Disclaimer: sigh. Someday I'll get a nice paying job and buy Escaflowne
and all the characters. In other words, I don't own a damn thing about
Escaflowne except for an artbook and this fic.
Back to Gaea
Chapter 4
Re-acquaintance
Hitomi pulled back from the cliff edge a bit. She shivered a little in fear. This was not Zaibach. This was a new enemy. She recalled her vision more clearly than ever now, and finally thought that she got it. Her vision was about the destruction caused by this new enemy; even Dornkirk wouldn't commit mass-murder like that in her vision, or the slavery that she saw now. The pain in her vision was the pain that these slaves felt. She slowly stood up, fists clenched and trembling. "I have to do something about this," she thought out loud. She turned around to try to find a way into that valley. She picked up her bag and walked into the forest.
A few moments later, she a rustle in bushes near her. She instinctively reached for her kendo sword. A girl much like the one in her vision ran out. She stopped dead in her tracks and gasped when she saw Hitomi. They stared at one another for a few seconds. The girl had cat ears and an orange and black-striped tail with a cream puff on the end. Her pink hair was tied back in a high ponytail that reached her waist. She wore a skin-tight blue outfit that matched her eyes. (A/N: can you guess yet? ^_^) The cat-girl took a step back and turned to run back the way she came. The two men in black armor and red capes crashed out of the bushes blocking her escape.
Hitomi quickly grabbed her stick and dropped her duffel bag. She then slid off the cloth covering and stood in ready position facing the soldiers. "Hey!" she yelled at them. The soldiers, who had been advancing towards the cat-girl, swords drawn, stopped and stood up, looking at Hitomi. Hitomi took a step back, suddenly unsure of what she was about to do. The soldiers looked at each other and smirked. One soldier turned and went after the cat-girl. The other walked slowly toward Hitomi. Hitomi grimaced and rushed forward, trying to keep in mind her kendo lessons. She also tried to remember that this was a real sword she was up against, not the bamboo ones they used in school. She concentrated on moving more to dodge than to attack. Left, right, left, right, damn! She narrowly avoided a blow that could've cut her in half. The soldier moved to get in what he thought to be the final blow. Hitomi saw the opening and struck. She struck hard and fast. Does anyone know what it feels like to get punched in your solar plexus? You literally can't breathe for a minute. Now take that punch and substitute the hand for a very hard bamboo pole. Itai. The soldier went down hard and didn't move. Hitomi could see that he was struggling for breath, but unconscious. She carefully tapped him with her foot; yep, he was down and out.
She turned around and looked for the cat-girl and the other soldier. She saw the soldier at the base of a tree. The cat-girl clung to a branch, hissing. Hitomi snuck up behind the soldier and hit him over the head with her kendo stick. It was very fortunate that he didn't have a helmet. He also went down hard. Hitomi looked up at the cat-girl in the tree. "It's all right, now," she said softly. The cat-girl didn't move from her branch, but seemed to relax a little.
"Thank you," she whispered. She shifted a bit and a pink pendant on a black string fell out from under her. The cat-girl looked startled.
So did Hitomi. "What is that?" she asked.
The cat-girl sat up, obviously more relaxed now that the soldiers were unconscious. She fingered her necklace. "It's my nail filer," she said simply. And as if to prove it, she started filing her nails.
That pendant looks like- she thought. Then it hit her. "Merle?" she asked cautiously.
The cat-girl looked up from filing. "How do you know my name?" she asked suspiciously.
"Merle! It's me! Hitomi!" Hitomi put on her usual over-energetic smile.
"Hitomi? Who?" Merle was obviously confused.
Hitomi's smile faded. "Hitomi. Don't you remember?" Merle shook her head. Hitomi sighed. "Five years ago? Zaibach? Escaflowne? Van?" Merle stiffened. Hitomi tried some more. "Big adventure to get rid of Dornkirk? Remember yet?"
"I-I think so," Merle said. Hitomi reached into her school uniform and pulled out her pendant. She held it up to Merle's face. Merle leaned in close to study it. Hitomi pleaded to herself that Merle could and would remember. The pendant flashed a sudden bright yellow light and Merle was sent through hundreds of flashbacks, all included Hitomi. Merle blinked and the flashbacks stopped. "Oh, Hitomi!" she cried. "Now I remember!" She leaped off the tree and glomped Hitomi, giving her her famous kitty kisses (known to everyone else as licks).
Hitomi was so shocked at first she froze in place. Then after a few moments, she relaxed a bit and hugged Merle back. "I'm glad to see you again." They started crying, they were so happy to see each other again.
Merle finally managed to pull herself off of Hitomi and they looked at each other. "Geez, Hitomi, where've you been all this time?"
"Don't you remember? I went back to my own world." Hitomi carefully walked over to her bag, making sure that the soldiers weren't waking up. She picked it up and walked back to Merle. "By the way, what happened down there? I don't think Zaibach would do something like this."
Merle tensed up. "No, not Zaibach. Someone else. That," she pointed in the direction of the cliff, "is what is left of the once proud Fanelia. It's now a slave camp. They enslave all beast-people and make us mine drag energists. I don't know why; maybe they use them as weapons."
There was this miraculous close-up of Merle as she was saying all this. Hitomi peeked under Merle's arm at her, trying to get some screen time. "But who is they?"
Merle looked a bit surprised. "You don't know?"
Hitomi shook her head. "I just got here, I don't know a thing." Merle got her usual sly look at that statement. "What?"
"Oh, nothing," Merle responded. "But I'd say that this enemy is ten times worse than Zaibach was." She pointed to the red cape on one of the soldiers. Hitomi noticed that it had the same black lion's head that was on the fort flag. "That is our enemy." She pointed to the cape.
A/N: Well? Whaddya think? I need, I repeat, NEED a name for this new enemy! PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME!!! Kudasai? Okii kudasai? Well, I've reintroduced Merle! All you Merle fans out there, rejoice! Remember, this is five years later so Merle is five years older. She doesn't look the same! (pictures neo-Merle) I want her hair…well, not pink hair, but that hairstyle. Maybe in three more years… I might or might not reintroduce Van in the next chapter. Me and your reviews will decide. So PLEASE REVIEW! Ano…^_^; Arigato to sayonara!
Back to Gaea
Chapter 4
Re-acquaintance
Hitomi pulled back from the cliff edge a bit. She shivered a little in fear. This was not Zaibach. This was a new enemy. She recalled her vision more clearly than ever now, and finally thought that she got it. Her vision was about the destruction caused by this new enemy; even Dornkirk wouldn't commit mass-murder like that in her vision, or the slavery that she saw now. The pain in her vision was the pain that these slaves felt. She slowly stood up, fists clenched and trembling. "I have to do something about this," she thought out loud. She turned around to try to find a way into that valley. She picked up her bag and walked into the forest.
A few moments later, she a rustle in bushes near her. She instinctively reached for her kendo sword. A girl much like the one in her vision ran out. She stopped dead in her tracks and gasped when she saw Hitomi. They stared at one another for a few seconds. The girl had cat ears and an orange and black-striped tail with a cream puff on the end. Her pink hair was tied back in a high ponytail that reached her waist. She wore a skin-tight blue outfit that matched her eyes. (A/N: can you guess yet? ^_^) The cat-girl took a step back and turned to run back the way she came. The two men in black armor and red capes crashed out of the bushes blocking her escape.
Hitomi quickly grabbed her stick and dropped her duffel bag. She then slid off the cloth covering and stood in ready position facing the soldiers. "Hey!" she yelled at them. The soldiers, who had been advancing towards the cat-girl, swords drawn, stopped and stood up, looking at Hitomi. Hitomi took a step back, suddenly unsure of what she was about to do. The soldiers looked at each other and smirked. One soldier turned and went after the cat-girl. The other walked slowly toward Hitomi. Hitomi grimaced and rushed forward, trying to keep in mind her kendo lessons. She also tried to remember that this was a real sword she was up against, not the bamboo ones they used in school. She concentrated on moving more to dodge than to attack. Left, right, left, right, damn! She narrowly avoided a blow that could've cut her in half. The soldier moved to get in what he thought to be the final blow. Hitomi saw the opening and struck. She struck hard and fast. Does anyone know what it feels like to get punched in your solar plexus? You literally can't breathe for a minute. Now take that punch and substitute the hand for a very hard bamboo pole. Itai. The soldier went down hard and didn't move. Hitomi could see that he was struggling for breath, but unconscious. She carefully tapped him with her foot; yep, he was down and out.
She turned around and looked for the cat-girl and the other soldier. She saw the soldier at the base of a tree. The cat-girl clung to a branch, hissing. Hitomi snuck up behind the soldier and hit him over the head with her kendo stick. It was very fortunate that he didn't have a helmet. He also went down hard. Hitomi looked up at the cat-girl in the tree. "It's all right, now," she said softly. The cat-girl didn't move from her branch, but seemed to relax a little.
"Thank you," she whispered. She shifted a bit and a pink pendant on a black string fell out from under her. The cat-girl looked startled.
So did Hitomi. "What is that?" she asked.
The cat-girl sat up, obviously more relaxed now that the soldiers were unconscious. She fingered her necklace. "It's my nail filer," she said simply. And as if to prove it, she started filing her nails.
That pendant looks like- she thought. Then it hit her. "Merle?" she asked cautiously.
The cat-girl looked up from filing. "How do you know my name?" she asked suspiciously.
"Merle! It's me! Hitomi!" Hitomi put on her usual over-energetic smile.
"Hitomi? Who?" Merle was obviously confused.
Hitomi's smile faded. "Hitomi. Don't you remember?" Merle shook her head. Hitomi sighed. "Five years ago? Zaibach? Escaflowne? Van?" Merle stiffened. Hitomi tried some more. "Big adventure to get rid of Dornkirk? Remember yet?"
"I-I think so," Merle said. Hitomi reached into her school uniform and pulled out her pendant. She held it up to Merle's face. Merle leaned in close to study it. Hitomi pleaded to herself that Merle could and would remember. The pendant flashed a sudden bright yellow light and Merle was sent through hundreds of flashbacks, all included Hitomi. Merle blinked and the flashbacks stopped. "Oh, Hitomi!" she cried. "Now I remember!" She leaped off the tree and glomped Hitomi, giving her her famous kitty kisses (known to everyone else as licks).
Hitomi was so shocked at first she froze in place. Then after a few moments, she relaxed a bit and hugged Merle back. "I'm glad to see you again." They started crying, they were so happy to see each other again.
Merle finally managed to pull herself off of Hitomi and they looked at each other. "Geez, Hitomi, where've you been all this time?"
"Don't you remember? I went back to my own world." Hitomi carefully walked over to her bag, making sure that the soldiers weren't waking up. She picked it up and walked back to Merle. "By the way, what happened down there? I don't think Zaibach would do something like this."
Merle tensed up. "No, not Zaibach. Someone else. That," she pointed in the direction of the cliff, "is what is left of the once proud Fanelia. It's now a slave camp. They enslave all beast-people and make us mine drag energists. I don't know why; maybe they use them as weapons."
There was this miraculous close-up of Merle as she was saying all this. Hitomi peeked under Merle's arm at her, trying to get some screen time. "But who is they?"
Merle looked a bit surprised. "You don't know?"
Hitomi shook her head. "I just got here, I don't know a thing." Merle got her usual sly look at that statement. "What?"
"Oh, nothing," Merle responded. "But I'd say that this enemy is ten times worse than Zaibach was." She pointed to the red cape on one of the soldiers. Hitomi noticed that it had the same black lion's head that was on the fort flag. "That is our enemy." She pointed to the cape.
A/N: Well? Whaddya think? I need, I repeat, NEED a name for this new enemy! PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME!!! Kudasai? Okii kudasai? Well, I've reintroduced Merle! All you Merle fans out there, rejoice! Remember, this is five years later so Merle is five years older. She doesn't look the same! (pictures neo-Merle) I want her hair…well, not pink hair, but that hairstyle. Maybe in three more years… I might or might not reintroduce Van in the next chapter. Me and your reviews will decide. So PLEASE REVIEW! Ano…^_^; Arigato to sayonara!