Oya ma, minna! These stories have done a lot of traveling!!! They've
gone from my broken down old Macintosh to my friend's Macintosh and
then took a trip through cyber-space to finally end up back in my
hands. Okay, so I'm lazy and didn't wanna write everything over again
(it's not just this story but about six others too, that adds up to a
lot of time!!!). But when I got them all . . . I get a headache just
thinking about it . . . they were such a mess. Somehow the computer
managed to rearrange the entire story. There were unrecognizable 
symbols everywhere . . . the beginning was smack dab in the middle of
the story and . . . parts of other stories were even mixed in where
they shouldn't have been!!! But finally my stories are where they
should be . . . how they should be . . . so please enjoy them even more
knowing the time and effort I've had to spend typing and fixing it all.
Ja ne!!! This story doesn't start off immediately after Escaflowne
ended . . . instead it picks up a little later on. The old characters
will still be there but I'm pretty much making up new lead characters,
new baddies, new plots, etc. So please enjoy!!! For any Japanese you 
might not know please refer to my Vocabulary Index!
********************************************************************
Escaflowne doesn't belong to me!!! It never will and I don't claim to
owning anything about it!!! Escaflowne belongs to a lot of other
companies who's names I can't remember right now. Including Emotion,
Sunrise, TV Tokyo, and distributed by AnimeVillage.com etc.
********************************************************************
Author: Hitomi-sama
Send comments to: Hitomi_sama@hotmail.com
Rating: PG

			The Second Vision of Escaflowne
			    Vision One, Episode One:
				  Angel Dream

	*Why is it that my wishes never seem to come true? What is it
about them that makes them so fickle? As I sit and stare at the moon
that hangs in the sky outside my window, my heart spills over with
wishes. I imagine each one sprouting delicate gossimer wings and
soaring to the heavens . . . up to caress the ears of an angel . . .
and the ones that please her, she grants. Why are my wishes the ones
she rejects?
	If my friend is ill, I wish for her speedy recovery and . . .
like magic, the next day she's better . . . If hahaue cries, I wish
for her tears to be dried and her heart to be at ease . . . and those
wishes too are granted. Yet when I wish for my own happiness . . . my
own good luck . . . a love to call my own . . . things remain the same
for me. Is it because my wishes are selfish? Should I give up on them?
	I wish . . . I wish . . . that one day, all my wishes . . . all
my wishes and my hopes and dreams will come true . . .
	The moonlight is dancing between my outstretched fingertips.
These soft silvery beams have always given me comfort. I can almost
hear a far off voice speaking to me . . . floating like music.
	"One day, your wishes will be granted."
	How long will I have to wait until that day? Hahaue always told
me to believe in my wishes . . . that they are very powerful
things . . . she once told me that a good wish is one that is made
with a calm heart . . . that anxiety twists a wish and they either
don't come true or produce a bad fate. Is that why none of the wishes
I've made for myself have come true?
	I . . . wish . . . I knew . . .
	I wish . . . someone could tell me . . .
	I . . . wish . . .*
	"Shiori? Shiori? Shouldn't you be asleep right now?" Said a
voice from the doorway. A pair or dim green eyes shone through the
darkness of Shiori's room.
	"Hahaue, gomen nasai." Shiori replied. Her brown eyes strained
as see saw her mother switch on the small table lamp next to her bed.
"Arigato." The girl whispered as she climbed in between the covers.
	"Shiori, what were you doing just now?" The woman asked as she
smoothed the covers maternally.
	"I was just wishing." Shiori replied softly, her brown eyes
shifting away from her mother. The girl didn't have to look up to see
the tears that cascaded from weary emerald eyes. "Gomen nasai, hahaue."
	The woman choked back a sob and shook her head. "Iie, Shiori.
Wishes are very important. You must never stop wishing . . . never stop
dreaming . . . never . . ." She sighed the sigh that only women who
have experienced great joy followed by great pain can sigh. "Never
doubt your own pure heart and the wishes it clings to. Always keep a
wish with you." The woman smiled at her daughter as she absently
brushed errand strands of midnight black bang out of her eyes. "If you
stop wishing . . . you'll end up like me . . . sad and alone."
	"Hahaue . . ." Shiori protested lightly.
	The dim emerald eyes that swam with tears regarded the girl.
"Shiori, do you remember the time when we were all happy?" She said,
pausing afterward for a long time. "So many years ago . . . you were
only five? My, that was twelve years ago! Do you remember the fun we
used to have together? You, your father, and I . . . do you remember,
Shiori?"
	"Chichiue . . ." Shiori said as tears welled up in her own
eyes. "We were all so happy. I remember playing in grassy fields with
him. Chichiue used to pick me up and fly me through the air. He used to
tell me stories about white dragons flying the same way through the
sky. Once, I actually thought he himself flew. What a dream that was! 
Chichiue and I had the wings like the angels do! We flew so high we
almost touched the stars! And when we came back, there you were with
open arms and your eyes . . . your eyes were so clear and green
and . . . Hahaue, why don't your eyes look like that any more? Why do
they always look so sad?"
	The woman paused as she dried the tears that streamed down her
cheeks. "Because . . . I have no more wishes in my heart . . . once
your father died . . . I . . . lost all the wishes in my heart . . ."
	"I want to have more happy dreams like that. Since Chichiue
died . . . he seems to have disappeared from my dreams . . ." Shiori
said sadly. "Perhaps . . . if I wish hard enough . . . I can have a
wonderful dream about him tonight . . ."
	Dim emerald eyes danced slightly as the woman ran her hand
through her daughter's shoulder length raven hair. "Perhaps . . . if
you wish . . ." The woman stood and turned off the lamp. She could
still see her daughter's brown eyes, smiling with hope through the
darkness. "Oyasumi."
	"Oyasuminasai." Shiori echoed as her eyelids gently closed.
"Aishiteru, hahaue. Aishiteru . . . chichiue . . . oyasuminasai." She
said softly as her mother closed the door softly behind her.
	Shiori drifted off into a dream-filled sleep almost
immediately. She could not hear her mother who stood outside her
daughter's room, crying. The woman sank to her knees, the braid of her
slightly silvery streaked gray blond hair over her shoulder being
wetted by tears. "Van . . . I miss you so much . . ." She moaned
through clenched teeth as she gripped the carpet below her in her
small fists. "Van . . ."
				***
	"Chichiue . . ." Shiori said. "Where are we? Chichiue . . ."
The girl paused and pushed her hair behind her ears. "Is this . . .
our . . ."
	"Our home when you were little. I'm glad to see you remember
it, Shiori." The man's voice echoed through the halls of the white
palace and let them travel until they were no more. "You've become
quite a lovely young woman since I last saw you, Shiori. You must be
how old now?"
	"Seventeen." Shiori replied. "It's been twelve years."
	The man's brown eyes filled with tears of pride as he regarded
his daughter. "Soo desu ne!" He said. His raven hair that was tinged
lightly with gray flecks spilled over his brow and hung in his eyes.
"Come give chichiue a hug."
	Shiori ran into the man's open arms. She embraced her father
tightly around the waist and took a deep breath. "Chichiue, you still
smell like the field."
	The girl watched as her father laughed out loud. "You're just
like your mother!" He exclaimed with a chuckle. "I don't know what a
field is supposed to smell like, but I'll take it as a compliment." He
added. The man touched a finger to Shiori's nose. "Only because it came
from you."
	"Chichiue . . ." Shiori said as she hugged him joyfully once
more. "I've missed you."
	"So have I, Tenshi-hime, so have I." The man replied.
	Shiori's brown eyes danced as tears began trickling down her
cheeks. "Tenshi-hime? I haven't heard anyone call me that in years."
She said as she choked on her tears.
	The man smiled. "You'll always be Tenshi-hime to me. After all,
aren't you an 'angel princess'?"
	"Hai, chichiue." Shiori replied. "Chichiue, let's go flying
again like in the dreams of my childhood. Let's fly just like the
angels."
	There was silence for a time. The man smiled his calm familiar
smile that Shiori remembered from her earliest memories. "Shiori, that
wasn't a dream." He said. "You really can fly and so can I."
	Shiori gasped. "Ee? Nani?" She asked in astonishment.
"Chichiue, what are you saying? We can't . . . can't . . . it was
just . . . a dream . . . dreams . . . aren't real . . ."
	"If your mother heard you say that . . ." The man scolded.
"You can fly, Shiori-hime."
	"Hime?!?"
	"Hai." The man's hair bobbed lightly as he nodded. "You see,
you were only five at the time, there was still much you hadn't learned
about me . . . about our homeland . . . about your mother. So naturally
you would think it was a dream. How many people do you know who can
fly?"
	Shiori's brown eyes remained unblinking. "Chichiue, I don't
understand . . . what are you trying to tell me?"
	She heard her father chuckle out loud. "I'm telling you about
the past. Long ago, before I met your mother, I lived as prince of
Fanelia on this planet named Gaea. When your mother, Hitomi, came to
Gaea, I was crowned King Van Slanzar de Fanel. We saved Gaea from the
wicked Zaibach forces. Her wishes . . . her strength . . . her belief
and love . . . they all helped us to beat our foes. She returned to her
home, your new home, the Mystic Moon after but . . . it wasn't long
before she returned. We were married shortly afterward and . . . years
later, you were born."
	"But, chichiue . . . why do we have wings . . . ?" Shiori
asked, with a shocked look on her face. "Why?"
	"My mother . . . her name was Varie . . . was a Draconian, a
descendent of Atlantis. The Draconian people were born with beautiful
wings. I wasn't sure if you would have them too . . . but you did. We
used to fly the blue skies of Fanelia together." The man paused.
"Shiori, Gaea is a beautiful place . . . and Fanelia is a wonderful
kingdom. You are my only heir. Someday this will all be yours if you
wish . . ."
	"Chichiue . . ." Shiori answered numbly. Suddenly her eyes
snapped out of their awestricken haze and twinkled with light. "I would
be honored to inherit your kingdom."
	The man smiled, his eyes overflowing with loving, pride-filled
paternal tears. "Shiori . . ." His white wings spread out behind him.
Feathers gracefully floated through the air. The girl replied by
outstretching her hidden wings as well. "Musume . . . aishiteru."
	"Aishiteru chichiue." She replied. "I feel so light and free.
Arigato gozaimasu." Shiori said as she kissed her father's cheek.
	"Come, let's fly!" The man said as he took his daughters hand
and leapt into the air.
				***
	"Shiori! Shiori! Are you still asleep? It's time to get up!
Breakfast is ready! You're going to be late for school if you don't get
out of bed and down to the table now! Shiori!"
	The raven haired girl moaned as she opened her eyes. Sunlight
streamed mercilessly through her window. "Nani? Shimatta." Shiori
cursed in a mumble as she glanced at her digital clock beside her. "I
was having such a good dream too . . ."
	"Shiori! I'm coming up there to get you! I'm coming up! Shiori!
Wake up! I've already called you three times and each time you've
fallen back asleep! I know you hear me! This time I'm making sure you
get up! Do you hear me?"
	The girl cradled her sleepy head in her hands as she swung her
feet over the side of her bed. "Hahaue . . . I hear you . . . it's too
early!" She lamented to herself as she rubbed sleep out of her eyes.
	"Shi-" The blond woman came into the room and stopped dead in
her tracks.
	"Hahaue, I'm already up." Shiori said with a dismissing wave of
her hand. She looked up to see her mother's eyes were wide in shock.
The emerald of her eyes seemed clearer now than in all the time she had
spent without her husband. "Hahaue, what is it?" She asked. Her mother
remained silent, too awestricken to breath a word. Shiori was puzzled.
"Hahaue? Nani? Hahaue? Daijobu?"
	The woman raised a shaky finger up to point straight in front
of her. "Y-y-you . . . y-y-your . . . w-w-wings . . ."
	"Nani? Wings? Ee, Hahaue, I had a dream about chichiue last
night. He told me that I had wings too. Isn't that funny? We both took
off and flew through the skies of a place called Fanelia. Crazy huh? I
guess one of my wishes actually came true." Shiori said with a chuckle.
"Chichiue was just like I remember him . . . he called me Tenshi-hime.
He even said I was a real princess! A princess with wings!" The girl
laughed at how foolish it all sounded. "Hahaue . . ."
	"Y-y-you . . . you . . ." The woman still pointed with her
trembling finger. She tried to say a complete sentence but succeeded
only in stammering.
	Shiori saw her mother stabbing her shaking finger in the air at
her when words failed her. The girl's brown eyes questioned the woman
and then proceeded to look behind her. There were, plain as day and
real as she was, a pair of snowy white feathery wings that had sprouted
from her back overnight. "Ee!!! Nani!?! Nani!!?!! I . . . I really
have . . . I really have wings?!!? Chichiue . . . he wasn't lying
then . . . what he told me in my dream . . . it's true . . . is it
true about Gaea too? Have you really been there, Hahaue?"
	"Hai." Her mother said weakly with a nod.
	"Then . . . I'm really a princess . . . Shiori-hime . . .
Shiori Fanel-sama . . . of Fanelia . . . just like Chichiue said . . ."
The girl's brown eyes swam with tears of joy mingled with sadness and
shock. "I promised chichiue that I would take my rightful place in
Gaea."
	The woman's emerald eyes danced with happy tears. "Oh Shiori,
whatever you wish . . . whatever would make you happy, that's what I
want for you. I want you to follow your wishes to wherever they take
you."
	"Hahaue . . ." Shiori said through her tears. "Arigato
gozaimasu." She wiped away some of her tears with her palm. "One day, I
will go to Gaea and rule over Fanelia like chichiue wants me to. When
that day comes, will you come with me?"
	"Iie." Said the woman as her blond eyelashes kissed her cheeks.
"I'm afraid there is nothing for me there. Since I have no more wishes
in my heart . . . I would not be able to live in Gaea . . . to live in
Gaea, you must have at least one wish within you . . ."
	"Hahaue, you must have at least one wish!" Shiori protested.
	"The only wish I have is for you to have everything you want in
life. I never want you to run out of wishes." The woman replied.
	Shiori held up her pointer finger. "That's a wish!"
	"It's more like a hope . . . an aspiration for one's
child . . . that isn't much of a wish." She replied. "Gaea has nothing
for me, I can't go back. But you . . ."
	"I won't go without you!" Shiori shouted in a sudden burst of
anger. "I don't care what you say! You do too have wishes! If chichiue
heard you talking like this . . . !" She scolded as she jumped to her
feet in a flurry of feathers. "You have to come! It's our only home!
It's our only real home! You're coming with me and that's final! I wish
it! All my wishes will come true, watch!" Shiori cried as she ran past
her mother and out of the room, her wings flapping behind her. Feathers
flew and spun in the air as they came loose. The woman with the emerald
eyes caught one in her hand and watched it disappear in her hands just
as her daughter's wings were going back into hiding as she bolted down
stairs.
	"Shiori . . ." The woman said sadly as thoughts of Gaea surged
back to her. "All your wishes will come true . . . no matter how much I
don't want to go back . . .  your wishes will make it so . . .
Shiori . . ."
				***
	"How could hahaue not want to go back to Gaea?" Shiori mumbled
to herself as she walked slowly down the sidewalk towards the train
station. Her brown eyes absently followed the journey of her sneakers
as they kicked a few pebbles and stomped on a couple dead leaves along
the way. "And how can she say that she doesn't have any wishes?"
	Shiori approached the station where the train that would take
her to school was boarding. She took a seat and noticed that the train
was relatively empty with the exception of about five other passengers.
The girl sighed and looked out the window, watching the scenery speed
up and blur by.
	"Hahaue . . . why . . ." Shiori whispered to herself in
question.
	*"All the wishes in my heart have died along with you, Van!"*
	Shiori blinked in surprise as she heard her mother's voice
sound in her head originating from deep within her memories. Visions of
her father's funeral rushed back to her. There she stood, only five
years old, watching her mother crying as she stood over her father's
headstone. She was being comforted within the arms of a loyal knight of
her father's court as she overheard her mother's grief.
	*"Van! My wishes are worthless now that you're gone! No matter
how hard I wish for you to come back, you won't! It's useless to wish!
What's the use if my greatest wish will never come true?"*
	"That's why . . ." Shiori said to herself sadly. "Poor
hahaue . . ." The girl sat silently, constantly trying to fight off
tears. Time seemed to blur along with the scenery. It didn't matter to
Shiori, who sat deep in thought.
	"Gomen, Shiori-san? Shiori-san?" Said the sweet voice of a
uniformed girl. "Ne, Shiori-san?"
	Shiori blinked and met the concerned gaze of her friend. "Ee,
Yuko-san . . ."
	"Shiori-san, daijobu?" Asked another girl from beside Yuko.
	"Takiko-san . . . Yuko-san . . ." Shiori said in recognition.
"I'm okay. I was just thinking, that's all. Sometimes I just get
carried away." She admitted.
	"Our stop's here." Takiko said.
	"We didn't want you to miss it." Yuko added.
	Shiori smiled her thanks. "Arigato." She replied as she stood,
smoothing the pleated skirt of her uniform. "Let's go, we don't want to
be late, do we?"
	Yuko looked at her wrist watch. "We can make it if we run." The
girls broke out in a heavy sprint once they exited the train. "We have
to run (pant) everyday!"
	"Seems like it! (Puff) Maybe we should (gasp) try out for the
(huff) track team!" Takiko exclaimed.
	"We'd probably be (wheeze) the fastest runners there!" Shiori
added with a slight chuckle. "Hahaue was a track star . . . but I'll
just (cough) stick to Kendo."
	"Hontoo?" Yuko asked.
	"Did she make (pant) any records?" Takiko asked.
	"Yeah. There's a picture (gasp) of her on the wall. Kanzaki
Hitomi (puff) ran one hundred meters in (huff) twelve point four five
seconds." Shiori said.
Takiko smiled as she ran. "That's not (gasp) as impressive as (huff)
Fanel Shiori the highest ranked (puff) Kendo champ this side of
Yokohama." She said as the three girls burst through the doors of the
school. They screeched to a halt and breathlessly leaned up against the
door of their classroom.
	Yuko coughed a few times and smiled. "We made it." She said.
	Takiko gave the girl a thumbs up and Shiori flashed a peace
sign as she wiped the sweat from her brow and pushed a few errand
strands of her bang out of her eyes.
	"Shimatta! I didn't do the homework!" Takiko cursed as she
slapped her palm to her forehead. "Baka!" She said as she hit herself
once more for emphasis.
	Yuko groaned. "I did it but . . . I left it at home. I was in
such a hurry this morning I forgot to pick up my history book. And I
know exactly where I left it!"
	Shiori reached into her shoulder bag and retrieved her paper.
"I did mine. You can copy it until the Koike-sensei comes if you want.
You guys are good students, I know you're not just using me for my
homework." She said as she handed it to Takiko who began feverishly
jotting down answers on a blank sheet of paper.
	Yuko bent down to where her friend was crouched in the hall.
She began looking over Takiko's shoulder and scribbling answers as
fast as she could. "Yeah, Shiori-san, we only want to use you for your
homework!" She joked.
	"I don't think that's such a good idea since my marks aren't as
high as yours are, Yuko-san." Shiori replied in honesty.
	"They aren't that far off." Takiko pointed out.
	"I suppose not." She agreed as she laughed in embarrassment.
	Yuko held up her notebook in truimph. "Done!" She cried out as
Takiko continued to scribble. "Here, look at mine, give Shiori-san back
her paper."
	Shiori stuffed the paper back into her bag and watched Takiko
as she struggled to read Yuko's messy writing. "Nani? What's that say?
Number twenty . . . the answer is . . . does that say Kyoto?"
	"Do you need glasses? It says Tokyo!" Yuko retorted.
	"No, look at that messy kanji of yours! Tell me what that says.
It says Kyoto!" Takiko replied.
	Yuko sighed loudly. "Where did you learn your kanji, in the
dark? Shiori-san, what does this say? Look, number twenty. Does that
say Tokyo or Kyoto?"
	Shiori squinted at the paper. "I hate to say this but, I can't
read your kanji. It just looks like a big squiggle to me. What number
was that? Twenty? Wait a minute, how could you get Tokyo or Kyoto for
an answer? The question was 'in what year was the new capital of Japan
founded'?" The girl began to laugh. "Tokyo was the answer to number
nineteen. Look, you wrote the answer to nineteen twice."
	"Way to go, Yuko-san." Takiko grumbled. "Not only did you write
nineteen twice, but the second answer isn't even recognizable as
kanji!"
	Yuko shot Takiko a nasty yet playful look. "You know what, shut
up."
	"I'm done now!" Takiko shouted, ignoring Yuko's glare.
	"Very good, Moezawa-san. Next time though, please try to finish
your homework earlier than right before class." Said the teacher as she
opened the classroom door.
	"Koike-sensei!" Takiko said in surprise as her teacher
addressed her. "Ohayo gozaimasu! O genki desu ka?" She asked in one
hurried breath.
	"Okagesamade." The teacher replied as she smiled. "Ohayo
Miyasaki-san." She said, addressing Yuko. "Ohayo Fanel-san."
	"Ohayo gozaimasu." The two girls replied politely as they bowed
with respect. They all followed the teacher into the classroom and
watched the rest of their classmates take their seats as well. When the
loud bell of the school rang in the nine o'clock hour, the class stood
collectively and greeted the teacher.
	"Ohayo gozaimasu, Koike-sensei." They all said which followed
with a bow.
	"Minna, please take out your textbooks and your homework." The
teacher instructed as the class took their seats once more. "We'll
start with science this morning. Eeto, Fanel-san, can you read from
where we left off yesterday." Said the teacher as she absently played
with a piece of chalk on top of her desk.
	"Nani, Koike-sensei?" Shiori, who had been looking out the
window and drifting off in her own thoughts, snapped out of her
reverie. "Gomen nasai. Moo ichido onegai shimasu." She apologized.
	"Fanel-san, read from where we left off yesterday." Repeated
the teacher in a slightly more irritated tone.
	"Ee, Sir Isaac Newton discovered the law of gravity . . ."
Shiori read. Suddenly an image flashed before her. A girl with short
blond hair stood at the foot of a massive machine which held, in the
very middle, a sickly pale man with a head of long white hair and a
beard to match. Shiori could hear the girl, who had mysteriously
familiar green eyes, ask the man if his name was Isaac. There was a
sudden burst of light that was accompanied by images of death and war.
Bloody bodies laid lifelessly on the ground in the middle of ruined
cities that burned with uncontrolable fires. People cried out in pain
and grief. Massive man powered robot-like machines fought ruthlessly on
the grassy fields she now recognized from her childhood.
	"Fanel-san?" The teacher asked. "Daijobu?"
	Shiori snapped out of it. "Gomen nasai. I'm not feeling well."
	"That's alright. Will someone take over for Fanel-san?
Yamamoto-san, hai."
	The raven haired girl blinked to try to rid herself of thoughts
of her vision. She held her head in her trembling hands. Shiori took a
few long deep breaths to calm her pounding heart.
	*Hahaue was that you I just saw in my vision? Who was Isaac?
And what was he doing in Gaea? Did he cause all that war and sadness?
What were those big machines? What was it all? Why . . . why could I
see all that?*
	Shiori gazed out the window. She watched the wind blow through
the leaves of the trees outside.
	*What happened when hahaue went to Gaea? I wish I knew what
that was all about. Why didn't hahaue tell me? I wonder what it all 
means . . . I want to know . . .*
				***
	Shiori sighed as she saw her house come into view. She smiled
to herself as she paused to regard it. "For some strange reason I feel
like very soon I won't be walking down this street anymore. It's kind
of weird to think about it. Ever since I was five I've lived in that
house and . . . it's so odd . . . I don't feel like I'm going to miss
it."
	"Hahaue?" Shiori asked with a concerned tone as she entered the
living room. She was greeted by a soft garnet light coming from the
pendant in her mother's hands. "What's that? It's so pretty."
	"This pendant is the power of Atlantis. A man named Leon from
Gaea gave it to my grandmother who gave it to me. I gave it to your
father when I left Gaea and he returned it to me on our wedding day."
The woman placed the gold chain in her daughter's palm. "Now I want you
to have it. It will take you to Gaea."
	Shiori gazed at the necklace in wonder. "You have to come too,
hahaue. I won't leave you alone here."
	"Very well." Replied the woman who's dim eyes danced ever so
slightly as she refused to argue with her daughter. "The time is now.
Gaea is calling out to you."
	The girl nodded. "I wish," she began as she closed her eyes,
"to return to Gaea. Pendant, I wish you would take me and hahaue home
to Fanelia."
feel like I'm going to miss it at all. In fact I can't wait until I
finally go back to Gaea."
	She resumed her walk home. "Gaea has so many secrets for me. I
can feel it. So many adventures and stories . . . I want to go! I want
to learn all about chichiue and hahaue. I want to learn everything
about myself from Gaea. I just know that Gaea is the place where all
my dreams will come true." Shiori remarked to herself as she turned
the doorknob and entered her house. "Hahaue?" She asked. Silence
greeted her.
	There was a blinding explosion of light that erupted. The blue
pillar of illumination enveloped Shiori and her mother. They felt
themselves growing light and being lifted into the air. Their senses
were thrown and when they regained their bearings they found they no
longer were in the living room of their home but in the middle of a
large grassy field.
	"Gaea . . ." Breathed the woman, her emerald eyes now crystal
clear and full of tears.
	"Hahaue, look, you can see the earth from here!" Shiori said
in amazement. "Are we in Fanelia?"
	"Not quite." Said the woman. She pointed to a village in the
distance. "That is Fanelia."
	Shiori broke out in a sprint. "Let's go, hahaue! You used to be
on the track team, ne? I'll race you there!"
	"Wait for me!" The woman shouted as she ran after her daughter,
a renewed spirit suddenly within her. "No fair! Shiori! At least let me
catch up with you! I haven't sprinted in a long time! Wait! Are you
listening to me? Shiori? Shiori?!? Shiori!!!"

		     To be continued. . .
			Next Episode:
		(Cue the cheezy preview music!)
		   The Kingdom of the Dragon 


© 2000 Hitomi-sama