Over The Sky
A fanfiction by Lyrael
Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, though I very much wish I did.
I discovered a long time ago that when the rays of the morning sun peeked through and around the buildings, I could see beyond the clouds; it was like they turned transparent for that short amount of time especially for me. For about a minute, I saw through the atmosphere to a small planet that forever hid in Earth's shadow. The swirling white, blue, and green of Gaia's surface were visible, and for that period of time each morning, the deepest pangs of loneliness permeated my very soul.
It was only a few months after my time on Gaia came to an end that I realized such an unusual phenomenon occurred daily. I didn't know if it had, perhaps, been occurring for my entire life, but each morning since then, I awoke at 5:23 am to gaze upon the planet that I missed so much.
It was during these viewings that every ounce of love I felt for the young king of Fanelia had grown more potent. After a few years of my routine, I had begun to feel sad every time I witnessed Gaia's untouchable beauty. The sadness had nestled in a hollow space, a space that was created in the vacuum of my journey from Gaia to Earth.
Of course, my return home had been simple and unannounced.
When the time had come for me to return to where I belonged, the pillar of light erupted around my feet, gently lifting me from the king's embrace. He had been so reluctant to let go.
I had become accustomed to the physical sensations accompanying those taxing trips between planets, but the journey home had been so different. I had been stricken with an uneasy queasiness as I stared down into the markedly crimson gaze of Van Slanzar de Fanel. He had been sad, and did not hide it. A worry had crossed my sense of being, the kind of upset feeling that most people only get when someone they love is about to go very far away.
"I won't forget you," I had yelled down to him, "I'll come back!" As the distance between him and I grew larger, I closed my eyes in one last effort to minimize the pain of leaving.
Soon I had been taken up into the clouds, past the mountain peaks and shrieking birds of prey, and into the emptiness of space. I barely noticed it all whizzing by me. Everything became a blur after awhile, and I stopped noticing the small things.
Within a few moments, I found myself lying on my bed. The trip had been so exhausting that I'd fallen asleep without moving a single inch.
My mother had found me a short while later. She woke me quietly, and sat beside me while I talked of everything that had happened. Then I spoke of Van, and how much I missed him already. I had willingly told my mother how I felt about the young man with angel's wings. She stroked my hair while I cried. I can't remember ever having cried so bitterly, but for an hour my heart was in so much pain that I felt like I was going to die.
I cried myself to sleep that night, and when I woke up the next morning, I was under the covers with irritated, puffy eyes, and a fairly bitter taste in my mouth.
Yukari and Amano had visited a few hours afterwards, and as much as I had wanted to tell them everything about Gaia, I cut my experiences down to a five-minute summary, and excluded Van all together. I never knew exactly why I had chosen to leave him out of my account. I believed it was because I wanted to keep his quiet memory inside my heart, to myself. I was fifteen at the time, but my heart had known a conquering love. And I still knew, even five years later, that it would be the only love my heart ever knew.
I went about the rest of high school relatively easily. I gave up my childish games of fortune telling, wrapped my tarot cards in a silk cloth, and stuck them in the back corner of my desk drawer. I never really forgot about them, to be honest. Sometimes I took them out and shuffled the deck for old times' sake. I never gave myself another reading, though. I felt that maybe leaving fate to its devices would serve me better.
Sometimes when I waited for the train to go home from school, I would stare across the bay as the sun began its slow descent into the west. Often I could feel Van's presence in my head while I stood there, and at times he would make himself visible, even if it were only for a few moments. My friends always wondered why I grew silent at the train station, but their ponderings always ceased when the train slowed to a stop in front of us, and I was chatty and happy again.
There was one time when he had appeared to my left, a vision that startled me into heated embarrassment. I had heard him laughing then; his voice had gotten deeper. Every time I saw him, I could see different changes. He grew, he filled out; when I saw him, he appeared to be more lean and intense than when I left Gaia. He looked more and more like his father with each sighting.
The distance had never permitted us to talk, or to share much information, but I sometimes received brief flashes during the day: a new Fanelia, various places in the castle, and the forest where Escaflowne rested.
At times, when the vibrations between the two planets slowed to a lower frequency, I could feel him run a hand across my back, or softly touch my cheek. I saw his smile in my mind's eye, and I knew that he still thought of me, still loved me.
As much as I tried, however, I could not wish myself back to Gaia. My grandmother, who always smiled very knowingly every time she saw me after my return to Earth, had laughed when I'd complained to her.
"Obaa-chan… this isn't funny," I had said, pouting. "I want to go back and see…" I'd realized that my face was turning red then, and I clapped a hand over my mouth.
She had touched my hand gently. "I told you that wishing is a very powerful thing, ne? Well, sometimes wishing may not work."
Those simple words had almost prompted a bit of whining, but I knew somewhere in the dusty corners of my consciousness that perhaps Gaia wasn't ready for my return.
At 5:20 am, a very annoying radio announcer stirred me from my sleep. Groggily, I reached over and shut off the switch. The announcer, midway through advertising a brand new erectile dysfunction product, was cut off, and I smiled rather evilly to myself. I hated those commercials with a passion, yet there always seemed to be one playing whenever I was waking up.
"God, I hate mornings," I said, yawning rather pointedly. I rubbed my eyes gently, blinked a few times, and sat up. The digital clock readout cut through the darkness, and 5:21 am brightly imposed itself on my retinas. Running a hand through my hair, I stood up, and wandered to the window of my bedroom. I stared off into the East, my eyes searching the heavens for any sign of Gaia. After a few moments, I glanced back at the clock; it read 5:23 am. Quickly I turned my gaze back to the sky, and the planet appeared, right on schedule. I sighed when I saw it. I imagined Van up there, just waking up in Fanelia. My fingertips lightly brushed the glass and I felt the painful longing that was associated with my early morning reveries. I sometimes wondered when Gaia would permit me to return, and I wanted it to be soon. Suddenly the small orb disappeared, and I knew that it would return tomorrow, just like it always did.
As I made my bed and folded it up, my mind began to wander through the past five years. I was twenty years old now, in a wonderful university on a track scholarship, and missing a much simpler life. My grandmother had passed away in the previous year, taking any answers to my questions about Gaia with her. Sometimes though, when I was walking through Tokyo's crowded streets to get to class, I wondered if she'd known any more than I did.
I tiptoed past Yukari and Amano's bedroom with a towel and shampoo in hand. I could hear Amano snoring quietly, and I giggled to myself. He had already finished college and held down a pretty important job at a high-end publishing firm. He was the only reason that Yukari and I could actually live somewhere decent, but he didn't mind us living with him until the end of school. In fact, his love for my best friend was probably the reason I was here, but at least I didn't have to live in some closet-sized apartment in a bad section of town.
As I scrubbed my face with a washcloth, I found myself smiling at their relationship. They had become the couple that I had wanted to see myself in way back when I was a freshman in high school, and probably would end up getting married after college.
I silently closed the door and started the shower, shedding my oversized pajama shirt, track shorts, and panties. I locked the door and pulled back the curtain, stepping into the steamy warmth. I loved showers; they were refreshing and helped to wake me up most mornings.
I washed my hair with a sweet-scented American shampoo, and let my thoughts wander over what I had to do for the day. There were no classes scheduled for the afternoon, but I didn't feel like staying at home. I knew that Yukari didn't have class, and as I rinsed the shampoo from my short hair, I wondered if maybe she'd be up to visiting the high school. We sometimes found our ragtag "family" strolling along the fence of the track, reflecting on stranger times and even stranger memories.
The warm water cascaded over my body for another couple of minutes, but I felt a light touch skim across my naked back. I felt shivers crawl down my spine as Van made an effort from Gaia. I hadn't felt him in my head for quite awhile now, but I felt a surge of excitement in my chest, threatening to explode. After a few seconds I could see his face, which was half-obscured by his long black bangs. His eyes glinted happily, but then I realized that he was probably receiving a mental picture of myself, sopping wet hair and all. I felt myself turning red, and I heard his deep chuckle, which sounded as if he were standing right outside the shower.
'Hitomi…' his voice echoed, and I found myself nearly falling over in surprise. It was the first time he'd ever vocalized anything in my head. 'Come back?' His tone was pleading, beckoning, and I thought I heard traces of hopelessness.
At his words, my happiness nearly dissolved into a flood of tears. I reached down and shut off the water, and slicked back my bangs. I pushed the curtain back and felt a cold wave of air wash over my naked body.
'Soon, Van,' I whispered in my mind, hoping that it reached him. 'Soon.' He didn't reply after that, but the firm brush of his fingers against my cheek signaled that he had been trying intensely to reach me. It led me to wonder if he knew of something that was going to occur, but I soon pushed that uncomfortable notion out of my mind. Sometimes I wondered if it really had been a good idea to stop practicing with my tarot cards.
I brushed my hair into its normal style, pinching my thumb and index finger around a bright blue shock of hair. Yukari had done it a week ago, and it had retained its color quite nicely. I closed one eye and looked at myself in the mirror, and after a bit of thought, decided to leave the tarot cards in the drawer. That mistake would later almost cost me my life.
In front of the mirror, I adjusted my shirt, and quickly surveyed my outfit. A beige knee-length, tiered skirt, and a very clingy white tank top. I bit my lip, and turned this way and that, my eyes sweeping over my figure. I felt that I had done damn well to keep myself trim and healthy, and it had definitely paid off over the years. The clock read 6:02 am, and the sun was just fully pulling itself into the sky. I draped a long beaded necklace around my neck, pulled on my knee-high black boots (which Yukari had laughingly dubbed my "hooker boots" some time ago), and put in my earrings. I put on some lip balm and swished out of my room. Before I stepped out the door however, I cast one last glance at the drawer, where my tarot cards had been laid to rest.
"I wonder…" I said aloud. But again, I pushed the thought into the back of my mind. I had an uneasy feeling as I opened the door to Yukari's room, but I made myself ignore it.
"Psst! Yukari!" I hissed, hoping that she would hear me. I squinted, and in the dark I could just barely make out my friend shifting and propping herself up. "It's 6:15, get up!"
"Okay, okay," she groaned, yawning loudly and then reaching over and shaking Amano awake. I closed the door and continued down the hallway.
Amano had a really nice apartment: two bedrooms, full kitchen, full bathroom, and a decent-sized den area that was situated just off the kitchen. We'd had quite a few interesting parties here in the past few months, as Amano had taken some of his extra cash and bought a totally awesome entertainment center.
I walked towards the door, grabbing my black hoodie from the back of the leather couch and shrugging it on. I was hungry, but I didn't feel like having the leftover noodles in the fridge. Amano never had decent food in his house unless there was a party coming up.
My messenger bag was on the chair by the door, and I quickly checked my wallet to make sure I had some money. I slung the bag over my shoulder and walked out the door, shutting it behind me.
Japan had always been a place that I loved intensely. Even though I didn't truly fit in – I was half-American – it was still my beloved home.
My father had been an American soldier stationed in Tokyo for a few years; he met my mother and they quickly fell in love. They got married a year later, and then they had me. Most of my classmates growing up had always envied my green eyes and strawberry-blonde hair, features that I'd inherited from my dad. Unlike my mom, he never really inquired as to where I'd been when I'd disappeared, but he knew; my father was a mysterious man, and he seemed to know everything but never let on to it.
A gentle breeze wafted down the sidewalk, and my skirt fluttered around my bare legs. The stores around me were just opening to the morning rush, and there were already many businessmen strolling to work. A few chatted animatedly, having just gotten off the train, and some ate as they walked.
As for me, I was headed to La Boulangerie, a fantastic little French bakery. I could smell the fresh pastries in the air, and a lazy smile crossed my lips. I was a sucker for their pain au chocolat, a croissant with dark chocolate wrapped in the middle. I was within a few feet of the store when someone started yelling, and then a woman screamed. It sounded like it was coming from the bakery.
Instinct told me to stay rooted to the spot; however, morbid curiosity took hold of my legs and began dragging them forward. I peeked in the main entrance, but I couldn't see anything from my angle. I tried inching closer to the door, but a sudden gunshot caused me to jump backwards. My heart began pumping like crazy, and adrenaline shot into my veins. Van's face leapt into my mind at that moment, and I knew why he had tried so hard to talk to me.
The gunshot still rang in my ears, and almost reflexively I knew what was coming.
An older man, with salt and pepper hair that was slicked back, stumbled out of the bakery. There were a few spots of blood on his otherwise immaculately white dress shirt, and he looked half mad.
Blood pounded in my ears, and it was a thunderous, intense noise. I took a few shaky steps backward, but I knew that this man, whoever he was, had no intention of letting me survive.
"What did you see?" he yelled at me, his voice cracking. He took a step closer to me, his chest heaving. Spittle sprayed everywhere when he repeated himself. "What did you see!"
"N-nothing," I stuttered. Another step backwards.
He drew himself up, rearranging his face into a calm expression of malevolence. His finger squeezed the trigger.
I fell backwards to the pavement, white-hot pain shooting in little sparks through my chest.
The back of my skull cracked against the concrete, and my vision blurred. An irritating ringing sound erupted in my ears, and my left hand clutched at the area just under my right breast. I could feel hot blood flowing heavily, each wave of it pumping out of me with every beat of my heart. There was a steady, panicked murmur above me, and I guessed (primarily from watching those dramas on TV where someone gets hot lead in their system) that some people had gathered around me.
'Hitomi… come back?'
I smiled to myself as I began to die on the sidewalk. 'Oh, Van…' My body shook with a hard cough, expelling blood from my lungs.
The ringing in my ears grew louder, but through the waves of sound, I heard something. It began quietly at first, but it soon rose above all else.
'HITOMI.' It was Van's voice, loud and commanding inside my head. I strained uncomfortably against the sidewalk, but I knew what he wanted me to do.
I stretched my bloodstained left hand to the sky for a brief moment, and I cried out with every ounce of my soul. I could hear myself whimpering out loud, but then I felt it. An energy buildup from my desire let loose, and the force resulted in a shockwave that radiated out from me in powerful ripples. The murmuring from the people standing around me was silent for a moment, and the ringing in my ears died. My vision cleared as well. Blinking back my stinging tears, I then let my arm fall limply back to my side.
The pain was incredible, but it was done. I focused all my remaining energy on trying not to move as I felt the vacuum of power form around me. I opened my eyes a bit, seeing nothing but unending white. The ghosts of Draconians danced around the pillar, happy and beautiful, their smiles oblivious to my dilemma.
My body left the ground, and the sensations I hadn't felt in five years began to overtake me again. I welcomed them humbly, struggling to keep myself awake.
The pillar began to whisk me by the clouds and the rest of Earth's atmosphere, and I succumbed to my desire to sleep. At that point in time, I didn't care where I ended up anymore.
I just hoped that I didn't die before I got to see Van again.
Author's Notes: Well, this is my first time writing an Escaflowne fanfiction. It gets better after this, I promise. Tell me what you think. I'm going with the English spellings of many things because keeping track of Japanese names gets tiring after a while. Additional notes: I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to indent paragraphs on this stupid system. If I did know, my story would look pretty and you'd all be content and able to easily read it. However, I do not know, so bear with me. I haven't been here in a while.