Disclaimer: I don't own escaflowne or Mitsarugi from Soul Caliber, something I also don't own. I have nothing...
(Hello everyone! I'm updating! Please enjoy this chapter! Oh, and I'm still not really editing, but I seem to be having trouble getting the paragraphs to show up properly online. HELP ME!!! Excuse any grammatical errors and spacing problems and read on. I promise it will get better. Enjoy!)
A young woman with red hair let out a long sigh, tapping her foot on the ground holding a clipboard.
"Even in her senior year she always seems to be late."
She grinned in delight. Well, that means I get to run her again.
Just as she thought it a girl with dirty, blonde, shoulder length hair ran up to her panting.
"Sorry Yukari, I had a-"
"Let me guess, another make up test right, Hitomi?
Hitomi, you really should stop dozing off in class, you won't be able to keep up your grades and you'll make the track team look bad. Whom do you think the coach will blame for that happening? You guessed it… me!"
Yukari said closing her eyes, a look of feigned annoyance on her youthful face.
"Right on the money." Hitomi said waiting for theinevitable.
"How many laps is the punishment Hitomi? I can't seem to remember…"
Yukari said pretending to look puzzled and scratching her head.
Hitomi let out a deep sigh. "Five laps ma'am."
Yukari raised an eyebrow, holding up her stopwatch. "I'm timing you Kanzaki!"
She couldn't help but giggle as Hitomi walked over to the blocks. She had by her side her large Duffel bag, most likely full of her clothes and unmentionables, like she always did.
As if she was waiting to get a reason to leave, but that never came.
It always intrigued Yukari, that she had such a habit, but she suspected it had something to do with her disappearance two years ago.
Yukari wanted to ask Hitomi desperately what happened that night so long ago, but Hitomi seemed so elusive, so secretive of the matter that she couldn't investigate it.
After a while it became a usual sight wherever Hitomi was. If there was Hitomi, there was her bag. Now it was unexpected of her not to have the bag. Everyone, even Yukari had grown used to it.
Hitomi set the bag aside and stepped up on the blocks.
"Go!" Yukari yelled.
Hitomi took off at once, her body a blur. Hitomi was a wonderful runner. Yukari always looked up to her for her talent. Hitomi could run even faster than her boyfriend Amono, beating his 10-second record in her first year.
No one knew why the girl could run that fast, it was as if the talent sprang up over night. One day she ran the 100 meters in 13 seconds, the next, she could run it in seven.
Hitomi ran like there was nothing else that mattered. Her face would go blank, her eyes seemed to glaze over, and she would run and run, as if she was running to something. She always looked sad, though, after she was done. Like she hadn't found the thing she was running to.
Hitomi was finished in what seemed a second, so after practice Yukari and them walked home together.
Over junior and the beginning of senior year, Hitomi didn't seem like herself. She was forgetful, unusually quiet and reserved, and slept quite frequently. She would stare out windows randomly in the halls, lost in some unseen thought.
She seemed sad.
Something had happened to her, something hard to reveal, even to Yukari. On more than one occasion she caught Hitomi crying alone in a hall or room, wiping her face quickly whenever she was seen, brushing the sight off like a joke or prank.
Seeing Hitomi look so depressed made Yukari worry about her constantly. She had tried unsuccessfully many times to ask Hitomi about it.
At on instance she thought it might be because of lack of interest from the opposite sex, and hoped to correct it.
"Hey, Hitomi? Why don't you go out with that one guy? I forget his name…Whatever. You know…the guy in class with the gray eyes? I hear he has this big crush on you…what is name? Toshi…something."
Hitomi was silent, walking ahead, apparently not listening.
Hitomi…are you alright?" Yukari stepped in front of her, grabbing her arm, making Hitomi stop walking.
She shook her head. "No…I just don't want to go out with anyone right now, Yukari. I…" She looked away, a blush forming on her pale face. She broke free of Yukari's grip and started walking again.
Yukari didn't like the answer. She ran up to her again.
"Hitomi, you have to tell me what's wrong. You never tell me what's on your mind anymore. Can't you just tell me?"
Hitomi suddenly stopped, the abrupt movement startling Yukari who almost ran into Hitomi's back.
Hitomi turned her head to her friend and smiled. "Thanks for worrying, but I'm okay."
She turned around again and kept going.
They continued in silence.
As they reached Yukari's house, Amono was waiting outside her gate.
"Yukari…I…have to talk to you." Amono stepped up to them, then turned to Hitomi.
"I…I think you should go on, Hitomi. I need to talk to her alone."
Yukari looked up at Amono's face. He looked troubled about something.
She turned to Hitomi, and she looked sadder then usual.
"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow Yukari. Bye, Amono."
She turned away and walked on down the street, turning back on the corner, waved, and continued alone.
"What is it?" Yukari asked Amono. He looked away. "I think…"
XX
She didn't know why she was tired, she just was.
She didn't feel like doing anything.
She knew everyone was worried about her, but she didn't care.
They didn't know.
No one.
Hitomi was up in her room, lying on her bed with her eyes shut. All she wanted to do was go to sleep and escape her life for a moment, and think about her current situation.
She had no idea what to do about Yukari and Amono.
Yeah, they were worried about her when she disappeared for few weeks two years ago, but they were the only ones who even saw her leave, and neither saw who she left with.
Van.
They didn't know she was always thinking about him, or that she would see him all the time in her mind. They didn't know her pain or her sadness now they were separated.
They just didn't know.
How could they? How could they know the feeling of being forever separated from the person that made her smile, her laugh, and feel right in the world?
Her heart forever separate from her body... herself in darkness.
She sighed inwardly and rolled over, hoping to clear her mind.
God…they really need to know…I cannot keep this in forever…wait! What did Amono
say to Yukari just a minute ago? I…I hope Yukari will be alright…
She felt herself drifting off to sleep, her body becoming heavy...
Van.
Van was in her mind's eye... standing in the spot they first met so long ago. He was silhouetted against the artificial brightness of the lights above him, and he was holding out his hand to her.
He looked happy.
She tried to remember where she had seen him like this, but it was different from usual. He was holding something in the hand that he offered. Something that glittered in the light...
She was surprised when she saw him. She sat up again, feeling wide-awake, and crossed her room in the dark to her bag.
He's coming! He's coming for me! She picked up her bag and opened her door.
Yukari was outside. She was crying and had her bag in her hand. "I need to talk, Hitomi-Huh?"
She stopped crying when she saw Hitomi's face. She looked down at Hitomi's bag.
"Where are you going?" She stepped aside.
Hitomi stepped out and couldn't help but smile. "I…I can't explain now. I'm sorry. I have to go."
She ran down the stairs. Her brother was at the bottom, holding his old baseball bat, absently swinging it to hit his foot. Hitomi brushed past him at the foot of the stairs and made for the door, a girlish grin spread across her face.
"Where you going? You can't go anywhere unless Mom or Dad are here!" He yelled to her as she rushed past. She turned back to her brother, and patted him on his blonde head.
She smiled.
"I'm sorry, Hitsarugi. Got to go!" She opened the front door.
Someone grabbed her bag and pulled her back inside. It was Yukari.
"You can't go without telling me what's going on, Hitomi." Her face looked determined.
Hitomi smiled again.
"I can tell you, but just follow me, okay? I don't want him to wait."
She pulled Yukari outside and started to run.
"It's about what happened two years ago, Yukari. When I left."
She heard Yukari gasp. "What! You mean that pillar? What are you talking about? What happened?"
Yukari was confused. She didn't get her friend or what happened her so long ago, and she had never spoken of it before.
She remembered that night so well. Hitomi had been running out on the track when she was swept away in a pillar of light on something that looked like a dragon. She had been gone for almost 2 weeks, and when she came back, she was so depressed. She wouldn't talk about it, and no one asked.
Why was she talking about it now? "Hitomi!"
She tried grabbing her again, but Hitomi continued on, too quick for her.
"It's Van. I have to see him again." She kept running.
"Huh?" Now Yukari was even more confused. "Who's that?" Hitomi didn't answer.
She just kept running. She moved with such purpose that soon Yukari couldn't seem to keep up with Hitomi, but she kept running, through the streets to Hitomi's destination. They were almost to the track before Yukari realized what was happening.
I don't want to lose you again… please don't leave me alone again Hitomi...
Hitomi was running too fast for Yukari to keep up. She tried to speed up, but she tripped on a rock and fell to the ground.
She let out a squeal of pain, crawling to her feet again, but stopped in her tracks. She got a flash of something, something she had forgotten…
She had tripped before.
Yukari looked up. Hitomi had stopped running and was walking over to help her up.
She remembered this too.
" You left before…" She stepped up.
"You and Amono…and me…this has happened before."
She looked past Hitomi to the track. Something's different. I remember…
Hitomi was talking, " You mean the first time, Yukari?" Yukari looked puzzled.
Yukari couldn't read Hitomi's face. She looked back to her friend.
" No, you left before that, I can't remember when. The days are strung together."
Yukari looked up at Hitomi with urgency in her eyes, a new fear mingled with her confusion.
"Hitomi, please tell me what's going on. Now."
Hitomi's face at first looked surprised, but she smiled anyway.
"I can explain later. I have to go." She sprinted away onto the track. "Hitomi!" Yukari yelled after her. "Wait!"
She could see Hitomi on the track. She was saying something to herself.
"Hitomi!"
She ran toward her, but stopped when she saw the light. It seemed like the sky itself lit up in haze of blue and a pillar came from the heavens.
"T-the Pillar of light!" Yukari screamed.
Fear was gripping her heart, a lost and hopeless fear she hadn't felt before.
Hitomi had stopped just beside the pillar, meaning that Yukari had a good shot at catching up to her.
"Hitomi!" she yelled again, but Hitomi ignored her. She was looking up into the pillar and smiling.
Something Yukari couldn't see very well was coming down the pillar toward Hitomi, but it looked familiar.
She finally caught up to Hitomi when the light started to disappear.
"H…Hitomi…why didn't you wait…" Yukari started to say through her labored breathing, but cut herself off when she saw what the pillar had brought down.
A young man was standing where the light had been, and Hitomi was hugging him.
Yukari could see the guy had on some kind of animal skin white pants and a red shirt that tied loosely in front. The guy had black hair and some rather muscular arms, and was a full head taller that Hitomi.
He was saying something that Yukari couldn't understand.
She stood there for a moment, puzzled, but that's when she heard something, like a faint voice in the back of her head. She strained to hear it, but the boy's gibberish was much louder than the voice in her head.
She concentrated hard on the voice, and it was fading…the boy's voice was getting weaker, but the other voice was getting louder.
Yukari closed her eyes and saw a blue light like before. The boy was in her mind too, but his back had turned, and the words he was saying didn't sound right.
The words in the back of her head got louder and louder until the gibberish was gone and only the understandable words remained. She opened her eyes.
"…you. It's been so long sense I've seen you, Hitomi. I never forgot about you." The boy was saying.
His gibberish was gone, and Yukari could understand what he was saying.
Hitomi was saying something too, "It was horrible, Van. I thought about you all the time. Has it really been this long?"
Yukari took a tentative step forward, trying to get the two's attention, but they were in their own little world.
She was getting annoyed with this. No one ever listened to her…they always ignored her, and now it was getting on her nerves.
"Hitomi!" She yelled, making her and the boy jump.
"Aren't you going to introduce me?"
Hitomi let go of the boy and stepped back, allowing her a good look at his face.
Yukari felt her face go red when she saw him.
The man looked about 17, and although she could tell he was young, his reddish brown eyes told a different story.
She could already tell the boy had some pretty heavy responsibility, the heaviness in them and dark circles underneath them said as much.
His youthful face had a slight tan to it, and his arms weren't wiry and thin like most of the boy's she knew, but strong and buff. He looked surprised to see her, and Yukari's brick red face didn't help matters.
God! What a hottie! Hitomi got herself someone like him? You have good taste Hitomi!
She couldn't bring herself to say anything to him, so turned to Hitomi's smiling face.
"Uh…Hitomi? Who…who is this?" She managed to say, trying to make the blood in her face circulate normally.
Her friend smiled wider, and giggled, "Van."
The boy nodded. "I am sure this is an honor to meet you…"
She blushed again, trying to say her name, but nothing came out, making Hitomi start to laugh again.
"Yukari Uchida." She answered for her, and Yukari bowed in respect to him, saying in choked words, "I…I'm sure t-the honor is mine, sir."
She returned to eye level to get a glimpse of the man's slight smile, making her cheeks turn the color of his eyes again.
"Uh… sir? I know this is rude to ask, but why…?" She turned her head down again, trailing off, but he turned to Hitomi to answer the question.
"Hitomi…There is a reason for why I'm here…" His smile left his face and Hitomi's smile and color in her cheeks left with it.
"It's not…" She took a step back, shaking her head, but the boy nodded.
Yukari was surprised by Hitomi's reaction. She was shaking, and the tiredness and sadness that shown on her face only a few hours ago returned.
The boy stepped up and whispered, "I'm sorry."
Hitomi started crying.
She leaned against him again, letting her head rest just below his shoulder and her hands went up to her chest, holding her hands together against his, and he wrapped his arms around her, letting her tears fall on his faded red fabric.
He closed his eyes, but before he did, Yukari could see the pain in them, making him look much older.
Yukari was confused again. This reaction was different from before. It was all happening to quickly for her brain to take in.
All the weirdest questions were starting to appear in her mind like "who are you? and why are you so sad...?" The sadness in their movements was weird to watch.
They were happy a second ago! What is going on? I don't understand…
She stepped up to them and asked, "What is going on? Why are you crying, Hitomi?"
She reached her hand out to comfort her crying friend in the weird boy's arms.
The boy opened his eyes, and Hitomi turned her head slightly. "I…I'll tell you, Yukari."
(Well, I hope you like this chapter! I rather liked the ending to it, and all the little plot holes in it I will answer now. How can she get to school so fast? I know in the series she lives far away! Does She have to take a train and all that other good stuff? Well, I just didn't feel like writing it. WHATEVER. I don't really care. I promise I won't manipulate her world anymore. From now on her house is far away, based on the clues from the series. Ah, and her little brother? I came up with the name. Hitsarugi is a cool name! I rather jacked it from Mitsarugi from Soul Caliber. I just like the name! I think his real name is Mamoru, but I like the name I gave him, so I'm keeping it!
I'm done. No more talking.
NOT!
More on how Yukari can understand him- She wanted to. There. Okay, she has something cool in the works. Just read to find out! I'm done.
P.s.Thank you to everyone who reviewed. Inda, Maky and Nikkler, thank you! Oh, and Nikkler sempai, thank you for the advise...I just like being lazy. Ask Diana. LoL. R&r!)