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| Author: KetaSan & PamiChan
E-mail: KetaChan@hotmail.com & Olimax44@aol.com
Beta: Mai Han Do-no
E-mail: miahoneydo@yahoo.com
Editor guy: That kid
E-mail: idontgiveoutmyemail@antisocialperson.com
An Original Escaflowne fan(tasy) fiction. We do not own anything remotely related to Escaflowne and standard disclaimers apply.
!!Warning!!
If you havent seen all of Escaflowne, Dont read this!! You will get a big shock if you do, cuz any Esca fic has LOTs of spoilers, let me tell ya. Also, we are not held accountable for broken hearts, Obsessive Drooling Disorder (ODD), or other body and mental disruptions consequence to reading this work of fiction. Dont come crying to us if you have recurring dreams about BaanSama!
::presses palms together, bows:: Welcome to your fun, exciting Happy Jappy Lesson! (and people say you dont learn anything from fan fiction. Piffle!)
Aishiteru: This is used in the opening song of Escaflowne the translation is: I will always love you!
Anata: In this context, it means lover.
Arigato: If you dont know, too damn bad.Thank you very much.
Baan: this is Van, we just like the original Jap spelling better!!****
Baka: Stupid, idiot, etc.
Bon-Tsuki Shiro: feast of the White Moon (traditionally celebrated in Fanelias Capitol City, in the beginning of April).
Hai: yes, yes sir, yes maam, yadda yadda...
Hayaku: hurry up
Heka: King
Hime: Princess, as in Millerna Hime (hint...hint...)
ImootoChan: "Little sister." This is what Yukari calls Hitomi. Not in the series or anything, but she does now.
Makai: the best way to put this is that it is Hell or a place of the spirit realm.
Nani: What?
Ossu: Hi, informal greeting.
Kuso: Shit, Dammit...you get the idea
Ryugen: Draconian ( Dragon god)
Sarabada: it's like sayin' good-bye but this is a very final way of sayin it. The best way to put it is Good-bye forever, I will not be seeing you again... so goodbye.
Titian: think tissue, but with an 'n' instead of an e at the end. By the way, this is an English word. It means red-headed. Just for those of you who might get confused, like my co-author, who insisted I put this up here because she had no idea what this word meant. BakaKeta!!
Tsubasa no Kami: if you dont know. I cant tell you!! It would give away something I want to keep a secret for a bit longer!!
Yurusunai: I will never forgive you!
Text Organization
"Happy," text in quotation marks are spoken words.
All other types of text are BWFLI (Because We Felt Like It).
"From the ends of stories, come the beginnings of legends,"
~Unknown~
"Within the legends and myths of old," the king whispered, clutching the hilt of a red-bladed dagger in his aged hand, "there is always some truth found. Advice, child, and my pity, is the best I can give you." Forlorn eyes turned from the red-haired boy that rested at his side, in a chair once reserved for his queen. "I am sorry," he looked back at the son who looked so much like his lost lover, "for the fate that will fall upon your young shoulders after this night is one you must endure alone."
Under the light of the three goddess-moons, within the castles courtyard, the Ryugen kings elderly body sat upon the blood-linked throne. At first glance, the man appeared small, withered by time; yet, when he arose to address the Draconians of Makai his presence loomed enormous above the crowd. With his immense white wings folded down behind him, he appeared as what he was in all its glorious perfection. A false God.
With a quick movement, the dragon-god stood upon the edge of the makeshift stage before the assemblage, those who had followed his father into this hellish land. He glanced from face to face, from each pair of eyes to the next, understanding what they desired: freedom, peace and hope, all things that the Draconian king could never fulfill.
His staff hit the ground once with a loud demand. "At the start of all beginnings, there is A Goddess! ... And her creation!" In the stone stronghold that was his kinds last standing, the echoes reverberated with the strength behind his words."
"Our Goddess Mother we do not recall...but the fate of all divinity is to be forgotten within the midst of lofty time. Nevertheless, we know who we are. As do we know our place in the world that formed us. We need no records to show proof of our breeding. For within our bonded blood, we hold our proof! The wings of our Mother Goddess ..."
The once flaccid, alabaster wings at his back suddenly exploded outward, sending a deluge of snowy feathers twirling into the crowd of onlookers.
His last performance had begun.
*****
Waiting on a darkening street, Uchida Yukari sat in her car. Her eyes were mezmerized by the sparkle of drifting snowflakes as they fluttered downward into the yellowish light of her cars headlights. Damn!! Where the hell is that girl? She stood, steping out of her car and slamming the door. Cold she thought as the wind blown snow hit her unprotected flesh with a stinging impact.
The small girl, bundled only in a sweater, quickly made her way across the street, snow crunching underfoot. She stopped suddenly. From her vantage point on the street below, Yukari could see up into her friends kitchen window. There, tightly enfolded in an afghan, was Kanzaki Hitomi, leaning against the glass. Her legs were drawn up to her chest and secured there by her interlocked arms. Hitomis green eyes were wide-open, glaring directly at Yukari.
"Visions...?" She questioned out loud. Gradually her angry features softened, realization finally taking effect. I hope shes ok... Yukaris ruby eyes turned away from the girl she had come to think of as a sister, down to the street she stood upon. If only I could slay her demons Yukari thought while watching strangers, mostly men, glance up from the snowy sidewalk to the window above. To them, she must have looked like any normal twenty-two-year-old girl, watching the first winter snowfall.
The demon in Hitomis dream was an angel. Yukari could remember the soft, confused voice with which Hitomi told her tale. She had sounded afraid, and a bit mystified.
"He holds his hand out to me," Hitomi told her best friend, after Yuki had wakened her from the dream early one morning. "He tells me he needs me. But all I can feel is the sadness he projects. I can feel his sadness as he feels it, but I just dont know why hes sad. I would make his pain go away if I could.."
"Maybe hes the one," Yukari suggested. "Maybe hes your soul mate, and hes calling out to ya, to tell you he needs you. Wings are a symbol of the soul, after all." She smiled at her sister. "Hes searching for you. You should be happy."
Hitomi looked down at her hands, folded in her lap. Her brows knit in confusion. Then she glanced back up at Yuki. "But...how can I be happy, when hes so sad? When all I want to do is hold him, and I cant?"
Yukari had no answer. She bit her lip, then tried to lighten the mood. "So, what did he look like? Is he a hottie??"
"I dont know," Hitomi replied, her voice softer still. "All I can see are his wings. He is haunted by shadows. Its...its almost as if hes afraid to look for me, because he might not find me. Or maybe hes afraid he will find me, and then hed be happy. But what happens if someone takes the happiness away?"
Yuki regarded her little sister, more than a bit worried about her. Falling for an imaginary guy? But what could she do? "Your modesty is quite becoming, Imooto-chan," she said lightly, though her thoughts were heavy with concern.
Yukari stared up at Hitomi as that sunny morning fled away, snowflakes and worry once more surrounded her. Gomen... She kicked snow that had accumulated on her shoes. Ill be back in the morning. With a deep sigh that created a cloud of white vapor before her lips, Yukari ran back to her car and started the engine up. "Forgive me Imootto-Chan, but I swear next time we will find a way to stop the dreams."
*****
Within Hitomis mind-eye, darkness took on form. The images were blurry, but clear enough to distinguish objects: A single street lamp with a young girls snow-covered body, broken and tattered, lying beneath its protective glow. The girl, clad in a school uniform, looked no older than sixteen, but as Hitomi moved closer, she thought otherwise.
Who are you? She knelt beside the child, brushing strands of hair from the youthful, frostbitten face.
"You forgot me!" The girl spoke. There was sudden shock of green as her eyes opened, looking directly into the depths of Hitomis soul. "You forgot me?" A sad longing could be heard in the tone of her repeated words. "Why?"
"I- I dont know..." Hitomi inched away as urgency deep within told her to run, hide from those eyes. Do anything! It yelled. Just get away! Hitomi tried to fling herself away from the girl, but too late. Slim, icy fingers had already woven themselves under her shirt collar. A horror stricken gasp escaped Hitomis lips as she realized this.
"Tell me why you forgot me... its been so lonely waiting here." The young child stroked Hitomis face with the backs of her knuckles, slowly, until the tears came. "Tell me, Hitomi. Was it because of him?" With a motherly gentleness, the girl ran her fingers through Hitomis hair.
A vivid memory of a boy with heartbreakingly sad eyes lingered in her mind. Tears threatened to spill onto her cheeks again. "Hai, Kami-Sama."
"Did you honestly think I would let it happen again?" The girl embraced Hitomi to her. "I swore, didnt I? A goddess never lies." She reached around with her free hand and placed it on the back of Hitomis head, pulling her still lower. "I know it hurts... but child, dont forget something like your heart. Your emotions are so free and clear, and when you forget how to express those feelings.... Even a goddess can die, Hitomi! Gaea depends on your love for him. Your angels love for you is the key child, he will unlock the forgotten." She released her prisoner, allowing Hitomi arm's length to look down at... herself?
Hitomi bolted back...
"Oh my God!" Hitomi shot upright, thrusting her legs from under her. Green eyes snapped open, just in time to see the stacked dishes she had kicked fall to the awaiting floor. "Kuso!"
She had been dreaming again. Or had she? All of it felt so real. The dreams, the girl... like hidden memories of a past long forgotten. Was it a dream? Or perhaps a vision? The girl had told of a promise, one that had once held great meaning, lying now only in scattered jumbles, something her mind couldn't make sense of. And for an unknown reason, she couldn't help but feel she'd been cheated out of something.
Her wish was now complete; she had forgotten her life on Gaea.
Delicate fingers stroked through her golden-brown hair. She had had dreams like this before, visions of life in another world. But this one was nothing like the others; he was not in it, her angel prince. Could he be the key that she spoke of? With an exasperated sigh, she pulled both hands to her face and massaged it clean of her stressful thoughts. "I dont understand; why cant I be normal?" Clenched hands fell limply to her sides. "Who am I that a world depend on my love?"
Hitomi blinked, allowing her eyes to refocus; and with a deep sigh, repositioned herself on the countertop, laying her head on her folded arms. This time instead of dreaming, she collected her memories as she gazed out into the misty night sky...
One after another, the angelic white flakes faded into the soil as if they had never existed in the first place. Just like the dreams of her time in another world, they too slowly faded.
"I wish I could remember...." her prayer fell upon the deaf ears of an unforgiving Goddess.
Hitomi knew she was forgetting someone, someplace; but the who and where she was unsure of now. Long ago, those things had slipped from her mind, leaving only a presence of what once was. And it crushed her to know that one day she would completely forget that as well. Yet, at the same time she knew it was for the best. At least this way, with time, she would not be able to recall the aching void of forgetting.
"Silly fantasies." She slid herself off the kitchen counter, feet hitting the floor with a light thud, and then began the trek to her makeshift bed, which she had created by the bay window the night she moved into her apartment. It brought her comfort that night and every night since. An overpowering need spoke to her: As long as you sleep under the stars, I will know where you are and Ill hold you in my dreams.
"Ahh... My dear Angel, but where are you ..." Her heart beat hard in her chest, while a cold sweat broke out all over her motionless body. A vision? Hitomis eyes went wide. NO! I dont want it! NO! GO AWAY! She wept as her knees gave, her lithe form falling to the ground. She lay unmoving, her hair strewn around her head, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. Her body wouldnt move. She couldnt fight it. The vision, like a cat, knew that its prey could not escape, and pounced on its victim, bringing forceful memories before Hitomis third eye. Once again broken memories of an hour that felt so near yet so long ago returned to her mind.
Darkness and the cold of winter surrounded her standing, form. She stood on that street again directly under the light of the lamp, and that girl... herself, bundled in a warm fur, was only an arm span away. However she was indescribably different this time. Hitomi watched in fascination.
"Where is it?" The girl stood directly under the street lamp, frantically looking for something in her jacket, her sad facial features in full view because of the yellowish artificial light.
Hitomi reached out a small hand toward the girl.
With a cry that was almost inarticulate, yet spoken as eloquently as a beloveds name on a lovers lips, the girl pulled a dirty, ragged bundle from a pocket. Her thin legs gave way at that moment, and clutching the bundle to her breast, she dropped into the snow that was waiting patiently below.
"What does she have?" Hitomi breathed to herself, taking care not to disturb the girls obviously precious moment. I wonder... She leaned over the slim shoulder of the child, watching.
With delicate hands, the girl clutched a red scrap of tattered, scorched cloth. A nasty old thing in Hitomis opinion, but an object that, without a doubt, meant a great deal to the woman-child, whose shoulder she was peering over.
The girls nimble fingers stroked down the cloth, caressing it as if it were a lovers skin, until she found and untied a white string that bound the red parcel together. She revealed, as she did, the real treasure: a single white feather that defied the darkness of night by shining brightly in her hands; almost as if it were emanating a light of its own, just to please her. "Baan" Soft whispers escaped the childs lips. "I miss you so much...but this is the way things work." She stood, releasing the feather into the shadows of night.
He was there then, standing before her, gazing into her eyes, hurt engraved upon his teenage features, as he watched her let his gift drift from her cupped hands. "I cant be with you like that!" She exclaimed watching a boys teary, confused eyes turn from her. "Im so sorry; this is the way it must be. Because... Because this...this is what I have chosen for myself! I must move on, Baan! Dont you understand? I cant bear to look at you anymore and see a love in your eyes I cant return!"
The Fanelian king gazed back at her, tears threatening to stain his boyish features. "No I dont understand." He searched her eyes, seeking the true purpose of her cruelty.
Only once before, had Hitomi seen such torment in his lovely features. It had been three years ago, before she had ever left Gaea, when Baan witnessed her betrayal of his love by giving her lips, for the first time, to another man. It pained her to see him like this, but it was much too late to turn back. There was no other choosing, no other path than the one her own fate had guided her down. She had to let him go.
"Im sorry Baan... I know it doesnt help, but I know you will find another to love one day." Her heart wailed in agony at the thought of another woman in his arms...his thoughts... his bed....
He locked his fingers around her slim wrist, suddenly angry. "Why do you lie to me, Hitomi?" He whispered, forcing her into his rough embrace, and tenderly entwining his fingers through her silken hair. Before she left him forever, he wanted to know the softness of her lips against his own for that first and only time.
She cried as he kissed her, tasting her own tears. His tongue, warm in her mouth, gently spoke words that his lips never could, laying bare the totality of his love for her.
To Baan, her touch, her smell, her taste was perfect, until reality returned and the sweetness of her mouth turned bitter, as reminiscences of the past rose in his mind, turning pleasure into pain.
This was not the first time she had tasted anothers lips against her own. He, like always, was second in her life. She had loved the Heavenly Knight before him, and later, had left the compass of his Baans to return as the loyal daughter to her family. Never once had he come before all others, and this final unfaithfulness forced him to hate her.
Pushing himself away from her lips, his mind demanded that he finish the infidelity she had begun. "Ai... Ai shiteru, Hitomi," He turned away, releasing her from the link that had once bonded their minds and bodies.
"Sarabada," Hitomi heard his voice whisper and her eyes opened in shock. Baans warmth was gone and she was left cold and alone. He had pushed her away, walked away, not looking back.... Without his strength to keep her standing, she fell to her knees in the cold wind-driven snow and cried out her sorrows to the dark sky. She never thought it would be so painful.
"Yurusunai!" she screamed collapsing into the snow, lifeless. Hitomi lifted her head after a few moments and spoke in a calm whisper. "KamiSama I want to forget now. Please let me forget!"
The air behind Hitomi shimmered, distorting the curtain of falling snow. A womans figure formed from the air. A gray cloak draped her shoulders and hair, though no snow landed on her at all. One pale hand settled gently on Hitomis crown. Hitomi didnt move, as if she didnt feel it at all. The angel form of Varie, mother to Baan Fanel, King of Fanelia, looked kindly down upon the weeping woman-child huddled cold in the snow, and her heart ached. "Your wish is granted Tsubasa No Kami. You will forget..." Then she left the way she came, tears glistening in her eyes. "Forgive me my son...? Her shadowy voice echoed, but Hitomi could not hear it.
Hitomis green eyes snapped open and wandered the room in a bewildered state. "Why am I on the floordid I fall? Funny... I dont remember falling..." She placed her fingers to her cheek and brushed cold tears from her face. "I wonder why Im crying?"
*****
"BAKAAA!" Uchida Yukari leaned against the doorframe. Her violet eyes, gazed down disapprovingly at the young girl asleep by the bay window.
So many times over the last three years had she laid witness to her beloved Hitomi sleeping like that. It had started the day she returned, from ... wherever it was that she had run off to. Yukari had never known, for Hitomi had never told her; one of the many secrets, she had a feeling, that her little sister kept from her these days.
"ImootoChan." She rolled the word over in her mouth. It sounded so funny. She had never thought herself the big sister type; yet, when she was with Hitomi, thats exactly what she felt. Theirs was a friendship too close, even for friends. What they had she couldnt exactly describe. The only word she could come up with was ... sisters.
"In fact," She mumbled to herself as she made her way through the apartment to where Hitomi was sleeping. "I couldnt see myself calling you anything else."
She sighed, leaning over the sleeping girl.
"HitomiChan...." Lovingly her fingers pushed away
the locks of light brown hair that had fallen across the girls cheek. " Hitomi-Chan"
"Hummm...." Hitomi wrinkled her nose. "Nani Yukari?" she pulled her arms up to cover her face. "Nani?"
Yukari smirked, an evil idea coming to mind "ImoooootoooChaaan. Wakey, Wakey!"
A low moan escaped through Hitomis lips "Nani Yukari? Why are you here so early? Go away...." Hitomi rolled over, forcing her friends voice from her ears.
"Early? Hito" Yukaris words were cut short as Hitomis hand fluttered in her face, trying to shoo her away.
"Go away!" Her hand dropped to the floor.
"Fine, but uh, Hitomi, what day is it?"
"Its Saturday, so what?" Her voice was muffled in the pillows.
Yukari looked down at her watch, counting the seconds, "Ichi... Ni... San..." Yukari mouthed Hitomis next words as she spoke them.
"KUUSSSSSO!! Amano-sempai!" Hitomi leapt from the mound of bedclothes and made a dash for the bathroom. "Kuso, Yukari! Why didnt you wake me earlier!"
A door slammed.
The Titian-haired girl stood against the wall, her arms crossed, listening to random crashes from the other side of the bathroom door. Same old Hitomi, she thought with an affectionate shake of her head.
"Hows Amano doing?" Hitomis voice rose above the sound of rushing water as she shampooed her hair in the shower.
"Hes doing well," Yukari yelled in reply." But he says England is too cold."
"Of course its old! Its been there for a long time!"
"Not old, cold! COLD! Its freezing."
"Sneezing? Tell him to take allergy pills."
"Baka," Yukari muttered, throwing up her hands and walking toward the kitchen window, the one she had seen Hitomi sleeping against last night. "How can she sleep on such a thing? Looks uncomfortable to me." She leaned upon the counter, then quickly pulled back when she felt something soft beneath her right hand. There, upon the dark wood lay a pure white feather, gleaming in the weak winter sunlight. She smoothed it between two fingers, thinking of the small green feather Amano had given Hitomi after a successful race, dubbing her his "Goddess of the Wind." Yukari had been burning with jealousy, but shed hidden it well. Hitomi was her best friend, after all, and she hadnt asked Amano to give her anything.
Yuki had been thinking of Amano almost constantly this past week, waiting for him to come back from England. It seemed as though the farther away he was, the more she needed him with her. She was impatient to get to the airport, and into his arms. It took all she could muster to not walk out, get in the car without Hitomi and fly to the arms of her beloved. But she gathered her will, and with little effort quelled the urge to runthat was Amanos job. She smiled down at the shining feather, thinking of the kindness of the man she had chosen. To many he seemed aloof, frozen in his position as the fastest runner, best student. Yuki knew there was nothing of that in him. He was the humblest person she knew, never begging for praise, never showing offhe just did his best, tried his hardest at everything put before him.
Bright light invaded Yukari s eyes
"She has forgotten...."
She blinked. Whos voice was that?
"As will you."
"Hitomi!" she yelled. "Did you just say something?"
Hitomi emerged still dripping from the bathroom, swallowed in a big fluffy towel. "What?" she said, running from her dresser to her closet, tossing clothing in haphazard piles as she searched for something a) clean, and b) presentable to the outside world. "No, I didnt say anything. Wheres my bra?" she muttered absently, flitting from pile to pile, pulling out drawers and all their contents. A flying shirt smacked Yukari in the face, who carefully peeled it away and dropped the garment to the floor.
Yukari plucked a gauzy scrap of lace from where it was draped over the computer monitor.
"Lookin' for this?" She held the garment up, waving it in the air. "And what were you doing at the computer, ImootoChan?" Yuki asked with a sly grin on her face. Hitomi snatched the bra away from her best friend, then straightened defensively and blushed.
"Nothing," she said. "It was...it was itchy, thats all."
"Umm-hmm. Hayaku, were going to be late."
"Hai, hai," Hitomi said over her shoulder, heading back into the bathroom with her chosen outfit.
When silence descended once more upon the room, Yukari glanced back at the feather, still in her hand. "Soon, Amano. Ill be with you again soon..."
From between her fingers the snowy object fell, slowly drifting to the floor, where it hit and then vanished...
*****
A huge whale -like commercial liner passed overhead as Hitomi and Yukari were getting out of the car. Hitomi stood and watched, struck by an intense feeling of dj vu as the planes ponderous white wings made their way up to the clouds .Giant wings in the sky, she thought. Where have I seen that before?
"What is it?" Yukis voice cut into her thoughts, forcing her to look away from the plane, away from the sky and back to the white-blanketed earth.
"Nothing, Hime."
"Ha ha, funny,"
Hitomi glanced at her friend."Whats funny?"
"Nothing. I think youre still asleep. Come on, his plane might have come in early."
"I doubt it, Yuki-chan."
"Come on; and quit being so pessimistic." She snatched Hitomis sleeve and pulled her toward the huge, mostly glass building. "Were gonna be late."
"But were early!"
Yukari glared at Hitomi as she dragged her through the sliding door. A wall of sound hit them as they stepped into the heated lobby. Voices were everywhere, people chatting with each other, on cell phones, on radios, over the intercom; people fighting with the men and women at the desks, "But I need a flight there tonight!"
Hitomi cringed at the noise level, being a person who preferred solitude over crowds. After all, isnt that why I started track? It was the only sport where I could rely on just myself.
"Young ladies," said a slow, humble voice to their left. Hitomi looked over and saw an old man with long white hair surrounding a bald, shiny pate. He wore shabby clothing and sat before a bright red mat laden with junk jewelry. A small vase of fresh-cut rose buds sat to his right. "It is beautiful outside, isnt it? Didnt think I would have any customers today, from all the snow last night. Im surprised any planes are coming in at all."
The girls blinked at the strange looking, mole-man.
"Would you care to help an old man out? I have many pretty things," He gestured over his stuff, "but nothing to quite compare to you."
Hitomi blushed. Yukari just lifted an eyebrow, whispering to her friend, "I suppose he wants us to buy something."
"Pick one, and I shall tell you its story." He waved his hand, indicating for them to be seated.
"Hitomi," Yukari warned, looking at her watch. "Were going to be late. The plane is scheduled to land in twenty minutes!"
Rolling her eyes, Hitomi knelt, leaning forward.
"Why in such a hurry, young one? Time is an old maid; she looks kindly upon those who listen to her legends."
"Umm," Hitomi said, ignoring her impatient friend and glancing politely at the assortment of trinkets laid out before the old peddler. The fake jewels sparkled with the winter sunlight, making them seem more than glass, giving them an otherworldly cast. "Im sorry, I dont-"
She stopped. There, twinkling in its own little patch of sun, was a small red pendant. She touched it, lifting it up.
"That," the man said, leaning forward, trying to snatch it from her fingers, "I cannot sell. Do forgive me. I did not mean to set it out. Please give it back...." He made another attempt to retrieve it, but Hitomi leaned back out of range.
"Tell me its tale," She demanded in a quiet voice, gazing down at the pendant in her cupped hands.
Yukari leaned over Hitomis shoulder. "That looks like something you once had."
"Does it?" Hitomi said in a soft, wistful voice.
"Hai."
The kneeling girl looked back up at the peddler. He had an almost desperate gleam in his eye; he held his hand out expectantly.
"Whats its story?" Hitomi demanded of him again.
"This story you cannot have, for it is not mine to give."
"Then whose story is it?"
"That of a child-Goddess who was born into a time in which she was needed to turn the course of colliding fates. Hers was a story of unfair destiny. Her heart belonged to the world she had created; yet, there her body could never reside. It was her divine destiny to bring peace to two worlds so they could become one; yet upon that destiny her eternal fate was sealed."
"What fate was that?" Hitomi asked, wide-eyed and completely absorbed in the tale.
The old man shook his head. "Sadly, death."
"But, a Goddess cannot die!"
"She can if she does not have love. Loneliness can destroy even the greatest of souls."
"But, why didnt she stay with him? Why didnt she go back to him?" Hitomi yelled. Then she calmed down. "Is that all there is to this story?"
The peddler shrugged. "I do not know. As I said, it is not my story, but it could be yours for fifty bucks." He held out his hand once again, wiggling his fingers. "Eh?"
Yukari grabbed Hitomi and tried to pull her to her feet. "Come on, we gotta' GO." The old man snatched her sleeve before the girl could leave with his pendant.
"Ah, but it would make me an ungracious host to let the young lady leave empty-handed." He slipped the necklace from her hand, and replaced it with a red rosebud from the jar by his foot.
"Arigato," Hitomi replied as Yukari hauled her away.
*****
His feathers settled like snow upon the heads of his subjects. "She swore to us," he said in an agonized cry, "that one day she would return to fulfill destiny, hers and our own! We have loyally waited in this desolate place for millennia! Soon, my people! Our child-Mother shall return, and restore us to our rightful place!" The crowd erupted in a loud cheer, the women wailing and sobbing, reaching their hands to the sky in supplication and joy.
The king gestured for silence. "A new Golden Age shall come with the rebirth of the Mother. But sadly I shall not rule this Age, for the prophecies say it is the destiny of the Angel Princeour Angel Prince!to get the Goddess with child, and rule at her side." He turned to his red haired son, his face beaming with pride. The boy stood rigidly, his mouth set and his blue eyes determined.
"Are you ready, my son?" the king asked.
The boy nodded. The old man drew a jeweled dagger from the sheath at his side. The metal of the blade had a deep red hue, as if blood from its past kills were fresh upon it. Grasping the hilt with his right hand, he laid the blade along the knuckles of his left, and presented it to his son.
Bowing deeply before his father, the boy reverently took the dagger. He spun then to face the crowd. "The blood of my fathers beats within this blade. Our great king shall be exalted among them! "He turned to face the old man he knew he would one day become and clasped a hand on the bony shoulder, whispering into his ear, "Forgive me, Father."
The king placed his hand over his sons. "There is nothing to forgive. It is destiny that leads us to this place, and destiny that takes us from it. I accepted this long ago, on the day I accepted the blade in your hand. Send me to my Goddess, for our time is past, but yours lies yet upon the road."
The boy embraced his father. Warm blood spilled out on his hands, staining them with the burden of rule.
"Make Atlantis great, my King," the old man said, then died in his sons arms.
"I swear it to you."
Then, the new man raised the blade toward the sky, where three moons hung, one beneath the other: the Mystic Moon, Shiro and Gaea. Each was fat and round; it was almost time to signal the Goddess.
*****
"I thought you were supposed to be a Goddess of Wind! Stop lagging!" Yukari pulled Hitomi through the scattered throngs of people waiting, either for their flight or the return of a loved one. "That could be his plane!" she yelled, watching a huge liner touch down on the runway outside.
"Thats what you said about the last five!"
"But Ive got a feeling about this one!"
"Thats what you said about the last three..."Hitomi sighed, pulling her sleeve out of Yukis grip and stopping to catch her breath. She bent over and clutched her knees, drawing in deep breaths. "Yukari! Its not like hell leave without us!"
"Im making sure, thats all," the girl called back, still running, more racing toward the gate. Yukari clutched the thorn-less rose in her hand, the one given to Hitomi by the old peddler. Hitomi had no use for it, she thought. And at least Ill have something to give Amano when he gets off the plane.
Straightening, Hitomi started after her, but stopped when she saw her best friend fall into the arms of her lover. She watched them for a few moments, then turned away, blushing. Yukari really had missed Amano.
She sighed and leaned against one of the tall windows that looked out onto the runway. I wish I had someone like Amano. A lovers arms to fall into at the end of a long trip...Even for a second...
Her eyes wandered until she found her friends reflection in a window. They were in a deep embrace, looking unlikely to surface any time soon. She felt blood rising to her cheeks again, and looked away for a brief second, then she turned back. Yukari and Amano were gone; two others were in their place. A tall man, with long blonde hair and odd-looking clothes embraced a smiling, similarly dressed young woman with long gold ringlets. Hitomis eyes widened. "What the hell?" She glanced over at where she had last seen Amano and Yukari. They were still there.
Yuki raised her hand and waved at her friend. Hitomi shifted her gaze to Amano, and noticed something different. His dark blonde hair had grown longer, down to his shoulders. That must have been it, she thought. It was just his hair.
"Amano-sempai!" Hitomi called, running over to join them. She threw her arms around her old track team captains neck. Yukari glared at her friend; Hitomi just winked.
*****
Yuumi Hikari knelt before her king, head bowed and fist to her heart. "Heka, its time." Detached gray eyes glared downward at the dirty floor.
For six Moonturns she had stood loyally at her kings side, sickeningly so, never faltering. She had not even allowed the hardships of life, war and the death of her younger brother to affect her dedication. Dutifully blinded eyes were what sealed such a fate. Her life, freedom; everything gone! All for the simple reason: her king asked. Such a choice was inevitable though. She knew from the moment his eyes gazed upon her glossy black hair and eye-catching features, he wanted her; all he need do was ask and she would forget her entire life for her king... no country.
Goddess she hated him! For asking something he knew he would get, and understanding that she would never refuse her king. Though in the end it had been her choice, she supposed; that guided her to him, this fate... maybe not the right one, but her own nonetheless.
His footsteps echoed past her. "I know..."
Unfortunate, in a way, She thought. How blood can confine one so indefinitely to fate. I could have been something more, but my fathers knighthood makes me only this. I could have been free but my blood makes me His.
"Hikari...." He stopped.
"Kuroi?" her body straightened and turned to face him.
Eyes locked. Cracked sapphire met warm gray and she turned away, face flushed.
His eyes always appeared to be longing ... gazing for something, long lost to his heart. Something fate and royal lineage would never let him have. HER!
"I..." He walked to Hikari, placing his hand on her shoulder, blue eyes turning downward. "I...thank you...for everything."
"Kuroi!" Fingers clutched his wrist. "You need not do this!" Gray eyes looked upward and held his soft gaze. "Are we not fine on our own? What if she refuses to help us?"
"She must!" The king wrenched his arm free of the small encircling fingers.
"Kuroi! She will not love you just because you demand it of her..."
"Enough!" His hand flung upward, stopping her words.
"Even a king cant force a womans love!"
"I am not one to repeat myself Hikari." Hardened sapphires gazed directly at her.
Hikaris eyes fell to the floor. "Forgive me... Heka... I meant no disrespect..." She felt a hand under her chin pull her fallen face upward.
"Hush..." Kuroi placed his thumb on her lips to quiet her. "Those words do not suit you well." He stood looking into her eyes for a moment, then with great reluctance, his hand slipped from her face, and he forced himself to walk away from all that she willingly offered. Forgive my coward ness.
She stood firm, watching the red haired beauty turn from her and quickly disappear down the hall. He had made his choice. No shock after all, he was his fathers son and would never escape his destiny.
Such a pity, his choice would determine all their fates.
*****
Tenshi Kuroi, King of Makai, Angel Prince of the Ryugen prophecies, raised the sword over his head, pointing straight toward the three moons grouped together in the deep indigo sky. A white-robed priest held a tall, dark staff in place before his King. Kuroi lowered the blade slowly, and kissed the flat of it, murmuring a prayer that it be sharp and true. He swung it in a strong, steady arc, and gripped the edge with his other hand, down at the hilt. With an angry cry, he wrenched it down, out of his grip. His own blood flung from the tip.
The young King presented his bleeding palm to the throng gathered to witness the summoning of the Goddess. There was silence. With ceremony and grace, the young soldier, Hikari, presented a large red jewel, glinting with the light of the three moons, to Kuroi. He took it carefully with his uncut hand, and held it under the other. A stream of blood oozed from his hand onto the drag energist. For you, Tsubasa no Kami
A light, clear tone, like that of a small bell, sounded out over the crowd. A pulsating glow began deep inside the heart of the red jewel, beating in time with the heart of the King. The pounding filled the ears of all those assembled.
"With this, I call upon Her!" He placed the energist, sticky with his own blood, into its setting at the head of the laefa-wood staff and raised it to the sky.
The legend began....
*****
"Yukari is happy again; Amano has been back for almost half a year. She was really depressed when he was in England. She would mope around my apartment, and many times I thought she was going to say, 'Amano! Amano!' But Yuki isnt like that. She probably wanted to, but she never complained."
Hitomi sat back on her heels, a bouquet held negligently in one hand. "Were you ever in love Grandmother?"
There was no answer, only the constant chirrup of the ever-present cicadas. No breath of wind touched the cemetery, and Hitomi was sweating in her white tank top and knee-length skirt, but she took no notice. "I suppose its too late to ask you now. Happy Birthday," she said, placing the fragrant blossoms gently before the large stone that bore her Grandmothers name. She bowed before the stone, hearing familiar voices behind her. Yukari ...Amano-Sempai....
For you goddess...A newborn wind whispered.
Hitomi slowly lifted her head, her spine straightening till she was sitting up again. Her eyes were still closed as she thought of her grandmother, and lonely tears slipped from under her eyelids, trailing their way down her cheeks. I hope your spirit is happy, Grandmother.
Hitomis eyes slowly slid open, and she gazed at the stone that was her Grandmothers only physical memorial, the last tie to her past. The characters etched into the stone were beautiful in an austere way, no embellishments to take away from the natural perfection of them.
Her eyes were drawn to the lower right corner. Something out of place caught her attention, and she looked down. Three characters were there, very small, but extremely detailed with tiny lotus blossoms and vines anda blooming rose? She peered closer. It was a strange-looking stone, and she couldnt quite tell what it was. A crystal? She tried to read what the characters said ... "Tsubasa no"
"Hitomi!" Yukaris voice broke her concentration, and she jerked upright. Hitomi twisted her body around, putting a hand down into the grass to support herself. Yuki and Amano were walking towards her, hand in hand. Yukari was laughing at something Amano had just said; when she saw Hitomi looking, she waved.
Hitomi watched their approach with sad eyes, but she smiled anyway. Something inside of her was angry with the happy couple. Perhaps it was that she was so sad, or maybe that she really wanted to be alone today. She didnt know what it was.
"Ossu!" she said half-heartedly.
"Hi," Amano responded.
"We came to wish your Grandmother a happy birthday," Yukari said, still smiling.
"Arigato. Im sure she appreciates it."
Yuki regarded her friend, trying to keep the smile on her face, but it was slipping. "Whats wrong?"
Hitomi shook her head, rising to her feet and brushing dirt and grass from her knees.
"Just...memories."
Yukari slipped her hand from Amanos and hugged her friend. "Dont worry. Shes in a happier place. "
"I know She held on tight. ..."
Hush fell over the cemetery.
Wind, born from the nothingness of time dipped into the graveyard, stirring the bamboo shoots that clung to the life giving ground. A soft otherworldly chant became the rustlings that slid from between the tree leaves.
"Ahhh .. " Yukari lifted her head from Hitomis shoulder. "That feels so good." She closed her eyes and allowed the soft breeze to blow the days heat from her face. "It might just start cooling off. Oh, wouldnt that be great if it rained! Think of it Hitomi!" She felt the girl stiffen in her arms. "Hitomi?! Hitomi? "
"I am the Mother!" Hitomi answered the question, which seemed to be asked by whispering leaves that the breeze brushed past.
"What!" Yukari pushed the girl to arms length, allowing herself the distance she needed to look at the younger girls face. "Hitomi?!" Her heart pounded at what she saw: Hitomis face was still of all emotion and her eyes were an empty, unreal blue, sharp like the deep sea. Her mouth moved in rhythm with the foreign chant that the wind forced into her ears. Yukari seize her friends face. "Hitomi! Hitomi! Wake up!" Blood pounded in her veins. "ImootoChan Please!"
Blue eyes looked directly at Yukari. "He needs me..." she mouthed.
Yukaris eyes widened with shock. "Oh god Hitomi!" She clutched Hitomi with strength she never knew she had.
A bright column of light invaded the peace of the cemetery, momentarily blinding those in the park who looked at it.
"Yukari!!!" A distant voice yelled. It belonged to someone important to her, but she just couldnt recall whom.
"Yukari! Yukari!" Amano fell to his knees, his arms outstretched, as a blue light surrounded and snatched his beloved from the earth, Hitomi still held tightly in her arms.
"Yukari!"
Amanos right hand opened; a small, shining circle of gold slipping from his palm to the ground.
"YUKARI!!!"
*****
Nothingness and light merged, time slowed to dead stillness. A rhythmic pounding echoed around her; it shocked Hitomi to realize it was her own heartbeat. There was no air in this place, but since there was no time, she felt she could live lifetimes between breaths.
Goddess a voice called.
Goddess...
Something soft brushed past her cheek. Open your eyes
Her blue eyes opened. He stood before her, a hand extended in request and his wings behind him blowing in the wind, the angel from her dream. Goddess... I need you. She heard his voice for the first time, soft, warm and filled with sadness.
She wondered, with lazy thoughts, did you call me to this place? A deep sadness welled within her, along with the need to help the man from her dream. If only I could be your goddess, she thought.
Hitomi, she heard, and looked down. Yukaris arms were wrapped around her. Warmth and realization flooded within her. Yukis crystalline Ruby eyes flickered up to meet wide green ones. I cant breathe, Hitomi.
We need to get out of here, Hitomi thought. But suspended in the balance of time, she couldnt move, couldnt even tell up from down. I dont know how... her thoughts whispered.
Hitomi, I need youa voice, so familiar and yet so alien, like something she had once heard in a dream, surrounded them. Please! Please! Come back to me. It slowly faded from her ears like the last memory of a fleeting lovers wish.
Suddenly, the weightlessness was gone. She could feel the heart of the earth pulling at her. Her mind objected but her body obeyed.
She fell.
The need to scream rose in her throat as ripping pain seared through her back, invading her lungs. But there was no air in this strange place. I cant breathe! She gasped for the life-giving substance that would bring relief to her pain, but none came. Only icy stinging entered her body. Oh God... were going to die...
All thoughts ran from her mind when her eyes rolled back into her head and a vision invaded... Darkness
A bright flash....
The ground opened up beneath her feet, and suddenly she was falling. A strange, cat-like face looked down upon her from the edge of the cliff. She clenched her eyes shut, feeling the tear of the wind through her clothes and hair. Whats it like to die? She wondered. Does it hurt? I wonder what the last thing I remember will be....
Hitomi forced her eyes open. The sky. It was peaceful above her. So blue. Endless soft blue, like the eyes of the heavenly knight, her angel; the same man in her visions, the one who caught her when she fell. She closed her eyes tight. He was gone! She had left him and now she was doomed to die. There was no one to save her. No lovely winged knight.
The wind pulled the formless tears from her eyes. I would rather die...
"Hitomi!!"
She looked skyward. Something ... someone called her name. He was there, her angel, the one from the visions. No, not the heavenly knight, but her angel. And he was coming down to rescue her.
He reached out his hand, and their fingers touched.
"Hitomi youre safe..."
She looked up into his sad red eyes.
Intense pain in her back crashed through her thoughts, bringing her back to reality. Finally, there was air to breathe, but she was too surprised to scream.
The ground lay under her feet, and someone warm clutched her.
"Hitomi?"
Her green eyes flung open, meeting Yukaris. She imagined her own were equally as frightened. They both looked up, watching the light that had brought them to this strange place dissipate. When it was gone, the only illumination came from three moons shining brightly in the midnight sky. How are we getting home?
"Kami!" A voice interrupted her thoughts.
Both girls jerked their heads around toward the sound that had ripped through the silent night. There was a red-haired man standing not ten feet away, holding a tall staff with a bright red jewel set on its crown. Is he the one from my dreams? As he strode purposely toward them, Hitomi noticed large moon-gilt white wings emerging from behind his shoulders. She glanced away, her eyes wide, only to be confronted with a whole throng of white-winged angels, staring anxiously at her. Their eyes were alive with frantic wonder and a certain mad longing. Is this the world that depends on my love?
Shes beautiful, Kuroi thought. Our Goddess, finally. Finally we are free. His eyes swept over her features as he approached, taking in her arched, silvery wings, soft shoulder-length Brownish hair, expressive green eyes and upturned nose. As his gaze traveled lower, he noticed there was another creature with her, a pathetic wingless girl clinging to his Goddess' divine robes. Rage filled him.
"Defilement!" he roared, grabbing the foul daemon by her thick, red hair and tossing her away from his precious deity.
"Yukariiii!" Hitomi screamed, throwing her hand out.
He lunged forward at that moment, grabbing her arm, smearing sticky blood all over her skin. She tried to yank her hand out of his grip, for somehow Hitomi knew she had to get away from this man or he would steal something from her that was only hers to give.
"No!"
He yelled something to the crowd that she couldnt quite make out.
The assembled angels erupted in a mighty acclaim as wings extended to the sky, sending up a cascade of feathers.
"Let me go!" She cried, trying to pull away from him. Her wrist, wet with his blood, just slid back and forth in his grip.
He lifted her arm, crying out, "Tsubasa no Kami! Tsubasa no Kami!" As the mantra spread through the crowd, Kuroi released her arm. Hitomi scrambled backward, holding her arm away from herself, sickened by the sight of him on her.
Piercing blue eyes tracked her movement. Confusion and anger suffused Kuroi, and he took a single step toward the retreating woman, holding out his hands before him. "Do you fear me, Goddess?" He watched as her terror-filled eyes flicked to his hands, then back to his face. He looked down; he had forgotten about his sliced palm. It was entirely coated with bright red blood.
Kuroi recoiled at the sight of his own blood. He dared soil the Goddess with such defilement?
What did it matter, though? There would be much more of him in her and on her later that night. He took a deliberate step toward her, snaking out an arm and catching the small of her back, forcing her to him. His hands slithered upwards between her wings, leaving a red trail up the back of her torn white shirt.
His goddess quickly put her hands up, pushing against his chest as his head descended. Kurois wings suddenly enfolded them, cutting out the light and muffling voices. He laid his forehead on hers. "Is it them? If you are afraid, we can go elsewhere. They are only here to witness our holy union, but I have the power to make them leave, if you wish."
Hitomi parted her lips in protest, but suddenly gasped as his tongue entered her mouth. She tried to pull back, but one of his hands quickly moved from her back to hold her head still. After he pulled away, she could still taste him, and her gorge rose in her throat. "Anata," he said, not noticing anything was amiss. "Ai-shiteru."
"No," she whispered, horror filling her eyes. I dont want this! She thought frantically. He cant be my angel? Please! Please! No! Then the angel pressed his hips into her stomach; what she felt there frightened her.
"Ive waited for you for so long," he whispered, burying his face in her neck, running his tongue over her heated flesh.
"NO!!" she cried, turning her head away, the only thing she had control of.
"Anata?" he said, raising his head to search her eyes.
"Stop it!" Hitomi heard Yukari yell. "Youre hurting her!" Something knocked into them. Yukari? She thought, as his weight suddenly fell into her, pushing them down, her wings sprawling on the ground beneath her
He landed on top of her, bracing himself with palms pressed to the floor on either side of her shoulders. His wings pushed underneath her, once again ensuring their privacy.
"Kami," he breathed into her ear, running his hand up her skirt. "Open for me."
Something built inside of her, pushing away the fear. It was something she didnt understand and couldnt explain, but it filled her to the exclusion of everything else. A primal urging, years of longing poured into a single word.
"BAAAAAAN!!!"
She plunged one of her hands up through the feathers of his wings, forcing him to wince. Another small hand grabbed hers. Light descended from the heavens, encompassing the goddess, the wingless girl, and the Ryugen.
A silver feather fluttered to the wooden stage beside Hikaris feet, the only proof that Kurois goddess ever existed.
Stunned silence hung over the gathered. Their Goddess had forsaken them once again, and this time shed taken their king as well. Hikari stood frozen, her eyes unbelieving.
"Shit!" she muttered, as a keening wail rose above the crowd, soon so powerful, she had to clap her hands to her ears. She alone had to think of a way to save their fool-hearted king, even though she wanted more than anything to run beyond the gates of the castle and to the freedom she sought.
Forcing her feet to move, Hikari pushed past the empty-headed dignitaries and made her way into the palace stables. It would be a long night and an even longer travel to the Goddess Gate, where Kuroi would be waiting, fuming because of his Goddesss betrayal.
******
Kuroi was trapped, floating, unmoving in an un-aging endless expanse of nothingness. He knew exactly where he was but couldnt understand why his Anita would take him to the Goddess Gates and then leave him trapped between the two doors. He knew for sure that only the Goddess could open Makais door and then pass onto Gaea. But why did she go? Unfinished business? Surly his goddess could have brought him, if for nothing more than protection; the world of Gaea was a dangerous land.
Blue eyes closed. It mattered not, he would wait here, as she wished, until called upon. His goddess could care for herself.
******
A clap of thunder caused Hitomis eyes to hastily open, her vision blurry...two moons hung brightly in the sky.
"Where am I?" She whispered into the surrounding darkness of the forest as a light rain began misting the ground.
* * * *
At dawn she stood among the ancient trees, red eyes wandering ... hunting for something, someone. That girl was here! But where? Her brow crushed into a scowl Damn... words stopped mid-thought, for out of the corner of her eyes, she had seen it. Something moved, the ground stirred. Her target? Old eyes focused upon the object, and child-like lips parted into an unnatural smile. The ageless young woman bent, kissing the palm of her hand and, with lips that blew a loving kiss, released a breath of majic.
Alive. Fallen leaves took flight from the forest floor, meandering through existence. Without purpose, they tumbled till they found her...A Ryugen, still as if untouched by life. Her face lay hidden within the protective fold of her arms. The clothes on her body were torn and blood soaked where her silver wings lay resting, folded over her exposed back for the entire world to see.
"Ryugen! Be Hidden!" Whispered the ageless womans words off the winds of dawn.
Now with a purpose, the leaves drifted over the angels sleeping form, chanting the beginnings of a timeless spell from memory. They were putting their life majic into her... giving her a chance to exist without being feared. From sight, until needed, their spell would hide her wings, something the people of this land feared so greatly. With their task completed and majic gone, they fell to Hitomis wingless back, again lifeless. The fabric of her tank top was once more unbroken and pristine.
Warmth of day flickered over Hitomis body and a soft wind blew through her dirty blond hair, bringing a message with it "I have given you a chance at life again, Goddess...use it correctly this time...you have caused great pain to those of my blood...you must now heal the wounds of my mortal son."
Hitomi was forced awake by the grinding of wheels over packed and rutted earth. Harness bells mingled with the pounding rhythm of heavy hooves striking the ground. Above all was the babble of voices, a comfortable sound in this unfamiliar place. "That storm last night almost kept us from getting here, ya know?"
"Aye. Heard it destroyed lots of crops, too." The snap of a whip and the cluck of a tongue, urging the horses onward.
Hitomi opened her eyes and found herself surrounded by ancient trees, pillared indefinitely to the clouds above. She pushed herself to her feet, brushing away leaves that clung to her skirt and hair.
"Hey! Hey! Theres another one! Could it be the girls friend?" She spun around, trying to find the source of the voice. "Hold!" said the second, gruffer voice. The pounding of the hooves stopped.
The crackle of brush behind her caused Hitomi to turn, and there stood an impossibility. It looked like a man, but he had strange wolfish features, and hair entirely covered his face and head. When he raised a handpaw?it, too, was furry, and there were claws in the place of fingernails.
She gave a short scream and scrambled backward. Her heel caught a rock, and her bum made a sudden acquaintance with the ground.
The wolf-man doubled over, suddenly howling as if in pain. Hitomi could only stare from her low vantage point. Is he hurt? she thought. Should Ihelp him? Then he lifted his face, wiping tears on his sleeve. Taking deep breaths of air he tried to regain his composure. Her lips pursed and her brows drew together. Hes laughing at me! I cant believe this!
She scrambled to her feet, putting her hands to her hips and leaning towards him angrily. "You find this funny?!" she demanded.
He brushed away another tear with a clawed finger. "Quite so!"
"Here I am," she ranted, "lost, in the middle of wherever the hell this is"-she threw up her hands to indicate the surrounding trees-"Ive lost my friend, I have no money, and some red-haired jerk tried to rape me, and YOU!" she took a step toward him, shaking a finger at his black nose, "YOU have the indecency to laugh at me!! All I want"
The wolf-man held up his hands in surrender. "Ok! Im sorry! Would you like to come with us? Were headed to the City for the Festival."
Hitomi stopped her finger still in his face. "Wha-?"
"Come," he said, grabbing her upraised hand. "Weve already had a run-in with your friend today. Id rather not get another slap in the face."
"H..Hai.."
*****
Arms flung around Hitomis neck as she was helped atop the wagon.
"Thank God youre alright." Came a muffled voice, belonging to a red headed girl whose face was buried in Hitomis hair.
"Im fine," Hitomi ran her fingers through her friends hair in a comforting gesture. "Im fine, Yuki. Im fine."
After much hugging and sobbing, the two girls finally settled down and asked the two wolf-men about the Festival. The older one with more gray in his fur concentrated on controlling the horse-like creatures, which were called gazetties, and basically ignored the two new passengers. The younger one, Akai-san, after looking suspiciously at them, indulged their curiosity.
"The Feast of the White Moon begins on the first day of Shiro, and lasts two whole weeks. This is when the White Moon comes in front of the larger, Mystic Moon. Its a tradition that all countries gather in Fanelia to celebrate this. Since the City was destroyed five years ago, we havent been able to honor the celebration. But now that Baan-Heka has almost completed the restoration, he has declared that the tradition will be continued."
A little furry head popped up from under AikaSans arm. "BaanSamas a jerk!"
"Murasaki!" Aika pushed the little girls head back behind him. "You shouldnt speak of your king that way."
"But, Papa! Its true." She pushed her way back in front of him and onto his lap. "Mama even said so. She also said he was amphh!" Aika had clapped his hand over her mouth.
"Dont listen to her. Just a childoww! Murasaki!" He nursed his bitten hand while his daughter went on with all the bad things the king had done.
"He wont marry any of the princesses, and he even sent his girlfriend back to the Mystic Moon! Mama says hes...." she giggled, "...different."
"Whats the Mystic Moon?" Hitomi asked. Aikas eyebrows went up. Then he pointed to the sky.
"Look up."
They did. The Earth clung to the sky above them. Its small, pale satellite was almost perfectly round. It would only be a few more hours till it was entirely visible in front of the larger planet.
"Were never getting home," Yukari muttered throwing her head into her awaiting hands.
"Youre from the Mystic Moon?" Murasaki said, her lavender eyes widening. "Are you the kings girlfriend?" she looked straight at Yukari.
"Murasaki!" Aika warned. "You must be more polite." He shrugged his shoulders. "Little girls, heh heh."
*****
Cradled between two rising peaks, a city rose before them, bathed in the golden light of the evening sun.
"The City," the older wolf-man announced. A cluster of buildings stood tall in the distance, while smaller dwellings spread outward from the center toward the limestone gates. Those closer to the gates were mere skeletons, homes under construction. Above it all, backed by the apex of the joining valley walls, a huge tree stood, its crown glowing gold and red in the light from the setting sun. "Fanelia."
"It almost looks like its on fire," Hitomi whispered. "and so lonely..."
"Why would you say that?" Yukari turned to her friend.
"I dont know," Hitomi put her hand to her forehead. "Thats just what I...see..."
*****
"Yuki-chan!" Murasaki said, grabbing Yukaris sleeve and pulling her towards the open gates of the Fanelian city. "I want to show you the Capital City! Its so purty at night!"
"Wait, Murasaki !We must ask your papa first."
"He wont care! I always do this. Lets go! Maybe well see your boyfriend, Baan-sama..."
"Murasaki," Yukari said with an exasperated sigh. "Hes not my boyfriend."
The little critter just giggled and kept walking, occasionally skipping, wanting to go faster. Her tail swished behind her. "Hayaku, Hayaku, Hayaku. Were going to see BaanSama," the little wolfling sang.
"I thought you didnt like Baan..."
Murasaki stopped, putting a finger to her lips in thought. "Well...hes ok. Hes just ....Different ." She giggled, then tugged on Yukis sleeve. "Come on!!"
Yukari shook her head in defeat, an affectionate smile on her face as she turned to find her friend. "Hitomi! Well be back later."
"Hai!!" Hitomi called, waving.
Aika chuckled at his daughters antics. "Shes taken a liking to your friend, little lady. Dont worry, Murasaki knows her way around Fanelia. We come here to trade quite often...," he crossed his arms and leaned back against the wagon, his profile etched in the light from the two moons. "Ah, I remember the first time she went off on her own. Lady Meruru brought her back, covered in dirt and crying her eyes out. She was calling, "Papa, Papa! "I didnt know whether to spank her or hug her." A smile curved his lupine lips. "Ah, the pangs of fatherhood."
"She seems...energetic," Hitomi said, digging for a word that would not offend the younglings father.
Aika let out another of his howling laughs.
"Understatement, little lady. Sheer understatement." His black eyes twinkled with merriment in the moonlight. All around them, wagons were being unloaded and campsites struck. There was talking and laughter, a good-natured buzz of voices, people from all different countries, races, and backgrounds gathered for one common purpose: to celebrate the beauty of the White Moon with two weeks of selling, hocking, bartering, trading, eating, drinking and pleasuring. The atmosphere was one of anticipation.
"Well," Aika declared, looking around, "I suppose we should get set up for the night. We need to pitch the tents and lock down the wagon. Then we take our places around the bonfire."
"Bonfire?" Hitomi asked, trying to sound interested.
"Aye," Aika responded, pulling the rolled up tents from the back of the wagon and placing them on the ground. "Theres always a merry tale or two to be told the night before the start of Bon-Tsuki Shiro. Tradition, you see. "He winked at her, then unrolled the tents and set about pitching them.
Hitomi looked up at the sky, toward her Mystic Moon, the home that was so unreachable, so infinitely far away. The stars seemed much nearer and there appeared to be many more. I wonder if theyre the same ones we have at home?
A homesick sigh escaped her lips, and all she could think to be grateful for was not being alone. At least Yukis with me.
"Where did Grolfe go? I havent seen him since we arrived."
Aika was draping thick-woven, waterproofed cloth over the poles. "Probably to find a mead barrel to swim in. The only thing that keeps that old wolf going is the promise of liquid joy at the end of the journey."
A smile broke out across Hitomis face. She stared at the Earth, hanging in the sky, thinking of her mother and father, her annoying younger brother. But she shook her head, pushing away the memories. It was too painful right now to think of home. Or...what had happened since she left it. She could still feel his touch on her skin, could still taste him in her mouth. "I feel dirty," she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself. Then she looked down, at the shirt he had soiled with his touch, the skirt hed pushed up around her hips. She wanted them off.
She spun on Aika, but found she couldnt meet his eyes. "Is there ... anywhere I can bathe?"
Aika looked up from lashing the fabric to a pole, and took in the sight of the young traveler. The thin girl stood before him, arms wrapped around her chest, as if trying to cover some sort of shame, and her head bowed with the weight of some unknown crime. His heart nearly broke as it filled with fatherly concern.
"Yes," he answered gently, remembering an earlier comment... 'and some red-haired jerk tried to rape me!' "There is a spring," he said, pointing to the north. "In the woods. A trail leads up the hill, hard to miss it. Dont worry about being bothered. No one will be up there this time of night. Theyre all too busy...ah...indulging in liquid joy." He watched her nod and began to walk off, holding her arms close to her. "Ahh...Little Lady!" She turned, the moonlight glinting off her hair. He was struck by her lonely silhouette, and remembered the story of the Ryugen Goddess, destined to be alone until she found her true love. He forgot for a moment what he had called her back for. "Do you need clean garments? I have plenty in the wagon. After all, I do have two daughters. And a wife. Im sure theres something that will fit."
She bowed slightly, and approached the wagon again. Aika left off the tent pitching for a moment to dig up something that would suit her. "Arigato," she whispered sadly, then walked off again.
He watched till she disappeared into the wood. "May the Healing Spring give you what your soul longs for," he murmured.
*****
Hitomi hid in the shadows of the bamboo trees, back towards the waterfalls, her unclothed body trembling from residual dishonor. Agonizingly she turned from her leafy protectors and slowly approached the water barefoot. Only a white scrap of cloth that her shaking fingers pulled tight enclosed her womanly figure. Rushing water muted her footsteps as she treaded into the light, which peeked through the opening of the bamboo canopy.
A halo became visible around the girls head as moonlight fell upon her small form, reflected at the waters edge. With an odd fascination, Hitomi bent to the water, reaching a hand for the girl who looked up at her. "Why?" A tear rolled down the glass reflections face. "Tell me why?" Hitomi thrust her hand at the girl, and shattered the watery reflection as she did so. The liquid rippled away the visage. It feels like everything is disappearing.
With a tired sigh she fell to her back, letting her eyes wander up towards her legendary home. It hung high, proudly illuminating the landscape of Gaea, while the smaller white moon held onto the larger mystic earth as if it were a frightened child. So ironic. It had only been several days ago that she had wished to escape the boredom that was her life; now that she had done so, all she wanted to do was return to the familiarity that she once had. Eyelids closed and Hitomi drifted into a light asleep. The first since she had been on Gaea.
Unknown to her, Yukari stood just within the shadows of the trees, watching her. "Hitomi..." Her eyes opened wide in shock. Never before had she seen her friend look so alone. For the first time, as Hitomi lay beneath the stars of this foreign land, Yukari saw beyond the energetic faade that had always been her mask, hiding her loneliness. Im sorry. I cant fight even the real daemons.
The wind whispered sadly through the bamboo, speaking to Yukari in a language that she almost understood. She sighed as her friend stirred within the moonlit glen.
Hitomis body turned, hand clutching the cloth around her as the wind whispered into her ear memories of the past, things long forgotten. "Baan..." Her voice carried upon the breeze.
"Hummm? Baan... Baan!? Damn!" A smile once more returned to her face. "I wonder could he be your angel?" She emerged from the shadows of the rustly-voiced bamboozles. "Hitomi." She poked the girl on the nose repeatedly.
"What!!" Hitomi swatted at her hand. "Go away!" Her head shot up suddenly and her hands grasped the towel around her body. "What the Hell!"
****
Silhouettes of dancers were backed by the violent glow of the huge bonfire as the music of drums and the bittersweet songs of the stringed instruments breathed life into the once-dead city. Many heads were thrown back in the enjoyment of liquid fire. The sounds of laughter and conversation mingled with the roar of the flames, creating an atmosphere of comfort and camaraderie.
The roaring heat of the bonfire slapped the two girls in the face. They sat among the other voyagers on the split-log benches set in a huge circle around the fire. The light cast every face into sharp relief, giving the gathered travelers the illusion of a ghostly assembly.
"Baan," Aika said, a mug of ale in one hand and a steaming meat pie in the other. "For six years, he has ruled the land of Fanelia, for the most part peacefully. But the first day of his rule, the day the girl from the Mystic Moon was found, the City was destroyed."
"By what?" another listener piped up.
Aika took a long pull from his mug. "Invisible melefs. They,"
"They burned it," Hitomi murmured as Aika said it.
"Baan Heka, instead of evacuating with the rest of the city, awakened the guardian of Fanelia. Escaflowne, an ancient guymelef of Yspano origin, its history is shrouded in mystery, but the legends say it was once a beautiful she-dragon whose heart was won by the first king of Fanelia. With her help, the first Fanelian king forged the nation out of many city-states scattered across the countryside. After many years, the dragon could feel her body dying, and so stole away to Yspano to have her soul preserved in the construct of a guymelef, that she would always be able to defend the country of her beloved. Escaflowne was given to the king as a present from the Yspano nation to seal a contract of peace.
"Baan, his gentle heart unwilling to accept the responsibility of his heritage, nevertheless completed the dragon trial of which his brother before him failed. He brought back a sacred energist, and called upon the spirit of the dragon to fulfill her ancient promise.
"At the side of Fanelia, many nations fought to preserve the peace of Gaea against the tyranny of our northern nemesis, Zaibach. Even a Lady from a faraway land-"
"The girl from the Mystic Moon?" someone in the crowd shouted. Aika raised his mug to the small boy, acknowledging him.
"Aye, from the Mystic Moon. She joined Baans army-"
"Ha! She probably joined him in more than that!" a drunken voice roared out. Aika ignored the comment.
"-And helped destroy the threat of Emperor Dornkirk, ruler of Zaibach." He took another healthy swig of the thick ale.
"Is this the girl Murasaki spoke of earlier today?" Yukari asked, holding the sleeping wolfling in her lap.
"Aye, the same," Aika responded, covering a burp.
"Why were there no monuments to her in the City? There were lots of other statues of heroes in the Great War, but none of her. Why?"
Aika chuckled. "Tis true. Our king has a strange heart, as I said earlier. The statues, like the City, belong to the people. But her, she belonged only to Baan."
"And so he sent her away?" Yukari asked unbelievingly. "That doesnt make sense."
"She chose to leave," Hitomi spoke.
"What makes you think that?" Yukari said. Wherever I found love, thats where Id stay.
"Because if I were her, I would have wanted to go home, too."
Peering out from the curtain of her hair, Hitomi saw a man standing off to the side; his large, dark eyes gazing sadly at Aikas gentle face. His statement entranced her, made her long to hold him. But she simply stared, etching his face in her memory. To her regret, he pulled up the hood of his cloak, hiding his features, and walked away.
Murasaki, suddenly awake, poked her ears up and struggled to sit up in Yukaris lap.
A babble of voices interrupted Aikas continuation of the story, and all heads turned to see a large group of women dressed in their finest moving across the wagon-dotted field.
"Whats all that about?" Yukari asked.
"Those are all the princesses," Murasaki replied matter-of-factly.
Aika laughed. "You can always tell where the king is...hes surrounded by a cloud of silks and perfumes. Poor Heka..." The wolf man shook his head, a small smile on his lupine face.
*****
Hitomi stared at the falling water, at the pale morning sky reflected in the still waters of the pools edge. A mist rose to obscure the upper tier of the falls. Chill morning air caused her to shiver in her nakedness. Im getting in this time, she asserted. I smell like gazettie-shit mixed with charcoal. Tentatively, she tested the water with her toes; little ringlets spreading out from her foot as if running away. At least the waters warmer than the air.
Droplets splashed onto the grass as she quickly dove into the crystalline pool. When glanced at from above she looked like a water sprite gliding beneath the surface, hair trailing in waves along her back. A misty rain slung outward as she finally surfaced for air. Steam rose from her skin, as she stood waist-deep in the center of the pool.
Hitomis green eyes opened and looked down into the clear water, watching a small school of sapphire-scaled fishies play around her ankles. Moving one foot slowly, she forced the fish to dart away. A breeze licked along the surface of the pool, causing her to lower herself neck deep till it passed.
Tilting her head back, she looked up into the pastel morning sky. The fog had since drifted away from the second tier of the falls, and something moving there caught her eye. A shock of dark hair topping a well-tanned form stood beneath the pounding waters above her. He stood, head lowered, letting the warm water flow through his hair and down his body. Then the man raised tanned hands to his face and combed long fingers through short black hair, throwing his head back as he did so.
Thats the man, Hitomi thought. Hes the one from last night. She began edging her way slowly to the side of the pool, where her new clothing and a drying cloth awaited. Water poured from her body as she pulled herself up on a flat boulder at the side of the pool; the stone felt warm as she rose to her feet. Hitomi knew she should dress herself and go, but without knowing why, her eyes were drawn to him again. There was no word in her mind to describe him except beautiful.
He turned his back to her, and this time she resolved to leave. But a strange sound escaped his throat, and she spun to face him. To Hitomi it was a sound of...release.
The muscles of his back rippled, his arms stretched outward with palms turned up to the sky, and his head fell back. Something emerged from his back, reaching up towards the rising sun, then split in two and stretched out to the sides.
Wings, Hitomis eyes went wide, her feet faltering as she stepped backward, trying to escape the memories...memories of...They flooded her mind, the demon- angels hands grabbing at her, his tongue invading her, all of him trying to steal something that was intrinsically hers.
A scream filled the air, shocking herself and the man in the falls. It was her own. She watched in horror as he spun, and felt his eyes lock on her. His mouth moved in a single word, repeated over and over. Finally he screamed it, diving from the rock ledge, gliding down on wings of dove gray. She never heard what he said; her mind blocked out all reason. Her only instinct was to run, to escape the sight of the winged man.
Hitomi scampered to her feet, snatching her clothing from the ground and throwing her towel around her. She would never forget the image her one last glance showed heran angel, glistening wet in the rising sun, standing with his arms spread to her in supplication, his body asking her...why?...
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