From:
Date: Tue Nov 21, 2000 8:22pm
Subject: For the Sake of Hope - Chapter 1
Hi Everyone
*takes a deep breath* My name is Megitsune, and this is my first
time posting to this list. Though this isn't my first fanfic, this
is
my very first Escaflowne fanfiction, so any comments you might have
would be greatly welcome.
Megitsune
http://megitsune.tripod.com
----------------------
For the Sake of Hope
Chapter 1: Kindred Spirits
November 21, 2000
"The Vision of Escaflowne" and its characters do not belong to me and
standard disclaimers apply."
----------------------
A brunette in her mid-twenties stepped onto the crowded track field,
shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight as she examined the many
high school students clad in running shorts and tank tops. The
weather was not only hot, but also extremely muggy, and she continued
to fan herself with her hands while she carefully searched the
bustling field. Suddenly her eyes settled upon a young woman with
bobbed sandy hair and bright green eyes standing beside the track
holding a stopwatch.
"Hitomi!" the woman called, waving her hands excitedly to catch her
friend's attention. A delighted grin slowly drifted across Hitomi's
face before finally reaching her jade-colored eyes as the stopwatch
fell from her hands to dangle around her neck.
"Yukari!" exclaimed Hitomi in greeting to her best friend. "What
brings you out here?"
Yukari put her hands on her hips and shot Hitomi a mock-angry glare.
"Why didn't you tell me you agreed to become the temporary track
coach? I suppose I still wouldn't know if Amano hadn't told me about
it!"
Hitomi smiled sheepishly at her friend's indignation. "It was pretty
sudden. I didn't know myself until about five days ago.
Kobayashi-san broke an ankle last week and they were having trouble
finding a replacement on such short notice, so he suggested me for
the job. I had already taken a three-week vacation from work, and I
couldn't refuse the opportunity."
Yukari sighed before giving Hitomi an exasperated grin. "Alright,
since you have a good excuse, I'll have to let this one slide.
Anyway, I left the office early this afternoon so I could catch your
first competition. How are the girls doing today?"
Hitomi shrugged her slim shoulders. "They've been working very hard,
but the competition is definitely going to be a tough one. Still, I
think they'll pull through. We have a couple of new runners and they
look promising."
The two women's attention turned back to the track where a young girl
stood warming up and doing stretches. Though a good distance away,
Yukari immediately noticed the shiny dark hair pulled into two neat
braids and bright green eyes that marked the girl's features. As she
surreptitiously watched the teenager bend over to stretch out her
legs, Yukari's face lit up with a nostalgic smile.
"Who's that, Hitomi?"
"That's Miyazaki Akemi. She's a first year high school student and
one of the best runners on the team."
A thoughtful expression crossed Yukari's face as she continued to
look the young girl over. "She reminds me of you back then, Hitomi.
Good determination and intense concentration, the marks of a real
winner."
"You should know, Yukari. You were our manager for three years." A
faraway look suddenly descended upon Hitomi's green eyes without
warning, the emerald depths glazing over as faded images made their
way to the surface of her mind with disturbing clarity. A distant
land filled with mystery, old friends, and most importantly, a
fifteen-year old boy with dark hair, serious brown eyes, and the most
beautiful wings she'd ever seen. Ten years had passed, but the
memories still remained crystal clear. Clear, but nevertheless
unreachable.
"Hitomi!" Yukari waved an energetic hand in her friend's face, trying
to get her attention. Green eyes snapped to awareness as Hitomi
focused a startled gaze on her friend.
"Are you okay?" questioned Yukari with concern. Though this wasn't
the first time Yukari had witnessed her friend spacing out in the
middle of a conversation, but nevertheless it still worried her.
Hitomi flashed a bright smile and gave a reassuring nod.
"Of course! I'm going to have a talk with the girls before the
competition starts. Why don't you grab a seat on the bleachers and
I'll join you when the first race begins?"
Hitomi grinned, waving cheerfully before blowing a whistle and
motioning the runners over. They gathered around in a tight circle
and Yukari looked on as Hitomi gave her team final words of
encouragement. With an emphatic nod Hitomi uttered one last "good
luck" before making her way back to the bleachers and taking a seat
in the front row next to her friend.
The rest of the team gathered around the start line, giving Miyazaki
Akemi a few encouraging grins and pats on the shoulder before moving
further down the field to watch her run the first 100-meter race.
Akemi bent to retie her shoelaces one last time before settling her
feet against the blocks and kneeling down. With a silent prayer she
closed her eyes for a few seconds and waited for the signal.
"Ready�set�go!" The sound of a pistol cracked in the air and
the
runners shot forward amidst the wild cheers of the crowd. Oblivious
to the screams and shouts of her classmates, Akemi quickly took the
lead, her eyes focusing on nothing but the finish line ahead of her.
Without warning, the track field and the finish line began to fade
together in a mosaic of colors as Akemi's vision blurred.
After a moment of disorientation, Akemi found that she was no longer
in the middle of a track field, but standing in the midst of an
ancient city. White marble buildings stood in ruins around her and
grass poked through the cracks of what once must have been a
well-constructed road. The air was filled with an eerie silence,
causing the young girl to shiver as she cautiously stepped forward.
Suddenly a shadow fell over the abandoned city, and Akemi looked up
just in time to see a creature flying across the sky above her.
"A white dragon," she thought to herself. "How beautiful�"
It was her last thought before blackness engulfed her.
-----------------
*gulps* Hope that wasn't too horrible =P Feel free to send any of
your comments my way!