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 TWO: THE EMPEROR
Keywords:
Fathering, Structure
Authority, Regulation
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



"The figure of the Emperor says much about the essential qualities of this
card. We see a stern, commanding figure seated on a stone-slab throne. His
back is straight, and his eyes meet ours directly. He is confident of his
complete authority to rule.

"The Emperor represents structure, order and regulation - forces to
balance the free-flowing, lavish abundance of the Empress. He advocates a
four-square world where trains are on time, games are played by rules, and
commanding officers are respected. In chaotic situations, the Emperor can
indicate the need for organization. Loose ends should be tied up, and
wayward elements, harnessed. In situations that are already over-
controlled, he suggests the confining effect of those constraints.

"The Emperor can represent an encounter with authority or the assumption
of power and control. As the regulator, he is often associated with legal
matters, disciplinary actions, and officialdom in all its forms. He can
also stand for an individual father or archetypal Father in his role as
guide, protector and provider. "




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


"You okay?" Bridget's voice was worried, yet barely penetrated Hitomi's
shocked conscious.

Hitomi's eyes were fastened on Donovan's face, mesmerized by the features
she had become reconciled to never seeing again. The deep brown eyes,
tanned skinned, black inky hair that her fingers itched to run through....
They were the same. He was taller then she remembered, but it was
unmistakably her Van. "I'm fine," she whispered, unable to break her
stare. He wasn't wearing red; instead, he wore a navy blue button-up shirt
and khakis, with an expensive silver watch on his wrist, matching the
silver necklace, which vanished into his shirt.

Donovan, for his part, looked slightly perplexed for a second before
holding out a hand for her to shake, rather then offering her a slight
bow. She took it with awkwardness, unused to the courtesy, surprised again
when a jolt of electricity ran up her arm, seeming to embrace her
entirely. "I've heard about you, Kanzaki-san," he said, his voice
pleasant.

She wanted to throw herself in his arms and kiss him senseless; she wanted
to grab him and demand how this was possible, what he was doing on her
world. She did neither- her instincts said that moving too quickly would
be a mistake, and she had learned to trust them. They had kept her alive
in the past. "Really?" she asked, hoping she didn't sound as breathless as
she felt.

"Bridget speaks highly of your running skills- I've been meaning to go to
a race, but I haven't had time lately- I was taking two extra eight week
courses to help my transition to Japan- thankfully they're finished now."
He moved over to one of the couches and sank down it. His movements were
precise and controlled, like a martial artist aware of his skill.

Hitomi followed and sat next to him, careful not to sit too close. "You're
not Japanese?" she asked curiously. He didn't look it, and his shaking her
hand hadn't been, but his last name certainly was.

"Half. My mother is American by way of Ireland," he answered. He was
studying her features, and his expression was slightly puzzled, as though
he had seen her before and was trying to place her.

"My aunt," Bridget put in. "Van's father is Japanese, though... that's why
he speaks so well, without my annoying accent!"

"I can speak for myself, Bri," he said dryly. "And you hardly have any
accent at all, so stop fishing for compliments."

Bridget was undeterred by his censure. "Well, I knew you two would need
some help!" she declared. "If I left you to carry on the conversation
yourselves, you'd just sit here..."

Hitomi decided to ignore Bridget's teasing. "Van is an unusual nickname to
get from Donovan," she said slowly. "Shouldn't I call you Don?" she asked,
testing him. This was weird; how could he be her Van if he didn't
recognize her? But...he looked, moved, and sounded like him... and all of
her instincts were screaming at her that this, despite all odds, was
indeed the boy she had grown to love.

He shook his head. "I've always been 'Van.' It suits me better."

"I think Donovan suits him best," Bridget said, earning herself an annoyed
glare. "What?!" She exclaimed, playing innocent and fluttering her long
red lashes at her cousin. "Look it up in a baby names dictionary sometime,
Hitomi," she said.

She raised an eyebrow curiously. "Hmm?" she asked. She was still trying to
figure out how this was happening. For the past few years her life had
been normal enough, but now things had just taken another definite turn
for the weird. She wasn't sure if she was grateful for the chance to have
Van back, or if she was more tempted to run away from all of it.

She had had an adventure once. That had been enough.

Van blushed slightly, casting a dark look at his cousin. "One of the
meanings is "dark warrior".

A smile found life on Hitomi's lips. The name was so appropriate... if it
was her Van. It had to be. There was no such thing as coincidence. She,
better than anyone, knew that. "She's right. It suits you very well." She
gave him a sunny smile, one filled with unfeigned warmth. Bridget looked
at her with genuine surprise, then her blue eyes widened and a sparkle
came into them.

Van blushed. "Thanks, I think. I'll take it as a compliment."

"It was a statement of fact," Hitomi said levelly, aware that Bridget was
about to play matchmaker.

His blush became even more pronounced. "Thank you," he said, nodding his
head to her politely.

Bridget grinned, and Hitomi felt her stomach drop to her shoes. She
recognized the gleam in the other girl's eyes as a forewarning of trouble.
"Van, would you do me a favor and drive Hitomi back to her dorm? Since
you're both leaving..." she trailed off suggestively.

"Sure. Not a problem."

Now Bridget turned her wistful attention on Hitomi. "I hope you don't
mind, Hitomi, but I really want to stay, and since you're having such a
lousy time and Van was leaving anyway..."

"That's fine. I'll see you on Monday, at practice."

Van and Hitomi got to their feet as Bridget bounced out of the room at
lightning speed after giving them a cheerful wave and a warning not to
have too much fun without her, which had earned her a playful clout upside
the head from her cousin.

Van put his hand on her shoulder, a light touch that made her senses
tingle. She had forgotten that Americans were more casual about touch, and
she felt a blush on her face as Van used his hand to help guide her
through the crowds. She had never had a man touch her so casually on first
acquaintance, and it made her wonder if she should shake him off or point
out his faux pas. She remained silent, though, wondering all the while.

He was so familiar, yet strange at the same time. Who was Donovan
Masanori? Why did he look and sound just like Van Fanel? Surely it
couldn't be a coincidence... surely life couldn't be so cruel, to tempt
her with a look-alike of the man she desired so fervently...

"My car is out in the lot, near the house. Shouldn't be too hard to find."
His voice almost startled her.

"That's good," Hitomi said, moving down the stairs and into the main room,
which had quieted down. The strobe lights were off now and the lighting
was normal, but the music still blared. People had broken off into smaller
groups and were holding conversations and drinking. Van's presence seemed
to deter the propositions she had been subject to on the way in.

They swung into a smaller room, one where a table had been set up. Akari
had ditched her boyfriend, and was sitting with one of the other track
team members, a girl named Eire Hisae. Hitomi knew Hisae was one of the
less-accomplished runners, and had little to do with her. If Hisae was as
drunk as Akari was, she would prefer nothing to do with either of them.
Still, their path would take them directly by them. A confrontation would
be inevitable, since Akari was most likely still angry from the earlier
scene.

Hitomi passed by Akari and Hisae as they giggled over a deck of Tarot
cards, and felt her hackles rise. "You're not reading them right," she
said firmly. Akari had already yelled at her once; there was no reason not
to antagonize her now. Hitomi knew how to hold a grudge. Besides, it drove
her nuts to see the Tarot abused. People didn't understand that it wasn't
something to be toyed with.

"I assume you can read them better?" Akari challenged.

"Yes," Hitomi said honestly. She didn't lie. Lies were for those who
needed them, and she didn't. She met Akari's eyes evenly.

"Fine! Do a reading, and impress!" Hisae said, snatching the deck away
from her smashed friend and throwing it at Hitomi.

It was Van, amazingly, who caught the cards before they had a chance to
scatter across the room. He lunged forward and, in an amazing display of
dexterity, gathered the cards mid-air into a neat pile. "You should treat
things more carefully," he chided Hisae. "To some people, Tarot cards are
part of their religion. It's disrespectful." He turned and handed them to
Hitomi, bowing gallantly. "Tell me my fortune," he said.

She looked dubiously around the crowded room. "Are you sure you want me
to? Readings are usually private."

Van shrugged. "Go ahead. I'm not Wiccan."

Van was still a contradiction, respectful one second, and disinterested
the next.

He was her Van- only her Van would act so.

"Fine." She gave him a smile and pressed the cards against her chest,
trying to hide how her hands were shaking. She hadn't done a reading for
anyone else since... since Gaea. The one reading she had done since then
had been for herself, and only at Yukari's insistence. The memory of that
reading still unnerved her

Looking at Van's face, she wondered if he was part of the Wheel of Fortune
the Cards had warned her about...

The cards were new and store-bought, unfamiliar to her. Hitomi preferred
an Ukiyou deck, a newer deck that her grandmother had given her when she
had been born. She sank to the floor, kneeling at the long side of a
coffee table, her short skirt spread in a perfect circle around her. Her
grace, unconscious though it was, was enough to make Akari raise her
eyebrow, and Hisae stopped giggling drunkenly. There was a feeling of
imminent in the air, like the feeling on the day before a major holiday.

Donovan took the seat across from her.

"Usually I'd use the Celtic Cross spread, but due to our audience, it's
just going to be a three-card spread. I doubt you want to share too much
of yourself with the current company."

He shrugged. "Do the full spread. I'm curious, oh, lady of mysteries."

She shook her head. "I don't want to. This isn't my deck- I have little
affinity for it, and the cards may not like me."

Many people may have laughed at her then, called her a mystic or
superstitious or a freak, but Van didn't. He took her seriously, looking
into her green eyes and seeing the hesitation there. "Okay," he agreed.
"Tell me my future, Kanzaki-san."

It was odd to hear him called her so formally, odd and wrong. She had to
lower her gaze to the deck to hide her sorrow, and even then wasn't sure
if she succeeded. Still, she distracted herself by separating the Major
and Minor Arcana from each other. She did it easily, without flipping the
cards over to see what they were. It was a simple thing for a true seer,
as she was, but to the others, it was magical.

"What are you doing?" Hisae demanded, leaning over.

"I'm separating the cards. I don't want to mess around with the Minor
Arcana..."

"How can you do that like that? They're upside down!" Hisae said
belligerently.

She remained impassive and finished her task before grabbing the smaller
deck. Flipping it over, she fanned it out, displaying the perfectly
arranged Major Arcana, from the Fool all the way up to the World, the
cards in order. Her actions spoke louder than any retort she could have
made. "How did you do that?" Akari demanded.

Hitomi just handed the deck over to Van and pretended they were the only
two in the room. "Shuffle the deck, and shuffle it well. Shut your eyes,
and allow your thoughts and dreams to flow into the cards."

He did, the thick paper of the cards seeming to present him no problem as
he moved them smoothly. Like most people, he handled them seriously, not
bothering with any flashy tricks or elaborate shuffling, though he handled
them like he was familiar with cards. Tarot seemed like a somber thing to
most people, and most people were cautious around them, for which Hitomi
was grateful. They were part of some religions, and while she didn't
follow them, she respected their faith.

"When do I stop?" he asked.

"You'll know."

He looked slightly cynical, but shuffled for another moment before his
fingers twitched and he handed the deck back. "Done," he pronounced as the
tips of their fingers brushed. This time there was no feeling of
electricity, but rather the comforting one of familiarity.

Her face remained serene as she spread the three upper cards out in front
of her, ignoring the attention she had attracted from everyone in the
room. Hisae and Akari were watching carefully, but it was Van's eyes that
came closest to distracting her. "The first card represents your past, and
the influences upon it. Only by knowing our pasts can we know where our
futures lie," she said. She was being a touch dramatic, but Hisae had
angered her, and she knew a little showmanship wouldn't hurt. Part of
reading Tarot was in the presentation.

She flipped over the card, her eyes widening as the picture of a rigid man
upon a stone throne, wearing a crown upon his head. This was a traditional
Waite Tarot deck, not like her Ukiyoe deck, which was much more Asian in
influence. Still, the message was unmistakable, and she thought it
appropriate. "Your Past: The Emperor. The Emperor is a very masculine
card, one of the two used to represent the masculine principle in the
deck. I could go on about him for quite a while, but the basics are that
he is the card for rule and structure, and some say, the paternal figure
of the deck. A powerful card: guide, protector, and provider."

She smiled as he nodded, and the other girls tittered a little before she
passed her cool green eyes over them, the effect like throwing ice water
in their faces. "The second card represents your present, and the forces
that prevail upon you now. We all must be aware of our surroundings and
ourselves, for lack of knowledge is a dangerous thing." She flipped it
over, and air hissed through her teeth as she tried to keep from gasping.
An unwelcome card, one that tended to make people uncomfortable. Instead
of a figure, a dark building stood, being hit by lightning, aflame and
falling down; a grim card indeed. "The Tower. Sudden upheaval, and change.
Reversals in fortune... perhaps even disaster. Often times this card is
unwelcome, but by knowing of this, one can prepare, and perhaps even
embrace the change when it comes upon us." She was pleased that her voice
didn't shake, and that she her hands moved to the third card without
betraying the tremor she felt within.

Was she the Tower to him? Would she once again be the harbinger of trouble
in his life?

Van said nothing, but the others watched her as if she was some kind of
demon they weren't sure whether to placate or banish. "The third and final
card represents the future, and what may happen if events continue as they
have. The future is malleable, though, and we control our own destinies-
nothing is set until we set it," she said, remembering the time she had
altered Millerna's future. She flipped it, and was relieved to see the
woman standing in the center of leaves of green. "The World. Completion...
wholeness. The ability to reach your heart's desire. It's a positive card,
with lots of positive energy... it's especially pleasing to see after the
trauma the Tower may bring. Happiness..." she whispered, touching it
almost longingly. Then she gathered the cards hurriedly, placed them on
top of the minor Arcana she had separated them from, and handed them over
to Akari. "Please treat them with care, and they will serve you well," she
said quietly, rising to her feet.

Van followed her wordlessly, and together they headed for the front door.
The crowd parted before them like the Red Sea before Moses, everyone who
had seen the reading eagerly telling those who hadn't. As usual, people
called out to her, asking to have their own readings done, but she
demurred, saying that she only read for people she knew well or was
curious about. Van seemed to blush a little at this, but the gentle hand
returned to her shoulder to once again support her, sending a thrill
through her body.

The night seemed to have grown colder in the few hours she had spent
inside. Had she been sure Van was indeed the boy she had known on Gaea,
she would have pressed against him for body warmth. Still, there was a
lingering doubt...

Goosebumps rose on her shoulders, and she wrapped her arms around herself,
trying to conserve heat. The night was still bright, and she could feel
Van's presence beside her, silent and strong. It was like she had been
brought back through time, to the night when she had crashed into him on
the track and been lifted away to Gaea. She glanced up at the sky, almost
expecting to see the Earth hanging there.

"Hitomi? My car's right over there," he said, removing his hand from her
body to point at a deep blue car with intricate detailing on it.

She blinked once, betraying her shock. She had known Bridget's family had
some money (PT Cruisers weren't cheap, especially in Japan), but Van's car
simply reeked money. She could see the moonlight reflect off the black
leather seats, and when he unlocked the doors and they got in, she noticed
that he had every single feature possible, and his sound system was
probably better than a DJ's. Still, Van hadn't stuck her as the type to be
materialistic. Silently she reevaluated her previous perceptions.

Had she been wrong? Was this all some freak chance? They (whoever they
were) said everyone had a twin, somewhere.

Suddenly getting in a car with Donovan seemed like a stupid idea. How much
did she know about him, anyway? He was Bridget's cousin, but that was
all... and she didn't know Bridget that well, either. Getting in a car
with an American, a gaijin... how stupid could she be?

He seemed to sense her unease. "I know, I know.... The car is rather
showy, but my father insists on it. He refuses to let his son be seen in
less than the best." He turned the key in the ignition, and cranked up the
heat. "There's a jacket in the backseat- Bri left it in there. She and I
went food shopping earlier today, and like usual, she left her stuff
around." He rolled his eyes, but the affection in his exasperated voice
was unmistakable.

Hitomi obediently turned around and pulled on the light white jacket that
was there. Since it was Bridget's, it was several sizes too large, and
still smelled of the flowery perfume she favored. "You spend a lot of time
with her?" Hitomi asked quietly, trying to relax.

He smiled, and she felt some of her tension melt away. "We share an
apartment. Our parents are great friends, and we're really more like
brother and sister than cousins. She's probably my favorite person... even
though she is a touch wild. I know she may come across as... uninhibited,
but she's not, really. It's more for show. She actually has some really
strong morals, and is a very loving person. I missed her very much this
last year- it didn't take much convincing on her part to get me to join
her over here."

"Oh," Hitomi said. She looked down at the dash and examined the truly
impressive array of options. The car was heating up, and she luxuriated in
the heat.

"Where do you live?" Van asked, shifted the car into drive and moving onto
the street.

"In the dorms, Arthur Hall," she answered. "I'm a scholarship student."

"Bri told me that... you won it through track?"

"Yes. As long as I keep a 2.0 and continue to please my track coaches, I'm
set," she informed him. She held out her hands to the heat, letting it
permeate her body. The dorms had a lousy heating system, one she despised
with a passion.

"I'm coming to the next meet. I'll be sure to watch for you," he said,
trying to make conversation.

Hitomi gave him another smile, but was unable to think of anything
intelligent to say. Her thoughts were revolving around Gaea, and anything
she could ask him would sound out-and-out insane...

Van was as cautious behind the wheel as Bridget was careless. He kept both
eyes on the road, and obeyed the speed limit. She felt as though she could
lean back into the seat and fall asleep, trusting him to see her home
safely, but she didn't want to. She wanted to savor each moment of his
presence, for it could be snatched away. Any moment she was expecting
someone to shake her awake, and tell her that she was dreaming. She
intended to savor this dream, for too often she had nightmares, of Fanelia
burning, of Gaea falling apart, and her being so far from home... When she
hadn't known that home was with the people she loved, like Van. That
wisdom had come too late.

The car purred, responsive to Van's touch, matching his will perfectly as
he guided it into the parking lot by her dorm. "We're here," he announced.

"So we are. Thanks for bringing me back," she said. "Apparently I'm not
into the party scene."

"I knew you were a clever girl on sight."

She laughed lightly, and reached for the door handle, but paused,
unwilling to let this time end. The bells on the college chapel chimed,
signaling the dawn of a new day. "It's midnight," Hitomi whispered.

"So it is," he answered. They sat in companionable silence for a second.
"I always used to wake up at midnight, even when there wasn't a chime. I
eventually started turning my clocks to face away from where I was
sleeping, because it creeped me out so much."

"They say that you always are aware of the hour you died, from your last
life. Perhaps that's it," she said. She wondered why she was being so
macabre. Was she trying to scare him off? Was she afraid that he wasn't
her Van? Or was she more afraid of the possibility that he was?

"Do they?" He leaned forward to shut the CD player off. His sudden
movement disturbed the necklace he was wearing, and it fell free of his
dark shirt.

A gasp caught in Hitomi's throat, and her eyes opened in shock as they
fastened on the pendant that swung pack and forth against Van's collar.
She didn't need a watch to know it would swing perfectly in time to the
second, or know that glitter. It was familiar- she knew it...

How could she not? She had worn that pendant for years, the pendant that
she had inherited from her grandmother, that expected to never see again.

Hitomi had given the pendant to Van Fanel in Gaea.




END PART TWO

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

Technical Notes: The Three-card reading is one of the most basic and the
first readings most people who are learning tarot... experiment with. The
other format Hitomi mentions, the Celtic Cross, is the most popular and
uses ten cards to provide a more thorough reading.

I have taken some artistic license in this piece and made Hitomi a
Buddhist. Why? Well, that helps me later... And yes, this was planned-
it's not by mere chance that she uses an Ukiyoe Tarot deck, which has a
Buddhist influence. (Aishuu winks at Ely and whispers, "Be quiet, or I
start on that Beryl piece I'm always threatening!")

For those of you wondering what kind of car Van has, it's an Aston
Bentley, deep blue. Hitomi doesn't recognize it cause they're kinda
rare... wanted something suitable for a prince, ne?



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