Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Wings of Destiny ❯ Chapter I ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

< p>
There was a distinctive stench within the air. A horrid stench that was both foul and disturbing, churning the insides of her stomach. She couldn't place what the smell was for she was immobile. She could not move. She could not see. She could not speak. She simply felt the presence of her surroundings. Everything. From the pebble stones to the leaves of the treetop to the flowing river. She was there, taking it all in. Yet she wasn't there, for she could do nothing. She tried, without hope, to open her eyes. Emerald met the World.

The vision that met her was not at all what she had expected. It was distraught city, a crumbling city, a decaying city, a city in ruin. There was practically nothing left at all. The buildings were fallen and destroyed. The streets were plain and bare with no signs of life. The sky was a dark red with gray clouds floating freely, a great irony towards every. She could not transcribe everything, for her senses were only slowly coming into back to her. She blinked once, she blinked again. It is then that realization hit her.

Once her senses returned to her, she registered everything. She suddenly realized the horrid stench. It was blood. The dark red sky began to rain, and as the droplets fell on to her face, she looked down upon her palms to see the scarlet liquid drip and land on her hand, painting a bloodied spider web. She looked to the ground and saw the blood that poured from the darkened sky, flowing much like water. The blood flowed by her feet, and under her shoes. The horrid stench filled her nostrils with the smell of blood. A smell of death roamed freely within the air.

She looked around her surroundings, gazing at the fallen city that was once beautiful. The streets that were once filled with laughing people were now bare. The buildings that were once tall and strong were now crumbling. The blue sky that was once sparkling with tranquility was now damp and cold. And this city was now wasted. Curiosity plagued her mind for she could not comprehend how this could have happened. She loved this city, this place of wonders. Now, it was simply a place for blood to gather.

Unknown to her will, she began to move. Once step, then another, walking through this dying city. As she walked along the blood-flooded ground, the dark liquid made her shoes squeak with each heavy step. Though she did not know where she was headed for, she felt that she was going somewhere. A particular destination. And as she walked through the city, the streets began to be filled. But not with the happy people she once knew.

There were carcasses everywhere. Hundreds of deceased bodies that piled along the streets and within the fallen buildings. She felt sick to her stomach, but her movements still seemed out of control, and she kept walking, past the corpses and over the blood. She continued to walk until she reached an open courtyard. Once a wide-open space was now covered with the fallen warriors. She gazed past the dead soldiers and her stare fell upon that of a castle. And once again she began her walk, passed the bodies of the samurais and into the castle.

Aimlessly walking through corridors and up stairs full of bodies, she simply couldn't understand it all. She felt nothing, and moved as if she were a doll. As she turned again at the end of another corridor, she arrived into a long dark corridor that seemed to lead to a pair of rather large doors. She began to make her way down the long dark corridor and towards the doors. She then arrives before them. She raises her hand and places it upon the titanic entrance, and with the mere gentle touch of her fingertips, they began to open.

Once the doors opened, all became darkness. Standing alone as if floating within the air was a young man. Bloodied scars and bruises were cascaded over his bodied, and his unruly black hair fell over his face. She gazes with surprise and shock at the young man. And though she did not make any motions of acknowledgement, the young man turned his warm ruby red eyes on Emerald. Snow white wings burst from his back as he gazed longingly at her. "Hitomi..." he whispered, tasting the name upon his lips.

She tried calling out his name, but no sound came through her mouth. She tried to run towards him, but she was simply running in air. Thus, all she could do was float within that dark space and watch the man that her heart longed for. He smiled at her sadly, and she saw within his eyes the gloom of guilt, sadness, fear, despair and hopelessness. He seemed so dead, as if chains bound him to the darkness. "I-I couldn't help it Hitomi," he spoke once again. "I couldn't do a thing. I-I'm so sorry..."

She couldn't understand what he was sorry for, but before the thoughts even completed themselves within her mind, fire sprang from everywhere, engulfing the both of them. For some miraculous reason, she was not burnt at all. However, she could care less, for the flames covered her lover and she couldn't do a thing. He gazed once more longingly, lovingly and sadly at her. "I love you..."

She couldn't do a thing as she watched him burn within the glorious flames of the fire. And in moments, the young man vanished. She covered her Emeralds as tears poured from them. What was happening, she couldn't understand. She couldn't understand any of it. And suddenly, she heard a voice. A woman's voice, soft and humble. And as the voice ringed in her ears, she opened her eyes and met with two worlds. Gaea and the Earth.

"The Last Prophecy predicts doom...Fate has built two roads in which humanity can embark upon. Which one shall we choose? Which one shall we live in? In due time, the Final Battle shall arrive and destiny will be written. From the place it all started, it shall lead us to the end. We must choose carefully our fate. The survival of Gaea and the Earth will soon be determined...."

And as her voice faded, she saw the two planets, mirroring each other, crumbling into pieces. She watched the destruction of the planets, heartache forming within her. She didn't understand any of it. Then suddenly, the fallen planets subsided and she was once again withheld in the darkness. And as she stood in the dark space, pondering her situation, seven points of lights appeared around her, each a colour of the rainbow, each flourishing her with an emotion. And then, another voice spoke, male, older and wiser than the last.

"The Last Prophecy transcribes of two fates. One that shall lead to Life's evolution, and the other to the fall of Life itself. The possibilities are endless, for the road written for the path to the Final Battle is still clouded. We mustn't made haste decisions. The future is not yet decided, and whatever we choose shall lead to a conclusion. Whatever it may be. The Seven Lights shall guide us. We must find the Key, for only It can save us..."

As the second voice faded, the seven points of lights swirled around her and disappeared as well. Once again, she was alone within the darkness, unsure of what was happening. Then, appearing before her eyes were four dark cloaked figures. One held in their hand a staff, another in their hand a sword, another held a golden bow, and last held that of an axe. She couldn't see the faces of these figures, or make out the shapes of their forms. However, each held out their free hand, and appearing on their back-hand was the Pentacle, each in the elemental colours: yellow for wind, green for earth, red for fire, and blue for water. And once again, she heard another voice, male and younger than the other two.

"The Last Prophecy only writes of two destinies in which we find ourselves at. Whatever we choose shall only give us one conclusion in the end. We must find the Key and gather the Seven Lights. It may be Life's last chance. The Guardians have begun their search, and all shall come to pass in due time. Shall we stand and fight? Or shall we be coveted by darkness? Which road shall we walk..."

And as the four figures faded and she was again alone in the darkness, and coming into vision was that of a girl. A dark haired girl that she couldn't make out clearly. But she felt a radiance from her that she has never felt before. She felt hope, and she felt love. She saw within the shadows the young girl smile, and it tugged at her lips with innocence and kindness. It is then, that the three voices spoke at once.

"The Last Prophecy shall come to pass. And we have been given two fates. The Final Battle shall give us a conclusion. But which fate shall meet us in the end...."

The vision disappeared. Her feet touched solid ground. However, once her feet were place safely on the floor, it begun to crumble and fall apart. She was falling into the abyss. So many times had she felt this and lived it. But this time, there was no Angel coming to save her, reaching out for her hand. She felt the darkness engulf her, and she felt so tiered and hopeless. And then, she remembered Van. Her Angel of Light, and her heart lightened with love and hope. The darkness subsided, and she opened her eyes. She was met with the Light.

< p>
She sprang from her bed. Her forehead was covered with sweat, and her breaths were in short gasps. She placed a hand on her face and turned to her clock. 2:34 AM it read. Hitomi Kanzaki heaved a heavy sigh as she removed her sheets and got up from her bed. The emerald-eyed girl opened her bedroom door and walked to the bathroom. She turned on the bathroom light, and placing a glass cup under the tap, she turned on the tap and the water gathered in her cup.

Hitomi drank the cool clear liquid, and placed the cup back to where it was and made her way out the bathroom. She stopped for a moment, staring at her younger brother through the crack of his bedroom door, she smiled at his sleeping features, innocent and calm. She wished she were calm now as she made her way into her bedroom.

This vision had come to her in pieces, each time getting clearer, longer and more intense, till tonight, when it came to her in full force. Hitomi truly didn't understand what the vision was about. It has been over two years since she had last been on Gaea, a mystical place where she first met the love of her life, Van Fanel. She thought that after nearly three years her visions would subside and bother her no longer. That wasn't the case at all. Instead, they were getting stronger, clearer, and even more accurate each time, even when it concerned the smallest things. One could say, Hitomi was truly confused.

A lot of things had changed since the last time she set foot in Gaea, a world that mirrored the Earth. Her sandy blonde hair had grown to chin length, and her body had become much more mature. She was now a senior in high school, and had become a star on her track team. She had made a lot of friends too. Her three closest being Yukari, the only person besides her mother and Amano to know of her visit to Gaea, Eriko Ayasaki, a girl who's very interested in anything mystical, and lastly, her friend and also rival runner, Hiroki Midorikawa. She was grateful for how life turned out, and her visions were not at all welcomed.

She sat on her bed and pondered of the vision, so strong and forceful. She had never felt anything like this in her past visions. The dream was something she couldn't understand at all. And it frightened her beyond anything. At first, it only seemed as if she were seeing the vision through some else's eyes, and it always ended when Van was engulfed by the flames. However, this time, it was so much clearer and more real. And those voices...Their warnings were unnerving for Hitomi. She wasn't sure what to do anymore. She really didn't understand it at all. But she knew something was coming. Something evil. Something horrible. Something only from her nightmares.

< p>
"Kanzaki! Hello? Would you please wake up and stop daydreaming!" Hitomi turned to a girl with short black hair and dark blue eyes that were almost black. The dark haired girl wore a white and loose sports tank top and navy running shorts. She gave Hitomi a hard glare. "Now that the all mighty Hitomi Kanzaki has graced us with her presence..." she commented sarcastically. "Maybe we can finally settle the score? Hn?"

"Hiro! Stop being so mean to Hitomi," retorted Yukari. The dark haired girl growled, but Yukari simply brushed it off. "She's really tiered and didn't get a lot of sleep okay? So stop getting on her case. Jeez, you can be so competitive." The red haired girl patted Hitomi on the back. "You okay Tomi-chan? You seem so down and depressed these days. What's wrong?"

"Hitomi's a Sagittarius. When Jupiter a lines with Saturn through Sagittarius and Scorpio, something definitely is going to trouble a Sagittarius," commented Eriko, a pretty and petite girl with hazel brown hair and sharp witty gray eyes. "I'd say if it weren't hormonal, it'd be something with the cosmos. I'm sure of it." Eriko smiled at Hitomi. "Some jasmine tea should do you good."

Hiroki gazed skeptically and annoyed at Eriko. "You are one hell of a fool. I mean, who the hell believes all that crappy shit? For Kami's sake Eriko, get a life! Some stupid gassy planets can't tell you about a person, or the future, or whatever." The black haired girl turned to Hitomi. "What she needs is a good run. And besides, we scheduled for a race, and this race shall find out once and for all is it me or Kanzaki that's the better runner. I hate tying with people. I'd rather lose than tie. So damn humiliating." She grumbled. "I also hate my schedule getting messed up. I have to get home soon ya know."

Hitomi gave a small laugh. "Alright Hiro. If you want your race, you got it," replied the blonde. Hiroki smiled triumphantly and proudly at Hitomi, while Yukari and Eriko gave the girl a skeptical and worried gaze. "Don't worry you guys. I'm fine. Really," she spoke, seeing as the two didn't seem to believe her. Hitomi turned to Hiroki. "Shall we?"

The two were set, side by side. "Are you sure you want to do this Hitomi?" asked Yukari. "I mean, if you don't feel up to it, I'm sure Hiro will feel fine about it." But Hitomi simply nodded, indicating that she did want to do this. Yukari gave a heavy sigh, turning to Eriko for some support, but she only shrugged. "Fine...Alright then. On your marks...Get set....GO!"

The two pushed off. Running along the smooth track, Hitomi felt free as a bird. Even though she was an competitive athlete, she never felt like she was one. She simply loved the feel of the air brushing by her hair. She loved the speed. She smiled inwardly as she continued to race along side of Hiroki, who, with her long legs, was fast. But when they were half way through the run, which's when it happened. Hitomi felt her body go weak, and the darkness began to sprang from every angle. She couldn't understand what was happening, but before she could comprehend it all, the world went black.

When Hiroki noticed Hitomi fall, she quickly doubled back to the emerald-eyed girl's side just as Eirko and Yukari arrived by Hitomi. "What's wrong with her?" asked Eriko worriedly. "I mean, she couldn't possibly collapse from fatigue. Hiro? Is she alright? She's not dead is she?" Hiroki bent down by her and checked her pulse, a hard gaze on her face.

"She's fine," answered the dark haired girl monotonously. "I'm not sure what happened, but I think she fainted." At the hear of this, a worried gaze swept over Yukari's face. Hiroki noticed this and turned to Yukari. "Do you know what's wrong with her to make her collapse like this? I know this isn't normal. Do you know what's going on Yukari?"

The red haired girl bit the bottom of her lip. "It's happened before..." she whispered. "A few years ago. But..." She fell into a silence. Running ramped around within Yukari's mind was the possibilities of what was currently happening to Hitomi. Could she be going back? Is this what it's about? she thought. "...I-I think we should get her to the nurse's office. She'll be better. Don't worry. She'll be alright..." However, those last few words, Yukari wasn't sure if she were telling this to the others as a fact, or to reassure herself.

< p>
She opens her eyes and was met by a beautiful city. The sky was blue, the buildings were clear and tall, and trees and plants flourished. She floated within the sky, coveted by cotton like clouds, looking down upon this beautiful city. "I-I know this place," Hitomi spoke to herself. "It's Atlantis..." She watched the people fly within the sky, Angelic wings sprouting from behind their back. She felt as if she were in Heaven. "What am I doing here?" she questioned no one.

Suddenly, in the blink of the eye, the city was engulfed in fire and everything was destroyed. The people, the buildings, the nature. Everything was disappearing. "What's happening?" Hitomi asked herself. She watched the destruction of Atlantis, and began to realize this was a vision she had seen so many times before. "I've seen this before..." The fire burnt hotter and grander. The crystal blue sky was now a dark humid red.

Then, instantly, Hitomi was transported from her place in the sky to the ground. She gazed around her surroundings, and suddenly, not afar, she noticed large gigantic black machines, what seemed like Guymelefs, roaming around the city, destroying everything they saw. She couldn't make out what they were, but as they came closer, she realized that they were not Guymelefs. In fact, they were horrible monster, huge and dark, creatures with pitch black demonic wings, sprouting from their mouth fire and they crushed everything they touched. Their eyes were that of a dark bloody red that shined with darkness and hate.

One of those monsters seemed to have noticed Hitomi, and began to approach her. Hitomi turned and tried to run, but she wasn't fast enough for the beast. She tripped on a stone and fell to the floor. When she turned around, she noticed that the creature had come close to her, and its long sharp hands went forth to grab her. She screamed, and the vision ended...

< p>
When Hitomi opened her emerald eyes, she was met with the faces of a smiling Eriko, a worried Yukari, and a slightly nervous Hiroki, all of them gazing at her. "Oh Hitomi, I'm so glad you're awake," spoke Eriko happily. "We were all so worried. You collapsed when you were running against Hiro. What happened to you Hitomi? Are you okay?"

Hitomi sat up from the bed within the nurse's office. This was a bizarre feeling of deja vu, like when she had woken up from her first powerful vision to see Amano. Back then she had no idea what her visions were about, but now, after such a long time, she could understand them most of the time. And whenever she saw something that had to do with Atlantis, she knew it also concerned Gaea. She knew that this vision was somehow tied to her dream. She had the feeling that something was going to happen on Gaea. Something horrible, and it was going to happen soon.

Hiroki gazed at the blonde girl curiously. "Yo, Kanzaki, you alright?" Hitomi looked up at her. "You gave us quite a scare. I mean, I've never seen anyone collapse just from fatigue. You would've lost the race, but never, in my life, would I have thought that you would faint. I know you're made of stronger stuff than that Kanzaki. So what's going on? Yukari said that this happened before. So could you kindly explain what happened to you?"

"Hiro! Give the girl a break!" retorted Eriko. The hazel haired girl turned to Hiroki, her hands on her hips. "She just fainted! My goodness, can't you just let her rest a little before she explains what happened. You know, you can be so demanding." She shot Hiroki a glare. "I'm sure Hitomi's fine."

"If you had half a brain Ayasaki, you'd know that Hitomi is not alright," commented Hiroki sternly. "Normal people just don't faint when they run, even if they are sick or tiered. Their body would loose the energy, and fall back, but they wouldn't just collapse and fall unconscious like Hitomi did. Unless they're going through Chemo or something." The black haired female turned to Yukari. "You said this happened before, I remember. I know that this accident isn't a coincident. So tell me what the hell is going on Kanzaki?" Hiroki gazed at Hitomi with a semi-glare and an unwavering gaze. "Explain."

Hitomi turned to Yukari, who had a perplexed gaze upon her features. She doesn't know what to say to them, about what happened, thought Hitomi. But sooner or later I'd have to explain it to them. So what do I do? Would they believe me if they didn't see it like Yukari or Amano? Hitomi heaved a sigh. "Maybe not right now. Later perhaps. I'm still a little tiered." She moved her hand up to her temple and rubbed it gently. She hoped Hiroki would drop it for she knew Hiroki was not the type to let something go so easily. However, this time, Hiroki didn't say a thing.

The three girls waited a little while later so they could walk home with Hitomi since all three were still a bit worried about the emerald eyed blonde. Eriko, who was the most optimistic person out of the four of them, immediately sparked up a conversation with Hitomi and Yukari, yapping away about mangas, Animes, food, guys, and whatever she could come up with in the short time. However, Hiroki kept out of the conversation and kept shooting Hitomi meaningful glares. As the four girls left the building, it was already getting late, and the sun had begun to set.

They walked out of the school building, walking across the track field towards the sidewalk. As Eriko and Yukari began to bicker heatedly, something about which desert was better, Eclairs or Cream puffs, Hiroki walked along side of Hitomi, both shrouded in silence. "So, could you explain now what that was all about...You know, the fainting?" Hiroki spoke up, breaking the endless silence. "I know you and Yukari, and also that damn stepbrother of mine[1], are keeping something from me. Hey, I haven't known you as long as Amano and Yukari, but you can trust me Hitomi."

Hitomi gazed at Hiroki seriously before giving a soft sad smile. "If I told you, I really don't think you'd believe me," she answered. "Yukari and Amano both saw it with their own eyes, and I think they still doubt what happened." She turned to the raven-haired girl. "Don't you promise not to laugh or whatever. Just trust my word."

"Sure Kanzaki. I mean, whatever you say, I'll believe. You're not the type to get mixed up or lie." Hiroki smirked. "And besides, with Eriko around, I've heard enough weird and bizarre things to keep my mouth shut and just believe them. I won't laugh. So, can you tell me what happened to you? Today, and three years ago?"

The blonde gave a heavy sigh. "You should know, I used to do a lot of tarot reading, you know, reading into the future and stuff." Hitomi smiled at the weird look on Hiroki's face. "No Hiro, I wasn't exactly like Eriko. But my readings were always pretty accurate, to the point that they were right on the dot. Three years ago, Amano was set to leave for England, and I had a big crush on him at the time. So, on the last day before he left, I asked him to give me my first kiss if I could run the 100m in 13 seconds.

At the time, I had this very special pendant I received from my grandmother. It would swing perfectly by the second, never slowing down. That's what Amano used to count the seconds. When I was running, I saw something, a boy descended from the sky in a beam of light. A day before Amano was to leave, I had a vision, a premonition about the boy, and that was the first time I fainted."

Hitomi turned to Hiroki to see her looking at her intensively, her eyebrows furrowed. "A boy descended from the sky in a beam of light?" Hiroki repeated, making it into a question. "You have premonitions? Was that what happened to you when you were running against me today? You had another vision?"

Hitomi nodded in answer, but before she could answer Hiroki, the image of the demons from her vision flashed before her eyes, and a sharp pain ran through her body. She clutched her head as she knelt to the floor. The pain was pounding like drums within her head. "Hitomi? You alright?" said a worried Hiroki. Eriko and Yukari turned around as they heard Hiroki's worried voice.

Hitomi clutched her head in pain as the visions of the demons flashed before her eyes, and began to subside. She opened her eyes, and saw Hiroki, Eriko and Yukari, all of them gazing at her worried. "Hitomi? Are you okay? What happened?" question Eriko, her face full of anxiety.

"They're coming," she answered. All three looked at her, confused. "I'm going back...Something's pulling me back..." And suddenly, a beam of white light shot down from the night sky, it's energy thrusting Hiroki, Yukari and Eriko away from Hitomi. Held within the pillar of light, Hitomi felt herself began to float, her feet separating from the ground. "I'm going back..." And she began to float towards the sky.

In a flash of realization, Hiroki dashed towards Hitomi and into the pillar of light, trying to reach for her hand. "Hitomi! Grab hold!" she shouted, trying to grab hold of Hitomi's hand. Hiroki, within the pillar, saw Hitomi smile. A warm comforting smile, but she didn't take her hand. Hiroki jumped, trying to get a hold of Hitomi, but she just continued to float into the sky. "Hitomi! Hold on!"

"It's alright..." spoke the emerald-eyed girl. "Something's pulling me back...I thought I'd never go back again." She gave a soft smile to Hiroki. "Don't worry. I'll be alright. I'm going back...And I'll see him...I'll see Van. Good bye Hiroki..." And with those last words, Hitomi was engulfed by the pillar of light and whisked into the night sky, disappearing along with the beam of light. Hiroki gazed into the night sky as Eriko and Yukari ran to her side.

"What happened Hiro? Where's Hitomi? What happened? And what was that light?" questioned Eriko heatedly. She grabbed onto Hiroki's sleeve and shook the taller girl's arm. "What the hell happened to her Hiroki Midorikawa? What happened to Hitomi?"

"She's going back..." the raven-haired girl muttered monotonously. She then suddenly turned to Yukari, a glare upon her face. "You know what's going on, don't you? You know what happened to her three years ago, and now that it's happened again, tell us what the hell happened to Hitomi? Where the hell did she go?" For a moment, Yukari looked to the ground, not answering. "If you don't tell me, I'll get it out of Amano."

Yukari gave a light sigh, looking up at her two friends. "It began three years ago when Hitomi asked Amano for her first kiss, right here at this track..."

< p>

[1]This doesn't come in a lot, but Hiroki is actually Amano's stepsister. His father met Hiroki's mother in England. They got married and Hiroki moved to Japan. But she is Japanese, though she was born in London. She has a bigger connection to Gaea than you might think. That'll be explained later.

Author's Note: Yosh! Finally I finished this stupid chapter. It took me longer than I thought, and it turned out so much better than what I had planned. I loved the beginning with the vision. It was one of the most annoying parts to write, but it came out so well. So? What do you guys think? Good or bad? Please review. I love comments, and the more reviews I get, the faster I write. ^^ Arigatou gozimasu minna-san!

Jia Z.

© 2003 by Jia Z.