A Conference of Shades
NOTE:
Happy New Year!
This is my very belated gift to Caustic Curtsy for Escaflowne Secret Santa 2017. I'm so sorry it's a couple of weeks late. Real life (both personal and professional) has been crazy and I really tried to post this on the deadline and even by Christmas but circumstances prevented me.
But I didn't want to let you down too much and I still tried my best to write this and I hope you like it. I know that Hitomi, Folken, and Dilandau are your favorite characters so I came up with a little encounter with all three, set post-series. I'm fond of Hitomi while the other two are among my favorites so this was fun to write. They would have an interesting dynamic and it would be fun to see them in a non-hostile situation so that is what this is.
In a way, this ended up fulfilling the flash prompt from nehasy about characters celebrating the new year. It isn't that explicitly stated but it's alluded to towards the end of this piece.
Sorry again and I hope you can forgive me for posting so late! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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Hitomi Kanzaki had strange dreams of Gaea, every now and then.
It had been two years since she had said her goodbye's and since then, no pillar of light had appeared to whisk her away to the world with two moons. She had moved on with her life as best as she could, never forgetting her adventures there or the people she had met, but never letting herself be tied down by the past. For the most part, she succeeded though there were always the occasional reminders of a particular person she had left behind.
But she did not despair. Something told her that they would meet again someday, when the time was right, and it was this hope that made her life on earth more than tolerable.
On some rare occasions, she would dream of the friends she had made, of Merle and Millerna, of Allen and his crew, and even of the people of Fanelia who had welcomed her so warmly. Such dreams never failed to bring a smile to her face and also a twinge of longing.
One night, she had a particularly peculiar encounter but one that she wasn't likely to forget anytime soon.
She had closed her eyes and abruptly found herself in the familiar void that always preceded a dream or vision of Gaea. The darkness no longer frightened her. In fact, it even brought her comfort.
She knew that she only needed to wait for whoever was meant to visit her and what news they would bring.
True enough, it did not take long for a familiar figure to materialize before her. When she saw who it was, she smiled, despite her surprise and puzzlement.
"Folken," Hitomi greeted him.
"It's been a while, Hitomi Kanzaki," he replied, "And before you ask, let me assure you that my circumstances have not changed since the last time we spoke."
"Oh," was all Hitomi managed to say.
"I'm afraid I'm not the one you wanted to see," Folken Fanel told her apologetically, "And I am sorry to disappoint you."
"You don't need to apologize," Hitomi replied cheerfully, "I am getting used to this. And it is good to see you."
"Prepare to be doubly disappointed," came another voice from the darkness.
Hitomi and Folken turned to look at the emerging figure who revealed himself to be an exhausted Dilandau Albatou.
Now, Hitomi was really surprised.
Even Folken seemed a bit taken aback by the arrival of the former Zaibach soldier. But he said nothing. For his part, Dilandau seemed to tired to make a fuss and he simply looked at them both and shrugged.
"Did you die?" Hitomi blurted out suddenly, and she regretted asking it so bluntly but she had no idea what to say to him.
"Unfortunately not," Dilandau replied with a sigh, "But I'm not exactly alive either."
Hitomi frowned and Dilandau looked to Folken. "Maybe you can explain the situation," he said.
"I don't have all the particulars," Folken said, "But from what I know, Emperor Dornkirk performed experiments on Celena Schezar but after the war, she reclaimed her body and her memories and is now living happily with her brother."
"While I have been condemned to wander this vast limbo of nothingness," Dilandau continued bitterly, "Neither dead nor alive, just stuck in the middle somehow."
Hitomi listened to this exchange awkwardly. She was not sure why they were meeting and though there was no love lost between her and the man who had repeatedly tried to kill Van, she felt some pity for his current predicament. He had never asked to be the product of a twisted experiment and he did not deserve such an uncertain existence. Some part of her wanted to help somehow but she did not know what she could do.
"Well, look at us all," Dilandau commented wryly, "A dead man, a foreigner, and someone who might as well be a ghost. All congregating to discuss the meaning of life. Or whatever we're supposed to talk about in this dream or vision or something."
Hitomi could not help but smile. He had summed up the situation pretty accurately, and she could appreciate his sarcastic sense of humor remaining intact despite the dreary circumstances.
"I'm here to deliver a message to Hitomi, as is the role prescribed by my Draconian heritage," Folken explained, while unfurling two large, white wings behind him.
Dilandau rolled his eyes while Hitomi stared in wonder.
"I believe it was my mother who used to communicate with you in this way," Folken said.
"Yes, and I see that the duty now falls to you," Hitomi remarked.
Folken nodded. "I'm here simply to reassure you that, should you choose to journey back to Gaea, you will be able to do so again soon."
Hitomi's heart leaped at the confirmation of what she had been fervently wishing for for years. She had not allowed herself to cling to too much hope but now she knew that she had not been wishing in vain.
"This time it will be completely your decision," Folken added, "And you will not be whisked away against your will. When the moment comes, you will know it."
Hitomi nodded appreciatively. Folken then turned to Dilandau.
"And, if she chooses to return, she can help you do the same," Folken said, much to the surprise of the two people involved.
"It's by no means an obligation," Folken clarified quickly to Hitomi, "You are not bound to do this. But you will have the power to bring him back to Gaea, to journey with you so that he can have a new life or face a proper death, whatever he decides to do."
"That seals my fate then," Dilandau muttered, "If she's my only way out of here, then I'm doomed."
"Why do you say that?" Hitomi asked.
"It's obvious," he replied, "Why would you help someone you hate?"
"I don't hate you," Hitomi replied gravely and honestly. "You were never my friend, but I don't hate you."
And it was true. She did not hold such negative emotions in her heart.
Dilandau stared at her in shock.
"I can see that you don't understand what is happening," Folken said gently, "But you should know that there are some people who have such generous hearts that they can show compassion to anyone."
Hitomi nodded, blushing a little at such an assessment of her character. It was then that she made her decision. Nobody deserved to exist between life and death as Dilandau currently did. If she was the only one who could give him another chance, she would do it. She exchanged a knowing glance with Folken.
"When the time comes," she told Dilandau, "I'll take you with me back to Gaea."
He could only stare at her, dumbfounded. But there was sincerity in her eyes and an understanding of his condition.
At length, he managed to whisper words that had probably never escaped his lips before:
"Thank you."
And then, as suddenly as the dream had begun, it was all over and Hitomi found herself staring at the ceiling of her bedroom. She was back on Earth once more and she would have to wait some time before she was allowed another glimpse of the world she had left behind. But for now, she was content with what she had been given, however unusual it was.
She remembered what the date was and she smiled. Of course, she thought, it made perfect sense to have this strange meeting tonight, of all nights. She doubted she could explain the significance of it to her companions and though she knew that time moved differently in both worlds, she felt inexplicably certain that this meeting was taking place at around the same point of the Gaean calendar: at that moment between the end of one year and the beginning of a new one.
And at that moment, she felt certain that somewhere beyond the night sky, a world away, a pendant was glowing.