Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story.
As soon as she had entered the locker room, someone tackled her from behind, sending her sprawling across the floor.
"We're here! We're here! We made it! I can't believe we made it to Nationals!" the body on top of her exclaimed.
Hitomi couldn't help it. She started to laugh. "Get off me, Yukari," she gasped out between laughs, "or I won't be able to run!"
Yukari climbed off her, wiping breathless tears from her eyes as she went into another gale of hysterical laughter. "I just... can't believe... we made it..." she said between breaths, "and... it's all because... of you."
"Yukari..." Hitomi began. "No, it's true. You carried this team this far," she said, finally recomposing herself. "I just know you're going to come in first."
She rose, giving Hitomi her hands to help her star runner to her feet.
************
"Runners to the line," the voice said, sounding metallic over the speaker.
Yukari gave her a thumbs up sign as Hitomi stepped into the starters with a half dozen other girls.
'Hitomi...' The word was almost more emotional than physical.
Hitomi looked around her, but none of the other girls seemed to have heard.
'Van?...' she thought, but there was no reply. She turned her head back down to the starting position, feeling uneasy.
The gun went off and she leapt off the blocks.
Her legs pumped, her feet barely touched the ground before leaving it again. She flew towards the finish line, ahead of everyone else.
She crossed it! 11.36 seconds!
'Hitomi!...' It was more solid this time. Hitomi was sure he was calling her.
'Van!...' she called out silently, feeling a reply, but not hearing it. Something was wrong.
"Hitomi, you did it! You won! You won!" Yukari yelled, running up and throwing her arms around Hitomi as her family and Amano came running over to add their congratulations, only a few steps ahead of the reporters and their TV cameras.
'HITOMI...HElp me...' the call came, fading so quickly that Hitomi's heart quickened.
"Hitomi Kanzaki, right? How do you feel?" a reporter asked her blank expression.
"She's great! Just a little stunned I think," Yukari answered for her. "I'm Yukari Kuzino, her team manager..." "So what are your plans now? What are you doing after this? Maybe the Olympics?"
"We're going to take things one step at a time and hope for the best."
'Hitomi...'
"He needs me," she whispered. The air around her growing lighter. Small pebbles began floating up, but no one noticed.
"Hitomi?" her mother asked, looking into fearful blank eyes, seeing something other than her daughter.
"I have to go!!" Hitomi exclaimed, the air around her suddenly turning to a brilliant pillar of dazzling light that illuminated the entire stadium.
The reporters gasped and drew back.
Hitomi began floating off the ground, her hair swirling around her as the light unbound it from the ponytail she had tied it in.
"Hitomi!" her family cried, reaching for her, managing only to be caught in the light themselves.
The pillar left as abruptly as it had come, vanishing into the sky, leaving a very stunned and confused crowd.
***********
The light deposited Mr. and Mrs. Kanzaki and their son in the middle of a field. Hitomi was not there.
"HITOMI!" they called into the night.
As soon as she had entered the locker room, someone tackled her from behind, sending her sprawling across the floor.
"We're here! We're here! We made it! I can't believe we made it to Nationals!" the body on top of her exclaimed.
Hitomi couldn't help it. She started to laugh. "Get off me, Yukari," she gasped out between laughs, "or I won't be able to run!"
Yukari climbed off her, wiping breathless tears from her eyes as she went into another gale of hysterical laughter. "I just... can't believe... we made it..." she said between breaths, "and... it's all because... of you."
"Yukari..." Hitomi began. "No, it's true. You carried this team this far," she said, finally recomposing herself. "I just know you're going to come in first."
She rose, giving Hitomi her hands to help her star runner to her feet.
************
"Runners to the line," the voice said, sounding metallic over the speaker.
Yukari gave her a thumbs up sign as Hitomi stepped into the starters with a half dozen other girls.
'Hitomi...' The word was almost more emotional than physical.
Hitomi looked around her, but none of the other girls seemed to have heard.
'Van?...' she thought, but there was no reply. She turned her head back down to the starting position, feeling uneasy.
The gun went off and she leapt off the blocks.
Her legs pumped, her feet barely touched the ground before leaving it again. She flew towards the finish line, ahead of everyone else.
She crossed it! 11.36 seconds!
'Hitomi!...' It was more solid this time. Hitomi was sure he was calling her.
'Van!...' she called out silently, feeling a reply, but not hearing it. Something was wrong.
"Hitomi, you did it! You won! You won!" Yukari yelled, running up and throwing her arms around Hitomi as her family and Amano came running over to add their congratulations, only a few steps ahead of the reporters and their TV cameras.
'HITOMI...HElp me...' the call came, fading so quickly that Hitomi's heart quickened.
"Hitomi Kanzaki, right? How do you feel?" a reporter asked her blank expression.
"She's great! Just a little stunned I think," Yukari answered for her. "I'm Yukari Kuzino, her team manager..." "So what are your plans now? What are you doing after this? Maybe the Olympics?"
"We're going to take things one step at a time and hope for the best."
'Hitomi...'
"He needs me," she whispered. The air around her growing lighter. Small pebbles began floating up, but no one noticed.
"Hitomi?" her mother asked, looking into fearful blank eyes, seeing something other than her daughter.
"I have to go!!" Hitomi exclaimed, the air around her suddenly turning to a brilliant pillar of dazzling light that illuminated the entire stadium.
The reporters gasped and drew back.
Hitomi began floating off the ground, her hair swirling around her as the light unbound it from the ponytail she had tied it in.
"Hitomi!" her family cried, reaching for her, managing only to be caught in the light themselves.
The pillar left as abruptly as it had come, vanishing into the sky, leaving a very stunned and confused crowd.
***********
The light deposited Mr. and Mrs. Kanzaki and their son in the middle of a field. Hitomi was not there.
"HITOMI!" they called into the night.