Hi! This is my first fanfic on Escaflowne, ever, because I just finished watching the series…people on this site who didn't finish watching, there may be a few spoilers, so if you don't wanna know, stop right there! Personally, I like spoilers, cuz it prepares me for stuff I don't expect. I don't like disclaiming every single chapter I write, so may I be lazy and write it all here. ESCAFLOWNE DOESN'T BELONG TO ME, SO DON'T SUE ME!!! There, that wasn't so hard. ^_^ I hope you enjoy this, and even if you don't, leave something so I can change whatever's wrong with it. I wrote the prologue after I wrote the chapters, so it might not make sense, but you gotta tell me!!! I need help w/ this thingy, ppl! Flaming always welcome, and if you don't get it, be very welcome to email me or IM me. NOTE: 'Duy' is just my word for 'duh'…don't you think it sounds a lot better than using 'duh'? Oh, and btw, 'matte' is the Jap word for 'wait' if you guys don't know yet…I think most of you know that by now already, right? Yup, most of you anime cravers should know that. So enjoy and tell me if I should proceed with this. I agree, not a very special fanfic; after all, many ppl wrote Esca continuations, cuz it got cut off with such a cliffhanger. But tell me what you think altogether, alright? Enjoy!
--Kit *aka* KuteMissKitty
A New Beginning - Prologue
"Hitomi! Matte!" Yukari waved her hand while running up to Hitomi to try to catch her attention. "Are you going to track today?" Yukari finally ran up to Hitomi and stopped her.
Hitomi sighed. "I might, but I need to do something first. Have you seen Amano-sempai?"
"Yeah, he's gonna take a plane to England this weekend…" Yukari looked down. Hitomi knew she didn't love Amano now…because Amano wasn't him. Yukari had loved Amano, ever since the beginning. It was so obvious. Was I the only one who didn't know?
"Yukari…" Hitomi hesitated before continuing, knowing that Yukari might refuse. "…umm…can you come with me to see Amano-sempai today?"
"What, I'm not gonna interrupt anything?" she teased. After a moment's awkward silence, she forced a smile, and Hitomi noticed her uneasiness. Finally, Yukari sighed and replied, "Fine, I'll come along." For the first time in a few days, Hitomi smiled and put a casual arm around her shoulder. "We need to get going. Amano has been waiting, I'll bet." They loved each other, Hitomi thought.
Hitomi smiled, and slowly walked with Yukari to the bus stop. She overlooked the shore nearby, and saw an image of her forbidden lover, and she smiled. He'll always be with me. She broke out of her trance when two lovers in each other's embrace walked past in front of her, talking and laughing. Would Van and her have ended up like that if they were still together? Van's embrace--she'd give anything to have that again.
"Are you okay?" Her friend waved her hand in front of her face to see if she was still alive. "Gosh, you're not that desperate to see Amano, are you?"
"Oh look who's talking." She laughed and said, "You call him Amano now?"
A wave of dark pink came over Yukari's face. "Are you jealous?" Hitomi got a little uneasy, just thinking she was the extra one. "Gosh, you sound like those ditsy girls at school. Where do you think Amano-sempai is now? Do you even…say…know where we're going?"
"His place. Duy." Yukari answered.
"Oh, and new advancement. You know where his place is. Don't I find that surprising." She jokingly narrowed her eyes.
Yukari sighed. "No, seriously now, he stayed for a few more months 'cause he was searching for you. We don't know what happened to you, so your mother told us you might call home. We stayed at your place for a few days, after going to his and my place together to ask for permission from our parents, and you didn't come back." Yukari's expression saddened. "For a while we thought you had died."
Hitomi tried to make her argument sound optimistic. "I may not be able to run the 13 second record, but I don't think life can be over that easily. There are still so many people I can't let go of yet." Once again, Van came to her mind. Van…his rare smile…strong embrace…everything up to his short temper. She hugged her friend as her voice failed her, and Yukari thought it odd that she's crying because she remembers living. Huh. A few people nearby gave them a short glance. "You don't understand…you'll know once we get to his house."
Oh, but I do. The way Amano looks at you... My pathetic self to have false hopes in the first place. No one but only myself to blame. I've always been the uglier one, the weaker one, the... My God, you're my friend. How could I have such thoughts in the first place? Amano and you are the destined pair...
The bus arrived in time for Hitomi to drag Yukari from her daydreaming place. "Come on!" rushed Hitomi. They paid their fare, and both of them found a seat, surprisingly. Hitomi stared out the window, seemingly looking into space. The highway has a nice view of the ocean, Hitomi thought. The ocean of Gaea had a scent like this one too. Before I came back, I always thought about the ocean of Gaea, so similar to the ocean of Earth, but now, I seem to think about it from the opposite point of view. Hitomi laughed inwardly at the irony of it all. Damn I'm pathetic. Thinking about it too much.
"What are you smiling about?" Yukari asked.
"Nothing."
"Oh, really?"
"Really, nothing." Excuse, excuse…umm…"It's just…look at the ocean."
"Yeah, I know!" She laughed. A smirk painted on her face. "We pass by here every day, and you never seem to have admired it at all." Nothing but silence. It has been awkward between her and her best friend ever since Hitomi has returned, oddly. Something must've happened to her. Amano and Yukari had suspected it might've been rape… Yukari sighed and propped her chin on her elbows. "But I suppose if you look closer, you kinda see the beauty of it."
Beauty. . .really? There are many things much more beautiful on Gaea. Van's wings, for example…
She saw a white feather on the seat next to hers, and hesitated before reaching for it. Slowly, she drew her hand closer and closer to the feather. She had contact with it, making sure it wouldn't disappear like it did before. Then she picked it up."What's that?" asked Yukari in curiosity.
"It's nothing. I found it outside in the park this morning." More excuses. "It's a white dove's feather, for peace."
"There's doves around here? I have to concentrate on Tokyo more…more animals are migrating here!" she joked.
"Pigeon, dove, doesn't make a difference. Where is Amano's place anyway? Where do we get off?"
"It's just one stop past the school. We're almost there." Yukari answered.
Hitomi sighed in sadness and closed her eyes. No more visions now. Her adventure had ended. A nightmare that began and ended a fairy tale. And what of the princess now?
And at that last sigh she laid back in her seat, as sleep roamed her mind.
*****
"Hitomi, wake up!" Hitomi mumbled under her breath and turned slightly. "Wake up, sleepyhead! We're there!" Hitomi popped up suddenly, and whispered an 'ow' when the light stung her eyes, attempting to block it with her arm. She rubbed her eyes, waited for it to adjust to the light, and noticed a few people staring at her with odd looks. And #2 of Earth's rules, never to attract too much attention. She looked down in embarrassment, and Yukari immediately apologized to the bus driver and dragged Hitomi along.
"Where are we?" Hitomi asked.
"Gee, what kind of memory do you have? We were on our way to Amano's place, remember?"
"Oh yeah…" Yukari smacked her on the head playfully, and laughed when Hitomi narrowed her eyes.
"You look like our science teacher when you do that," the long-haired girl commented.
"Oh yeah? What about this?" She smacked Yukari back. She blocked. Hitomi said, "Okay, seriously now, how long do we have to walk?"
"Just two blocks or so," came the reply. Hitomi looked ahead, and those two blocks seem forever to her. "Aww man," she muttered.
Hitomi saw a smug look on the other girl's face. "It's two blocks. Heh, track spirit alright."
"Oh, shut up…" Hitomi smiled at her friend and continued, "let's go already."
*****
Pressed bell once, pressed bell twice. Turn the stupid knob! Finally, the door creaked open, and a woman of her mid-thirties, precisely Amano's mother, opened the door. "Oh, Yukari!" She turned toward Hitomi and said, "And who might this be?" She said as she looked towards Hitomi and smiled. "Hitomi Kanzaki. Nice to meet you." At that last greeting, Hitomi bowed to show her respect.
"Oh, so you're the Hitomi Amano has been talking about! Come in!" She motioned for them to follow her, and waited for them to enter before closing the door. A semi-deep male voice coming from above the first floor yelled to the woman. "Who is it, Mom?"
"Amano, come down! Your friends are here!" She turned to the girls and asked, smiling, "Drinks? Anyone? Don't be shy, make yourself at home."
Hitomi and Yukari smiled and Yukari said "Sure, thanks."
Footsteps were heard coming down the stairs. "Hitomi!" He saw Yukari and his mother standing behind her, and yelled out, "Yukari! What are you guys doing here?"
"Well…" Yukari said. There was a moment of silence, and no one knew what to do.
Amano walked forward, feeling a bit awkward. "Well…come on up, I was just watching something." He started walking back up the stairs, and both girls followed him. He stopped on the last step and turned toward a room at the end of the hallway. "Come on in!" He motioned for them to follow. "Why did you guys come all the way here to see me? Is it important?"
"Not really…and it's not 'all the way'…we only had to walk a few blocks…" Yukari answered, narrowing her eyes at Hitomi.
"Actually, may I have a talk with you?" Amano said after a pause as he looked at Hitomi. Knowing what was to come, Hitomi followed him into his another room what appears seemingly as his study. Wow, rich guy.
"Hitomi, I haven't seen you in a few days, and you know I'm leaving soon…about that night at the track field…" Amano trailed off, searching for words to finish his sentence.
"That's right, I was gonna come talk to you about this. I'm sorry about the other night, I had crazy feelings going on…I—"
"Hitomi, I know what you're going to say."
"You do?"
"Let me guess." His mouth inched closer and closer…she could feel his breath on her face. Pushing him away, she said, "No, Amano, it's…not that. Actually, it is that, but not what you think."
The let-me-get-this-straight tone doesn't sound very good.
"Well…w-what do you mean?"Hitomi placed her hand on her forehead, sighed in stress, and tried to think of an easier way to respond. Okay, calm down, Hitomi…she thought. "I meant…" She voice trailed off in search of a correct answer, if there is one at all. It's even harder looking him in the eye. She decided not to. "I made a mistake. A huge…mistake. After a little silence…I realized that Yukari was the one who had feelings for you. I had always been the one in the way. I…didn't actually like you. I'm sorry I confused you so much."
His mouth opened to speak, but no words really came out. He ran his hands through his hair. "W-wow…oh my God, I feel like such an…idiot…"
"Okay, don't. In fact, I feel like an idiot. That asking for kiss thing was…I canNOT believe I did that."
"Well, I guess we're on the same boat." He nervously chuckled. Heh, attempt at humor failed. "But to tell you the truth, I actually kinda liked you."
Hitomi sighed. Okay, just spit it out. "You know…Yukari liked you, right? I mean, uhh, likes, not liked. She loved you ever since the beginning."
"Is this what this is all about? Yukari?"
"You don't get what I mean. I know you like her. It's too obvious. And don't even ask me why, you know it too. Now that I'm giving you a perfectly good chance, why don't you take it?" She turned to leave.
He didn't bother stopping her.
A confused Yukari stared as Hitomi ran down the street.
When she was out of sight, she looked back at the house that stored her two best friends. Another pair of lovers. Worth feeling happy about, it was her work. But…
"I'm the only one alone."
