Canadian Chica: Hello! This came to me when I was in the shower the other day, listening to Kelly Clarkson. Some of you might right away close the story, but hear me out! The song got me thinking… this would make a great songfic! So yeah… enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own EITHER of Escaflowne, OR Kelly Clarkson's song Breakaway. Please don't sue me, I am but a poor student who doesn't have a job and couldn't pay you even if you did sue.

By the way:

"…" talking

'…' thoughts

italics Hitomi singing

scene change

Hitomi stared out her window, it was raining again. There were people running, trying to get into their houses, trying to use papers or umbrellas to keep themselves dry, some methods working better then others. When she was younger she use to love watching the rain with her Grandma. Her Obaa-san would tell the young girl stories while they traced the paths of raindrops on the windows. Not anymore though. Rain held no special place in her heart anymore. Not since that day…

"NO! NO! NO!" Hitomi quickly shook her head. 'Don't think about THAT day! That was all Zaibach's fault! You had no control, you didn't!' she kept telling herself that, maybe one day it would be true. Maybe if she hadn't been so infatuated with his beautiful features and a reminder of earth? Dare she dream that maybe, if she had pushed Allen away, that she could have been happy with him? She tried hard not to dwell on the past, of his memory, but it was hard not to.

It wasn't as if she had anyone to share this with. Hitomi remembered when she first returned, not one person believed that she had been to a planet that no one could see. Not one thought for a moment that what she had seen was no more then a dream… I mean… cat people? Flying rocks? Draconians? Escaflowne? What was worst was how she had changed. I mean, how many seventeen year-olds had been through war, was a key player in said war, had terrible visions, and had, without a doubt, fallen in love. Not just the kind of love that most teenagers had either, the real honest to goodness, I-can-barely-breathe-without-you-by-my-side kinda love. She no longer fit in with her friends, even Yukari had eventually been outgrown. She still talked with them, but not the kind of conversations she use to have, the real in depth ones about boys or make-up.

She wanted to go back. Back to where she had left too many friends. Back to where she knew she truly belonged. Hitomi wanted to spend more time with Millerna by the beaches of Austuria, see if maybe she had in fact married Dryden. Wanted to travel with the crew of the crusade again, maybe even meet Allen's sister. Wanted to play with good old Merle in the rebuilt gardens of Fanelia. Most of all though, she wanted to see him. Wanted to see him rebuild his country, once again see the proud tall castle of Fanelia shining in the afternoon sun, maybe even, to once again, be able to see his wings. Sure they had seen each other through their link, and had even held a conversation once or twice when it was strong, but absolutely nothing compared to real life. She was tired of having only small glimpses of a shadowy figure. She wanted the real thing, and she was getting tired of just waiting for something to happen so that she could go see him again.

So lost in staring out at the still pounding rain, Hitomi did not see her mother standing silently at her door. She knew that when Hitomi returned to her two years ago, that she had left a boy. A mother always knows, and even knew that Hitomi would one day go back to this boy. This time, it was a women's knowledge about love that led her to this conclusion.

"Hitomi" her mother made her presence known in a quiet voice. She waited until her daughter's green eyes faced her before she continued. "If you have a lot on your mind, you should write it down. When I was your age, I found that writing poetry, or even songs, about what I was feeling made me feel much better". With that, she left. Allowing her daughter to not only contemplate her words, but also reach for a pen and paper.

"Wow Hitomi, this is really good. Like, TOTALLY awesome good" Yukari had found her little writing spree after it had fallen out of her notebook during class one day. And since that fateful time, exactly one hour, four minutes, and thirty-seven seconds ago, Yukari had not shut up about it.

"Please Yukari, it's just me putting my thoughts on paper" Hitomi had really hoped she would stop talking about this soon.

"Hitomi… 'Buildings with a hundred floors, swinging around wild indoors'… this is amazing!" Yukari took a quote from the bit of words on paper.

"Ooooh! Yukari-san! Is that a love note I see?" One of Yukari's other friends ran up and snatched the piece of paper away from the red head.

"NO! It's mine, give it back!" Hitomi was more then a little ticked off now, that was her personal thoughts damn it! She had tried to pry it back from the offending girl before she read too much, but it was too late, for there was another girl staring at Hitomi as if she had found the cure for homework.

"Kanzaki-san… that was beautiful…so much emotion…" the girl was speechless. Which was a first to see for almost anyone around.

"It's just some words that were in my head one night" Hitomi hoped that these girls would just leave it alone.

"Hitomi, as your best friend, I order you to find a musician and put those glorious words to music… then sing it for everyone to hear!" Yukari all but shouted in the hallways.

"Yukari, I can't" Hitomi was at a lost.

"Fine! IF you won't, then I will!" and with that snatched the paper away from the sandy-haired girl and ran, but not without said sandy-haired girl running after her.

Hitomi calmly looked back at the guys who were putting away their instruments. Just as she said she would, Yukari had given her writing to a small local band, and they had been awed. Before Hitomi could grab back what was rightfully hers, the four guys had begun a tune for it. She had been powerless to stop them. So within the week, they had the entire tune written, and had the lyrics in place, all they needed was a singer. Yukari had instantly grabbed Hitomi, telling her that only Hitomi knew how to reach in and grab the emotions in the song, and therefore, only she could sing it. Rehearsals began after that, and the band actually said that her voice was absolutely perfect.

Hitomi, during all of this, could only think of Gaia. That was where the emotions all sprang from, besides, she had decided. She couldn't live here anymore. Couldn't stand all the frivolousness of day-to-day life here. Couldn't stand to be one more day away from him. She had tried before to leave, but nothing worked. She tried wishing, she tried dowsing, and heck she even tried her tarot cards again. She feared the only way to go back to her 'dream world', as everyone called it, was to run.

"Hitomi!" Yukari brought her back to earth with her cry.

"Yes Yukari? What is it?" Hitomi was a little nervous with the look on her friend's face.

"Hitomi… you are going to be on the main stage for the festival!" Yukari squealed, unable to hold in her excitement. "In fact, you're going to finishing number!"

The entire town was out there, even a few out-of-towners. She hadn't meant for Yukari to go out and set this up, but I guess this was as good as any to say goodbye. These were the people who thought nothing of her tale, so this was the only way she could say goodbye. After she performed she would run to the track, and leave for good. Her duffle bag, which was hidden underneath the stage, was filled with things she might want or need back on Gaia, including some mementos of home. The only thing she didn't keep in her bag, was a picture of her family and Yukari, all smiling and looking happy out at the camera.

"Kanzaki-san" a voice from her past echoed out from backstage.

"Amano-sempai?" her head turned, and sure enough. There he was. "What are you doing here? I thought you had moved to England?" She carefully walked over to him.

"Yeah… I did. I came to visit, and Yukari sent me an e-mail saying that you were performing tonight… I just had to come" he was getting a little too close into her bubble for her taste.

"Well that's awfully nice of you Amano-sempai, but you need to leave" Hitomi really didn't want to see him. "After all, this is the backstage" would that get him to leave?

"You're right. I leave… hey! Maybe tomorrow you and I could go to get some coffee or something?" he looked at her with a little hope in his eye.

"Amano-sempai… I can't. I'm already seeing someone" that was it, he still had feelings for her. "But I'm sure that if you ask Yukari, she'd be more then happy to join you".

"Oh… I'm sorry Kanzaki-san, I had no idea…" and he just left. Hitomi hoped that he would take up her suggestion and ask Yukari out, she was sure they would both enjoy it.

"Hey Kanzaki-san!" this time it was a voice from her band. "You better get ready, we'll be on sooner then you know it".

This was it…

"Oh I'm sooooo excited!" Yukari was squealing. "I'm gonna record this, send it to a record company and become Hitomi's manager after she makes billions!"

"Yukari-chan, you must remember that Hitomi has her own life, and this might not be what she wants," Mrs. Kanzaki gently told the young girl.

"Uchida-san!" Amano calmly walked over to join the Kanzaki family and the hyperactive girl.

"Amano-sempai? You did come!" Yukari allowed a blush to stain her cheeks as her long-time crush approached her side.

"Yeah… I came" a little bit of disappointment was etched into his voice. "Ummm…. Uchida-san, would you mind if…"

"Shhhhhhhhhh! Tomi's on!" Maramou, Hitomi's kid brother announced.

Sure enough, Hitomi had graced the stage with her presence and walked up to the microphone. Her outfit was simple, but still looked dashing. Kaki pants, backless red tank top, and tan gloves. No one else knew the significance of the outfit, but Yukari did say that for some reason it fit Hitomi when she sang. While still short, her hair had grown and now got into her eyes, but it just seemed to finish off the look that she was going for. The lights dimmed, the music began, her eye's closed, and Hitomi's voice began echoing across the crowd

"Grew up in a small town, and when the rain would fall down, I just stare out my window…

Dreaming of a could-be, and if I'd end up happy, I would pray…"

Meanwhile, across the moon, to a world that only Hitomi knew about, a young king sat above his kingdom, on his newly built palace. It had taken two years, but Fanelia had finally been rebuilt to a prospering new nation. Which of course meant that he had nothing to really keep his thoughts away for his green-eyed love. He missed her, with every aching bone in his body, he missed her. Staring up at the Mystic Moon, he could almost picture her face.

"Trying not to reach out, but when I tried to speak out, felt like no one could hear me…"

That was her voice, it was somehow reaching him! What he didn't know was that almost everyone else on Gaia was also hearing her.

"Wanted to belong here, but something felt so wrong here, so I pray… I could Breakaway…"

"I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly, I'll do what it takes til' I touch the sky…

"Make a wish…take a chance… make a change…and breakaway…"

Hitomi's eyes looked towards her family, this part was for them.

"Out of the darkness and into the sun, but I won't forget all the ones that I loved…

"I'll take a risk… take a chance…make a change… and breakaway…"

Millerna had been playing with her baby girl, Marlene, and her husband Dryden when her old friend's voice echoed in her palace's hallways.

"Wanna feel the warm breeze, sleep under a palm tree, feel the rush of the ocean…"

Allen had been working on the Crusade with Gaddess and Cerene, when Hitomi's voice floated over across the air.

"Get onboard a fast train, travel on a jet plane, far away…and breakaway…"

To everyone's notice, besides Hitomi's, whose eyes had once again shut, wings flew from her back… everyone just thought it some kind of special effect.

"I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly, I'll do what it takes til' I touch the sky…

"Make a wish…take a chance… make a change…and breakaway…

"Out of the darkness and into the sun, but I won't forget all the ones that I loved…

"I'll take a risk… take a chance…make a change… and breakaway…"

He ran, with Merle fast on his heels to where Escaflowne's energist was buried, tightly gripping her pendant in his hand.

"Buildings with a hundred floors, swinging around wild indoors, maybe I don't know where they'll take me but…

"Gotta keep moving on, moving on… Fly away… breakaway…"

A bright blue beam of light descended from the sky and surrounded Hitomi. The light made her eyes open, and she knew. She was leaving, for good. She kind of hoped that her duffle bag would be taken with her.

"I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly, though it's not easy to tell you goodbye…"

She looked out towards her family for the last time. Her brother was shocked, her dad thought it was cool, Yukari was in awe, Amano was in denial, and her mom alone knew.

"I gotta take a risk… make a change… and breakaway…"

The light began to pull her up, away from the stage, towards Gaia, but still she held eye contact with them.

"Out of the darkness and into the sun, but I won't forget the place I come from…

"I gotta take a risk…take a change…and breakaway…"

He discovered he didn't need the energist as the light had already touched ground a little ways off. He ran…

"Breakaway…"

The light had almost officially dragged her out of sight, and the town began to realize this wasn't a special effect; she really was leaving via a blue light.

"Breakaway…"

And she was gone. The band panicked, as did the rest of the town. What had just happened?

"Bye baby… go find him" Mrs. Kanzaki whispered as her husband and son began a frantic search for her daughter.

Hitomi looked around her, there at her feet was her bag, the light had brought it, her wings were still out, and she still didn't realize she had them, and there in the sky were two moons.

"I'm back…Van…"

Canadian Chica: That's it! It's my first oneshot… so I hope you all enjoyed it. It would be most appreciated if you would review… I'm a little nervous about how it all turned out. I accept all forms of criticism… so yeah! Thanks for reading… R+R! HUGS!