Disclaimer: I only own Arathnia, and the characters from there. I do not own Escaflowne, even though I wish I did.

* mark dream sequences.

The Past, Future, and Somewhere in Between

Chapter 6 The Long Journey

Another day passed by, and before they knew it, it was the day that their small envoy would depart for Arathnian capitol Terra. It was expected that the Arathnian characters that had visited them, were just about back in their homeland. Their group consisted of Van, Allen, General Avanon, Celena, Hitomi, Merle, and Allen's men that formed the Crusade's crew. Princess Eries had already begun to assume her duties as Fanelia's temporary monarch. Yukari was to stay behind to ensure her own safety. The red head had no idea what Gaea was like, and Hitomi was not about to thrust her into that world just yet. So far everything was going off without a hitch.

They left the Capitol at dawn. Allen anticipated to reach Arathnia in about five or six days. General Avanon, and General Roweena Delenair spent hours going over maps in order to find the quickest route to Terra. The Crusade had also obtained some quick upgrades to it's propulsion system enabling it to travel at much faster speeds than before. Despite the face that their endeavor was extremely dangerous, no one seemed to be all that worried about the journey there. They were more anxious about their arrival. Van most of all. He did not trust the Arathnians at all. So much in fact, he had personally asked General Delenair to remain and watch over Fanelia and Princess Eries.

Hitomi sat in the small room where herself, and Merle were to share for the duration of the trip. Her stomach had been queasy since the ship had traveled over the large body of water just beyond the forests of Fanelia. It was nearing dinner time, and the airship was now traveling over a very dense forest. It seemed as though it went on forever. All you could see was the tops of the tall green thicket. She looked out the small window. It was almost as if something was calling her there. A strange force that seemed vaguely familiar.

A knock at the door knocked her out of her small trance and caused her head to whip around and focus her attention on it. The door opened, and Van stood in the doorway. He looked more formal then usual. It was kind of odd to see him dressed this way. His usual red shirt had been replaced with, what Hitomi would call a turtle neck, in a dark shade of brown. He still wore the beige trousers that he always seemed to be wearing, and his sword was strapped readily to his belt in case he were in need of it in a hurry. She spotted the pendant she had given him years before hanging from his neck. She had almost completely forgotten about her old good luck charm. The item that had brought her to Gaea in the first place.

"Are you alright?" He asked leaning against the door frame, worry etched onto his strong features.

Hitomi nodded in response to his questions. "Yeah, my stomach just feels a bit uneasy," She stated looking back put the window again. "Where are we?" She asked curiously while staring intently at the unknown territory below.

"We're over the Celestial Forest," He stated calmly. "It's the large forest that separates Arathnia and Fanelia," He explained walking over to look out the window with her. "It goes on for miles, for days," He continued. " When we reach Dragonsand, the desert beyond that, we will be about a day away from Terra," He concluded.

"What is down there that makes this so dangerous anyway?" She questioned her eyes raking over the forested area below.

"Lots of forest dwelling creatures, and also numerous different species of dragons," He expounded sitting down next to her. "No one travels through it. Anyone who has, has never returned," He stated simple. "The dragon's alone set people off. They want nothing to do with them."

Hitomi nodded in agreement. "So instead they fly above it?" She asked turning the thoughts around in her head trying to make sense of the logic.

Van shook his head. "Not usually. There's a dragon graveyard not too far from here that's full of skeletal, ghost, and spectral dragons. They are definitely not very friendly. Rust dragons are also plentiful in this area as well," He explained staring out the window in seriousness.

"Are they dangerous?" She asked turning to look at him, slightly afraid of what was currently wandering the forest below them. She also found it odd that he knew so much about an area she supposedly was unfamiliar with to begin with.

"If you threaten them, they are deadly," He stated in an emotionless voice. "Rust dragon's breathe out a poisonous acid. It is so potent that even a drop could kill a grown man," He explained the serious tone in his voice causing a shiver to run up Hitomi's spine.

"Ok, now you are scaring me," She told him nervously. This caused the young king to laugh.

He smiled thoughtfully at her, "Relax Hitomi, we cold fight one off if we had to," He assured her with a bemused smile. "We have enough man power to deal with one Rust dragon easily enough."

"I hope you are right because I don't want to be killed by a poisonous acid," She stated looking out the round window once again.

"I am," He retorted with a chuckle rising from his seated position. He kissed her gently on the forehead. "Come and join us when you're feeling better."

She nodded,"Of course."

Days passed by, and the forest beneath them had receded enough that you could see parts of the forest floor through the dense trees, and the desert lurking ahead. The uneasy feeling in the pit of Hitomi's stomach seemed to intensify the closer they traveled to their intended destination. Arathnia. This made her extremely anxious. She had yet to see any danger ahead, but her strange dreams about the raven haired woman had intensified along their journey. However, she had no choice but to brush it off as if it were nothing. She did not want to worry the others with her crazy theories. She had yet to have a single vision. She was beginning to think that her powers had faded. The best way to handle this situation was to remain as calm as possible. Hitomi's train of thought was broken by a loud bang from down the hallway just beyond her door. She jumped when her door was thrown open so hard that it banged into the wall behind it, leaving a dent in it's wake.

Merle threw Yukari into the living room causing the red head to trip and fall down onto her knees. "Hey! Watch it you stupid cat!" She growled not bothering to rise back up onto her feet. Merle hissed at her, her fur standing on end.

Hitomi looked at her friend curiously. "Yukari, I thought you were staying behind," She remarked pulling her leg sup to her chest.

Yukari then pushed herself back up onto her feet. "I couldn't let you have all the fun," She remarked brushing off her now rumpled skirt. She glared at the pink haired cat girl that had pushed her.

"I asked you if you wanted to come along." Hitomi said exasperated.

"Yeah, but this was way was so much more fun," She concluded sitting down on the bed beside her sandy haired friend.

"Yeah, stowing away in the cargo hold with Guymelefs is really my idea of fun," Merle snorted. "Stupid girl!" She mumbled turning and shutting the door behind her as she went.

Hitomi shook her head in disbelief, rolling her eyes at Merle's childish behavior. "I cannot believe you Yukari. I seriously don't get where your thought process comes from." She remarked leaning back against the wall.

"Aww, some on Hitomi, loosen up a little. You've been on edge since we got here," Yukari moaned falling down onto the bed, her head resting where her feet would be if she were lying properly.

Hitomi glared as her red haired best friend. "I'm sorry that I actually take this whole thing seriously. I have no idea who these people in my dreams are, and I don't have any idea what's going on, or what has Van so on edge," She exclaimed getting frustrated with everything going on around her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Yukari said pulling herself back up into a sitting position. "Calm the heck down," She said firmly, placing her hand on Hitomi's shoulder in a comforting fashion. "You're not gonna figure anything out if you get frustrated," She comforted with a small smile. "Your emotions don't help either."

The seeress nodded with a defeated sigh. "I know, but it's just hard. Especially when I have to watch Van suffer."

The red head nodded, "That would be. I know you really care about him."

"I do," She mused, a small smile tugging at her lips.

Silence passed between the two girls for a few moments before a thought struck the eccentric red head. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a package of playing cards she had stashed inside her pocket before their sudden departure for Gaea. She smiled. "I know what'll cheer you up," She remarked pulling the cards out of the little card board packaging. "How about a little bit of crazy eights?"

Hitomi practically beamed taking the cards from her friend. "I'll kick your ass.

Yukari smirked. "Not if I kick yours first."

The next morning they were flying over the desert. Hitomi had never been so happy to see a desert before in her life. It signified that their journey was indeed almost over. She had seen enough forest to last her a lifetime. Van had been more than right. The Celestial Forest had lasted three and a half days, and covered thousands of miles. It was so ridiculous that there was that much forest in on area. It made her realize that Gaea was much larger than she had originally anticipated. It was when the ship began to fly over 'Dragonsand,' that the Crusade began to fly lower than it had previously. This worried Hitomi. Talking to Van about the landscapes beforehand, had made her a bit paranoid. Dragons and sand dwellers roamed and dominated the ground below. She absent mindedly stared down at the yellow earth beneath them through her cabin window, when she saw a flash of red disappear below the airship. It seemed to follow the ship on the ground. Hitomi decided that it would be best if she refrained from looking out of her window for a while. It was the fear of the unknown that frightened her even more.

Yukari laid on the small bed across from Hitomi's. She was currently examining her short fingernails out of boredom. The red head had opted into staying isolated in Hitomi's room with her as opposed to the bridge where she didn't really know anybody. She shifted so that she was lying on her side facing her friend. "Hey Hitomi," She called causing the sandy haired teen to look at her friend. "Did you ever notice that Allen looks exactly like Amano?"

"Really? I had no idea," She replied sarcastically, shaking her head at her friend for her timing. She had anticipated that the red head would have brought it up the second she met the blonde haired knight.

Yukari sighed and sat up. "No need to talk to me like that Ms. Cabin Fever. If you're gonna be like that," She continued standing up and smoothing out her skirt, "Then I am going to go hangout with the others."

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Seriously, you need to take a chill pill," She remarked as she left the room and ventured out into the hallway.

Hitomi said nothing, turning her eyes back out the small circular window. The flash of red appeared from below the ship again. Whatever it was, it seemed to have no problem keeping up with the rather fast speed of the airship. She gulped and turned away from the window once again.

It wasn't long before Merle bounded into the room, her usual happy self showing through her tough exterior. She eyes Hitomi curiously. "What are you doing?" She questioned tilting her head to the side slightly. She noticed the bizarre fearful look that was on her bunk mate's face, and hoped onto the bed and sat down bedside the sandy haired seeress.

"Forcing myself not to look out the window," She stated bluntly, staring blankly at the wall across from her.

"Why not?" She asked bounding over to the window and peering out the window herself. She spotted the red creature that was following the airship. Her mouth formed a perfect 'o'. "Don't worry about that. We're too high up for it to get us," She explained simply.

"I'll try," She replied managing a weak smile.

Merle grinned and grabbed Hitomi's hand. "Come on, hangout in the bridge with is. You've been locked up in here for days, and I am getting really bored of watching Celena and Van playing that stupid game.

Besides, being that anti-social cannot be healthy for you," She said with a pout, tugging at her friend's hand.

Hitomi sighed. "Fine," She conceded allowing her friend to pull her along.

The two girls practically ran down the narrow halls all the way to the bridge. Well, it was more like Merle ran, and Hitomi was mercilessly dragged along by the energetic cat girl.. Allen, and his right hand man, Gaddes stood silently watching the sky ahead through the giant window. The pilot, Kio, stood close by, also remaining silent. The rest of Allen's men were no where to be seen. Yukari was seated on an old rickety chair overlooking Van and Celena. The two sat on the floor with a game, that resembled checkers, resting between them. Their eyes were glued at the board, expressions of pure concentration drawn onto their faces. It seemed as though the bridge was just as boring as her bedroom.

The first thing Hitomi did, after observing her companions, was make her way over to the giant window. She just had to see if she could spot the red creature from here. She spotted it almost instantly. It had picked up speed. However, she could see it a lot clearer through the larger window. It was crystalline, the run reflected brightly off of it's scales. It had sharp pearl-like teeth, and it's tail stood out straight from it's body much like a dinosaurs tail would have.

"Allen," She said sitting down on the floor feeling the panic begin to rise in her chest at the clear picture of the creature stalking them.

His eyebrows furrowed at her expression. "What is it?" He asked walking over to the younger girl. The sudden dialogue caught everyone's attention. They had been in silence for the last little while.

"We have company," She stanted pointing at the creature below.

Allen followed her gaze and took a step back from the window. "What is that?" She asked curiously. It surprised her that even Allen wasn't sure what this creature was.

Van wandered over to them and peered out the window as well. A look of surprise washed over his face. "That's a Crystal Dragon," He said squinting his eyes. "Yeah, it's definitely a crystal dragon, you can see the sunlight reflecting off it's scales."

"How do you know? I thought they were nothing but a myth," Allen stated staring down at the creature in disbelief. "What else do you know about them?"

Van cleared his throat. "Well, the crystal dragon is one of only four species of dragon that does not have wings. Their bodies are too heavy to support them in flight so they never developed wings. Instead they have very powerful jaws and legs that can propel them at extreme speeds. There is almost nothing that can outrun a crystal dragon. Also their saliva is corrosive, so over time it will burn through your skin ," Van stated watching the dragon run, keeping up with the airship with ease. It was truly a magnificent creature.

"How do you know so much about them?" Gaddes asked suspiciously crossing his arms over his chest.

"I read about the different species of dragons in a book. It was a gift from Queen Brahne. I found it real interesting and I've read it cover to cover quite a few times," Van explained observing the small dragon below. "It was a rather appropriate book. I to come from a land of dragons."

"Are they dangerous?" Allen pressed on.

Van though for a moment. "From up here, no. However, if we were down there, very. Since they can't fly they are unable to reach us up here. They also don't have a resonating chamber wither, so they cannot expel fore the same way regular dragons do. So they can only hurt us if we were on the ground. They are extremely aggressive," He explained tearing his gaze from the dragon on the golden sand below.

Hitomi let out a sigh of relief at the new found information. "That's good to know," Hitomi said feeling quite a bit better about the situation.

"I think we should capture it," Celena said making her move on the 'checker' board and taking one of Van's pieces. "We could study it, since it's apparently so rare."

Van shot her and angry look. "No, that is completely out of the question," He snapped.

"Besides, how could we?" Merle questioned staring at the large red dragon in awe. She had only ever seen the land dragons that surrounded Fanelia.

"Guymelefs," Celena answered simply moving another piece on the board.

Van looked outrages by the suggestion," If a crystal dragon got it's jaws on the guymelef it would be done for. It would crush the guymelef like it was nothing," Van stated glaring out the window at the magnificent creature. "It's too risky. I will not have anyone on this ship die for such an unnecessary task," He snapped at the blonde girl. "If you want it captures, do it yourself."

The room fell silent as the two teens stared one another down. Hitomi's eyes traveled to glance at Celene. She quickly shook her head and looked at the blonde again. Celena's eyes had shifted colour, and were now a light shade of purple instead of their usual deep shade of blue. If she had not known better, she would have sworn she was looking at Dilandau. Well, minus the crimson eyes. It was obvious that Van had noticed the shift in her eye colour as well. His eyes had darkened with hatred as he stared his friend's sister down. Hey eyes shifted back to blue, and she quickly looked away. She resumed staring at the 'checker' board.

"It would not be the worst idea my lord," General Avanon spoke up from his secluded seat in the corner. Hitomi had not noticed his presence when she had first entered the room. He wore no armor, just common clothes. His shirt was more like a vest, that tied together in the front. It was dark, almost black in colour. His trousers were also dark, and he wore a leather belt with a large silver buckle. It looked more like a wrestler's championship belt. "Not much else is known about this noble beast."

Van glared at his general. It was obvious that the young king was now getting annoyed. "That's because everyone before has failed to catch one. Besides, it will weigh us down. So much in fact that we could crash when it comes time to fly over the Stonetalon mountains surrounding Terra," Van said somewhat calmly to his general. "It is not a wise decision Mendelev. For our safety, we should leave it be."

The genera; thought over the king's words for a few moments. "Of course my lord. You are right. Beside I doubt we possess enough man power to restrain the beast."

With all that said, the room fell back into it's initial silence. Van returned to his game with Celena, and General Avanon disappeared from the room and down the hall towards the mess hall. Hitomi sighed and sat down in the chair the older man had previously occupied. She could not wait for this trip to be over.