Entwined by Fate

Prologue: Catalyst

[ Disclaimer stuff ] The characters of Vision of Escaflowne DO not belong to me. I wish they did... wow. Then I could have Van to myself. *gets whacked by Hitomi*]

[Author's note: And important part of the prologue was rewritten and posted on 22/10/02. For all those who've read this before, please reread it again! Thanks! Sorry for the trouble]

The cavern was a dust museum. Centuries of dust lay on the rocky ground, an icing more jittery than fish fresh out of the water. It was the wallpaper on the surrounding walls, a fine powder interwoven like cloud mist in a pale sky. With every step I took, a cloud rose and spiraled around my foot. I contemplated for a second, and realized...

"...that I MUST be SICK of this stupid cavern to compose long descriptive passages about dust!" Yukari shouted in frustration and proceeded to kick the wall, a most childish and unseemly act, for a 20 year old.

She counted silently to herself before spinning round to glare at Hitomi, her dear sweet friend who was still patiently dusting rocks.

"THIS PLACE SUCKS!!!" She screeched into Hitomi's ear, who barely flinched. "Hitomi... I'm a poet... this place is drying up my inspiration... can _ we _ go _ back _ soon? Like maybe, NOW!" Hitomi sighed, stretched her arms and nodded, which invoked an unladylike 'whoop' from Yukari.

"Mind if I rest for a bit before we head back to the hotel?" Hitomi asked as she tiredly rubbed her eyes, the usually shimmering emeralds seemed to be covered with a film of sweat. Yukari's face softened into an encouraging smile. Hitomi was so passionate about archaeology that sometimes, she seemed almost consumed by her interest. Yukari could not understand how she could spend an entire day analysing a small piece of stone. It was utter madness to her. She flopped down and leaned against Hitomi. And so, they sat for a while, back to back, humming a comfortable silence that only best friends knew.

Yukari peeked at Hitomi's listless face and berated herself for behaving like such a brat. She still remembered the childishly excited Hitomi who gripped Yukari by the shoulders as she told her of the great trip the Humanities department was planning, an archaeology cum literature tour of an offshore European Island. Yukari had not been all that keen on visiting some backward island that she had never heard about. Plus, it was going to be held during the summer holidays, a time reserved for friends, family and ... Amano. Yukari was a good friend though and she decided that she'd put Hitomi before herself this time. There was also another reason...

"Ok, Let's head back. I could use a nice cool shower and a cola," Hitomi announced as she stood up.

"Me too!" Yukari bounced up and rocked back on her heels as she gave herself a nice long stretch.

"Hitomi! I'll race you to the entrance!" Yukari shouted before she sped off.

"Cheat!" Hitomi cursed before running after Yukari. Not that Yukari had much of a head start anyway. She fell down after the first minute and sat on the ground, silently nursing her ankle. Hitomi caught up with her in a jiffy.

"Did you sprain it?" Hitomi asked worriedly, before moving down to inspect the ankle.

"Nah, I'm fine really," Yukari slowly got up and tested her weight on the ankle. Hitomi heaved a relieved sigh when Yukari nodded. It would take 30 minutes to walk to the entrance and Hitomi certainly did not relish the idea of carrying Yukari around for that long. Hitomi was no longer that fine young athlete she once was...

Yukari had been about to ask Hitomi again about that...

... about what happened...

... but Hitomi was in a dreamy melancholic haze and the words died on Yukari's lips. She wanted to shake Hitomi out of her depression and her mind quickly fixed on something.

"Man, this was the stupid piece of stone I must have tripped over," Yukari grumbled aloud. Hitomi's eyes refocused and a mild smile graced her features as she teased Yukari lightly for her carelessness.

"It's just a stupid piece of stone," Hitomi giggled as she kicked the stone away. "and you got bowled over by it?" Laughing, she almost missed the stone slab her kick had uncovered. Almost.

"What's this?" She knelt down and reached for it. Yukari stood at her side, her small torchlight casting an illuminated cone on Hitomi's hand. The ancient cave was a patchwork of shadows and darkness. It seemed that the world's attention was focused on that petite hand that was now dusting the stone, now bending low and scanning it. It was so quiet. Yukari could hear their breathing – hushing noises in the dark.

"Hi...tomi?" Yukari croaked. But Hitomi remained silent, absorbed in her newfound treasure. Then Hitomi's body went rigid and Hitomi saw...

... like she did a long time ago...

… the destruction of Atlantis? Wait… no, she was looking at it from a different perspective this time… from above. She stood at the dizzy edge of a spiral tower. The orb tower she had seen previously in her visions of Atlantis. She spun round and saw the shattered remnants of the pink orb and the battered dead bodies of two dragons. Black on White. White against Black. The colours shifted and they were now clashed in a sky with two moons. (Gaea… she was still on Gaea). Below, the land was windswept with guymelefs fighting back mythical creatures. Although the ravages of war filled her with terror, she was drawn to the dragons in the sky. Black versus White, the ancient symbolic colours of good and evil. Now though, there was a sceptre in her hand. A youth was flying towards her and she watched in horror as she took the sceptre and struck him down... the vision shattered before her and she fell... this time with no one to catch her.

"Hitomi!" Yukari screamed as her friend fell back on the ground.

Then her world went black, but her vision darkened the darkness darker.