Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from The Vision of Escaflowne. I do own, however, this storyline. Additional characters and their names are purely fictional and if there had been some real-life faces to their names, please believe me that it is purely coincidental.

A/N: Ok this is my third/ fourth 'Vision of Escaflowne' fan fiction. This is the detailed version of my story, S.T.A.R. I don't know yet how many chapters I'll be dividing that story into but it has the same storyline, only longer and with greater detail. It will have the same writing style of course and be prepared with sudden twists and turns (if there are any or well hehe just saying). Well this is it. I hope those who read S.T.A.R will also read this and enjoy. Don't hold back on the reviews. Thanks!

Michiko

The Assignment

Chapter 1 Writer's Block

It was already two in the morning. The computer screen registered nothing. The stylus was blinking. Hitomi would type but would quickly delete it. Nothing. It was getting her nowhere and it troubled her. How could it be that hard to write? She got up and paced her room, looking now and then at the blank page on the computer screen. Suddenly an idea came. It was a long shot and she knew that a part of her might regret it later on but it was better than nothing.

Hi! My name is Hitomi Kanzaki. I am sixteen years old. Yeah. I am in second year of high school right now. This is an assignment for class. We are tasked to write a story. Honestly, I'm not a very good writer. My ideas sometimes turn out pretty lame. Although I have tons of ideas, there are a lot of things that are better left untouched or hidden for now. But since this is a no-negotiation type of thing, I guess I have no choice but to write. So where to start? I've already introduced myself so I guess I can take it from there.

I'm just an ordinary teenager trying to survive high school and all that teen drama. But you know, I am a little different from the people around me. You see, I have this 'gift'. I can be a clairvoyant at times. I can tell people's fortunes at utmost accuracy at times. Because of this, it can get really lonely sometimes. People can be pretty cruel to someone like me. That's why I don't like to talk about it much. I don't even dare to use it…it just happens sometimes. But not all people are mean to me. I do have friends. But I guess you can say that this world does not believe in magic anymore and condemns those who receive a little more something. Or maybe because I came from the province away from the busy and modern world like the one in Tokyo…there are a lot of mysticisms that goes on behind closed doors. So I guess I can understand why they would hate my existence in a way. Don't get me wrong though. I don't hate the people in my home village. I could never do that. They will always hold a special place in my heart. Even if there were some who were really awful, there were also a lot of people (like I said) who were really, simply wonderful. With that, I can never look down or be ashamed at my past. I welcome it with open arms as I welcome the present and the future.

I keep everything I can do in terms of that 'gift' hidden. No one in my new school knows. All but one person knows. Don't worry. He doesn't go around blabbering about it. No. As a matter of fact, he is such a gentleman. He covers for me at times when I get caught up in that mystical thing. He's such a sweet guy, a trusted friend, a wonderful confidant, he's name is Van Fanel. We have been friends for a very long time. I can tell him almost anything that I can't tell my other friends, things that I can't even tell my best friend, Yukari Uchida. Right now, she is studying abroad because of her dad's work but she said that she'll be back next school year. So right now, all I have is Van. Anyway, I'm not complaining. That's the farthest from my mind. I love Van with all my heart. So it was inevitable I guess that we developed feelings for each other. He showers me with nothing but love and great understanding so why would I complain? blush

Right now, since I know it cannot be hidden forever, my new schoolmates just know that I fool around with tarot cards. Actually I like the people in my new school. They seem not to judge me as being a 'witch' or of the sort but just me, Hitomi, the one who plays with tarot cards and guess into the future. Basically that's who I am really. It's not my fault that there are times that my predictions and visions can be accurate. I've noticed that that only happens when something really bad is supposed to happen. Why it never tells me the best news to the people, I will never really know.

Oh by the way, I joined the school's tract team. I guess it's my outlet in a way. I get to go places when we compete, not to mention meet a lot of people. blush I even met Amano Susumu. He's an upper classman who was also part of the tract team during my freshman year. I find him really cute but I would never admit to that in front of him. He's really awesome. He's a great athlete, not to mention an ace student. A lot of people admired Amano-sempai (I was and perhaps still in a way one of them). But then, I only had one year (if ever I have the guts of telling him how I felt or at least thought). I guess I left that to fate. I won't do any tarot readings on that. I vowed that I wouldn't use the tarot cards or try to see into the future unless I really need to, like when someone is determined to have their fortunate guessed or if I really can't help it and it comes to me. I don't use my gift. When it comes I allow it but I don't call upon it.

As it turned out, things were far greater than I would have expected. Van and I became really close (we were already really close but I guess you can say that we had learned to open our hearts to each other). We eventually decided to take a leap to the next level. It has been like heaven since then. We fight and stuff but it only makes us stronger, stronger individuals, stronger couple. blushes profusely…

Anyway, enough of that…my whole life story isn't the reason why I have agreed to do this. I wanted you to know how I got this far. Maybe to help you realize that there is always hope when you believe. Even if you don't but others around you do, you might just be surprised on what can happen.

It was two years ago. It was my last year in junior high. We were all preparing to enter high school. I wasn't in Tokyo then. I was back home, back in our village. It's a small village about 8 hours from Tokyo by bus. It was a laid back community where old beliefs are still felt. All the town's folks know one another.

My family was well known because we decent from the Mystic Moon. Yes. I know how it sounds. Like I said, there are a lot of mysticisms that happen behind closed doors. Our family served as guardians to the town, guardians of the spirits of nature and everything there. You can say that our family served as the protectors of the balance.

Ok, let me elaborate on that because you know it can get pretty confusing if you don't know how it all started out. Who knows maybe you might even relate to it, especially if you didn't really grow up in Tokyo? Anyway…moving on…

A few generations ago, the village was overrun with opposing forces. If it were simply benevolent entities, there wouldn't be a problem. But that is just some wishful thinking. Malevolent ones rampage the town and do things to the people that have become unspeakable. There are a lot of rumors back then on what they were and I can tell you that none of them is pleasant.

One story goes that once day light says goodbye to the land, evil spirits would roam and take form of the people's dead relatives. They would come to those who had just lost a loved one. Vulnerable and in grief, people would be tempted to let them inside the house. Once the spirits gain access, all hell breaks loose. The next morning, what will be left of the person or family living in that house would be mere bodies. Eyes wide open, white. With a screaming expression or something of fear. They would be proclaimed dead by fear.

Another popular folk lore was that when day turns to night, the spirits would take form of humans. They would change themselves to beautiful damsels or in distress elderly people. They would gain the people's trust and once they have entered the home, they will change back into horrid creatures and commit massacres. The people living there will have their screams and cries muffled by the demons powers. They would be killed slowly. Some they say were skinned alive. Others beheaded. Still others, had their bodies eaten. All that was for certain was that they would die a cruel and painful death.

We never talk about it openly because of its gruesome nature. There was also this fear that if you play with the spirits, they would come and get you back. Stories were only told to frighten young children as so that they wouldn't think to doing mischievous things at night when no one was watching. I guess that's why the village has a very low crime rate. Although people find themselves capable of going out at night now, basically because they believe that the village is under the protection of the people of the Mystic Moon.

It all started according to my grandmother during the night when all spirits are said to come back to earth and visit their living relatives. Demons and malevolent took this opportunity to raise hell. They wanted to control the land for reasons we would never know. Much speculation would say that they are just hungry for power but there are also others who believed that it was because they wanted revenge for some desecration of the ancient lands. But who knows?

Anyway, the town's people were preparing their candle boats to see it in the river. To guide some lost spirits to the other side, to close the festivities of the day. But as it was a solemn time, that was when the demons came out of the shadows and raised hell. All men, women and children were out paying their respects to their departed loved ones and were on their way home when it all happened.

It was termed as 'the apocalypse'. No one was safe. No one was spared. Capable men fought the demons so that people to enter the safety of their homes or the temple. Screams and wailing filled the air. It was chaos. Every where you look, there was blood. Every inch of the streets were stained with them. There were falling, decapitated bodies every where. They didn't know that the candles that they had lit for the souls of the dead were for themselves.

Women were being violated. Children burned to death. Men were being torn apart. It was pure horror and vile. Bodies eaten and desecrated. No one died quickly. All were made to suffer. Those who made it to their houses or temples weren't spared from the sound of the horror happening beyond their walls and sanctity of the holy temple. No one wanted to look back. No one spoke. Every one tried to comfort each other.

At the temple, my great, great grandfather was head priest. He prayed for salvation. But as the screams grew louder and graver, he made a split second decision to go out there and help fight against the evil spirits, the demons plaguing the small village. He was prepared to die. He didn't expect to return. But as he gathered his talismans and holy staff, a light came from behind him. He then saw a pillar of light come from the Mystic Moon and a young woman appeared.

He was stunned by her beauty, slightly forgetting what was happening. The young woman just smiled at him and extended a hand. Without saying a word, my great, great grandfather took her hand. She led him outside and to the middle of hell. Together, guided by the power of the Mystic Moon, they drove away evil from the village and saved as many people as they could. After, the young woman was given a choice, to return home or stay. She knew that the massacre that had happened will happen again. So she decided to stay. She and my great, great grandfather married and vowed to protect the village. That was when they learned that the delicate balance of the forces were broken. To restore that balance, my great, great grandmother opted to stay and performed a ritual to return things as they were. The balance was restored and since then, my family came to guard that balance and protect the village.

Some people's fears were never erased and looked at my great, great grandmother with much suspicion. There were some who believed that she had caused it all. I guess that was also passed from one generation to another. People tend to fear what they do not understand. People can be that closed minded. But there are much good people in the village who want nothing but peace. That's all every body ever wanted. So even if our family was criticized, we uphold our promise and our duty.

Given the power of the Mystic Moon, much is expected.

(to be continued…)

Just as I've said, this is the more detailed version of my story 'S.T.A.R.' Hope you guys stick around to find out what's next. We all know how it will all end but still it would be really nice to get to know everything that happened in between. Don't hold back on the reviews please. Thanks. Peace.

Michiko