Diverging destiny

Author- Aerseph4eva

Anime- Escaflowne

Pairing- Folken/Hitomi (part Van/Hitomi)

Hi! This is Aerseph4eva attempting my very first Escaflowne fic featuring Hitomi and Folken. I have thought of this theory for some time and I have now found the inspiration to write about such an ideal. To explain simply, when Hitomi returns to Earth due to her fear and disgust of Van fighting, she relives the same memories of her run with Amano because she wills herself to always return to that same point of memory using her pendant. This theory in itself would mean that Hitomi secretly has the power to go to a specific event in time without her realising it. This then made me think of possible scenarios where Hit could then find herself located in a different time slot in the past or the future when she uses the pendant...

We all know that the reason why Van survived his first battle with the dragon was due to Hitomi's influence and help, This theory then made me wonder… what if Hitomi found herself transported to the time where Folken was fighting the dragon? By adding this sudden twist to the plot, would Folken's future have changed? Would he have still lost his arm? Would he have become King of Fanelia? What chemistry would occur between a 15 yr old Folken and Hitomi? I thought it would be an interesting possibility. Somewhat blasphemous for the Van/Hitomi fans, however I have always been attracted towards non-canon couplings and I really did not like the way Folken had to sacrifice himself for Gaia, when in truth, his world did not deserve such selfless behaviour. You cannot help but feel empathetic with Folken and how his life was so tragically written. He didn't deserve such a fate. Well...I don't think he deserved all the death and trauma which was delivered to him. None of his dreams came true after his failure with the rite of dragon-slaying to become true. But what is most tragic, he never was a true villain to begin with and instead was a confused misguided youth who was educated from the wrong side...sheds a tear of empathy

Ahem...anyhow..

I wanted to see what would happen when during the scene of Folken's death, Hitomi grew so emotional that she attempts to change all her sad fates into a better one. As cliché as it sounds, a pillar of light encloses around her and takes her to the memory to the first impulse where Van's sadness first began…. the loss of his brother.

Now I know this may seem slightly repetitive in this chapter, but I think it is necessary for me to rewrite the demise of Folken from Episode 25: The Absolute Fortune Zone. However, if some of the scenes seem slightly different, the reasoning is because I am using the DVD version 9 set which focuses upon a better Japanese/ English translation rather than the television series. Besides, it has better music. (Keh.) Anywho, for those who are still reading this Author's notes, Arigatou, for caring what I am about to write. For those who are getting somewhat irritated with my rambling. Gomen nesai, but I always think it is necessary to have a background context when I am going to write a fic which will hopefully become one of my best yet. (Crosses fingers). Please support me you guys, other readers who know me know that I can become really lazy with my updates. That is why I need you guys to give me a few sharp prods when I become attacked with that darn infuriating writer's block. Believe it or not, it does help to reawaken the stimuli.

Anywho, I think I have bored enough of you….. On with the fic.

Outside, the autumn leaves had fallen, their colours rustling within the winds, forgotten and out of reach. The songbird's voice had fallen silent as it watched his masters head fall backwards. The clatter of his fallen blade awakened the soundless room, before falling to silence once more.

Fate had run its course, taking with it the life of a fallen angel whose only hope was to end a war.

His wings were broken, tainted black with the quickening of his end.

He died as he lived; tearful, alone, and unloved...

And the only person watching was a young girl that barely knew him. Her green eyes seeing death all around her; reliving a prediction that she could not even try to prevent.

"No…..." she whispered, her eyes glimmering in pain as she took one step forwards, then another until she was running across the metal ramp and towards his bloodied form...

Hitomi's eye's snapped open wide as the vision filled her senses, leaving her mind frozen and painstakingly blank.

"That same premonition...again...'

Her lower lip trembled, barely able to stop the tears of frustration from trickling down her face. She knew her companion beside her was bemused upon her reactions, but she knew that if she raised her head to stare at the dishevelled curls of his teal locks, look into his cranberry painted orbs, and then see the warm smile upon his kind face, she would be unable to stop herself from crying.

Folken stood beside Hitomi in his dark makeshift laboratory, listening to her nervous breaths. From the way her eyes had dilated, it showed him that she must had been experiencing one of her legendary visions. Hitomi had came to him earlier in the day, rushing down into the depths of the castle where he was situated; wanting him to help her save Van from the battlefield. But now she had returned to seek his guidance so soon after sensing the distraught aura of pain of his brother in battle.

Folken could clearly see the feelings of pain and anxiety swirled in her forest green depths of her gaze and he all but knew that the girl cared deeply for his brother. Leaning his head to the side, Folken began to listen to her fears for Van. For Gaia. As her chilling words for the future continued, he felt his pulse begin to quicken as she blurted out his prediction to die. His face betrayed his mind as he was once again shaken at the proof that his fate was never his; that his life was never in his hands. However, it wasn't his near death which shocked him most; after all, he knew the fate alteration machine had given him a half life. It was in fact the girl's tearful outcry, as if she was upset and afraid that he had been delivered such a fate. Folken's lips tugged downwards into a frown, unable to comprehend the girl's selflessness and kindness, even to those who did not deserve it. Those people such as him. And so, after observing her tearful expression, Folken decided to relieve the brunette of her self suffering by showing her his obsidian wings, the living proof that his time was soon to end regardless of her attempts to changing his fate. There was no doubt that the girl was not from his world. He had observed her behaviour from the first time he saw her. Her love and devotion for his brother Van, and her utter disbelief and hatred against war and bloodshed made her appear much more fascinating than anyone he had ever met. He could understand why his brother loved this girl. She represented everything good that could be attained during the aftermath of a war. She was everything his brother deserved and Folken knew one thing for certain, he was going to give Van that happy fate even if he had to sacrifice his own body to gain it.

His eyes soon refocused back upon Hitomi, observing her expression which was half obscured by her long auburn bangs.

Folken tilted his head to the side, feeling an aura of the girl's pain send prickles down his skin.

"Hitomi, are you alright?"

His gaze softened as he watched Hitomi rub her eyes with the backs of her hands looking embarrassed that she had broken down in such a way.

Hitomi's POV
At the sound of his voice, Hitomi felt her head move upwards before she even realised she was doing so. If there was one thing loved about Folken was his lugubrious tone, dark and mysterious yet held a magnetism which made people want to listen and wish to know what he wanted to say. From all the times Hitomi had talked to Van's brother in the last few days, she had tried to understand his character better. She had even wrote her thoughts in her diary as she attempted to decode Van's enigmatic brother so she could empathise to why Van hated him so much. She could even remember the word she had written in her head.

'He isn't really a people's person. But he makes you feel appreciated. He stares at you as if he valued everything that you had to say. His lips would slowly creep upwards into a smile when you amused him in light banter. His eyes would soften when he knew you were sad, and although he would never raise his arms to envelop you in a hug, and that his shoulder would always remain too high to reach if you wanted to cry, he would stand there and listen silently, absorbing everything you said and somehow making you feel calm and comforted...'

No matter what Van said, Hitomi knew that Folken was a good person inside. Van needed his brother regardless of the complicated history which divided them.Hitomi clenched her fingers around her pendant harshly, as if it were to blame for her ghastly vision. Nobody deserved to die, when it is so clear that they are not truly evil. When Hitomi first met Folken, she knew from the moment she met eye contact with his gaze, and saw how much self grief and misfortune resided from within his soul that he was never evil. She knew what evil was. All she had to do was look in Dilandau's eyes and see the wild eyed gaze, void of sanity, already drinking in the amount of blood he wanted to spill. That was evil. But Folken's claret gaze spoke of intelligence and his aura held a soothing calmness that Hitomi had never felt from another. Her earlier talk with Naria and how she and her sister were saved by Folken finally concluded her realisation of the older Fanelian prince. He was not evil. Far from it...

'He is an innocent...corrupted by Zaibach...like Naria...And to see such a fate...for Folken... to die...No...'

Then all too soon, a familiar bright light enclosed around her pink crystal, spreading outwards with a pure energy. Hitomi felt her body rise before she even realised her feet had lifted themselves off the floor. Her companion's body tensed, his eyes darting down at the glowing pink pendant as he felt a fluctuation of energy surround him in the form of a pillar of light. Yet as the mystical energy flowed within him, Folken's mind became considerably blank of thought. After all, he knew this was to happen.

His fate was finally upon him..

But as quickly as the feeling appeared, it dissipated into nothing, revealing a place darker and colder than the castle Hitomi and Folken once stood in.

"Where are we?" Hitomi asked as she tried to recollect her jumbled thoughts and feelings, and attempt to calm her beating heart. Folken blinked, trying to rid himself of the fading white flashes which impeded his gaze. As his vision cleared, Folken's eyes moved to an all too familiar machine and it was in that instant that he knew exactly where they were.

'Dornkirk's chambers. The fate alteration device worked.' His thoughts were soon broken as he heard a voice call from above him.

'Everything is in place. All the elements are in my hands. It's time to fully activate the Fate Redirector. Everything is going as I wish."

Hitomi and Folken both raised their head towards the thundering voice.

'That voice...' Hitomi murmured as her earlier vision flashed before her eyes. '…I recognise that voice.'

Her mind envisioned the same room from her premonition, realising that it was indeed the same dark chamber in her mind. Her thoughts dissipated as she heard Folken's voice beside her.

"Your wish...?" Folken asked harshly to his former master, barely restraining himself from shouting out his rage.

Dornkirk smiled snidely, already knowing the Strategos' question before he even voiced it. "Yes, I guided fate so you'd bring the girl from the Phantom Moon here," he replied, his tone thick with arrogance and satisfaction. After all, the fate alteration machine made him able to predict the future, and even change it according to his own will.

Dornkirk's reply caused Folken's blood to pulse in his veins. "How much are you going to twist fate!" Folken argued, rising his voice to the point where he could not even attempt to hide his emotions. The elder scientist's eyes glinted from his throne. "Stupid question. You know what I think, don't you?" he questioned in a condescending tone, further influencing his Strategos' ire that he struggled to constrain.

"Then, you know of my determination, right?" The Fanelian prince threatened, unconsciously clenching the hilt of his sword. The faces of his mother and father, Van, Naria and Eriya flashed before his eyes followed by images of Fanelia and the legendary battle against the dragon. These once buried memories arose from the darkness of his mind and had the effect of drawing a sneer from his lips. The cold mask slipped off Folken's face and was now replaced with burning hatred. His eyes flared crimson as if a premonition of the blood he was soon to spill. Gone were his restraints of composure as his eyes narrowed up at the man; the monster who had corrupted and destroyed so many lives before his very eyes. There was no way he would let his former master continue with his plans of controlling destiny.

The old man chuckled in amusement, as if he was conversing with a simple child. "You came here to kill me, right?" he questioned in a satirical tone, tilting his head to the side in a condescending manner. "Go ahead, kill me. There's no one to stop you!"

Folken's response was silent as his hand clenched tighter around his sword hilt. All his awareness of his surroundings was obliterated as the form of Dornkirk filled his vision.

Hitomi whipped her head around at the sound of metal being pulled from its sheath. She turned around unable to believe her eyes. Folken had drawn his sword out to fight.

"Folken?" Hitomi asked frantically, as a flash in her mind made her head to snap up and look at Folken with a horrendous expression.

'No…He…my vision...He is going to...'

It seemed to Hitomi as if her mind was pulled from her body and she was once again viewing the scene from above. The two men regarded one another, seeming oblivious to her presence, and no matter how much she wanted to cry out, her vocal chords were clotted with fear.

So as an observer, Hitomi felt her heart clench at her inability to express her feelings to what she knew Folken was about to do.

"Come on, Folken,"

Hearing Dornkirk's voice caused Folken's resolve to shatter. "You're insane!" He exclaimed. Then, in one fluid moment, the Fanelian prince leaped off the ground, relying on his tainted wings to propel him upwards towards his ultimate fate. His black feathers fluttered beneath him, falling below his feet. The brunette's fearful cries fell upon deaf ears, as Folken's burning surge of anger and thirst for blood consumed his mind and soul. Each flap of his wings brought him every step closer to sealing his destiny. Each moment he lived, he felt every part of humanity depart from within him. Each breath he took, he relived all his failings of giving pain and suffering to those who he loved. There was only one thought on his mind.

'It is time to end this madness.'

His feet landed upon Dornkirk's podium; his pulse pounding with a black vengeance against his neck. Folken's face remained blank of emotion as his hands, both skin and metal raised his sword above his head for his final attack.

"Folken!" Hitomi cried out in desperation, tossing her head side to side refusing to believe that her vision was occurring before her very eyes.

"Don't!" she pleaded, silently praying for Folken to at least turn and look at her and cease his thoughts of death and revenge.

The blade trembled in the hands of its master, as if faltering in its path for a moment. But soon gravity caught up upon the weapon, and the sword soon descended downwards, its path and fate sealed in one move.

Hitomi's screamed from soundless lips as she closed her eyes in an attempt to void herself of the reality around her.

Yet crimson life did not cover Folken's sword. It was instead a green noxious fluid which splattered across his chest and stained his blade.. The blade slashed through the weathered grey skin like paper. The sinew and bone did little to defend Dornkirk from its attacker, destroying vital organs from the forceful swipe. It was gravity which caused the sword to detach itself from its bleeding victim. However, such force made the blade possess a need to prove its unconditional power to its master, till it struck firmly against the side of Dornkirk's metal throne.

The clang of the opposing forces of matter fought; both wanting to dominate the other. Yet the one who was crafted for the need for war; the weapon, surrendered as the blade's tip snapped and vaulted into the air.

The broken shard moved upwards, sailing through the currents of time. Each moment silent and mournful till at last the shard fell, latching itself upon its master's chest. Through the prince's left pectoral. Straight to Folken's heart. The broken sword quivered in Folken's hands, his mind going blank momentarily at the flare of physical pain consuming his emotionally battered heart.

The Fate Redirector glowed around him as vials of Dornkirk's metallic blood released themselves across their master's resting place, The green liquid poured down the throne until the flood became weak drips which echoed in the morbid silence of the room...

Folken's heart lurched as his face barely revealed the pain of his fatal wound. His eyes had lost their wild lustre as they gazed across Dornkirk's mutilated body then down at his own chest, revelling in the irony of his fate. "I see. This is the centre of redirecting fate..." Folken whispered to himself, his uneven breaths weak and shallow. " ...where action and reaction are at their strongest..." His eyes then moved from his blood and looking straight ahead, staring at the nothingness before him.

"But..." His lips twisted in a weak smile, as he felt his sword fall from his lifeless fingers. "...the war... will end. I-I wish true peace to Gaea...".

His wings arched outwards and then everything he thought, felt, feared and remembered was expelled from his body from his shaken gasp. He felt his mind let everything go... He fell backwards, embracing his body to the darkness. The winds caressed his skin as he felt himself plummet downwards. But there was no fear in his heart, and his pain seemed distant from his mind. There was only acceptance in his soul. He was barely aware when he felt his body collide to the ground, the sharp impact shattering his wings and spine against the gravity's unyielding force. His blood pooled around him, submerging and coating his mangled feathers in a crimson hue. Folken's body was accepting death. His crimson life was vastly depleting itself around his broken form. But as he opened his eyes and felt a crimson stained tear slip beneath his eyelashes, he felt one final regret awaken within him.

"V-van.."

And then everything that once had so much meaning to him, simply had no meaning at all.

Folken Lacour de Fanel, Prince of Fanelia was dead.

Oh I so hate that scene. Folken didn't deserve to die... I thought it was so heartbreaking how Van can sense the death of his brother and then reminisces a childhood memory when Folken swung him around in his arms...sighs Anyhow, this is merely like the prologue. Hitomi has witnessed one of the greatest traumas that she has ever experienced on Gaia...what will she do next? Try to change them of course!

This chapter is rather short, but the future chapters will be much longer.

Please review you guys. I would very much like to know what you think for the idea for this fic!

Ja ne

Aer-seph4eva

Any thoughts? Comments, feel free to notify me by email.