Escaflowne: Mirrors

Episode 1: Eeriness

Fanelia was going back up. Slowly. The palace at Urthras was near completion, the last of the structures in the valley to be repaired. Young King Van Fanel had taken time from his constant overseeing to sit alone his new throne room. The royal seat was, for now, no more than a very high backed wooden chair. He sat sideways, his knees over the armrest, staring at the pendant hanging between his hands. 'There could have been two thrones in here,' he thought, gazing at the pink stone as it moved on the end of its golden chain. He could remember its rightful owner. Hitomi's face smiled at him from his heart. He missed her. He loved her. Van's brown eyes slipped out of focus as he stared past the pendant and into another realm. The magic pendant took spark and cast pink light on his face. He could see through to the Mystic Moon. Hitomi was in her bedroom doing homework. She hadn't changed in half a year; she still had that boyish haircut and those big green eyes. The 15 year old glanced out the bedroom window and saw him hanging in the tree outside. He met her eyes for a moment and smiled. She grinned back and waved to him. He waved slightly, the pendant swinging back and forth in his hands. This was all he ever got of her, just a glimpse through a window, or on the other side of a street, or waiting on a dock or across a room. He wanted to call to her, but even now he was being pulled back to his own world and in a second the light had faded and he was draped again across his throne staring at the wall. The pendant hung inanimate in his hand. Van's eyes re-focused and closed as he sighed.

Merle, a 13-year-old cat girl, poked in the door of the hollow chamber. Letting her ears droop, she sighed as well. It didn't take much to figure out who Van was thinking of. The feline hated to see him sad, and working up a bit of determination, ventured in to end his pining. "Lord Van?"

He clenched the pendant in his brown-gloved hand and looked to her, trying on a smile. "Merle. Hey."

"Hey," she answered, she scampered up next to him and sat at the foot of his chair. "Don't be sad, Lord Van, I love you."

Her words, though well meant, made him flinch. He undraped himself from the throne and stood, pulling the necklace back over his dark bushy hair. "Come on, Merle, there's still work to do." The cat girl's ears drooped again. Feeling defeated, she followed him out of the chamber.

Van hurried to one of the many construction sites, needing commotion to distract him. He knew the half-finished dining hall would have both enough people and noise to do the trick. When he walked in, the head contractor looked up from his plans. "Hail King Van!"

Several crewmembers looked up at the cry and saluted. "Hail to the King!"

Van waved to them and they returned to their work. The king headed over to scan the blueprints with the foreman. "It's moving fast."

"We're working very hard to finish your palace for you, Lord Van." He answered. "You deserve it for putting the city first."

"Thank you." Van said. "Keep up the good work."

"Yessir!" The foreman said with a proud nod.

Van moved through the hall to the open end where only the floor stood and looked over the new Fanelia. Everywhere, buildings were being fleshed out, women made merry decorating new houses, men painted signs for new business, workers built new buildings, all citizens working together to make a new and prosperous country. Van sighed again, that sad note still in the sound. Merle tried again to brighten his spirits; she plopped down by his feet and hung her legs over the side of the ledge. "Wow! Fanelia's pretty, huh Van? I think it's prettier than the old one!"

He was staring blankly again down to the cobblestone drive in front of the palace. Everything around him reminded him of Hitomi. She was with him when they'd begun reconstruction. He saw her in the layout of the city. He heard her voice in the sound of the people's chatter. He wished to hear that voice again.

Below, a carriage pulled up. Van didn't see it through his funk until a young woman climbed out. His eyes snapped onto her, all else forgotten. Merle jumped back to his side. "Hey! Who's she? Doesn't she seem familiar?"

Van was speechless. All he saw were a pair of big green eyes.

Hitomi Kanzaki thought of Van too. She lived her life alone on Earth like a normal teenage girl. When she hung out with her friends or woke up in her own bed it seemed like she'd never been to Gaea and the whole event had been a very elaborate dream. But every time she ran into Amano she'd remember. Amano was supposed to move just before all this trouble started, but his plans changed shortly thereafter. He was a senior at her school, now, and dating her best friend Yukari. He reminded her of Allen.

Passing Amano on the street, she would remember everything anew. His hair and eyes were different, but his voice, manner, and feel were the same. With Allen Schezar in her mind, it didn't take long to think of Van. She still saw Van from time to time. He would appear when he wished to, sitting by the docks, out a window, or on the breeze. She always saw him, his Draconian wings spread, framed in golden light and wearing her magic pendant. They would smile at each other, and he would vanish. Her heart ached for him. Just when she thought she was moving on with her life, he would appear and remind her of the sweet love she'd found, and she'd long to go back.

One day in the fall of her sophomore year, she was feeling lonely. "Why hasn't Van come?" She said into her schoolbag. It was seven months since she'd left Gaea, and four weeks since she'd last seen her angel appear. "It's been so long…has he forgotten about me?"

"Hi Hitomi!" Yukari chirped, plopping down next to her. "How's it going?"

"Hi Yukari," Hitomi sighed. "I'm a little off-beat today."

"Aw, how come?" She asked, growing suddenly wary. "Wait, you're not upset about last night are you? I mean, the two of us were supposed to go to the movies, but you understand he wanted me to meet his family, so…"

"Stop worrying about that." She replied. "I told you that was okay, I don't mind about you and Amano. I'm glad you could meet his family." Hitomi turned her eyes back to her bag. "You two are destined for each other."

"Why do you always say it like that?" Yukari asked. "You sound bitter."

"I'm not, I swear!" Hitomi cried. "I heard someone say that when you two started going out. You've been together half a year now, right?"

"Yeah, Amano and I are really in love." Yukari answered.

Hitomi glanced back out the window. "I wonder if Millerna and Allen are so lucky."

She heard a voice speak to Yukari from the isle. It was familiar and her mind flashed immediately to the long blonde hair and blue eyes of the Knight Caeli standing at the end of a red-velvet hallway robed in blue and white. The image was fleeting, for the voice belonged, of course, to Amano.

"Yukari, you've got to help me. My family's in town all this week, I can't stand it!"

Hitomi turned and saw him standing tall above them, his light brown hair at chin level, framing his thin face. The train rocked as it made a sharp turn and Hitomi smiled up at him. "Sit down, Amano, stay a while."

He grinned at her, more Allen memories stabbing her, "Hi Hitomi, thanks." He sat down across from them, facing Yukari. Hitomi had a lump catch in her throat, today he even sat like Allen. The man across from them continued speaking, mostly to Yukari. "My crazy cousins have to stay at my house. I've spent one night with them. I can't stand another!"

"Oh, these are the twins?" Yukari asked. "Huka and Suka?"

"Hakai and Suru." Amano corrected.

"Names aside, these are the two future axe murderers?"

"Axe murderers?" Hitomi cried.

Amano turned and explained. "Destructo Kids. Last night at dinner, it took them less than half an hour for Suru to try and set her shrimp free and Hakai to set the tablecloth on fire. Generally, they can't decide whether to kill their toys or save them, but the most destructive part of it is their speed! Suru is just a twelve-year-old girl, but she plays rough! She'll play with a toy until she kills it. Hakai plays to kill it!"

Hitomi waved a hand. "They sound like normal kids to me."

"Do you know how long their pet goldfish lasted?" Amano pressed. "Twelve minutes. Twelve minutes for them to make it comfortable, feed it, torture it, and bury it. A GOLDFISH! With Suru, I'm surprised she didn't stuff it and play racquetball with it!"

"Amano! That's terrible!" Yukari cried. He raised he eyebrows at her. The look made her accept his testimony as fact. "And they're staying with you all week?"

He nodded.

"Well," Yukari received a sudden blast of inspiration, "why don't you come and stay at my house for a while?"

"Yukari!" Hitomi cried.

"Don't freak, Hitomi." Yukari shot. "He can stay in my guest room. It'll be fun! We can stay up late and watch movies and talk…"

Hitomi shook her head disapprovingly. "Just don't pull another Chid on me, Amano."

Amano gave her a strange look but she'd returned to breathing into her backpack, he turned instead to Yukari for clarification. The red-head shrugged, stood, and took his hand. "C'mon, let's leave Hitomi alone, she's having a bad day." The two of them left her to plan their evening.

The poles of the electric train line ran by. Tokyo passed lazily in the distance. The thought of Allen and Chid made her think of Millerna again. Theirs was a complicated relationship full of polygons. Millerna seemed smitten in spite of it all. Hitomi had thought her noble, but lovesick. The tarot cards had predicted that Allen was Millerna's match. Hitomi wished her the best. They had become good friends on Gaea. She missed her too.

"Hitomi?"

Her green eyes snapped open as a chill raced down her spine. She thought she'd heard Millerna's voice. There was a momentary adrenaline rush. Had she phased back to Gaea? Could she see Van again? Again these hopes were dashed. When she snapped her head around, she found a girl about her age with raven hair, bouncy curls and big green-blue eyes. Hitomi sighed, disappointed again. "Hi, Jiai."

"Hitomi? Can I ask you something?" Jiai ventured, sweetly. She was very much like Millerna. Hitomi'd always thought so. Perhaps that was the reason the two of them had become such fast friends over summer.

"Sure, Jiai, sit down."

Jiai's worried look wouldn't let Millerna escape from her mind. "You see, uh, I have this friend…" Hitomi froze for a second. Maybe it was because she was missing Van so much, but her friends had suddenly gotten creepily familiar. Even more so than usual. Creepy to the point that Hitomi forgot to dismiss the similarity as romantic whimsy. Jiai continued, staring into her lap where she was twiddling her fingers. "She…she likes this guy. But, he likes someone else. One of her friends. And even though my friend really likes him, she's afraid to take him away because then her friend wont be her friend anymore. But even if my friend does tell this guy how she feels, she's afraid he won't feel the same about her and things'll be weird between them for the rest of their lives…"

Hitomi didn't pause a moment. "You like Amano."

Jiai jumped back in surprise. "How could you tell?"

"I've learned to see through the "I have a friend" thing." Hitomi said. "And besides, who doesn't have a crush on Allen?"

"Who?"

"Amano." Hitomi corrected, flushing red for a moment. "I mean, I was really head-over-heels for him for a while too."

"What changed you mind?" Jiai pressed.

"I saw how much Yukari liked him, and thought that they belonged together more."

"Oh." Jiai didn't find her comforting. "I guess that's okay, but I've still got problems. And although I've gotten to know Yukari from hanging out with you, I can't get over how much I like him."

"What do you like about him?" Hitomi asked, trying to reason with her.

"Well, he's gorgeous for one…" She sighed.

Hitomi nodded, but she was applying the lessons of love she'd learned in Gaea to the world she was facing now. Skin-deep beauty wasn't everything. In fact, it was practically nothing if you don't know what's on the inside. If you truly love someone for who they are, then they will be beautiful to you. But she still had to admit that Amano, and Allen, were very beautiful people on the outside.

"And he's so, I don't know, regal. He's charming."

"Yeah." Allen and Millerna syndrome. Every relationship had a parallel to Gaea. This one fit the A+M definition. One loves the other, but the other loves another. Hitomi sighed. "I can't tell you what to do, Jiai."

"I guess not." Jiai said. "I mean, you liked Amano, too. You probably can't tell me how to deal with it."

"Jiai…" Hitomi started.

"Hey, I tell you what…" Jiai said, changing the subject. "You seem kinda bummed, let's go into the city and do some shopping after school today, huh?"

"Oh, I don't know…" Hitomi answered.

"Come on! You usually love shopping!" Jiai insisted. "It'll be fun!"

"Okay." She finally agreed. "Since you're so gung-ho about it." The train coasted to a stop in their station and Jiai jumped up.

"Great! It's gonna be a lot of fun, you'll see! Wow, I'm really excited now, thanks Hitomi! Let's get to school so we can get it over with and go out."

Despite Jiai's cheer, the walk from the station to campus was still depressing. Hitomi kept hoping to see Van's wings when she glanced around the streets. In class she would stare out the window as much as she could, hoping that he would be floating there. She steadily felt herself losing hope. 'Its been a month.' She thought. 'A month since I last saw him outside my bedroom window.' Her head sank into her crossed arms as the leaves rustled in the breeze through the window of her last period class. 'He comes when he wants to. When he wishes to. Doesn't he miss me like I miss him? I feel so lonely. Did he find someone on Gaea that he likes better? I miss him and everyone there. Why do I have to be stuck here? I love the people here, but I liked it so much better there. Amano loves Yukari, Yukari spends her time with him, my mom's never home, I see Van and Allen in my dreams; why do I belong to both worlds?'

"Miss Kanzaki!"

Her head snapped up. "Yes sir?"

The teacher was erasing the blackboard. Hitomi noticed that the rest of her classmates had left. "Didn't' you hear the bell ring?"

"Oh…no." Hitomi answered. She got up, packed her bag, and headed for the door. "Thanks, Mr. Yamasaki."

Track hadn't begun for the year, so she headed past the locker room headed for the common. Green grass and trees professed a sense of happiness to the world, but without Van, their efforts were in vain. She heard a laugh that could have been Allen's, but recognized it as Amano's. He was having fun talking with a couple of his track buddies. She tried to smile, but felt like she was lying to herself and gave up. "Maybe it would be better if I just forgot about Gaea altogether." She grumbled to herself. "Then I wouldn't have these problems and everything would be good again."

Jiai called to her from across the quad. Hitomi stopped and waited as the dark curled girl approached. "Hitomi? Where are you going? We were going shopping in town, remember?"

Hitomi's mood had only worsened as the day went on. "Jiai, I don't know…"

"Hitomi! You promised!" Jiai cried. "You can't tell me 'no' now! I've been looking forward to this all day!"

"Well…"

"Come on! You'll have fun, I know it!" Jiai pleaded. "Please?"

With Millerna's eyes staring at her, Hitomi couldn't decline. She tucked her hands around her bag strap and looked into the grass. "Okay."

"Great!" Jiai brightened immediately and grabbed her friend's hand. "Come on, let's hurry and catch the train into the shopping center so we can start right away!"

"Jiai!" Hitomi was yanked along by the wrist, running behind the girl. The action was somewhat therapeutic, and she felt better as they went. They headed up a hill, their bags bouncing about behind them. When they got to the top, they saw that the uptown train had already pulled into the station.

"Ahh! We're going to miss it!" Jiai cried. They took off break-neck down the hill. Running was sloppy at such a dramatic angle. They nearly fell a couple times, and Hitomi was forced to smile with the thrill of it. The two girls arrived just as the train was closing up and squeezed into the first car. Jiai flopped them down in the front seat, panting and laughing. "We made it!"

"I thought we'd wipe out before we got here!" Hitomi cried.

Jiai grinned. "See, you're smiling already! I knew this trip would do you some good!"

Hitomi felt her new smile fade. Her mind had been off Van for that brief moment, but now she saw the empty trees through the front window. The train rolled along the tacks ahead of them, the evenly spaced trees moving by one by one. It reminded her of riding on Escaflowne's shoulder with Van in the cockpit. She could see him smiling at her. She lost herself in the images. She could see him as she always did; smiling with his wings spread, but it was only her imagination. It made her depressed again.

Through the front window, the sun glinted off white wings. This was real, she came back from her mind's eye, but it was only a dove, flitting out of a tree. The bird flew in front of the train, gliding gently and serenely on its downy feathers. The windshield caught up quickly and Hitomi's eyes widened in horror as the creature smacked the pane and fell off, its beautiful white wings crumpled as it vanished alongside the train. Jiai stood up in alarm. "Oh my gosh!"

But Hitomi's heart broke as she felt the sting of doom hit her gut. Those wings; she'd seen them smash and break right in front of her! She threw up her hands and trembled, her eyes welling with tears of shock and terror. Covering her face, she began sobbing uncontrollably.

Jiai turned to her quickly. "Hitomi?" She sat down and put her arm around her friend. "Hitomi? Are you okay?"

Hitomi kept crying. She kept seeing the event over and over, Van growing stronger in her mind until he replaced the bird completely, smashing again and again against the solid barrier, his white feathers flying as his brilliant wings crippled and sent him tumbling by. She couldn't stand it. She couldn't drive it from her mind. She cried more.

"Hitomi, it's okay." Jiai comforted. "I'm sure the bird is fine. We weren't going all that fast I don't think…"

"No it…" Hitomi sniffled. "It's not that… It's…"

"Tell me what's wrong." Jiai pleaded.

"You wouldn't believe me." Hitomi told her.

"Of course I'll believe you!" Jiai insisted. "Please tell me why you're so sad all the time!" Hitomi looked to her friend, her tealish eyes and dark hair fading into the blue and gold of Princess Millerna. Jiai stared intently. "Please."

Hitomi's eyes trembled. Millerna would understand. Jiai seemed so much like her. Hitomi, for the first time, felt like it was all right to share her secret. "Okay."

"So it's a different world?"

"Yeah." Hitomi confirmed

"And the guy you love is still there and you're here?"

"That's right." She wiped her eyes and looked to the girl next to her. "You don't believe me do you?"

"It's outrageous, Hitomi." Jiai answered. "But I guess anything's possible. And I know you wouldn't lie to me." The girl put her hand over Hitomi's. "And anyway, whether it was real or just a dream, being separated from someone you love and loves you back feels the same no matter how it came about."

"Jiai." Hitomi sighed. She smiled a little. "Thanks."

The train stopped and they stood up. Jiai grinned at her. "Well, now that I know what's wrong, I'd be happy to help." Hitomi wasn't sure what sort of help Jiai could give, but the dark haired girl glanced to the shopping mall out the door and cheerfully interrupted her thoughts. "Let's have fun for now! You can't let yourself be depressed about something you can do nothing about. And even if this Van can't see you, he'd want you to be happy, right?"

"You're right, Jiai, lets get off this train." She glanced quickly to the windshield but couldn't stare long. "And lets never ride in the front again."

Jiai smiled as if Hitomi were making a joke. "Okay, you got it!" They left the train station and entered the Tokyo shopping district. The place was packed with people buying everything from food and clothes to toys and movies. The girls saw tons of different uniforms on girls from other schools. Jiai and Hitomi glanced around the many storefronts, reading the bright welcome signs and trying to decide where to go first. Jiai looked over to her friend. "Anything you're shopping for?"

"No, I can't think of anything I need to get." She answered.

"Well, I really could use a new dress for weekends. I mean, the weather's changing and all. Plus, if I want to impress Amano, I've got to look my best!"

"You're hopeless." Hitomi sighed, but she couldn't help grinning a little at the girl's lovesickness. It was like looking in a mirror from the past. Jiai headed for a clothing store. Inside, they found racks and racks of the newest fashions. There were mannequins posed like they were sharing a secret next to the door.

Jiai took one look and cried out with delight. "This is perfect!" She grabbed the hem of the mannequin's dress and stretched it across her front. "Isn't it great?"

"It's not your color." Hitomi answered. "You can't really wear that yellow with your skin tone."

"Your right I guess." She said. "But hey! They probably have it in different colors. Lets go and find it. You can get one too."

"Nah, out of my price range." Hitomi sighed.

Jiai leveled her eyes on her. "Perk up." They headed deeper into the store. Pop music was playing overhead. Hitomi scanned racks as they went. Faded jeans, sparkles, product logos, boy bands; the fashions of today had turned so material. On Gaea, everything seemed so medieval. You could tell where a person came from just by the clothes they wore. Everyone looked the same around here. Being unique was unappreciated. Jiai found the rack of dresses she wanted and turned smiling. "Look at all these! They've got every color you could want! You could find one to suit you easily, Hitomi. Why don't you try one on?"

"Jiai," Hitomi objected.

Jiai took one of them off the rack and held it up to her friend. "This green one really brings out your eyes."

"I'm not looking for a dress, thanks." Hitomi answered. "But find one for yourself. I'll tell you how you look in it."

Jiai looked disappointed. "Okay, if that's what you want." She circled the rack, picking out colors. She took up a red one and a violet one. "Which is better? Red or Purple?"

"Try both." Hitomi suggested.

"Okay." Jiai agreed. "And I'll take your green one too. I look good in green sometimes. Maybe I'll make you jealous." She laughed and looked to Hitomi. "Don't you want to find anything to try on? I feel bad having you sit there while I shop."

"I'm fine, really." Hitomi insisted. "Go ahead." They made their way to the dressing rooms, which were a line of doors at the back of the store. Jiai claimed a middle one and Hitomi plopped down in a chair just in front of it, dropping her bag by her feet. She thought that now would be a good time to have the conversation that had been nagging at her. "You know, Jiai, I think you should give up on Amano."

"What? Why?"

"Because he's taken." Hitomi answered. "I've made that mistake before." She looked both ways before providing an example. "On Gaea, I liked a guy named Allen who was a lot like Amano. But my friend Millerna liked him already. When I told him how I felt, she got really mad at me."

"Did he like you back?"

"Yes, but, " Hitomi answered, "but it felt bad to have hurt Millerna, even to the point of wishing I hadn't done it."

"So you're protecting Yukari?" Jiai asked.

"No, yes, but I'm protecting you too. I don't want you to do something you'll regret."

"Is that why you gave Amano to Yukari in the first place?" Jiai asked, her voice sounding very serious through the dressing-room door. "Because of what happened with Allen?"

"Well…" She'd never recognized that before. Was it Allen who had convinced her to give up Amano? It was he and Millerna that had taught her to be more sensitive to other's feelings. Perhaps Jiai was right.

"But you didn't end up with Allen." Jiai recalled. "What happened with that?"

"Things got complicated." Hitomi answered. "Millerna loved Allen, but she was marrying Dryden, and I told her the two of them would have good fortune so that I could keep Allen for myself. Bbut he told me that he had an illegitimate child… and that he loved me because I reminded him of his little sister…. I think I lost my confidence in his feelings. The only person he ever really loved was Marlene, and when he lost her he spent the rest of his life trying to replace her."

"I can see how you would feel that way." Jiai answered. "But what has any of that to do with Amano?"

"Well, Allen and Amano…" Hitomi was trying hard to explain explain her logic to herself as well as to Jiai. This conversation was helping her understand more, even if it only proved how confused she really was. "They're so much alike. I mean, the face and the voice.."

"Just because Amano reminds you of Allen doesn't mean Amano IS Allen. I mean, Amano doesn't have an illegitimate child, or a lost love, or even a little sister! You are just missing the people in your dream world, that all."

"It's not a dream world! It's real!" Hitomi insisted. "And I don't know what to think! Something tells me that if you break Yukari and Amano up, it will be like… like Allen and Marlene! It'll start a downward spiral and you'll regret it in the end. I don't want you to get hurt!"

"I thought you said you'd quit fortune telling." Jiai said, flatly.

"I'm not – I'm – " Hitomi pulled at her short brownish hair in frustration. "I'm sorry. I don't want to argue with you. I'm just telling you how I feel about the situation, that's all. I'm not telling you what to do. Do we have to fight like this?"

Jiai opened the door. She was wearing the red dress, but looked less than cheerful. "I don't want to fight with you either. And I appreciate you being honest with me." She brightened a little bit and twirled. "So how's the red?"

"I think it looks good!" Hitomi answered. "It's great with your hair! I like it!"

"Really?" Jiai asked. "I was kinda expecting you to say something bad about it."

"No, I think it works really well." Hitomi insisted. "Try on the other ones and I'll tell you which is best."

"Okay." Jiai agreed, happy again. "Do you feel better? Getting that out of your system?"

"I do, actually." Hitomi answered. "I guess it was bothering me more than I thought."

"Maybe all you have to do is talk." Jiai suggested from inside the dressing room. "What else would you like to tell me about Gaea? Did you have a lot of good times?"

Hitomi thought a minute. "No, actually, we spent most of the time fighting a war, but I fell in love with the people there. They were all so individual. They were irreplaceable. I think that's why I miss being there so much."

Jiai emerged in the violet dress and modeled it. "How's this?"

"That one's pretty too!" Hitomi replied. "It's nice with your eyes, but the color is a little flat. If you're really going to want to get a guy's attention, you've got to look alive and exciting! It'd choose the red over that one."

"Okay. I've got one more." Jiai said, retreating back into the dressing room. "So, who were all of your friends on Gaea? I know Allen…who else?"

"There was Allen, and Millerna, and Dryden. Then of course Van, and Merle and the guys on the Crusade… Me, Allen and Van spent the most time together. They wall became like family to me."

"It must have been nice." Jiai said.

"It was." Hitomi answered. "It really was."

Jiai came back out in the green dress. "How's this?"

"It makes your eyes look totally green." Hitomi answered then continued, sounding professional. "I mean, if that's what you want to happen. I think you could use this color with more blue in it."

"So you think I should get the red one?"

Hitomi nodded.

Jiai took a look at the red dress that was hanging on the inside of the door. "All right. I like it too! I'm gonna get it." She went in to change back into her school clothes.

"How much is it?" Hitomi asked.

"On sale? 25,000 yen."

Hitomi whistled. "Too high for me for just one thing."

"We're in the game of love!" Jiai announced. "We must be daring!"

"Are you including me in that proclamation or are you speaking about yourself in the third person?" Hitomi asked. "Because you know, I am a conqueror in the game of love! I've got Van, remember?"

Jiai reappeared; she didn't remark on what Hitomi had said, but wore a knowing look. Hitomi was reminded about her love's leave of absence. The curly-haired girl moved to the counter where she handed over her money and received her purchase in a bag. They stepped out of the store. "So where now?"

"Wherever you want." Hitomi answered. "This is your shopping trip."

Jiai scanned the mall and saw a bookstore. "Hey! You keep up with manga?"

"I used to." Hitomi answered.

"I've got this one I follow that I just LOVE!" Jiai announced. "I'm gonna go check and see if the new issue is out yet, okay?"

"I'll go where you go!" Hitomi agreed. They forced their way through the crowd to wait at crosswalk. The massive amount of cars going either way stopped and they moved across the road with a clan of other pedestrians. It was easy to loose their conversation in the noise of the street.

"So, what was your boyfriend like?" Jiai asked.

"Van was the king." Hitomi answered.

"Oh sure he was!" Jiai scoffed.

"No! He was!" Hitomi insisted. "I escaped with him when his country was attacked. From there on, I hung out with him. My tarot card readings tended to tell the truth, so I was useful in finding out where things were and what was going to happen. It ended up, of course, that the world was being affected by my readings and changing to match them instead of the readings matching what was going to happen, so I had to leave. That's why I gave up fortune telling."

"I'm confused." Jiai reported.

"I'm sorry, I guess it is kinda confusing." Hitomi apologized. "But that's the reason I can't go back. I was making things bad by being there. I wish it were different." She sighed. "And I miss Van."

"Why is it that Van would appear sometimes? You said he'd appear right?" Jiai asked.

"Yeah, I gave him my magic pendant." Hitomi answered. "To make a long story short, it grants wishes. When he really misses me and wants to check on me, the pendant brings him to me."

"Oh, that must be hard, you can't really move on with your life with him appearing all the time."

"He hasn't come in a while." Hitomi answered, again crestfallen, "maybe he's moved on without me."

Jiai understood her concern, "I'm sorry. I'm sure it's not what you think. He's probably just really busy or something. Maybe someone got sick or maybe he had to face a national crisis… you said that he was the king. There could be a ton of reasons why he hasn't thought about you in a while."

"But I think about him every day!" Hitomi said. "If only I had the pendant instead of him! Then I could see him every time I wanted to instead of the other way around."

"Well, if worse comes to worse, and he has moved on with his life, then I think you should do the same." Jiai said. "I mean, don't give up yet, but if he doesn't show up again in a really long time, you have to accept the idea that he doesn't love you anymore and find someone else."

"Jiai!" Hitomi choked. "Don't say things like that!"

"Okay! I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Jiai apologized. "I'm just doing what you did for me right? I'm telling you my take on the situation. I'm not saying that I'm right."

"It's okay." Hitomi assured. They made it to the bookstore and went in. There was a coffee shop in the corner where adults were drinking mocha and reading newspapers. Jiai headed back to the comics section and flipped through the thick manga novels, looking for the latest printing. Hitomi browsed around for something to spark her interest. She spotted a rack of magazines near the checkout counter and headed over. Putting her bag down next to her, she picked up a teen mag and began flipping through it. Behind her, she heard the deep voice of a college-age man talking on a cell-phone. The magazine slipped out of her hand and onto the floor when she heard.

"No, seriously, if you put the whole load in Pepsico, then everything is affected with the slightest market fluctuation. When you've got upwards of a thousand bucks in only one stock, you can lose hundreds of dollars in one day's playing. Split it up and put it in other ones too. I know that Pepsi is doing well…that's why you've got to be prepared for a fall. Everything that goes up must come down sometime. There's wisdom in the saying "buy low sell high". I say split the amount into smaller chunks and invest them in various things. And don't buy all soda companies either. I mean, invest in food, electronics, social services, just a lot of different stuff so that when one field is doing well, we can benefit from it. And put some in gold too. Yes, I'm sure. Gold goes up when the economy goes down. It's a stabilizer. Gold and Silver are the stabilizers of the investment community. Trust me, it's my money, I know the stock market…"

Hitomi spun around. The man was leaning backward on the counter. He was tall, with wavy brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. His skin had a tan-orange tone to it, and he was dressed in slacks and a polo shirt. He didn't notice her and continued his conversation. She studied him to a minute detail. He was reading the swimsuit issue of some magazine while talking, his intelligent green eyes taking stock of both the girls and the money simultaneously. Even though he was clean-shaven, dressed nicer, wear his bangs longer and his ponytail lower, in the end there was no denying… "Dryden?"

The man didn't answer her, the name having no affect on his split interest. "No, I don't care…Hey, you know me, Rick, I'm good for anything. Yeah, honestly. Just take my advice; you wont regret it. Great. What are you doing tonight? Really? With Rei? Oh a new one then…" He laughed, his mouth opened wide and his whole body shaking heartily. It only made Hitomi more certain. "Right. Well, if you two want to come along I've got tickets to that big concert tonight. I don't know, some rock band. Hey! I'm the son of a rich politician! I don't care how expensive it is, I'm going to spend it because I don't know any better. Right. Okay, I'll see you at eight then? Right? No I'll pick you up. Got a favorite convertible you want to be driven in? No, I'm just kidding, I only have the red one. Okay, I'll see you." He folded up the phone and stuck it in his back pocket. Hitomi stepped tentatively forward, reaching out a little. He turned the other way and called to the cashier behind the counter. "Yo, I'm checking out!"

Hitomi tried to speak, slowly overcoming her shock and confusion. 'Is it really Dryden? I mean, it looks like Dryden. He talks like Dryden, even though I doubt Dryden would know so much about the stock market. I guess it depends on how long he's been on Earth. How could he have gotten here?' There were so many questions she had to ask him, but he hadn't seemed to notice her. He shoved the magazine over the counter.

"I'll take this."

"Oh! Yes Mr. Seijitsu! Whatever you'd like!" The eager young stock boy said.

"Call me Daiji, kid, Mr. Seijitsu makes me sound like an old man." The customer replied.

Hitomi stopped. 'Daiji? Seijitsu? That's not right'

"That would be 1,500 sir!" The boy said.

Daiji handed over a five. "Keep the change, kid."

"Thanks Mr. Seijitsu! Or…I mean Mr. Daiji, sir!" The stock boy grinned. Daiji rolled up his magazine and stuck it in the pocket with the phone, then turned and headed out of the store.

Hitomi couldn't let him leave, not without an explanation. Jiai came up behind her, ready to say something, but Hitomi spoke first. "Dry – I mean Daiji!"

He turned around in the middle of sliding on a pair of sunglasses, the scene nearly struck her to the floor. Those green eyes and a pair of sunglasses made Dryden nearly jump out of her memory. Daiji withdrew the glasses and looked quizzically at her. "Yes? Do I know you?"

Hitomi stammered. "I…uh…yes…I think so… you're-"

He strode over and bent down to look into her face. "Hmm…no, I don't think I know you. What's your name?"

"K-Kanzaki. Hitomi Kanzaki." She answered, still shaken by the strangeness.

"Name's not familiar." He concluded, then reached down and shook her hand. "Nice meeting you, though. Gotta run." With that, the glasses went on and he strode out of the store.

Jiai nearly squealed. "Oh my gosh! Hitomi! Do you know who that was?" Hitomi stared at her hands, almost certain about who it was but very confused as to why he had a different name and didn't know her. Jiai was hopping up an down. "That was Daiji Seijitsu! Representative Seijitsu's SON!"

Hitomi turned and grabbed Jiai's arms. "That was Dryden!"

"What?" Jiai cried.

"Dryden! From Gaea!"

"No it wasn't!" Jiai insisted. "It was Daiji! He's famous! I can't believe you don't know him."

"I swear it was Dryden! He must have gotten to Earth somehow after I left!"

"No, Daiji has been on Earth all his life, Hitomi." Jiai insisted sounding a little irritated.

"That can't be!" Hitomi cried. "That was Dryden! It had to be him!" There had to be some way to find out exactly who he was. She got an idea and grabbed Jiai's hand. "Come on! I've got to find out!" She yanked Jiai toward the door. The dark haired girl grabbed Hitomi's bag off the floor and let herself be pulled out of the building. Hitomi made her way hastily to an Internet café. There she slapped down some money and took a seat in front of one of the computers. "Here, you'll see. I'll show you." Jiai crossed her arms and watched as Hitomi pulled up a search for 'Fassa, Dryden' and got nothing. She tried 'Dryden Fassa' next and again got nothing. "What's wrong with this?"

"Try Seijitsu, Daiji." Jiai suggested. Hitomi punched it in and they got a lot of fansites as well as many news and school listings. Hitomi clicked one. She found his information along with a picture. It looked like it was all in order. They had his age, birthday and birthplace, even time. There was a photo gallery full of stolen pictures of Daiji as a kid, even one as a baby with his mother and father, the Representative. She recognized the politician from the news. Jiai leaned on the back of Hitomi's seat. "See, what'd I tell you?"

Hitomi put her face in her hands. "But I was so sure!"

"He's just like Amano and that guy Allen." Jiai said. "They look a lot alike so you identify them with each other. It's a simple mistake. You don't have to be ashamed of it."

"But he didn't just look like Dryden! He talked and acted like Dryden! It was him I tell you!" Hitomi ranted. "Maybe I'm just going crazy."

"You're lovesick." Jiai reassured. "You're entitled to hallucinate." She looked up at the pictures on the screen. "But, you've got to admit, Daiji is one hot guy. He's good looking, he's rich, and he's smart! Totally dreamy!"

"I thought you liked Amano." Hitomi accused.

Jiai looked defensive. "I do! Daiji's an idol! There's no way I could ever end up with HIM! Amano's my 'guy I actually have a chance with' crush."

Hitomi looked back on the event. Perhaps Jiai was right again. This encounter had been just like her experiences with Amano. It was because she was so homesick for Gaea. She guessed that if she'd run into Mr. Seijitsu on a day that she didn't have Gaea on the brain, she wouldn't have even thought of Dryden. She looked up to Jiai. "You're right. It's just me and my imagination. I'm sorry for dragging you around like that."

"It's okay. They didn't have what I wanted anyway." Jiai said. "Let's get out of here. You up for a corn dog? They sell really good ones up at the A&W."

"Corndog? I guess so… I am a little hungry." Hitomi got up and followed Jiai out of the café. She was confused, Gaea, Earth, Allen, Amano, Dryden, Millerna… Everything was swimming around in her head. The people in the street moved by in a mass. She fiddled with the strap of her bag and stared at the ground in front of her as she followed Jiai down the street. Suddenly, she got a strange tingle up her spine. It was reminiscent of the feeling she would get when the invisible Guymelefs would march around the perimeter of her current residence on Gaea. It like something was there. She snapped her head up and beheld through the crowd, a pair of brown eyes.

Her world froze in an instant, her eyes stuck wide and her mouth gaping. That look, that face, she knew exactly who it was. He glanced through the crowd, his head barely visible between the shadows of other people. Everything faded to gray except for his face as he broke eye contact and moved away, across the street. Away from her. He was leaving.

"VAN!"

Jiai spun around. "Hitomi!"

She had to follow him. After all of her waiting…she'd found him. He was here! But he was leaving her. He'd seen her and he was leaving her! She had to catch him! She couldn't let him go! Not after all that had happened that day! Not after all her time of waiting! Not without an explanation, or a word, or at least another look! She took off after him, shoving people aside, and making her way toward the road. "VAN!"

"Hitomi!" Jiai shoved her way after her. "Hitomi! WAIT!"

Hitomi struggled through the crowd, Van's profile crossing the street at the crosswalk a few yards ahead. She made it to the curb, mind set on reaching him. He reached the other side, the light changed, her bag dropped off her shoulder as she took off into the street. Cars began moving. Jiai screamed as the grill of a compact headed for Hitomi. The wheels squealed and it bumped her legs. Hitomi was unhindered; she shoved her way over the hood and ran across the street.

Traffic jammed, Jiai followed in between the cars. "HITOMI!"

The girl broke into her track run, cutting between the people who'd stopped to see what had happened. She could see his back ahead as it moved from her. She was closing in; it wasn't far. She'd get to him. She'd reach him and then they'd be together again. This was more than a golden glint of him out the window. She'd finally get to touch him, to hug him, to kiss him… Together! All she had to do was catch him. And he was just ahead.

Jiai was right behind, both bags on her shoulder. "Hitomi! What are you doing? Come back!"

The crowd had thinned out. He was still walking away. It was a clear shot to him. She called his name. "VAN!" The boy turned, warily. She tripped, and flew into him, his reflexes grabbed her elbows in a familiar grip. She fell against a warm chest. It was Van, it smelled like Van, it felt like Van. She looked up, winded into his brown eyes, but found to her dismay, they were under a head of orange hair. Her heart pounded until it broke. Doom, grief, fear, disbelief, anger, and cold dread hit her all at once. The world went black and she passed out in his arms.

She woke up on a couch, staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. Millerna's voice was distinguishable amidst the haze of her brain. "Look! She's waking up!" Hitomi had a flash of hope and sprung up, only to find the voice coming out of Jiai's throat. "Hitomi!" Jiai was thrilled, but Hitomi's heart sank again. She fell back onto the couch. Jiai patted her on the shoulder.

A boy's voice was heard…Van's voice…causing Hitomi's eyes to water and tear. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine I think." Jiai answered.

Hitomi looked up and saw the orange-haired boy there with a bucket of water and a towel. She cried, her lips twitching with her breaking heartstrings. "Van?"

"Hitomi, this is Yosu Takara." Jiai introduced. "We're at his house. We brought you here when you fainted in the street."

Hitomi turned over and sobbed into her arms again. It wasn't Van. She had been so sure. She lost all hope that she would ever see Van again.

Yosu cocked an eyebrow. "Are you sure she's okay?"

"Yeah, she's just been going through some tough stuff recently." Jiai answered, rubbing Hitomi's back. "Thanks again for letting us into your home."

"It's okay." Yosu answered. "I feel like I need to do something since she went though it all trying to get to me."

"She thought you were her lost love." Jiai explained. "It's so romantic, isn't it?"

"Whatever." Yosu replied. "I'm not the judge of stuff like that."

"It's too bad that you weren't Van." Jiai said. "She's been so lovesick for him." She looked up to him. "Who are you, really?"

"You know my name." He said, sitting down. "Yosu Takara. I go to the Arawasu Academy downtown. I was just on my way home when I ran into you. Or, you ran into me, as it ended up."

"We're from Kama Kita down the line, we were shopping. She's spent all day seeing people she didn't know and thinking they were someone else. It's really been an adventure." Jiai reported.

"Well, I can't wait to see how I explain you to my parents. My little sister should be home soon, and I can only wonder what she'll tell them when they get here."

"Hopefully Hitomi will have gotten better before then." Jiai said. "Just give her a minute or two to get it out of her system." Hitomi took offense to this, but tried to work herself down so that she could speak. She heaved a couple times, and wiped her eyes. Jiai turned to Yosu. "Could you go get her a glass of water please? That would help."

"Right." Yosu nodded. "Be right back." He left for the kitchen and returned with a full cup. He kneeled and handed it to her, pushing her nearly back into bawls as the very movement reminded her of her love. She took a couple difficult sips then looked up.

"I really thought it was Van! I would know Van if I saw him!"

Jiai gave her a blank expression. "This isn't Van, Hitomi."

Yosu blinked his brown eyes in confusion. Hitomi reached out and grabbed the collar of his school uniform. "You have to be! You've got to be Van! Don't lie to me!"

"I don't know who you're talking about." Yosu insisted. "Sorry."

"But you do know! You know!" Hitomi told him. "Tell me! Where's Escaflowne?"

"What?" Yosu cried.

"Escaflowne!" Hitomi urged. "You know? Escaflowne! Your Guymelef Escaflowne!" Yosu had a frightened look on his face as she yanked on his shirt. She was fighting against doubt. "You must have something named Escaflowne! A car? A dishwasher? A vacuum cleaner? What about an older brother? Didn't you have an older brother named Folken?"

"I don't have an older brother." Yosu replied. "I've got a younger sister."

"No you don't!" Hitomi cried. "You DON'T!"

"I'm sorry, uh..miss.. but I can't help having a little sister just because you don't like it!"

At that moment, the girl in question burst into the house. She had amber eyes, and blonde hair pulled up in short pigtails. Her voice filled the entire room as the door slammed open down the hall. "Yosu! I'm home!"

"We're in here, Neko!" Yosu called.

Hitomi looked up as the girl entered the room, then dropped the arm grasping Yosu's shirt. "No way."

"Whoa!" The girl took a start. "Yosu! Who the heck are they! You brought two girls in here! I'm gonna tell mom!"

"Jiai, Hitomi, this is my little sister Koneko." Yosu introduced. "She's annoying."

"Yosu, if Mom finds they're here, you're gonna be in so much trouble! You're gonna be grounded forever!" Koneko cried.

Hitomi looked up at the twelve-year-old. "It's Merle."

"What'd she say?" Koneko asked.

"Don't mind her, Koneko." Jiai said. "She's hallucinating."

"I'm not hallucinating!" Hitomi cried. "I can see that that's not Merle! But she acts a lot like her! See! I'm not crazy!"

"Sure." Yosu said, sarcastically.

"I'm not taking that from you!" Hitomi challenged. "You… Not Van!"

"I'm so hurt." Yosu replied.

"Hitomi, don't be so mean to Yosu!" Jiai demanded. "He's been very nice letting us in like this!"

"I suppose." Hitomi said, sitting up. "It's what Van would do."

Koneko dropped her school stuff and sat down next to Yosu. "So what do we do with them?"

"We'll go when Hitomi can get back on her feet." Jiai answered. "We don't want to be a problem."

"I'm fine." Hitomi answered. "We can go. It's so weird, though. I think I'm losing it."

"Maybe you should take time off school tomorrow and rest." Jiai suggested. "You'll understand more when you aren't so bogged down with work."

"Maybe you're right." Hitomi said. "But I can't skip school, that'd be the wrong thing to do. I'll just try to relax until the weekend, then I'll sleep the whole time."

"Okay, sounds like a plan."

Yosu still sat on the floor. "Um, excuse me, girls, but I'm still down here."

"Oh, yeah," Hitomi said, "What do you want?"

He stood up. "I don't know, It's just that this is my house and I feel like I need to … I dunno, be included or something."

"Well, since you aren't Van, you don't need to be concerned." Hitomi said, sharply.

Koneko stood up. If she'd had Merle's tail along with her voice, it'd be rigid. "Hey! Don't talk to my brother like that!"

"Hitomi…" Jiai challenged.

Hitomi glanced to all the angry faces, then let her shoulders slump, defeated. "I'm sorry, Yosu, I shouldn't be mad at you. It's not your fault that you're not Van."

"Uh, thanks I guess." Yosu said, presenting his hand.

She shook it. "Yeah…"

"Thanks again for letting us in your house." Jiai said, taking up their bags. "Maybe we'll see you around."

"Maybe." Yosu agreed. Koneko fumed to herself as the two girls moved to the door. Hitomi turned behind her when they stood in the stairwell of his apartment building. She looked back at him. He smiled at her and she gasped. It was too eerie to be real. He looked so much like Van, and that smile had melted her heart a million times. It wasn't fair that it was on someone else. She smiled weakly back.

"Bye."

To be Continued…