Title: Synchronize
Chapter Title: Senkensha
Author: A Navy Brat
E-mail: catnmouse90637@yahoo.com
Part: 2 of 2
Rating: PG for content
Warnings: Contains spoilers for those who have not watched up to Episode 11, "A Prophecy of Death", in the Escaflowne series.
Summary: A short piece on what Hitomi may have been thinking after her vision of the Deceptant Zongi.
Disclaimer: All characters in this piece are owned by Bandai and whoever took part in the creation of Escaflowne. This is an original piece that does not intend to infringe upon their copyright and is strictly a non-profit endeavour. All characters are used without permission. Characters and stories are in no way affiliated with, approved of or endorsed by Bandai. All other materials copyright by A Navy Brat, 2002. All rights reserved. If you wish to post this piece at some other website, please inform me first at the e-mail address given above. Constructive criticism and reviews are appreciated. Personal criticisms should be sent to the address above. Thank you.
Author's Notes: "Senkensha" means "seer" in Japanese.[1]
My thanks to: Jason, whose dedication to my work is unparalleled and whose support is unwavering.
Synchronize
Chapter 2: Senkensha
By A Navy Brat, September 22, 2002
The blackness closes around me. I can't breathe. I'm droning, I'm drowning I'm drowning. I don't want to die! Onegai[2], Kami-sama[3], onegai… The black coldness surrounds me. Cold… so cold… I'm dying. The darkness seeps into me. I can hear people calling but it is like listening to conversations underwater. Everything is so muffled. I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die.
People are calling me back but I can't come. It's like trying to swim through tar. I wonder if Otoutou-san[4] will miss me. Gomen, Okaa-san[5]. Gomen Otou-san[6]. How about Yukari? And Amano-sempai? They don't know what happened to me and now I'll die. All these new people I met… Millerna and Gaddeth and Allen and Merle and Van… will they miss me too? Van and his wings, so much like an angel… Angel… Angels and heaven and death. Angel of Death.
Okaa-san! I'm afraid, Okaa-san. Okaa-san? Where are you?
"Hitomi!" The sudden shout that breaks through rings clearly and sharply in my ears. Van's voice. "Hitomi…" I hear him pleading," Don't leave me Hitomi. I need you. We need you."
I need to go back. But how? And which way is back? I struggle to move once again. To my surprise, the blackness is… thinner. It does not grab me as tightly. It is still difficult to move, but not as much as before.
"Hitomi…" Van's whispered plea echoes. I try to call out to him but my words fall limply in the darkness. Did he hear me? I do not think so. On. I must go on.
Suddenly, a bright speck appears in the far distance. It steadily grows brighter and larger. As its light approaches me, the darkness falls away until the last tendril dissipates. And then I am in the light and I am warm and…
My eyes flutter open and for a moment I think the Deceptant is standing over me. I flinch, then realise it is Van. He draws back and suddenly, I wished he hadn't. I need someone to hold me now, to assure me that everything would be okay. Van… It was Van that saved me…
Millerna scoops me up and I begin to cry, the full realisation of what just happened finally settling in. That dreadful blackness wrapping itself around the Deceptant and crushing him like a handful of overripe soybeans then creeping onto me and choking me…
The Deceptant! He's going to die! The words come out in a shriek before I even realise it and all the eyes in the room fasten on me. I explain in a rush. Boris steps forward and tells Chid not to listen to our "stories." But they aren't stories! I saw him die! He's going to die! He's going to be crushed and he's going to die… I look frantically for Van. He knows I'm telling the truth. Van knows…
I finally see him, kneeling on the floor, tied up. Van… Why don't they understand? A black hand is going to crush him, crush Zongi…
Chid asks Boris where the Deceptant is. Boris tells him that Zongi cannot be found. He's already escaped, he's running back to Folken to report to him and then he will die… Please, Chid, believe us!
"He must have run away. Prince Chid, we've got to find him! It'll be too late once Zaibach knows Hitomi's secret!" Van shouts. My secret? My visions? What will happen if Zaibach finds out? Will they try to kill me?
Chid stands before Allen and draws his sword. He's going to kill him! Chid doesn't believe us and he's going to kill Allen. Why don't they understand? Why do they always have to kill? And now Chid, small, innocent Chid… Why do these things always have to happen? I squeeze my eyes shut. I can't bear to watch…
"Trusting someone takes more courage than going to war," I suddenly hear Chid say. What? What does he mean by that? I open my eyes in time to see Chid cutting the ropes that are binding Allen. "Allen, I want you to find Zaibach's spy yourself." Chid… he's letting Allen go? But Allen's hurt! He can't go.
"Allen hasn't fully recovered. I'll go instead." Van stands.
"I'll go too," I say. Van can't go alone. What if he gets hurt? What if Zaibach captures him? And he doesn't know where the Deceptant is. I have to help him. Van looks as if he's about to protest but I glance sharply at him and he doesn't say anything.
Van asks me if I'll be able to go to the hanger that Escaflowne's being kept in. I nod. I can tell he's worried about me, so I don't reply with my usual biting remark. I stand to follow Van, then realise that my shirt is still unbuttoned. I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks. Allen, Boris, Chid and Van turn away. The guards take a little longer.
When I am done, the guards lead Van and I through a labyrinth of hallways and passages to where Escaflowne is. Van climbs into the melef, then carefully picks me up. The giant doors open and we walk out to the middle of a stadium of sorts. Everyone else is already there. Van puts me down and then gets out. He bows low to Prince Chid and Boris and promises them that we will return. We get back on Escaflowne and it turns into its dragon form, then we fly up into the firefly-studded sky.
I feel so safe standing in Escaflowne, leaning against Van. He is so quiet. I wonder what he is thinking. The cold night wind that blows over us is different from the clammy cold that was choking me before. We fly higher and when we break past the clouds, Van looks at me expectantly. I nod and close my eyes. Concentrate. There. I see a tower to our east. That is where the Deceptant is. I tell Van and he directs Escaflowne there. We fall into silence again.
Van… It was Van who saved me. I ought to thank him. But how do you thank someone for saving your life? I don't know. So I'll just thank him, I guess. I lean up and tell him thank you. He looks surprised and asks what for.
"For saving my life," I say, confused myself now.
He shrugs and says, "You've saved my life before. I was just repaying my debt."
I nod, reading in his eyes to not ask any questions. I don't understand though. How can he seem to care so much and yet care so little? He is a puzzle. Such a puzzle.
Suddenly, I see the Deceptant die again. No! We'll be too late! The tower appears in the distance. And the sticky blackness climbs up onto me and I'm drowning again and I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying… Van! Help me! It swallows me and I can't move and it's cold, so cold…
I can hear Van calling me, but this time, the blackness isn't any thinner. It still grabs onto me and I can't move and it takes almost all my strength to just breathe. I dimly hear fighting going on around me and Van calls me once again. I need to help Van! I struggle and begin to break free. The sounds intensify and suddenly, I am free, but so weak… I need to rest… but Van needs me. He knows how to dowse.
"Imagine…" Just speaking weakens me, but Van must know. "Imagine strongly in your mind."
"At a time like this?"
"Concentrate. Project strongly in your mind. I trust you." I am exhausted now and let the darkness of sleep wash over me.
I awaken as Van and I alight in Escaflowne at the castle. Prince Chid runs to meet us, Allen leaning on Gaddeth not far behind. I turn to look at Van as he helps me out of Escaflowne. A faint smile plays about his mouth and a softer light about his eyes, neither of which I had ever seen before. Van seems to be… happier. Perhaps one day I will understand him better, but for now, I am happy to feel his warmth and the warmth of my friends.
[1] All definitions are courtesy of EVA from the Poet's Project at Kyoto Notre Dame University. http://poets.notredame.ac.jp/cgi-bin/jedi-inon.
[2] "Onegai" means "please" in Japanese.
[3] "Kami-sama" means "God" in Japanese.
[4] "Otoutou-san" means "little brother" in Japanese.
[5] "Okaa-san" means "mother" in Japanese.
[6] "Otou-san" means "father" in Japanese.