From: [email protected] Date: Thu Dec 14, 2000 12:16pm Subject: For the Sake of Hope - Chapter 1 Hi Everyone! First off, I would like to thank everyone who commented on the first part of my fanfic, For the Sake of Hope. *bows in gratitude* I would have replied sooner, however I was busy with final exams and papers. But now that fall semester has come to an end, I should have more time to work on this fic as well as comment on some of the other wonderful stories I've read on this mailing list. And for those of you who were wondering, this fic is probably going to still focus a lot on Hitomi despite Akemi's big role ^_^ And another thing, I happened to change the first part to the "Prologue" so the part down below is the real Chapter 1. If you happened to miss the first part and would like to read it, you can go to my site at http://megitsune.tripod.com/fanfic.html Other than that, I wish you all a Happy Christmas and wonderful New Year! Megitsune ************************ For the Sake of Hope Chapter 1: The Journey Begins December 14, 2000 The characters of Vision of Escaflowne do not belong to me and standard disclaimers apply. ************************ Chapter 1: The Journey Begins The fog grew thicker, impairing Hitomi's senses. Reaching out with her hands, she grabbed vainly at something, anything that would lessen the feeling of emptiness that threatened to consume her. Floating aimlessly, she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to focus, relying on the rusty prophetic instincts that she hadn't used in almost a decade. Without warning the fog parted, and Hitomi found herself staring in wonder at her surroundings. Tapestries of all colors hung on the dark, heavy stone walls of the room. The moon's brightness filtered in through the large windows, its light illuminating what appeared to be a private chamber of sorts. Hitomi blinked her eyes in confusion. Where was she? A soft scratching sound suddenly drew her attention to the far corner of the room where a figure sat behind a large oak table littered with documents and scrolls. The dark-haired man twirled a feather quill in his hands absently before continuing to scrawl more words on the parchment before him. The impatient gesture was oddly familiar, but Hitomi couldn't quite remember what exactly it was that triggered her memory. She frowned in confusion before a bright twinkle on the cluttered desk caught her eye. Edging closer to the strange man, she crept forward and found herself staring in fascination at the shiny object before understanding finally dawned. It was a pendant, identical to the one she had given Van so long ago� At that moment, the man looked up wearily from his paperwork and Hitomi found herself staring into a familiar pair of reddish-brown eyes. "Van!" she cried out in surprise, but the man in front of her seemed not to hear. Shoving a strand of dark hair away from his face in a careless gesture, he merely sighed before resuming his work, much to the shock of the woman in front of him. And then the moment was lost, for the fog once again clouded Hitomi's mind, sending her back into oblivion. ----------------- Hitomi sat up in her chair with a jolt, trying to catch her breath as she took in great gulps of air. Was it just a dream? Or a vision? Disoriented, she quickly scanned her surroundings and belatedly realized that she had fallen asleep in the high school's medical room. Akemi lay quietly on the bed, the sheets rising and falling in a rhythm that coincided with her gentle breathing. With a quiet sigh, Hitomi moved to stand up when something suddenly slipped off her lap, catching her attention. Reaching forward instinctively, she grasped the small object in a shaky hand, its furry softness a welcome comfort after a disturbing dream. It was a feather�a white feather which could only mean one thing. Gaea was calling to her once again. Years had passed since the last time she had successfully established a connection with Van or anyone else in Fanelia. It had been so easy at first, and communicating with Van had proved as simple as breathing. Their thoughts just seemed to find each other despite the distance between them, their minds forming a strange but wondrous bond. But time was more powerful than either expected, and as the years passed Hitomi felt the connection between her and Van gradually grow weaker. By the time she had graduated from university, the bond had been severed completely, and no matter how hard she tried, Hitomi was finally forced to accept the fact that she would never see or hear from Van again. That was, until her dream a few moments ago� "Sensei?" The thin, weary voice drew Hitomi's attention and she turned towards the sound. Akemi was sitting up in bed, her bright green eyes blinking rapidly as she looked around in a daze. "Where am I?" Forcing a bright smile, Hitomi picked up the chair she had been dozing in and moved it closer to the side of the bed. "You fainted during the race this afternoon, so we thought it would be better to have the school's doctor take a look at you. She says that it was probably the heat, so you should be fine after some rest." Akemi merely nodded in answer, confusion written all over her expressive face. Slowly, a wry smile appeared, and she looked up at her coach sheepishly. "I've never fainted before, sensei." Hitomi grinned back, finding the girl's good humor to be infectious. "That's good to hear. The school office has tried calling your parents, but it seems that nobody's home." "Oh, that's no surprise. They left for Hong Kong a week ago because of business, and they probably won't be back until the end of the month." Hitomi raised a questioning eyebrow. "Then who are you staying with, Akemi?" The girl shrugged nonchalantly and leaned back against the pillows to get more comfortable. "My older brother," she replied, rolling her eyes. "He'll be graduating from college this year, but he's been really busy because of a thesis he needs to write. Can you imagine spending all your time in the library doing research?" Hitomi smiled, shaking her head. "Well, since your parents aren't home and your brother is probably busy, would you like a ride home? I don't think you should be doing too much walking in your condition." "That would be great! Thanks so much, sensei!" "It's not a problem. Now why don't you go gather your things from the locker room and I'll meet you out front as soon as you're done?" Hitomi stood up, and Akemi's eyes widened as she noticed the white object Hitomi held in her hands. "What's that, sensei?" asked Akemi curiously. "This?" asked Hitomi in shock, holding up the soft feather in the air for Akemi to take a closer look. "It's just a feather I happened to pick up." Hitomi's eyes grew sharp as she examined Akemi, who now held the feather in her palm. Except her, nobody else had ever been able to see the feathers that would sometimes appear out of nowhere, not even Amano-senpai or Yukari. Akemi looked up with an impish grin. "You know what? This reminds me of something I saw while running in the race this afternoon." A cold shiver ran down Hitomi's spine as the implication of Akemi's words began to sink in. "What did you see?" she asked softly, trying hard to conceal her worry. "You'll think I'm crazy." "No I won't," answered Hitomi, her calm fa�ade completely at odds with the nervous pounding of her heart. Akemi handed the feather back to Hitomi with a sigh and crossed her arms across her chest as if to ward off a chill. "Well, for as long as I can remember, I've had dreams about a distant land�it's full of green fields and old, ruined buildings. Sort of like the ancient Greek ruins, if you know what I mean." Akemi's words began to tumble out with increasing speed as she rushed on nervously. "I know it's not natural to keep having recurring dreams. My parents have always said it's my imagination working overtime, but somehow I don't quite believe that. And this afternoon while running, I had the same vision, but this time I saw a flying dragon in the sky. And that's the last thing I remember before waking up here." Hitomi's face grew thoughtful as she closed her eyes without saying a word. "Sensei, I've never mentioned my dreams to anyone outside my family. You don't think I'm going crazy do you?" Akemi looked up at Hitomi worriedly as the woman continued gazed at her in astonishment. "No, I don't think you're losing your mind," she murmured softly. Akemi looked on with fascination as Hitomi reached for her own athletic bag and began rummaging through it. A moment later, she held a pack of cards in her hand. Though it had been years since the tarot deck had seen any use, Hitomi had never been able to break her habit of carrying them around everywhere. "What are those?" asked Akemi in a hushed voice, her green eyes wide with curiosity as she leaned in for a closer look. "Tarot cards," replied Hitomi as she began to shuffle. "They tell your future, Akemi." The young girl watched with interest as Hitomi randomly pulled a single card from the deck. With a deep breath, she turned it over and looked down at the bright picture splashed on the card's surface. "Il fusco, the dragon," she murmured under her breath. "The beginning of another journey." "What�?" asked Akemi in confusion, but her words trailed off as both of them were suddenly surrounded by an intense blue light. "Sensei!" shrieked Akemi in fear as she looked around wildly, wondering what was happening. She felt a hand grip hers, but the light was so bright that Akemi was forced to squeeze her own eyes shut. "It's okay, Akemi!" called out Hitomi as she tightened her hold on the girl's hand. Seconds later, the light was gone, leaving behind an empty room and no sign of either Akemi or Hitomi. A deafening stillness remained, the silence broken only by the rhythmic ticking of the clock hanging on the wall. -------------------- Notes - 1. I wasn't sure what the word for track coach is in Japanese, so I just decided to have Akemi call Hitomi "sensei" which is a title for teacher. 2. senpai - used to refer to an upper classman 3. Umm...Even though I read tarot cards myself, I'm not quite familiar with Hitomi's particular deck of cards, so I didn't bother having her do a reading of a full spread. Hope that wasn't too confusing! As always, comments, criticism, and even flames will be welcome with open arms. If it sucks, don't be afraid to tell me! I'm a big girl, I can take it ^_^ Till next time, take care everyone.