Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Between Worlds ❯ Chapter 1: A Twist of Fate ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter 1

A Twist of Fate

Balin pointed the tip of his sword at the mysterious girl whom he had seen hovering over him when he had awoke, breathing hard. She looked startled at his quick reaction and it reflected in her eyes. There was no fear in those silvery orbs, though.

Thank God, she's not afraid. I hate dealing with frightened girls. They always become hysterical and you just cannot understand a word they say. Then they also try to make you feel guilty that way. It's always the guilt trick they try. Of course, it isn't exactly chivalrous to aim weapons at women and children, unless they're threatening you. So I guess that I should stop. She seems harmless enough, anyway.

Balin lowered his sword point. Big mistake. With lightning fast reflexes, the girl karate kicked the sword out of Balin's hands. It flew ten feet away, where he wouldn't be able to reach it.

Dammit! She disarmed me! She actually disarmed me! Though, I must admit that was a pretty good trick of disarming. Now she's probably going to attempt to hurt me or put up some ridiculous escape from me. Damnation! Why does it always end up seeming the villain?!

The girl stood up and wiped her strange skirt (it was so short… wasn't there a requirement for the length of skirts somewhere?) off. She looked up at Balin and smiled pleasantly.

"Well, now that you've got the weapon out of your hand, we can talk. My name's Samuri, what's yours?" she said amiably.

Balin, shocked that this strange girl wasn't trying to attack him and could actually speak, was left completely speechless.

"Hel-lo? Do you speak English?" she said slowly, pronouncing every syllable clearly as if he wouldn't understand otherwise.

"What?"

"What…?"

"Oh, forget it. Where am I?" snapped Balin impatiently. He looked around; he appeared to be on a paved road, but unlike any that he'd ever seen on Gaea. It was just different, and he couldn't explain how.

"So you do speak English," she replied, lifting an eyebrow and not answering.

"If I must state the obvious, yes. Now, where, may I ask, am I?" he snapped again.

"I asked you a question first. Answer me and I'll answer you, Oh Rude and Impolite One," she replied, her mouth twisting in immediate dislike as she resorted to name-calling.

"My name is Balin de` Fanel. Now, where am I, Oh Childish one?"

"You are there and I am here. Idiot."

"That is not an answer to my question."

"Yes it is."

"But it's not the answer that I wanted!" He stared at the apparently sentient being incredulously, wondering whether or not it was at all capable of intelligent thought.

"I know."

"Then tell me the correct answer to my question."

"No."

"What?! I answered yours!"

"And I answered yours."

"But I didn't get the answer that I wanted."

"So?"

Balin was clenching his hands into fists so that he didn't lose his temper with this annoying girl, called Samuri.

"So, is it possible that by some chance of the Fates that you can give me the answer I would like?"

"I can… but I won't."

More clenching.

"Why not?"

"Because you were rude and… I forgot your question."

He started to snap out at this 'Samuri' again, but stopped and took a deep breath. He then began gritting his teeth.

"Will you please inform me of my whereabouts?"

"Sure, you are in the United States of America. Specifically, Seattle, Washington. Now was asking that, politely, so hard?"

"What do you mean… the 'United States of America'… 'Seattle, Washington'? I recall no such place in all of Fanelia nor Gaea." Balin lifted an eyebrow at the nonsense that Samuri was speaking of.

"What are you going on about?" Samuri's brow furrowed, in confusion.

"Wait a second." Balin looked up at the sky and saw only the moon in the darkening sky. He suddenly realized that...

"I- I'm on the Mystic Moon!"

"What are you talking about? This is planet Earth. Third rock from the sun."

"I can't believe I'm actually here! Father said that it could and would work, but I didn't believe him! He was right, I should have known. And mother! Everyone said that she was from... so the rumors are actually true!" Balin's face cleared, surprise and delight replacing it. Samuri realized that he looked pretty cute when he wasn't scowling or glowering at her.

"Are you okay? Did you get a concussion or something from the fall?"

"Wait a second." Balin heard something that wasn't said and again looked toward the moon. Samuri looked this time too.

But Balin was not looking at the moon.

There was a planet coming out from the darkness behind it. Suddenly the bright column of light that Samuri saw appeared again and enveloped Balin. She gasped and jumped back, avoiding the light's grasp. As Samuri lost balance and fell back onto the road, Balin was gone. The light and the mysterious planet disappearing with him.

"What just happened?" she asked herself disbelievingly. "I must've been dreaming or something. I thought this weird guy was here, with a sword. But he's not here and there's no light, or a planet behind the moon, and there's definitely no sword. Ha!"

A glint of light off to the side caught Samuri's eye and she gasped. Gulping inwardly, she ran over to see what it was. On the road rested a gleaming, sharp sword... the exact one she had seen Balin with.

~*~*~

The beam of light appeared in front of them and so did Balin. Tears of joy sprang to her eyes as Hitomi leapt toward her son, her husband not far behind.

Balin was slightly dazed, not fully realizing what had just happened, but looked up as he heard a shout in front of him. His mother was looking both relieved and worried as she ran into him, clutching him in a tight embrace.

"Don't ever do that to me again! You had me scared to death when I saw you fall off the roof. It's a good thing I still remember how to call the light and make it take you back here. I-"

"Mother, calm down. I'm fine!" shouted Balin, in order to be heard over Hitomi's ceaseless babbling.

"He's right, Hitomi. Smothering him won't help," said Van, who in spite of his words was frowning with worry and hugging Balin's free shoulders.

"I know that, Van. I was just so worried-" She was still holding tight to Balin, as if he were her only lifeline.

"Like you were when you came barging into the council room crying hysterically. And soaking my best shirt with tears," Van cut in, attempting to lure Hitomi off of Balin.

His ploy worked and Hitomi stepped back from Balin to shake an angry finger at her husband. She glared indignantly at Van.

"You were the one who told me to come cry on your shirt!"

Balin cleared his throat loudly. "Mother, Father, I am perfectly fine. Please calm down, both of you. No one attacked me, excepting one minor encounter with a local there. Nothing out of the ordinary at all. Please, let it alone. I am perfectly all right, now."

"What?!!" Hitomi and Van froze, shocked and stopped their rambling to stare at Balin.

"Ye' Gods save me…"

"Repeat that last part again," said Hitomi, eyeing her son suspiciously. And Balin knew that even with all the help of the Fates, he wasn't going to get out of this predicament live and well.

"I didn't mean to... I didn't quite say anything of any importance. I simply stated that I was perfectly all right, which I am."

"You just said that you talked to a Mystic Moonling," said Van, not looking too happy either.

"Well¼ "

"Details, Balin. Details," said Hitomi, pursing her lips, very unhappy.

"Er¼ "

"We haven't all day, Balin," said Van, sounding impatient. And Balin surrendered, sighing.

"I was transported to a road, I think." His voice was resigned, stating the facts. "There was a girl there. She disarmed me and insisted on knowing who I was. I refused to tell her anything more than my name, though. And she was truly annoying in the ten minutes that I talked to her."

"Ah. More details. And where's your sword, now?" said Hitomi, raising her eyebrows.

"Well, I think it was left behind when that light took me back. I apologize."

"That's fine. We're just glad you're back. Now tell us exactly what happened," said Van, rubbing his temple with his forefinger.

"I don't, in truth, remember that much of the light. I just recall losing balance on the roof and falling, then suddenly seeing that bright light. Then, I woke up and saw a pair of eyes just hovering over me. So, I took my sword and aimed it at the girl who was leaning over and staring very rudely at me."

"Oh, Balin," groaned Hitomi.

"What? What did I do now?"

"You shouldn't point your sword at a female, especially one on the Mystic Moon. They get scared easily enough here. On the Mystic Moon, they don't usually have swords hanging around everywhere and one pointing straight at them is not very reassuring."

"Mother, she wasn't the least bit afraid! It didn't seem like it, anyway. She knocked the thing right out of my hand."

"Huh?" Van was seriously surprised at this. Hitomi's eyes widened, then she chuckled.

"Another reason not to do that sort of thing. I think I'm beginning to like this girl."

"You didn't meet her. She repeatedly asked me all types of irritating questions and mocked me. A seriously annoying person, in my opinion," he said, frowning in remembrance.

"Another trait I think I like in her."

"Hey! You're supposed to be on my side!"

"Think again."

"Stop it, you two. Get on with the explanation, Balin."

"Yes, Father. Well, she knocked the sword onto the side of the road. I wouldn't have been able to get it there. After she stopped irritating me and told me where exactly I was, I noticed Gaea appear in the sky and I think Mother brought me back after that."

"So, this girl didn't hurt you, did she?" His eyes narrowed.

"Of course she didn't, Van! Earth isn't a barbaric place!" Hitomi's blue-green eyes widened as she took immediate offense.

"You never know, Hitomi."

"I should! I was born there!"

"So it's really true, then?" Balin interrupted. Both Hitomi's and Van's heads snapped to attention to their son.

"Well¼ Yes. I was born on the Mystic Moon."

"Why didn't you ever tell me of this?"

"Because we didn't think it was necessary."

"Why wasn't it necessary for you to tell your beloved son, whom you adore beyond reason, about your extremely mysterious past?"

"I didn't tell my beloved son, whom I adore beyond reason, about my extremely mysterious past because this son I adore, never asked." She smiled, slightly mimicking and definitely mocking.

"Ah, ha! So, you would have told me if I had asked!"

"Actually no, but you could've, anyway."

"Honestly, you two, are like children. Your mother and I didn't tell you about her past because you would've been in a lot of danger knowing it when you were small and defenseless. There are still people out there who would like to know more about the Mystic Moon and kidnapping a defenseless little prince is a wonderful way to find that out."

"But what about now, when I'm not small and defenseless anymore?"

"Well¼ I don't know. I, personally, forgot all about it."

"Yep. That's where the asking part comes in handy, Balin."

"So, I could have known for sure, instead of believing those strange, uncouth rumors going around about Mother?"

"Ye- what?!" Hitomi was slightly surprised. "I haven't heard any rumors about me? What are you talking about? I can't possibly be that naïve. Are you sure, Balin? You must've misheard or something. I guess that this arranged marriage is getting on your nerves, like it is with me. Hint, hint, Van." Hitomi turned her attention to her husband, immediately shifting her focus on a totally different subject, one not quite as important, in Balin's opinion. The couple, however, was unaware of the growing agitation in Balin's countenance.

"Hitomi, let us not repeat this conversation. I've already informed you that Balin needs to have-"

"Ye' Gods! Oh, never mind!" interrupted Balin and he stalked out of the room, exasperated and annoyed at his parents wandering focuses. Hitomi sighed and looked at Van, trying to see whether he understood their son at all. He sent her a lopsided grin and she had a feeling he understood Balin just a little better than she did. She rolled her eyes, sighed again and walked toward her husband. She embraced Van and looked out the window, a tear falling down her cheek. Hitomi was immensely sorry to see that her little baby was all grown up, well almost all grown up, into a handsome young man.

~*~*~

Meanwhile on Earth, Samuri has arrived home to find that everyone is out of the house except for her mother¼

"Hey, Mom!" greeted Samuri cheerfully, pecking her mother on the cheek and depositing her coat on a hook marked 'Little Samuri'.

"Hello, Sammi-girl. How was school, honey?" returned Yukari, smiling warmly and following her daughter into the kitchen. She picked up a steaming mug of coffee left on the smooth oak counter, leaning against it to watch her active youngest daughter move around the kitchen, still hyped up from her track practice.

"Oh, great. Besides the fact that I totally embarrassed myself in front of my whole Biology class, Professor Manzuki at the core of the problem, as usual. And the fact that I think I'll die of over work and exhaustion. Coach made me run an extra fifteen laps, but I think I'll heal eventually," replied Samuri, searching through the cupboards tirelessly for a snack.

"Ah. I think running is in your blood. Only from your father's side, though. I hated running in high school and I hate it now." She chuckled a little at Samuri's witty words, though. Her daughter finally discovered a bag of potato chips and began to crunch on them.

"Anyway, Mom, all that wasn't the highlight of my day. The weirdest thing happened to me after school. A beam of light came into the middle of the road. And a boy appeared there. He was dressed really oddly and he didn't know where he was. See, I have this cut to prove it. He threatened me at first, but I knocked his sword out of his hand and he calmed down a little. I have it still. He left on another beam of light," said Samuri offhandedly, dropping her school bag on the kitchen floor and wandering into the connected dining room to munch on her snack some more.

Samuri, turned to her mother then, expecting that her stable, practical mother would inform her with laughing eyes that Samuri had been daydreaming again and had just got a nasty cut while not paying attention on the track, even though she would never be able to explain the mysterious sword. However, at these words, the cup of coffee slipped from their casual hold in Yukari's hands. It clattered noisily on the terra cotta, tiled kitchen floor, spilling black liquid and shards of white ceramic across the floor. Her eyes were wide and she seemed to be blinking back tears.

"Mom! Are you okay? What happened? Sit down, it'll make you feel better," said Samuri, surprised at her mother's stunned reaction. She jumped up from her seat on the couch and led Yukari to the kitchen table to sit.

But Yukari refused to stay still. Samuri's mother began pacing the floor, nervously. "No, no, I'm fine. It's just… well… you'd better sit down. I have something important to tell you. Something I should have told you a long time ago… It's about my best friend Hitomi. Hitomi Kanzaki." Samuri sat down and looked expectantly at her mother. Yukari sighed and finally sat down beside her.

"I know this might seem silly, but it's really hard to talk about Hitomi. I haven't talked about her to anyone, even your father. At least since she left. She was my best friend from high school. She and I were also rivals for one particular track team star's attention and affection. Do you have any idea who that track star might be?"

"No, not really. Who?"

"Your father."

"No! You're kidding?!"

"Nope. I think he might have liked her more than me initially. Then something strange happened just before he left Japan to come here. Hitomi asked him to give her a kiss if she could run the 100-meter mark in less than thirteen seconds (her record). Not that this was strange, but while she was running she fainted. Both your father and I were very worried about her. That's what probably brought us so close together, our concern for Hitomi. I thought that was pretty ironic at the time, but now (as I'm older) I think it was a very good thing. You know why. After he left he started thinking of me and then… you know the rest."

"Yep. Heard it about a million times. Get on with the story."

"Well, anyway. After that she seemed really changed. Like a revelation had come upon her. She also seemed really sad, like she'd lost someone dear to her heart. At first I thought it was Amano leaving, but one day I walked in on her sighing a name that wasn't Amano's. She explained to me that she had somehow gone to another world and had met someone. The sad part was that she couldn't stay with him and couldn't go back to him. I think she closed him off soon after that. Then, I moved here and married your father. She came to visit soon after your sister was born and she disappeared one day, right in front of my eyes. In a beam of light, just like what you described." A glimmer of sadness was shone in her eyes, but had disappeared after a moment, just like her best friend had. Or so Samuri's mother claimed…

"So you're worried that I'll be carried off to another world and never come back, like this Hitomi girl?" asked Samuri hesitantly and very dubiously.

"Yes, and it's Aunt Hitomi to you. She was like my sister, not to mention your sister's godmother as well as yours, and you know better than to disrespect family." In a flash Yukari became the family-driven/focused mother that Samuri knew, loved, and adored.

"Er. Yeah. Sure. So what are we going to do now?"

"Well, first I'm going to remind you to clean up that nasty cut you've got. Then I'm going to inform your blood aunt that you won't be going to visit her after all. Then, you're going to pack. Hitomi said that she was really without a lot of necessities when she was there. Pack everything you might need on a hiking or camping trip. That might work. Don't forget your toothbrush," added Yukari practically, sweeping over to the pantry to fetch a broom to clean up the coffee mess on the tiled floor.

"Hold on. What do you mean 'pack for a hiking trip'? Where am I going?" Samuri's alarmed silver eyes followed her mother's brisk movements.

"Oh, sorry. I have a feeling that you'll be visiting your aunt. Just not your father's sister," explained Yukari off-handedly.

"So you mean that I'll be going to another planet?" reiterated Samuri disbelievingly.

"Well, I guess you could say that. Just pack, Samuri. Don't argue. Oh, and do clean up that cut." Samuri rolled her eyes at her mother's inexplicable logic and walked upstairs to her room, muttering about the insanity of her family. She packed everything she thought that she might need into a black duffel bag, adding the sword after a moment's hesitation and walked back downstairs.

Yukari was waiting outside the house and clutched in her small hand was a small velvet jewelry box. She looked tenderly at her youngest daughter and suddenly broke into a smile. Yukari's red hair was illuminated in the golden twilight and Samuri stopped at her front door to get a good look at her mother, comparing her to her beautiful elder sister, Hikari.

I remember Hikari was like this, even before she went off to college. They're so alike. I was jealous before, of their beauty and how they can share mutual feelings of everything because they're so alike, but now I'm not. I remember thinking that before. How much they were alike. Full of life and love. Beautiful from the inside out. Both of them.

But Mom's a special case.

I know Hikari will change as she goes through life. She'll go through something that will change her forevermore. Just like all of us do, sometime in our life. But Mom… I'll always remember Mom just like this. She'll stay like this forever. I just know it.

Simultaneously, Yukari was thinking about her youngest daughter, like Samuri was thinking about her.

She reminds me so much of Hitomi. I've never really noticed it until now. She's got the perceptiveness, the compassion, and that inner strength that Hitomi had, though she's got a lot more spunk that must come from Amano-san. The innocence that shines like a beacon in her was just like Hitomi. And they both loved to run. It's a twist in fate that, like Hitomi, Samuri must leave me to forever change herself and bring new revelations in unimaginable adventures that I could never dream of. I suppose it takes a special breed to be able to have such an interesting destiny as that. I was never like that. Only Hitomi could possibly be that type of person. Amano-san has known all along I think, but he never mentioned it. He probably thought that it would hurt me, but it doesn't. I loved Hitomi and I love Samuri. Oh, Samuri. If you could only know how much I love you…

"Samuri, I want to give you something. It's very special. It's a family heirloom, belonging to my family for generations. I was never really given it. I am just supposed to hand it down to its rightful owner. It was originally owned by one of my ancestors. She had your eyes and dark hair." She paused and looked away from her daughter for a moment.

"The legend says that her last request was that this necklace be given to a descendant whose temperament matched her own. I have little to no idea whether or not your temperament matches hers, but there has been no one since her, who has her silver eyes. From the day you were born I knew that I would be giving this to you one day. And today is that day. I don't think that you'll need this to remind you of who you are and where you come from, but just keep it." Yukari opened the box and took out a beautiful blue pendant, the shape of a teardrop, hanging on an old, plain silver chain.

"Wow. Thanks, Mom. I'm honored." Samuri was shocked. She walked over to Yukari to look more closely at the pendant. She reached for it and just before she touched the stone she felt a strong force coming from the stone. She grasped it and suddenly a beam of light appeared, racing down from the sky. It enveloped Samuri and she started to rise into the air.

"Mom! Help me! Make it stop!"

"Samuri, hold on!" Yukari reached out for her daughter's hand, grasping it for only a moment and Samuri disappeared. Yukari screamed.

"Samuri, no! Noooo! Don't leave! Please… don't leave…" Her eyes filled with tears and she collapsed onto the ground. Amano, who was just arriving home, had witnessed his youngest child disappear into thin air and had jumped out of his car. He raced toward Yukari and caught her just before she could hit the ground.

"Hitomi, take care of her for me. Please, take good care of her," Yukari whispered to the fading white light and passed out.

~*~*~

A sharp pin poked at her side and she bit back a yelp of pain. The royal tailor grunted, his mouth full of pins, but she understood the gist of what he was trying to say and she quieted her fidgeting. Hitomi was being fitted for a new wardrobe, extremely bored, when suddenly she heard someone's voice.

"Hitomi, take care of her for me. Please take good care of her..."

It sounds like… but it can't be… Yukari?

A gasp escaped her lips and she jerked away from the fussing dressmaker, towards the window. The Phantom Moon was in her direct sight and it suddenly glowed a brilliant blue for a moment.

The vision of a girl disappearing in a column of light appeared in front of her and an older version of Yukari collapsing into an older Amano's arms.

Yukari, is it really you? Who do you want me to take care of? Oh, Yukari…

After a moment of staring hard at the Earth, her birthplace, and Hitomi sighed and turned back to the agitated tailor. It was obvious that Yukari wouldn't or couldn't answer and if Hitomi had learned one thing in her life, it was that a question would usually answer itself when the time was right.

Balin was in the forest, behind the palace and at the border Fanelia. He was walking in the forest because it was the second best place of solitude, a place where he could escape princely duties, annoying court ladies (sometimes including his mother), and a place where he could just think. The roof being his first preference, but he knew he wouldn't be able to sneak onto that for a while. His mother wouldn't stand for it, especially if he fell off it for a second time.

It is not as if I have never used my wings before. She treats me like an infant barely out of the cradle. I would've been just fine, even if that strange light hadn't saved me. Ye' Gods! Mother is becoming paranoid. Balin rolled his eyes and he continued walking.

I wish that I still had my sword. Then I could practice with it and get my mind off that girl. Hold on! I am not even thinking of that girl. She just knocked my sword out of my hand and no one has ever done that to me before, which is all. Well, no girl anyway. I have never met anyone like her. The entire crowd of court ladies just giggle, titter, flirt and faint. I can't stand them and they don't seem to realize that. They're so completely… airheaded. Why can't they be more like Mother? Strong, sensitive, and perceptive that's what Mother is. They don't even come close to any of these qualities.

I wonder what that girl is like. Albeit, she was incredibly irritating, but that was probably because I was a little rude to her. All right, maybe very rude to her, but she seemed a lot like… well, a lot like Mother, but in a different sort of way. Not that she looks anything like her. I'm getting myself confused.

Even though, that girl was actually kind of pretty, when she wasn't giving me the evil eye that is, there's really no physical resemblance between Mother and her. And personality wise… Mother is perfectly polite, unlike that girl. Perfectly polite Mother. She always has been, always will be. But there's just something about that girl. Something so similar to Mother…

What am I talking about?! Why do I keep coming back to her? I'm getting so mixed up. I should just stop thinking about her. I'll never be able to see her again anyway.

But… I still wish I could see her again…

Balin stepped into a clearing and interrupting the peaceful sounds and darkness of the night, a bright column of light appeared and something dropped right on top of him. He was knocked to the ground, for the second time in the day. He stiffly stood and limped over to the thing that fell on him. It was dark once again, the bright light having disappeared moments ago, but the moon was bright and full, allowing him to see clearly. Balin bent down to get a better look.

He squinted and saw that it was…

It was Samuri!

Standard Disclaimer: still don't own VoE, don't take my chara's or I'll hafta hunt u down and I'm too busy to find the time for that

* Author's Notes *

hey all!

Finally getting somewhere, rn't u proud? Of course, I couldn't resist giving u a little bit of a cliffhanger at the end. Eh, yeah, it was a bit lengthy, been planning to chop it up a bit, but too lazy, so it's gonna stay that way. Eh, the hero and heroine finally meet and wish to the Fates that they can strangle each other. Aww! Isn't it adorable?! Shoulda brought my camera, o well.

Anyhow, still old, still haven't gotten around to editing *grin* so sue me. Next chapter will be pretty long too, sorry! That's all for now.

-w.r