FicWad

Escaflowne8



I am so freaking sorry this is really really late!!!! I moved back to college and things just got crazy. I finally sat down to start writing this about a month after I sent the last part out. Now that I'm kind of getting into the swing of things back at college there's a chance you won't have to wait so long for Chapter 9. Laundry night is a great night to just sit downstairs in the basement and type! Once again, I'm really super sorry and I want to thank those of you who stay with this story.

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Dream Desire: Chapter 8
Questions

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"Send them back. Erase my memory and send them back," Hitomi whispered to Folken.

"Are you sure?" he asked her. "Your memories will be locked away. You will not know anything of Gaea or its inhabitants. You will never see Van-" he cut off when she gave him a tearful look of pain, eyes begging him to say no more.

"It is what's best for Gaea. Even if I don't remember it, I want to do something good for the world that gave me so much joy."

"Gaea also gave you much pain and suffering, and it continues to do so now. You could choose to spite our world. You could choose to keep them with you," he suggested, feeling sorry for the distraught girl. Fate had surely thrown too much on this frail creature's shoulders. Hitomi once again looked down to face her reflection in the shallow water.

"It's all right, Folken. I know what needs to be done. But do me one favor, please," she asked, and waited for Folken to respond.

"If I can do it, it will be done."

"Tell Van that no matter what. . . I love him."

Folken closed his eyes in sorrow for his brother and Hitomi. They had been through so much and deserved happiness, yet all they received from either world was pain. He held his hand out to Hitomi and the pendant around her neck began to float again.

"Take my hand and you will go back. I accept your request and I will see Van. I am sorry for everything."

Hitomi's hand slowly reached out to touch Folken's, and when they met the pendant flashed brightly, enveloping the area in a blinding white. Hitomi's body felt like there were tiny bubbles flowing through it and the last thing she saw was Folken's face staring at her with an almost loving expression. He resembled Van with that look and it gave her heart peace.

The light died down and slowly revealed the room. Both Folken and Hitomi were gone.

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Allen was at a loss. He had finally found his sister again, or what had certainly seemed to be his sister, and she spoke of Gaea. Could it be this was all just some insane dream and he would wake up tomorrow morning with a pain in his chest? Perhaps his sister had gone mad in her long years of absence. What had her kidnappers done? Where had she been? Why would she mention the same place Hitomi had. They both believed in the world of Gaea with such conviction that it was becoming hard to dispute the theory. Allen had no idea where to start asking questions, and no clue what to believe.

"So you two are from Gaea too, hm? What's your story? How did you come here and why did you come?" Dryden asked, taking on the air of a journalist. Celena looked back and forth between him and Allen, a slightly confused and nearing helpless look on her face.

"We came to look for you! The five of you went missing. . . so everyone on Gaea has been searching madly for you. When no one could find a trace of you anywhere across the continents. . ."

"Well, Celena decided to try and find you on the Mystic Moon. The place where Hitomi had come from," Gaddes finished for her, stepping up to stand beside Celena. Allen, even though he still wasn't sure what to think, was slightly disturbed that a strange man was standing so close to the woman who could be his lost sister. He unconsciously glared at the ponytailed man and Gaddes took a step back with his hand up in a position of surrender.

"Do you mean Earth? When you say 'Mystic Moon', do mean here?" Millerna asked. Meanwhile Merle was slowly inching her way closer to the pair of foreigners to check out the strange clothing and weapons. She was carefully reaching her hand out to "examine" a decoration hanging from Celena's belt when Van grabbed her by the collar and hauled her next to him. He gave her a disapproving look and the scolded redhead looked away, pouting. Celena noticed the action and looked closely at Merle while Gaddes answered the former princess.

"We Gaeans have always called this place the Mystic Moon, or Blue Moon, but I do recall Hitomi calling it 'Earth' a few times. So yes, I do mean here," Gaddes explained

"Are we really from this 'Gaea' place? I mean, it all seems so unreal that there another planet besides Earth, let alone that we're from it. How do I know I'm not just dreaming this whole thing," Merle asked, pouting a bit since Van was still holding her back from the pair. Before Celena could get the chance to plead her case once more, a bright light began to glow on the bed. Glancing quickly, Celena and Gaddes found the shard of glass that had brought them here in the first place. The seven of them watched transfixed as the white light turned light blue, then green. It pulsated for three counts and suddenly exploded, a supernova-esque shock filling the room. Everyone yelled as the wind ripped through them, transforming them. Gaddes and Celena stayed as they were, but the others were not left alone. Allen's hair grew out even more and his casual clothing was replaced by Gaean armor. A sword rested at his hip and a scar peeked over the edge of his collar. Millerna's hair grew out as well, flowing blonde locks brushing the wall. Her pajamas were ripped off and an elegant pink gown took their place. A small tiara appeared on her head, the sign of royalty. Dryden stood in front of her, trying to protect Millerna, and even though it proved pointless her heart was warmed by the action. His hair had mostly disappeared, leaving long spikes that dangled past his ears. Kingly robes adorned his body and a crown styled to match Millerna's sat perched on his head while a small pair of glasses sat on his nose. Van and Merle were the ones to go through extraordinary changes. Cat ears and a long furred tail erupted from Merle's flesh while dark brown stripes splashed across her body. Her hair grew long and braided itself, ending where the sword at her hip formed. She also had an armor breastplate and pants on - the normal garb for a New Fanelia knight. Van's shirt was ripped away and the tattoo on his back rippled. White wing tips emerged from the painting and burst out in a flurry of feathers. He wore light armor over deep red clothes and had a matching crimson cape that somehow made room for his wings. There was no crown for Van, he wore the helmet from his coronation instead, found in the wreckage of Fanelia and fixed for the new king.

All of this had happened at once and it seemed only seconds before the light died down to a tiny blink. Gazing in awe at themselves and each other, the group had only a short time to wonder at the strange magic before Van's room began to fade away. Van noticed the dark encompassing them and ran to the door, but he was too late. The room vanished completely, as did Celena and Gaddes. Somehow they could all see each other though their new environment was completely black. Even the shard of glass that had provided such light just seconds before was gone. Van could hear the harsh breathing of everyone. He took in a few haggard breaths himself. That had been. . . an extreme experience, to say the least. He knew these outfits, knew he had seen them before, but he wasn't sure how. He was quite sure Merle had never had cat ears on Earth. . .

"You are no longer on Earth, brother. You are in the space between worlds," stated a voice from the darkness. Though he couldn't see the owner of the voice, only one person had ever called Van brother.

"Folken? Folken where are you? Why did Celena and Gaddes vanish? What's going on?" he asked frantically. They were in-between worlds? Why hadn't they simply been transported to Gaea? And where was Hitomi?! Allen's hand instinctively went to his sword, some unconscious memory plaguing him. The others simply waited tensely, eyes darting back and forth for the man.

"Patience brother, one question at a time," the dark angel chastised, though there was more sympathy in his voice than annoyance. His outline appeared next to Van and their wings touched briefly before Folken's black feathers became insubstantial and passed through Van's white ones. Van chocked back the urge to run and embrace his brother after so many years of being with out him. They had been close on Earth even though Folken had joined the Yakuza. It was quite startling to see him in a strange robed outfit and sans the plethora of yakuza tattoos, only the teardrop tattoo on his face remaining, but Van was just amazed he had the chance to see his brother again. Hitomi was right, she had to be. Gaea was real.

"You are all here because Hitomi has wished you back to Gaea. First, however, your memories of Earth must be erased. Celena and Gaddes are gone because they have no long term memories of Earth and have been taken directly back to Gaea," he explained, quelling Allen's unspoken fear about his missing sister. Van had stopped listening after Folken had mentioned Hitomi.

"Where is she Folken?" Van asked, worry creeping into his voice. Folken's eyes were downcast and his brows drawn together. "Folken. . ."

"I am afraid Hitomi has chosen to stay on Earth and forget all of you. It is for the good of Gaea that she made her choice and it is for the good of Gaea that I know you will all accept it."

"Gaea?! We're supposed to give up on our friend for a place we can't even remember?" Merle spat out in contempt. "Count me out."

"I'm afraid I agree with Merle. Even if this is a dream I won't be one to just lay down my arms in surrender," Millerna added. Standing behind her now, Dryden gave a wry smile and cocked his head to Millerna.

"I'm with her, buddy."

Allen didn't answer right away. He shut his eyes and thought everything over. Emotions and memories were trying their hardest to break free from the recesses of Allen's mind. What Folken said somehow made sense, and even though he would never abandon Hitomi, hadn't Folken implied that it was she abandoning them? There was something missing in the picture. "What aren't you telling us? Why would Hitomi want us to go 'back' with out her?"

"It doesn't matter. I won't go without her. I can't. I already lost her once and I won't do it again!" Van shouted, fist clenched so tight it hurt and tears budding in his eyes. The others stopped and looked at him strangely. He froze as well, eyes wide and unfocused. Where had that thought come from? He had never lost Hitomi before, had he? The crushing weight in his heart told him otherwise and Van sank down to the ground in confusion.

Folken gazed at his brother with a sad smile on his face. Though years had passed, the confused and hurt Van looked half his age, a lost little boy looking to his big brother to help guide him along in life.

"Folken. . . " he whispered, but the dark angel had no time to answer or console his sibling before Dryden stepped in front of him, eyes serious and ready to deal.

"I have a proposition." Though it was the journalist of Earth who thought up the idea, it was the royalty of Gaea that spoke. "Show us our memories of Gaea with out erasing our memories of Earth, and we will all be much more willing to consider what you have said."

Though Folken could have just used the power given to him and erased their minds at once, installing them back in Gaea, he wouldn't. The cause of their grief lay partly on his shoulders and he would do what he could to make amends, pay back his debt to his brother and to Gaea. Having them go back willingly and understand why it had to be done was something he could do for them.

"I will restore your memories of Gaea and you will keep your time on Earth. For now. The decision has been made however, and cannot be recalled," Folken told them, his voice calm and flat. "Now remember."

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Oh man, I am awful. This update was the latest ever and there's no real good excuse for it except that school drains my life. If you still remember this story, sweet beans! If not. . . uh. . . you can reread it all! Yey! Anyway, thanks for reading and hopefully I'll update again soon!
~Mako3