Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Paths of Destiny ❯ Beginnings of Cycles ( Chapter 1 )

Heavy sunlight shone over the school grounds. A slight breeze ruffled through Hitomi's hair as she sped down the pathways towards the athletics ground, half-heartedly fumbling with her sneakers as she went. Having had the whole morning to mull over the previous night's events instead of paying attention to her teachers, she revelled in the opportunity to release herself through her running.

Hitomi had changed little over the past six months. She was still the same auburn-haired, slightly skinny sixteen year old she had been when she was first transported to the mysterious parallel universe known as Gaea. She still contemplated how she had even first reached Gaea when, on that fateful occasion, the mysterious boy she came to know and love as Van Fanel first killed the dragon he had been sent to slay as a rite of succession to the throne of Fanelia, a country later ravaged by the effects of the fiendish machinations of the Zaibach Empire.

Hitomi had mentioned nothing to anyone of her pivotal role in the victory of the small band of rebels she had called friends in the struggle against the Empire's plots to thrust Gaea into a world of manipulated destiny. She frowned thoughtfully as she raced up to Yukari, her best friend, who seemed to have forgotten the day that Hitomi had vanished into the sky - not once, but twice when Hitomi returned to the past in a moment of desperation. Yukari's recently acquired boyfriend Amano seemed oblivious to the situation as well - indeed, oblivious to almost everything EXCEPT Yukari. Hitomi giggled slightly as she remembered her one time crush on the athletics captain, who had moved back to Japan after his parents divorced suddenly to continue his studies and athletic training.

"Let me guess, day-dreaming again?" inquired Yukari, folding her arms in mock anger at her former rival for Amano's affections.

A slight flash of sadness crossed Hitomi's eyes for a moment, but this went unnoticed by Yukari, who continued a tirade against Hitomi's ineffectual timekeeping as the athlete fumbled with her shoelaces.

"This reflects badly on me too, you know! As your official best friend, I should be making sure you perform to your optimum condition! I've gone along with your crazy schemes enough times recently - what with that long jump fixation you had, and all that cross country running, and you even tried doing some WORK for once! Hitomi, are you even listening to me? Hello?"

Hitomi stood up and gave a beaming smile. "Of course, Yukari! Wish me luck!" she shouted, as she ran off to get started on her race.

"Hitomi! Wait! I haven't finished..." called Yukari after her.

Amano walked over from the stands and draped his arm around Yukari's shoulders. "That girl is so strange" he mused quietly, hugging Yukari gently, "She's all happy one moment, and broody the next."

"PMT?" suggested Yukari mischievously, at which Amano went bright red.

"Ready?"

Hitomi set her feet on the starting blocks.

"Set?"

She tensed, ready to spring forth. The thrill of running had never left her, yet now she could never forget the moment when she had run this same race and collided with such an unpredictable destiny. Every time she raced, she prayed that she would make it through untouched, that she wouldn't be reminded of Van.

"GO!"

Hitomi shot off from the blocks, pelting down the track. She could barely hear the encouragement of Yukari and Amano as she sped past, the breeze whipping past her.

"Just a little further..." she thought to herself. The memory of Van was as strong as ever, she could see him turning quizzically, dressed in armour, laden with weapons to destroy an unearthly beast... and she collided with a tree.

As Hitomi raced headlong into the trunk, Yukari and Amano raced over to check how she was.

"What did you do that for, you stupid oaf?" admonished Yukari, while Amano bent his head over Hitomi.

"Apart from a few bruises, I guess she'll be fine!" he announced laconically, and walked off.

Hitomi quickly dusted herself down, cursing herself privately for not looking where she was going. As she limped off to get changed back into her school uniform, she heard someone shout from behind her.

"Kanzaki! Hitomi Kanzaki? Wait up!"

Hitomi turned round to see a boy of around her age running towards her. Asano Takeuchi had recently transferred schools as he moved into the district. He had quickly gained a reputation for being elusive, as his average height and build cut an unassuming figure. He kept his black hair short, and dressed just neatly enough to avoid reprimand without taking due care of himself. Hitomi had hardly ever spoken to him before except when apologising for bumping into each other, and was certainly not close friends with him.

Asano came to a halt, breathing rapidly. "Sorry to bother you," he said in quick bursts of air, "but I've got a favour to ask you."

Hitomi looked puzzled. "Okay then, what do you want me to do?"

"Oh, sorry about the tree - hope it didn't hurt much. Anyway, I was wondering... could you... give me a hand with some English?"

Hitomi was vaguely flattered. Asano's only distinction was his gift at languages, and although Hitomi reckoned she was pretty good at foreign languages (her forays into reading Atlantean text seemed to have helped her somewhat), she could barely keep up with Asano's streams of chatter with their teacher in classes. "Are you sure I can help?" she asked quizzically.

"I hope so! Sorry to be so forthright and everything, but I've got my notepad on me right now!" said Asano cheerily, producing a small pad of paper and a pencil from inside his jacket pocket.

Hitomi momentarily felt a pang of guilt. She wanted to help - sure, having her ego pandered to was good - but she wasn't sure if Van would have approved. Her vision of the previous night was still fresh in her mind, and Hitomi was unsure as to where it would lead. But self-confidence eventually won out, and she accompanied Asano over to the benches. Yukari and Amano looked over in vague bemusement, coupled with some VERY strange looks from Yukari (who had noticed Hitomi's reticence to talk to many people recently except Yukari and Amano, since she had given up the tarot readings that her less close friends had often pestered her for).

"Okay, where do we start?" Hitomi asked, sitting down gingerly.

"Umm... okay.... well..." Asano mumbled, embarrassed by the situation. "I've got to write a letter to a friend in England..."

As Asano began to explain the situation, toying nervously with a ring on his finger, Hitomi stopped listening. A strange chord seemed to sound on the air, almost inaudibly. Hitomi turned towards the sound, but seeing nothing she returned her focus to Asano's letter.

"Sorry, I switched off for a moment there, why are you writing again?" she asked.

Asano lifted his head from the pad of paper slowly. "Did you hear that noise too?" he asked.

Hitomi was taken aback slightly. "What noise?" she stammered. "I didn't hear anything."

"You didn't hear some sort of... I don't know, something resonating all around you slightly then dying away?"

"No, of course not. You've got to be imagining things." Hitomi lied through her teeth.

The chord sounded slightly again, then grew louder. The strange synthesised noise became clearly audible, but as Hitomi looked around in panic she could see that no-one around her was reacting in the slightest to it.

The chord abruptly ended, to be replaced by the serenely beautiful song of the previous night, its haunting melody playing across the air. The small breeze that had been blowing past seemed to pick up slightly, rustling the trees and scattering fallen flower blossoms. A strange blue glow seemed to suffuse the air around Hitomi.

Asano began looking around him in a wild frenzy, his jaw working as if he was trying to speak. Finally, he shouted out "What's happening!".

Yukari and Amano turned to see Hitomi and Asano bathed in a blueish sheen of shimmering light that rippled in the sunshine. Hitomi stood up from the benches and pelted away from Asano quickly, screaming "No! I can't go back! I promised!"

"Hitomi!" Yukari cried out, and began to run after her friend, hotly pursued by Amano with Asano shouting "Who's singing?" in blind confusion after them.

Hitomi looked around her as she ran. The blue light intensified around her, and she felt herself being lifted into the air with each step. Eventually, the blue light became unbearably intense, washing over Hitomi completely as she was lifted away into the sky to the place she thought she would never see again - Gaia.

"Have you done as I asked?"

"Yes, master."

"I sense….complications in your statement."

"They are extraneous details. You need not concern yourself with them, my lord."

"I shall deal with such complexities in MY way. Do not forget that. I do assume these were accidental?"

"I would not act against your desires, master."

"These shall make little difference anyway. Nothing can redirect the motion of destiny I shall implement. And the Wing Goddess shall be mine."