Disclaimer: From here on it, for the entire story, Escaflowne and the characters are NOT mine! This simply a fandom.

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Prologue: Believe

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Rain poured heavily onto the many streets and landmarks of Tokyo, Japan, turning the hopes of the inhabitants' bliss of a warm spring season down. The clouds were unusually darker than someone would normally expect. But, the strange weather was not the main issue that caught the Tokyo inhabitants' eyes. Somewhere in Tokyo, a simple area was blazed in an inferno. The main cause was still a mystery. The once smoothed streets were crumpled and cracked, as if a horrible earthquake shattered the place. Most of the cars that were parked near the apartment complexes were mostly scattered, while some remained on the streets, crushed like crushed cans. Everything was in disarray. The usual hustle and bustle in the main streets of that very place now swarmed with frantic pedestrians trying to find a safe place from the dangers that lurked ahead. The once, every day rush hour traffic now looked like heaven compared to the horrible traffic jam that left drivers stuck bumper-to-bumper. If one were to look through a bird's point of view, the area looked as though it were the only area that was completely destroyed and jammed with cars.

"Catastrophe broke through the streets of Minato," said a female newscaster in one of the huge buildings that contained an array of huge televisions that overlooked Shibuya district's "Center Gai," with people walking on the four meeting crosswalks who watched curiously while waiting for their time to cross. The female disappeared, but her voice continued to talk as the screen now showed an up close look of the district's devastation. On the bottom portion of the screen, there were signs that read "Devastation in Minato."

"What could possibly have caused such damage to a bustling, but peaceful area? We go now to Yamato-san on helicopter."

Right in the middle of the traffic in Minato, a lone car was heading into the direction where danger lurked. In that very car, a young man with spiky, honey blonde hair fervently honked his horn, trying his best to let the others make him pass. His efforts were useless as no one would let him through. He banged his hands on the steering wheel, hazel eyes narrowed angrily.

"Damn!" he yelled irritably. "I don't have time for this!" On his radio, more news was spread about the status of the street. He raked his hands through his hair as he turned it off. "If I don't get there in time, she'll die!" There was only one way. He wondered effortlessly. If staying in this lane can't help, then he'll have to take drastic measures. Just before he could switch to the other lane, something immediately zoomed passed his side of the window, causing him to stop abruptly. A recognizable sound of a motorcycle revving sparked his eyes with hope. Immediately, he got out of his car. Just in time, he was able to see the small behind of the motorcyclist's back, the loose articles of his/her white over shirt floating through the wind. The young man's eyes suddenly softened as he recognized who the person was. Somehow, something white surrounded that very motorcyclist. He raised an eyebrow. He looked into the trail of the motorcyclist to see that he wasn't delusional. But, this uncanny display did not bother him. All that mattered was the true problem at hand.

"I'm counting on you…" was all he said, looking into the sky and prayed silently for luck to go on the lone figure's side.

…

"W-white…" said a tired, gentle voice that rang through the entire silence of the area. Slowly, the owner of the voice opened her emerald eyes to find the devastation around her. Shibia park was bitterly destroyed. It was filled with debris that one can find in a never-ending battle. The ground was filled with holes, trees burnt to crisps. The park that was once planted with the most beautiful flowers now seized to exist.

Light, suddenly, sparkled in front of her pale, tiresome face. She looked away from the horrible sight and cast her eyes upon a lone young man. He jumped out of his hiding place from the cherry blossom trees that were remarkably intact. One of his hands was lit, a strange red aura wrapping around that arm. The aura gathered around his hand and formed fire out of mid air. With one thrust, he hurtled that magic towards the demon, mustering his strength to increase the force in that fire. Yet, something green reflected that magic and caused it to move towards the young man. He couldn't move in time to dodge it and was hit directly. He fell to the ground without any effort to stand on his two feet.

"It won't work!" someone yelled from below. Her weary eyes followed that voice to see another young man on his knees, his long, dark brown hair that was tied into a high ponytail drifting from the wind that the strange green light projected. His physical state was the same as the young man with fire, but not as critical. "Every attack we try won't work against it…"

"Damn…" uttered the young man with fire, struggling to get back on his feet. "And I…thought…I had it too…"

"Don't strain yourself!" a new voice said behind the trees. Behind those trees sat a young woman, who had her arms extended to the ground with her hands placed on top of each other. A green aura was surrounding her, her blonde hair slightly lifting. "I can't call forth anything anymore. I would gladly heal you guys. But, the land's completely demolished and I can't ask for its help. It's drained as it is from trying to heal itself…"

"Damn it all! C'mon! There has to be a way! Tell me ya have some more plans up in that intellect of yers!" He was directing his words to the man with glasses. But, he shook his head in dismay. The fiery young man clenched his fists and looked at the girl.

"I'm sorry," she said regretfully. "This is all I can do."

He slammed his fists on the ground. "No! I won't accept this!" he yelled. He averted his eyes away from the girl and looked at another person that was far away from the trio. He pointed his finger critically at him as if accusing him for something he had done to put them in this situation. "And you! I thought you had a wit that's better than my best friend's! You said that you'll protect her with your life better than he can like some big typical hero! Why don't ya think of somethin' instead of standin' there like a scaredy cat! Why don't you save her, you freakin' hotshot!"

The man that he was referring to looked at the situation solemnly, his battered blond hair waving with the harsh wind. His fists were tight on his side. His eyes averted to the young boy, blue eyes blazing angrily. "I will, once I think of something! I know how to fight better than him."

"Tch, gimme a break, you cocky bastard!"

"Look who's talking! Using all those ridiculous tricks of yours! All you've been doing is making it laugh at us. Some show off you are since you always brag about your powers!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. At least I'm tryin' to make things better than just sitting there like you are!"

"Fighting won't solve anything!" interrupted the girl who gave up a while ago on her powers. "Let's not give up! We'll find a way to rescue her!"

"What other WAY! There's no way we can rescue her like this!" the fiery man said, slamming his fists on the floor. "If only he was freakin' here!"

Hitomi looked on at her friends. They looked discouraged and miserable with the things that developed. Her heart was bursting in emotions, wanting to help her friends regain their fighting spirits. If only she had more strength to fight again, then she would gladly help them. "W-white…" she repeated again, this time much louder. This caused her friends to suddenly stop. "I see…white…" Slowly, she lifted her emerald eyes to the sky, dignity, courage, and hope brightening her morale. "He'll come. I'm sure he will…"

During her little talk, her four friends seemed a bit in ease. Her words were definitely powerful, even though her voice was soft and a bit restrained from the monster's grip. Somehow, those words seemed to take away the tiredness they had throughout the entire battle.

A loud, sinister laugh interrupted that moment of optimism, causing everyone to jeer towards him cautiously. Hitomi gasped painfully when something started clenching her body painfully.

"Hitomi!" said the blond girl as she rushed towards Hitomi. But, the man with the glasses stopped her. She looked at him with a bewildered look in her eyes, but he calmly looked into hers and shook her head. She instantly relaxed and regretfully watched from the sidelines.

"Still believing in such hopeless thoughts?" boomed the voice. Slowly, Hitomi opened her eyes and looked at her opponent before her, huge, dark, and intimidating as it was when it gazed at her with those evil red eyes. "No one will save you now."

Hitomi held strong, letting the words of her enemy pass through her mind. Even though she was in a great disposition, Hitomi still kept her optimism in check, holding in the negative side of her conscious. "He'll come…"

The demon started laughing heartily, causing the whole place to shake. "What can he do? He can do nothing. He's worthless living being."

Hitomi's eyes hardened with resolve, causing the monster to seize its laughter. If only she only had enough strength to call her powers. But she can't since she used it all up. "Even so," she said strongly. "I will believe in his strength, no matter what. I believe in him, no matter what. I trust him to set things right." Hitomi narrowed her eyes to prove her point and hardened her usual soft voice to express her bravery. "I know he will defeat you."

The words she spoke seemed to affect the demon greatly. She could feel him begin to shake in fear. Suddenly, her body began to ache all over, causing her to scream in pain. She could barely hear her friends yelling, mustering whatever strength they had to stop the monster. With one mighty breath, Hitomi called loudly into the skies, hoping her words would reach the person in time. But, her voice was muffled by the demon's threatening laughter. All hope seemed impossible when Hitomi began to lose unconsciousness.

With her eyes closed, instead of seeing black entirely, white flashed in her closed eyelids continuously. It flashed so fast that she felt like she was having a seizure. Suddenly, before her mind blackened, the annoying laughter was suddenly replaced by a horrible screech. Hitomi opened her pain stricken eyes to find a glint of white that flashed in front of her eyes like a shooting star. Hitomi gasped and the blackness vanquished from her mind. "It's you!" she called.

Before Hitomi could say more, she felt the grip around her body loosened. After the final finger unwounded her body, she immediately fell. Just before she hit the ground, the fiery man instantly caught her with his own battered body. Slowly, after the soft impact, she reopened her eyes to clarify if that white light was real. Without a doubt, that flash of white light surrounded a figure not too far away from them, the body facing rigidly towards their opponent.

The pouring rain pelted on to the group's worn bodies. They watched and waited anxiously for their savior to finally reveal his ever obscure identity. Despite the harsh weather, the rain seemed warm and comforting, similar to a tropical rain. This relived the tension in the atmosphere.

"Hitomi…don't tell me that's him?" asked the fiery man with hope in his voice. The other three gathered around her, eyeing the figure that may have saved them from a bind. Hitomi's eyes glistened happily the moment her friend spoke of that question. She was glad that things were beginning to look up. She wiped away the stray tears with her fingers and nodded her head.

"I-I've…never witnessed this strength before. But, honestly, it feels so familiar," said the man with the glasses, awed by this newcomer's sudden entrance. From afar, Hitomi watched as her savoir changed positions, drawing out a long, thin object that looked like a sword.

"So many things have happened," Hitomi thought as the image of her savior slowly revealed himself, thunder and lightening crossing the dark, cloudy sky. Memories of a beautiful spring day under the cherry blossom trees filtered her mind. Right in front of her, she could see a young man, his clothes dancing nostalgically with the wind. He stood in that same position like he did before. "But, I was finally able to achieve everything…just to see you in person." A hint of the savior's clothes appeared, flapping gently against the harsh wind. Slowly, his face appeared under the light, lifting the bangs up to reveal his eyes. "And it all started…on that day…"

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Author's Note:

Hello, everyone! Miss me? Welcome to my second epic story known as "Hikari." As you may know, this fic will be very long. I am putting every detail I can in the plot in making this story enjoyable for you, the readers. I'll tell you some things about this fic. In the past, I had two fics up, one "One Sky, One Destiny" and the other "Sakura Destiny." I decided to delete these two fics because it didn't feel right to me. So, with much critical thinking and creativity, I combined these two stories, redevelop the plot, and made "Hikari." It's an Alternate Universe, but Gaea will still be the main area the characters will be in. However, that won't come until later on in the story. Right now, about at least the first 10 or more chapters will strictly be on developing the characters and the plot. Once they are set on Gaea, then the adventure really. I know there isn't much in the prologue and it's a bit confusing, but it will make sense as you read along the chapters. This prologue may have some changes and I may make some alterations to keep it consistent. I apologize for any grammar and spelling mistakes. I'm still looking for a beta reader. The next update will not come in for a while as I am going to school again so expect a slow update from me. I hope you enjoy reading the first installment of "Hikari." Please don't hesitate and tell me what you think by reviewing. I love to hear what you guys think. Thanks again for reading! Until then, bye-bye!

-Kuti