Chapter 2. Confusion
Hitomi cheered with the rest of the team as the final scores were read over the loudspeaker. Their runners had placed well in the meet; Hitomi taking home a first place medal in the fifty-meter sprint. As the cheers died down and the crowds in the stands began to disperse, the coach motioned them all closer. The team formed a tight circle around him and he smiled and offered them his congratulations on both their performance during the meet and the past year. He then motioned to Yukari, who stood slightly behind him.
Yukari grinned at the team as she introduced a photographer from the campus newspaper. He was there to take pictures of the runners, she explained, but had arrived too late at the meet to catch them in action. The team jubilantly agreed to stage races with each other so he could have his photos. Hitomi lined up at the starting line with the rest of the girls, an amused smile playing on her lips at the photographer's anxiety over the missed pictures. Yukari shouted "Go!" and the girls took off, the flashes from the camera leaving white spots in their peripheral vision.
As Hitomi rounded the third corner a meter in front of the runner in second, a flash from the camera caught her head on. But instead of fading, the sudden bright light seemed to expand and the world around her disappeared. Hitomi felt a familiar blackness swirl around the edges of the white light. Hitomi screamed inside herself as the unexpected vision pulled her down. Her body slowly folded on itself as she collapsed on the track.
There was a large bay window at the end of a huge room with walls of stone. An oak desk was in front of the window and Hitomi stood to one side of the desk. There were men in the room and she knew they were debating some topic, but she could not hear what was said. Nor did she care. All she could do was focus on the person in front of her. Van was standing with his back to the window, and the sun streaming in made him appear a silhouette. He had changed since she last saw him, becoming taller and broader, but with the same face and gestures. Hitomi could tell he was speaking, as she watched his lips move. He seemed impatient with the responses he was receiving from the men. Hitomi stared at him, and with a rush of joy noticed her was still wearing her pendant. She was alarmed to see it was glowing with an intense light that began to grow, casting the other people in the room into shadows. Then, as she took a step towards him, the glass in the window behind Van shattered and an arrow pierced through him. Hitomi watched in horror, her scream stuck in her throat and her hand outstretched. Then the image was gone, swirling away from her hand as she was cast down into darkness.
Yukari sat by the bed, reflecting that she was in the position that she had found Amano almost five years ago. Her heart contracted as she thought of him so far away, and paused for a moment to picture his face. His last letter had been full of hope that he would be able to return soon for a visit. Yukari smiled at the thought of him being close and then focused again on her friend's face, thinking that it was an odd time of year to suffer from heatstroke, and that maybe Hitomi needed to take iron supplements. Or maybe that she was suffering from low blood sugar. Yukari turned to rustle through her purse for the candy she always carried with her so she could offer some to Hitomi when she awoke. Finding some peppermints, she turned back to her patient. She squeezed water from the cloth in the bowl beside the bed, and placed it on Hitomi's forehead
With touch of the cold cloth on her forehead, Hitomi sat straight up in the bed with a cry. Yukari jerked back in surprise, and then said dryly, "Feeling better, are we?"
Hitomi stared at Yukari for a few seconds without recognition, and then, finally focusing on her friend, said hoarsely, "I have to go."
"Go?!?" said Yukari, stunned, as Hitomi swung her legs out of bed and started to change into her street clothes. "Where are you planning on going? You just collapse in the middle of a race and suddenly you have plans to go somewhere? Just where are you going?"
Hitomi paused in buttoning up her jacket and regarded her best friend. Yukari had been by her side her entire life, even during the depression she had fought for a month after returning, and had unquestioningly supported her in everything. She owed her an explanation, but how believable was the one she had to offer? That she had gone to another world, fallen in love with a king who flew on angel's wings and to whom she was about to return to in order to save his life based on a dream she had during a what Yukari probably thought was heatstroke? Hitomi shook her head and continued quickly buttoning her jacket.
"I'm sorry Yukari. You wouldn't understand, but I have to help someone." Hitomi said and she leaned over and rapidly tied her shoelaces. " I know something is going to happen to someone I love, and I have to stop it."
"I know this is really sudden, and unbelievable," Hitomi said as she saw the questions spring to Yukari's eyes. " But trust me, I know what I'm doing. Please tell my mother I have gone to my king. She will understand"
Yukari shook her head slowly and then followed Hitomi out of the room and onto the track. The meet was long over and the rest of the crowds and team had long since gone out to celebrate. The photographer, after a quick query about Hitomi's well being, had hurried off to develop his pictures. The sun was setting and dusk was settling over the track. Only the coach was left in his office waiting for the word that Hitomi was okay, and the area looked deserted. Yukari watched Hitomi walk onto the track and kneel with her bag in front of her.
"Hitomi," Yukari said pityingly, thinking to herself that her friend has suffered more than she thought from fainting. "There is no one here. Everyone has left for the party. What king? You are not making sense. Why don't we get something to eat? You can explain it to me over ice cream."
Hitomi gave no sign that she heard Yukari's words, as she dug in her bag for something. She pulled out a small package wrapped with a scarf. She delicately undid the scarf, revealing her tarot cards and a white feather. Yukari was startled at the appearance of the cards. Hitomi had been adamant since high school that she had given up fortune telling, and here she was with the cards in her bag. Hitomi held the feather to her chest over her heart and placed the cards in front of her.
Something odd was going on, that was for sure, Yukari thought to herself. She started to tell Hitomi again to get up and come with her, when the wind, which had been blowing steadily, fell quiet and Yukari had an eerie feeling that something was going on that she wouldn't quite understand.
Hitomi pulled a card at random out of the deck, revealing the ace of serpents. Hitomi stared at the card, and then quickly wrapped the cards back in the scarf and placed them in her bag. Her mind was still reeling from the vision and her motions were jerky, as if she had little control over her limbs. She swung the bag over her shoulder and clasped the feather close to her heart. She had saved it from their long flight from Zaibach, and had kept it with her since. It was a little less pristine from the handling, but its value to her had only increased with time. Hitomi closed her eyes, and remembering her Grandmother's words that her wishes would come true, began to concentrate. She concentrated, picturing in her mind the image of Van's face as he had looked in the vision and ignored the sounds of the oncoming night and the rough feeling of the track digging into her knees.
Yukari watched Hitomi appeared to meditate for a five minutes. Deciding she had had enough, Yukari took a step towards Hitomi. Or at least she meant to, but suddenly Hitomi's eyes snapped open and a look of shock and confusion came over her face. Her eyes were focused at a spot over Yukari's head, but when Yukari looked up, there was nothing there. She hesitantly took a step towards Hitomi with her hand outstretched when Hitomi spoke.
Hitomi stared at the woman before her, knowing her to be Van's mother and confused over why she was here. "Varie?" she whispered and the winged lady smiled sadly.
"Are you certain of your decision, my child?" Varie asked softly. "This is one path you may choose, and there are many others. You have saved my son's life many times in the past, and, could quite possibly do more times in the future. But is this the path you want? To make him depend on you to appear and rescue him time and time again, and not leave anything to fate?"
Tears started in Hitomi's eyes and she responded, "I don't believe in fate and can't let him die! If these visions come to me, I must try to change the future that they show."
Varie spoke sadly, "This decision is yours to make. It may not be the best one, having been made with haste and fear. Would you go even knowing that it may cause you pain?"
Hitomi hoarsely whispered "Yes. I have to go. " Varie studied her face, then gave a sad smile as if this as the answer she had known she would received. She moved towards Hitomi and encircled her with her wings. Her figure became transparent and she whispered "Then go." A column of light erupted around Hitomi.
Yukari watched in terror as a column of blue light streamed out of the sky and lit the area surrounding Hitomi. Yukari gasped and fell backward, as Hitomi smiled a triumphant smile, stood up, and disappeared.
Yukari stared helplessly at the spot Hitomi had just occupied and had the simultaneous sense of complete horror and déjà vu.
Hitomi cheered with the rest of the team as the final scores were read over the loudspeaker. Their runners had placed well in the meet; Hitomi taking home a first place medal in the fifty-meter sprint. As the cheers died down and the crowds in the stands began to disperse, the coach motioned them all closer. The team formed a tight circle around him and he smiled and offered them his congratulations on both their performance during the meet and the past year. He then motioned to Yukari, who stood slightly behind him.
Yukari grinned at the team as she introduced a photographer from the campus newspaper. He was there to take pictures of the runners, she explained, but had arrived too late at the meet to catch them in action. The team jubilantly agreed to stage races with each other so he could have his photos. Hitomi lined up at the starting line with the rest of the girls, an amused smile playing on her lips at the photographer's anxiety over the missed pictures. Yukari shouted "Go!" and the girls took off, the flashes from the camera leaving white spots in their peripheral vision.
As Hitomi rounded the third corner a meter in front of the runner in second, a flash from the camera caught her head on. But instead of fading, the sudden bright light seemed to expand and the world around her disappeared. Hitomi felt a familiar blackness swirl around the edges of the white light. Hitomi screamed inside herself as the unexpected vision pulled her down. Her body slowly folded on itself as she collapsed on the track.
There was a large bay window at the end of a huge room with walls of stone. An oak desk was in front of the window and Hitomi stood to one side of the desk. There were men in the room and she knew they were debating some topic, but she could not hear what was said. Nor did she care. All she could do was focus on the person in front of her. Van was standing with his back to the window, and the sun streaming in made him appear a silhouette. He had changed since she last saw him, becoming taller and broader, but with the same face and gestures. Hitomi could tell he was speaking, as she watched his lips move. He seemed impatient with the responses he was receiving from the men. Hitomi stared at him, and with a rush of joy noticed her was still wearing her pendant. She was alarmed to see it was glowing with an intense light that began to grow, casting the other people in the room into shadows. Then, as she took a step towards him, the glass in the window behind Van shattered and an arrow pierced through him. Hitomi watched in horror, her scream stuck in her throat and her hand outstretched. Then the image was gone, swirling away from her hand as she was cast down into darkness.
Yukari sat by the bed, reflecting that she was in the position that she had found Amano almost five years ago. Her heart contracted as she thought of him so far away, and paused for a moment to picture his face. His last letter had been full of hope that he would be able to return soon for a visit. Yukari smiled at the thought of him being close and then focused again on her friend's face, thinking that it was an odd time of year to suffer from heatstroke, and that maybe Hitomi needed to take iron supplements. Or maybe that she was suffering from low blood sugar. Yukari turned to rustle through her purse for the candy she always carried with her so she could offer some to Hitomi when she awoke. Finding some peppermints, she turned back to her patient. She squeezed water from the cloth in the bowl beside the bed, and placed it on Hitomi's forehead
With touch of the cold cloth on her forehead, Hitomi sat straight up in the bed with a cry. Yukari jerked back in surprise, and then said dryly, "Feeling better, are we?"
Hitomi stared at Yukari for a few seconds without recognition, and then, finally focusing on her friend, said hoarsely, "I have to go."
"Go?!?" said Yukari, stunned, as Hitomi swung her legs out of bed and started to change into her street clothes. "Where are you planning on going? You just collapse in the middle of a race and suddenly you have plans to go somewhere? Just where are you going?"
Hitomi paused in buttoning up her jacket and regarded her best friend. Yukari had been by her side her entire life, even during the depression she had fought for a month after returning, and had unquestioningly supported her in everything. She owed her an explanation, but how believable was the one she had to offer? That she had gone to another world, fallen in love with a king who flew on angel's wings and to whom she was about to return to in order to save his life based on a dream she had during a what Yukari probably thought was heatstroke? Hitomi shook her head and continued quickly buttoning her jacket.
"I'm sorry Yukari. You wouldn't understand, but I have to help someone." Hitomi said and she leaned over and rapidly tied her shoelaces. " I know something is going to happen to someone I love, and I have to stop it."
"I know this is really sudden, and unbelievable," Hitomi said as she saw the questions spring to Yukari's eyes. " But trust me, I know what I'm doing. Please tell my mother I have gone to my king. She will understand"
Yukari shook her head slowly and then followed Hitomi out of the room and onto the track. The meet was long over and the rest of the crowds and team had long since gone out to celebrate. The photographer, after a quick query about Hitomi's well being, had hurried off to develop his pictures. The sun was setting and dusk was settling over the track. Only the coach was left in his office waiting for the word that Hitomi was okay, and the area looked deserted. Yukari watched Hitomi walk onto the track and kneel with her bag in front of her.
"Hitomi," Yukari said pityingly, thinking to herself that her friend has suffered more than she thought from fainting. "There is no one here. Everyone has left for the party. What king? You are not making sense. Why don't we get something to eat? You can explain it to me over ice cream."
Hitomi gave no sign that she heard Yukari's words, as she dug in her bag for something. She pulled out a small package wrapped with a scarf. She delicately undid the scarf, revealing her tarot cards and a white feather. Yukari was startled at the appearance of the cards. Hitomi had been adamant since high school that she had given up fortune telling, and here she was with the cards in her bag. Hitomi held the feather to her chest over her heart and placed the cards in front of her.
Something odd was going on, that was for sure, Yukari thought to herself. She started to tell Hitomi again to get up and come with her, when the wind, which had been blowing steadily, fell quiet and Yukari had an eerie feeling that something was going on that she wouldn't quite understand.
Hitomi pulled a card at random out of the deck, revealing the ace of serpents. Hitomi stared at the card, and then quickly wrapped the cards back in the scarf and placed them in her bag. Her mind was still reeling from the vision and her motions were jerky, as if she had little control over her limbs. She swung the bag over her shoulder and clasped the feather close to her heart. She had saved it from their long flight from Zaibach, and had kept it with her since. It was a little less pristine from the handling, but its value to her had only increased with time. Hitomi closed her eyes, and remembering her Grandmother's words that her wishes would come true, began to concentrate. She concentrated, picturing in her mind the image of Van's face as he had looked in the vision and ignored the sounds of the oncoming night and the rough feeling of the track digging into her knees.
Yukari watched Hitomi appeared to meditate for a five minutes. Deciding she had had enough, Yukari took a step towards Hitomi. Or at least she meant to, but suddenly Hitomi's eyes snapped open and a look of shock and confusion came over her face. Her eyes were focused at a spot over Yukari's head, but when Yukari looked up, there was nothing there. She hesitantly took a step towards Hitomi with her hand outstretched when Hitomi spoke.
Hitomi stared at the woman before her, knowing her to be Van's mother and confused over why she was here. "Varie?" she whispered and the winged lady smiled sadly.
"Are you certain of your decision, my child?" Varie asked softly. "This is one path you may choose, and there are many others. You have saved my son's life many times in the past, and, could quite possibly do more times in the future. But is this the path you want? To make him depend on you to appear and rescue him time and time again, and not leave anything to fate?"
Tears started in Hitomi's eyes and she responded, "I don't believe in fate and can't let him die! If these visions come to me, I must try to change the future that they show."
Varie spoke sadly, "This decision is yours to make. It may not be the best one, having been made with haste and fear. Would you go even knowing that it may cause you pain?"
Hitomi hoarsely whispered "Yes. I have to go. " Varie studied her face, then gave a sad smile as if this as the answer she had known she would received. She moved towards Hitomi and encircled her with her wings. Her figure became transparent and she whispered "Then go." A column of light erupted around Hitomi.
Yukari watched in terror as a column of blue light streamed out of the sky and lit the area surrounding Hitomi. Yukari gasped and fell backward, as Hitomi smiled a triumphant smile, stood up, and disappeared.
Yukari stared helplessly at the spot Hitomi had just occupied and had the simultaneous sense of complete horror and déjà vu.
