Ee, poor Shiori got abducted last episode! What can Sapir possibly have
planned for her? I hope you're enjoying this. I sure am! I've got a lot
of great ideas swimming around in my head and I guarantee that this
series is going to get way more complex and exciting! So stick with me,
okay? Here goes! Jaa!
***********************************************************************
Escaflowne is not mine and never will be. It 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
E-mail comments to: Hitomi_sama@hotmail.com
Rated: PG-13 for violence and colorful language

			The Second Vision of Escaflowne
			   Vision Two, Episode Five:
				The Fallen Angel

	"Let me out of here! Do you hear me? Ne! Let me out!" Shiori
shouted as she pounded on the metal door of her cell. "I know you can
hear me out there! Let me out!"
	"Shut your mouth, Fanelian whore!" Barked a guard as he kicked
the wall. "Quit wasting all of your time and energy screaming. No one's
going to let you out."
	The girl abandoned her attack on the door, realizing the only
thing she would succeed in would be losing her voice if she kept
shouting. Shiori made her way over to a long skinny wooden plank that
was covered with a dirty white cloth. She laid down on it and began to
cry.
	Shiori removed the pink pendant from around her neck and held
it between her laced fingers as she prayed. "Jared, help me,
onegai . . . onegai shimasu . . ." The girl's warm tears splashed upon
the charm as it glowed.
	Footsteps could be heard clanking down the hall. The girl's
eyes snapped open in surprise, her heart futily hoping the blond knight
had so quickly answered her prayers. Her breath caught in her throat as
she saw out of the narrow window of the door a head of curly green
hair. "Open the door." Said the deep voice with calm authority.
	"Hai, Sapir-sama." Came the reply of the soldier who had
snapped at Shiori only moments ago. The metal door creaked as it
opened, it's hinges making Shiori's skin crawl. She grabbed the black
sheet in her trembling fists and drew the covers up to her chin, trying
to hide from the man who now entered her cell.
	Sapir's black cloak parted momentarily so his pale white hand
could shut the door tightly behind himself. "I see you're awake." He
said in the dangerously calm bass of his voice. His emerald eyes danced
as he watched the trembling girl.
	"You . . . you're the one . . . with . . . those eyes . . .
from my vision . . ." Shiori mumbled frantically to herself. "What do
you want with me?" She demanded suddenly.
	The man crossed his arms in front of him, his lips curling into
a sly smile. "My dear Tenshi-Hime . . . it's quite simple . . . I want
Fanelia. I've been plotting it's downfall for some time . . . and
you've just happened to get in my way. It's a shame really . . ."
	"You're crazy if you think I'm going to let you take over
Fanelia!" Shiori exclaimed as she tossed the covers to the floor in a
burst of angry confidence.
	"Innocent little princess, that's so cute." Sapir chuckled to
himself. "I fail to see what you can do to prevent us from taking
Fanelia for our own. You're a prisoner of this floating fortress . . .
and that Ispano Guymelef of yours is hundreds of miles away!"
	Shiori's eyes went wide. "Escaflowne?" She asked softly.
	"The Zaibach have had problems with that damned machine
before . . . the best thing is to put as much distance between you and
it as possible." Sapir explained. "You're really-how does the saying
from the Mystic Moon go?-'up the creek without a paddle'?"
	The girl, furious, charged at the man. She beat his chest with
her fists. Sapir laughed as he grabbed her wrists with incredible force
and effortlessly threw her to the ground. Shiori yelped as she crashed
to the metal floor with a thud.
	"Shimatta!" The raven haired girl mumbled." The raven haired
girl mumbled as she struggled to her feet, her muscles throbbing from
her sudden outburst. She brushed a hand against her brow, pushing some
wild strands of bang out of her angry eyes.
	Sapir ran a hand through his dark green hair as he sighed.
"You're quite beautiful when you've got such a determined look in your
eyes, you know." He said. Shiori narrowed her eyes even more at the
emerald man. "There really is nothing you can do. Just rot away in this
cell . . . unless . . ."
	"Unless what?" Shiori demanded with angry sarcasam.
	The man's eyes flashed with intensity. "Unless, of course, you
joined the Zaibach." He said.
	"Never!" The girl shouted in return.
	Sapir approached Shiori. She backed up until she was pinned
against the wall. "Just think about it. You're trapped here . . . I'm
going to take over Fanelia . . . your Fanelia . . . if you joined me we
could rule it together."
	"Never!" Shiori spat once more.
	The emerald man brought his large hand up to Shiori's face,
tracing her jaw-line with his finger. She turned her head and attempted
to escape Sapir but was unsuccessful. "We would be such a great
pair . . . ruling Fanelia . . . together . . ."
	Shiori had tears of protest streaming down her cheeks. With a
burst of helplessness, she clenched her fist tightly and thrust it
straight into Sapir's stomach with all her might. The man doubled over
in pain giving Shiori freedom to rush to the other side of the room
where she grabbed a nearby candle holder and held it high above her
head as a weapon.
	Sapir spun around and blinked the tears of pain out of his eyes
as he gasped in air wildly. "Fine then!" He choked breathlessly. "If
you won't join me . . . then I'll just have you killed!" The man
stumbled over to the door. "What do I care . . . what happens to a
bitch like you? Open the door!" He cried.
	The soldiers complied. Sapir stumbled into the hall and the
door was thrown shut once more. Shiori held the candle holder tightly
in her trembling fists as she sank to her knees. She could hear the
soldiers attending to their leader who moaned in pain.
	"Sapir-sama! Daijobu?"
	"I don't need your help! Leave me alone!"
	"Sapir-sama!"
	"Keep your hands off me! I said leave me alone! Shimatta! I can
walk by myself!" Sapir snapped angrily. "It'll take more than a weak
little slut like that to hurt me!"
	Shiori remained on the ground until she no longer heard
footsteps echoing through the hall. After that she doubled over where
she sat, bringing her knees to her chest and hugging them tightly as
she sobbed beside the abandoned candle holder.
	"Jared . . . hurry . . . onegai . . . onegai shimasu . . ."
				***
	"Let me come with you." Hitomi said to Allen as men frantically
boarded the Crusade behind them. "Onegai shimasu, Allen." Her emerald
eyes swam with concern. Jared approached the pair after finishing a
quick conversation with Dalton. "Let me come."
	"Hitomi-sama," The young blond man protested, "it's too-"
	Allen held up a dismissing hand that caused his son to stop
abruptly. "It will be like old times, ne?" He said with a smile as he
watched Hitomi's face light up slightly at the granting of her request.
"Too bad Van can't be here too."
	"Hai." She replied with thankful yet worried tears in her eyes.
"But he is." Hitomi added, pointing to her heart.
	"Soo desu ne." Allen said with a little nod.
	Dalton waved at Jared from where he stood in the middle of the
threshold of the boarding doors. "Boss! We're all ready! If we go now
we may be able to still see where that damned fortress flew off to!" He
shouted. "Though I doubt it seeing as how it took so long to load that
ancient piece of Ispano technology on board." Dalton muttered under his
breath.
	"Chichiue, Hitomi-sama . . ." Jared began as he motioned for
the two to board the Crusade.
				***
Shiori hugged to her knees to her chest as she sat on her bed, rocking
back and forth slowly as she hummed an old Fanelian folk song to
herself. She heard it echo in her mind, as if she was being joined in
by a voice from the past who had whistled the same tune once in a very
similar room.
	The door opened slowly and a girl entered the room carrying a
tray with a glass on it. Her violet irises seemed cold to Shiori. The
servant pushed some of her long blond hair behind her ear, ignoring
some of her bang that fell into her eyes.
	"Hello, I brought you something to drink. You must be very
thirsty." Said the servant.
	Shiori ignored her dry mouth and shook her head. "Iie,
daijobu." She said in a hoarse voice.
	"Are you sure? Sapir-sama isn't very lenient when it comes to
prisoners. You should drink this while you can. He might not send a
drop of liquid your way for days. Especially if he finds you
offensive." She said.
	The girl laughed. "I'm surprised he even sent me this." Shiori
remarked. "If he doesn't care what happens to me then why send me
something to drink?"
	"Maybe he really is fond of you." The servant said as her
violet eyes attempted to be friendly.
	"That's what I'm afraid of." Shiori replied.
	The servant sat down beside the girl. There was something about
her that made Shiori think twice about doubting the blond. Something in
the depths of her eyes . . . past the Zaibach harshness and anger . . .
something that reminded Shiori of a helpless little girl. It told her
that maybe . . . just maybe she wasn't all that evil . . . and she
could trust her . . .
	"Is it safe?" Shiori questioned as she motioned to the glass.
	The servant nodded. She held the cup to her lips, avoiding the
drugged liquid inside, making a fake slurping noise. "It's safe."
	"I'm Shiori." She said, taking the glass from the servant.
"Shiori Tenshi de Fanel. What's your name?" The raven haired girl asked
as she downed the liquid thankfully.
	"Cernea." Replied the servant. She paused and watched Shiori as
her earthen eyes adopted a far off look. The girl swooned and laid her
head upon the worn pillow. Her eyelids became heavy and she began to
slur her words horribly.
	"Shimatta . . . you-liar . . . thought-I-could-trust-you . . ."
She mumbled before losing consciousness.
				***
	"I'm not taking any chances." Sapir said. "I know they're going
to come looking for her and I'm not going to take any chances. I'm not
going to let anyone interfere with my plans for Fanelia again."
	Lim nodded in agreement as he stood beside the emerald man.
"Shouldn't we leave now then, Sapir-sama?" The red general asked.
	Sapir shook his head. "Not quite yet. I need to pay Tenshi-Hime
a little visit before we go." His emerald eyes flashed with intense
fire. "She can still be of use to me."
	"Are you planning something, Sapir-sama?" Lim asked with a
raised eyebrow. Sapir motioned for the guards to open the door to
Shiori's cell. They wordlessly obeyed.
	"You could say that, Lim." He finally answered with an unstable
chuckle. Sapir entered the cell, followed by his commander who gasped
softly as he saw a long blond haired girl standing next to where Shiori
lay sleeping in her bed.
	Lim took a step forward. "Cernea . . ." He began.
	"I've given her the elixir like you instructed, Sapir-sama."
Cerna said, holding the servant's tray.
	"You must be planning something to have one of your most
accomplished soldiers delivering drugs to prisoners like a handmaid."
Lim muttered to the emerald man.
	Sapir laughed. "I wanted her to be here to see the girl she's
going to become." He said. "Getting into Fanelia will be that much
easier if those fools are led to believe their dear princess actually
agreed to an alliance with the Zaibach."
	"Nani? Genentic manipulation? You can't be serious!" Lim
exclaimed. "You can't . . . I thought you said you thought Dornkirk's
fate alteration project was the biggest farce you'd ever heard of! And
here . . . you turn around and do this . . . you're no better than the
mad scientist you despise so much!"
	The emerald man tried to contain his anger. "Are you through?"
He asked through clenched teeth. "I don't need lectures from you, Lim.
Just remember who bows to who here." Sapir said.
	"But Cernea . . ." Lim continued to protest. He looked over to
where the blond girl averted her violet eyes from his gaze. "Cernea,
did you agree to this . . . ?"
	"Hai." Came the soft, meek reply as she girl's eyes closed
gravely. Lim looked as if he had been sentanced to die. He stumbled
backwards a few steps and steadied himself against the wall.
	"I need to take a genetic sample from her. Are you going to
help me do this or not?" Sapir asked, as Cernea handed a hyperdermic
needle from a small medical kit she had in the pocket of her servant's
apron.
	Lim didn't reply. Instead, he numbly went over to where Shiori
lay and clamped his hands around the sleeping girl's ankles in order to
keep her from thrashing around. Cernea took hold of Shiori's wrists
while Sapir approached the head of the bed. The emerald man smoothed
the hair away from the girl's bare neck and slowly inserted the needle
into her flesh.
	"Iie!" Shiori screamed through her drugged stupor as Sapir
withdrew the device that was filled with her red blood. "I won't let
you take Fanelia!!!" She yelled as she began to kick and struggle
against her captors.
	"Keep her still, I need more." Sapir demended as he regarded
the half filled vile with disappointment.
	"Iie! I won't let you take Fanelia! Matte!" Shiori screamed as
she continued to fight. "Iie!!! Iie!!! IIE!!!" She shrieked as Sapir
inserted the needle once more. This time, a full vile was extracted.
Sapir injected the liquid into a sealed sterile tube that was placed
back inside Cernea's medical kit. "We don't need her anymore." The
emerald man said as he began to leave. The door was opened at the sound
of his footsteps and he regarded the soldiers with satisfied green
eyes. "Tomorrow, kill her. I have no more use for her."
	Lim exited the room ahead of Cernea, not even casting so much
as a glance at her. He wordlessly followed Sapir to where he was
boarding a fairly modest size levi-ship. Cernea ran to keep up with the
two men. When she entered the control room, she sat beside the emerald
man who gazed out of the windowed bow.
	"Take us to Fanelia. Avoid any conflicts at all costs. I want
to make it to the Kingdom of the Dragon before those idiots come
looking for Tenshi-Hime and catch onto our plan." Sapir explained as
the ship left the floating fortress. "I've got work to do. Come,
Cernea. Lim, I'm going to need some help." The red haired man didn't
answer. "Lim?"
	"Hai, Sapir-sama." Came his soft reply.
				***
"It's so amazing. Your daughter reminds me so much of Van. The
resemblance . . . her attitude . . . the way she handles Escaflowne.
But something in the way her eyes dance when she smiles . . . that's
when she reminds me of you." Allen admitted. "That innocent and
unbridled happiness . . . it's so hard to describe but I remember that
look from so long ago during our first adventure . . ."
	Hitomi smiled. "I see it too, Allen. Seeing so much of Van in
Shiori . . . it doesn't make me miss him as much because in a way I
feel like he really is still here." She trailed off, a bit of
melancholy sadness dimming her emerald eyes.
	Allen took the woman's hand in his own. He smiled comfortingly.
"Like you said before, he still is." The man pointed to her heart.
	The woman laughed in rememberance. "Yeah, that's true." She
chuckled. "Allen, I've missed seeing you. We barely saw each other
after Van and I were married and after Shiori was born, you
disappeared."
	"To tell you the truth, I didn't mean to disappear." Allen
confessed. "Things with Celena haven't been so great. She's been having
a lot of problems."
	"Oh?" Hitomi asked.
	"Hai, she had pretty much gotten her life back together and had
even settled down and started a family. But when her husband was killed
in a war, her problems began to resurface. She would become angry at
times and uncontrollably fate-alter into Dilandau. To this day we still
haven't found a way to combat the affects of that Zaibach experiment."
Allen explained.
	"What about you? You haven't just taken care of your sister all
this time." Hitomi questioned.
	Allen laughed lightly. "Iie, I haven't. I settled down too."
	"You did? I never thought I'd hear those words come out of your
mouth, Allen Schezar." Hitomi said with a smile. She saw Allen's blue
eyes dance as he laughed at her comment.
	"I've been happily married for almost twenty-three years."
	"Good for you." Hitomi sincerely congratulated. "Then you must
have gotten married a few years after Van and I did. We would have had
our twenty fifth anniversary this year." She paused a moment and then
regarded Allen with another smile. "So who's the lucky woman? Anyone I
know?"
	Allen opened his mouth in reply but was cut off by Bascom who
burst into the room shouting loudly. "Schezar-sama! Schear-sama! We've
got the floating fortress in sight! Schezar-sama!"
	"Bascom, arigato." Allen replied as he rose, followed by
Hitomi. The three ran all the way to the cargo bay of the Crusade where
Jared stood with his men. The loading door was opened and the men began
to cross a large wide wooden plank that bridged the gap between the
levi-ship and the floating fortress.
	"Let's go bums! Let's get those Zaibach bastards!" Jared
shouted as his men cheered and boarded the fortress, weapons drawn and
waving in the air. "Bascom, you stay with Hitomi-sama."
	"Hai." Replied the large balding man as he crossed his arms in
front of himself and nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, Hitomi-sama, I
won't let anything happen to you." He reassured. The woman smiled in
reply as she waved good-bye to Allen and Jared as they unsheathed their
swords and pointed them at a few Zaibach soldiers inside.
	"Let's go save Shiori."
				***
	Jared drew his blade across the stomach of a Zaibach soldier
who moaned in pain and collapsed, gurgling to the ground. The blond
knight fought off two more by striking one in the nose with his elbow
and the other in the back of the head with the hilt of his sword.
"Zaibach bastards!" He exclaimed, clashing weapons with another
soldier.
	"Where's Shiori?" Allen demanded.
	"Shimatta!" Jared yelled as he kicked away a furious bleeding
man with his boot. His blade ripped across the exposed flesh of the
soldier's shoulder.
	Allen glanced with an unsatisfied look at the soldiers that
were crumpled on the floor, bleeding and moaning in pain. "Ruthless
warriors, your form is horrible! You're no match for a former Knight of
Caeli."
	The young blond knight grabbed a fallen Zaibach by his lapel
and hoisted him into the air, shaking him for emphasis. "Where's Shiori
Fanel? Where is she? You must know where she is! Tell me!" Jared
shouted.
	"Die!" The Zaibach growled despite the young man strangling him
mercilessly. He spat a mouthful of his own blood in Jared's face. The
disgusted knight punched the Zaibach in the nose, then abandoned his
assault on him and wiped the dripping red mess from his cheeks with
his already stained gloves.
	"Son of a-" Jared cursed as he picked the man up from the
ground once more. The razor sharp edge of his blade was pressed up
against the tender flesh of the Zaibach's neck. Blood began to drip
from where the sword was already lacerating his skin. "Point me in the
direction of the cell block or YOU'LL be the one to die."
	The haughty soldier refused to comply. Jared, with a small
quick jerk forced the blade a bit deeper into his neck. The Zaibach
soldier flinched in pain, tears mixing from the blood that began to
pour out like a river. A trembling hand pointed down a corridor from
which Zaibach were streaming out of, instantly engaging in a fight with
Jared's soldiers.
	"Good." The blond knight said with a nod. He dragged the
wounded Zaibach along with him as he ran down the hall, followed by his
father. Seeing the bleeding hostage, the Zaibach moved out of Jared's
way helplessly watching their comrade who's guilty eyes did not look
their way.
				***
	"Do you think this will work?" Lim asked, looking at the woman
formerly known as Cernea. Now she was an exact replica of Shiori.
	Sapir's lips curled into a crooked smile. "Matte, Lim . . .
we'll see." He said as he fingered his velvety black cape. "You may be
quite surprised with the results." His emerald eyes danced behind his
narrowed lids. "Quite surprised and . . . pleased . . ."
	"Pleased?" Lim echoed skeptically. He regarded the raven haired
girl shrouded in a midnight black cape beside him. "Sapir-sama, I can
hardly understand how your anger and hate has so quickly turned into-"
	"Are you questioning me?" Sapir demanded as he grabbed Lim by
the lapel of his jacket and hoisted him into the air, his feet dangling
wildly beneath him. "Never ever question me! Do I make myself perfectly
clear?!?"
	Lim nodded as he unsuccessfully sucked in air. His eyes watered
as he fell to the floor, gasping and breathless. Sapir turned his back
on the Zaibach general and ascended the steps to his throne once more.
Composing himself, Lim turned away from his leader's scrutinizing eye
and addressed the girl who had been named Kawari, which meant, "copy."
	"Don't think for a moment that just because Sapir-sama has
taken a liking to you means I will willing take orders from a mindless
half Gaean backwater cloned slut . . ."
	"Nani?" Kawari asked softly, her earthen eyes wide in shock.
	"You heard me." Lim snapped in a sarcastic whisper. "Fanelian
slut." He added, his lips curling into an evilly contented smile.
	Kawari spun around like a blur of darkness, her cape masking
her lightning quick movements. A tray was dropped, a girl-servant
screamed in surprise, dishes broke . . . Sapir stood and adopted a
concerned yet satisfied look as he crossed his arms in front of him.
Lim choked and pulled at the long wooden handle of a servant's broom
that Kawari had pressed up against his neck from behind. As the red
haired man fought and struggled, Kawari's eyes flashed with dangerous
intensity.
	"I am a Zaibach!" The raven haired girl spat in anger. "How
dare you call me such names! To call a fellow Zaibach names is to call
one's self the same!" Kawari continued to strangle Lim who was now
turning a light shade of purple. "You will honor Sapir-sama and take
your orders from me! Is that clear?!? I could kill you-"
	"Kawari, that's enough." Sapir interupted.
	"Hai, Sapir-sama." The girl replied, rather disappointed as she
loosened her grip on the broom. She held it in her hands and watched
Lim coughing and choking as he recovered on the floor. Kawari pointed
the end of the handle at Lim's nose when he had exhaustedly turned over
onto his back. "I am not a 'mindless half Gaean backwater cloned
slut' . . . I am your commanding Zaibach officer and you will address
me as such . . . is that understood?"
	"Hai." Lim moaned in a hoarse voice.
	"Nani?" Kawari asked with a raised eyebrow.
	"Hai, Kawari-sama."
	"Soo desu." She replied as she gently touched the tip of Lim's
nose with the broom handle before tossing it to the marble floor beside
him.
	Sapir approached the raven haired girl and cupped her chin in
his left hand as he looked down at her with content emerald eyes.
Kawari smiled up at the man with obedience, looking like a pet who had
just successfully performed a trick for it's master. "Very good, Kawari
-chan . . ."
				***
	"Baka, are you insane? We need to fight! We've been boarded! We
can't waste time with a weak little girl like this!" Protested a
Zaibach soldier who addressed another. "Weston!"
	Weston, who entered Shiori's cell, glanced over his shoulder.
"Sapir-sama gave me an order. I'm going to carry it out like I was
told. He wants the prisoner dead . . ." The Zaibach soldier unsheathed
his sword and pointed it at the groggy Shiori.
	"Shimatta, baka!" The soldier replied as he rolled his eyes and
ran off to join the fight.
	Shiori, still slightly drugged from the potent elixir she had
ingested hours before, stumbled out of the bed and collapsed as she
tried to get away from Weston. The Zaibach pointed the tip of his sword
at the girl, approaching where she struggled in the corner.
	"Don't make this hard, girl. I'll eventually catch you. Just do
us both a favor and stay there." Weston said as he brought the blade
down swiftly.
	"Iie." She mumbled. The girl rolled between the soldier's legs,
avoiding the decapitation with only slice to her exposed shoulder.
"Shimatta." Shiori clamped her hand over the gushing flesh wound.
Weston spun around, his sword following suit. The raven haired girl
rolled sideways. Metal sliced her left thigh and right calf as she
escaped.
	"Shimatta!" Weston hissed as he gripped his weapon tighter.
	Wild footfalls were heard on the metal grating of the hall.
"Shiori! Ne, Shiori! Shori!" A male voice echoed off the metallic walls
and ultimately in the girl's ears. Weston spun around in time to see
the door burst open and three men enter the cell.
	"Jared!" Shiori cried. "Schezar-sama!"
	The bloody Zaibach hostage was pushed out of the blond's grasp.
He fell, with a muffled groan, onto Weston's sword. There was a quick
gasp of protest from the Zaibach soldier who stared in disbelief at his
blade that was embedded within his comrade's chest. This was an
excellent diversion for the two blond men. Allen's weapon sliced
cleanly through the air, coming into contact with Weston's stomach.
Jared lunged forward and stabbed his blade into the Zaibach's chest.
Weston slumped over and remained on the floor.
	"Jared!" Shiori cried as she sat crying in a small pool of her
own blood. "Jared! Jared! Jared!" She exclaimed as her chest racked
with sobs. The young blond knight rushed over to where she sat, taking
the wounded girl in his arms. Shiori continued to cry hysterically, as
if being in Jared's arms wasn't confirmation enough that he was really
there. "Jared! Jared!"
	The blond knight kissed Shiori's cheek repeatedly, trying to
soothe her as he ran to where his soldiers were still intensely
fighting the Zaibach. "Daijobu, Shiori . . . ne, tenshi . . .
daijobu . . ." Jared motioned to his men to fall back, avoiding angry
foes as he ran to board the Crusade. "Watashi no tenshi . . .
daijobu . . ."
	Zaibach followed the men as they retreated to the levi-ship.
However, Jared's soldiers escaped and were soon on their way. Jared
continued to comfort the hysterical Shiori, stoping momentarily to
order his men to set a course for Fanelia. After giving the command, he
took Shiori to a room where he could tend to her wounds . . . and watch
her recovery. . . and wait . . . and wait . . . and wait . . .

			To be continued. . .
			   Next Episode:
		      Stronghold of Darkness

© 2000 Hitomi-sama