possibly been Gaea's ruin."
He entered an enormous room and at the back wall, he extended his wings to their full span and closed his eyes, his hands cradling the royal crystal. He whispered a single word and a bright light erupted from between his hands, causing Van and Allen to cover their eyes to prevent themselves from being blinded. A deep rumble went through the entire structure before things began to collapse, the trio plunging to what seemed like their deaths.
Van spread his wings and caught Allen by the shoulders while the blue-eyed human caught Yukimaru, who was again unconscious.
"Van, you're not strong enough to slow our fall!"
"I won't have to, Allen!"
Yukimaru's pendant lit up, and they floated downwards.
"Do you think that his choice was for the good of his people?"
"I do, for they've lived too long not knowing what the surface is like. They should come down and live amongst real people, and they ought to learn something. Yukimaru realized this and acted accordingly."
"What should we do once we landed?"
"I'll take Yukimaru with me and you should return to Castello. We'll live as if nothing has happened unless repercussions of this come about."
"Let us hope they don't."
That's the end! Sorry for anyone who waited so long because the posting mistake! If the ending seemed rushed, my apologies, I'm not too good at them... TT-TT
I personally don't think I did this crossover justice, but to those who loved it, you have all my gratitude, and to you, my two reviewers (bur bur and Gura Kruor, you have all my love!) for pointing out my posting mistake once more!
One more time...
Please review!