Disclaimer: I guess I need to put these in, don't I. Ano…I ONLY OWN
VAN!!! Just kidding. I wish I did. Truth is, I don't own anything
Escaflowne except for this fic. On with the show!!
1 Back to Gaea
Chapter 3
Return
Hitomi was humming the tune to Aoi Hitomi while swinging her bag. Her kendo stick leaned against her shoulder. She reached the track field and found she was the only one there. She looked around. "Was practice cancelled?" she wondered aloud, "or am I early?" Yukari would be coming any time soon; they had planned to meet there even if practice was cancelled. Hitomi held up her pendant and looked at it. "Was that really a vision of Gaea last night?" She recalled how the earth and moon hung in the sky. "Yes, I guess it really was." But something about that scene hadn't seemed quite right. The Mystic Moon had hardly shown during the day on Gaea, but the vision had shown it to be not only bright, but a bit closer then she remembered it.
Hitomi tossed her bag and kendo stick on the ground and flopped down on her back next to them. She looked into the sky at a bright blue star. Star? Hitomi sat up very quickly, staring at the star. "It's only 5:00. There shouldn't be a star yet." Her mind flashed back to how the earth and moon seemed closer to Gaea. Maybe they were. Hitomi sighed and closed her eyes. This was all too much for her. When she opened them, she wasn't on the track field anymore. Instead, she was in a forest. She jumped to her feet and looked around. There was forest everywhere. Suddenly, something crashed through the bushes. Hitomi screamed. So did someone else. A girl ran right past Hitomi and through the forest. A few seconds later, two men in black armor and red capes ran past her after the girl. "What was that?!" Hitomi cried. She blinked and found herself back on the track field. The blue star twinkled in the sky.
"I have to get back to Gaea, track or no track," Hitomi decided. She picked up her bag and tied her kendo stick onto it. Then she held out her pendant and swung it back and forth concentrating on getting back to Gaea. She squeezed her eyes tight and concentrated hard. But nothing happened. She opened her eyes, a little confused. "Maybe I have to concentrate harder," she thought. She swung the pendant while watching it swing in her mind. Then she thought of Van, Allen, Merle, Millerna, Dryden, and all her other friends in Gaea. Even with her eyes closed, she saw the bright flash of light above. She could feel that same column of light come down and land in front of her. She opened her eyes and stepped forward as if being guided.
Yukari walked to the track field. She had promised to meet Hitomi there. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light. Yukari shielded her eyes and looked for the source. A column of light wavered not far in front of her. "Oh no," she thought. "Hitomi, don't do anything stupid!" She ran to the field and stopped when she saw Hitomi standing in front of the column. "Hitomi!" she yelled. Hitomi took a step forward. "Hitomi!" she yelled even louder. Hitomi took another step. "Hitomi, damn you!" Yukari ran toward Hitomi. "Stop!" Hitomi took a third step and was enveloped in the light. When she did that, the light grew stronger and Yukari had to stop and shield her eyes again. "Damn it," she muttered through gritted teeth. Not caring about the light, Yukari ran forward, half-blind. She reached toward Hitomi, and just as her fingers reached the column, it grew thin and disappeared into the sky. Yukari stopped and looked up. "Hitomi," she sighed. "Don't do anything dumb."
The sun hung low in the sky, just next to a mountain and over a forest of green. A point of light shimmered in the sky. From that point came a column of light. It widened as it came closer to the ground. After a few seconds, the light dissipated, and Hitomi fell to her hands and knees. Then she stood up and looked around. In the sky, the blue-and- green earth was partially overlapped by the silver moon. "Gaea," Hitomi said quietly. "I made it." She jumped up and down, laughing. "I made it! I made it! I'm back in Gaea!"
She stopped suddenly. She was sure she had heard a shout or something. Hitomi nearly stopped breathing. There it was again. She was sure of it this time. Slowly, she walked to where she thought the sound was coming from. The sunlight grew stronger as she walked on. The trees were thinning out, but the sound was getting louder. This time, there were more sounds. She could hear metal clinks, like in a factory or a mine. Hitomi walked out from the trees and found herself standing on the edge of a cliff of a valley. She held her hand up in front of her face to shade her eyes from the sun. The sounds were coming from below her. She set her bag down and creeped to the edge of the cliff. She gasped when she saw what was below her.
People, no, slaves, were hauling wagons from the base of the cliff to the center. Hitomi took another gasp when she saw what was in the wagons: drag energists. Men dressed in black armor and red capes were ordering the slaves around. Just like in my vision, she thought. In the center of the valley next to the pile of drag energists was a small fort. Above the fort was a black flag with a red lion's head silhouette. What?
1 Back to Gaea
Chapter 3
Return
Hitomi was humming the tune to Aoi Hitomi while swinging her bag. Her kendo stick leaned against her shoulder. She reached the track field and found she was the only one there. She looked around. "Was practice cancelled?" she wondered aloud, "or am I early?" Yukari would be coming any time soon; they had planned to meet there even if practice was cancelled. Hitomi held up her pendant and looked at it. "Was that really a vision of Gaea last night?" She recalled how the earth and moon hung in the sky. "Yes, I guess it really was." But something about that scene hadn't seemed quite right. The Mystic Moon had hardly shown during the day on Gaea, but the vision had shown it to be not only bright, but a bit closer then she remembered it.
Hitomi tossed her bag and kendo stick on the ground and flopped down on her back next to them. She looked into the sky at a bright blue star. Star? Hitomi sat up very quickly, staring at the star. "It's only 5:00. There shouldn't be a star yet." Her mind flashed back to how the earth and moon seemed closer to Gaea. Maybe they were. Hitomi sighed and closed her eyes. This was all too much for her. When she opened them, she wasn't on the track field anymore. Instead, she was in a forest. She jumped to her feet and looked around. There was forest everywhere. Suddenly, something crashed through the bushes. Hitomi screamed. So did someone else. A girl ran right past Hitomi and through the forest. A few seconds later, two men in black armor and red capes ran past her after the girl. "What was that?!" Hitomi cried. She blinked and found herself back on the track field. The blue star twinkled in the sky.
"I have to get back to Gaea, track or no track," Hitomi decided. She picked up her bag and tied her kendo stick onto it. Then she held out her pendant and swung it back and forth concentrating on getting back to Gaea. She squeezed her eyes tight and concentrated hard. But nothing happened. She opened her eyes, a little confused. "Maybe I have to concentrate harder," she thought. She swung the pendant while watching it swing in her mind. Then she thought of Van, Allen, Merle, Millerna, Dryden, and all her other friends in Gaea. Even with her eyes closed, she saw the bright flash of light above. She could feel that same column of light come down and land in front of her. She opened her eyes and stepped forward as if being guided.
Yukari walked to the track field. She had promised to meet Hitomi there. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light. Yukari shielded her eyes and looked for the source. A column of light wavered not far in front of her. "Oh no," she thought. "Hitomi, don't do anything stupid!" She ran to the field and stopped when she saw Hitomi standing in front of the column. "Hitomi!" she yelled. Hitomi took a step forward. "Hitomi!" she yelled even louder. Hitomi took another step. "Hitomi, damn you!" Yukari ran toward Hitomi. "Stop!" Hitomi took a third step and was enveloped in the light. When she did that, the light grew stronger and Yukari had to stop and shield her eyes again. "Damn it," she muttered through gritted teeth. Not caring about the light, Yukari ran forward, half-blind. She reached toward Hitomi, and just as her fingers reached the column, it grew thin and disappeared into the sky. Yukari stopped and looked up. "Hitomi," she sighed. "Don't do anything dumb."
The sun hung low in the sky, just next to a mountain and over a forest of green. A point of light shimmered in the sky. From that point came a column of light. It widened as it came closer to the ground. After a few seconds, the light dissipated, and Hitomi fell to her hands and knees. Then she stood up and looked around. In the sky, the blue-and- green earth was partially overlapped by the silver moon. "Gaea," Hitomi said quietly. "I made it." She jumped up and down, laughing. "I made it! I made it! I'm back in Gaea!"
She stopped suddenly. She was sure she had heard a shout or something. Hitomi nearly stopped breathing. There it was again. She was sure of it this time. Slowly, she walked to where she thought the sound was coming from. The sunlight grew stronger as she walked on. The trees were thinning out, but the sound was getting louder. This time, there were more sounds. She could hear metal clinks, like in a factory or a mine. Hitomi walked out from the trees and found herself standing on the edge of a cliff of a valley. She held her hand up in front of her face to shade her eyes from the sun. The sounds were coming from below her. She set her bag down and creeped to the edge of the cliff. She gasped when she saw what was below her.
People, no, slaves, were hauling wagons from the base of the cliff to the center. Hitomi took another gasp when she saw what was in the wagons: drag energists. Men dressed in black armor and red capes were ordering the slaves around. Just like in my vision, she thought. In the center of the valley next to the pile of drag energists was a small fort. Above the fort was a black flag with a red lion's head silhouette. What?