Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
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Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?
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Chapter 87
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Hitomi sat on the inner field of the track, stretching out and trying her best to concentrate on the race. The entire fall season had led up to this, the Prefectural Championship Meet. While not as prestigious as the Spring Tokyo Invitational, it served as a gage for the following spring season, and would solidify Hitomi's status as the best girl's 100-meter sprinter in the prefecture. She had already won her previous three heats and was just waiting for the final race, but these heats were much closer than any of her previous races. The best runners throughout the prefecture were all here, and she was really being put to the test now. During her second heat, she actually had to come from behind in the last 40 meters to win, something she hadn't had to do all season long. In addition, a runner in one of the other semi-final heats actually ran a time 0.02 seconds faster then Hitomi's times, another first.
With all of this weighing on her mind, Hitomi should have been concentrating on the race, she should have been totally focused on the task at hand, on accomplishing everything she had worked for up to this point. But she wasn't.
'Tonight's the night, Van. I finally get to see you again, Van, I've waited so long, it feels like forever. I hope you're as anxious to see me as I am to see you. I hope...'
"You call that stretching?"
Hitomi looked up to see a very displeased team manager with her hands on her hips and a deep frown on her face.
"Hi, Yukari." Hitomi smiled.
"Don't 'Hi, Yukari' me. You're thinking about him, aren't you?" the redhead snapped.
"You don't have to say it like that," Hitomi pouted.
"Don't give me that pouty look. You won't get any sympathy from me. This is it, Hitomi. This is the last race of the season. Don't ruin it by not giving it your all," Yukari warned.
Hitomi turned away, not wanting to hear her friend's lecture.
Yukari's expression softened as she let her hands drop to her sides. "Look, how would Van feel if he knew you lost the most important race of the season because you were preoccupied with romantic thoughts of him?"
The young sprinter lowered her head slightly. "You're right." Then she looked back up at her friend. "You're right. I need to concentrate. I need to focus."
"You're darn right you do. Now stretch out right, your race is up in about ....45 minutes." With that, Yukari turned and walked in the direction of the girl's team captain, who was also warming up in anticipation of the final heat.
After watching her friend walk away, Hitomi put her legs together in front of her and reached forward to grab her feet, pressing her forehead down to her knees. 'Concentrate, concentrate, concentrate...'
Slowly a vision of herself standing behind the starting blocks came into focus. Looking down, she saw the tops of her shoes as she stepped forward into the blocks when the starter called out, "READY!" Going down on one knee, she could literally feel herself plant and reposition her feet on the blocks as she set her hands and took a deep breath, exhaling quickly.
When the starter called out, "SET!" she lifted herself into position and looked up. And there he was, standing at the far end of the field, fists clinched in front of him, offering his strength, his encouragement. A faint smile crossed her lips as she realized, 'There's no way I can lose.'
This vision repeated itself over and over in her mind's eye as she stretched, filling her with confidence and the assurance that she would be seeing her true love very soon.
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Yukari came running up to her. "HITOMI! Didn't you hear the call?" she panted, coming to a stop in front of her friend.
"Huh?" The sandy haired girl with the emerald eyes looked up just as the second call came. "Will all runners competing in the girl's 100-meter finals please assemble at the starting line."
"Hoooolyyyyy... !" Hitomi jumped to her feet. "Wish me luck," she said as she jogged.
"Good Luck!" Yukari yelled, waving to her retreating friend. "Not that you need it," she whispered with a smile.
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Hurrying to her position in forth lane, Hitomi smiled when she saw whom was in the lane next to her. "Megumi-sempai!"
"Oh, and here I thought I'd finally have a chance to win a race because you weren't going to show up," the team captain teased.
"Huh?" A sad look appeared upon Hitomi's face. 'Have I ruined Megumi-sempai's plans for this season? If I wasn't having the season I'm having, sempai would have won about half the races we competed in, and would have medaled in all of them.'
"Cheer up, Hitomi, I was only joking." The older, taller girl smiled and shook her head. "It's times like this that serve to remind me you're still just a tenth grader. You're so naïve." She laughed.
Hitomi blushed, but smiled as well. "Good luck, Sempai." She extended her hand.
Megumi took it and gave it a firm but friendly shake. "Good luck to you, Hitomi. I'd say I hope you win, but that would be a lie." The dark haired girl winked.
Hitomi laughed just as the final announcement for the runners to take their positions was made.
Standing behind the block, Hitomi's vision started to come true as she stepped forward when the starter announced, "READY!" She knelt down and carefully positioned her feet and hands. Then she heard, "SET!" and she lifted herself into position and looked up to see the vision of the man she loved, with his hands balled up into fists before him and an intense yet loving expression on his face. Hitomi smiled to herself for a moment, then wiped the smile away as her concentration level and intensity increased dramatically.
This was it. The training in Fanelia, the month of track practices, the six-week long fall track season, her commitment to the team, her promise to her friend, all came down to this.
"BANG!"
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Along the sidelines, the contingent from Kamakura-Kita High School who were not currently competing in field events were cheering hysterically.
"GO HITOMI!"
"GO MEGUMI!"
"RUN! RUUNNN!"
"GO HITOMI! GO MEGUMI!"
"GO! GO! GO! GO!"
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When the gun sounded, the runners in lanes two, four, five, and eight shot out of the blocks first, in a dead heat, and remained even all the way through the first 30 meters. Slowly, the girl in lane 5 started to pull ahead.
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"GO MEGUMI!"
"GO SEMPAI!"
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At the 50 meter mark, the girl in lane 2 made her move as she pulled ahead of the other two girls and narrowed the gap between her and the girl in lane 5.
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"COME ON, HITOMI!!"
"GO MEGUMI!"
"YOU CAN DO IT, HITOMI!"
"GO SEMPAI!"
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The girl in lane 4 seemed to be locked in a battle for third place with the girl in lane 8, with the other two runners clearly ahead by a stride and a half, when suddenly at the 70 meter mark, she seemed to find an extra burst of speed, and in a matter of 20 meters, closed the gap between her and the other two girls.
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"GO HITOMI!"
"GO HITOMI!"
"YOU CAN DO IT, HITOMI!"
"GO, GO, GO HITOMI!"
"YEAH!!!!"
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
"WE WON! WE WON!"
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Having left everything she had on the 100 meters behind her, Hitomi stumbled and fell to the floor, slowly rolling over to look up at the sky and the image of the man she loved looking down at her with a warm and loving smile across his face.
"Thank you, Van," she whispered between gulps of air. "I couldn't do it without you." She smiled.
"I knew you could do it, Hitomi," he said.
Gasping, her eyes went wide. 'Could he really be here?' But as she started to raise her hand to reach out to him, he slowly faded away and Megumi rushed up to her and the same place Van had been with frightened look on her face and concern in her voice. "Hitomi? Are you all right?"
Too tired to answer, the young teen just reached up with her hand. Her team captain got the idea and took ahold of her hand, helping her back up onto her feet. When she stumbled a bit, the taller girl slouched as she pulled the race winner's arm across her shoulders and took ahold of her around her waist to help her back over to the team area.
"Thanks, Megumi-sempai." Hitomi whispered.
"What are friends for?" Megumi smiled, then stopped and looked over at the scoreboard. "Look, the official times are being posted."
Hitomi looked up and smiled.
In an instant the results appeared.
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1st Kanzaki Hitomi 12:09 Kamakura-Kita ....................................New Prefecture Record
2nd Hayamoto Ruri 12:10 East Yokohama
3rd Yotsuga Megumi 12:13 Kamakura-Kita
4th Itsume Ryoko 12:18 East Yokohama
5th Masamoto Yui 12:22 East Yokohama
6th Sayoto San 12:38 Yamato
7th Asunami Rei 12:40 Fujisawa
8th Sakuraba Harumi 12:44 Kamakura-Kita
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Before she knew it, Megumi was hugging her. "You did it, Hitomi! You did it! You set a new record!"
Then one by one, the rest of her teammates joined in, celebrating the young track star's wonderful achievement.
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As the day's competitions drew to a close, the only two events remaining were the boys' and the girls' 4x100 meter relay. While Hitomi had anchored this event in the first few meets, it had been over a month since she had competed in this race. The coach and team captains wanted to give some of the other girls a chance to complete. But with the Prefectural Championship Title at stake, they wanted their best 100-meter runners available.
Hitomi was warming up with Harumi when Megumi, Akane, and Haruka came over.
"Guys, I need to tell you something," Megumi announced.
Hitomi and Harumi jumped up and approached their captain.
"What is it, Megumi-sempai?" the younger of the two asked.
"You both know about the nasty spill Haruka took at the end of her 100-meter semi-final heat." She pointed to the girl's bandaged knee.
Both Harumi and Hitomi nodded.
"Well, it's still bothering her, so we asked the officials and they agreed to allow Akane to substitute for her," Megumi explained.
Harumi and Hitomi gave each other a questioning stare before Harumi asked, "Is that really okay with you, Haruka?"
The junior nodded. "Absolutely. I know I'm not at my best right now, and we need this win to have a chance at the title.
"Akane's times have been improving steadily throughout the season. I think she's ready to step in and help us win this race," Megumi added.
"This is Akane-sempai's last race. She deserves to go out in style. Right, girls?" Haruka cheered.
"Right!" the other three yelled enthusiastically.
"Thanks," Akane smiled modestly. "Thank you all."
The
girls huddled together as Megumi laid out the order of the race. A few
minutes later they were practicing their baton handoffs when it was
announced that the boys' 4x100 race would precede the girls' race. No
reason was given and both races were delayed by nearly an hour.
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Aided by a record setting time by Amano, the Kamakura-Kita boys relay team won easily. Now a first place finish in the Kanagawa Prefectural Track and Field Championship rested squarely on the shoulders of the girls' 4x100 relay team. Trailing the long time track and field powerhouse, East Yokohama High School, by just one point, the championship would go to whichever team finished ahead of the other. But with the East Yokohama High girls' relay team holding the Prefecture record in this event, nothing short of a victory would do.
The nightlights came on in the stadium just as each girl took their position around the 400-meter track. The day's events had been long and grueling, plagued with technical difficulties and countless delays, but not a single seat in the stands was empty as the showdown that would determine the Kanagawa Prefectural High School Track and Field Championship was about to take place.
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Getting down in the starting blocks, Megumi carefully positioned her hands, adjusted the baton slightly, and took two deep breaths as she waited for the "SET" notification.
'All or nothing, all or nothing. You've already run your personal best once at this meet. You can do it again. All or nothing.'
The eight girls exploded out of the blocks at the sound of the gun. Instantly, Megumi and Ryoko Itsume took the early lead as they raced neck and neck towards their teammates.
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Akane Tendo stood on the balls of her feet, ready to start running and accept the handoff of the baton.
'This is it. Your whole track career comes down to this race. I feel better than I have in years. Make it happen, you can do it. For all that Ranma's done for me, for him and my teammates, make it happen.'
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Digging deep inside herself, Megumi found that little bit extra she needed to pull slightly in front of Ryoko, and as she came up on Akane, she extended her hand forward. Entering the handoff zone, Akane was already in full stride when she felt the baton hit the palm of her hand. Never a fluid runner, Akane pumped her arms as fast and as hard as she could, bearing down on her teeth as she ran the race of her life.
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Harumi bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, swung her arms around in a large circular fashion, and rolled her head around several times before getting in position. 'Loose, loose, must stay loose. Clean handoff, fluid motions.'
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While Akane couldn't build on the lead Megumi provided, she was able to hold off Yui Masamoto, her chief rival, as she closed in on Harumi.
Harumi gave a half skip, then broke into a run, her hand held back, waiting for the handoff of the baton. Feeling the baton hit her hand, she slipped into her normal, long fluid stride.
While noticeably shorter than Megumi, Harumi had the longest legs of any of the sprinters and almost looked like she was running in slow motion, but try as she might, Metsumi Toyota could not close the narrow gap between her and Harumi.
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Hitomi stood loose and relaxed, shaking any tension that was building up in her out of her legs and arms and snapping her head from side to side. As the race started, she felt the sudden rush of adrenaline course through her veins as her movements became more deliberate. When she saw Megumi hand off the baton to Akane, and watched the most heralded and beloved member of the Kamakura-Kita High School girls track team run the race of her life, she smiled inwardly and positioned herself, planting her set foot firmly on the track surface. Watching Harumi's long fluid stride, her smile grew in anticipation of receiving the baton.
'This is it, Van, 100 meters to go and I'll be back in your arms again. Just 100 meters to go.'
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As Harumi closed in, she started to run, extending her hand back to receive the baton across her palm, but what she felt caused her to turn her head back in time to see Harumi falling to the ground. Just as the junior was reaching out with the baton to hand it to her, the girl's ankle buckled, sending her to the ground. In desperation she stretched flat out to get the baton into Hitomi's hand. The end of it brushed against Hitomi's fingers as it began to slip away. Hitomi slowed down instantly in a desperate attempt to hold onto the baton. Grasping it with her fingers, she strained to hold onto it, but as she brought her arm forward, the baton slipped through her fingers and flew out ahead of her. As if frozen in time, she watched the baton tumble head over heels as it slowly descended to the ground. In that instant, Hitomi saw all the hopes and dreams of the entire track team, as well as her whole school, vanish as her heart sank and all thoughts of Van vanished.
It is sometimes said that reality can be stranger than fiction, and what happened next would surely qualify, for just as it seemed that the Kamakura-Kita track team's quest for its first Fall Prefectural Track and Field Championship in over 20 years had slipped away, the most remarkable thing occurred. The baton struck the ground at just the right angle that all its energy and momentum reversed itself and it sprang back up into the air, back at the rapidly approaching Hitomi Kanzaki. Hitomi's eyes widened in shock as the baton seemed to leap back into her hand.
Without missing a beat, she caught it in full stride and continued around the turn and into the straightaway. As she did, she could see she was at least two strides behind Ruri Hayamoto; the girl she beat in the 100-meter finals by only 0.01 seconds.
While truly lucid thoughts are nearly impossible when the body is exerted in this way, one thought was clear in Hitomi's mind.
'Win! I must win! ...Win! I must win! ...'
For the second time that day, Hitomi ran the race of her life, digging deep within herself to find that little extra something, that extra will to win that only the truly great athletes possess the ability to do, and in the span of 50 meters, she pulled past Ruri Hayamoto.
As she crossed the finish line in first place, Hitomi felt a sudden rush of excitement wash over her despite the burning sensation in her lungs and the intense heavy pain in her legs, but the euphoria of her spectacular victory was swept away when realization sank in; the realization that she won this race without visualizing Van, without feeling him cheering her on, without him waiting for her at the finish line. A sober, somewhat sad expression played upon her face. 'I did this on my own. I outran Ruri all on my own.'
She wanted to fall to the ground and cry, but she was engulfed by her teammates as they rushed over and enveloped her in an embrace.
"You did it! You did it, Hitomi!" they screamed with excitement.
"You were amazing, Hitomi!" Harumi yelled, ignoring the pain in her ankle.
"I thought we lost for sure when Harumi twisted her ankle and fell right as she was handing off the baton to you," Akane added.
"Good god, Hitomi, you must have been born under a lucky star. I've never seen a baton bounce like that in my whole life."
Turning
to look at the leader board, they waited for the final time to flash.
One minute passed, then two, then five, as the judges concurred to
determine if losing hold of the baton, then recovering it as Hitomi did
was grounds for disqualification. After ten more minutes of
deliberation, the final rankings and times appeared in the leader board
to the cheers of the Kamakura-Kita student body and its supporters.
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1st Kamakura-Kita 48.58 .........................................................New Prefectural Record
2nd East Yokohama 48.61
3rd Fujisawa 49.62
4th Kawasaki 49.89
5th West Yokohama 50.02
6th Yamato 51.11
7th Yokosuka 52.37
8th Odawara 54.12
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"Woo Hoo!!!!" Three members of the Kamakura-Kita girls' relay team jumped up and down with excitement while Hitomi's heart ached. As they pulled her along to join the rest of their teammates, all Hitomi could think was, 'This changes everything. I actually do have some talent. It's not just Van that made it possible for me to excel, I actually have the ability in myself. Why did I have to find this out about myself now? Why now?'
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Under the dim glow of the safety lights, Hitomi and Yukari made their way across the sports field at their high school over to the utility shed. They walked across the field in silence, Yukari stealing a concerned glance over at her friend every few moments.
Pulling out her keys from her pocket, Yukari unlocked the utility shed and pulled the door open. "Now where did I put them?" She squinted in the dark, looking from one side to the other. "I wish I remembered to bring a flashlight. Oh, there they are." She reached down and picked up the two duffle bags that were hidden behind several bags of sand. Picking them up, she walked back out of the shed and deposited them at the feet of her somber friend. Looking up at Hitomi with a broad smile, Yukari expected some type of positive reaction, but when several moments passed and none was forthcoming, she quietly sighed and turned to relock the door.
Turning around abruptly, Yukari planted her fists on her hips and demanded, "Now what's wrong?"
"Huh?" Hitomi looked up with eyes filled with sadness.
"What is wrong with you? The way you're acting you'd think we finished dead last at the Prefectural Championships. You'd think you ran the worst times of your life instead of the best."
Hitomi just stared at her friend for several long minutes before reaching down and picking up her bags, saying, "You wouldn't understand," before walking towards the field.
Yukari gasped in shock, standing dumb-founded for a moment before recovering and running after her moody friend. "Don't blow me off like that," she yelled. "Hey, did you hear me?" She reached out and grabbed Hitomi by the shoulder, causing the girl to turn suddenly, dropping the bag she was carrying in that arm.
"Talk to me, Hitomi. Tell me what's bothering you," the red-haired girl pleaded.
With her head hung low, Hitomi slowly sank to her knees and buried her face in her hands. Softly she whispered, "I ran the relay without thinking of Van, without visualizing Van."
Yukari stared at her friend without saying a word, without so much as blinking until her eyes finally screamed for moisture. Taking a long thoughtful blink, Yukari opened her eyes and asked, "You what?"
Looking up at her friend, Hitomi cried, "Every race I've run this season, I ran as if I were running to Van, running for Van. I assumed it was my love for Van that allowed me to be so successful. It was what motivated me to do my very best all the time and push myself beyond my true limits." She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "But during the relay race, because of the messed up handoff, my mind was only on winning. I didn't think of Van at all."
Again, Yukari stared blankly at her friend, finally responding with just one word. "So?"
Rising to her feet, Hitomi swiped her eyes dry once again. "I knew you wouldn't understand." She picked up her bags again and turned to walk away.
Gasping in utter astonishment, Yukari raised her hands over her head and yelled, "Understand what?" before she stormed after her friend again. Pulling up next to the taller girl, she continued, "Understand that you're upset because you managed to run the fastest anchor leg in the history of the Prefectural Championships? Understand that it wasn't your boyfriend that made it possible? What?"
"No!" Hitomi came to a sudden halt and turned towards her friend. "Don't you see? I thought what made me special was Van, my love for Van."
"So, you've found out that you're a great runner even without thinking about Van. Why is that such a problem?" The redhead desperately tried to understand.
"Because! Because," Hitomi started crying again as she lowered herself down onto her knees, "if I ran the way I did because of Van, that would make walking away from here that much easier. But if I did it on my own, if I really am capable of running the hundred in twelve o'nine, then... then ..."
"How far off is a sub-twelve second time," Yukari whispered as realization finally set in.
"No Japanese woman has ever run under twelve seconds in international competition. The national record for the woman's 100 is 12.02, and that was set just two years ago. The National Track and Field Committee hasn't even seen fit to send a woman sprinter to an international meet in over ten years. If I can run a sub-twelve second hundred, they'd have to send me, they'd insist on it," Hitomi explained soberly.
Yukari crouched down next to the young track star. "I don't know what to say." The team manager lowered her head onto her knees and whispered, "I guess being the best at anything: academics, art, athletics; always comes with added responsibility."
Hitomi lowered her head even more.
"But the burden isn't your alone to bear. Ruri Hayamoto was just one one-hundredth of a second slower then you. She has just as good a chance to break twelve seconds as you," Yukari reasoned.
"But she's a senior, she's already nineteen years old. Even if she breaks twelve seconds, how much under twelve will she go?" Hitomi countered.
"You're right. She's been running under 12.20 since the Spring Season of her third year, and she still hasn't been able to run under 12.10." Yukari paused. "Well, the sprints have never been a strong event for Japanese women, but you can change all that. Face it, Hitomi, you're a prodigy."
"But I don't want to change all that. I don't want to be a prodigy. I just want to be with Van." She buried her face in her hands and wept, her body quivering with each tear shed.
Yukari went painfully still as a sad, pained expression overtook her watching her friend cry. Suddenly, a panicked expression crossed her face and she lurched forward. "You're not planning on staying in Gaea, are you?"
Hitomi slowly raised her head ever so slightly and looked up at the redhead through hooded eyes.
"Hitomi, you can't!" Yukari grabbed the forlorn girl by the shoulders. "Think of your family. Think of your friends. Think of me!" A tear rolled down the red haired girl's cheek. "You're my best friend, Hitomi. I'm not ready to lose you." She threw her arms around the sandy haired girl. "I'm not ready to lose you. Not now."
Hitomi held her friend close as the redhead's tears chased away her own.
After several minutes, Yukari slowly pulled away and looked up into her friend's sad eyes. "We don't know for sure what will happen. Let's just take it one day at a time. Maybe you'll become Japan's first great female sprinter, or maybe you've reached your limit and you won't run any faster than you already have. Who knows? But you can't just throw it all away because you're afraid, afraid of being something special."
Looking deeply into Yukari's eyes, the young track star gave a subtle nod, then a weak smile. "Okay... okay, Yukari. I'll be back, I promise."
"My room, tomorrow morning, right?" the redhead questioned.
"That's the plan." Hitomi nodded.
"Well," picking up the larger of the two bags, the shorter girl stood up and offered a hand to her friend, "Van is waiting for you."
Offering a more genuine smile, the young track star took the redhead's hand and rose to her feet. Picking up her other bag and slinging the strap over her shoulder, she nodded. "Right. Let's go."
Silently, they walked to the middle of the track. Setting the bags down, Yukari hugged her friend once again. "Remember, you have people to care about you here too, Hitomi."
Smiling, Hitomi pressed her forehead against her friend's. "I know. I'll see you tomorrow morning."
As Yukari stepped back, Hitomi sat down and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she concentrated on the one who consumed her every waking thought for the past three months.
Staring intently at her friend, Yukari watched as in no time she was engulfed in a pillar of light, and as she began to ascend, reached out and took hold of her bags, then disappeared up into the sky.
"Come back to us, Hitomi. We love you, we all love you," Yukari said softly as tears rolled down her cheeks.
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AN: Sorry for the long delay. I was sidetracked for a time, writing a story for a fanfic contest where I wrote a short story for Nadesico and came in third place. Not too bad for my first contest. I should be posting that story soon. As for this story, well, it took long enough, but Hitomi is finally on her way back to Gaea. By the way, I just noticed that this is the longest chapter I've written to date. But don't get too used to it. I prefer keeping my chapters shorter, but hopefully not as short as when I started.
I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who has been reviewing my story over the past few chapters. I've been averaging over 20 reviews per chapter, and you have no idea how very heartwarming that is. It makes me so happy to know that I'm able to please so many people. Thank you all, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
As always, I want to extend a big thank you to my wonderful beta-reader and friend, Janice. I can't begin to tell you all just how wonderful she really is. She's just great. Thanks so much, Janice.
A. Amishi