Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Ayashi no Kijutsu ❯ one: the secret of atlantis ( Chapter 1 )

- Amichan - kurisutarusakura@hotmail.com - http://www.geocities.com/thecrazyfangirl/ -

Notes and copyright information are at the end.

This chapter is dedicated to the late Jonathon. Love you forever.

the night falls
and the stars fade
as the epic begins
and the story is told

of how the two worlds
shall come together
one, undivided
forever in peace

of the two fated ones
with faith and courage
friends and allies
and their destinies

This is a story that tells of the history of what came to pass between the time of the Great War on Gaea (also known as the time of the C-Project, to those on Earth) and the beginning of the Union, which brought lasting peace to the two planets that were involved, and will, in the future, play an imperative role in the lives of Draconians, Tennyos, and Mankind.

It all came to pass because of the exceptionally strong faith, will, and destinies of two individuals, who, with their friends, allies, and guardians, created a future, bringing two planets and three races together in peace at last. After what seemed like an eternity---when it was really little more than five thousand years ago that it began---the conflicts came to an end, and the beginning of what will be a new era of peace and unity was created.

And this is how it all began...

AYASHI NO KIJUTSU
(Eerie Magic)
Chapter One: The Secret of Atlantis

It happened seven months after the end of the Celestial Project on Earth, and fourteen moons after the Great War on Gaea. In the garden outside a dance dojo, a woman named Suzumi was drinking in the fresh air. She had been meditating, but found it impossible to concentrate on clearing her mind. And now she paced in her garden, not knowing what she could do next. But as she breathed deeply the clear morning air, she felt contented nevertheless.

She was bending down to smooth out a crease in her kimono when the girl passed, jogging. She would not have paid much attention to just any girl running by in a t-shirt and jogging shorts. But this girl... This girl attracted her somehow.

"Hello," she called out to the girl after a moment of hesitation. The girl turned around and smiled uncertainly. She was pretty, although with a boyish haircut. Her brilliant smile lit up dazzling green eyes. But this was not what sent Suzumi a shock of surprise. What surprised her was that, as the brown-haired girl smiled, the girl's life force flared a bit brighter---her aura was a pinkish purple.

"Hello," the girl was saying, "did you say something to me?"

"Um, yes," Suzumi replied hesitantly, "are you running for some training or something of that sort?"

"Yes. For track. At school," the girl flashed another smile, "There's a competition tomorrow."

"Good luck then," that smile confirmed it. There was no way it could be otherwise.

"Thanks," the girl turned around and started to leave.

"Wait!" Suzumi called out frantically. The girl was slipping away, "What's your name?"

"Kanzaki," The girl replied with a puzzled look on her face. Kanzaki Hitomi."

---

Aya turned the phone off, looking puzzled. How could there be a C-Genoma left in this area? One who has not died either with the others or like Shuro had died. But Suzumi would not have called her and told her about if it she was not sure.

Aya set the cordless down and walked into the bedroom. There, she found a very gentle Touya setting their sleeping son---Aki---down in his crib. Aya hid a knowing smile, but couldn't help worrying as she noticed that Touya looked a little weaker than a week ago. She had started noticing his weakening a little before Aki was born. And she feared the worst.

She could not help but wonder if he would die soon. He had said "a year, maybe two." But even he wasn't sure. What if he died earlier than expected? She knew that he would leave her sooner or later. But she still selfishly wished he would never do so.

But for now, she would just go on with life and see what would happen.

"Touya," she said softly so the baby would not wake, and didn't wait for an answer before she continued, "Suzumi wants us to talk to someone---she found another C-Genoma."

---

"I'm home!" Yuuhi dropped his bag in his room with a thud and said this in his most annoyed voice.

"Ah! Yuuhi-kun!" Kyuu-san's face popped in his sliding door, "How was school?"

"Eh? Don't treat me like a little school-kid! I'm not in high school anymore."

"Demo," Kyuu-san said smilingly, "you're in college. And college is school."

"Oh shut up," Yuuhi muttered, "Stop smiling like that. Your face is scaring me again."

"Dakara," Suzumi said in a calm voice, "You shouldn't provoke Kyuu-san."

"Eh? 'Nee-san. When'd you come in?"

"Never mind that," Suzumi waved his question off impatiently, "I think I have another job for you!"

"... I hope it's not another Tennyo-protecting job," he rubbed the back of his head, as if remembering a horrible time.

"It was not that bad, was it?" Kyuu-san said in a still more smilingly way.

"Argh!"

---

"My Lord!" a knight scurried to Van's feet, "We found something!"

"Eh?" Van sighed impatiently. His goal was to rebuild Fanelia. But these knights who knew nothing but to grovel at his feet were absolutely no help to his cause.

"People, Van-sama," another knight added, "Strange people."

"Is that what it's about then?" Van sighed again. These people always making a big deal out of nothing.

"People," an older knight said urgently, "who claim to be your kin! It's preposterous!"

"It wouldn't be impossible after all," Van dismissed the doubt immediately, "My mother was from unknown origins."

"Ahem," an the man coughed, "The advisors you have in court, Van-sama," he advised, "would not like to hear you say that."

"..." Van said audibly.

"Shall we bring them in?"

Van sighed again, "Very well," he said, and mounted his horse. Hopefully, this would not take long.

---

Hitomi turned off the shower, dried herself, and pulled on some loose clothes, then started to dry her hair. This morning's run was uneventful. Who was that woman on Friday anyways? Hitomi sighed. She hadn't done too well at the track meet. She had ended up only third out of the school. And she was lower still on the list among all the other schools. She couldn't help, though, through the weekend, wondering who the woman was and why she had been so interested in Hitomi.

She glanced at the clock briefly. 9:21 am. She should start studying. College entrance exams will come up in less than a year. So she settled down at her desk with that thought and began studying Calculus, although somewhat reluctantly.

Before long, it was 10 am. But it was at 10:07 that the doorbell rang. Grumbling her impatience, Hitomi opened the door, irritated. There she saw a redheaded man---he was tall and holding a small baby---and a blond woman who could not have been very much older than Hitomi herself.

"Can I help you?"

"Erm," the blond seemed hesitant.

"Yes. You can," the man interrupted unblinkingly. He looked tired, "We were looking for a Hitomi Kanzaki?"

"That's me," she forced a smile onto her tired face.

"A friend of ours," the man said, caressing the baby's tiny face absently. The baby cooed, and Hitomi thought he looked funny, "informed us of a very interesting case. She wanted us to talk to a girl---you."

---

"My lord," an old woman kneeled before Van, "I am glad to have seen your face at last."

"What do you mean?"

"Why," the woman looked up and stared at him unblinkingly, "Everyone has heard of the great Van-sama, who was essential in the winning of the Great War. Surely, no other Draconian has ever done a feat this great."

"Except for, perhaps," a young girl within these people's group laughed and interrupted the woman, "those who created this planet."

"Non-sense," a soldier sneered quietly, but did not make any real noise.

"Van-sama," the woman said, "your mother," her voice shook, "they say... she died because she had dared married a human. Is it... true?"

"No," Van said coldly, "and of course," he added, "you would also be of her kin---and mine."

"Yes, Van-sama," the woman said, "we had wanted to see you for so long."

"Oh?" Van merely looked amused, and once again one must notice how much he's changed from his older self. He was so impatient and always acted before thinking. The past year had added not only age but also wisdom to him. "I would like to believe you," he commented, "But I would need... proof."

The woman looked uncertain, and turned to raise an inquiring eyebrow at an old man who seemed to be the leader of this small clan, "Yes. My lord."

And indeed, gray wings sprouted from her back gracefully, as everyone gasped and stared.

"They're," Van commented, "so... frail. So gray."

"Ah," the woman said, "I'm afraid age has gotten to me, of course."

And Van heaved a sigh heavily and stepped down from his horse, taking the woman's hands, "Obaa-san," he said, "would you and your clan," he asked urgently, "join me at my castle. So that I may learn of the history, the culture, and everything else about our race that I was not taught?"

"Of course we would," she smiled in a motherly way, "it's what we came to you for. We looked for you so that you may know of these things, my child."

Van gave a tired smile, and proceeded to arrange their transportation to the castle.

---

"Forgive us for intruding," the blond woman said, taking the baby from the man's arms, "But our friend Suzumi informed us of a girl who was jogging by her place two days ago."

"Would that woman," Hitomi asked curiously, "happen to have really pretty gray eyes, straight purple hair, and perhaps wear a pretty kimono?"

"Yes," the blond said firmly.

"Let us," the man said, "begin by introducing ourselves. My name is Touya, from 'ten' and 'night.' But that's part of the story we want to tell you."

"My name," the woman smiled warmly, "is Aya Mikage. And this is our son, Aki Mikage, named after my deceased twin brother. But then, that's also part of the story."

"I've heard of," Hitomi said thoughtfully, "of a family also called the Mikage. I read a report on it---The Celestial Project. You wouldn't happen to be..."

"Yes. I was, in fact, on of the key characters, if I do say so myself."

The truth was, Hitomi didn't just "read a report on it." She had studied into it deeply, and was shocked to find that there was a race called the Tennyo---a race other than the Draconian. And she was really kind of curious about whether there was any connection between the two or not.

"You aren't," Hitomi backed away a little, "the host of... Ceres... are you?"

"I was," Aya said in a suggestive tone, "I'm just kidding. I don't imply what you might think. I was. Until she was in her complete form and left us."

"Oh," Hitomi whispered in a small tone. This was the woman who had single-handedly brought down the Mikage family. This was also the single survivor, next to her mother, of the Mikage family line. This was the woman who had shown the most amazing telepathic powers in recorded history.

"We were told," Aya continued, "of a girl who showed a strong aura."

"Me, I suppose." Hitomi sighed, "Come in. This will take a while, don't you think?"

---

"You said something about the Draconians creating Gaea," Van noted.

"Yes," the old man sighed, "But it's a long story," he warned.

"Continue."

"Long ago---many, many years ago---our ancestors lived in a different world. The Mystical Moon was ruled by them. They had been the most advanced people on that planet for many years. They had grown proud. They had, in fact, built a great empire, and established their own structures in many places of that world."

"These structures made up a machine. A machine that could predict the future so that they can avoid bad happenings. But I hear," he said grimly, "that another variation of this machine was created---the Fate Machine. This one lets one control fate."

"We destroyed that," Van commented.

"Just as well," the old man sighed, "Because that machine helped them predict the future. They were still unable to escape their fate. Even if it was one they foresaw. In the end, it destroyed them. We learned a lesson. We know not to become so proud. In the beginnings of the empire, law was just and all were fair. But we grew proud and stupid. We over-ruled the original laws and created our own---none. And in the end, a great catastrophe occurred. The Cataclysm. The world was mostly destroyed, but the kami let some live. Some of those people stayed, and some used their powers---their Atlantean ones----to create a new planet. The reason Gaea is so dependant on will power is because it was created by a group of people's wills. And those humans stayed on Earth. No real Draconian remained on Earth. Those of us---marked by our wings---came here. There are only humans on Earth. And...." he paused, "other creatures."

"We know that these things are accurate, because we have learned a lesson from all this, so we have recorded them down and engraved them in our minds deeply."

---

"So you see," Aya finished, "Suzumi must've confused you when she talked to you. She was surprised. Really. You are, Kanzaki-san, a Tennyo."

"I see," Hitomi sighed, "I've wondered before whether I might be a heavenly maiden. But I ruled that out because I would've been found by the Mikage long before now, wouldn't I?"

"Well," Aya said slowly, "They conducted the medical plot about fifteen months ago..."

"Fifteen!" Hitomi gasped, "But---I wasn't here fifteen months ago. I was... gone... for three months!"

"Gone?" Touya raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"I... I was in another place..." Hitomi bit her lip, "But if it's you, I... I suppose I can tell you."

Aya looked inquiringly, "If it's me?"

"Because... maybe you can... ease the confusion in my mind a little, I guess," Hitomi looked off distantly, "I never thought that there would be other heavenly beings..."

"Other heavenly beings? You mean..."

Finally it is finished. That took a while. This is starting to get so complicated that even I'm getting confused. And I'm the writer. Ugh. Anyways. Hi to new and old readers of mine out there---this is my first cross-over, as well as my first story that has to do with Ayashi no Ceres. Please review/e-mail me!

Chapter One Notes:
1. This takes place after Escaflowne and AnC's TV series, not mangas.
2. Thanks must go to Sherry (for typing up stuff for me, pre-reading stories even if they're from animes she has no interest in whatsoever, and listening to my endless complaints and things like that), Meg (whose Stranger in a Strange Land greatly inspired this story, even if I don't really know her), Sapphy (for encouraging me), Pattie (for listening to rants), Silver (for wanting another Escaflowne fic), and everyone else who encouraged me and pushed me along the path of writing.
3. This chapter is specially dedicated to the late Jonathon, who passed away on February 2nd, 2002. He was the one who first started my interest in writing.

Overall Notes:
1. I assumed that the original Escaflowne cast did not know about Gaia's origination, which was from the drama CD(s?), I believe.
2. The layout, location, technology, history, and theory of Atlantis and its interaction with other places in the world is from The Atlantis Blue Print, a facinating book by Colin Wilson and Rand Flem-ath, even if I don't agree with their theories on the Christian aspects of their analysis. It's a great book.
3. Escaflowne belong to... I don't remember. But Ayashi no Ceres belongs to Watase-sensei.