Summary: Children are starting to disappear again, a creature of the night taking them on black wings. The madoushi are back to their old tricks but they are missing one thing, their prototype, the only problem is the Commander of the Dragon Slayers isn't where he is supposed to be.

Disclaimer: I don't own The Vision of Escaflowne or any of its characters.

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He watched through the carriage window as the Schezar Manner drew into view. He knew that this must be important for his friend to have requested his assistance under these circumstances. The king of Fanelia leaned back into his seat rubbing the bridge of his nose. He was hoping this was not the start of something more troubling.

The carriage lurched to a halt in front of the manor, making Van growl as he grabbed the side of the carriage to keep from being thrown. He opened the door not waiting for the footman when the carriage lurched forward again, causing him to stumble unceremoniously onto the stone steps.

"What in Fanelia are you trying to do to me?" snapped the young king as he stared up at the drive.

"Sorry m'lord but the horse, they're all spooked."

"Don't blame the horses Van they have reason to be." Van turned to face the speaker, taking his friends outstretched hand into his own.

"I would like to say its good to see you again Allen, but under these conditions I'm not so sure."

A slight smile crossed the knight's lips as they walked into the manner. "I see that the courts have not tamed your tongue." He got nothing more then a snort for his comment.

They walked together in silence as Allen led them down one of the manner hallways. Allen took a moment to notice the changes in the friend he had not seen in almost eleven months. Van's shaggy black mane was still cut the same, in a messy disarray, his bangs continually falling over his eyes. His cinnamon brown eyes still held their battle intensity, aware of everything around him. His body was no longer in the gawky teenage phase, mainly do to his added height, he was now looking Allen eye to eye. His face had also matured, Allen could only hope that his mental and emotional maturity had as well. The request he had for the king would depend on it.

"What is wrong Allen that you wanted me to come under such secrecy?"

Allen stopped in front of a set of double doors that Van knew lead to the library. "Van have children been disappearing from Fanelia?"

Van regarding the other man for a minute before answering, "There have been a few reported incidents."

"So also in Astoria and Freid."

"Allen," replied Van hoping not to set off the knight, "children go missing every year."

Allen took a deep breath before continuing, "Yes but how many go missing in the middle of the night from locked rooms on the third floor of their manner?"

"Is Celena alright?" There was a hint of panic in the king's voice and Allen knew it was not for his sister.

"In a way yes. My younger sibling is still here." Allen ignored Van's raised eyebrow and continued. "Van, our spies say the Zaibach sorcerers are returning to their experiments." Van's other eyebrow joined the first. Allen knew this would catch his interest, after all those sorcerers had made the king's greatest adversary.

"You think they are after Celena?"

"It's worse then that." Before Van could inquire the meaning of those words, Allen opened the door to the library.

The sight before him had Van instinctually reaching for his katana. There leaning against the mantel was Dilandau Albatou. Dressed in knee high riding boots that were over black leather pants, a dark red shirt that hung loose, with a black belt slung over it, resting on his slender hips. His silver-white hair danced red in the light of the fire as unfocused red eyes turned towards them.

"Allen?" The voice was soft and uncertain, very unlike the general of the mighty Dragon Slayers. Van released the grip on his sword looking questioningly at Allen. Allen however was not paying attention to him but was now crossing the library towards the silver haired young man.

Van followed cautiously, his mind in turmoil. He watched as Allen took the commander arm leading him to a chair where he sat down letting out a rather girlish giggle. Van took the seat across from him while Allen took the third chair where he could see both, and if need be intervene between them.

"What is going on Allen," Van growled out never taking his eyes off the albino.

This elicited another giggle from Dilandau, "You still hate me." It was said in a childish tone that Van would have expected from Celena.

"Allen."

"Van, Celena is Dilandau."

I am well aware of that," snapped Van, turning his attention to Allen, "But why is he here instead of Celena?" For some reason this drew a fit of feminine laughter from Dilandau. Van looked back to stare at the figure in front of him, a look of disgust on his face. "Is he drunk?"

"Drugged." Allen's reply was even and patient. He had known that this was not going to be easy. Thankfully, in Dilandau's current condition, he wasn't going to be much of a problem.

"Allen, please tell me you aren't thinking that keeping this monster drugged is going to contain him."

"I am not a monster." Red eyes flashed dangerously at Van before losing their focus, sending Dilandau into another bout of giggles.

"He is drugged by his own chose," Allen replied. "Though as far as being a threat…"

"Allen, he is Dilandau," Van made a sweeping gesture towards the young man in question, "You do recall what all he has done."

"I recall what the Zaibach sorce…"

"Don't talk about them!" Van jumped at the sudden outburst, surprised to see Dilandau suddenly pull he's knees to his chest covering his head with his arms.

Allen rose from his seat and walked over to a table near the mantel. Van watched as Allen poured a cup of tea and carried it to Dilandau kneeling down in front of him. After several minutes of whispered coaxing, Dilandau dropped his legs so he was sitting in the chair normally again, the cup of tea in his hands.

"You know we have to talk about them Dilandau," Allen said still kneeling next to his sibling. "We'll wait till you drink your tea."

"No I need to talk to him first." Van's eyes narrowed. That was the voice of the leader of the Dragon Slayers, not the confused Celena. Dilandau sat there staring down at the cup of tea cradled in his hands for several minutes. Drawing in a deep breath scarlet eyes looked up to meet cinnamon brown ones. They did not dance with the insanity Van was so used to, but were glazed over with the effect of the drugs he was taking.

"I know, Van Fanel, that you do not trust me, nor do I expect you or anyone else to. However I wish you to keep in mind, I have no where to go and no one to run to. My Dragon Slayers are all dead, and from what Allen has told me, Folken is dead too. I will not go back to Zaibach so that they can further screw with me, Astoria and Fried would gladly kill me, and I can only imagine what the people of Fanelia would do to me."

"Burning you alive at the stake came to mind," snarled Van.

Dilandau chuckled, "Yes I suppose that would be fitting. Perhaps it would be best."

"No!" Allen rose to glare from Dilandau to Van. "I will not stand for that. Dilandau can not help was Zaibach has done to him, but I can help with what happens to him now." He looked back at Dilandau, "drink your tea" he said gently.

"If I'm dead they can't get to me," Dilandau replied staring into his cup again.

Van looked from his friend to his enemy back to his friend again, wondering for a moment if he wasn't just having some kind of weird dream. "Allen," Van finally said in exasperation, "what in Fanelia is going on?"

Allen took his seat again, looking very tiered. "You obviously are aware that after I left the Palas I returned here with Celena." Van nodded. "It did not take me long to notice certain…things shortly after we returned."

"What type of things?"

"The first thing I noticed were the drawings she did, they were of gymeliphs fighting. Then a few days later I caught Celena in front of the fire place burning them. When I asked her why she was doing that her response was that the fire looked pretty." Van glanced at Dilandau who was now leaning back in his chair quietly sipping his tea. It was difficult to tell if he was still listening.

"The next incident happened several days latter, I walked into her room to find her tearing everything out of her closet yelling that she wanted to wear something red. I figured it was only a residual of Dilandau's tastes." Dilandau giggle and Van was certain he heard the other man whisper that he liked red.

Allen ran a hand over his eyes before continuing. "Then Celena started to slap people when they made her upset. It wasn't a gentle slap either, she was hitting with enough precision that she was leaving a bruise. Again, I passed it off as residuals of Dilandau." Van continued watching his advisory as he smiled slightly lowering the cup into his lap.

"What happened next though I could not pass off. We had been back here for about three months when I took her out side to play in the flowers. Everything started off fine, Celena was picking flowers and making wreathes to wear on her hair dancing around, singing a child's song, suddenly she stopped and looked at me. She looked so lost Van. When I asked her what was wrong she said…"

"I can't remember, I don't remember how to act."

Van looked at Dilandau raising an eyebrow. "How to act?"

"That was what I said," replied Allen. "When Celena looked at me, though the eyes were blue, I knew that's not who I was looking at. Needless to say I was more than a bit concerned. I kept a closer watch on Celena after that, paying close attention to her eyes. I think I already knew then but wasn't willing to admit it. Then the nightmares came."

Dilandau's cup clanked noisily on the floor, his head lolling to one side of the chair, a vacant look in his eyes. Allen sighed and reached down to pick up the cup.

"Is he ok?" Van wasn't sure why he was asking.

"Yes, the drug is just taking effect."

"What were you saying about nightmares?"

Allen rubbed his eyes for a moment before continuing, "Celena started having nightmares. At first I could easily wake her out of them, but it would take me hours to calm her. The longer they went on, the worse they got. I had to hold her down so she wouldn't hurt herself. It was during one of those nightmares that it happened. I was holding Celena down telling her it was ok when she started shrieking in pain. Her body was changing Van, right there in front of me she switched to Dilandau. Once I got Dilandau to fully wake up he realized that he had changed."

Allen stopped and stared at the young man sitting in the chair near his, now in a catatonic state. He shook his head and continued.

"Van he looked up and saw me and said, no you don't want me in this body, and with a scream changed back into Celena. I knew though, I knew I was still dealing with Dilandau. At first I figured he was just trying to find out information, find a way to escape."

"You think he wasn't though," asked Van skeptically.

"At first I was sure he was, but he continued trying to act like Celena. It finally all came down about a month ago. Celena was trying to cut out paper dolls chains but couldn't remember how to. She started to throw a fit, started screaming about how come they couldn't have left her alone. I kept trying to calm her down, but she wasn't responding. She didn't respond till I called her Dilandau."

Allen stood from his chair and walked over to the fire place, staring down into the flames. Van took the time to digest what Allen had told him. He wasn't sure he was grasping the situation between Celena and Dilandau. He had been under the impression that they were two different personalities. Was Allen saying that Dilandau had gotten rid of Celena?

"Allen I'm not sure I understand. What happen to Celena?"

"Van Dilandau is Celena. He was, is using his memories of when he was her to try and be her."

"So Celena never existed?"

"She did, they just made her Dilandau."

"But back then at your mother's grave…"

Allen turned to face him, "That was Dilandau Van, Dilandau trying to be Celena, trying to be the girl he once was."

Van placed his fingers to his temple and shook his head. "So Dilandau went to your mother's grave and recalled he was once a little girl and just decided to leave the Zaibach Empire to be a girl again. Excuse me if I find that hard to believe"

"I suppose if you look at it that way it is, but you have to remember that Dilandau's life in Zaibach was not a good one. He was used as an experiment, from the way he acts during his nightmares they tortured him, and as he said to return there means more of that, plus he has no one to return too."

Van thought for a moment and nodded to Allen, "ok I can understand that, but why pretend to be Celena then?"

"Well technically he isn't pretending to be Celena, because he is Celena. As far as why, I would guess because he wanted a chance to be loved. He probably figured since no one have ever loved Dilandau maybe they would love him as Celena."

This was a bit much for Van. His enemy wanting to be loved? This was a man who destroyed cities, killed ruthlessly, and hunted him down relentlessly, and he wanted to be loved? "So why is he Dilandau now, if he wanted to be loved as Celena?" Van knew his voice betrayed his feeling of the situation, but he was to a point of not caring.

"Because I told him that I would love him no matter who he was, Dilandau or Celena."

Van stared at Allen, pushing the headache he was getting back. "Ok Allen why did you call me here? I can't imagine it was just to let me know that my greatest enemy was still a living breathing entity."

"I called you here because we, Dilandau and I, need your help."

"Do you really think I am going to help him!" Van's temper finally snapped as he stood pointing at Dilandau. Dilandau's head came up to stare blankly around the room as Van's chair fell over.

"Van the two of you might not like each other, but you have a common enemy."

"And who might that be," snarled the king.

"The madoushi."

"The who?"

"The Zaibach sorcerers. Van they are stealing children to make new Dilandau's. However they want him back as well."

"How do you know that?"

"Did you notice anything as you came in Van?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come with me." Allen lead Van out of the library and out one of the side doors to the manner. "Do you notice anything," Allen inquired again in a whisper.

Van stood there for several minutes, an unease creeping up on him. Then he realized, "There is no sound."

"Exactly, not crickets, owls, bats, nothing." The stepped back into the manner Allen locking the door. "Four nights ago the horses in the stable all went crazy, two of them killed themselves from fear. Since then there has not been any sound around the manner. I might have been able to pass it off as some a predator, weather, anything natural, but…"

Allen paused as they entered the library again. He bent down to check on his sibling who appeared to be asleep.

"When we first came back I was afraid that Celena might fall out the window, so I had bars but up outside. Those bars have been bent like something is trying to get in. There are also scratches on the window."

"Are you sure Dilandau didn't do it?"

"I can't imagine why he would, I don't lock his door, there would be no reason to go out the window. Besides the window swings out so you cant open the glass more than a few finger widths."

Van took his seat again staring at Dilandau. "You want me to take him to Fanelia."

It was not a question but Allen answered it anyways "Yes. You are his enemy Van, the last person who would take him in. Your palace would be the last place they would look for him."

"Allen you are my friend, but you are asking too much of me. Dilandau isn't just my enemy he is my kingdoms enemy."

"Not at the moment he is not, but if Zaibach gets a hold of him again he certainly will be, and who knows how many more like him."

Van sat there for a long time, elbows on his knees, chin in his hands, staring at the incoherent form across from him. With a heavy sigh he answered Allen, "ok fine I'll take him, but if he does anything to endanger my people or my kingdom."

"I know," replied the knight, "and I understand."

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Allen watched as the carriage pulled out of the stables and made its way quickly through the gates, headed back towards the capital of Astoria, where Van had come from.

"Please take care of him," he whispered into the night before turning and walking back into the manner.

As the door shut a figure took flight off the roof, following the carriages path down the road.

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Thank you for reading and as always, reviews and corrective criticism are greatly welcome and appreciated.