Authors Note: This is my first fanfic, so be nice. Please review and I would appreciate
criticism of the constructive kind, no flames. This is a story about what happens after the
series of Escaflowne. I thought the ending was sad. So I did a continuation, but this story
doesn't center around Hitomi or Van, even though they are in there. It centers around my own
homemade character, Solaye. A depressed genius who is timid and shy in everything from her looks
to sports, and is only confident when it comes to things involving her brain. She believes she
is weak. I really like her myself. Anyway enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not, in any way own Escaflowne or it's characters. If I did, I wouldn't be
spending my time writing a continuation fanfic, I would be making a real sequel.
....=author's notes,
*....*=thoughts
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"You're coming to my meet right?" Hitomi Kanzaki sorry if I mispelled her name.
questioned her roommate, Solaye Dearson, "It's the state championships, besides, you have to stop
reading for awhile, what is this anyway?" She grabbed the book out of her friends hand, "The Art
of War? Which class is making you read this?"
"None." Her friend answered making a grab for her book, "It's just for fun."
"Well in that case," Hitomi held the book over her head and taunted, "You are not aloud
to touch it for the rest of the week." She laughed lightly and dodged Solaye's frantic attempts
to get back her book. "Maybe sooner if you come to the meet."
Solaye paused and looked at her friend. Hitomi was thin and willowy. She had an
athletes figure and was a bit taller than average hight. Her dirty blond hair fell to about
shoulders length. She was wearing her track uniforn, and you could see the muscles in her
thighs that were a result of her running. It was rare that she would seem as happy and energetic
as she did now. Solaye knew that running was her way of escape, her way of being able to cope
with her life's problems. After a meet, Hitomi always seemed so lost. Solaye knew that she
should be there for her friend.
"Alright, I'll go." She answered pretending to be reluctant, "But I'm telling you, I am
having fun reading." Solaye's were a deep blue, and her hair, which was jet black, was tied up
in a tight bun which, when it was let loose, fell down to the end of her back. Her features were
delicate, and her skin was very pale. Her eyes were covered by small glasses, which she only
needed for reading, but seeing as she read so often, she never took them off. She was short, and
her body was naturally curvy, but she was definately not even slightly overweight, because her
diet contained of mainly salad, healthfood, and soy products, the only junk food she would eat
was chocolate, and she was addicted to that. She never showed off her looks, because she
believed that she had none, even though Hitomi kept trying to tell her otherwise. Her wardrobe
consisted of large T-shirts that said various things such as aids walk, or school slogans, and
dark baggy jeans.
She and Hitomi looked like exact opposites, but they were inseperable. They were drawn
together by their mutual grief for their parents who had died in the same plane crash.
Having found out they both went to the same collage, they became roomates. Hitomi had eventually
told Solaye off her expieriance on Gaia again, sorry if I spelled that wrong and Solaye
believed her, because, for some reason, even though she believed in rational answers for
everything, Solaye always thought there was magic out there, and Hitomi was the proof.
The two were practically inseperable, and it was their differances that made them such good
friends.
"That's the problem. If it were up to you, you would only venture into the outside
world for school and groceries."
"No, I would go and see your meets." Solaye frowned.
"Thanks, but you're 21 for Christ's sake, Sorry if anyone is offended, but there might
be other references like that later, so if you are offended, then stop reading you need to get
out, get a boyfriend, do something!"
"I don't see you going out with a boyfirend." Solaye retorted, Hitomi looked hurt and
Solaye grimaced, *Stupid,* she thought, *of course she wouldn't have a boyfriend.* Out loud she
said, "I'm so sorry. I can't believe I just said that. Can you forgive me?"
Hitomi's face softened, "I couldn't stay mad at you for long, It's alright, I should've
gotten over him long ago."
"No, you loved him, you will be together again, I just know it."
"Hey aren't I supposed to be the fortune teller?" Hitomi smiled, glad that Solaye didn't
think her thoughts to far gone.
"Call it women's intuition." Solaye stood up and started walking out the door.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"Your track meet remember?"
Hitomi followed after her and locked their dorm room. As they walked down they were
greeted by various people wishing Hitomi good luck. Most knew them as the future valedictorian
and the track team captain. They were most often found together. As they were walking, Solaye
pulled out a small book from her purse and started reading, she could easily read and walk at the
same time. A talent Hitomi still was amazed at. As she side-stepped a man walking towards them,
her thoughts were stopped by Hitomi grabbing the book from her hand and saying, "That's why you
never get a guy, you're too busy reading books to even look at them."
"If there was a guy who actually provided some interesting conversation, I might be
interested." Solaye could see where this conversation was headed, it was one that they had had
many times before. They were now on campus, walking towards the track feild, and she didn't feel
like going into the same act as before, so she tried to direct it in a new direction in order to
have Hitomi back off. "I don't see what's so special about guys anyway, I mean, take a kiss, all
it is is two people putting their lips together and sharing there saliva. To me, it just seems
disgusting and unhealthy."
Hitomi looked at her friend oddly, true. Hitomi had only had a few kisses in her life,
never having dated after going to Gaia, but that didn't mean she didn't have expieriance. To her
a kiss was much more than that, and anyone who she had asked who had been kissed had agreed.
How could her friend feel this way, *I mean,* Hitomi thought to herself, *even if her first kiss
had been horrible, she wouldn't think this way, would she? I guess I'm a hopeless romantic, but
I know people who thought boys were disgusting before they got there first kiss, and then their
outlook changed? The only way she could feel this way would be if-* Hitomi gasped, "I knew you
were sheltered as a kid, but not this sheltered. Why didn't you tell me you've never been kissed?"
Solaye looked uncomfortable, she hadn't expected Hitomi to find that out about her, "I
don't know, Hitomi, it just never came up. You better go, it's going to start soon." Solaye
sepperated from Hitomi and went to get a seat near the finish line. She wanted to be there for
Hitomi when she finished. Solaye wished she could find the same relief in something that Hitomi
found in running. Sports had never been her forte and she had little stamina. Her main skills
rested in her brain and that didn't provide her with any relief. People were turned off by her
smarts and Soalye hated it. The only thing she was confident about was the one thing that turned
other people away, and she hated it. Maybe it was this grief that drew her to Hitomi, they both
longed for something they couldn't have. Her thoughts were stopped by the anouncement that the
race was about to begin.
Hitomi stood at starting point, bracing her feet against the starting blocks. Her head
felt disconected from her body, her body hummed with anticipation. She offered a silent prayer
to whoever was listening and put her hand on the feather that rested under her shirt. It was her
last gift from him. All to soon the buzer sounded, and she was of. She felt as if her feet had
wings and she was flying. That was why she ran, in a hope that she would lift off the ground and
fly to Gaia, that she sould feel what Van felt. She felt herself connect with him, more closely
than she had ever connected before. Her soul felt free and her mind filled with joy. At these
moments nothing else mattered. *Oh Van* she thought. She was in full sprint now and was running
faster than she had ever ran before. Softly, just as she was crossing the finish line, ahead of
everyone else, she heard a voice, a whisper in her mind that said one word, "Hitomi?" before
fading away.
As everyone cheered for her and it was announced that she had made a new state record,
all she could think about was the voice in her mind, *had it been him?* Her euphoria washed away,
to be replaced by the sadnessthat was always there. The knowledge that she hadn't flown away.
In the wave of faces surounding her, and patting her on the back she could see only one. Her
best friend, coming over to her with understanding etched her features. Hitomi smiled, and
nodded when Solaye put her arm around her shoulder and said, "Let's go home."
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Van had been out riding with Merle and her fiance Kane. It had almost been love at first
sight when the cat man had come to his court, he had proven himself worthy and had become Van's
top general. Seeing his need to be alone, Merle had directed Kane to a nearby pond while Van
sorted out his thoughts. He had almost felt her, as he clutched the pendant that was hidden
under his shirt. For an instant their minds had connected and he heard her call his name. He
was surprised and called out to her, *Hitomi?* he thought silently. Was it an omen? He didn't
know, but his need to be with her had risen greatly at that moment.
"She'll come back."
Van turned around to see Merle behind him, she had grown from a childish cat girl to be
a smart, graceful women who now took over the household affairs of running the castle. "Thank
you," he answered, Merle always had a knack to know what he was thinking. They were interrupted
by a messenger coming down the road.
"Your magesty,"
"What is it?"
"Hostile guimelefs again, sorry for the spelling if I got it wrong have been spotted on
our borders."
"What?" After six years of peace, Fanelia had just started to become prosperous again.
"Are you sure?"
"I would stake my life on it."
"Damn," Van spurred his horse into motion and the others followed him, soon they were
back at the palace. Van studied the situation at hand and gave his orders, "Tell them to begin
evacuations. Merle, I'm going to need you to oversee the evacuation process. Kane, ready the
army and guimelefs."
"What about you?"
"Don't worry Merle, I'll be fine, but I'll need to get the Escaflowne. I won't let
myself die."
Merle struggled inwardly abit, but then sighed, "be careful." She watched him take off.
Turning to her lover with tears in her eyes she said, "You better come back in one peice, or
else I'll kill you myself."
"Don't worry my love, I would do anything to escape your wrath." He leaned down and
kissed her tenderly before going his own way. Merle stared after him. The two people she cared
most about were going to war and she could do nothing. She resolved herself, wouldn't evacuate
until she made sure that they were with her. She would make sure of that.
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Solaye held Hitomi in her arms as she cried. She felt awkward, she wasn't used to the
role of comforter, but no one else was there. Something had happened to Hitomi. She had seen
it while her friend was racing. When it was over, she had guided the runner to her room and held
her when she had started to sob in her arms. That had been an hour ago. Finally she asked,
"What's wrong? What is it?"
Hitomi stopped crying and wiped her eyes, realizing for the first time where she was.
"I felt him, in my head. I heard him. It made me realize how much I need him. How much I want
to be with him, but I can't."
Of all the people that she thought would be accepting of their fate, Hitomi wasn't one of
them, Solaye was worried. This was a girl who believed in making your own fate. What had
happened? In a desperate attempt to make her friend feel better. She asked the first question
that came to her mouth, "Why not? What's keeping you here?"
Hitomi stopped, what *was* keeping her here? Her parents had died in the plane crash.
She was over that, Solaye had helped her through that with their mutual grief. She look at
Solaye, with her blue eyes that shined with intelligence but also held a hint of sadness that had
been there since Hitomi had first met her, "You."
Solaye was startled by her answer. She was the one that had been stopping her best
friend from achieving happiness, the one thing that she had wanted for her friend. "What do you
mean?"
"Look at yourself, without me would be lost. Name one other friend that you have. you
only go out when I tell you to, and your not confident in yourself at all. If I leave, what
would happen to you? I know, that eventually, you'll end up dead, or as good as dead, with no
soul or life."
The truth in her words stung. Now Solaye, who prided herself on being able to show
little emotion, started to cry, Hitomi knew her too well. Silent tears trickled down her eyes
as she had to think and decide. Hitomi's happiness with Van and feeling guilt for abandoning her
friend, or staying here with her while forever yearning for Van. She knew that Hitomi would let
her decide, but either way Hitomi got hurt.
Hitomi looked at her friend as she desperatly tried to hold back tears, she longed to
comfort Solaye, but knowing that she handled things better alone, she left her to decide. A
small chuckle escaped from Solaye's lips, than she started laughing. Hitomi gaped at her friend,
hoping she hadn't gone mad. "It's all so obvious, why didn't I see it before?" Solaye said
between her hysterics.
"See what before?" By this time Hitomi was thoroughly confused.
"You won't feel guilty about leaving me this way, and you can still be with Van."
"How, how can that be possible?"
"What if I go with you?"
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AN: So, do you like? Hate? Please tell me. Oh If there are mispellings or characters are out
of character, then I'm sorry but this is a fanfic and if you really hate it, then write your own.
Thanks for reading it.