Hitomi and company belong to Sunrise, TV Tokyo/Bandai Entertainment,
Inc./Egan Loo. I'll return her (very reluctantly) after this is done,
though Van might be a touch late. Spoilers for Escaflowne. Mystic Eyes and
all original characters and plot copyright 2002 by Quicksilver/Aishuu.
Please ask permission before reposting.

Quicksilver's Quill Offers:

Mystic Eyes
An Escaflowne Epic

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
PART ONE:
JUDGEMENT
KEYWORDS: Judgment, Rebirth,
Inner Calling. Absolution
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



"On Card 20, we see people rising up at the call of an angel. It is
Judgment Day, when the faithful are brought to heaven, but what about
those who are not saved? Have they been judged and found wanting? For
their sins, will they be denied the presence of God? It is this aspect of
judgment that is unsettling. How can judgment be reconciled with
forgiveness?

"In fact, judgment comes in two forms. The hurtful kind says, "What you
did is wrong, and you are bad and worthless for having done it." This type
of judgment separates and leaves no room for redemption. It is possible to
judge without condemning. We assess the matter, weigh all sides and try to
discern the truth. We recognize the need to choose and hope for the
courage to do so wisely - but without blame.

"In readings, Card 20 can be a reminder that judgments are necessary;
sometimes you must decide. At such moments, it is best to consider the
matter carefully and then commit yourself without censure. If you are
being judged yourself, learn from the process. Take what is of value,
correct what needs correcting, but never lose sight of your worth.

"Card 20 also stands for the feelings that come with salvation. When the
angel calls, you are reborn - cleansed of all guilts and burdens. The past
and its mistakes are behind you, and you are ready to begin anew. You may
even feel a calling - a personal conviction of what you are meant to do.
If you are in a low period, in need of hope and absolution, Judgement can
show you that renewal is at hand. "




~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


"Kanzaki-san! Kanzaki-san!"

Hitomi raised her head from where she was rummaging in her sports bag,
smiling slightly at the older girl who was running towards her. "Yes,
McClellan-san?" she asked politely.

Bridget McClellan bent over and clutched her knees for support as she
attempted to catch her breath. "I just... wanted to say... that it's a
pleasure racing against you."

Hitomi nodded graciously. "It was a fun match."

The other girl heaved a sigh, and then wagged a finger in a surprised
Hitomi's face. "You're too kind. None of us came anywhere close to
catching you, not even me. Why, before you arrived, I was the star! Now
I'm lucky if I can get a second place time that isn't too embarrassingly
far behind yours."

"Doesn't it bother you? This unknown, taking your place?" Hitomi asked,
feeling the slight stirrings of curiosity. Usually it was too much effort
to become curious about others around her, but something about Bridget
appealed to her.

Bridget smiled, showing off a cute pair of dimples. "Kanzaki-san... I
might as well be jealous of the rain for being wet. Running is something
you ARE, rather then something you do. It's like... walking the hallowed
grounds where a King has dwelt- you're honored to be there, in a place
where history was made. You're making history, now. In fifty years, KO
will be known as the school Kanzaki Hitomi-sama raced for."

A blush stained Hitomi's cheeks, and she tilted her head forward in an
attempt to hide it. "Please don't speak like that," she said quietly. "I'm
not running for history; I'm running for myself."

The redhead nodded in an agreeable fashion. "That's what makes you
special. Have you thought about trying out for the national team?"

Hitomi's expression grew troubled. "Everyone tells me I really should, but
I'm not sure I want to."

"Not want to?" Bridget looked puzzled.

"I think I just want to be an ordinary student, at least for a while. That
will when I start running international meets."

"What if... something happens? You could break something badly." The
thought was a serious one; if a runner broke something, the recuperation
time could destroy a career, even if the injury didn't.

Hitomi nodded. "I've taken that into consideration, of course, but I'm
sure things will be fine. I have faith."

"I wish I did! I pulled a tendon once and was on crutches for a week- for
a while I despaired of ever running again!" The girl's impish smile pulled
Hitomi in unwillingly, like a moth to a flame. "I had something I wanted
to ask you."

"Can it wait until after we hit the showers?"

"How about during?"

Hitomi agreed readily enough. Slowly she zipped her running bag and slung
it across her left shoulder, then walked with the other girl to the
showers. She had yet to find a personal manager as devoted as Yukari had
been, and wasn't sure if she regretted that or not. It was easier to seek
the solitude she desired, but Yukari had been her only friend who had hung
on... after. The others had found her detachment rather frightening.
Still, without a manager, she was stuck carrying her stuff around herself.

The girl's locker room was much the same as any she had ever been in. The
floors were perpetually damp, and the girls all wore flip-flops in the
shower to avoid touching the slimy-feeling floors. The walls were a dismal
off-white, and the lighting was, at best, chancy. The room had lost power
twice so far while she had been in there, and she'd been stuck standing
naked, waiting for someone to restore the lights since she couldn't find
her clothes. The only thing the place had going for it was the endless
supply of hot water, something she cherished.

It was late in the day, so the women's track team had the place pretty
much to them selves. The sound of hissing water from the communal stalls
let her know that someone was in there, and she heard the quiet murmur of
voices from around the room in various places. She hurried to her locker
to get her bath gear out and shoved her bag in it. She stripped quickly,
her finely toned muscles still gleaming with sweat. Yanking her braid
apart with impatient fingers, she stepped into a short terrycloth robe and
her bathing sandals. Her carefully packed bath bucket and towel in hand,
she went into the shower area.

Communal showers were something that bothered a lot of people, but
athletes learned to get used to it, or spent a LOT of time cowering in
corners with bright blushes of embarrassment. Hitomi had lost her body
modesty enough so that shedding her robe in the small room before the
shower was no trial. Her body was a finely honed tool, and if she had
bothered to think about it, she might have been proud of how fit she
looked.

All ten of the showerheads were going full blast, with five giggling girls
standing underneath them. One was gossiping about her current boyfriend,
while the others listened, occasionally adding their own anecdotes or just
commiserating on how incredibly dense males could be. In the corner
another girl was standing by herself, holding a book covered with a Ziploc
baggy, apparently doing some schoolwork. Balancing athletics and classes
could be hard, and Hitomi knew that she was lucky that studies came
easily. Some of her teammates were struggling.

Normally Hitomi would go over to one of the showers, crank it up as hot as
she could possibly stand it, and lose herself in the throbbing rhythm of
the spray. Sometimes it felt like hot needles were trying to pierce her
flesh, but nothing relaxed her more. Today, though, she had promise to
talk to Bridget so she glanced around, looking for the sophomore. She
wasn't there yet, so Hitomi snagged two of the showerheads and adjusted
them to a more reasonable setting.

"Ah, Hitomi! Do you mind if I call you that? You can call me Bridget if
you like." The older girl dashed in, carrying a neon green bath bucket of
her own. As she jabbered cheerfully, she pulled out a poof and poured bath
gel all over it.

"Go ahead," Hitomi agreed, wary eyes following the older girl. Bridget was
pretty, with deep red hair cut at a jaunty angle at her chin, and huge
eyes that were a true sapphire blue. Her bangs framed a small face, and
her body was trim. Hitomi was taller than the average Japanese woman, at
five-four, but Bridget was almost Amazonian. She stood just below six
feet, her European heritage clear on sight.

Bridget laughed. "You're so cool, you know that? I don't think I've ever
seen you react to anything with extreme emotion."

Hitomi shrugged, then bent over to get her shampoo. She hated being so
much shorter then most of the other runners. Runners weren't typically
short. "I've seen things that could turn your hair white," Hitomi said
shortly, the bite in her tone not encouraging further questions. "After
that, you learn not to sweat the small things." She poured a generous pool
of shampoo into her hand and lathered her hair, digging deeply into her
scalp with her nails.

Bridget wasn't about to be deterred. "Anyway, that's not what I wanted to
talk to you about," she said as she started to wash her own hair. "I was
curious as about why I've never seen you at any of the team parties- I
know Akari-chan is having one tonight, and we'd love to have you there."

Hitomi blinked in surprise. No one ever invited her to go anywhere
anymore, not after she had rejected the first dozen invites. She didn't
want them to, so it wasn't a problem, but the unexpected invitation had
her fumbling for a rejection. She had school; she had homework-

And then she felt the tug.

It was hard to describe exactly, but she knew the feeling. It was a pull
to agree, much the way she had felt on Gaea... much like she had felt when
reading the tarot cards. As if something was telling her that this was
destiny, that this was something she must do. Still, she'd had enough of
destiny. It only brought pain and suffering. "I'll think about it," she
said, hurriedly rinsing out the soap. She'd take a complete shower later,
but right now she just wanted to get away from Bridget.

"Really? I'll meet you at your dorm room at nine!" Bridget bubbled
enthusiastically.

"I didn't-" she began to protest, but was cut off as Bridget shook her
head to rid her hair of excess water and darted for the door. Hitomi
watched her go, feeling like she had just been hit by a tractor-trailer.

***************************

By nine, Hitomi had talked herself out of going. Even though it was a
Friday and the entire dorm seemed to be empty, she was studiously reading
Hamlet for her English class. It was hard for her to make sense of the
play- her English was decent, but the old English tried all her skills.
The copy she had bought from the bookstore was well marked, with notes up
and down the margins and highlighting throughout.

She was well ahead of the class, but she new time was precious. Next week
she had a meet that she would have to train for, and there was always the
possibility that something might come up that she would have to pay
attention to.

She frowned thoughtfully at the scene where Laertes and Polonius were
taking their leave of each other, giggling slightly at Polonius' advice.
Parents didn't change much, no matter how many centuries apart they were.

The sudden staccato raps on the door made her jump out of her skin. She
rose to her feet, determined to get rid of Bridget with all possible
haste. She really didn't want to go, despite the tug she felt... or maybe
because of it.

"Hey, Hitomi!" the other girl said cheerily. She was dressed in a flowered
tube top with lavender slacks, chunky shoes, and plenty of glittery body
paint, and her vibrant red hair was streaked with multiple shades of
purple. "Are you ready- ACK! You can't mean to wear that!"

Hitomi looked down at her shorts and T-shirt (which was emblazoned with
the slogan of a meet she had attended two years ago) and sighed. "Bridget-
I- "

The girl shook her head insistently, her red hair brushing against her
high cheekbones. "I knew you'd back out if I didn't come to get you! Well,
let's look in your closet and get you ready!"

"But- "

Bridget wagged a finger in her face. "This anti-social nature of yours has
got to go. It's one thing to be aloof, it's another entirely to be a
hermit!"

The present: The Hermit....

The memory of the tarot reading Yukari had talked her into performing
surfaced unwillingly. "I have homework," she said lamely.

"And an entire weekend to do it! I told Akari-chan that you'd be coming,
and she was really excited! The other girls really want to get to know
you. They're a nice bunch, so there's no reason to be shy! So come on!"
Bridget gave her a face that a puppy dog would have been proud of.

Hitomi sighed. Bridget had clearly made up her mind, and like Yukari,
there was no changing it. "Fine. But I'm not going to stay long."

"At least till one," Bridget wheedled.

"Eleven."

"Midnight it is." The girl went over to the college provided wardrobe and
flung both its doors wide open and poked her head in. Hitomi knew she
should be offended that a virtual stranger was rummaging through her
stuff, but all she felt was a slight weariness and a trace of amusement.
Bridget was a force of nature. "You have some really pretty things...
maybe a green shirt to bring out your eyes? Or that short blue skirt to
draw attention to your legs? Or how about-" she halted abruptly, her
attention riveted to something she had just seen.

Hitomi knew what the other girl was looking at. "That dress?"

Bridget's eyes widened as she pulled out a dress. It was cut rather oddly,
with a very short front and a back that would fall almost to her knees,
with a flare from the hips. The color was rather indescribable, shading
from deep blue to green to turquoise, then back again. The scooped-neck
was modest, but the material would cling to each of her curves, making it
clear that Hitomi was very female, and had a splendidly toned body. "It's
gorgeous!"

"My mother gave it to me. It's not something I'd buy for myself- it's too
impractical."

"You have to wear it!"

Hitomi sighed and complied, stripping out of her study outfit. The dress
slid over her skin like water, and she was surprised at how feminine it
made her feel.

"Now for the make up!" Bridget said gleefully.

"I don't wear it."

Bridget frowned and dug in her purse to produce an astounding traveling
pharmacy. "You don't need it, much," she admitted grudgingly. "But you
know, glitter is required!" Hitomi squeaked as Bridget advanced on her,
waving a tube of silver glitter. Bridget was wearing a lot, and Hitomi
shuddered to think what was going to happen to her.

Five minutes passed before Bridget let her look in a compact mirror. To
Hitomi's astonishment, Bridget had kept it simple, only adding touches of
glitter to her eyelids, cheeks, and a few blue streaks in her hair. She
rather liked the effect. "I bet you thought I'd overdo it."

"The thought did occur to me," she answered dryly.

Bridget laughed and tugged Hitomi to her feet. "With that dress? Trust me,
no matter what I do, no one is gonna be looking at your face!"

"I'll change, then," Hitomi volunteered.

"No!" Bridget dragged her over to the full-length mirror Hitomi's father
had attached to the back of her door when she moved in. "You look awesome,
babe!"

Hitomi was surprised and amazed by the woman staring back at her. She was
sexy, looking like she had just stepped out of a teen magazine. She hadn't
realized she could look like that... she wished Van could see her, and she
could bask in the admiration his eyes would reflect.

"I do good work," Bridget preened. "Come on, we got a party to get to!"

Hitomi sighed and grabbed some money for the cover and her ID card,
putting them into the card-carrier she wore on a cord around her neck. She
would have liked to take a purse, but she knew that it would only get in
the way. Chances were that she'd be expected to dance, and Bridget seemed
to have a gift for railroading her into things.

It was barely an hour past sunset, and she fancied that she could still
feel some lingering warmth in the air. The air had a vitality that it only
seemed to carry on weekends, and she felt her spirit lifting, however
unwillingly. Yukari and Bridget were right- she needed to try to have a
normal life. Van wouldn't be coming for her, and he wouldn't want her to
waste her life pining for him. She made a firm resolution to at least try
to enjoy herself tonight. There was no point in being miserable.

Bridget pulled her to a cherry red PT Cruiser, and Hitomi giggled. Leave
it to Bridget to drive something flashy. Bridget flicked the unlock button
on her key chain, and Hitomi took the passenger's seat while Bridget slid
behind the wheel. "Buckle up, babe," Bridget warned.

Hitomi had barely managed to fumble her seatbelt closed when Bridget
turned the ignition, starting the car, and a sound system that Hitomi
thought would deafen her. Bridget's foot hit the gas heavily and she
peeled out of the parking lot, forcing a gasp out of her passenger.

"I warned you! It's not just running that I do fast!"

After seeing Bridget run one red light, Hitomi shut her eyes and silently
offered up every prayer she could think of. She should have known Bridget
would be a crazy driver... In ten minutes, they pulled up in front of a
house, after a drive that should have taken fifteen. Hitomi felt
distinctly off-color, and wondered if she looked as green as she felt.

Bridget, though, bounced out of the car obliviously, hit the auto lock,
and hooked her arm through Hitomi's, pulling her along. "Akari-chan throws
the best parties- her parents bought her a house to live in while she goes
to college. Every month or so she throws a bash- with just a few friends,
usually the track team and their dates."

From the sound coming from the house, Akari had a lot of friends. Almost
every room in the house was lit up, or had the distinct look of black
lights or strobes coming from within, pulsing in time with the sound
system that was audible from the street. The music had a great beat, and
she could see people dancing, even on the lawn.

"What's the cover?" she asked. She didn't intend to drink, but they would
still charge her. They always did.

Bridget laughed. "You're a member of the track team! No cover- Akari-chan
sometimes charges the gatecrashers, but she's nice to the team. We're
family!"

Hitomi bit her lip to keep from biting out anything sarcastic.

People immediately began to flock around them. Most greeted Bridget
familiarly, and a few offered tentative hellos to Hitomi as well. A few
guys asked her to dance or get her a drink, but she shook her head,
smiling slightly to negate any sting her refusal would give. "I have to
say hello to the hostess," she said.

"I should, too," Bridget said. "Is she in the game room, Ken?"

A dark-haired boy with eyes to drown in nodded. "She took off there with
Shinji," he said. "I think they're back on again."

The red-haired gaijin laughed. "They managed to stay broken up for all of
three days! A record!"

"Ain't it?"

She smiled and leaned towards Ken, planting a lingering kiss on his lips.
"We can talk later, right? After I get Hitomi comfortable with the gang?"
she asked.

He placed his hands on hers waist to draw her close and gave her a
passionate kiss as an answer. "I'm always up for you, Bri."

She laughed, stepped away from him after giving a flirtatious wink and
indicated that Hitomi should follow her with a jerk of her head. "Is he
your boyfriend?" Hitomi asked.

Bridget grinned at her, flashing white teeth. "One of a few. He has his
uses. I'm not serious, though." Hitomi blushed as she thought of what
Bridget probably meant.

The music changed as they passed a refreshment table. Bridget grabbed a
wine cooler. "Want one?" she asked.

"I don't drink."

"Ahhhh... you subscribe to the whole "body is a shrine" school of
running?" Hitomi didn't answer, letting Bridget draw her own conclusions.
She didn't like alcohol. "In Europe, I like beer, but most of what I can
get here is either American-made, which is simply horrid. There's also
some sake, but I never acquired a taste for the stuff. So I stick to wine
coolers," Bridget continued, ignoring her companion's silence.

They went through a few more hallways, and up a flight of stairs before
Bridget turned right abruptly. "The game room," she announced. "You play
pool?"

"No."

"Well, one of the guys will teach you- any excuse to lean over a girl
wearing a short skirt! If I were you, I'd let Mikado. He's really sweet,
even if he does swing both ways- never can make up his mind," Bridget
blithely babbled on, reminding Hitomi of a brook.

The two girls entered, and Hitomi's senses were bombarded by music that
was even louder then that playing downstairs, if that was possible. It
took a second for her to adjust enough to make out the sight of four guys
playing pool, a few at a foosball table, and a couple on a couch, ardently
kissing each other. Hitomi became grateful for the dim lighting, because
she knew she'd never live down the blush that made her feel dizzy.

"Oi, Akari-chan!" Bridget called, plowing right in where angels might fear
to tread. "I brought Hitomi with me!"

The couple pulled apart, and Hitomi recognized Akari, one of the team's
better runners. She sat in the lap of a handsome young man that Hitomi
shared her Shakespearean English class with. Akari giggled, sounding
sloshed to the gills, as she straightened her shirt. "Heya, Kanzaki-sama!
Decide to mingle with the peons finally?" she asked, coming to her feet
wobbly.

Hitomi's stomach dropped. This wasn't going to be pretty. Akari was
apparently a mean drunk. "Finally decide we're good enough?"

"I've been busy with school. I have a scholarship to keep," she said.

"Trying to graduate first in class? Not only are you content to totally
destroy any chance the rest of us have to make ourselves a name in track,
but you have to show us up in the classroom as well? Can't be anything
less then perfect?"

Bridget frowned as Hitomi's eyes went ice cold. "Akari-chan! What's wrong
with you! You wanted Hitomi to come!" Bridget protested.

Akari snorted. "Well, I did. But I don't want her to be looking down on
me! Just 'cause I can't pass Trig without trying!"

Bridget winced. "Are you still hung up about that? It was only one test,
Akari-chan! And you have no right to get mad at Hitomi- she studies
constantly! And she hasn't even said anything condescending to you!"

"She never says anything to us! Putting on airs, acting like a princess...
we're so lucky she graced us with her presence!"

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Wakahara-san," she said in a polite voice,
though she wasn't. What did she care? "It was a mistake for me to come
here." She nodded slightly, and turned to leave.

Bridget caught up with her in the hallway. "I'm so sorry! I forgot what
she got like when she was drunk- she didn't mean it!"

"Yes, she did," Hitomi answered. "I'm going to go home- you stay here and
have fun, okay? I appreciate you trying to get me involved, but I'm not a
very social person."

"Well, at least stay until you meet my cousin!" Bridget said, her voice
pleading. "He's new to campus, so I don't think you've met. And he's a
really nice guy- I think you'll have more in common with him then most
people."

"Fine. After that, though, I'm leaving." She was annoyed that she'd let
herself be talked into coming in the first place, and she would be damned
if she'd let anyone match make for her. She'd already given her heart away
irrevocable.

"You really have to give things a chance. I think you'll like him... he's
almost as unsociable as you! I had to get him to promise to show up here
on our grandfather's grave."

Hitomi obediently followed Bridget, weaving through the gyrating crowd.
One man goosed her, and she turned around, ready to throw him into the
wall. The drunk caught a glimpse of the anger in her eyes, and wisely
retreated. "Bridget..." she said warningly.

"He's in the library!" Bridget said. "He always retreats to the quietest
place!" Hitomi didn't blame him. The blasting music, the strobe lights,
and drunken students were all giving her a headache.

Finally Bridget dragged her into a dimly lit room located in the corner of
the building, shutting the heavy oak door behind her. "You in here, cous?"
she called.

"Against my better judgment," a dry mail voice answered, one that sent
shivers dancing up her spine. Eerily familiar, its timbre and tone
reminded her of how Van had spoken whenever Merle was teasing him. "I'll
meet your friend, then I'm out of here." Hitomi couldn't make out anything
except for a slender male silhouette.

Bridget laughed. "You're impossible!" She motioned Hitomi closer. "Hitomi,
this is Donovan Masanori, who is my cousin when he isn't being too
impossible. Van, I'd like you to meet the fastest girl on campus, Kanzaki
Hitomi."

Hitomi's breath caught as the young man stepped out of the shadows. Even
though the features were several years older, they were unmistakable those
of Van Fanel.

"Van?" she whispered.




END JUDGEMENT