Prologue: Angel Fallen, Angel Flying
~Trudging back home from school today was a pain more than usual. I looked around as I passed by the usual sights. Things seemed oddly peaceful today. The leaves were gently being pushed off the branches of the trees; they fell so slowly and quietly to the ground. I wanted to collapse just like the leaves. I didn't want to walk anymore; I just wanted to collapse but knew I couldn't. I had to go home and take care of Momma even after being so exhausted from last night studying for my hardest exam. "I wonder what I can make mother for dinner...," I pondered to myself as I rounded the street corner to a house that displayed a small sign above the threshold. The sign read "Kanzaki." "That should be inside," I said as I thought to myself. "Everyone and their neighbor knows that mother and I are Akane's...even though we both denounce that man...I guess that is what you get for being forced to love someone...a love-starved mother and a nowhere to be found father...." As I approach the house, I open the door slowly and and slip my shoes off. "Mom"? My voice echoes through the house quietly. "Mom," I called out again just a little louder. I walk to the back of the house and see the door to her bedroom is closed. I push it open just enough to see inside. *Gasp.* I push the door even further open. In blue crayon all over the wall was some strange type of writing. Plus there were feathers from her winter pillows floating all over the place. I simply stood there; I couldn't believe my eyes. "I think she gets worse as the days get longer," I mumble to myself. I walk over to the writing on the wall closest to me. "I wonder how I am going to get this off the walls... It's the same characters over and over... "I wonder what it says," I mumble to myself. I reach out to touch the writting on the wall in front of me. Suddenly, I feel like my hand is burining. The room turns from white feathers and blue writting to red fire. It's so hot! I look behind me and there are two huge pieces of machinary fighting agianst each other. In the background, a kingdom is being burned. To my right, there is a knight, a cat girl, a crew of men, a man, and a beautiful princess. To my left, there is a malevoleant army of men. They all had a menacing look on their faces. Behind them stood black armor like the two that were fighting. I stand in horror and disbelief of what I am seeing. A black feather hits my nose and I look above me. There floating right above my head is a man with black wings and a woman with white wings holding a man in her arms. I turn back around to the original way I was facing. There standing in front of me is my mother when she was my age! "She's being held close by a boy...I recognize this story the pictures are painting"! My mother looks at the boy with a look that I have seen on her face only when she tells me that story she used to tell me when I was very young. She whispers something to him...."One angel falls back to the green Earth, the other angel takes to the blue skies, forever flying high." "What's that supposed to mean..." I wonder quietly to myself. Suddenly everything around me goes black and the earth moves from beneath my feet. I let out a shrill scream crying out for someone to catch me. I thrust out a hand hoping someone will grab it and take me in their arms back to safety. "Wake me up! I don't want to be like mother! I don't want these visions!" Abruptly , my fall into space is stopped by the boy that had been holding my mother. He unfolds his wings and sets me gently on the ground. I am so naucious that I just pass out and do not get to see even a glimpse of his face or even just say arigatou. I open my eyes slowly. A couple of feathers are still floating in the air above me. I roll over and sit up. "I passed out," I say quietly., "I wonder how long it was this time." I slowly pull myself up from the ground. "Mom"? I yell again. This time I walk upstairs to my bedroom and bathroom but still no sign of her. I walked back down the stairs, through the threshold, and out into the yard. I took in a deep breath of air and let out a sigh. I glanced up at the moon. It was brighter than it usually was at this time of day. Then I saw movement. Mother was on the roof again. I rush back in the house and up the stairs yet again. I peek my head outside the window of my room. "Mom, it's not safe to be up here ya' know, why don't you come in and I'll cook us a nice, hot, wonderful supper tonight. I'll make your favorite"!
I try to be as sweet and as persuasive as possible. She doesn't budge. She has that look on her face when she is absolutely determined to do something or has had a vision. "I can't move from this spot. You see my dear child, he's coming back for me. He's coming! I just know it!" I pull my head back inside my window. I shake it gently as I ponder what I should do. "She was smiling so maybe I should just leave her alone for a while. I'll just go cook supper..." As I pass by her room, I think to myself, "well this explains the feathers now..."
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When I was young, my mother used to tell me a bedtime story...It was a grand story about a far away planet, a prince, a knight, all their friends, and an ordinary girl from Earth. This crew of people shared many travels and tribulations together. They learned and destroyed the secret of Atlantis. The watched the legendary guymelef , Escaflowne, fight for different kingdom's peace . They also formed relationships with one another. Whether it was a friendship or a relationship was left up to the "gravity of destiny." One particular point of interest was that the girl from the Earth was absolutely doting on the knight because he reminded her of her crush from Earth. On the other hand, she sub-consciously had a crush on the prince. The prince didn't know how to own up to his feelings and therefore, made things even more complicated between the two. Eventually by the time the girl from Earth realized that she loved the prince, it was too late. The great war of the planet Gaea was over and Escaflowne needed to be retired. The prince wanted to see his kingdom without war and Escaflowne and as long as the girl remained present on Gaea, this could never be. So, she left... My mom called this story, "The Vision of Escaflowne."
Oh! What a guy that prince must have been! First of all, he was a prince, then he had wings, and he was brave, protective, and caring...Dark hair, with translucent green eyes...He must have been loved by everyone he had ever met...I would give anything for a guy like that...I would give anything just to be accepted by my school friends and neighbors...
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Before I knew it, the sun had hidden itself behind the horizion and my wonderful supper was ready to be eaten. I walked back outside and called up to the roof, "Mother, supper is ready"! "I'm not eating"! she stubbornly called back. I stomp back in the house and on up into the attic. "If the neighbors hear this, they will surely try to send her to the looney bin. She's the only thing I have and I am NOT going to let that happen to her. I know she had me when she was very young but it was an arranged marriage and her mother wanted someone to take care of her(instead of me, it was supposed to be Keichii Akane, her husband)...shortly after her mother died. "Mom," I called as I opened up the attic hatch to the roof. "If you don't get down from there now, the neighbors are going to start to talk again and they are gonna try to send you to the looney bin!" She slowly stands up with a defiant stance and look on her face. "Then let them talk, Shiryoku," she says sternly. "Because it doesn't matter what they think or say." She has a wild glare in her eyes. I begin to shrink back into the attic. She is scaring me even more than one of my visions. "If you feel something deep enough in the depths of your heart, your feelings will reach and be returned by that person. I have loved Van for over seventeen years now." "Okay, mom, you are truly beginning to worry me now...you acutally think you are the girl from your story?" I watch her fist clench and her teeth grit. "That's because I AM! My name is Kanzaki Hitomi, the girl from the Phantom Moon who visited the Planet Gaea. I fell in love with a Prince named Van de Slanzar Fanel from the kingdom of Fanelia. I had to leave though...I didn't want to..." Tears begin to welp up in my mother's eyes. I couldn't believe the assertation my mother had in her voice. She sounded so convinced that she had really been to that planet. "When I finally did return to Earth though, everyone thought that I was a basket case. That's why mother made me get married; that's why I had you...to convince everyone that I was "normal" and not crazy. But you experience it too don't you? You know what it is like to see things of blood, death, and destruction against your will. You know what it is like to see pictures flash before your eyes as if it were a movie." Her eyes and words peirced my soul along with my heart. I stood there quivering in fear. Never before has my mother predicted something so true about me. No, she has never volunteered to give me advice about life. But now, all of the sudden, she is telling me some of the most profound things I have ever heard and I am finally relating to her. She walks over to me and takes my hands in hers. "Shiryoku...I love you very much and I promise you I am not crazy..." She pulls my long mahoghany bangs back away from my face and kisses my forehead. "Of all the things I have accomplished in my life, I am most proud of you. Don't ever forget that." I stare at my mother in disbelief. I lean foward as tears fall from my face and glisten in the night air. "Momma," I say as I begin to sob uncontrollably. "Momma, I love you..." The tears just pour from my face like a waterfall. My mother just has this kind, understanding look on her face. In her eyes, I see that she is telling the truth..."Go inside and eat supper..." momma says quietly to me while running her fingers through my brown and red streaked hair, "I'll join you after I see the shooting star." She smiles so sweetly at me. "Hai," I say still sobbing while wipping the tears on my shirt sleeves with a smile on my face.
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An hour passes, mother is still on the roof. I get bored so I go to her room and grab her tarot deck. "Hmmm...what silly question to ask tonight...I know! Is my Mom gonna be happy after Van arrives? I draw the first card: La Torre, the tower...it means trouble...not good...the second card: La Serpent, the snake/dragon...this isn't right...it can't be..." I pull the third card: La Fool, falsehood! "Mom," I yell as I drop the cards on the floor. I notice as I am running out that one card lays face up. It's blank- the spare...things have already been decided.
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A boy sits in a throne room playing with a pendant. He silently sits swinging it back and forth. "Inch, ne,..." he counts softly to himself. "Van-Sama," calls a voice softly, "you shouldn't sit on the royal throne like that." "What does it matter Merlu? No one can see..." he replies laughingly. "But if it bothers you that much, I'll sit correctly," he says with a smile. "Van-sama, why do you smile so much here lately"? asks the cat-girl inquisitively. "Because..." he trails off smiling again, "I know she is out there and she's waiting for me to come and get her...if only i could." Merlu sits beside his throne and sighs. "Oh Van-sama..." she whispers with teary eyes. "She waits for me Merlu, I just know it..." he says more passionately than before. "Since when did you become such a hopeless romantic Van-sama"? "Since I have fallen in love Merlu"! He gets up from the throne and snatches the necklace in mid orbit. "I wonder...if this can create a column of light?" he mumbles while looking at the tiny jewl in his gloved hand. "But I know that Escaflowne can!" Van puts the necklace on. "I am going to find Dryden; he should know and I'll be back before nightfall." Van walks out the door and into the foyer of his newly built castle. He then steps on out on to the platform of the castle where he can see all of Fanelia. "She' s more beautiful than ever," he says with out stretched arms. He runs down the stairs jumping off the last one. He passes by a group of little kids and they all run to him. He hugs a couple and even carries one small child in his arms for a while. Merlu watches from the platform above. "I wish you would let her go...I understand you love her. But what about that person who has been here all along and has loved you all along?" The wind blows her robe now dotted with teardrops to the side. She quitely puts her pink cat hair behind her ears. "Will you ever love me like I love you Van-sama?"
Van passes by Allen's summer home and since it was summer figured he would drop by and tell Allen about trying to get back to Hitomi. Van guessed correctly for Allen was home but there was a huge surprise waiting for him. Serena answered the door with a child in her hands. Van knelt in honor of the lady. "Lady Serena, I am sorry to disturb but is Allen-san home?" "Hai, he's here. C'mon in," she said sweetly. Van entered into the kitchen where it appeared that Allen was eating breakfast and reading his father's journal. "Allen Schezear, Knight of Heaven..." Van solemnly says as he pounds his fist against his chest as a sign of respect. Allen looks up from his book. "VAN! It's been a while my friend! " he says as they share a manly embrace. "Yes, it has been a while my friend. I have come to ask your opinion on something though." "And what would that be Van?" "I want to go to the Phantom Moon to bring Hitomi to Fanelia and make her my Queen! I love her more than anything and the days are so long without her by my side...I miss her soo much Allen and I wanted to know if you think it's possible that I could awaken Escaflowne just so I could travel to the Phantom Moon to get her." "I don't know Van..." he gets a concerned look on his face. "Escaflowne is a machine of war, just as the Schezearade. I don't use the Schezeade to travel in; no, I just use it as it was intended to be used. " Van's eyes portray disheartenment. "But I can't create a column of light...and Escaflowne is the only way I know how to get there for sure. I guess I will be on my way to Dryden." "That's a good idea; he generally knows his stuff like this," Allen says agreeing. Van's face turns to a purely confused look. "Since when did you and Dryden become friends," he asks. "Since when did you become such a hopeless romantic, Van Fanel," replies Allen with a grin. Van smiles back. "Hey, ummmm.... who's child has Serena got?" Allen smirks. He leans back in his chair, puts his hands behind his head, and closes his eyes. "Mine." Van stares at him in dead silence and disbelief. "Y-Y-Yours?" he finally stammars out. "Hai, the boy's mine. His name is Shiro," Allen says proudly. "You think it's gross don't you, Van?" Allen leans foward smiling even more than before. "No, not gross, it's just that I didn't expect you to settle down anytime soon," Van says turning ever so red in the face while timidly scratching the back of his head. Allen explains. "I killed three birds with one stone when I married Serena...1)I can watch and protect her, 2) I can keep the bloodline pure, but most importantly 3) I fell in love for the very first time." Van shakes his head to show that he understands. "Well, I wish you the best. You have mine and Fanelia's blessing Allen Schezear. But if you'll excuse me, I need to find Dryden!" Van pounds his hand against his chest again and leaves. He grabs a ride with a passer-by's carriage and heads to the outskirts of Fanelia.
When Van arrives at Dryden's house, he quickly runs out to the garden in the back. "Lord Van?!?! Imagine that! What brings you here?" says Dryden as he pushes up his glasses. "I need to know how to make a column of light!" Van announces loudly. "A column of light?"says Dryden as he raises his eyebrows. "For what?" he says. Van once again says it proudly," SO I CAN MAKE HITOMI MY QUEEN!" "Oh, I see," says Dryden with a smirk. He looks at Van's necklace. "If I remeber right, I believe it was that very pendant right there that allowed the Draconians to make their wishes come true and bring Hitomi to Gaea the first time. I think all you have to do is wish along with her to see each other. But there can not be any doubt in yours or her heart. "No! I know that there isn't any because I love her and I can feel her feelings reaching out to me! She's waiting for me, Dryden and I have got to go get her!" "Since when did our solemn prince become such a hopeless romantic?" says Dryden with a grin. "*sheesh* What is with everyone and that question! First Merlu, then Allen, and now you..." complains Van. "Okay, okay, I'll leave you alone just this once," says Dryden as he winks. "Go back to the castle and give it a try and if it doesn't work, come back again tomorrow and we'll figure this thing out." "Arigatou very much, Dryden. I will bring Hitomi to thank you tommorrow too!" says Van very assuredly. Van hurries back to the castle and as he runs the path home, he looks to the sky. He then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a beautiful dragon ring holding a stunning jewl in it. "Hitomi, wait for me! I promise I won't be much longer!"
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"Mother!" I say as I open the attic hatch. I can't see her on the roof. "Mom answer me!" I yell becoming more scared every second that passes. "MOTHER!!!" I start to cry agian. There's is only one place to look left and I don't want to look there. I slowly take step by step the path to the edge of the roof. I peer down and see what I had been fearing all day. "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" I fall to my knees. I hide my head in my hands; my vision is blurred by the waterfall that had errupted from my eyes. There on the ground, lying cold and breathless was my mother steeped in her own blood. I knew she didn't have a good life but I never thought that she was suicidal. I slowly manage to pull myself up off the roof and I then force myself to go outside. I walk over to where my mother lies. "Oh...oh...," I say softly as I begin to let the rivers flow again from my eyes. I reach down and touch her. Her skin is still warm and then I dip a finger in the blood puddle next to her. "It's so red...," I whisper to myself. The blood is also warm. It just happened. "Momma!" I cry out as I hold her in my arms on last time. My good white school jacket is now scarlet stained but I could care less. I had finally begun to understand and make progress with my relationship with my mother and now it was all gone. My thoughts are abruptly interrupted by a small *tink* sound. I look up and there is a boy about my age standing in front of me. He falls to his knees. "Please tell me who this is Hitomi and why you are holding her so close?" he quietly says to me. I look at the boy and try to understand but I just don't get it. "Hitomi?" I say inquistively. I look at my mom. "This...this...she was Hitomi..." I say plunging my head on top of her chest with tears trickling down my face. The boy gasps. "You can't speak the truth! Hitomi isn't this old! She's sixteen! Just like me!" he says becoming angry with disbelief. "She was thirty-one," I look at him. He looks as if someone has dropped his heart on the floor and it's shattered into a million pieces. "Then she must not be my Hitomi," he says quietly. "But you- you look like my Hitomi...except your nose is a little cuter and your face shape is a little more round...but your eyes are the same as hers..." he says while on his hands and knees inspecting my every feature. He then looks back at my mother. "You two look very similar..." "That's because this is my mother, Hitomi Kanzaki-Akane. I am Shiryoku Kanzaki-Akane."
The boy lets out a short gasp. "Then...but...prove it...I still don't believe this is my Hitomi; she's too old to be Hitomi," he says trying to reassure himself. I don't know why my mother is so important to him. "Why do I need to prove this to you? Who ARE you anyway," I ask as I begin to cry again becoming more frustrated at trying to understand and cope with what is going on right now. He steps out of the shadows and I see his face. A sad,solemn face with eyes that seem to be holding back tears says, "my name is Van Fanel, the prince of the grand Kingdom of Fanelia." I gasp and drop my mother from my arms. I then realize just how covered in blood I am. "She was telling the truth...or am I going crazy myself?" I whisper to myself with my hands covering my mouth. I very weakly stand up. "Excuse me, but I need to go call the police and ummm...change..." I say as I glance down at my blouse and hands covered in scarlet. "I will come back with the proof that you need that she is your Hitomi Kanzaki," I tell him with my hair hanging in front of my face. I give the boy a short bow and turn towards the house. I see something red glimmering in the light. At first I thought it was a drop of my mother's blood, but as I bent down to pick it up I saw that it was a stone dragon ring with a jewl that I had never seen before. In fact, I had never seen the stone that the dragon was made out of either. I then remembered that right before Van walked up I heard a *tink* sound. I turn back around with an open palmed hand. In the center of my hand sits the ring and Van looks up from my mother. "I think you dropped this Van-sama," I say with my head still tilted down. He stands up and takes the ring out of my hand. He puts it in his pocket and takes my wrist just as I begin to walk off. "You don't need to call me Van-sama; it's just Van," he says comfortingly. "Hai...," I say very meekly.
I walk back in the house and run up to my room. I quickly throw on a set of afternoon clothes, wash up, and run back downstairs. I grab the phone and call the police. They tell me that they will be here soon but I hear doubt and disbelief in their voice. They think that I am just as crazy as my mother. I hang the phone up and turn around to face the kitchen table. The cards are still strown all over the room from where I had raced out earlier. I grab them and shove them into a deck. I walk outside into the crisp night air. I clutch them very close to my chest since they are one of the precious few things my mother entrusted to me. Van looks up from where he is sitting. "These were my mother's...you should recogonize them; that's all I have though...," I say. He takes the cards from my hands. He looks at me with his eyes pleading with me to tell him that I am lying. "Your eyes tell me that you speak the truth and so do these cards...as much as I don't want to believe...," his voice trails off as he sheds a few tears and sets the cards beside him. I bite my lip as I glance up at him and back down to the ground agian. I fall to my knees in front of the prince. "Ummm...You see...I mean...," I stutter these words. Van looks up at me with a tear streaked face. I take his hands and clasp them inside mine. "It was just me and my mom in the house and I will be all alone now...and I have the money to take care of us both because my father still gives us half of his check...and I am a really good cook and I know my mom wouldn't mind it as long as we stayed in seperate rooms..." I say with a slight smile. "Say no more...I'll stay; I don't have a place to stay until the column of light takes me back." We both sit and stare at each other for a moment. "There's probaly a lot you should know," I say quietly gazing off into space. Van looks off to the side as I let go of his hands. "The question is: do i want to know?"
Suddenly our conversation is interrupted by a police car driving up in the drive way. A couple of police officers get out and begin interrigating us on Hitomi's death.
I think I will be ok as long as I have Van around. I don't know why but he provides some kind of comfort for me. I feel like he is a friend that I lost a long time ago, in a far away land. I'm so glad he's going to stay with me.~
~Trudging back home from school today was a pain more than usual. I looked around as I passed by the usual sights. Things seemed oddly peaceful today. The leaves were gently being pushed off the branches of the trees; they fell so slowly and quietly to the ground. I wanted to collapse just like the leaves. I didn't want to walk anymore; I just wanted to collapse but knew I couldn't. I had to go home and take care of Momma even after being so exhausted from last night studying for my hardest exam. "I wonder what I can make mother for dinner...," I pondered to myself as I rounded the street corner to a house that displayed a small sign above the threshold. The sign read "Kanzaki." "That should be inside," I said as I thought to myself. "Everyone and their neighbor knows that mother and I are Akane's...even though we both denounce that man...I guess that is what you get for being forced to love someone...a love-starved mother and a nowhere to be found father...." As I approach the house, I open the door slowly and and slip my shoes off. "Mom"? My voice echoes through the house quietly. "Mom," I called out again just a little louder. I walk to the back of the house and see the door to her bedroom is closed. I push it open just enough to see inside. *Gasp.* I push the door even further open. In blue crayon all over the wall was some strange type of writing. Plus there were feathers from her winter pillows floating all over the place. I simply stood there; I couldn't believe my eyes. "I think she gets worse as the days get longer," I mumble to myself. I walk over to the writing on the wall closest to me. "I wonder how I am going to get this off the walls... It's the same characters over and over... "I wonder what it says," I mumble to myself. I reach out to touch the writting on the wall in front of me. Suddenly, I feel like my hand is burining. The room turns from white feathers and blue writting to red fire. It's so hot! I look behind me and there are two huge pieces of machinary fighting agianst each other. In the background, a kingdom is being burned. To my right, there is a knight, a cat girl, a crew of men, a man, and a beautiful princess. To my left, there is a malevoleant army of men. They all had a menacing look on their faces. Behind them stood black armor like the two that were fighting. I stand in horror and disbelief of what I am seeing. A black feather hits my nose and I look above me. There floating right above my head is a man with black wings and a woman with white wings holding a man in her arms. I turn back around to the original way I was facing. There standing in front of me is my mother when she was my age! "She's being held close by a boy...I recognize this story the pictures are painting"! My mother looks at the boy with a look that I have seen on her face only when she tells me that story she used to tell me when I was very young. She whispers something to him...."One angel falls back to the green Earth, the other angel takes to the blue skies, forever flying high." "What's that supposed to mean..." I wonder quietly to myself. Suddenly everything around me goes black and the earth moves from beneath my feet. I let out a shrill scream crying out for someone to catch me. I thrust out a hand hoping someone will grab it and take me in their arms back to safety. "Wake me up! I don't want to be like mother! I don't want these visions!" Abruptly , my fall into space is stopped by the boy that had been holding my mother. He unfolds his wings and sets me gently on the ground. I am so naucious that I just pass out and do not get to see even a glimpse of his face or even just say arigatou. I open my eyes slowly. A couple of feathers are still floating in the air above me. I roll over and sit up. "I passed out," I say quietly., "I wonder how long it was this time." I slowly pull myself up from the ground. "Mom"? I yell again. This time I walk upstairs to my bedroom and bathroom but still no sign of her. I walked back down the stairs, through the threshold, and out into the yard. I took in a deep breath of air and let out a sigh. I glanced up at the moon. It was brighter than it usually was at this time of day. Then I saw movement. Mother was on the roof again. I rush back in the house and up the stairs yet again. I peek my head outside the window of my room. "Mom, it's not safe to be up here ya' know, why don't you come in and I'll cook us a nice, hot, wonderful supper tonight. I'll make your favorite"!
I try to be as sweet and as persuasive as possible. She doesn't budge. She has that look on her face when she is absolutely determined to do something or has had a vision. "I can't move from this spot. You see my dear child, he's coming back for me. He's coming! I just know it!" I pull my head back inside my window. I shake it gently as I ponder what I should do. "She was smiling so maybe I should just leave her alone for a while. I'll just go cook supper..." As I pass by her room, I think to myself, "well this explains the feathers now..."
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When I was young, my mother used to tell me a bedtime story...It was a grand story about a far away planet, a prince, a knight, all their friends, and an ordinary girl from Earth. This crew of people shared many travels and tribulations together. They learned and destroyed the secret of Atlantis. The watched the legendary guymelef , Escaflowne, fight for different kingdom's peace . They also formed relationships with one another. Whether it was a friendship or a relationship was left up to the "gravity of destiny." One particular point of interest was that the girl from the Earth was absolutely doting on the knight because he reminded her of her crush from Earth. On the other hand, she sub-consciously had a crush on the prince. The prince didn't know how to own up to his feelings and therefore, made things even more complicated between the two. Eventually by the time the girl from Earth realized that she loved the prince, it was too late. The great war of the planet Gaea was over and Escaflowne needed to be retired. The prince wanted to see his kingdom without war and Escaflowne and as long as the girl remained present on Gaea, this could never be. So, she left... My mom called this story, "The Vision of Escaflowne."
Oh! What a guy that prince must have been! First of all, he was a prince, then he had wings, and he was brave, protective, and caring...Dark hair, with translucent green eyes...He must have been loved by everyone he had ever met...I would give anything for a guy like that...I would give anything just to be accepted by my school friends and neighbors...
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Before I knew it, the sun had hidden itself behind the horizion and my wonderful supper was ready to be eaten. I walked back outside and called up to the roof, "Mother, supper is ready"! "I'm not eating"! she stubbornly called back. I stomp back in the house and on up into the attic. "If the neighbors hear this, they will surely try to send her to the looney bin. She's the only thing I have and I am NOT going to let that happen to her. I know she had me when she was very young but it was an arranged marriage and her mother wanted someone to take care of her(instead of me, it was supposed to be Keichii Akane, her husband)...shortly after her mother died. "Mom," I called as I opened up the attic hatch to the roof. "If you don't get down from there now, the neighbors are going to start to talk again and they are gonna try to send you to the looney bin!" She slowly stands up with a defiant stance and look on her face. "Then let them talk, Shiryoku," she says sternly. "Because it doesn't matter what they think or say." She has a wild glare in her eyes. I begin to shrink back into the attic. She is scaring me even more than one of my visions. "If you feel something deep enough in the depths of your heart, your feelings will reach and be returned by that person. I have loved Van for over seventeen years now." "Okay, mom, you are truly beginning to worry me now...you acutally think you are the girl from your story?" I watch her fist clench and her teeth grit. "That's because I AM! My name is Kanzaki Hitomi, the girl from the Phantom Moon who visited the Planet Gaea. I fell in love with a Prince named Van de Slanzar Fanel from the kingdom of Fanelia. I had to leave though...I didn't want to..." Tears begin to welp up in my mother's eyes. I couldn't believe the assertation my mother had in her voice. She sounded so convinced that she had really been to that planet. "When I finally did return to Earth though, everyone thought that I was a basket case. That's why mother made me get married; that's why I had you...to convince everyone that I was "normal" and not crazy. But you experience it too don't you? You know what it is like to see things of blood, death, and destruction against your will. You know what it is like to see pictures flash before your eyes as if it were a movie." Her eyes and words peirced my soul along with my heart. I stood there quivering in fear. Never before has my mother predicted something so true about me. No, she has never volunteered to give me advice about life. But now, all of the sudden, she is telling me some of the most profound things I have ever heard and I am finally relating to her. She walks over to me and takes my hands in hers. "Shiryoku...I love you very much and I promise you I am not crazy..." She pulls my long mahoghany bangs back away from my face and kisses my forehead. "Of all the things I have accomplished in my life, I am most proud of you. Don't ever forget that." I stare at my mother in disbelief. I lean foward as tears fall from my face and glisten in the night air. "Momma," I say as I begin to sob uncontrollably. "Momma, I love you..." The tears just pour from my face like a waterfall. My mother just has this kind, understanding look on her face. In her eyes, I see that she is telling the truth..."Go inside and eat supper..." momma says quietly to me while running her fingers through my brown and red streaked hair, "I'll join you after I see the shooting star." She smiles so sweetly at me. "Hai," I say still sobbing while wipping the tears on my shirt sleeves with a smile on my face.
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An hour passes, mother is still on the roof. I get bored so I go to her room and grab her tarot deck. "Hmmm...what silly question to ask tonight...I know! Is my Mom gonna be happy after Van arrives? I draw the first card: La Torre, the tower...it means trouble...not good...the second card: La Serpent, the snake/dragon...this isn't right...it can't be..." I pull the third card: La Fool, falsehood! "Mom," I yell as I drop the cards on the floor. I notice as I am running out that one card lays face up. It's blank- the spare...things have already been decided.
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A boy sits in a throne room playing with a pendant. He silently sits swinging it back and forth. "Inch, ne,..." he counts softly to himself. "Van-Sama," calls a voice softly, "you shouldn't sit on the royal throne like that." "What does it matter Merlu? No one can see..." he replies laughingly. "But if it bothers you that much, I'll sit correctly," he says with a smile. "Van-sama, why do you smile so much here lately"? asks the cat-girl inquisitively. "Because..." he trails off smiling again, "I know she is out there and she's waiting for me to come and get her...if only i could." Merlu sits beside his throne and sighs. "Oh Van-sama..." she whispers with teary eyes. "She waits for me Merlu, I just know it..." he says more passionately than before. "Since when did you become such a hopeless romantic Van-sama"? "Since I have fallen in love Merlu"! He gets up from the throne and snatches the necklace in mid orbit. "I wonder...if this can create a column of light?" he mumbles while looking at the tiny jewl in his gloved hand. "But I know that Escaflowne can!" Van puts the necklace on. "I am going to find Dryden; he should know and I'll be back before nightfall." Van walks out the door and into the foyer of his newly built castle. He then steps on out on to the platform of the castle where he can see all of Fanelia. "She' s more beautiful than ever," he says with out stretched arms. He runs down the stairs jumping off the last one. He passes by a group of little kids and they all run to him. He hugs a couple and even carries one small child in his arms for a while. Merlu watches from the platform above. "I wish you would let her go...I understand you love her. But what about that person who has been here all along and has loved you all along?" The wind blows her robe now dotted with teardrops to the side. She quitely puts her pink cat hair behind her ears. "Will you ever love me like I love you Van-sama?"
Van passes by Allen's summer home and since it was summer figured he would drop by and tell Allen about trying to get back to Hitomi. Van guessed correctly for Allen was home but there was a huge surprise waiting for him. Serena answered the door with a child in her hands. Van knelt in honor of the lady. "Lady Serena, I am sorry to disturb but is Allen-san home?" "Hai, he's here. C'mon in," she said sweetly. Van entered into the kitchen where it appeared that Allen was eating breakfast and reading his father's journal. "Allen Schezear, Knight of Heaven..." Van solemnly says as he pounds his fist against his chest as a sign of respect. Allen looks up from his book. "VAN! It's been a while my friend! " he says as they share a manly embrace. "Yes, it has been a while my friend. I have come to ask your opinion on something though." "And what would that be Van?" "I want to go to the Phantom Moon to bring Hitomi to Fanelia and make her my Queen! I love her more than anything and the days are so long without her by my side...I miss her soo much Allen and I wanted to know if you think it's possible that I could awaken Escaflowne just so I could travel to the Phantom Moon to get her." "I don't know Van..." he gets a concerned look on his face. "Escaflowne is a machine of war, just as the Schezearade. I don't use the Schezeade to travel in; no, I just use it as it was intended to be used. " Van's eyes portray disheartenment. "But I can't create a column of light...and Escaflowne is the only way I know how to get there for sure. I guess I will be on my way to Dryden." "That's a good idea; he generally knows his stuff like this," Allen says agreeing. Van's face turns to a purely confused look. "Since when did you and Dryden become friends," he asks. "Since when did you become such a hopeless romantic, Van Fanel," replies Allen with a grin. Van smiles back. "Hey, ummmm.... who's child has Serena got?" Allen smirks. He leans back in his chair, puts his hands behind his head, and closes his eyes. "Mine." Van stares at him in dead silence and disbelief. "Y-Y-Yours?" he finally stammars out. "Hai, the boy's mine. His name is Shiro," Allen says proudly. "You think it's gross don't you, Van?" Allen leans foward smiling even more than before. "No, not gross, it's just that I didn't expect you to settle down anytime soon," Van says turning ever so red in the face while timidly scratching the back of his head. Allen explains. "I killed three birds with one stone when I married Serena...1)I can watch and protect her, 2) I can keep the bloodline pure, but most importantly 3) I fell in love for the very first time." Van shakes his head to show that he understands. "Well, I wish you the best. You have mine and Fanelia's blessing Allen Schezear. But if you'll excuse me, I need to find Dryden!" Van pounds his hand against his chest again and leaves. He grabs a ride with a passer-by's carriage and heads to the outskirts of Fanelia.
When Van arrives at Dryden's house, he quickly runs out to the garden in the back. "Lord Van?!?! Imagine that! What brings you here?" says Dryden as he pushes up his glasses. "I need to know how to make a column of light!" Van announces loudly. "A column of light?"says Dryden as he raises his eyebrows. "For what?" he says. Van once again says it proudly," SO I CAN MAKE HITOMI MY QUEEN!" "Oh, I see," says Dryden with a smirk. He looks at Van's necklace. "If I remeber right, I believe it was that very pendant right there that allowed the Draconians to make their wishes come true and bring Hitomi to Gaea the first time. I think all you have to do is wish along with her to see each other. But there can not be any doubt in yours or her heart. "No! I know that there isn't any because I love her and I can feel her feelings reaching out to me! She's waiting for me, Dryden and I have got to go get her!" "Since when did our solemn prince become such a hopeless romantic?" says Dryden with a grin. "*sheesh* What is with everyone and that question! First Merlu, then Allen, and now you..." complains Van. "Okay, okay, I'll leave you alone just this once," says Dryden as he winks. "Go back to the castle and give it a try and if it doesn't work, come back again tomorrow and we'll figure this thing out." "Arigatou very much, Dryden. I will bring Hitomi to thank you tommorrow too!" says Van very assuredly. Van hurries back to the castle and as he runs the path home, he looks to the sky. He then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a beautiful dragon ring holding a stunning jewl in it. "Hitomi, wait for me! I promise I won't be much longer!"
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"Mother!" I say as I open the attic hatch. I can't see her on the roof. "Mom answer me!" I yell becoming more scared every second that passes. "MOTHER!!!" I start to cry agian. There's is only one place to look left and I don't want to look there. I slowly take step by step the path to the edge of the roof. I peer down and see what I had been fearing all day. "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" I fall to my knees. I hide my head in my hands; my vision is blurred by the waterfall that had errupted from my eyes. There on the ground, lying cold and breathless was my mother steeped in her own blood. I knew she didn't have a good life but I never thought that she was suicidal. I slowly manage to pull myself up off the roof and I then force myself to go outside. I walk over to where my mother lies. "Oh...oh...," I say softly as I begin to let the rivers flow again from my eyes. I reach down and touch her. Her skin is still warm and then I dip a finger in the blood puddle next to her. "It's so red...," I whisper to myself. The blood is also warm. It just happened. "Momma!" I cry out as I hold her in my arms on last time. My good white school jacket is now scarlet stained but I could care less. I had finally begun to understand and make progress with my relationship with my mother and now it was all gone. My thoughts are abruptly interrupted by a small *tink* sound. I look up and there is a boy about my age standing in front of me. He falls to his knees. "Please tell me who this is Hitomi and why you are holding her so close?" he quietly says to me. I look at the boy and try to understand but I just don't get it. "Hitomi?" I say inquistively. I look at my mom. "This...this...she was Hitomi..." I say plunging my head on top of her chest with tears trickling down my face. The boy gasps. "You can't speak the truth! Hitomi isn't this old! She's sixteen! Just like me!" he says becoming angry with disbelief. "She was thirty-one," I look at him. He looks as if someone has dropped his heart on the floor and it's shattered into a million pieces. "Then she must not be my Hitomi," he says quietly. "But you- you look like my Hitomi...except your nose is a little cuter and your face shape is a little more round...but your eyes are the same as hers..." he says while on his hands and knees inspecting my every feature. He then looks back at my mother. "You two look very similar..." "That's because this is my mother, Hitomi Kanzaki-Akane. I am Shiryoku Kanzaki-Akane."
The boy lets out a short gasp. "Then...but...prove it...I still don't believe this is my Hitomi; she's too old to be Hitomi," he says trying to reassure himself. I don't know why my mother is so important to him. "Why do I need to prove this to you? Who ARE you anyway," I ask as I begin to cry again becoming more frustrated at trying to understand and cope with what is going on right now. He steps out of the shadows and I see his face. A sad,solemn face with eyes that seem to be holding back tears says, "my name is Van Fanel, the prince of the grand Kingdom of Fanelia." I gasp and drop my mother from my arms. I then realize just how covered in blood I am. "She was telling the truth...or am I going crazy myself?" I whisper to myself with my hands covering my mouth. I very weakly stand up. "Excuse me, but I need to go call the police and ummm...change..." I say as I glance down at my blouse and hands covered in scarlet. "I will come back with the proof that you need that she is your Hitomi Kanzaki," I tell him with my hair hanging in front of my face. I give the boy a short bow and turn towards the house. I see something red glimmering in the light. At first I thought it was a drop of my mother's blood, but as I bent down to pick it up I saw that it was a stone dragon ring with a jewl that I had never seen before. In fact, I had never seen the stone that the dragon was made out of either. I then remembered that right before Van walked up I heard a *tink* sound. I turn back around with an open palmed hand. In the center of my hand sits the ring and Van looks up from my mother. "I think you dropped this Van-sama," I say with my head still tilted down. He stands up and takes the ring out of my hand. He puts it in his pocket and takes my wrist just as I begin to walk off. "You don't need to call me Van-sama; it's just Van," he says comfortingly. "Hai...," I say very meekly.
I walk back in the house and run up to my room. I quickly throw on a set of afternoon clothes, wash up, and run back downstairs. I grab the phone and call the police. They tell me that they will be here soon but I hear doubt and disbelief in their voice. They think that I am just as crazy as my mother. I hang the phone up and turn around to face the kitchen table. The cards are still strown all over the room from where I had raced out earlier. I grab them and shove them into a deck. I walk outside into the crisp night air. I clutch them very close to my chest since they are one of the precious few things my mother entrusted to me. Van looks up from where he is sitting. "These were my mother's...you should recogonize them; that's all I have though...," I say. He takes the cards from my hands. He looks at me with his eyes pleading with me to tell him that I am lying. "Your eyes tell me that you speak the truth and so do these cards...as much as I don't want to believe...," his voice trails off as he sheds a few tears and sets the cards beside him. I bite my lip as I glance up at him and back down to the ground agian. I fall to my knees in front of the prince. "Ummm...You see...I mean...," I stutter these words. Van looks up at me with a tear streaked face. I take his hands and clasp them inside mine. "It was just me and my mom in the house and I will be all alone now...and I have the money to take care of us both because my father still gives us half of his check...and I am a really good cook and I know my mom wouldn't mind it as long as we stayed in seperate rooms..." I say with a slight smile. "Say no more...I'll stay; I don't have a place to stay until the column of light takes me back." We both sit and stare at each other for a moment. "There's probaly a lot you should know," I say quietly gazing off into space. Van looks off to the side as I let go of his hands. "The question is: do i want to know?"
Suddenly our conversation is interrupted by a police car driving up in the drive way. A couple of police officers get out and begin interrigating us on Hitomi's death.
I think I will be ok as long as I have Van around. I don't know why but he provides some kind of comfort for me. I feel like he is a friend that I lost a long time ago, in a far away land. I'm so glad he's going to stay with me.~