This story takes place five years after Hitomi left. I do not own these characters; they belong to Bandai and Sunrise. "Dragon Visions ~ The Fifth Mirror" was written by Zero Tsubasa no Kami. <v.neiw@worldnet.att.net> This version was edited for Anime Central's fanfic contest. To view the whole unedited version, go to <http://home.att.net/~v.neiw/index.htm>

Warning: Contains some lime.

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Celena Schedzarr ~ Mirror the First

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Sea air blew over our faces as the sailed across the aqua blue light which was a lake. The passing scenery grew more complex as the winded through the maze of islands, spotting lobster traps and lighthouses. Drops of moisture landed on our faces. The sun was warming us all with brilliant rays of light and the beams danced wildly in the water, created odd, but beautiful shadows over the sandy bottom of the lake.

Van and Hitomi were at the rear of the boat, enjoying each others' company that had been missed for five years. Five, very long years. She had grown out her hair so that it was shoulder length. Van looked about the same, just a bit taller and stronger. Meruru was leaning over the side of the boat, trying to catch stray fish. Her fingers of age eighteen were fast so the occasional dinner would be thrown onboard the deck. Allen was looking through a telescope at passing birds and the locations of upcoming islands.

The islands here are wonderful. They vary in size and all have vegetation and birds on them. The larger ones boasted houses and sometimes even a whole town complete with postal service was established. Millerna and I were making plans for the rest of our vacation: fishing, hiking, swimming, shopping.. Oh, yes. It was going to be a wonderful month off. Sort of.

"Err..Hi. We had reservations for three connecting rooms?" said Van. He leaned on the high front desk of the hotel, getting keys and such. The others of us were wandering around a beautifully decorated room. Glass sculptures of dragons, unicorns, and other magical creatures lay around the room. Paintings ruled the walls; impressionist, realism, and others. They were rearranged in such a way that even though they were of different types, matched so perfectly that you would have thought they were specifically meant for this hotel.

Footsteps and a loud clanking noise made by a sword told us that Van had gotten the things. "Floor six, rooms 141, 142, and 143. They said we have a view of the lake."

"A water-front view," sighed Millerna, "how nice." Meruru dragged us to the elevators. Pushing a button with an arrow marked UP, we waited for the flashing lights at the top to go to 'L' which stood for Lobby. The doors opened.

The elevators were made of glass. As we went up, you could see to the outside. Mountains framed the water to make the ultimate tour guide picture. An orange glow came from behind the mountains, carving the signature of a setting sun into the horizon. "It's beautiful," Allen said. And it was.

"Celena! What's the matter? It's 3 a.m. and you're still up!" exclaimed Meruru. She leaned in close and peered into my eyes. "Are you sick or something?"

"No, Meruru. I don't think so. I just have this feeling that something bad is going to happen."

Her eyes widened to a size larger than I'd ever seen on a cat. "Really? To who?"

"I don't know." It was a female, though. I kept it to myself. I had heard her screaming, although who it was I could not discern.

"Dilandau?" The name of my other made me shiver slightly. Dilandau? He hasn't been to in years..

"I think I can control it," I answer, though I wasn't sure myself.

"Well, okay," she said in a worried voice. "Try to get some sleep, okay?"

"Okay." I laid my head on the pillow and heard Meruru shifting position in the other bed. She murmured something that sounded like 'Van-sama, meow'. 'I'm just going paranoid,' I thought. I'm not a visionary. If something bad were to happen Hitomi would have picked it up. She always does....

Allen came bursting through the door the next morning: "Rise and shine, ladies!" Too cheerful.

"Allen, is Millerna alright?" I asked him.

"Yeah, of course. Why?" Why? I didn't know why. Or couldn't tell him why. He'd just have to settle with a, "Nothing. Just wondering."

"Uh.okay. So, Celena, what are we doing today?"

"Well, there are some nice hiking trails on this island if you guys want to do that or Meruru wanted to go fishing--" At that point I was interrupted by an enormous storm of giggles coming from Van and Hitomi's room. "Umm.. Maybe I should check on them." I walked to the door the connected our rooms and knocked. "Is everything alright?" I ask through the door.

"Yeah, everything's fine," came Van's answer. Hitomi seemed to be laughing to hard to say anything.

Allen's eyebrows rose into his hair, "At least we know they're awake."

"By the sound of it, they were awake for a long time, already." Millerna said as she walked through a second open door connected to our room.

"And they probably had a long night, too," said Meruru. Laughter.

"So what exactly are we doing today, Celena?" Millerna asks. I repeated the same answer I gave Allen. "Well, if no one else has an opinion, then I guess we're going fishing.

"Yay! Meow! Meow!" Meruru hopped of the bed and started pounding on Hitomi's and Van's door: "Van-sama! Hitomi! Get your clothes back on, we're going fishing!!!" I few minutes later, they emerged with slightly mussed hair, still with gigantic smiles on the faces.

"Did you say fishing?" asked Hitomi.

"Yup!" replied Meruru.

"Fishing. I've never been fishing before.." said Hitomi.

Van was showing Hitomi how to use a fishing rod. Which was hard because the kept yawning. "What time did you guys go to sleep?" Allen asked.

"Well, we didn't exactly go to sleep," Van answered.

"She's that good?" He nodded.

Meruru didn't bother with them and jumped into the water, creating a huge splash next to Allen and accidentally/on purpose got his hair all wet. "Damn, I didn't bring hair gel. Stupid cat."

Meruru stuck his tongue out at him and splashed him again. "Hey!" He held up his hands to block the water. Millerna burst into a fit of giggles as Allen jumped in and a full-fledged water fight began.

"Come on, Celena!" Hitomi grabbed my hand and dragged me into the water. She turned around and spotted Millerna, who was still very dry. "Millerna! Get in here!" She hesitated and walked up to the edge. Everyone tried no to smile as Van snuck up behind her and--

"Push!" She fell into the water with a surprised look on her face which became crossed between a frown and amusement.

We didn't end up catching anything. It appears so that are little war scared the fish away. For dinner we ate at one of those expensive places where all the waiters have accents.

It was very enjoyable except for the fact that everyone kept staring at us. Whether it was Allen's hair, or that two members of royalty were there, or perhaps the fact that they, I say 'they' because I didn't talk much, were cracking jokes and comments quite loudly. When we eventually left, we were all very tired.

Before we knew it, we were all asleep, except myself. A distant ringing resided in my ears followed by screams. I put my hands over my ears, shaking my head violently trying to block the sound, but it seemed to be coming out of my own skull. I closed my eyes, hoping to fall into a dreamless sleep. But I do this only to find images streaking through my mind. A tall frame, the shadows to heavy to see who, tossing a smaller one to the ground. An arm reached down and seemed to rip something off the smaller's body. I opened my eyes, hoping to block the images. The screaming returned. The screaming of whoever it was that was being raped.

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Millerna Sara Aston ~ Mirror the First

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We had spent a few days at the hotel before moving onto one of the smaller islands. Van had rented us a cabin and we had all piled onto Allen's ship to sail. The sky was clear and the wind fresh. It wouldn't take long to get there. I looked over the side of the ship, gazing beneath the water at whatever happened to be there. A school of Look-down fish passed us and seaweed caught on the side of the ship. The others (except Allen, who was steering) were doing the same as I.

"Hey, look!" Meruru shouted. I trailed where her finger pointed. A pod of devuts were jumping into the air at 3 o'clock. This pod featured the color gray. I could see a small one following it's mother around.

"They look like whales." Hitomi remarked. What are whales? They must have been some sort of Mystic Moon creature. I had never seen or heard of anything that resembled a devut and was astonished that a different planet had similar animals. A second later, Van voiced what I had just thought.

"What are whales?"

Hitomi stared at him for a moment, perhaps forgetting that she wasn't on the Phantom Moon anymore and launched into an explanation: "Whales are animals that live in water but breath air. They look similar to.. what are those?" she pointed at the devuts.

"Devuts," Celena answered.

"Okay, they look like devuts, but on Earth they are much larger," Hitomi finished. She was clearly interested and leaned far over the rail to get a good look. Maybe too far because Van came forward and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Devuts can get much larger than those. There are usually small females that travel with a huge male. If we watch a bit, we might see him," said Allen.

"Do you see the shadow? Under the water?" Meruru asked.

"Yeah, I can see it now. It's huge! Will it come up to the surface?" Hitomi questioned.

"Most of the time they don't." Van stated. A soft sort of clicking noise started.

"Is that noise being made by the devut?" I ask. I had seen them from a distance, never getting this close..

"Maybe. This is the first time I've seen one in real life," Van said.

"Well, of course. Devuts are uncommon in Fanelia," Allen said. We watched a little more until the clicking and splashing died away. The shadow of the huge alpha devut droned out of site. "We're here."

Turning my head to look at the island, I saw that it was a lot smaller than the one we were on before. An Austurian flag told us this belonged to Austuria, and no Fried, who's border we were close to. I looked at the next island which boasted a flag from Fried. The cabin was painted white and stood beneath a tall and thick nyuryoko tree. It had flowered in the windows and a fairly clean deck.

Plucking a key out of his pocket, Van approached the door and opened it. There were five rooms. A kitchen (which was the room we first entered), a bathroom which was upstairs, and three bedrooms, one downstairs and two up stairs. Before we came in, we noted that a table with chairs and an umbrella was set up, explaining why there was no dining room. And if it rained, we could always eat at the kitchen counter for there were bar stools.

The bedrooms were basically all the same. Each had a closet, a single bed, two windows, two night stands, and a chest at the foot of the bed. For "Allen and Marlane" purposes, I was to share a room with Meruru for our stay here. Allen and Celena would be in the room next door, and the Fanels had the room downstairs.

Dinner that night was roasted le frak. Believe it or not, Meruru was a kitchen wizard and turned the horrid furball (the le frak) into a surprising delight. We ate outside. The weather was perfect and the lack of bugs in the area made it better. A lantern was lit and placed in the center of the table. Allen had lit it. Celena asked if she could but no one would let here near a box of matches for a long time; with good reason, too.

She had been acting strange for the past few days, I noticed. Well, she always acted a little strange and confused but since our vacation started, she had begun to act a little paranoid. She doesn't say anything because that was her nature but small things, seemingly unimportant to the rest, had begun to bother me. For example, I noticed Celena started carrying a nail file around holding it as if it were a dagger. For example, every night she went to sleep, I heard the doorknob turning, like she was locking it. Her eyes widened at every uncertain noise and she seemed to tremble every time a guy besides Van or Allen came near her.

I was in my room by now. Meruru, Van, Hitomi and Allen were playing cards in the kitchen. I heard footsteps and the sound of rushing water. Somebody else must have been tired, too. They were brushing their teeth. I got out of bed and opened the door. A soft clicking noise was heard. A devut? No, just Celena locking her door again. I hope she doesn't lock Allen out. I looked toward the bathroom where Meruru was flossing her fangs.

"Going to sleep?" I asked.

"Uh-huh. Gotta get up real early tomorrow," she answered.

"Why?"

"Oh, not you. Just me. I like to be the first to go rampaging around, yelling to wake everyone up," she said with a devilish grin.

I couldn't help but smile. "I'll be up in a bit."

"Where are you going?" the cat-woman asked.

"I'm cotton balls from the medicine cabinet."

"Cotton balls?" she said with a puzzled look.

"To plug up my ears." I smiled as I saw her disappear into our room. I plodded down the stairs, in no hurry. Allen and the Fanels were still playing. I fetched some cotton balls from the cabinet above the kitchen sink and poured myself a glass of water.

"Good night, guys." I said. The coursed their "G'nights." and I proceeded up the stairs. They engaged in their card war again and occasionally took a sip of juice. As I reached the second landing, a piercing shriek met my ears.

"Meruru!" I yelled. I thought she was going to yell in the morning! Looking up the stairs I saw Meruru nervously peering out the door. She was focused on the door to her left. Her mouth was closed but the screaming continued. In an instant I realized Meruru hadn't yelled, no she hadn't; I knew at that moment that it was Celena Schedzarr.

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Allen Crusader Schedzarr ~ Mirror the First

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Hitomi, Van, and I dropped our cards and rush up the stairway. The scream was followed by the shattering sound of glass and then by the sound of chairs being pushed back from a table. We saw a tail that must have been Meruru's follow the catgirl into the room which Celena and I shared. Millerna was right behind her. On the second landing lay shards of glass which used to be the cup Millerna was drinking from.

As soon as we reached the doorway, Meruru and Millerna ran out of it, everyone crashing as a result of rush hour in different directions. "Meruru, what happened?" Van asked her.

"Ce-Celena!" she managed to choke out. Getting nothing but the obvious answer, the three of us that had no information dashed into the room.

Celena was not there.

Van glanced around the room, his radar-like eyes taking in what had happened. Scorch marks covered the walls. Her dress was ripped and lying on the bed. A lamp was knocked over and the window was open.

"Hm. There's a nail file stuck in the wall," he said. Looking in the direction he faced, I saw something black embedded into the stucco. Reaching out his hand, he pulled it free. "Allen, come look at this.."

Taking a closer look I saw that the metal part of the file was red. Blood red.

"Hitomi," he motioned to his wife. She walked up, to one glance at it and fell to the floor. "Hitomi!" He rushed up to her, gathered her in his arms and lay her down on the bed. Backing away against the wall, I glanced sideways to look at the other girls. They seemed fine, a little shooken up, but they weren't going to collapse any time soon. Meruru and Millerna just didn't do that.

Hitomi suddenly sat up. "I saw," she said.

"What did you see?" Meruru asked. She had just pounced into the room and she seemed to have gotten over the shock.

"I s-saw her. Celena." She took a breath. "She's not Celena anymore, Dilandau.." She fainted again. Van cursed under his breath.

"Now what?" asked Millerna. She walked unsteadily into the room, holding onto the wall as if she was going to fall.

"Simple. My sis-- err brother is on the loose with some sort of lighter. We have to go after her," I said, trying to keep my voice calm. Van gave a quick nod and we followed him downstairs and outside. The boat was gone.

"Okay, I can carry one of you," Van said while taking his shirt off, "just not you, Allen." With a grunt he sprouted wings.

"Um, I'll go, Van-sama," said Meruru, as if she were scared.

"Okay. Millerna, could you make sure Hitomi is okay? Your bag with your medical stuff is next to the foot of the stairs," he said. Millerna nodded and went inside. I watched Van take off into the sky, holding Meruru. I followed Millerna inside.

We were by Hitomi's bed. She had a high fever. "You must feel terrible. I never thought that he'd come back," she said after a moment of silence.

"Yeah. I am. What suddenly made her snap, though?" I asked, pulling on a stray strand of my hair. "What happened that was so drastic that she-- she--" I let the sentence trail away.

"Have you noticed how weird she's been acting?" Millerna asked, looking up at me for the first time during the conversation. I shook my head, no. "She's been a little jumpy, you could say paranoid. The blood on her nail file, that was her own, I analyzed it while you were watching Van fly away."

"So, did she stab herself or did someone kidnap her?"

"She did it herself. There were no other fingerprints except her's and Meruru's, but you know Meruru wouldn't do something like that."

"Yeah." My head was pounding. I couldn't concentrate. "I need some rest, Millerna-hime."

"Okay."

"Could you wake me up when Van gets back?"

"Sure. Oh, um. Allen?"

"Yes?" I turned around.

"You can use the bed in my room. I think Van will want to look for further evidence on your and Celena's."

"Thanks."

I lay my head down on the pillow. Why would she stab herself? It made no sense. And where did the burn marks come from? Millerna had the only box of matches we had and she always kept it in her dress pocket. There must have been another box. Unable to sleep, I got up and went to our room. The nightstand's drawer was open. Peeking inside I saw a sheet of paper. It simply read:

'For you, Dilandau-sama.'

There was no signature. Whoever had let Dilandau escape must have gotten here before us. We were at the cabin all day and would have noticed if someone came in. But what about a ghost?

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Meruru ~ Mirror the First

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"Did you find her?" Allen asked. He was propped against the wall of the kitchen, a frown and worried look plastered onto his face. I half wondered why he asked. If we found her, we would have brought her back. Even if she chose to fight us. Van knew he could easily win so the answer was of course:

"No." Van said. He was on the floor fingering one of his feathers. The rest lay either scattered around the room or were with Hitomi. Millerna had taken to lingering at the "crime" scene sorting out various clues and evidence.

"Then what do you think happened?" His words were a monotonous group of letters spoken without real thought. He sounded like the others who survived so long ago.. When the horrible smell of burning bones had filled Fanelia. He spoke more with let me call it: shock.

"Well," he lifted his back off the floor and sat with his legs crossed, leaning against the counter, "it was obvious that someone was here, when we were gone. Most likely when we were having dinner."

"Yes, I know that." Allen's mind seemed to find it's way back to his head, turning to face Van-sama, he waited for him to say more.

"But we would have known or seen if she had been kidnapped," he continued.

"So, are you saying she, or he, all though I regret it, left on her slash his on fuel?"

"It's probable. But we can't rule out kidnap. Allen, you were there when she turned into Dilandau while staying at your place, correct?"

"Yes."

"How did sh-- I mean he react?"

"Horrified at what he was wearing. So that explains the dress but why, why would she stab herself?-- or himself?" The lines of worry were replaced by thoughtfulness. I had begun to feel a bit stupid about sitting there and doing nothing while they talked like those two detectives Hitomi told us about.

"And the burn marks?" Van asked, looking up from his feather.

"She didn't have matches. Or anything to start a fire with. I'm sure of it. Somebody gave it to her. But who?"

"Meruru, any ideas?" he asked, suddenly turning to me.

"No I don--" I stopped as I felt a sudden heat from my pocket. Reaching in, I grabbed whatever was in there. A single object. The stone figure I had found while fishing. It resembled a cat in some ways so I kept it. It was glowing a strange blue and the heat was intolerable. But yet, I could not let go of it.

My body was not doing what I told it. Instinct should have made me drop it but instinct had failed. I could only watch. My eyes fixed in one place, I had to watch my own skin and fur slowly melting....

The only thing pounding through my head now was 'escape' 'escape' 'escape'. My vision blurred and the sound ceased to reach my ears. 'Escape' 'escape'..

Four minutes, which I found out later, was the amount of time which I was 'out'. Vision, hearing, and everything else came back to me. Including touch, and I wish it did not. A hot fiery pain was shooting from my arm. Screaming in the background which I identified as Hitomi's alarmed me even more. Dare I look at my paw?

Yes.

My paw was on the ground. The cat-stone still eating at it. The reason I did was not trapped in my head anymore was that that paw was no longer attached to my arm. A trail of blood traced across the floor to the point of Van's sword. Knowing what he had done did not anger me. He probably saved my life.

"Meruru. I'm sorry. You-- you were scarring everyone," he whispered. Barely loud enough for me to hear.

"Wha-- wha-- what did I do?" I asked, hoping I had not hurt anyone.

"You started talking to me, in this odd mechanical voice. Kept repeating my name over and over. You said that the world was going to end and Draconians were going to walk freely again because everyone else wou-- would die. Then Millerna told me that that freaky stone thingy was going to kill you if no one did anything. So I, I.." he let the sentence trail off, knowing well that I knew what he had done.

"What are you going to do with that stone?" I asked.

"Destroy it," Allen said simply. "That's the only thing we can do. We can't risk anyone else finding it."

"Van.." Hitomi suddenly said. Everyone turned toward her. The pendant was glowing again. Brighter than it ever had. He leapt up faster than I could and flung it over her head and onto the floor. It skidded a little before stopping at the leg of a chair. No holes appeared in the floor.

Just to be sure Van touched it lightly with a piece of bread. Nothing happened. "Hitomi I think that it's okay to--" In the excitement of glowing stones, no one had noticed that Hitomi had fainted. "Millerna."

"I have my bag."

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Hitomi Kanzaki de Fanel ~ Mirror the Second

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A sudden uproar jerked me awake. I was in a ship of some sort, judging by how my bed swayed. I was naked, sweaty, and had no idea where I was. Or who I was. The ship gave another plunge and a man was plowed through the door. Someone else followed him. Walking. He had dark hair, dark skin, and a gleaming sword speckled with blood. Plunging the blade into the man on the floor he took no apparent notice to me and walked back on deck. Blood stained the once clean wooden floor.

I could see him through the round windows on the wall. He raised the sword again. A terrible scream broke through the redundant noise of the surf. I hid under the blanket, trying to block out the screams of people being murdered.

I lifted my head out of the mass of fabric. I heard no yells, no breaking glass, no thudding of a saber through bone and wood. I heard foot steps and saw him returning. I dived under the cover but it was soon removed.

"A lady!" he said with some surprise. He put his hands on my shoulders, staining me with the sailors' blood, and turned me around. "No," he said. As if checking for something on my back. He put his sword back in it's holder and went out of the room. He returned a minute later with a cloak and a belt.

"Stand up." he told me. Afraid of the weapon in his possession, I did so. He put the cloak around me, which was surprisingly soft, and secured it with the belt, creating some sort of make-shift robe. "Come." he said.

I followed.

As I got a better look at my surroundings, I was relieved that we were near the shore, but horrified at the amount of life taken by this one person. An incredibly young and skinny person at that. I took care not to tread on anyone as I made my way behind him. Stopping at the edge of the ship, he, without warning, jumped off the side and landed with a nearly silent splash. The water came up to his waist.

"Come on. Jump." I did. He caught me. "We must go back to camp. It isn't safe for a lady to be in these lands these days." I nodded, not really knowing what he was talking about. The only danger I saw so far was him. He started to walk in the direction of the sun but stopped shortly. "Are you coming or not?" he asked impatiently.

"I'm coming," I mumbled and shuffled uneasily behind him.

It was a while before we came upon anything that looked like a camp. A man with long blond hair stepped us to us. "So, found anything?"

"Yes. I got a ship for us about twenty kilometers east of here and I found this girl. No tattoo." I understood now that that was what he had been looking for. I had the feeling that some sort of war was going on. Did he slaughter those sailors because they were part of some society?

"A lady!" the blond man said. "A cute one too."

"Should bring her to Millerna-hime?"

"I guess so. We need to get some proper clothes for her too. And proper, Mister, not the whatever you call its that you're wearing."

"Hn. Whatever." He motioned for me to follow. He brought me to a tent, slightly larger than the rest, slightly cleaner too. "Millerna-hime!" he shouted. A brunette girl, about my age I guessed, stepped out of the tent.

"A prisoner?" she asked. Looking at me.

"No. I don't no where she's from. Allen-san said to get her some clothes."

"Okay, I'll take care of that. So, Mr. Soldier, how many did you kill today?"

"A lot. I didn't count. They look the same after a while. They brag on about their weaponry but are like pitiful children at close range. They don't even fight back. They just run away from me. Every day is the same."

"Yes. It seems that way, doesn't it? But be happy. We're very fortunate to be able to have water that is fit to drink!" she said.

"Be it so, I still can't say I enjoy this life. Killing doesn't matter to me, not after so long, it's the monotonous of it all that bores me." The mysterious yet handsome killer walked away and the princess led me into her tent. She gave me a dress to wear, similar to her own.

She caught me staring at the hustle going on outside the tent flap. Men moving logs and other things from here to there. People bent over paper, drawing lines, people chopping would and burning it for fire while others cook and clean. "Aren't there any other females here beside us?" I finally asked.

"Yes. One other. Girls are rare now, in survival camps. Many give up before their homes get invaded. The other is half cat. Her name is Meruru. She's the Soldier's friend."

"The Soldier?" I asked.

"The man, well, boy rather, who brought you here."

"Doesn't he have a name?"

"He says he forgot it a long time ago but we don't believe him. Since he won't tell us we just call him The Soldier. He doesn't mind it. That crazy cat-girl pet of his doesn't seem to like it though. And what is your name?" she asked.

"I don't really know. The first thing I can remember is being on a ship, and The Soldier just comes up and kills another guy."

"Very detailed. That's the only thing that guy does. He has no compassion. No one loves him, save that crazy cat, and he doesn't care for his life. The only reason he keeps going is because he feels guilty."

"Guilty? About what?"

"I don't know. It shows on his face though. When he talks to Meruru. You can read his face sometimes."

"Hmm.. okay. Umm.. What should I do now?" I ask.

"Anything you wish, as long as you don't disturb anyone or wander away from the camp." I nodded at her words and exited the tent. Realizing how thirsty I was, and there wasn't any water well there, I began to explore the other parts of the camp. One area, which the grass looked greener, I tried.

"Excuse me, who are you?" was what I heard. Turning around, I saw who Princess Millerna must have been talking about. She wore orange, had a tail, pointy ears, and a funny nose. Meruru.

"I don't know." I said.

"Errr.... Well, what do you want?" she asked impatiently. Was she trying to act like The Soldier?

"I was looking for water."

"Who comes to a stable for water? Baka! If you want water, go find Allen and ask him!" she turned and vanished somehow.

I had gotten my water, my food, and my clothing. I still did not have what I wanted the most. I wanted to know where I was, who I was, and what the fuck was I doing here?! All of which, I was certainly not going to learn from these drunken fools. I had been wandering around for quite a while, looking for The Soldier. The only one who seemed to understand my problem. Or, at least I hope.

I finally spotted him cleaning out the hooves of one of the horses, a bay colored one. "Excuse me?" I asked him to get his attention. He waited until he finished cleaning out the dirt before he answered.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering if you could tell me what's going on? I don't remember anything at all up until the ship today."

"Ship? Oh, yeah, that one. Well, that's what I'd like to know myself." He was working on another horse's hooves now. I could see Meruru's furry legs next to a dappled pony.

"Surely you must know something."

"All I know is, that I made a mistake, and capturing ships for Millerna-hime is the only way I can make it up." He went back to cleaning.

"Mistake?"

Again, he waited until he was done. He looked at me for a good long time before starting on another horse. "If you stop by my tent at night, I'll tell you. But I'm busy right now."

"Uh.. okay. Sorry to bother you."

"So, what's your name?" he asked.

"That's one thing, I don't remember."

"Funny. I don't remember mine either."

"Where are we?" I asked.

"On the west coast of somewhere. All the places look the same on this planet. Like every other battle site. All level, dry, and bloody." He threw his head up to stare at me. I did not look away. There was something dead and cold and haunted about his eyes. It was like something important to him had been lost. Something that he cared so much for, that any of it, even an atom that might've survived was wonderful.

"I don't know and don't care about where I work anymore. All I know is that if they have the Mark on their back, I kill them. I bring Millerna-hime their ship. My life is so, so useless. I have no where to go, no one to care for anymore, well, I have Meruru." Something about the way he talks about himself just scares me and moves me at the same time. I wanted to hug him and tell him everything was fine or to break out in tears, but unfamiliarity forbid me to do so.

"Where are you sleeping tonight?" he asked me.

"I don't know."

He reached out his arms and held me in embrace. Scared as I was, I knew that even if I tried, I could not break away. He kissed my forehead lightly.

"I know you want to cry," he said. I nodded. "Then cry. You'll feel better." So I cried. I cried and cried and cried. I don't know when I fell asleep but I must have, or else I wouldn't have woken up....

into a nightmare.

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Celena Schedzarr ~ Mirror the Third

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It as dark.

It was cold.

It was dead.

That was what I thought of this place. I saw flames all around me but I've never felt colder in my life. The ground was black. The sky, if that was a sky, was black. The light from the flames did not travel far. I was shivering, and as I walked around and through the flames, I did not feel warmer.

To make things worse, I was bleeding. It looks as though I had been stabbed in my shoulder. I cannot remember it. The pain was truly bothering me now. I bent over, resting, too afraid to sit in case I needed to move fast.

Footsteps.

Turning around, I saw a dark shadow coming toward me. The edges of the shadow were rimmed with orange of the light of the fire behind. I could hear a soft laughing coming from it. Him. The voice was a man's. The voice was mine..

The voice as mine. But how could that be? It couldn't be. Dilandau Albatou and Celena Schedzarr were, are the same person. But he was here.

He lifted his head. White hair stuck out of the hood and his eyes were illuminated red. He came closer. "Hello, Celena," he said. I was trembling in fear now; I sat on the floor, looking at my hands which had melted wax pasted to them in some places. In other places they were black with soot.

"Oh, Celena? Remember me?" I felt his hand reach my shoulder, the one that wasn't bleeding. It was then that I noticed what I was wearing. A dark hooded cloak. Like his. "Celena, I've waited a long time for this. A very long, long five years."

"Get away from me," I said quietly. I didn't want him anywhere near me. Ever. Just to tell him that was useless though. I knew Dilandau would not listen to me. I knew I could not defend myself.

"Celena, this is my world. This is where I spent the past years. You were here before. Five years ago. Before that baka Van and his friends decided to let you out and imprison me here. Before I came, your creation was very boring. How could my other side had been so, so.. monotonous?" His grip on my shoulder tightened. It started to hurt now. I held up my hands to attempt to remove him, even though I knew I couldn't.

He merely laughed. His nails were digging into my skin now. Lashing out at him with my legs, I managed to surprise him into letting go of me.

"Stupid fucking girl, come back here!" I didn't get to far before he jumped me. With a dull thud we hit the floor. He sat on my back and put both hands on my shoulders. "Now, stay down!"

"Get off.."

"I will let go when I want to. Now listen to my story or else I will kill you!" he said while throwing my torso against the ground.

"You won't kill me." I said.

"I won't? Why shouldn't I?"

"If I die, you will too." He didn't frown. He didn't look angry. Instead he started to laugh. To laugh like a maniac. To laugh harder and louder than I had ever heard. It was a scary laugh.

"Celena Schedzarr. I have been dead a long time. My life, our life cannot be any worse than this. Dilandau Albatou is the definition of death. Your logic does not frighten me; does not bother me." The glow in his eyes brightened each time he spoke. It was beginning to look like his eyes were on fire.

It was beginning to look like he was going to die.

I would have wanted him to die. I did not care whether or not I would also. I did not care whether of not he was as he said: dead. I just wanted him to die. Die because of what he, or I did to Fanelia. I wanted to die because of all those people he made me kill. For all the dreams he made me destroy. For the dream he destroyed within me.

"Celena? Do you know how we exist at the same time in the same place?"

"No. I don't care for that information."

"But I know you do. You cannot hide secrets from me. I feed off you."

"How is it that you are here and that I am here?" I snapped at him.

"Aah. My servants did it for me. Simple really. They were ghosts and could move freely about. I, was stuck in this infernal nightmare chamber could not. Once I managed to awaken myself in you, you entered my world, Celena. And now, I shall leave it."

"Good-bye, Celena." Without so much a sound after his farewell, he vanished. Good luck Van Slanzar de Fanel. I'm coming to kill you.

____

Hitomi Kanzaki de Fanel ~ Mirror the Second

____

I awoke, not remembering what had happened the previous night. As feeling came back to my skin, the touch of two, strong arms around me knocked me back into place.

"You're awake," he said.

"Hm," I said, "Can I call you something besides "The Soldier"? It doesn't quite... feel right."

"What do you want to call me?"

"Angel?" I asked, blushing slightly.

"That's fine. And what should I call you?"

"Ahh..." I smiled, "What do you want to call me?"

"Ayame." Ayame... I liked it. It sounded nice.

"That's fine."

At that moment that annoying cat thing walked in. "Oni-san! Did she sleep here all night?! What if she.. What if what if what if... Oni-san!!!!!" She jumped at us, pushed me away and buried her face in Angel's chest. "Oni-san." His face as expression-less as usual, Angel just pulled her off, and stood up. He took hold of my wrist and led me outside.

Oni-san? They can't be related! He's not a cat..

"Sorry about what Meruru did this morning."

"That's okay. Angel?"

"Hn?"

"What's that?" I asked, pointing at the sky. In it were two spheres. One was white. The other was blue. They overlapped each other and glowed with what seemed like no brilliance to none other.

"The Phantom moon and its child," he answered.

"Child?"

"Mother used to say that the child was created by the Phantom, or Mystic, if you prefer, Moon." A child.. What does he mean created? Wasn't it just always there? Oh, it doesn't really matter. A silence was then born until I felt the need to fill it with words.

"Was your mother beautiful?"

"She was. Like you are." He looked at me, not really me, just my eyes. His red ones were so intense and at the same time sad. He has forgotten how to laugh. He must be the only person in the world to have never looked at a flower, and thought of its life. Must be the only one to live through his half-dead seventeen or so years without a friend. A real friend. Without love..

"AYAME!!!!!!" I heard, over the wreck of waves crashing at the hull.

"WHAT?" I shouted back, not in any real direction, just hoping that my Angel can hear me.

I sudden 'thump' made me turn around. "I found you," he said.

"Angel.."

"What are you doing out here? You'll catch a cold."

"I don't know. Okay, I do know," I admitted, embarrassed by the reason.

"Why?"

"Those..." I begin, "Well, them, that.. That.. Meruru. She just err.." I paused, "scares me."

"Scares?"

"It's the way she looks at me. Her eyes are.. catty. Well, I mean, of course they are but.. oh!"

"You don't have to explain. Let's go inside." He placed his slim fingers on my shoulders and steered me gently toward the cabin. Inside, I could see the tents neat and packed on shelves. This wasn't the same ship Angel and I were on yesterday. That one was smaller. This was much, much larger. Prettier too.

"Mr. Soldier, Allen spotted a ship, 4 o'clock. About three hundred yard from here," said one of the crewmembers. I still had to get a knowing for their names. This one had matted, black hair. He was skinny, like everyone else here, though not as skinny as Angel was.

"Got it," he turned to me, "Ayame, I'll be gone for maybe.. half an hour. Okay?" I nodded, even though it was not okay. He was going to kill again. He was going to that ship and I knew by the end of today, another ship will be added to the growing cloud around this one.

Walking outside again, he paused at the door. "Yama, look after her." He took off his shirt, and with a slight bit of tension, two, white and full wings sprang out of his back. I gasped, talking a step back. Angel turned, "You were right," he said. It was not until a moment later that I understood this.

"So.." began Yama, the sailor behind me, "The Soldier can love after all."

Angel returned a little earlier than before. I stayed inside. I did not want to see the dead on the ship. It turns out, as I found out later, that there were no dead in the ship. He had thrown them in the ocean before he brought the ship here.

"Angel, why must you kill?" We were alone, outside. It was night. The others were mostly inside sleeping. I had not seen Millerna-hime that day. Maybe too much sea air makes her sick. Even though this might have been it, I doubted it. She would not choose to sail of she did not like it. Millerna-hime was not that kind of person.

"I kill for the cause."

"Cause?"

"There is this country called Zaibach. Zaibach people have a tattoo on their back. It looks like this," taking a small dagger out of his belt, he scratched a symbol onto the rail of the ship. It looked like an ellipse that had two diamonds in it. "I'm not supposed to write that, though." He took the blade and again, held it to the wood. With one, quick moment, he swiped it against the design, scraping off no more than three millimeters, destroying the sign.

A sharp clicking noise was heard behind us. "Yes, Millerna-hime?" Angel asked, for that was exactly who was behind us.

"Why are you two still out here?" she asked. A look of realization conquered her face and she smiled, "Spending some quality time.. alone.."

Angel glared at her.

"Don't look so mad. Just playing! Have you laughed in your whole life? Anyway, rejoice. We have an entire three days to do nothing. Reports say that one of Zaibach's main levi ships went down somewhere over Ryuhmia. Plenty of time to have some fun under the covers.."

I was sure I was blushing. Very dark. If I wasn't, I'd say that there must be something wrong with me.

"Have you had anything else 'meaningful' to say?" he asked.

"Not really. I'll leave you two alone now." She winked. I'm still burning.

We touched land again in a country Angel said was called "Comanche". It was a small country, but what was there, was a lush forest, nearly as beautiful as my 'lover'. The thought of yesterday still rings in my head.

"Oni-san!!!!" came a joyful yelp behind us.

"Run," Angel said.

We didn't run. Meruru crashed into his back.

"I need to buy stronger rope next time," said Yama. He held up a string of gnawed up rope, obviously used to tie up Meruru.

"Let's just drop her off the side of the ship," suggested another crewmember. I heard laughter. Before the attempted killing of the crewmembers, a loud "MREOOOOOW!" was heard.

As I said earlier, the thoughts of having 'fun under the covers" has lodged itself in my brain. It was then that for the first time, I felt... it. A dampness between my legs caused me to tremble very slightly and for just a few seconds.

He turned to look at me. His eyes are in my memory too.

____

Meruru ~ Mirror the First

____

It had only been a few hours since my paw-cutting incident. It seemed so many years ago but I knew that time had not passed.

Numbness overpowered my arm as Millerna injected anesthetic into it. She was going to try and reattach it. She had explained the whole process of sewing together this thing and that thing. I didn't understand most of it though.

Allen stood nearby with his hands full of knives and such, read to hand one to Millerna if she needed it. His eyes were as if the were connected by ropes to her hands. His focus was always Millerna's hands, watching every single thing she did.

"Millerna?" I started.

She didn't look up but replied with a "hn?" so I knew she was listening.

"Can you fix my arm?"

"I think so. The only problem might be that the nerves might not connect. Your hand might look normal enough but it won't move."

"Okay," I said.

My arm was wrapped in a cast. Millerna said I could use it in about three moons. We were still stuck here. Van was the only one able to get off the island. Why hadn't we brought a boat? Ah.. He won't leave Hitomi's side now, anyway.

She's been yelling all sorts of stuff since she fainted. Every now and then, from once silent nil she would scream "Angel" or something like that.

Exhausted by her medical work, Millerna retired to her bed. Allen was sitting next to me now. His eyes are closed and some strands of hair are falling out of place. His lips are creased into a frown. He had matching eyebrows.

His chest rose slowly up and down as he exhaled and inhaled. Suddenly he opened an eye.

"Uh.. Hello Allen," I said. He grunted in response and stood up. Walking toward the kitchen, he changed his mind and came back. He settled down next to me again.

"How's it feel?" he asked.

"I don't feel anything. Well, it feels like my arm fell asleep.."

"Well that's good," he said.

"Why?"

"At least it doesn't hurt."

He was probably thinking of when he got injured and Millerna had saved him. That was.. five years ago. It didn't feel like five years. Much longer.

____

Van Slanzar de Fanel ~ Mirror the Second

____

It was the night again. Meruru is still alive. The crew are still alive. A little scratched up but they are still alive. Ayame and I are in our cabin aboard the ship. She is not sleeping but she is resting on my shoulder.

Another thing you should know is that she is almost naked. The last time I saw her naked, I had done nothing. Now that she wasn't, I wanted to do something. And you know what kind of something I mean.

Putting my hands beneath her arms, I lifted her a bit closer to my face. Her eyes were shining with lust. "Angel.."

Bringing her a little closer, I gently pressed my mouth to hers. A muffled, small sound of surprise was heard.

"Ayame.. Did you like that?" She nodded. Her slender arms snaked up and around my neck as she came closer still. I could feel her nipples through her bra against my bare chest. Where it touched me my skin burned.

Our lips met again. This time, that wasn't the only thing. There was tongue. There was passion. I needed her now.

She drew away from me slightly, waiting for response. I gave it to her. It was going to be a long, long night.

And it was. I was going to be a father.

____

Hitomi Kanzaki de Fanel ~ Mirror the Second

____

The next morning, we got dressed and acted as if nothing had happened. Meruru came bounding into the room as usual. She yelled and Angel for sleeping with a woman before he was married. She told him not to let me call him Angel. He ignored it.

And, different than other days, a good large amount of the crew also piled in. First, the three of us didn't know why they were here, but then the sight of their ridiculous faces informed Angel and I.

We were a little loud.

"Hey Soldier, didja have fun last night?"

"Hey Soldier, can I have her for a few hours?"

"Hey Soldier, are ya gonna be a daddy?"

I thought my Angel was gonna murder them.

At breakfast that same morning, the crew was still alive, Meruru was still talking to Angel (who wasn't listening), and I was still staring at him with eyes the size of dishes. He was too beautiful. I can't help it.

The weirdo sailors aboard were still bothering my Angel about me. Lack of enough females aboard must be really hard for them. There was Millerna, but she was infatuated with Allen. I had seen it for a few days. There was Meruru... but ahh she just.. you know.

And then there was me.

I felt very lonely indeed, even though my Angel was what my arms were wrapped around.

____

Millerna Sara Aston ~ Mirror the Fourth

____

It was in the third year of the war in which I am in now. My father died a few months ago along with my two sisters in the incident in Freid. But my sadness cannot yet be surceased. There have been reports of horror sweeping the village. Reports about a.. a.. demon.

At every little noise, someone jumped. At every movement, a scream. All children were kept inside. The villagers armed themselves and the guymelef troops trained extra hours.

There were only two people who didn't changed their daily going-abouts: Van and Allen-san.

That girl who claimed to be from the Phantom Moon refused to leave the fortress that our group built. It stood just next to the village and had survived several attacks by that white haired man. Each time a little part of our home was destroyed but we had always managed to fix it.

Now, what do I mean by 'we'? We consists of Hitomi, the Phantom Moon girl, Van, Allen-san, a new soldier we picked up, Yama, his wife, and myself.

Yama, like Hitomi, was very superstitious. When his brilliant wife, Amaya, constructed an entire alarm system to signal us if a demon should come, he said, "Amaya-kun, an alarm system is not going to detect a demon. They walk through walls and snatch children away at night!" After, he proceeded to tell us all the stories he has heard over the thirty-seven years of his existence.

Again, this demon. I believe to have seen it myself a few times. No one else is admitting to it. If they did, they are either too afraid to say because they don't want people to take them as insane, or they don't believe that they have seen it. It is often easier to just not believe in something than be afraid of it.

It appeared to be a figure, always enclosed in shadows, always covered by a dark hood. He wasn't tall or noisy, but he was fast. As I glance between two close houses, a rush of darkness fills me. I feel a pain, like a cold knife stabbing me in the heart.

Well, there is one other being who admits to seeing the phantom. Allen, but he hasn't really changed his actions in any way. He says that he saw it once and only once.

At the moment, he and I were riding a carriage to go to the town meeting. The wagon was bumping along the unpaved road toward the tall town hall building. We passed some children playing with stones on the side of the road. I wondered why they were outside. "Allen, why are those children not in their homes?"

He glanced to where I pointed. "Maybe their parents don't know. We should stop to tell them." He signaled the driver to stop the horses and he got out. Allen walked slowly toward the kids and tapped one on the shoulder. The red-headed girl looked up.

"Uh.. Hello Mister."

"Why aren't you inside? Haven't you heard of the demon?" Allen asked.

"Demon? Is that what you call us?"

"Nani?" The kid grabbed his wrist. Allen tried to pull her off but she stayed. The other children leaped onto him. Their eyes glowed green.

"Allen Schedzarr!" they yelled.

"How do you know my name? Get off?! What are you?"

"We are the demon. We are the same. We are Collagera," they said, all in unison. They seemed calm and way too strong for their age. I looked at the driver of the carriage but he was not there. I looked for other people in the town but there were none. Everyone here was gone. Gone.....

"Allen Schedzarr!" A flash of light and there was only one demon standing. She appeared to be about one hundred fifty cm tall. She had a black hood and cloak.

The thing lowered it's cloak and proceeded toward Allen, slowly. I leaped forward and attempted to knock the thing to the ground. An arm reached out from behind and stopped me. It was Van.

"Van!" He did not reply. He only drew his sword and captured the attention of the demon creature.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I am me. I am Collagera." He seemed to recognize the name. All of a sudden the Ryuujin launched an attack. He seemed to be always aiming to her back. Collagera dodged every attack. Or, that is what it looked like. Next to me, standing there without my notice was Hitomi. She stared at the demon.

"The cloak," she said, "I remember the cloak."

"What?" I asked her. The next moment I needed no answer. Van had managed to get a hold of the dark cloth that covered the ghostly figure. A second, then a shriek. Collagera was surrounded in flames. Within the prison of fire I caught sight of stripes, pointy ears, and a cat tail.

"Millerna-hime," said an unknown voice behind me. I turned. A tall, blue haired man stood behind me. He had a metal arm and on his chest there was a scar. Hitomi seemed not to notice him. "Look," he said, pointing to the pile of ashes that Van was prodding with his sword. A metallic 'clink' was heard. Reaching in with his gloves, Van scooped out a stone.

It was shaped like a cat head.

____

Celena Schedzarr ~ Mirror the Third

____

The darkness loomed around me, threatening to swallow me. The flames shined no farther than their own boundaries. I could see nothing unless I were to step into the fire itself. I did not know how long I have been here. It has been very long since Dilandau left. The intense heat was really bothering me. I let myself fall onto the floor, feeling the texture of hard, cold clay.

A sudden movement and noise behind me caused me to jump a few inches. The fire had all gone out. There were only two things being lit at the moment: my face and his.

"So, ya still alive?" Dilandau asked. He grinned and cackled evilly. A fast arm shot out onto my already-wounded shoulder. I winced in pain.

"Get off," I stated. He put on a mocking face of thought, shrugged, and let go. I made a mad run for it. Going as fast as I could in the other direction, I was soon knocked to the floor by his weight.

"I can't even trust my... abandoned side," he said. "I guess I'll have to teach you a little lesson, bitch." The fire sprang up around us, popping my balloon of hope that I had any way of escape. The light from the flames burned brightly now. What I saw made my face turn red.

He was naked. White flame erupted from the ground, pinning down my arms and legs. It wasn't hot, just warm. "This is going to be fun, I promise." He leaned forward and kissed me.

I bit his lip.

He took a few steps back, his eyes blaring up like the warmth around us. "Don't do that!" The bands of tickling flame the held my limbs became as hot as the walls. A few seconds of it then he made it stop. I saw black marks on my skin. They vanished before my eyes and the pain stopped. "Do you want me to burn you again, onna?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"Good. Now let's try this again." The cloak which covered my disappeared and so my protection was gone.

Now I knew who was being raped. I fainted.

____

Dilandau Albatou ~ Mirror the Second

____

Sex with the bitch wasn't as fun as I thought it would be. I had had enough fooling around and now I had to get serious. Kill Van Fanel.

I left my victim unbound and tired.

Now I was in some strange room I had not seen before. My slayers told me that he was here, so he must be here. Looking out the window I can see kilometers of water. I was on a ship. It swayed and I saw people pass by the port hole without noticing me.

Two of them I recognized. One was that nekomimi, Meruru, that always hangs on my target's arm. The other was that forever cursed brother of mine, Allen Schedzarr. There was another female that looked familiar... like Millerna, just the face, not the hair.

Where is he? Thinking of the possible places he could be on the ship, I concluded to kill the next male crewmember that passed and to steal his clothing.

Unfortunately, the first male that passed was with his girlfriend or wife.

"Yama, how much longer are we going to be on this ship?" the lady asked.

"A few more days; until Millerna-hime and Allen-san find an island where we can safely camp."

"Why are you working with that Soldier character? He's so unfriendly! He only respects those who are more powerful than himself and that strange girl. He ignores Meruru too!" she exclaimed. The only one who fit this description was Van. Van is here. I just have to find him.

"I admire him, Amaya. He's strong and smart and knows when to stay out of things. He's important to our cause and the only one on the ship that can match Allen-san in a fight!"

"Still.. why don't you.. uh.," she stammered, "why.."

"Why don't I what? Say it!"

"Oh nothing, Yama." She looked away from him, right at me. I ducked but I still heard a gasp and a shout.

"Amaya! What is it? Amaya?"

"In the window! I, I saw a Zaibach soldier! I--"

"Amaya," the man called Yama said, "you know that no soldier of Zaibach can get onto the ship! We would notice and.."

"That is what I saw! The clothes and all!"

"You've had a headache ever since we left Comanche. You're seeing things!"

"I am not! Go get that idol of yours to check! I'm telling you, I saw some Zaibach's hideous face in the window!"

"Ah.. gah! Fine! I will! You wait here," Yama said.

"No! You're not leaving me alone here!"

"Amaya.." I heard the pair walking away toward wherever Van was. I can't wait.

____

Van Slanzar de Fanel ~ Mirror the Second

____

A few minutes earlier, I had been told by Yama that his wife saw a Zaibach soldier in Ayame and Is' cabin. Currently, I was walking toward my sleeping quarters, sword drawn. I reached the door. Yama and Amaya were standing on the side, looking at me. My love and annoying cat-stalker were a few feet behind me.

I opened the door.

Instantly, he came out. The one I had seen destroy my country. The one on who's face lay a scar that I had artistically planted on his 'beautiful' face. Dilandau Albatou.

"VAN!!!" The thing leaped at me, blade out, catching nothing more than the wood where I had been standing. He was much faster than before. By the looks of how deeply he slit open the floor, he was stronger. I was unnerved; not by his increase in power, but by the fact that this was not Dilandau.

I heard whispering behind me. "Van? Is that the Soldier's name?"

The Dilandau I knew did not know who I was. He did not know that I was here. He had not known anything but that I was king of a county and that I was not one to take lightly.

"Who are you?" I said calmly. I dropped my mission mask. He did so too.

"Who am I?" he repeated. "Why, I feel hurt. Why is it that the 'great' Van Fanel of Fanelia doesn't remember me? How can you not remember the man that burnt your tiny little country?"

"No! He can't be Fanelia! He-- he--" Millerna said. Her voice came from behind Hitomi. Beyond her though, I saw something much more astonishing than Dilandau's knowing of my name. I saw someone I had not seen since I was five.

"Van," the man said.

"Brother..."

____

Folken Slanzar Lacour de Fanel ~ Mirror the First

____

Much time has gone by since the reappearance of my namesake. My mom, Hitomi, and my father, the great Van Slanzar de Fanel, have gone to live where they always should have: with the Angels.

My wife, Kei, daughter of my 'Aunt' Meruru and 'Uncle' Ryuhsi (who is the prince of Ryuhmia), has written a book about the travels of the first, second, third, and fourth worlds. I, who possesses no writing talent at all, provides her with information. Although my mother in-law was present during the three years of confusion, did not know about everything. Only 'Tou-san truly knew what was going on; not at the time, but afterwards.

I miss him and 'Kaa-san a lot. They are buried right outside the castle. They are in the same grave. I had the coffin specially made for two people. It was very large, for my father was buried with his wings showing. Mother had always loved to see his wings, as does Kei with mine, so I thought It would make her spirit happy.

Kei always had a devilish personality. Her mother had more. Half feline and have demon, which she found out from Uncle Folken, she had a evilness. Usually this other fold was kept in control, but like Celena's, it got out on occasion.

Allen never married. He died twelve years ago. I think it was from grief. Dilandau was dead and Celena.. well, we don't know where she is.

"Folken, are you writing in the diary thing again?" I hear.

"Yes."

"Okay." Kei walked up to me and gently kissed me. Her feline ears wiggled and her tail fluffed up. "Folken-kun, I love you." She put my book and pen aside, curling up in a cat-manner on me. Even in her sixties she was gorgeous. Her cat skin didn't wrinkle and her purple-blue hair remained the color it always was. You would have never guessed that she was sixty-two.

I didn't look like a wrinkled prune either. Neither did 'Tou-san or 'Kaa-san. This royal family stuff is seriously screwed.

____

Van Slanzar de Fanel ~ Mirror the Fifth

____

There can be no better place than Atlantis. Only my family is here. Oto-san, Oka-san, Hitomi, Folken, and myself. Although Hitomi and Father cannot fly, they enjoy the tall buildings and lack of stairs anyway. Folken and I have long since begun construction for the grounded ones.

Mother and Father are around thirty years old. Hitomi is about seventeen and I am nineteen. Folken is twenty-nine. I do not know exactly why those ages were chosen and that they are not in proportion to each other. Atlantis hides many secrets that I have yet to discover.

Forty-three years I have been here, and Folken and I had not uncovered anything more than a crack of all the knowledge that Atlantis can hold. In a few years my son and his wife will join us. Is it only the Ryuujin and their family that make it here? Are we really the only ones left?

I guess our race's destiny lies with the living Folken.

A movement in Hitomi knocked me off me train as she shifted her beautiful body to face me. Leaning down, I gently kissed her. Her eyes glittered. She kissed my neck and my collar. Moving farther, it felt like a level higher than the joy of being here in Atlantis with the people I cared about.

"I love you," she said. I had heard this many times from her, and I loved hearing it. My usual response slipped out of my mouth.

"I love you too."

____

~owari--