Yay! Chapter 2! I hope the last chapter was long enough for you. Also, I have indeed decided to make chapters longer by combining two to make one. So this was formerly only chapter 2, but I decided to add chapter 3 to it as well. This new technique will only add a bit more time to my updates. Please tell me if you like the combined chapters or separate chapters better.

I hope you enjoy this chapter as well as the others!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Escaflowne. But I don't. HAPPY NOW? T-T

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Last time: Hitomi froze as she thought about this in light of the other cards. This spread…It's the opposite! Each card means what its opposite should mean! An upright card, which should give advice, warns, and a reversed card, which should warn, gives advice. This makes no…WHAT?

Her eyes snapped into focus on the card in her hand. She had only read the Ace of Sword's title. Her mind had filled in the nonexistent picture.

Chapter 2: Starry Sky

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Hitomi sat, staring wide-eyed at the pictureless card as silence reigned in the musty air of the room. Her mind, however, was far from that snapshot of tranquility.

---

A lone, pale figure pried itself off the hard ground of the starlit glade. In a voice as shaky as its body, it managed to whisper, "Where am I…?"

---

What…? Why would it…? What's going on? Where's the picture? This has never happened before! Her mind was a tangled web of confusion and half-baked theories. She had never been so completely unable to decipher a reading before. Possibly interpret it wrong, sure. She had confused cards a lot when she was just starting to read, but never had she been so unable to come up with anything. It was inconceivable.

The emerald-eyed seer let the mysterious card slip from her nerveless fingers and allowed her head to pound the desk with a resounding thunk of frustration. "GAH!" Came Hiomi's muffled cry as she rose from her modest wooden chair.

Angrily, she slammed her Tarot cards back into their box and carelessly shoved the whole lot into her duffel bag. With a hastily shouted notice to her returning mother and brother, she slung her pack onto her shoulder and raced out the door. The cool air combined with the exertion of running would help clear her head and think about this matter with all of her good judgment intact.

But in her irritation, the seer had failed to notice that the marred Ace of Swords had knocked another card off the deck as it fell. Even though it was only for a few moments, the Tower had been laying across the other cards of the spread.

---

Hitomi pelted down the lamplit track, vainly attempting to forget about the pictureless card. She could think about that later. She needed to relax now!

It was too late. She was already considering.

The first three cards had seemed to go together, and in a by-the-book interpretation, focused on the Ace of Swords. Which brought up another question. How was it possible to understand a reading when she couldn't even understand the primary card?

Most people would have ignored the pictureless card and carried on like there was nothing wrong or different about it, but not Hitomi. Her powers were different, stronger, than normal people's. Average readers would have ignored the blank card she had pulled in Freid and drawn another, their weak spreads continuing unaffected. For Hitomi, it had meant something. Something big.

That in mind, she couldn't ignore the lack of a picture on the Ace of Swords. But what did it mean? This is soFRUSTRATING The track star began to run even faster. But by thinking of the blank card, her thoughts were inexorably turning to Gaea, and no amount of effort or distraction could stop them.

---

Crimson eyes slipped open slowly, almost cautiously, to the world around them.

Utter silence greeted his ears as he gazed around the lush clearing. Tall jade trees lined his position in the center of the glade. He thought that the area seemed somewhat familiar, and instinctively began to rummage through his memories for an answer. But even as he began to search, he realized with a sudden sense of panicked loss that there was nothing to search through.

He frantically hoped for something, anything, else that might provide him with the smallest scrap of information. Nothing. Defeated, he let himself fall into the tree's comforting, solid presence with an anxious sigh. A single tear made its way down a porcelain cheek as the boy let himself fall into a quiet, dreamless sleep.

---

Hitomi's mind raced with her feet as she barreled through her memories of Gaea. Van… Allen… Millerna… Chid… Folken… Dryden… Naria and Eriya… Gaddes… Even that stupid little catgirl Merle. I want to see them again. All of them. I want to watch their quirks, listen to their voices, hear their laughter. Some of my friends are gone now, like Nariya and Eriya and poor Folken, or they don't have much left, like Chid and Van, or maybe have a lot they need to do, like Millerna and Allen and Gaddes… And Dryden, too. But still, I want to see them, talk to them, help them with their problems, and just be with them again. Home is great, and so are Yukari and Mom, and my annoying little brother, but it's not the same as what I had in Gaea. I built my own family there, and we all forged deep bonds during the war. They'll always be a part of me, and I want to see them again. Hitomi snagged her duffel bag as she raced past and kept going without breaking stride. I'm sorry, Yukari, Mom. Maybe I'll be back some day. Goodbye!

A massive column of blue light reached down from the heavens picked up the girl from the Mystic Moon, carrying her off to the world her heart cried out for – Gaea. When it dissipated, only the stars were left to twinkle their secret.

---

Hitomi froze in the exact spot where the light had put her down. She was back in Gaea, and although she should have been ecstatic over being able to see Van… She couldn't quite manage it. It wasn't because she felt unsafe from an attack, or held the fear that geckos would grab her again. Actually, it was quite the contrary, since the war was over and no one was out to get her. No, she hadn't frozen for any reason like that. What petrified her was the pale figure she found – amazingly, given how bright the light had been - dozing lightly against the tree trunk. A tree trunk that was not five meters from her face.

Oh, NO! Van… HELP ME, VAN! Her mind screamed at her, every nerve and synapses in her body shouting for her to run for her life. Dilandau Albatou absolutely hated her guts, and the seer didn't even want to think about what he'd do to her when he woke up and found her standing there.

However, there was just one little problem with obeying those instincts to run. The chances were good that she would wake him up with the racket made by tearing through the bushes. And from her personal experience, he was fast. If she ran, not even her substantial athletic skills could help her escape.

So, there Hitomi was stuck, various thoughts and plans in her mind all warring for dominance.

But she couldn't shake the feeling that something was different about him, that something was missing. He lacked his diadem… No, that wasn't it. He still had it. His armor? No, he didn't have it, but the armor didn't seem to be the cause either. Maybe it was because he looked about his age without his customary violent aura? That was true, but that didn't seem right, either…

Then it hit her. His sword. He wasn't carrying his sword.

What? Dilandau, without a sword? When did that happen? What's going on here…? I don't think I've ever seen him without his sword. So…Where is it?

The growing seed of hope in her chest was quickly snuffed out when she noticed the ever-present weapon laying beneath his leg, within easy reach.

Crap.

But still, why wasn't it in his belt? The unfortunate seer quickly banished this thought, as well as the lingering wrongness, and decided on a plan of action. She would simply attempt to sneak away quietly, and with luck, Dilandau wouldn't wake up.

But just as she turned to creep away, a soft voice acknowledged her presence.

"What…?"

Crap. Oh well, it's too late to run now. Maybe I should try to talk to him? It has been a while, so maybe... He could forgive me? ...No way. Van, HELP!

But her chances were 1,000,000:1 of Van somehow materializing to save her, so she forced herself to face him. The meek seer turned around nervously, shoulders stiff and hunched with fear. She couldn't force herself to look into his crimson eyes, so she instead fastened her eyes on the ground to wait for him to speak again.

"Who are you…?"

Hitomi's eyes snapped up from the ground to look at him. He was just sitting there, leaning nonchalantly against the tree, one leg bent with an arm draped across it. This relaxed posture didn't seem so unusual, however, and it wasn't what caught Hitomi's attention so fully.

He wore no trademark smirk, no arrogant sneer, no mad predatory grin. Him, Dilandau Albatou just sat there with his back propped against the oak and a sword under his leg with an entirely straight, unmenacing expression on his pale features. But while his face betrayed none of his emotions, his scarlet eyes were fairly whirling with them. As Hitomi locked her emerald orbs with his crimson ones, she saw flashes of curiosity, apprehensiveness, nervousness, and something few had ever seen in Dilandau's eyes… Fear.

---

"Huh…?" Hitomi's mind had gone into "Absolute Zero" mode. Nothing was working. Not her mind, her legs, her whole body refused to function. With visible effort the bewildered teen managed to loosen her tongue to speak.

"What do you mean, 'Who are you'? Have you forgotten me already, Dilandau Albatou?" Her outburst was soft, but there was a nervous conviction in her voice. She had spoken with part fear, part curiosity, and part… Something else. …Concern?

"Dilandau who?"

The seer's eyes snapped back to his at this. Her 'feeling' had been right. Something was wrong here. Very wrong.

The boy she was speaking to was an infamous homicidal maniac who had killed hundreds, possibly even thousands of people in cold blood. No, not cold blood… Pure maniacal glee. Dilandau, especially from what she had seen of him, was indeed insane, or something on that level. He loved the fight, blood, shredding the lives of others, innocents, to burn them to the ground just as he burned their loved ones and homes down to mere smoking cinders. The only ones the albino seemed to even remotely care about were his Dragonslayers, and they were dead. Hitomi knew. She had seen it happen. He had snapped the moment his Slayers had died. He had seemed to lose his spark, his passion, the moment they had died. True, he had seemed fine later, but there was still something missing.

But this was different. He seemed more… Patient, nervous… uncertain. All of his spark, pseudo-spark, fire, what have you, was gone. All gone. Hitomi had no idea what had happened to him, but he wasn't anywhere near the person he used to be. He seemed, hollow, cold, resigned, even sad. Dilandau…

The girl's mind snapped back to his earlier question. Strange…

"What do you mean 'Dilandau who?'"

"I'm asking who that is. Dilandau Albatou, I mean."

Hitomi's chin hit the grass. He didn't know! He really didn't know! But his soft statement returned her to the question that had been haunting the back of her mind like a shadowy wraith.

What happened to him?

"You really don't remember, do you…?" The sprinter's eyes slipped to the suddenly quite interesting grass.

In the soft, nearly tangible silence of the forest, her 'companion's' keen ears managed to pick up and register the nearly unvoiced question.

"No. No, I don't." His voice, too, was a mere millimeter from utter silence, but Hitomi still heard it, impossibly. He was as quiet as the questioning whispers in the back of her mind.

She finally managed to wrench her gaze from the sweet-smelling ground and look him directly in the eye. His shining bangs almost hid the shy glimmer she found there before he blinked it away. Its softness made her a bit surer of herself and she moved to lean beside him, long legs moving of their own accord. The albino seemed to shy away from her presence, just a little, before he caught himself. This was definitely not the Dilandau she had met so long ago on her trip to Allen's outpost. This Dilandau wouldn't hurt her.

"So," She offered, equally nervous, "What do you remember?"

"Nothing." He couldn't bring himself to look at her gentle visage, though he didn't know why. It just felt… wrong. Like treading all over someone's grave.

"Really? Well, uh, I… could tell you a bit about what I know of you, if you wanted me to, and, uh…"

Crimson eyes jerked over to her reclining form. She had known him? "Yes." Was he making the right decision? He wanted to know, but what if… What if…

"You're sure?" A shaky nod came in reply.

"Well, for starters, your name is Dilandau Albatou."

---

Dilandau Albatou…Why did she say that – my – name with such fear and venom earlier? What-

"Do you remember the war?" Dilandau's eyes refocused on the starlit girl before him. The war… Flashes of flame and blood quickly filled his vision, but were gone as suddenly as they had come, leaving him feeling strangely desperate and empty.

"What war?"

Well, I guess that answers that question. She smiled softly in reassurance. "Well…" She paused a moment, as if to consider her next words carefully. What did that mean? Was there something that she was hiding from him? If so, why? Dilandau, as he now knew his name to be, held a strange trust in her. He brushed it off as the fact that she was the only other human his memory had recorded.

Hah… As if I were lucky enough to be able to trust someone when I don't even know what I look like. The cynical thought, just as the image from before, swiftly slipped from his grasp. A hint of a frown formed on his delicate features.

"You were a part of that war. I… didn't really know you, so…I can't tell you much else. I'm sorry." Her eyes dropped to the ground and she let her bangs cover them, whether from guilt or shame, Dilandau couldn't tell.

/She's definitely hiding something./ A soft, rasping voice hissed. Go away. The albino hissed back, and it was gone without memory or trace. Once again, he was filled with the strange hollow sensation.

His companion once again raised emerald eyes from the ground to look at him. She shivered a bit as the fresh breeze brushed cool fingers across the glade.

"Well, we can't stay here all night long. It's late, and I don't know about you, but I'm tired. We should find somewhere to stay for the night, and if we can't do that, then at least find somewhere to camp." The teen rose rather stiffly, and held out a hand to help him up. Hesitating for only a moment, the former Zaibach captain took it easily and rose. Automatically, he snatched his sword from the ground and clipped it to his belt in a practiced motion. He didn't notice.

"Say," He asked as he followed her from quiet clearing, "What's your name?"

"Hitomi. Hitomi Kanzaki." Came the melodious reply.

"Hitomi." It sat well on his tongue, and he pondered over it as he left the temporary refuge of the starlit forest glade, blissfully unaware of the many trials and hardships he would face in the near future.

---

Drip.

The low whirr of machinery droned in the musty air.

"So," Came a quiet monotone, "The Sword has met with the girl from the Mystic Moon. Good, very good. Matters are proceeding precisely to plan. The Fate Alteration Engine will soon accomplish its true purpose."

Drip.

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End Chapter

YAY! I now have over 250 hits, about 200 more than any of my other fan fics! YEAH! Ahem. Well, anyway, I hope you enjoyed, as this was the longest chapter yet! See ya, and Happy New Year!

Aurah

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