Chapter II
The Bright World
-
-
Hitomi was running in the darkness. A swath of gleaming red carpet laid a straight path toward a dark, unknown destination in the distance. She was running easily at a good pace, and noted the familiar feelings of calculated respirations, the rhythm of tension and release in her legs, but the situation seemed wrong. Her running didn't seem to bring her any closer to the end of the carpeted path.
She then sensed something approaching behind her—organic and vague, a motion and a shadow. Glancing backward, Hitomi saw that the carpet had reared up behind her, devouring the path behind her into its red swollen mass. Need displaced all other considerations, and she urged herself on faster. The carpet behind her grew with each passing second, gaining speed as if its appetite only increased the more it consumed. The darkness deepened, the carpet's roar became closer, and Hitomi felt the ground vibrate with its movement. She couldn't go on anymore. The carpet arched above her, and she was engulfed into the darkness.
-
Hitomi woke with a start. She trembled and tried to raise her head, but the slight effort made stars in the dark. Shivering, she buried herself further underneath the covers. Her lack of choice, the propulsion to run toward the unknown, the uncertainty of what awaited her at the end of the carpeted path—all these frightened her now, just as it had before. When the carpet swallowed her, Hitomi always felt as if its weight was suffocating her, trying to snuff out her existence.
"Don't worry," a voice whispered, a familiar voice she couldn't quite remember. A warm hand smoothed her tossed hair from her forehead. "You're safe."
She closed her eyes and surrendered herself again to the darkness.
This time, Hitomi heard shadows of conversations, but she nudged them away before they awakened her to consciousness. The suspense of time was a pleasant languor, free of responsibilities and constraints, a luxurious repose full of nothing but the self. As a young girl, she used to hide in the closet for some quiet time. The familiar smell of her family and the comforting crush of heavy coats and jackets mixed together with the warm darkness. Hitomi would sit in its corner, her father's black wool coat at her back, until her mother would start shouting her name throughout the house in worry. When Hitomi reopened the closet door, the world always seemed so dazzlingly bright.
-
-
Hitomi woke to the sound of birds. There was a light breeze from the open window, smelling of early spring. Wooden beams and white-washed walls shone softly in the ambient light. She knew it wasn't her bed nor a hospital bed, but somehow the feelings of reality and dreams wove together into a comfortable midafternoon, and she felt completely safe.
The door slid open. It was a young woman in her early twenties, wearing knee-length black tights beneath a short, sleeveless dress that displayed her tanned shoulders. Her arms were full of folded linen, and she moved carefully with the load. As she padded toward the dresser in the corner, Hitomi could see her orange tail, swaying in tempo with some secret delight.
Tail? Before she could fully process that thought, the cat woman noticed her awake and shrieked in surprise. "Hitomi!" She hurried over and clasped Hitomi in an embrace with unrestrained happiness. "We've missed you!" The linens lay forlorn in a corner of the floor, forgotten.
Tail. Missed me. "Merle?"
"Hitomi!" Merle began to sob. Hitomi hugged her tighter and stroked her fur-soft hair.
Was it a dream? She was back in her previous room at Fanelia castle, with a crying Merle to comfort. But her room was slightly different. A section of the screen had been fitted with new wood and repainted. Her bed now leaned against a corner, to make room for the new dresser.
Hitomi stared. Her duffel bag and purse were on top of the dresser. Her purse, she could understand; she had been carrying it when she ran away from Yukari and Sousuke.
Sousuke. Running away. The train.
And she was now on Gaea.
She stiffened under the full impact of this situation. Merle had ceased her weeping, and eyed Hitomi with curious concern.
"How did I get here?" Hitomi murmured.
"Van-sama, of course!"
Something within Hitomi gave a small poke, something that hadn't surfaced for quite a while.
"I was outside the conference room, and suddenly the usual boring talk stopped..."
"Eavesdropping, eh?" Hitomi couldn't resist herself, even at this moment.
Merle continued as if she hadn't heard. "Then Van-sama suddenly came out and ran down the corridor. I tried to run after him, but the council made me stay and asked me so many questions." She paused and made a face. "After a couple of hours, Van-sama returned with you."
"Oh."
But, that didn't help to explain why she was back on Gaea, instead of lying on a hospital bed in critical condition. Unless, this was a dream. But Merle was in front of her, holding Hitomi's hand with her own warm ones, her childhood expressions blossomed into charm, her emotions as unassuming and overwhelming as ever.
"You've been sleeping for three days! I should go and tell Van-sama that you're awake." Merle bounced off the bed and was through the door before Hitomi could respond.
Van. What would she say? After ten years, what was there to say? Should she pretend nothing had changed? She wanted to go ahead and bare the entirety of her new life: Everything's going okay with me so far; another man just asked me to be his wife. How are you doing?
-
Van stood outside Hitomi's door, a hand poised to knock, but unable to conclude its intention. What would he say? What would she expect him to say? His only thought seemed to block out everything else: Would you stay longer this time?
He frowned at himself, and started to turn away from the door. Merle rolled her eyes as she gave an exasperated sigh. In one swift motion, she wrenched open the door, shoved him into the room, and slammed the door shut. Her duty dispatched, she congratulated herself on her ingenuity and pressed an ear to the closed door.
-
Inside Hitomi's room, the awkward silence settled in like snow on a winter night. The mild dialogue Hitomi had just practiced was forgotten as she and Van stared across the room at each other. She sat stiffly under the bed covering, a tense grip on a pillow.
Van recovered faster from Merle's surprise and resumed his customary wall of indifference. He advanced slowly and steadily towards her, planted his hands on her bed, and leaned forward, an unreadable expression on his face. Hitomi suddenly felt very naked despite her clothing and the bedspread.
There was a polite knock on the door. "Van-sama? The afternoon council is starting."
He straightened as if electrocuted and crossed her room in quick strides. Hitomi caught a glimpse of a tall, broad man behind Van as he hurried into the corridor.
Merle passed Van in the doorway with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Hitomi, let's go out!"
-
As she changed into the new dress Merle brought, Hitomi tried to will away the embarrassment from her cheeks and place her thoughts back in order.
Van hadn't changed much, yet he seemed different. He still favored slim pants and the common shirt, and his long black locks still extended past his eyes. He now towered above her, but slender and fit, not as tall as Folken or as broad as his father. His previous possessiveness of the royal sword was now quiet assurance and companionship. The main difference was his aura—a maturity, an understanding of responsibility, an acknowledgement of his authority and his position, an acceptance of his burden.
More than ever, he was an enigma of open invitation and secrets. She smiled at an image of what Van would look like with his hair brushed back, his hands without the ever-present gloves. And of course, the greatest secrets were hidden within him—his emotions, his ambitions, his desires, his wings.
The smile released tightly wound thoughts. Hitomi's head felt heavy, and she steadied herself against the bed. This meeting had been so different from the last time she saw Van, when she said goodbye to him and entered back into the light, into her other life with her family and an expectant future. There had been no space for commitments, only a promise.
Hitomi couldn't hold the feelings in anymore. She tumbled in the flow, full of doubts she couldn't quite place and didn't want to place, but they ushered her along in their regardless wake—loneliness, betrayal, abandonment. They made her acknowledge what she had seen, what she didn't want to notice.
Van didn't have her pendant.
The coolness of the linens beneath her palms calmed the welling pool of tears. Tears would be meaningless, for there was nothing else left but acceptance. They had loved, that should be enough.
He had his duty; she had her life. She was selfish for seeing only that Van was guilty. She also had betrayed his trust. She had thought she could believe in their pledge to remember each other. Instead, she had kept Van in deep memories, she had considered a life with Sousuke. If she changed, why shouldn't Van change, too? It had been ten years. It should be no surprise that he no longer cared, that he had put childish promises away. Time passes, circumstances change, events become memories.
Hitomi finished dressing and tried to place firmness into her steps. Merle was waiting.
But what should the past mean, now that she was back on Gaea?
-
-
-
Thanks for reading ch2! Love for everyone who reviewed. That extra effort is much appreciated ;3
If you're interested in contributing to discussion or seeing the writing process experience, feel free to come over on the ff forums or the blog In particular, Japanese culture will have a significant impact on Hitomi's character, so if you ever have a question or think I got something wrong, let me know.
Fanfiction is fantastic, especially because it's free and user-friendly, but sometimes I wish there are additional features, such as appending notes to favorite stories in our profiles to let others know exactly why we love that fic. Since that's unavailable, I'll be highlighting my favorite Escaflowne stories in the Author's Note section for the next few chapters. These stories are well-written, well-planned, and have changed the way I look at fanfiction. If you haven't read them before, I highly recommend them!
-
Favorite story #1
Angel of Fire
By Wink75CS
AU, set up as a possible re-telling of Escaflowne. Believable setting, lyrical prose, underlying mysteries, interesting dialogue. The characters are a blend between series and movie editions, and are perfect for the story. Angsty Van, spunky Hitomi, waffy ending—what's not to like? One of the most well-written stories on ff I've ever read, with beautiful sentences and world-within scenes.
-
sharlee
07/2006