Author's Notes: First and foremost, thank you for patronizing the work of this neophyte writer whose current desire and purpose in life is to write an Escaflowne fanfic people will deem worthy of their time attention. And before you start reading my first attempt at a break into the Escaflowne fanfiction-dom, I'd like to tell you about a few things.
First, this story's title is taken from a song sung by Maaya Sakamoto for the RahXephon OST. The over-all theme of Hemisphere is likewise taken from the lyrics of the song.
Second, this story is mostly based on the Escaflowne movie "A Girl in Gaea", thus the references to places, elements and the like found only in the movie such as Adom, Torushina, Abaharaki and even Dragon Clan. Should majority of the readers wish for a summary of the movie for their reference, I'd be happy to type out one and include it in future notes.
Third is that in later chapters, author's notes would be found at the bottom of the page. You don't have to read them if you don't want to anyway, but all the same, if you don't have anything better to do, then why not? ;)
Last is that I hope you would give your most honest feedback about this story. It's a pretty ambitious start, I know, but I do hope that by aiming for the moon I'd at least be able to land among the stars. Please read and review!
And with all that said, I hope you enjoy reading "Hemisphere" by sanctus-seira. :D
Hemisphere
By: Sanctus-seira
An Escaflowne fanfiction.
Standard disclaimers apply.
Chapter One: Descent
The doors of the King's private study suddenly pushed open. In came Van Fanel, decked in full Fanelian colors, with a confident stride and an overpowering aura. Yet the way his heels clicked as he walked gave him the idea that his very presence worried the King. Indeed it should worry him, for he never left his village unless the circumstances were absolutely dire. And the news he brought might even shock Van, as it did him just a few days ago.
Still he knew the man well enough to know that impediments as trivial as his own anxiety would not stop him from coming with him back to Adom. In his mind, he began to picture how Van Fanel would react to what he said: he would listen pensively to the news he brought; his fists would clench and his scarlet gaze would burn. He would mutter curses here and there, hang his head low or simply stay quiet with nothing but a slight frown on his lips to hint his emotions. And despite everything, even if his advisers stopped him, he would come to Adom.
After all, it was the Dragon's calling…
He stood up and bowed, paying his respects. Van nodded his head in acknowledgement and sat himself behind the large, wooden desk. He opened his mouth to speak.
"What is it Ruhm? What news is so important to tear me from the banquet?" Van said. "And why isn't Merle with you?"
Grace and eloquence – something the old him had possessed in very little quantities. A decade is a long time to change a person after all…
"So many questions my King. Pardon, I cannot answer them all. I didn't come to do that. I've come to make one demand of you, that you should come with me to Adom right away," Ruhm replied. "There is no time to waste."
Without giving Van the time to respond, Ruhm reached into his pockets and pulled out a pendant, a rosy oval, and set it on the King's desk. Ruhm knew that it would convey more than his words ever could. For the briefest moment, Van's eyes widened. For a while, he said nothing, his gazed transfixed on the jewel.
"The luster has never left," he finally said.
"The reason Merle isn't with me is that she is tending her as we speak. Merle and I found her just three days ago, unconscious in the Northeastern Peak," Ruhm explained.
"Unconscious?" Van repeated.
"She fell from the sky; a gift from the god himself."
Van looked away wistfully.
"Why has she come back?"
"I cannot even ask such a question your Majesty."
"What do you mean?"
Not answering the question, Ruhm merely said, "I await your decision."
Van breathed out a sigh.
"I will come with you. We will leave as soon as my horse is ready."
"Thank you, your Majesty."
With that, the King stood up and left.
Full black eyes followed the two horses and their riders as they faded into the dark expanse of the night. With little knowledge about the King's departure, none of the palace's staff were able to tell her why Van had left the ball to go to his study, why all of a sudden he was riding with a half-animal, where they were headed and how long he would be gone. She sighed, wrapping her petite frame in her own arms. All she could do for the moment was to hope that he would come back soon. She had so desperately waited for the date of the ball so that she could be with him, only to have him taken from her by such an inconspicuous circumstance…
And then they can have the dance he promised her.
The night was young and the sky was clear; numerous stars gleamed above her. The noise from the ballroom was effectively drowned by the silence of the garden she was in.
She decided to walk back to the festivities when she saw Nathaniel, one of the King's most trusted advisers, talking to fellow royal advisers Lord Ezra and Lady Minda. They were talking solemnly, most probably about the King and his sudden departure, and from the looks on their faces none of them seemed to understand why he had left. She walked a little closer and hid behind a tall statue, trying to make out what they were saying.
"What did Ruhm say?" she heard Lady Minda faint voice.
"I don't know," replied Nathaniel. "It was a closed door meeting. Only the two of them knew what had happened inside."
"Do you have any inkling?" Lord Ezra asked.
"Sadly, none."
"This anonymity is making me worried. Certainly there must be a logical explanation for the King's actions!" Lady Minda exclaimed.
"We will let him explain when he comes back," Nathaniel responded.
"But when?"
"That we do not know," said her husband, Lord Ezra.
"But what will we tell the guests?" Lady Minda asked.
"That the King sends his sincerest apologies for not being able to finish the night's festivities. Matters have come to his attention that cannot wait to be addressed," Nathaniel supplied. "Lord Ezra, Lady Minda, we must not let the guests know that we don't know why the King is gone."
"We understand," Lord Ezra said.
"Thank you," Nathaniel replied.
The fading sound of clicking heels made her leave her hiding place and look back in the direction of where the two riders had disappeared. Hand over her heart, she wished for his safety and speedy return.
"My Lady," she heard Nathaniel call. She whirled around, rich black hair billowing to the wind, to see him standing some feet from her. "You'd better come inside. It's getting cold. King Dryden wouldn't want you to be out in such conditions."
She smiled slightly and nodded, walking towards Nathaniel and to the ballroom.
They rode tirelessly into the night with Ruhm leading the way. They almost didn't speak to one another, with the only exchange regarding changes in the route in favor of a shortcut or a request to stop for a while to let the horses drink. Adom was quite a distance from Fanelia, yet they were able to reach it before the first rays of the sun crept into the horizon.
The journey had taken a good eight hours, at the very least, and it had certainly taken its toll. However Van's mind was not on the fatigue or the pain; it was on the events that had transpired between him and Ruhm inside the Fanelian palace. Few words were spoken between them, but the pendant was enough to convey the entire message: Hitomi was back. The Wing Goddess was back. And the sight of his reflection on the surface of the pink gemstone made the reality of it sink in harder.
He didn't know why or how it happened. The Wing Goddess has arrived in Gaea once more, and if he held true to the legends of the Dragon Clan, then their planet was in for more troubling times. This was a matter he would have to discuss later on with Dryden and the rest of the former Abaharaki. They, as his old comrades, were the first people he should notify about Hitomi's arrival.
Ruhm offered no explanation or any hint of the desire to explain the nature of Hitomi's arrival; it was as if he was leaving the entire question for Van to ask and the answer for him to seek as well. He knew Ruhm was withholding information he would rather that the King not know. As to the reason why this was so, Van could only guess. All of a sudden, he had mixed feelings about the Wing Goddess' descent… A part of him was glad about the prospect of seeing and old friend, but he couldn't quite determine that other, nagging feeling that prevented him from being genuinely happy with Hitomi's arrival. Guilt suddenly overcame him when he realized that he what he was feeling was actually resentment.
You shouldn't feel that way, a part of him chided. She is, like what Ruhm said, a gift from the god himself.
The god of war doesn't usually send gifts, doesn't he?
What, he replied to that inner voice sarcastically, the gift of war? The god, of all beings on Gaea, should know how much he resented war after the events from ten years ago.
"Your majesty."
Ruhm's voice pierced through his thoughts like a lethal dagger. He had already finished tying his horse to a nearby tree.
"This way," Ruhm said, slowly walking towards the elders' hut.
Van breathed in deeply and followed in suit.
"My King, I know what you're thinking," Ruhm spoke, his manner of speaking as slow as the steady beat of his footsteps.
Do you, really?
"I know that you're wondering why I wouldn't give you any explanation regarding the Wing Goddess' descent. The truth is I'm not entirely clear about it myself. I too have questions I would very much want to ask her once she wakes up. But for the meantime, she needs care. And it is for this reason that I have asked you to come."
"What do you mean she needs care?" Van asked, slightly alarmed.
"I told you that she fell from the sky, unconscious," Ruhm began. "However I have yet to tell you that ever since the day Merle and I found her, she hasn't woken up."
"We must tell Dryden about this."
Ruhm nodded silently. He turned his head a little to find the pink pendant hanging loosely around the King's neck. Seeing this, Ruhm looked up. Above them was the partially-hidden Mystic Moon, its silvery sheen ethereal.
Gingerly Hitomi opened her eyes to a weakly-lit room that smelled strangely of musk and incense. The scents were nowhere near nauseating to her, but she couldn't help feeling a weakness in her stomach. She didn't know why or how it came to be because the scents instilled a comfortable calm in her; she felt relaxed. Looking around, she felt a lingering feeling deep inside her that she knew she belonged to this place, the very room she was in at that moment. She noticed that her vision was slightly blurred, owing to the fact that she hadn't opened her eyes for a very long time. How long, however, she didn't know.
She tried to sit up, only to find out that it wasn't just her stomach that was feeling weak. Even her bones were. She fell back on her pillow with a soft thud just as someone else entered the room. She still couldn't see clearly. Was it a him, or was it a her? The outline of the person who just entered knelt down beside her and examined her.
Suddenly, a throbbing pain seared in her, and she couldn't help but close her eyes and bite her lower lip to keep from crying out loud. For some reason, she could also feel her heart grow heavier by the minute, tears forming behind her closed lids.
The person, upon seeing this, immediately rushed out to call for help. In an instant three more came rushing in to check on her.
An ordinary person, with eyes closed, can only see black. Hitomi, however, can only see red.
A teardrop escaped and slid down her cheek as a warm hand placed a cool cloth on her forehead.
A gentle hand wiped it away.
Hitomi felt strangely comforted at the person's touch.
"Honestly though, Hitomi, I think you're still depressed," Yukari spoke, tone soft and gentle. She was taking great care to not offend her friend.
Hitomi was surprised. She stopped stirring her drink, and she slowly looked up at her friend. With brows slightly creased and expression somewhat grave, she opened her mouth to speak.
"Why?"
"Because," there was a slight pause, "you still look sad at times, Hitomi. You still have that faraway look in your eyes like you're discontent with your life…Like you want so much more."
Hitomi just looked at her best friend, her expression showing neither signs of resentment nor acceptance to what had just been said.
"Don't I?"
TO BE CONTINUED
Teaser for the next chapter:
Landings aren't always smooth, even if you have a pair of snow white wings. You've got a couple of rocks on your path and some inconsiderate folks, and when the going gets rough, you just have to make do with what you have. What happens when the person whom you thought would be most happy to see you doesn't seem so? What else happens when you start to realize and understand the very reasons that brought you back in the first place?