Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Eternal Love ❯ Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )

Title: Escaflowne: Love Eternal

Author: Mary Ann (Suboshi_yui@yahoo.com)

Rating: PG-13 now, possibly NC-17

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne. This is for entertainment purposes only. Don't sue.

Warnings: angst, possible lemon later

Archive: Sure. Just tell me where.

Summary: One month after Hitomi returns to Earth, Van is dying. Can Hitomi save him? And what is wrong with Celena? Has the horrors of her experience finally driven her mad?

Timeline: One month after series end.

Chapter One

Celena Schezar stared at herself in the mirror. A hairbrush sat on her lap, her eyes riveted to the face before her. It had only been a month since she had been freed from her…

She didn't know what to call it. Servitude? No…She hadn't really been a slave. Her body had done everything that it was told willingly. More than willingly in fact.

Shuddering, she turned away from the mirror. Her reflection was too much like his. Her…what? Counterpart? Dark side?

Soulmate?

She shied away from the last. Ever since she had been returned to her brother, she had begun to think of him. Her other self. The one that had caused so much pain to so many. She didn't know what to think. He was evil. There had been no doubt of that. But had that been from his true self or from what the scientists of the Zaibach Empire had done to him?

Sighing, she stood from her dresser and laid herself out on her bed. The soft silky sheets were comforting. She closed her eyes, her short blonde hair tickling her ears. After some reflection, she had to admit they were alike. They were unique when looked at separately. But when viewed side by side, they weren't all that different.

Celena was short in height. She came no taller than 5'3". Her form was willowy and fragile. Short blonde hair came barely to her neck, while her expressive blue eyes stared back sadly at everything around her.

Her counterpart was far different, yet the same. Dilandau had been the same height as her, his frame slim and willowy as well. His hair, where hers was blonde, his was a stark white. Red orbs viewed everything around him with callousness and hatred. Blood, death and destruction were what he lived off of. When his group, the Dragonslayers, destroyed Fanelia, he had been in his element.

Now Fanelia was slowly getting back on its feet. Its king, Van Fanel, had thrown himself into the restoration of his country wholeheartedly. None but his closest of friends could see the mourning and heartache that reached his very soul.

Celena felt sorry for him. He tried. He really did. But she could see the hatred in his face every time she was around. He did not hate her. No, she was the sister of one of his closest friends. He hated the creature that still resided within her.

For she could feel Dilandau inside her. His mind caressed hers at every opportunity, waiting for a chance to take over. She didn't begrudge him that. She knew how horrible it was, watching, never being able to act or experience life.

She felt sorry for him. Despite all the horrors and crimes he had committed, she wished she could help him somehow. He was a part of her.

She shivered, wrapping her blankets around her. If anyone ever found out how she felt, they'd put her away for certain.

For who could possibly be in their right mind for loving Dilandau Albatou.

* * *

Twilight descended upon the small country of Fanelia. Its inhabitants were slowly rebuilding their tattered lives. The smoldering hulk that had been Fanelia's capital city was slowly coming back to life. Construction crews worked around the clock to assure the people had places to live.

After much heartache and destruction, peace had finally come. The people slept in their new homes, safe and without fear. There seemed to be no pain, all except for one.

That one now stood before the shrine to his father in the forest. The present King stared at the monument, tears cascading down his face. The savior of their country, the huge Guymelef Escaflowne, stood to the right, appearing as if it was guarding his father's resting-place.

Van Fanel stood on the same place he had only a month ago, when his very heart had returned to its ancestral home. The sweet girl from the Mystic Moon, Hitomi Kanzaki, had returned to her home that day. And with her went his heart, his very soul. He did not think he could love anyone as deeply as he did her.

For that was the problem he faced. His advisors had come to him. They wanted him to marry. He had fought them off, saying he had too much to do right now to worry about that. But he knew they were right. His people needed a Queen. They were constantly fearful that something would happen to him and leave them without a ruler.

They deserved better. But he could never bring himself to even attempt to court another. No one could hold his heart like Hitomi. They had fought together. He had risked everything to save her from Dornkirk, emperor of the Zaibach Empire. Nothing seemed to matter to him but her.

"Hitomi…" He bowed his head, his unruly brown hair falling in his eyes. He fell to his knees, clutching the only thing he had left of her. Her pendant, the one her grandmother had given her so long ago. It held a piece of Atlantis within it, granting Hitomi increased psychic powers. From the moment she had given it to him, he had treasured it.

But it did not work for him. He had tried, countless times, to use it to come to her. Talk to her even. Anything! But nothing seemed to work. He couldn't get the vision out of his head. How he had traveled across time and space on Escaflowne, just to return to her. He wanted that again, more than anything.

A sob fell from his lips and he lay on the grass, his head pillowed upon his arm as he finally allowed the tears to fall. His whole body, mental and physical, was exhausted. He wanted nothing more than to sleep. The heartache of losing the woman he loved, coupled with the stress of rebuilding his country, was too much for the young King. Tears still fell down his cheeks, as he fell into a fitful sleep.

Above him, Escaflowne stood silent. It continued to guard the shrine, along with its master. It felt the young King's pain and wept with him. Their souls were still linked, just as their souls were joined with the young Seer from the Mystic Moon.

For a moment, a bright pink flash emitted from the crystal atop Escaflowne's shoulder. The drag-energist that had lived within that crystal had been taken out a month ago. All that time, the Guymelef had stood silently. Now, it moved slowly. Bending down, it brushed a metallic finger on its master's forehead. After a moment, it moved back into place, the pink aura disappearing as quickly as it had come.

Merle bounded down the newly constructed streets. She had a worried frown on her face, her tail wagging in the breeze as she ran towards the forest. She ignored any that hailed her. Only one thought invaded her young mind.

Van.

He had been so preoccupied since Hitomi went back to the Mystic Moon. Not for the first time did she curse the girl who had come and stolen her Van-sama's heart. She was young, more a kitten than a cat really. Since her own family had died, Van was the only family she had left.

He was more than a big brother to her. Ever since she could remember, she'd had a huge crush on him. When Hitomi had come, she had instantly hated the girl. Her sweetness and fragility had captured her friend's heart in the instant of their meeting.

What she was really jealous of though, was the fact that Hitomi had willingly left. Despite knowing how much she loved Van, she had gone back to her home. Merle wasn't sure she could forgive Hitomi for hurting her Van-sama like that.

Bounding through the forest, she came to a stop, her heart constricting painfully.

Before her was the Fanel family shrine. Escaflowne stood to one side, ever vigilant. But in the center of the glade, the young King of Fanelia lay, asleep. As she slowly approached, she could still see the fresh tears that stained his face. Mewing softly, she sat next to him and brushed his hair softly. He was slowly dying inside and there was nothing she could do to save him.

'Hitomi…you have to come back. He can't live without you much longer…' She gazed up into the sky, visible through the branches of the trees surrounding them. In the distance, the Mystic Moon hung in the sky, blue and graceful. A blue aura seemed to shimmer and surround it, and then vanished as Merle watched.

* * *

It was quiet in the Kanzaki household. It was nine o'clock on a Saturday night and Hitomi was bored.

Her parents were in the living room, watching television. They had asked if she wanted to join them, but she had declined. Her little brother was over at his friend's house, so she was left to her own devices. Lying on her bed, the lights off, she stared through the window of her room, watching the sky. The stars were bright, showing off their splendor.

Raising her hand, she traced a constellation with her hand, wondering if that was where he was. Abruptly shaking her head, she turned her gaze from the window. It did no good for her to think of Van or Gaea; they were gone from her life.

After returning to her home, she had been exceedingly happy for the first week. She spent as much time with her parents, brother and best friend as possible. It was funny; she had to reassure Yukari that she wasn't interested in Amano any more. She wished them happiness.

Happiness that she longed for herself. All she could think of anymore was Van. The way his eyes shown with love as he gazed at her. Turning, she punched her pillow viciously. They couldn't be together. She had a life here. He had a life there. His people took precedence over his heart.

Moaning softly to herself, she closed her eyes.

That was her first mistake. Like her grandmother, she was a psychic. A lost descendant of the land of Atlantis. Her mind showed her things that no one else ever saw.

And what she saw terrified her.

Before her was a stone sarcophagus. On the side was etched in marble the ancient writing of Atlantis. The cover was off, and she could smell flowers. Roses. She looked around, but found she was alone. This place seemed familiar to her.

Then she remembered. It was the shrine that Van had taken her to when he had called upon Escaflowne. Biting her lip, she slowly approached the sarcophagus. Just as she reached it, she heard a sound. Turning her head to the right, she was astonished to see Merle.

The young cat girl was hunched upon herself, rocking slowly. She looked up, pain and sorrow on her face. Her lips mouthed silently.

"It's your fault…"

Turning her head back, Hitomi looked inside the sarcophagus.

She screamed.

Inside, lying serenely was Van. His eyes were closed and his face held the pallor of death.

Hitomi woke, her mouth opened in a silent scream. He couldn't die. What she had seen wasn't a vision, but a very bad dream. That was all.

But even she couldn't convince herself completely of it. Scrambling from her bed, she wrote a quick note on the notepad on her desk. Picking up her tarot cards, she clutched them to her chest. Raising her hand to the sky, she closed her eyes and prayed. 'Return me to him, please. So I can prevent this.'

A blue column of light appeared, surrounding her. In a flash of light, Hitomi was carried through the column back to her true home.

Gaea.