A Brighter Insight

By Snare-chan

Pairings: None, but I guess Folken/Hitomi is implied
Ratings: G
Category(ies): General
Warning(s): None

Status: One-shot, complete
Summary: "What do you see?" "I see…a society slowly being destroyed by the hands of blind men, and corrupted by senseless greed."

Notes: Just a very random piece that came to me in the thwarts of boredom during my study hall and my own musings as I gazed outside an open window… I'm not usually one for meaningful works, and this was actually intended to go an entirely different route. But as most things like this go, I found myself typing up something completely opposite to what I had originally intended.

Though not that far off or as horrible as it could be, I'm still a little skeptical about it. I'm iffy about my characterization, but since I've read this over…and over…and over…and- beats the broken record to death I can't stand to read it anymore, I suppose this will just have to do.

Disclaimer: I dun own Escaflowne; wish I did like everyone else. They should put Escaflowne in stock, then I'd buy it all!

Hitomi tilted her head slightly as she regarded the little children below her, noting with some content just how careless and free they looked. Entertaining themselves with vivid imaginations and laughter, they looked like they didn't have a single care in the world but to have fun – even when they were living in such times of war.

She, being a girl of the 21st century, was having the hardest time trying to grasp this fact. It was one thing when it concerned her and handling the situation she was thrown into, but another entirely when little children like the ones before her were in question. Many were now orphans without parents, might have even seen them die before their very eyes, and yet here they were…enjoying life to its fullest like nothing had happened; like the war didn't even exist.

They were poor, and dirty; there was little food to go around, and too few blankets for everyone to share. Hard times were certainly taking their toll on such young minds, but all the same their smiles were nonetheless bright. It truly baffled Hitomi, and brought her a newfound respect for the young generation of the planet she'd been thrust unto. She knew for a fact that if she were in their places, she wouldn't have survived this long, much less been able to deal with the stress and depression sure to take hold of her.

With a slightly sad, absentminded sigh, Hitomi was leaning forward to rest one elbow on the ledge of the window she was gazing out of, her position in the tower making it easy to see anyone and everyone below. The sheer number of homeless and misfortunate children before her was utmost disheartening, and she only wished she could do more. She really did, and if she had the chance, she'd sweep them all into her arms for a hug and give them the world if she could. They all deserved so much better than this…

"I can't imagine what it's like at all," she murmured to herself, her eyes closing halfway in saddened wonder as she continued to gaze at the world outside the tower. She may not have her family or her home right now, for they were still there, far away, of course, but they still existed…

"Imagine what?"

Hitomi squeaked in surprise, straightening quickly as she turned to look at who had snuck up behind her. You wouldn't think it would be so simple, considering stone steps and walls made it easy for noise to increase in volume, and sometimes even echo. She blinked for a moment or two before relaxing, a relieved smile crossing her features as she saw that it was only Folken.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you there," she spoke apologetically, still a little startled at being caught musing to herself like that. Hitomi disliked it when others saw her upset, because then they got upset and so on and so forth, and she'd never forgive herself if she was the root of another's worry and unhappiness.

The tall man, made even taller by the fact he was a step or two above where she was, simply nodded in acknowledgement. But aside from that, he said nothing more, and Hitomi did the same until she realized she hadn't answered his question. She cleared her throat slightly, feeling rude for having ignored it.

"Um…well, it's nothing. I'm just thinking to myself, ya know…being silly little me," she smiled for emphasis, wanting the other to not fret about her. Though Folken may not have looked like it, he was actually highly considerate towards others, and Hitomi didn't want him starting to empathize with her when he was probably busy doing…whatever he did in the lab he was recently given.

Folken, to Hitomi's slight discomfort, simply stared at her. It wasn't a look of distaste at the obvious fact she'd just lied (she was such a horrible one, she knew - her friends had told her so on several occasions), nor something judging…but simply a gaze that looked through her and analyzed in such a neutral fashion it was as if he wasn't even looking at her at all. She broke away from the gaze, instead looking back over the courtyard and slight outskirts of the city.

She heard the sound of fabric moving behind her; Hitomi just assumed he'd accepted her answer and moved on. She almost sighed with relief when his voice was heard once more, though now it was nearly right behind her. Hesitantly she glanced upwards, noting he'd joined her side and was looking out the window as well.

"What are you looking at?" he asked curiously, no real intent in his voice but a simple question.

It was actually a major surprise, since her conversations with the older man were usually short and far between, not to mention usually involving her talking more than the other and managing only to get a single response from him at a time.

Without answering right away, she turned her head back to look at the people outside. "I see a brave group of determined people," she started slowly, trying to put all her thoughts into this one sentence, "and most importantly, children who manage to move forward even in this age of…of horror."

Her words hung up in the air for a while, haunting the old stone stairway. The other was silent beside her, seeming to contemplate her words.

"What do you see?" Hitomi asked softly, turning to look at him once more.

"Nothing nearly as promising."

The answer she was given wasn't much, but it was laced with much meaning, just as the other's words usually were. Though Hitomi would never claim that she could read people like an open book, she wasn't completely oblivious to tones and well-chosen words. She could tell when someone was avoiding her questions, or happy, or nervous.

When he didn't elaborate, she cautiously urged him to go on. Now she was the curious one, wondering what the usually-silent Folken was thinking. He seemed to hesitate, but after a moment he glanced outside, continuing.

"I see…a society slowly being destroyed by the hands of blind men, and corrupted by senseless greed."

Blind men? She thought confusedly, Does he mean the Zaibach army and its soldiers, or…

The other seemed to have gone into a momentary trance as he gazed outside the window, snapping back as he seemed to realize he'd vanished into the recesses of his own mind and gotten lost in thought. He turned to her the instant his eyes refocused, and seemed to sense her frazzled mind.

"Pardon me; that probably wasn't the most pleasant thing to say in the presence of a lady."

"Why do you say that?" Hitomi asked, a puzzled look on her face, "I'd rather you be honest in your opinions than feign them in my presence."

The other looked momentarily surprised at this, though why, Hitomi did not know. She wasn't weak-minded or that naïve; she knew that the world wasn't always a pleasant place. She would like to think that any world was loving and safe to live in, but thinking so was both a foolish dream and a lie. Not even her homeland was completely harmless.

"I mean…" she started again when the blue-haired man remained silent, "I can see the bad things too. I see people in need of hope, of food and companionship. One's pain starts another's, and a vicious cycle is born.

"But…that doesn't mean that's all there is. I see the sun rising over the horizon, the sign of a new chance to start over. I see smiles on people's faces despite the situation they are in, their determination to keep going even thoug-oh my goodness!"

Hitomi perked up suddenly, rather startling the both of them, "I'm rambling, aren't I? I'm so sorry; I have a horrible habit of doing that."

"Don't be," Folken quickly spoke, a twitch of the lips revealing a momentary smile before it disappeared into the blank line it was accustomed to, "It's…been awhile since I've heard someone so motivated."

She blushed at the compliment, her toe absently tapping the stone floor as she glanced away.

"My mother used to tell me often how I always sounded excited, she was sure I was going to have coronary if I kept it up."

Another glimpse of that rare smile, "I wouldn't say that, now…"

A comfortable silence fell between them for a moment, Hitomi's eyes trailing to look at the glistening rooftops. Some were in disrepair from the war, but they were nonetheless stunning when in line with the rest of the city; the rays of light that shone down from the sky made every shingle sparkle like bronze.

"Those people you see…the ones with no hope," Folken started softly, hesitantly, as if afraid of breaking the silence, "I think that I see, very soon, that they will have someone to give it back to them."

As Hitomi looked at him he did not; instead, his eyes flickered over the streets below with mild interest. Though she did not quite understand what lay behind those particular words, she did know one thing…it was the most optimistic thing she'd ever heard the man say.

--Fin--