Power of Emotions
by: Cathy-chan a.k.a. Angel Wings Rinoa
Chapter 2: Two Worlds, One Key
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Part I: Fanelia, Gaia
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Van stared into the dark, red skies up above. The clouds were completely gone, but neither moon nor stars appeared in the sky. A boat-like ship the size of a small village suddenly materialized in the sky. It was neither Zaibach nor any other country's ship. It had no floating stones in it, and it had an odd shape compared to regular ships. From the back of the ship, guymelefs with black bodies and sharp, spiky armor descended to the ground. Van estimated more than thirty in total. Immediately, each one took out their long, heavy swords and walked forward. They were heading to the main castle. Guymelefs!? Where did they come from? Van thought, he ran as fast as his feet could carry to the forest at the back of the castle. Next to the grave of his family was the ivory dragon.
"I never thought I'd need you again," he took out the dragenergist. "I don't know what's happening, but we need to defend Fanelia." Van placed the energist into Escaflowne's heart. It had been a while since he piloted the guymelef. Once more, it was needed to protect the kingdom. As soon as the machines inside the guymelef started turning, it changed into a flying dragon.
The black guymelefs were already in front of the castle. Many of the soldiers tried to defend the kingdom with spears and catapults, but the guymelefs only sliced them in half. Van was able to bring down about half a dozen of them, but there were too many. Damn it! They're really strong! Eventually, two of the guymelefs had pinned Escaflowne on its knees. Van stared into the menacing giant's head; the pilot wasn't visible inside the cockpit. Is there any pilot at all? Van wondered. Van saw another huge sword block the enemy's. The sword also sliced through the two guymelef's arms that restrained him. Once he was free, he knew exactly who was the ally by the yellow crest on its cape.
"It's been a while, Van," Allen said with a grin on his face. Sherazade was accompanied by other guymelefs from Asturia. The odds suddenly changed; some of the enemies were finally retreating.
"Allen, how did you--!?"
"I came as soon as Prince Chid told us what happened to Freid--" Allen's explanation was cut off by a mysterious shadow hovering above them. The shadow was from a strange giant unlike the black guymelefs. It carried a glowing sword on both hands, and had a navy blue cape that looked like feathered wings. All of the black guymelefs stopped; it was clearly the leader. Van and Allen gripped their swords and prepared for the worse. This wasn't just a typical guymelef.
"Who the hell are you!?" Van demanded angrily.
"Fanelia shall fall and its Draconian king along with it," the mysterious pilot answered coldly. The swords emitting the aura grew even brighter. "Dark Power shall reign over the two worlds."
Dark Power!? Gaia and the Mystic Moon...? The old man warned him of this power, and he was certain that this enemy was the one that destroyed Freid. Van didn't think twice to charge at the mysterious enemy with his sword. All he could think of was to destroy it before it destroys them.
"Van, don't!" Allen warned, but he was too late.
The winged giant blocked Escaflowne's sword without effort. No matter how hard he tried to push the sword into the giant's chest, it wouldn't go.
"It is pointless, King of Fanelia," the enemy's leader said. "Give me The Key and I will spare your kingdom."
"Key!?"
"The link to the two worlds. A small pendant with a red stone. Give it to me."
What does he want with it? Van thought. It was a remembrance Hitomi gave to him before she left. He knew it was made by the Draconians and had some kind of special power; but why did this mysterious man want it? They saw Teo running towards them. Crusade wasn't far away up in the sky.
"Boss! There's more enemy guymelefs coming. They've already passed the boarders of Fanelia!" Teo yelled to Allen as he ran towards Sherazade.
"What!? How many!?"
"W-We've estimated around...a hundred!"
"More of my soldiers will come and destroy all of Fanelia, and after that other countries of Gaia as well unless you give me the pendant," their enemy'sleader said.
He had no choice. He was certain that this strange man will do as he said. Even with Escaflowne, Allen's men and Sherazade together it was still impossible to destroy a hundred of the enemy. Van reluctantly stepped out of Escaflowne. All became quiet as he approached the mysterious guymelef. None of them took their eyes off Van as he walked forward. He took the necklace from his neck to his hand, and raised it above his head. "Is this what you want?"
Smoke came out of the winged guymelef. The front, upper torso of the guymelef opened, and a man stepped out. Surprisingly, he appeared to be the same age as Allen. He had short, spiky, black hair with long bangs that covered some of his eyes. He had strong features and bright--almost glowing--red eyes that made him appear inhuman. He approached Van. Judging by how Van had to look up to meet his stare, he was quite a tall man.
Van wasn't sure if giving this strange man the pendant was a wise choice or not, but if there was a chance he could save Fanelia and his world, then giving him the pendant was the only way.
Quickly and without words, the mysterious man snatched the pendant out of Van's hands and threw him to the ground as if he weighed as much as a small child. By a small twitch of his wrist, the pendant began to swing; each second the stone reflected ruby light. In the man's other hand, was another stone. It looked similar to the one on the pendant only it emitted a white, bright glow. He placed both of the stones in one hand and watched it.
"This is not The Key," the man said; his voice was as cold and monotonous as before, but it carried a tone of anger. He threw the pendant with the red stone on the ground. "If this is not The Key, then what?" he paused to look at Van, then to the pendant on the ground. "Of course...It has to be her. That girl with the mysterious power."
Once he uttered those words, Van knew exactly who he meant. Again, without taking time to think rationally, he thrust his sword forward at the red eyed man. The man shifted out of the sword's reach. The man's cruel smile made Van want to kill him even more.
"You know who I am referring to, don't you?" he said acidly. "With the Power of Emotions and with my hands, she will die. Nothing must interfere with my plans." A pair of navy blue wings appeared at the man's back, and with a flash of light, he vanished.
Allen looked around with widened eyes, "They're all gone." The red sky, the mysterious ship along with its black guymelefs vanished. Only the battered castle walls were clues that an attack took place. He got out of Sherazade to stand beside Van. He could still see that Van's face was still strained from the anger he felt. "Van, what is it?" asked Allen.
"I have to find a way back to the Mystic Moon." With those words, he picked up the pendant on the ground and ran.
"Lord Van!" Mr. Avean shouted after him. "Please wait, milord! You're not thinking of leaving now, are you? We have to fix the damage that the enemy did."
"...You handle it. I have to go somewhere," Van shouted as the dragon's wings whipped strongly on the air and flew upwards.
Mr. Avean's eyes became wide, "Y-You're not serious, are you!? You can't just leave. You are the King of Fanelia. You must--" Van didn't hear the rest of Mr. Avean's protest. He led Escaflowne up to the direction of the blue planet that hanged in the sky. I need to save Hitomi! I have to get there before that man does! Van held the red stone firmly in his hands. "Take me to the Mystic Moon!" he said while clasping the stone tightly in his fist. A flash of light surrounded them and, both Van and Escaflowne, disappeared.
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Part II: Japan, Earth
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It was bad enough that Hitomi had to yell Van's name out loud in class, she also had to meet her instructor after classes to explain why she did. If she told him the truth, she would be declared insane and, therefore, the laughing stock of the campus. She didn't want that to happen; especially on her first day. So she said a reason that was both stupid and more logical than the real one. "I stayed up all night studying so I didn't get enough sleep. And I had a bad dream."
"Bad dream," the instructor mimicked. "Studying...Even before the first class?"
"Yeah, I was...uh...really wanted to be ready for this year so I studied very hard." Looks like I won't be called insane. Just stupid, she thought as the instructor paced the room.
"I see. Why haven't the other students thought of studying ahead of the school year?" he said with a mocking tone. "If you plan to be in my classes for future dates, Ms. Kanzaki, I suggest you keep your foolish mouth shut and do as I instruct. Understood?"
Hitomi nodded, "Yes, sir."
"You may leave." He swiftly walked away and returned to his exam marking on the desk. Hitomi felt relieved to get out of his classroom. So much for good impressions, she thought. She was certain that her new instructor will never let the incident pass; she had no choice but to suffer through the embarrassment.
Not far away from the campus, the column stowly dropped Van and Escaflowne to the ground and vanished. He looked at his surroundings. It appeared the column sent them nearby a stream. Laid across it was a bridge witha a large builidng at the other side of the stream. I don't see her anywhere. Where could she be? Van presumed that Hitomi was somewhere inisde the large building. He hid Escaflowne behind the bridge and walked towards the large structure to find a girl with short, brown hair and green eyes. There were more people from the Mystic Moon that Van encountered than the last time. Most of them were around his age, and wore clothes very different from his. Some stopped to stare at him for a while; he noticed that none of them carried a sword. I guess that means they don't use swords in the Mystic Moon, he thought. He decided to go inside the largest building to search for her. the building had architecture and materials unlike the ones from Gaia. And they used strange words that he never heard of.
"Hi, are you lost?" he turned and saw a girl his age approach him.
As strange as the language was, Van knew what she meant. What was even more surprising was that he could speak it, "No, I'm looking for someone." How can I understand her? Is it because of this? Van looked at the pendant around his neck. Hitomi, too, had understood his language when they first met. Perhaps meeting her, made him understand the planet's language; or maybe his wish to return to the planet made him understand. Whatever the reason was, he was glad he could speak it.
"Oh, I see. Maybe I know who you're looking for," she said politely.
"I'm looking for a girl named Hitomi Kanzaki. Do you know her?"
"Hitomi...huh?" she frowned and thought for a moment. "Oh, her! Yeah, I think she's in my computer engineering class. She got embarrassed today by the instructor."
Some of the words didn't made sense to him, but at least he got a clue, "Do you know where I can find her?"
"Hmmm, let me think....I'm pretty sure Mr. Ohkawa made her see him after classes to explain. So...I guess she's somewhere there." She saw Van's puzzled look and realized he didn't know where in the world that was. "It's a room upstairs in the corner. The stairs are over that way." She pointed to the left.
"Oh...thank you."
He was about to run when the girl asked, "By the way, what's your name?"
"...Van Fanel."
The girl started giggling hysterically, "So you're the guy!"
"What?"
"She got in trouble 'cause she yelled your name out in front of the whole class. It made our instructor so darn angry! She must've been daydreamin' about yer cute lil' face or somethin'. Anyway, see ya!" the girl was still giggling as she walked away.
Van wasn't sure what was so funny about it, but decided to let it pass. Now that the girl directed him to the stairs he should be able to find her in the second floor. By the time he climbed the stairs, there was no one in sight. He checked all of the rooms, but found no one except a man at his desk. He caught a glimpse of her outside and ran in that direction.
Hitomi was feeling tired and embarrassed that day so she quickly walked out of the campus to catch the next bus home. No matter how hard she tried, the vision wouldn't leave her conscious mind. She wanted to know the meaning of it, and more importantly, how to prevent it. Van...I wish I could save you...If you were here I'd warn you about it, she laughed harshly at herself for hoping such a thing. There was no way to contact Gaia, and even if she did wish to see him with all her heart, he still won't appear. She was about to enter the bus to the subway when she heard someone calling her name behind her. Who could be calling me? I don't know anyone in this city, she thought. The first thought that came into her mind was she was dreaming. Just a dream; Van's not really here running towards me, she told herself. But when she ran after him, and hugged him tight, she knew it wasn't just a dream.
"Hitomi, are you all right?" he asked while trying to catch his breath. They hadn't seen each other for three years, but he still recognized her from afar.. She no longer had short hair, but one that reach a bit pass her shoulders. She was as beautiful as he remembered, if not more so.
Hitomi looked up to his face. It still had a boyish look to it only more handsome and mature than a fifteen year old boy she had left. She noticed he grew some inches since she only reach up to his shoulders. She wanted to answer his question, but found it hard to speak and see with the tears flooding her eyes. With shaking hands, she touched his cheek. "...You're...You're really here, aren't you?" she finally said. Van gave her a loving smile, and nodded. After a few more minutes of hugging each other (and Hitomi missing two buses in the process), they finally stepped back to speak.
"I thought I'd never see you again, Van." She noticed his serious face as he looked back; she could tell something was wrong.
"There's someone after you. I don't know exactly who he is, but he wants both Gaia and the Mystic Moon. He attacked Fanelia, and before that, he demolished Fried."
It can't be... "How did it happen?"
"I was walking alone at night, then I found this old man that was dying. He said something about Dark Skies...Dark Power...then after that, the sky's colour changed to--"
"--red..." she finished for him. She had a lingering feeling in her mind that this had something to do with her vision. She was right; the vision was coming true. "Did anyone die?" suddenly she felt fear and worry at what will happen. "Did you got hurt!? You're not wounded are you!?" she placed her palm on his chest; he wasn't bleeding nor did it felt like he had any cuts underneath.
"No, I didn't get hurt," he placed her hand on his chest into his. "I'm fine."
Hitomi breathed a sigh of relief, then blushed and took her hand away as she realized where she had just placed it. He's all right, but does that mean it'll happen in the future? she thought. The sun was already descending to horizon so she knew she was really late for dinner. "I need to go home soon. My mom's probably wondering where I am. Come on, I'll take you to my house." She took one his hand and placed a bus ticket on it."I'm sure there's a bus that goes by here at this hour."
Once the bus arrived in front of them, he was still puzzled at where the piece of paper Hitomi gave him goes. "Hurry up, kid. I don't have all day," the bus driver said.
Hitomi placed both of their tickets inside in a hurry and apologized. "He's from another country," she explained. Both of them took a seat near the end of the bus. The world of Gaia definitely does not have automobiles and convenient transportation so Hitomi tried her best to explain to Van about the bus. They arrived at Hitomi's house a few hours after sunset. Hitomi had a lot of explaining to do about being late and about Van so she dreaded entering the house.
"Hitomi, where have you been? I was so concerned about you! Don't tell me you had to stay and do some assignments on the first day," Hitomi's mother said worriedly. Her voice softened when she saw the young man behind her. "And who's this?"
Hitomi took a deep breath. Here we go. "Mom, I'd like you to meet Van Fanel. He...just arrived in Japan, and he's studying at the same university as I am." Van placed his right, fisted hand on his chest and bowed; it was a formal way of Fanelians greeting elders, lords and ladies.
"Really?" Hitomi's mother smiled to him and asked, "Where are you from?"
"I'm from F--"
"Philippines!" Hitomi interjected.
"...Philippines?" her mother said with a questioning tone.
"Yeah, that's right," Hitomi tried to say casually. "He's kind of in a bind right now and he doesn't have an appartment yet. I was wondering if he could stay here with us for a while."
Her mother gave her a peculiar stare and paused, "...Did you know him before?"
"Oh sure! We go way back. He visited Japan before.....So can he?"
"All right. I see nothing wrong with it," she turned to Van. "You can stay in the spare bedroom next to Shiro's." Her mother wanted to ask some more questions, but their dinner was in the oven; she decided to save the other questions for another time.
"Thank you. I appreciate it," he replied.
"For someone who just got here, your Japanese is very fluent."
"I...learned it back home," he said; trying to sound convincing.
She smiled warmly, "Oh I see. I hope you enjoy your stay here in Japan. Hitomi, could you escort our guest to the spare bedroom?"
"Sure thing, mom." Hitomi felt a lot of relief as her mother went back to her cooking. She was expecting tons of questions from her about Van's strange clothes; not to mention she was surprised that she didn't notice the sword he carried.
"Hey Sis, who's the guy?" Hitomi's little brother asked when they reached the upstairs level.
"This is Van. He'll be staying with us for a while," Hitomi said.
"Gee, Mom actually let you?" Shiro grinned and walked over to Van. "Hey, is that real?" he pointed at Van's sword.
"Yeah, it's real," Van answered.
"Hey, cool! Why would you need a sword?"
"He's part of a play the college's doing," Hitomi answered for him.
"Really...?" Again, he smirked; this time more mischievously. "If it's just a play, then why does he need a real sword?"
"Shiro, why don't you help Mom prepare dinner?"
"Maybe I don't wanna."
"Too bad. You're going to anyway." Hitomi literally had to push her little brother to the stairs for him to stop asking questions. Shiro laughed and stuck out his tongue before he ran downstairs. Hitomi breathed an irritated sigh, "Brothers. He's so annoying. Mom's going to call us when she finishes dinner. And you can stay in this room." Hitomi happily smiled at him and went downstairs.
Van's eyes wandered across the room. It's certainly very different, he thought. He wanted to tell her right away about the mysterious man that wanted her killed, but since she seemed so glad to see him again, he decided to tell her some other time. He looked out the window, and saw a strange new world around him. So...this is the Mystic Moon. I wonder if he's here too. Van looked at his sword and the symbol on it. Even if he is here, I won't let him get near her. I don't know what he's up to, but I promised Hitomi I'd protect her. He knew deep inside that leaving Gaia meant he didn't carry out his responsibilities as the king of Fanelia. Sometimes, he even felt like he wanted to give up being a king and just be a vagrant warrior roaming the land, but he knew he couldn't do that. Somehow, he knew that going to the Mystic Moon was the right course of action, and he would do whatever it takes to stop the enemy.
To be continued...
Author's Note: This is a revised version of this chapter. iCe was kind enough to show me the many, grammatical and logical mistkaesa in this story, so I had to change a few things. Gomenasai (sorry) for the bad grammar from before; my English teacher always tells me I'm too wordy '^^.Told ya it'll be long _^. So how was the second one? It took me some time to think whether Van should know how to speak "Earthly" language or not. So I thought "What the heck. He knows it 'cause of his wish to save Hitomi." Makes sense? It sort of does to me, but I don't know if it's logical or not. Muwahahaha!! I picked Philippines! It actually fits quite well, ne? I just thought that since Philippines is so much closer to Japan than Finland it would make a bit more sense. Besides, I know Philippines better than Finland since I was born there. Not to mention I think Van looks like he's more from Philippines rather than Finland. His complexion and hair colour I think matches Philipino appearance. As for the spelling of Gaia. It actually doesn't matter because it's usually spelled both ways. The movie's title, as I recall it, is "Escafowne: A Girl in Gaia." I also heard that one of the drama CDs have Gaia spelled as Gaea so it works both ways. You'll know about the mysterious enemy in the next chapters. To tell you the truth, I haven't even figured a name for him yet, so I'm going to get to that soon. Once again, thank you for reading my fanfic! Some comments and suggestions are much welcomed!
by: Cathy-chan a.k.a. Angel Wings Rinoa
Chapter 2: Two Worlds, One Key
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Part I: Fanelia, Gaia
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Van stared into the dark, red skies up above. The clouds were completely gone, but neither moon nor stars appeared in the sky. A boat-like ship the size of a small village suddenly materialized in the sky. It was neither Zaibach nor any other country's ship. It had no floating stones in it, and it had an odd shape compared to regular ships. From the back of the ship, guymelefs with black bodies and sharp, spiky armor descended to the ground. Van estimated more than thirty in total. Immediately, each one took out their long, heavy swords and walked forward. They were heading to the main castle. Guymelefs!? Where did they come from? Van thought, he ran as fast as his feet could carry to the forest at the back of the castle. Next to the grave of his family was the ivory dragon.
"I never thought I'd need you again," he took out the dragenergist. "I don't know what's happening, but we need to defend Fanelia." Van placed the energist into Escaflowne's heart. It had been a while since he piloted the guymelef. Once more, it was needed to protect the kingdom. As soon as the machines inside the guymelef started turning, it changed into a flying dragon.
The black guymelefs were already in front of the castle. Many of the soldiers tried to defend the kingdom with spears and catapults, but the guymelefs only sliced them in half. Van was able to bring down about half a dozen of them, but there were too many. Damn it! They're really strong! Eventually, two of the guymelefs had pinned Escaflowne on its knees. Van stared into the menacing giant's head; the pilot wasn't visible inside the cockpit. Is there any pilot at all? Van wondered. Van saw another huge sword block the enemy's. The sword also sliced through the two guymelef's arms that restrained him. Once he was free, he knew exactly who was the ally by the yellow crest on its cape.
"It's been a while, Van," Allen said with a grin on his face. Sherazade was accompanied by other guymelefs from Asturia. The odds suddenly changed; some of the enemies were finally retreating.
"Allen, how did you--!?"
"I came as soon as Prince Chid told us what happened to Freid--" Allen's explanation was cut off by a mysterious shadow hovering above them. The shadow was from a strange giant unlike the black guymelefs. It carried a glowing sword on both hands, and had a navy blue cape that looked like feathered wings. All of the black guymelefs stopped; it was clearly the leader. Van and Allen gripped their swords and prepared for the worse. This wasn't just a typical guymelef.
"Who the hell are you!?" Van demanded angrily.
"Fanelia shall fall and its Draconian king along with it," the mysterious pilot answered coldly. The swords emitting the aura grew even brighter. "Dark Power shall reign over the two worlds."
Dark Power!? Gaia and the Mystic Moon...? The old man warned him of this power, and he was certain that this enemy was the one that destroyed Freid. Van didn't think twice to charge at the mysterious enemy with his sword. All he could think of was to destroy it before it destroys them.
"Van, don't!" Allen warned, but he was too late.
The winged giant blocked Escaflowne's sword without effort. No matter how hard he tried to push the sword into the giant's chest, it wouldn't go.
"It is pointless, King of Fanelia," the enemy's leader said. "Give me The Key and I will spare your kingdom."
"Key!?"
"The link to the two worlds. A small pendant with a red stone. Give it to me."
What does he want with it? Van thought. It was a remembrance Hitomi gave to him before she left. He knew it was made by the Draconians and had some kind of special power; but why did this mysterious man want it? They saw Teo running towards them. Crusade wasn't far away up in the sky.
"Boss! There's more enemy guymelefs coming. They've already passed the boarders of Fanelia!" Teo yelled to Allen as he ran towards Sherazade.
"What!? How many!?"
"W-We've estimated around...a hundred!"
"More of my soldiers will come and destroy all of Fanelia, and after that other countries of Gaia as well unless you give me the pendant," their enemy'sleader said.
He had no choice. He was certain that this strange man will do as he said. Even with Escaflowne, Allen's men and Sherazade together it was still impossible to destroy a hundred of the enemy. Van reluctantly stepped out of Escaflowne. All became quiet as he approached the mysterious guymelef. None of them took their eyes off Van as he walked forward. He took the necklace from his neck to his hand, and raised it above his head. "Is this what you want?"
Smoke came out of the winged guymelef. The front, upper torso of the guymelef opened, and a man stepped out. Surprisingly, he appeared to be the same age as Allen. He had short, spiky, black hair with long bangs that covered some of his eyes. He had strong features and bright--almost glowing--red eyes that made him appear inhuman. He approached Van. Judging by how Van had to look up to meet his stare, he was quite a tall man.
Van wasn't sure if giving this strange man the pendant was a wise choice or not, but if there was a chance he could save Fanelia and his world, then giving him the pendant was the only way.
Quickly and without words, the mysterious man snatched the pendant out of Van's hands and threw him to the ground as if he weighed as much as a small child. By a small twitch of his wrist, the pendant began to swing; each second the stone reflected ruby light. In the man's other hand, was another stone. It looked similar to the one on the pendant only it emitted a white, bright glow. He placed both of the stones in one hand and watched it.
"This is not The Key," the man said; his voice was as cold and monotonous as before, but it carried a tone of anger. He threw the pendant with the red stone on the ground. "If this is not The Key, then what?" he paused to look at Van, then to the pendant on the ground. "Of course...It has to be her. That girl with the mysterious power."
Once he uttered those words, Van knew exactly who he meant. Again, without taking time to think rationally, he thrust his sword forward at the red eyed man. The man shifted out of the sword's reach. The man's cruel smile made Van want to kill him even more.
"You know who I am referring to, don't you?" he said acidly. "With the Power of Emotions and with my hands, she will die. Nothing must interfere with my plans." A pair of navy blue wings appeared at the man's back, and with a flash of light, he vanished.
Allen looked around with widened eyes, "They're all gone." The red sky, the mysterious ship along with its black guymelefs vanished. Only the battered castle walls were clues that an attack took place. He got out of Sherazade to stand beside Van. He could still see that Van's face was still strained from the anger he felt. "Van, what is it?" asked Allen.
"I have to find a way back to the Mystic Moon." With those words, he picked up the pendant on the ground and ran.
"Lord Van!" Mr. Avean shouted after him. "Please wait, milord! You're not thinking of leaving now, are you? We have to fix the damage that the enemy did."
"...You handle it. I have to go somewhere," Van shouted as the dragon's wings whipped strongly on the air and flew upwards.
Mr. Avean's eyes became wide, "Y-You're not serious, are you!? You can't just leave. You are the King of Fanelia. You must--" Van didn't hear the rest of Mr. Avean's protest. He led Escaflowne up to the direction of the blue planet that hanged in the sky. I need to save Hitomi! I have to get there before that man does! Van held the red stone firmly in his hands. "Take me to the Mystic Moon!" he said while clasping the stone tightly in his fist. A flash of light surrounded them and, both Van and Escaflowne, disappeared.
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Part II: Japan, Earth
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It was bad enough that Hitomi had to yell Van's name out loud in class, she also had to meet her instructor after classes to explain why she did. If she told him the truth, she would be declared insane and, therefore, the laughing stock of the campus. She didn't want that to happen; especially on her first day. So she said a reason that was both stupid and more logical than the real one. "I stayed up all night studying so I didn't get enough sleep. And I had a bad dream."
"Bad dream," the instructor mimicked. "Studying...Even before the first class?"
"Yeah, I was...uh...really wanted to be ready for this year so I studied very hard." Looks like I won't be called insane. Just stupid, she thought as the instructor paced the room.
"I see. Why haven't the other students thought of studying ahead of the school year?" he said with a mocking tone. "If you plan to be in my classes for future dates, Ms. Kanzaki, I suggest you keep your foolish mouth shut and do as I instruct. Understood?"
Hitomi nodded, "Yes, sir."
"You may leave." He swiftly walked away and returned to his exam marking on the desk. Hitomi felt relieved to get out of his classroom. So much for good impressions, she thought. She was certain that her new instructor will never let the incident pass; she had no choice but to suffer through the embarrassment.
Not far away from the campus, the column stowly dropped Van and Escaflowne to the ground and vanished. He looked at his surroundings. It appeared the column sent them nearby a stream. Laid across it was a bridge witha a large builidng at the other side of the stream. I don't see her anywhere. Where could she be? Van presumed that Hitomi was somewhere inisde the large building. He hid Escaflowne behind the bridge and walked towards the large structure to find a girl with short, brown hair and green eyes. There were more people from the Mystic Moon that Van encountered than the last time. Most of them were around his age, and wore clothes very different from his. Some stopped to stare at him for a while; he noticed that none of them carried a sword. I guess that means they don't use swords in the Mystic Moon, he thought. He decided to go inside the largest building to search for her. the building had architecture and materials unlike the ones from Gaia. And they used strange words that he never heard of.
"Hi, are you lost?" he turned and saw a girl his age approach him.
As strange as the language was, Van knew what she meant. What was even more surprising was that he could speak it, "No, I'm looking for someone." How can I understand her? Is it because of this? Van looked at the pendant around his neck. Hitomi, too, had understood his language when they first met. Perhaps meeting her, made him understand the planet's language; or maybe his wish to return to the planet made him understand. Whatever the reason was, he was glad he could speak it.
"Oh, I see. Maybe I know who you're looking for," she said politely.
"I'm looking for a girl named Hitomi Kanzaki. Do you know her?"
"Hitomi...huh?" she frowned and thought for a moment. "Oh, her! Yeah, I think she's in my computer engineering class. She got embarrassed today by the instructor."
Some of the words didn't made sense to him, but at least he got a clue, "Do you know where I can find her?"
"Hmmm, let me think....I'm pretty sure Mr. Ohkawa made her see him after classes to explain. So...I guess she's somewhere there." She saw Van's puzzled look and realized he didn't know where in the world that was. "It's a room upstairs in the corner. The stairs are over that way." She pointed to the left.
"Oh...thank you."
He was about to run when the girl asked, "By the way, what's your name?"
"...Van Fanel."
The girl started giggling hysterically, "So you're the guy!"
"What?"
"She got in trouble 'cause she yelled your name out in front of the whole class. It made our instructor so darn angry! She must've been daydreamin' about yer cute lil' face or somethin'. Anyway, see ya!" the girl was still giggling as she walked away.
Van wasn't sure what was so funny about it, but decided to let it pass. Now that the girl directed him to the stairs he should be able to find her in the second floor. By the time he climbed the stairs, there was no one in sight. He checked all of the rooms, but found no one except a man at his desk. He caught a glimpse of her outside and ran in that direction.
Hitomi was feeling tired and embarrassed that day so she quickly walked out of the campus to catch the next bus home. No matter how hard she tried, the vision wouldn't leave her conscious mind. She wanted to know the meaning of it, and more importantly, how to prevent it. Van...I wish I could save you...If you were here I'd warn you about it, she laughed harshly at herself for hoping such a thing. There was no way to contact Gaia, and even if she did wish to see him with all her heart, he still won't appear. She was about to enter the bus to the subway when she heard someone calling her name behind her. Who could be calling me? I don't know anyone in this city, she thought. The first thought that came into her mind was she was dreaming. Just a dream; Van's not really here running towards me, she told herself. But when she ran after him, and hugged him tight, she knew it wasn't just a dream.
"Hitomi, are you all right?" he asked while trying to catch his breath. They hadn't seen each other for three years, but he still recognized her from afar.. She no longer had short hair, but one that reach a bit pass her shoulders. She was as beautiful as he remembered, if not more so.
Hitomi looked up to his face. It still had a boyish look to it only more handsome and mature than a fifteen year old boy she had left. She noticed he grew some inches since she only reach up to his shoulders. She wanted to answer his question, but found it hard to speak and see with the tears flooding her eyes. With shaking hands, she touched his cheek. "...You're...You're really here, aren't you?" she finally said. Van gave her a loving smile, and nodded. After a few more minutes of hugging each other (and Hitomi missing two buses in the process), they finally stepped back to speak.
"I thought I'd never see you again, Van." She noticed his serious face as he looked back; she could tell something was wrong.
"There's someone after you. I don't know exactly who he is, but he wants both Gaia and the Mystic Moon. He attacked Fanelia, and before that, he demolished Fried."
It can't be... "How did it happen?"
"I was walking alone at night, then I found this old man that was dying. He said something about Dark Skies...Dark Power...then after that, the sky's colour changed to--"
"--red..." she finished for him. She had a lingering feeling in her mind that this had something to do with her vision. She was right; the vision was coming true. "Did anyone die?" suddenly she felt fear and worry at what will happen. "Did you got hurt!? You're not wounded are you!?" she placed her palm on his chest; he wasn't bleeding nor did it felt like he had any cuts underneath.
"No, I didn't get hurt," he placed her hand on his chest into his. "I'm fine."
Hitomi breathed a sigh of relief, then blushed and took her hand away as she realized where she had just placed it. He's all right, but does that mean it'll happen in the future? she thought. The sun was already descending to horizon so she knew she was really late for dinner. "I need to go home soon. My mom's probably wondering where I am. Come on, I'll take you to my house." She took one his hand and placed a bus ticket on it."I'm sure there's a bus that goes by here at this hour."
Once the bus arrived in front of them, he was still puzzled at where the piece of paper Hitomi gave him goes. "Hurry up, kid. I don't have all day," the bus driver said.
Hitomi placed both of their tickets inside in a hurry and apologized. "He's from another country," she explained. Both of them took a seat near the end of the bus. The world of Gaia definitely does not have automobiles and convenient transportation so Hitomi tried her best to explain to Van about the bus. They arrived at Hitomi's house a few hours after sunset. Hitomi had a lot of explaining to do about being late and about Van so she dreaded entering the house.
"Hitomi, where have you been? I was so concerned about you! Don't tell me you had to stay and do some assignments on the first day," Hitomi's mother said worriedly. Her voice softened when she saw the young man behind her. "And who's this?"
Hitomi took a deep breath. Here we go. "Mom, I'd like you to meet Van Fanel. He...just arrived in Japan, and he's studying at the same university as I am." Van placed his right, fisted hand on his chest and bowed; it was a formal way of Fanelians greeting elders, lords and ladies.
"Really?" Hitomi's mother smiled to him and asked, "Where are you from?"
"I'm from F--"
"Philippines!" Hitomi interjected.
"...Philippines?" her mother said with a questioning tone.
"Yeah, that's right," Hitomi tried to say casually. "He's kind of in a bind right now and he doesn't have an appartment yet. I was wondering if he could stay here with us for a while."
Her mother gave her a peculiar stare and paused, "...Did you know him before?"
"Oh sure! We go way back. He visited Japan before.....So can he?"
"All right. I see nothing wrong with it," she turned to Van. "You can stay in the spare bedroom next to Shiro's." Her mother wanted to ask some more questions, but their dinner was in the oven; she decided to save the other questions for another time.
"Thank you. I appreciate it," he replied.
"For someone who just got here, your Japanese is very fluent."
"I...learned it back home," he said; trying to sound convincing.
She smiled warmly, "Oh I see. I hope you enjoy your stay here in Japan. Hitomi, could you escort our guest to the spare bedroom?"
"Sure thing, mom." Hitomi felt a lot of relief as her mother went back to her cooking. She was expecting tons of questions from her about Van's strange clothes; not to mention she was surprised that she didn't notice the sword he carried.
"Hey Sis, who's the guy?" Hitomi's little brother asked when they reached the upstairs level.
"This is Van. He'll be staying with us for a while," Hitomi said.
"Gee, Mom actually let you?" Shiro grinned and walked over to Van. "Hey, is that real?" he pointed at Van's sword.
"Yeah, it's real," Van answered.
"Hey, cool! Why would you need a sword?"
"He's part of a play the college's doing," Hitomi answered for him.
"Really...?" Again, he smirked; this time more mischievously. "If it's just a play, then why does he need a real sword?"
"Shiro, why don't you help Mom prepare dinner?"
"Maybe I don't wanna."
"Too bad. You're going to anyway." Hitomi literally had to push her little brother to the stairs for him to stop asking questions. Shiro laughed and stuck out his tongue before he ran downstairs. Hitomi breathed an irritated sigh, "Brothers. He's so annoying. Mom's going to call us when she finishes dinner. And you can stay in this room." Hitomi happily smiled at him and went downstairs.
Van's eyes wandered across the room. It's certainly very different, he thought. He wanted to tell her right away about the mysterious man that wanted her killed, but since she seemed so glad to see him again, he decided to tell her some other time. He looked out the window, and saw a strange new world around him. So...this is the Mystic Moon. I wonder if he's here too. Van looked at his sword and the symbol on it. Even if he is here, I won't let him get near her. I don't know what he's up to, but I promised Hitomi I'd protect her. He knew deep inside that leaving Gaia meant he didn't carry out his responsibilities as the king of Fanelia. Sometimes, he even felt like he wanted to give up being a king and just be a vagrant warrior roaming the land, but he knew he couldn't do that. Somehow, he knew that going to the Mystic Moon was the right course of action, and he would do whatever it takes to stop the enemy.
To be continued...
Author's Note: This is a revised version of this chapter. iCe was kind enough to show me the many, grammatical and logical mistkaesa in this story, so I had to change a few things. Gomenasai (sorry) for the bad grammar from before; my English teacher always tells me I'm too wordy '^^.Told ya it'll be long _^. So how was the second one? It took me some time to think whether Van should know how to speak "Earthly" language or not. So I thought "What the heck. He knows it 'cause of his wish to save Hitomi." Makes sense? It sort of does to me, but I don't know if it's logical or not. Muwahahaha!! I picked Philippines! It actually fits quite well, ne? I just thought that since Philippines is so much closer to Japan than Finland it would make a bit more sense. Besides, I know Philippines better than Finland since I was born there. Not to mention I think Van looks like he's more from Philippines rather than Finland. His complexion and hair colour I think matches Philipino appearance. As for the spelling of Gaia. It actually doesn't matter because it's usually spelled both ways. The movie's title, as I recall it, is "Escafowne: A Girl in Gaia." I also heard that one of the drama CDs have Gaia spelled as Gaea so it works both ways. You'll know about the mysterious enemy in the next chapters. To tell you the truth, I haven't even figured a name for him yet, so I'm going to get to that soon. Once again, thank you for reading my fanfic! Some comments and suggestions are much welcomed!
