Yhea Chapter 2! It's done!! (jumps for joy, and cheers) I hope you like this Chapter. Who is this mysterious person in black and what do they want from Hitomi? Well read on and enjoy.

I just want to say that I do not own the characters from the show, but I do own the characters that the original's meet. You'll understand when you read.

The Vision of Escaflowne ~ The Dracoinian Sphere"

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Van lounged forward, lifting his sword over his head. The black figure just kept on walking. Only to take a glimpse over it's shoulder.

"LET HER GO!!!!" yelled Van, as he ran up to the black figure and brought his sword down, against the figures back. The black figure withered into smoke, and Hitomi started to fall to the ground. "Hitomi!!" gasped Van, as he lounged forward to grab her. Van caught her in his arms. "Hitomi!! .... Hitomi!!!" yelled Van as he laid her on the ground and started to shake her shoulders. Slowly Hitomi opened her eyes.

"Van?" stammered Hitomi. "VAN!? But how ..... how did...... how did you...?"

Van pressed his fingers to Hitomi's lips, silencing her. Hitomi just stared at him. {How did he get here?} thought Hitomi. {Did he come her to save me?}

"VAN!!!!....." yelled Allen, but no one seemed to notice him yell.

Hitomi pushed herself away from Van and stood up. She noticed that Allen and MERLE were there also. Hitomi didn't know what to think {did I summon them here? Oh I should never of done that.} thought Hitomi as guilt started to fill in.

"VAN!!!!! LOOK OUT!!!!!" shouted Allen, who was getting annoyed that no one heard him the first time.

Van and Hitomi turned around to see the dragon coming back out of the vortex. Van and Hitomi ran over to Allen and Merle. Allen and Van stood infront of the two girls. The dragon stomped forward, and stopped at the edge of the vortex. Slowly it arched it's head back and it started to expand it's throat.

"What is it doing?" asked Merle, questionably.

"Oh NO! MOVE MOVE!!!" yelled Van, as he started to push the girls out of the way. All four of them moved out of the way as the dragon opened it's jaws. Flame protruded from it's mouth, missing Merles tail by inches.

"MEOWR!!!!!!!" screamed Merle, as she leaped into the air.

"Quick go find someplace to hide!" yelled Van as he looked over his shoulder, and stared at Hitomi and Merle.

Hitomi and Merle both gave quick nods and scurried off to a safe distance. They found a nice safe place behind an announcer's booth. Merle slumped to the ground and grabbed her tail, and started to pull off the sizzled fur.

"Darn dragon!" moaned Merle. "Messing up my tail, and it's my best feature too!"

"What! Besides your weird nose of yours!" snickered Hitomi, as she sat down beside her.

Merle's fur stood on end, and then a picture of a scratching post came into her mind. A devilish smile spread across her face. Hitomi looked at Merle and knew she was up to no good. Hitomi and Merle poked their heads over the announcer's board and saw Van and Allen fighting the dragon. {Oh Van, Allen, be careful!} thought Merle and Hitomi. The two warriors jumped out of the way as the dragon brought it's tail down. Allen and Van now stood beside each other swords drawn. The dragon raised it's head and expanded it's throat.

"Now!...." said Van calmly.

Just knowing what Van wanted, Allen and Van ran side by side and lounged at the dragon. There was a moment of silence, and smoke started to fill the air around the two warriors.

"Oh Lord Van!"

"Allen......!"

Hitomi and Merle focused their vision on the clearing smoke. Allen and Van stood on opposite sides, both of their swords intertwined. The dragon didn't move, then with an upright motion Van and Allen started to slice the dragon's throat. The dragon hurled it's head back and roared, and then it toppled over on it's side and died.

"YAAAY!!!! LORD VAN WON!!!!" shouted Merle as she leaped into the air.

"You know Merle! Van wasn't the only one, Allen also helped!" stated Hitomi as she crossed her arms.

Merle glared down at Hitomi. "What's your problem anyway!? That's gratitude for ya!" shouted Merle.

"Hitomi! ..... Merle!...." shouted Van, as he turned around to see where they were.

"Over here Lord Van!" Merle leaped over the announcers booth and ran up to Van and started to lick him on the cheek. "Oh Lord Van you saved me!" said Merle in a passionate voice. Van smiled and then looked over to the booth to see Hitomi walking over to him.

"Hitomi! Are you all right?" asked Van. Merle's tail frizzled up, as Hitomi came closer to her and Van.

"Yah I'm fine." said Hitomi shyly. Van cocked his head slightly to the side as he waited for another response. "But how did you get here?" asked Hitomi.

{Hmph. You should know! Your always ruining my plans with Lord Van!} thought Merle as she tightened her grip on Van's red tank top.

"I don't know. One minute me and Allen are sparing and next where covered in a blue light, and then we were tele-ported to your world." said Van, as he tried to push Merle away from him.

"It's because of me! I'm to blame!" whispered Hitomi.

"No your not, Hitomi." said Allen. "You are not to blame."

Hitomi stared at Allen his cool blue eyes burned into her's. {Oh Allen!} thought Hitomi, as she raised her right hand to her chest.

"Yes Hitomi. It wasn't your fault."

Hitomi turned her gaze to Van, her hand still rested on her chest. Van lowered his head and stared at the ground.

"It was mine." said Van.

"WHAT!!!!!!!" shrieked Merle as she staggered backwards. "IT WAS YOU!!!"

Hitomi's hand slid down to her side. {It was Van?} thought Hitomi. {It was Van, who used his will and came to save me, no matter what the danger.} Hitomi stood there and looked at Van, shocked that he could even use the pendant's power.

"Here Hitomi. ..... I think you'll need this more then I will." said Van as he lifted the pendent over his head and handed it over to Hitomi.

Hitomi reached out her hand to accept it. "Oh Van." As her hand wrapped around the pendent, Hitomi froze, her eyes widened in horror as a vision of black snakes wrapped around all of her friends and started to suffocate them. Hitomi's eyes were glaze, there was no sign of life in them.

"Hitomi?" said Allen, as he rested his hand on her shoulder.

Van, Merle, and Allen looked at Hitomi, who just stood there, with her hand reached out grasping the pendent.

"Hitomi!" said Van in a loud voice. Van reached out his hands and grasped Hitomi's shoulders. Then there was a flash in Van's mind as Hitomi's vision went into Van. Van suddenly staggered backwards and released his grasp on Hitomi's shoulders.

"Van what's wrong?" asked Allen

Van's eyes blinked and he noticed Allen standing beside him. "I don't know....."

Then everyone's attention focused on Hitomi. "RUN!!!!! RUN IT'S NOT SAFE HERE!! THERE COMING!!!!!!!" screamed Hitomi.

"What's with her?" said Merle as she walked up to Hitomi and started to wave her hand infront of Hitomi's face. {Man. I'd said it once and I'll say it again....... She's crazy!} thought Merle, as she snapped her fingers infront of Hitomi's eyes.

Hitomi came to her senses again, and she stared at her three friends. They were all staring at her with confusion on their faces. Hitomi brought her hand towards her face and opened her palm, to reveal the pendent. She grabbed the chain and she lowered the loop over her head. Then she got that uneasy feeling again, about the black snakes. She turned her gaze towards the vortex. Something was wrong, the outer limits of the vortex started to twitch, and vibrate.

"Oh no! It's happening!" stammered Hitomi.

"What's happening?" asked Merle, as she bent to the left of Hitomi to see the vortex. "Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!! What's going on!!!!!!!!" shrieked Merle, as the vortex started to spew out long black like snakes.

Hitomi spun around. "RUN!!!!!" yelled Hitomi.

But it was too late the black substance wrapped around the group. All four of them huddled in a circle, keeping in close contact with each other. The black substance oozed around them, blocking off any means of escape. Then a deep low voice was heard, among the substance.

"You, the one that can see the invisible, the girl Hoshino. You shall be mine!"

((Hoshino means "of the stars"))

"What's going on!" yelled Van, as he stepped infront of Hitomi. "Why do you want Hitomi!?" Van scanned the surroundings, but couldn't see anything but blackness. "I will never give Hitomi too you! As the King of Fanelia, I swear this to you!" yelled Van, as he drew his sword up infront of his face.

"Van!......" stammered Hitomi, as she drew closer to the group. {Why me? Why does this always happen to me!? What so special about my power} thought Hitomi, as she raised her hands towards her face.

"MEOWR!!!!! Oh Lord Van! What do we do?" stammered Merle, as she lifted a leg out of the reach of the black ooze.

"Who are you?" yelled Allen............ Nothing. "Arghhhhhh. Show yourself!"

"Hmmmmm. I can sense, that you other three have no powers. You are no use to me. But you might cause some threat to me, and my future plans. I must seperate you three, at once!" snickered the voice.

Then the black ooze separated into individual tentacles, and each one grabbed Van, Merle, Allen and Hitomi. The tentacles started to pull each of them into the vortex.

"HITOMI!!!!!..............MERLE!!!!!!!!!" shouted Van, as he was pulled into the vortex.

"Oh Lord Van!" sniveled Merle. "Huh? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh nooooooo!!" yelled Merle as she too was dragged into the vortex.

"Arrgghhhh LET GO!!!!" Allen struggled against the tentacle, he managed to get one of his hands freed, and he reached it out to Hitomi to grab. But it was too late, the tentacle twisted and turned and then slowly Allen too disappeared into the vortex.{No! This is all my fault!} thought Hitomi, as the tentacle tightened it's grip around her waist. {It's all my fault! Merle .......... Allen ........... Van!} Hitomi's eyes filled with tears.

"NO LET ME GO!!!" screamed Hitomi at the top of her lungs. Hitomi's pendent began to shine.

"No not yet! Not now! Not when I'm so close to my goal!" hissed the voice. "She must not activate her power!" Hitomi felt an agonizing pain, as electricity flooded her body. Hitomi passed out and she too was dragged through vortex.

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To Be Continued ....

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Ohhh what's gonna happen? Find out in Chapter 3. Man you got to love those Mysterious figures in black huh. (giggles) Well see ya! (blows a kiss at the monitor)