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A date with destiny

"One day spent with someone you love can change everything.“
- Mitch AlbomHitomi inevitably felt like the biggest idiot as she stood in a peaceful grove not far from her school. Next to her were two bicycles leaning against a tree. One, blue and comfortable, was hers.
The other... well… all she could do was have faith that neither her brother nor her father would notice the temporary theft. But Dad was actually too comfortable for any kind of sport by now and Laito was still too small for the racing bike.
She adjusted the fit of her little backpack and hopped from one leg to the other. Tirelessly, she tossed all possibilities back and forth between her gray matter. An activity she had repeated all too often over the past few weeks. But everything had to be well thought out. After all, it wasn't every day that Japan received a visit from another star, and a royal one at that.
It would have been appropriate to roll out the red carpet, right? To late for that.
She checked her phone who knows how many times. Shortly after twelve o'clock.
The action had no deeper meaning than to keep her busy. Her guest had neither a cell phone nor a watch. She didn't know exactly when he would arrive. But an hour ago she had received one of the mental Morse messages he liked to use.
I'll be there soon.
Hitomi ruffled her hair. What did soon mean? When was soon? She had just left, holding the second bike by the handlebars with difficulty. It would have been easier to borrow one later, but she had to keep an eye on her budget and so had to improvise a bit.
Panting and panicked, she arrived at the meeting point and had been waiting ever since.
Restlessly.
It was maddening.
This cruel waiting. In fact, she had done nothing but that for a year.
A few minutes more or less didn't matter. At least that's what people said, right?
But anyone who had ever waited for something immensely important to happen knew that the last few minutes were often the worst.
To distract herself, she checked her appearance with the front camera on her phone.
Her hair was slightly disheveled, and she combed it with her fingers. She straightened her white T-shirt and checked the jeans for lint, but they were spotless. So were the new lightweight sneakers.
Should she have picked a different outfit? Something more elaborate? A flirty summer dress? Shorts? A plunging top?
While she was still pondering something for which it was too late anyway, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up as an omen.
An invisible tremor went through the world as something tore through the barrier of dimensions.
A flash.
Hitomi nearly dropped her smartphone. She hastily tucked it into her pants pocket and looked around frantically. Her pulse jumped from 60 to 120 without transition.
Up ahead, between the trees, it had suddenly become unnaturally bright.
A static crackle, that made her skin tingle, filled the air. Within seconds, it was gone.
The inexplicable pillar of light, shuttle between worlds, had behaved very discreetly, thank the gods!
But the girl didn't think about that as she leapt nimbly over undergrowth and dead wood and raced to the spot where she hoped a certain someone had appeared.
The trees were already thinning. They graciously revealed a slender figure that seemed to have grown out of thin air.
The first thing Hitomi saw was unmistakably messy hair, blacker than night.
He had only turned his back to her for a moment before he heard or felt her approach.
The boy turned around.
But he was certainly not a boy anymore.
Even if he hadn't fully matured into a man, time had done him good. Although no longer as thin as a chopstick, he was still wiry and full of lean muscles that no amount of fitness training could produce.
No, this was what you looked like when you toiled day after day to restore your kingdom to its former glory.
Overall, he had remained true to his style, which was more comfortable than elegant. The only difference was that he had finally outgrown the red shirt and was wearing a similarly cut one in a sandy shade. His turned up boot tops were tucked into narrow brown pants. Everything was clean and wrinkle free. He had dressed inconspicuously for the day. As agreed, the royal sword had to stay at home. Instead, a blue and green bag dangled from his shoulder.
Even without the insignia of power, he effortlessly radiated royal dignity. His fist was still clenched around a red and gold jewel hanging from his neck.
The pendant from Atlantis, the ticket from Gaia to Earth.
But Hitomi didn't notice all these little details as she sprinted on. His eyes, those eyes, that unforgettable chestnut brown with the red sparkle, it had returned to her.
A smile lit up his whole face.
"Hitomi!"
"Vaaaa-haaan!" she squeaked in a rather embarrassing way.
Her entrance was silly, but she couldn't care less... couldn't care less...
In this moment, only one thing mattered. She had almost reached him.
He took a few steps, preparing his arms just in time so she could throw herself into them.
His posture seemed a bit stiff. Her exuberance had probably taken him by surprise.
Completely unabashed she clung to his back and pressed her face against his chest.
He was unsure what to do with his long arms. At first he held them out in front of him, then hesitantly wrapped them around her.
But the longer she held him, the more he returned the embrace until it seemed like she was completely submerged in it. His body was so sinewy and warm and felt fantastic. He had grown a little, she felt his chin resting gently on her head.Heaven, it had been a whole year since she had held him like this.
It had been a year since she had felt so good. Back then, when he rescued her from Zaibach.
Together, they had literally and figuratively ascended to the heavens and performed a true miracle.
Far less dramatic, but no less beautiful, when they said goodbye to each other. She gave him her necklace, he gave her another tight but tender hug.
Now she heard a rapid drumming in her ear and realized that his heart was beating so loudly that it almost made her deaf.
She had rehearsed their reunion a hundred times in her head. But now that it was real, she had forgotten all the cool things to say and just surrendered completely to the endless joy of this moment.
And also relief.
Relief that two of her greatest fears were unfounded.
The first, a gnawing, uneasy feeling like a ravenous little monster, nibbling on her heart.
The creeping horror that came to visit in the silence of the night. That she was crazy after all and only imagining voices.
Gaea was simply a dream born of fever.
Van was just the concoction of her ridiculous teenage fantasies of a beautiful, strong fairy tale prince who protected and adored her.
The second, although less fundamentally scary, was that their love had been just a dim light in the darkness of war. That without the foundation of their shared, adrenaline-fueled adventures, it would fade as quickly as it had blossomed. That their mental exchange was just pure friendship.
Or simple politeness on his part.His embrace banished all doubts. This was someone who was as real as possible.
And who definitely wanted to be more than just a casual acquaintance.
Here, held by his strong arms, she vowed to enjoy today to the very last drop.
Far too soon, Van had the nerve to break the embrace and push her away a little. She wanted to whimper in frustration. But he had to look at her.
For an eternity they both did just that. They searched in each other's faces for the child from back then and discovered the young adult of today.
To her delight, he smiled. If a bit incredulously. But he obviously liked what he saw.
They began to speak at the same time and immediately fell silent again.
Hitomi ran her hand over her mouth, unable to hide the grin behind it. At least, to her relief, no awkward tears of joy forced their way out of her eyes.
"You first," she offered. But Van immediately shook his head.
"You first, I insist."
"I'm so glad! You really came," she whispered cautiously, suddenly afraid that breathing too hard would drive away the beautiful mirage.
"Did you have any doubts?" His eyebrows, still so expressive, rose.
"I thought something would come up at the last minute or the light pillar was on vacation today or something..."
"I was convinced it would work..."
"How come?"
He just shrugged in a delightfully honest way. "Because I really wanted to, I guess."
Hitomi beamed at him. Then she waved her hand in the direction of the surrounding forest. "Welcome to Japan, Your Royal Highness. I'm sorry I couldn't give you a bombastic state reception. The Tenno, our emperor, was unable to attend and sends his apologies."
"The reception was just right." He looked around. The lush green of the forest miserably imitated Hitomi's eye color.
Still, the surroundings were beautiful and healthy, and the air smelled fresh, if a little damp. Completely different from the strange red sports field in front of her school, which had emitted such an irritating artificial stench. "And I think you've chosen a very appropriate place."
"Oh, of course we're not staying here!" She raised her index finger in a didactic gesture, then pointed in the direction of the edge of the forest. "Our vehicle is waiting for its signal over there. Be so kind as to follow me!"
For the first time he seemed genuinely surprised, oh how she loved and had missed that expression.
She would see it more often today.
“Not a car, surely?” He stalked after her through the woods.
She would have liked to hop ahead like a young puppy, but controlled herself. “No, I told you, I’m still too young for that. Here you have to be a minimum age to be allowed to drive heavy machinery. Not like Fanelia, where you’re put in a guymilef instead of a stroller.”
She was babbling like crazy, she knew that. He probably only understood half of her sentences.
But it felt so good! Her tension bubbled out with every word and she felt free and light."If there is one thing humans are really good at, it is their inexhaustible creativity when it comes to inventing means of transportation," she lectured as they walked. "Carriages, locomotives, sedans, submarines, skateboards... but today we're going to choose one of my favorites. Ecological, fast, practical, no tiresome search for a parking space..."
Finally, they arrived where the trees opened up to reveal a spectacular view of a cute town and a thin strip of glittering blue sea behind it.
A small "Oh!" escaped Van.
He shielded his eyes from the sun with the palm of his hand. Mouth wide open he stared at the collection of white houses and red roofs.
Hitomi had to smile again. With a jerk she straightened up her bike.
"This is your home?" her guest wanted to know without looking away.
"Yes, this is Kamakura," she said, not without a certain pride, as if she had built the city herself. He continued to stare towards the south, like under a spell.
Here he was, coming from a magical world full of dragons and fighting robots so powerful that even the Power Rangers turned green with envy. Nevertheless, her simple little hometown amazed him, how ironic.
She rang the bicycle bell once, short and sharp. He jumped immediately and turned to her.
"What the..." He fell silent when he saw the strange thing in her hand.
"Sorry, the opportunity was too tempting."
"What is that?"
"This is a bicycle and we're going to ride around on it today!"
Skeptically, Van inspected the chaotic tangle of metal and tubes.
Inwardly he searched for similarities to a Guymilef. There were few to be found. None, to be exact.
Then he looked at Hitomi with his head tilted to one side. "Is this a joke? How is this puny thing supposed to transport us?"
"Puny?!" Hitomi pretended to cover the bike's imaginary ears on the handlebars. She whispered comfortingly: "Don't listen. He doesn't mean it."
"Hitomi..."
"I'm sorry." She lowered her eyes, then raised them again, her cheeks turning pink. "I'm just so happy that you're here… And a little nervous too. That makes me silly."
Under the bright July sun of Japan, she saw him blush.
Apparently, some things never change.
They stood facing each other, smiling shyly and wondering what this day would bring.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Fade away"Where are you now? Was it all in my fantasy?
Where are you now? Were you only imaginary?Where are you now?
Atlantis, under the sea, under the sea
Where are you now?
Another dream, the monster′s running wild inside of me
I'm faded.“
- Alan Walker "Faded“How did it all come about?
We have to look back nearly 12 months to find out.It was almost frightening how quickly you could get used to your old life again.
Waking up in the morning to the brutal, shrill ring of the alarm clock. Dilly-dallying too long in the bathroom and barely finding time for breakfast. Running to the tram station, still chewing on a toast. Going to school, paying attention in class, hanging out with Yukari, performing on the sports field, poring over endless piles of homework, and spending precious time with the family in the evening.
Everyday life. As predictable as the next Marvel movie. And just as monotonous.
But also safe. No need to be constantly on guard. Food everywhere and in abundance. Rarely far from a bus stop or a clean toilet.
All these comforts could make you forget that you were on the run for a while. Hunted by entire nations for something you couldn't entirely control or even understand.
That you were in the middle of a war that did not spare children and forced them to grow up in a hurry.
That you were hitchhiking through the wilderness and had to survive on almost anything that nature had to offer, no matter how slimy and unappetizing it was.
Unimaginable, such a life in the clinically clean and meticulously timed daily routine of a Japanese schoolgirl.
"One more time," Hitomi Kanzaki from Kamakura said to herself as she vigorously swished her toothbrush back and forth. From the mirror, her green eyes responded with a determined glare that bordered on anger. "Tonight I'm going to try one last damn time and if it doesn't work, never again."
She looked down at herself.
It was summery warm. Her parents saved on air conditioning because the unit could get so loud at night. She was wearing pink pajamas consisting of a light, loose T-shirt and very short pants.
The skin on her left thigh was almost flawless.
Smooth, pale, only a little fuzz, with lean, fast muscles underneath. But in one place, which was only noticeable if you looked for it, there was a small scar.
Hitomi knew her body well. As a runner, she was used to stretching and massaging sore muscles after a particularly strenuous workout. Therefore, there was no doubt in her mind that this scar was new. It was just deep enough to hold the seeds of the nasty corpseweed that caused the deadly fever.
The sight of the tiny pink indentation conjured up the image of a memory. Sharp, too clear for any vivid dream.
A black-haired boy, who had previously shone only through his coarseness, now dabbed a tincture on her thigh with unexpected tenderness.
He had lowered his gaze intently to her bare legs, which he had no qualms about grabbing.
She could have responded with another slap. But surprisingly, she didn't feel humiliated, but cared for. A feeling of affection for the ruffian flooded through her, so much so that she was moved to say his name.
The earthy-smelling sludge loosened the seed from her skin, and she instantly felt better. But a tiny scar remained.
How grateful she was for that now.
This tiny blemish, this negligible damage, was her proof. The only physical trace Gaea had left.
For a while, she had not counted the days, she had wandered in this otherworld.
A hidden planet, concealed under the cloak of oblivion and probably ancient technology that could hardly be distinguished from magic.
Terrible, unimaginable things had happened to her. Suffering and death in thousand forms had come, to strangers, people who had become important, enemies, even to herself.
But also beautiful things. Friendship, sacrifice, courage and good times.
And most of all, a love so strong it felt unreal.
"Van..." she murmured, sounding like a drug addict who had been put into withdrawal without warning.
She missed him more than she thought possible.
Once, shortly after her return, she had seen him sitting on a pier close to the shore, his beautiful wings proudly raised. He had smiled at her, looking as beautiful as the sea glistening in the sun.
For a moment, Hitomi wondered why he didn't come closer. She would have liked to talk to him. Looked at his face. Find out how he was doing. But a crashing wave chased the figure away, as fleeting as a child's sandcastle.
This brief experience had been wonderful. But the more time passed, the more she wondered if it hadn't all been her imagination.
"Talking to yourself again?" Leito Kanzaki scoffed and poked his head into the bathroom. He had heard his sister mumbling through the open door.
"Yes, what else, after all, I'm crazy," Hitomi grumbled as she rushed past him.
But looking mad in pink pajamas and white rabbit slippers was an impossibility. She slammed her bedroom door shut, blocking out his annoying laughter.
Peering through her window was the round, scratched face of a full silver moon. Somewhere a dog was howling.
Hitomi stomped to the window and accusingly looked up at the night sky.
The moon lay in the field of stars, lonely among thousands like herself.
No foreign planet snuggled up behind it. She had been convinced that once she was Gaea shimmering mystically there. Just as she had been able to see her home from there. But now, only darkness.
Had it all been a dream? Had the scar been caused by an unnoticed insect bite?
She reached for her neck and felt nothing. Her pendant was gone. Lost by accident...
Hitomi gritted her teeth.
No, the necklace was not lost.
She had given it as a gift to a boy who she hoped would keep the memory of her forever. So that it would be a glimmer of hope for him in a dark hour...
She switched off the light and lay down on the bed.
Downstairs the television murmured quietly and the rattling of the fridge door could be heard from the kitchen. Her mother was getting beer for herself and father.
Hitomi closed her eyes. Concentrated. Focused herself like many fruitless times before.
The sounds, smells, this reality, were forgotten.
"Van." She breathed so softly that she could hardly hear herself. "Gaea. Please answer me."
Silence.
Nothing but crushing silence heavier than an anvil on her chest. She opened her eyes, green swimming in tears. Outside, the moon shone silently, the night was starry.
Quietly, she confessed to Earth's faithful satellite:
"I am going mad. I need reassurance that this wasn't all just a dream or a hallucination of mine. Van, I need you... please answer me or..."
"HITOMI?!"
The girl sat up straight in bed. Her own name had smashed through her head with the force of a whiplash. The echo on the inside of her own skull made her eardrums tremble menacingly. The voice in which it had been called was deep and unmistakable.
"Van?!" she asked, in contrast rather squeaky. "It's me..."
"Hitomi, where are you? Are you here?" The hopeful tone of his reply made her heart light and heavy at the same time. She could imagine all too well how he was now running around looking for her.
"No, I'm uh home... on uh Earth. In my be- uh room."
"I don't quite understand... wait a moment..."
Then only that torturing silence followed again.
Hitomi held her breath until she realized that was pretty stupid. Instead, she counted her heartbeats, at least two per second. She was almost at 150 when finally:
"Hey Hitomi?"
As if he had just put the call on hold to go to another room, his voice rang in her head again. This time more calm and collected, though incredulous.
"Hey." she replied and then fell silent. Oh how often she had fantasized about this moment, but now it actually left her speechless.
"How are you?" she asked the first thing that came to her.
"I... am just... extremely overwhelmed," he said. But was she mistaken or lay there a smile in his words? "I was discussing the progress of the salvage operation with a few of my faithful and was casually looking up at the moons when I suddenly heard you calling."
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were busy."
"No need to apologize."
"Then what happened?"
"Hmm." Now an all too familiar embarrassment vibrated in his reply. "After acting rather strangely and getting a lot of worried looks, I put some distance between me and the people."
"Where are you now?"
He was silent, as if he needed to get his bearings. "Can't you see me?" he asked instead.
"No!" Hitomi shouted, unable to hide her horror. She immediately straightened her T-shirt and ran her fingers through her unkempt bangs. "Do you see me?" She glanced around the room frantically, as if a pair of reddish-brown eyes might suddenly grow out of the spine of one of the books.
"No. I thought... anyway, I'm standing at the edge of the forest, looking up at the night sky." He paused. "I get the impression the Mystic Moon... Earth is brighter than usual. However, I haven't looked up at it so attentively for a long time."
"I'm looking at the moon too," she murmured.
"Hitomi..." Another hesitation, then far too much at once. "I have a thousand questions. How is all this possible? Why only now? I've spent whole nights trying to reach you without knowing how." This statement made her sob silently with joy. But he didn't give her a chance to say anything. "I thought it would all be easier when we said goodbye. But what am I talking about me, more importantly: are you well? Are you safe?"
Hitomi laughed.
It was so typical of him to worry about her. She had no problems imagining his face: the thick eyebrows drawn together, almost melting into a single line. His forehead, half hidden under a shock of wispy hair, in deep wrinkles.
"I'm fine, there's nothing wrong with me."
"Are you sure?" he replied to her astonishment. "You... your words... it sounded like a cry for help."
"I didn't mean to, I didn't want to worry you. I, um..." She paused, both to clear her throat and to buy time. "I kept trying to reach you, too. Somehow I thought it would be easier. Tonight I wanted to try one last time. I'm so glad it finally worked, I miss you."
Silence. The lonely dog's howl again."I miss you too."Hitomi let herself sink back into the bed.
She picked up her favorite pillow, the one with moon and sun, and hugged it tightly. It felt as if he had whispered his longing directly into her ear and left a pleasant tingling sensation throughout her body.
"I feared you'd already forgotten about me," she mumbled into the down.
"How could I ever forget you?" he confessed tenderly.
She didn't know why, but suddenly she was convinced that he was sinking exhausted to the forest floor. The moss was lush and soft. A hand wrapped in brown suede reached for the collar of a red shirt and played with something there.
Hitomi was certain and at the same time undecided whether it corresponded to reality or her imagination.
Between the fingers, her pendant shimmered in a bright pink, only faintly illuminating the features of its new owner. Now she was convinced she could see him smiling, tense yet relieved.
"Before... well, before this breaks off again..." she said quickly. "Please tell me how you've been. What about Fanelia? I want to know everything!"
"Where do I start?" She didn't hear him, rather felt him take a deep breath.
After a few teething problems, the stories and reports just poured out of him.
Hitomi seldom asked a question or commented with a single "Aha" or "Hm". It was too pleasant to listen to his voice. He could have read royal decrees to her at random, she would have listened attentively.
Not much had changed in his kingdom currently under construction, almost like a month ago when she left Fanelia. Still, she absorbed every word. Any progress, no matter how small, made her infinitely happy. By all appearances, he was doing quite well in his involuntary leadership position.
"Hitomi," he said at one point. "It's been a long time since I've talked this much without a break. Now, tell me how you're doing. Have you ... have you had any difficulties because of your long absence?"
"No, it wasn't noticed at all! In fact, I showed up at the sports field almost at the same time you picked me up with Escaflowne."
"But... how? About 20 days have passed in between."
"Yeah, I can hardly explain it either." She pondered for a moment, then chuckled slightly. "But I'll never forget the absolutely baffled looks on my friends' faces! Apparently, my exit and appearance were quite spectacular! Yukari and Amano were babbling about alien invasions and wanted to call the police, the military and the FBI! That would have caused a nationwide riot or two new inmates in a loony bin. Fortunately, not a single soul noticed anything..."
"What happened then?"
"I went home and had dinner, which happened to be my favorite curry! It was overwhelming to see my family!"
"I believe that..."
"...but of course I didn't show it."
"And then?"
"Well, I went to bed."
"And then?"
Hitomi laughed. "The next day, school was like I'd never been away. And nobody noticed a thing."
"How was school?"
"Just school. All very ordinary."
"Tell me about it anyway." His attentive voice made her believe that he really meant it. She imagined him sinking deeper into the moss, folding his arms behind the head and making himself comfortable.
"Okay, have it your way. But get ready to be bored to death..."
He let out a rough chuckle. "Nothing better than that..."The sky began to turn a soft pink.
Hitomi gazed at the color pensively as she described her monotonous school day in minute detail. But her listener couldn't seem to get enough of her dull stories...
Wait a minute... pink sky?!
"Van!" She interrupted herself. "Oh my goodness!"
"What is it?!" he immediately sounded alarmed, but she just laughed in shock.
"It's dawning! We've been talking all night."
"Yes, I know. Travia's ridges are already glowing golden."
"Why didn't you say something?" she complained reproachfully and got to her feet. "I have to get dressed and go to school."
"I didn't want to interrupt you. It was too nice to listen to you."
This merciless tender honesty took the wind out of her indignation's sails.
Hitomi let herself fall back onto the bed. For a few moments, she just lay there, staring out the window. Downstairs in the kitchen, she could already hear the coffee machine grinding.
"Van. I don't know how it works, but I'm glad it does now." She started to speak faster, as if she was afraid their connection would slowly fade with the dawn. "Let's try to talk again next... no, maybe better the night after next, shall we?"
"Nothing better. But how?"
"We'll just try to repeat everything like today, uh, I mean last night. There's probably no other way."
"Agreed."
"So..." Oh, it was so hard to really end it.
What if it didn't work out again? But they both had lives, important things to do, and Hitomi's stomach growled angrily. "So long, and... I enjoyed listening to you too."
"Hitomi, I..." A hesitation that probably took too long.
He was gone, she could feel it. She was alone in her mind again.
That morning, to her mother's astonishment, she drank a gigantic bowl of coffee to survive the day.
She barely managed to keep a low profile, follow the lessons, and avoided running into a glass door. She was dead tired and overjoyed, grinning stupidly to herself, drawing hearts in her math notebook, and not caring about anyone's judgment.
But as soon as she got home, she apologized to her mother with fake menstrual cramps. She fell into bed and closed her eyes.
Within seconds, she fell asleep full of the certainty that the effort had been totally worth it.Contrary to all fears, the following night went like clockwork.
As soon as Hitomi thought she was out of earshot of her family, she whispered his name. The answer came as if Van had been waiting for it.
Which, in fact, he had. And once again, there were a thousand stories to tell.
Although she had decided to be reasonable this time, they talked until midnight. With heavy hearts, they wished each other good night and parted. But not without agreeing to meet again the evening after next.
Soon there was a certain regularity to their exchanges. Both of their free time was limited, but where there's a will, there's a way.
They were amazed to discover that the sun rose and set at almost the same time in their countries.
The seasons changed nearly synchronously.
Fanelia, however, was buried under masses of snow, while the winter in Kamakura remained comparatively tame. Apparently, their worlds were swinging in an almost synchronized rhythm, which made their complicated situation much easier.
While their telepathic conversations had begun shyly, they had soon escalated into a lively chat.
To her utter amazement, Van showed understanding for all her little worries and marginal problems. Even if she just needed to unload her Weltschmerz on someone.
Nothing was too small for him. He remembered details of her stories that she had already forgotten. He asked curious questions and judged some situations with astonishing acumen.
No concern was too unimportant. He was always willing to listen, even if he didn't understand everything and probably had more urgent things to take care of.
This manifested itself in days of sporadic conversations. Sometimes it was only a short sign of life at the end of the day, which was still enough for Hitomi.
His attention made her feel valuable and, although he never expressed it, loved.
And most amazing of all, he made her laugh with his idiosyncratic way of looking at things.
Ridiculed as King Buzzkill by the Crusade crew behind closed doors, he was now showing the first signs of a dry, sometimes pitch-black sense of humor.
"I didn't know you could be funny," Hitomi simply had to say one day while out for a lonely walk in the forest. Nana, her best friend's dog, stared up at her in confusion, who was the human talking to?
And what had she just been giggling about? But sniffing a mushroom quickly became more interesting.
Van had just told Hitomi about an unannounced visit from Dryden in a highly amusing and very biting way. The king had eloquently stood up to the merchant's cheeky remarks, which had thrown the otherwise so sharp-tongued man off his stride.
Dryden speechless, Hitomi would have given a lot to see that.
"I've always been like that. But only special people get to enjoy my exquisite sense of humor," he claimed lightly. This only made her laugh even harder, partly because this answer had come so surprisingly and with natural confidence.
Later, when Hitomi was alone again, she reviewed the conversation.
How often she compared the always angry boy from back then with the person she was getting to know better today. The fact that he had taken everything deadly seriously during their adventure together was probably the understatement of the century.
He had a good excuse. There had been nothing funny about the disastrous overall situation. Between bloodthirsty battles, expulsion, loss and betrayal, there simply was no room for fun.
And now this, the new Van.
The real Van?
His relaxed tone of voice. Clever, honest compliments. Even self-irony, what a spectacular discovery.
Her heart swelled. Special people, he had said.
She sent a few thank-yous to the stars. As soon as the doubts had began to overwhelm her, Van had reached out and renewed their bond.
Contrary to expectations, their parting marked just the beginning of something bigger.
From afar, she dove deep into his world and he into hers.
They never saw each other. But Hitomi didn't mind. Her imagination filled in all the gaps anyway.
The verbal exchange was enough.
More than enough. It made her damn happy.
He felt the same way, she could just feel it.
Were their topics of conversation particularly interesting?
Not necessarily.
Often mundane, sometimes profound, but always the highlight of the day.
This intimacy brought color and joy into both their lives.
Gradually, Hitomi felt as if she was developing a third voice in addition to her inner and outer ones.
Intended only for him and their supernatural way of communicating.
She often spoke to him without moving her lips. Sometimes she would send him a quick thought while waiting for the train or standing in line at the cafeteria.
Yes, even when she was in the bathtub. But this she kept to herself.
Although it was amusing to imagine the look on his face when he found out the truth.
They never investigated how exactly their supernatural communication worked.
It... just did.
And questioning it was as pointless as questioning the meaning of life itself.
And yet their situation still held one or two surprises in store...

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Supernatural, extraterrestrial, time-travel adventure

„You're from a whole other world
A different dimension
You open my eyes
And I'm ready to go
Lead me into the light.“
- Katy Perry "E.T.“„People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but *actually* from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint - it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly... time-y wimey... stuff.“
- Doctor Who in "Don’t blink“For months, Hitomi and Van enjoyed their inexplicable form of telepathy. Taking advantage of every spare second to check in with each other. Even if there was only time for a quick hello or a short good night. An especially valuable I-think-of-you during stressful phases.
It was strange, but if anyone had seen enough strange to get halfway used to it, it was these two separate yet connected souls.
One memorable evening in late fall, Van opened their conversation with the following words:
"Your bag arrived today."
Hitomi turned around in her desk chair. She had been working on an lengthy essay and was glad for the distraction.
"My bag? What do you mean?"
"Your bag, the one you always carried with you." He sounded clearly confused as to why she was neither pleased nor understanding. "I'm holding it in my hand."
"Uh, describe it to me."
"As you wish. Green and purple, about half a costa wide, a long row of golden teeth on the sides. A carrying strap."
"That sounds like mine…how did it get to you?" She had risen and crossed her room in two steps.
"From Princess Milerna. She wrote that you left it in the palace."
"That can't be… how could… Van, my bag is with me! I see it right in front of me, standing in my closet."
"Then what do I have here?" wondered the one on the other end of the psychic line.
"Hmmm." Hitomi gently ruffled her hair, which was still wet from showering.
Back then, in the shadows cast by the hopelessness of a cruel war, when Van had unyieldingly sent her back to Astoria, her bag had been waiting there for her like a good dog, fortunately including a spare uniform. Otherwise, she might have had to spend the rest of the time in running shorts and a sweaty t-shirt. In retrospect, it was all very practical and yet totally strange. Still she never really wondered. Unknowingly she had gotten used to the bag following her around like a second shadow.Somehow she hadn't taken it with her… there were so many more important things… chaos and relief, unbearably many deaths to mourn and a gentle, blooming love to explore…And here at home she hadn't given it much thought. Instead, she had always taken it with her to training as a matter of course. She had probably subconsciously assumed that the faithful soul of a sports bag had simply floated after her through space and time…
Hitomi opened the zipper. The familiar smell of tartan and detergent came out. And a mess of various things. "Did you look inside?"
"Of course not." He sounded indignant at the insinuation, and she believed him. Although the curiosity had certainly been killing him.
"Why don't you?" she said carelessly. The need for certainty was too great. "Describe to me what's inside."There was silence for a while. Hitomi took the opportunity to vividly imagine him. Sitting on the floor in his simple tent, illuminated by the drag energist’s rose red glow, tugging at the zipper with a befuddled expression because of the odd thingy until it mercifully revealed its innermost parts. She chewed her lower lip, bursting with excitement.
"A flat, metallic black treasure chest," he finally reported. "How strange, there are two strings growing out of it. Like thin tentacles."
My discman and headphones, Hitomi thought and couldn't stop marveling. She also held one similar slim device in her hands, which was hopelessly behind the state of the art. Sometimes she had been ridiculed for it, after all, there were smartphones and, in a pinch, iPods. But she didn't care. The device had been a gift and, as we all know, those were to be cherished. And somehow she liked listening to her parents' old CDs on it, feeling nostalgic for a time when she hadn't even been born yet. "What else?"
Van made a sound of muted disgust. "Your tarot cards," he grumbled, forcing himself to a neutral tone.
Hitomi felt a chill run down her spine. Of course, he wasn't entirely comfortable with them, and she wasn't either by now. To much had happened involving the seemingly innocent deck of cards. That's why, shortly after her return, they had to be put into a box and were now gathering dust in the attic buried under some old toys. Almost exactly at the same spot where she had discovered them many years ago. She could have thrown the suspicious cards away, or even burned them. But she just couldn't bring herself to such drastic measures."It's like those things are chasing me…" Hitomi mumbled for no reason. "What else is there?"
Somehow she knew that Van hasty put the tarot deck aside as if poisonous spiders were about to hatch out of it before he continued.
"A coin-sized glass disk, but it's fragmented… the ends of a short belt are attached to the sides."
Their game began to amuse Hitomi. The way he idiosyncratically described things that were strange to him was quite comical and puzzling.
"Are there three black lines in the disk?" she speculated, because she had the slightest idea.
"Yes… and the picture of a small winged figure."
"My watch!" Hitomi exclaimed. She pushed back the left sleeve of her sweater a little, but she already knew that she would find the same model on her wrist. Eagerly counting second after second, accompanied by soft ticking sounds.
A mechanical piece, also a gift. Plain, except for the cute silhouette of the tiny angel on the dial, serving as a clumsy way of foreshadowing future events.
Stranded in Ford Castello, she had noticed that the watch had probably been damaged during her escape from Fanelia. The glass was crushed and its steady ticking had died. But on Gaea, time was measured differently, if at all. She had glumly put the useless piece into her pocket and imagined her mother's scolding… oh, what petty worries had preoccupied her at that time.
Van had continued his voyage of discovery."Hmmm…" He hesitated in his description, the object in his hand was too strange. "It's a bizarre piece of jewelry," he said to her astonishment. She certainly hadn't been carrying any jewels in her bag, and if she had, it would surely have fallen victim to the mole man. "Made of silver, I presume. Set with a long emerald and a short chain with the figure of a dolphin dangling from it… a gift from Milerna, perhaps? A token of appreciation and gratitude."
"My pager!" the penny finally dropped. "I completely forgot about that." Merle had stolen it back in Fanelia, which in retrospect had come in handy. It had eluded the mole's greedy claws and distracted the soldiers at just the right moment. In Freid, she had carefully put the little hero into the bag.It did not escape her that Van seemed to know how a dolphin looked. Astonishing, since he grew up cradled by mountains and had seen the sea and it’s majestic beauty for the first time when they sought asylum in Astoria. According to himself he was an excellent climber and a lousy swimmer. So exactly the opposite of her.
Anyway, the very same pager was on Earth, in her hand. But apparently on Gaea as well. Could perhaps… "It’s not from Milerna and no jewelry, it’s a communication device! Press the tiny button in the middle…. Does something happen? The, uh, emerald should glow like a, well, drag energist."
She pressed the start button herself. Unenthusiastically the display came to life. No new messages, of course. Nobody was using pagers anymore.
"Nothing's happening, the crystal seems dead," Van reported after a short radio silence.
"Aw, that is too bad."
How funny it would have been if she had been able to send him messages with it. Amano's short query about her whereabouts, which against all odds had reached her with perfect timing, had probably drained the last drop of energy from the battery.
"There are a lot of white socks." Now Van sounded amused. "How many feet did you say you have?"Hitomi chuckled at his attempt at humor, as usual. She also held several clean, rolled-up running socks in her hands. They were always there. Her mother, bless her soul, just picked them out and put new ones in without being asked.
"A hairbrush."
"You should try it," she couldn't help herself.
"Haha," he said in that dry way that always made her imagine his eyes rolling. "Oh!"
"What?"
"Your dress from Astoria." There was insufficiently concealed awe in his voice.
"Oh yeah…" In the deceptive safety of Freid, Hitomi had slipped it into the bag without thinking twice. As pretty as it was and as incognito as she could travel with it, she missed the simplicity of her school uniform. The elegant robe was already quite battered after her past escapades. The torn hem from the rescue mission in Palas, the escape from Dilandau's sea of flames, the journey through the wilderness to the Duchy that promised protection.
Milerna hadn't said a word about it once Hitomi was back in her old chambermaid's outfit. Perhaps the beautiful princess had immediately abandoned her plan to mold the foreign girl to her liking.But maybe there were more important things on her mind, an impending war for example.
"You hmmm…" Van started to speak, but then fell silent. Typical behavior for him. It had always irritated her a bit. What was on the tip of his tongue? What was too dangerous to say?
Unlike her, he never just blurted something out, but preferred to remain despondently quiet.
She did the same now. There was no delicate pink dress with an elaborate lace collar in the bag in front of her. In her imagination, thousands of miles or even light years away, Van held the shimmering silk up to the light of his lamp and admired its dazzling beauty.
"More clothes," he finally said hesitantly, clearing his throat in embarrassment. Was it possible to just hear a human's bright red face? Very much. "So hmmm…"
"Okay, okay, stop it. Close the bag, it's clearly mine."
Somehow she didn't like the idea of him rummaging lewdly through her laundry. He obviously didn't either. She should have thought of that before. There were also several very very private things in there she simply was not ready to discuss with him.
She fumbled with the zipper of her own bag. "How odd that there seem to be two of these bags now."
"What do you want me to do with it?" he asked pragmatically.
"Just keep it, it’s a gift. And, uh, the contents, give it all to Merle. I'm sure she'll know what to do with it."
"Wouldn't you like to…" He trailed off."What do you mean?"
"Excuse me," he said quickly. "I'm being called. Good bye."
"Talk to you later," she said hopefully, but already felt that he was gone. What had been left unsaid? Again?"The curious case of two identical sport bags." Yukari would have looked impressively thoughtful if she hadn't been sucking loudly on her empty juice box at that moment. Probably for lack of a Sherlock Holmes pipe. The dry sucking sound was annoying and Hitomi rolled her eyes.
While her friend pondered back and forth, she crouched on the floor and poked thoughtfully through the remains of her bento.
The two schoolgirls were hanging around on the roof of the school during recess. An excellent hiding spot, no one interrupted their secret talk. Only a few ugly pigeons glided by, hoping for a snack. The blue sky looked as if it had just been washed.
Full of excitement, Hitomi had told her friend about her unusual conversation last night. Even though it was risky, she just had to speculate about it with someone. And Yukari was just perfect for that.
To Hitomi's immense relief, her best friend had half-believed her wild story about Gaea and all its wonders and nightmares. And also that she apparently had an invisible phone line to it now and was in some kind of long-distance relationship with a royal alien.
Fortunately, she was able to confide in her. Otherwise she would certainly have drifted completely into self-estrangement.
"I even went up to the attic and looked for the tarot cards," Hitomi reported. "They were lying there just as I had left them, buried under an old chess set."
"Fascinating." Yukari commented in a strangely monosyllabic way.
"I have a theory..." Hitomi declared, not without pride.
She had already suggested earlier that the ghostly apparitions of the pillars of light, which had sometimes saved her and often enough dragged her deeper into the misery, could not only traverse space but also time. How else could she explain the meeting of her grandmother as a young girl with Allen's father in his early thirties?
Hitomi showed her right palm as if it were exhibit A: a miniature bag.
"The bag I had with me on my involuntary trip stayed in Astoria. I didn't take anything with me on my hasty departure from there, I was far too angry to think of such a thing." .
Yukari nodded. But she narrowed her eyes behind her new glasses and Hitomi sensed a headwind. Hastily, she continued:
"Anyway, that's the bag that's with Van now," she judged, raising her left hand. "I traveled back in time and experienced 2nd of July again. But on Gaea, time went on undisturbed. When Van picked me up in his 'spaceship', I left my earthly bag behind with you. All in all, there are now two. Including the contents."
"So why aren't there two of you?" grumbled Yukari. "Or have you been hiding your time-travel twin in the closet for months?"
"Of course not." Although the idea was not without a certain humor. "I don't know how it all works in detail either. But you said yourself that when you think back to July 2nd, you always get an inexplicable feeling of déjà vu?"
Yukari had once called it a glitch in the Matrix. Despite this, her friend nibbled doubtfully at her empty drink.
"Yeah, yeah... but you have to admit that it sounds pretty weird... time travel... things that apparently exist in two places at the same time."
Hitomi's face twisted into an ironic grin.
"Okay, so my adventures to an undiscovered planet called Gaea, you buy that. But not that I traveled through time?"
"I have my reasons," Yukari replied loftily.
"What are they?"
"Watertight evidence. Well, clues, so to speak."
"I don't understand you.
"Science has been on the trail of your planet for a long time."
"Huh?"
Yukari sighed a little agonized. "Astronomers have long suspected that there must be an undiscovered planet in our star system."
Hitomi widened her eyes. "How do you know that?"
The question caused Yukari to let out an annoyed cry, which scared the pigeons away. One lost several silver feathers. They hovered, circling on the dirty concrete.
"Geez Hitomi, what century are you stuck in? Have you ever heard of the internet? You don't have to be a genius to do a simple Google search. I'll show you."
Sighing, she pulled out her smartphone, hastily typed on it and finally handed it to her friend. The browser app was opened, displaying the following page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_Nine
Hitomi took the device and read. Her eyes grew bigger and bigger, her pulse quickened and a feeling of dizziness began to set in.
"I did a little research and found a lot more," Yukari chatted in the meantime. "On serious sites, but also from all the conspiracy theorists. According to them, there are billions of other worlds, parallel universes, mirror earths... But never mind. A planet at the edge of the solar system, whether it was really created by a lost advanced civilization or not, is certainly within the realm of possibility."
Hitomi sounded stunned. "Unbelievable..."
"Imagine that. Right now, the observatory in Hawaii could be sounding the alarm." Yukari scribbled a headline in the air. "Sensation: We are not alone! Newly discovered planet turns out to be a steampunk fairyland full of dragons, mermaids and giant robots!"
Hitomi turned pale, obviously Yukari had exaggerated a little. She quickly rushed to calm her down:
"It's thought to be a gas giant beyond Neptune. So they're looking with the completely wrong parameters and probably in the wrong place."
"Yes..." Hitomi raised her head. "The moon always seemed a little closer than we see it here on Earth. Which leads me to believe that Gaia isn't that far away from us..." So not light years away after all, not even light seconds. But then why had no one ever seen the creation of Atlantis?
Viewed soberly, it could also be an optical illusion. The two celestial bodies magnified by a gigantic magnifying glass or zoomed in close by mirror tricks? It was not for nothing that the Earth was called the moon of illusions.
Or maybe everything was totally different. Inexplicable. Gaea obviously didn't care about the basic laws of physics.
After all, stones could fly there too.
Yukari also looked up to the sky, hoping to see the pale face of the earth twin. But only the familiar sun stung with its rays. She had to blink. And then probed a little deeper.
"How long did the journey from Earth to Gaea always take?" Based on what she had seen with her own eyes and the few things Hitomi had said, she had a vague idea of the science behind the highway to space. She imagined the interstellar connection as a gigantic vacuum cleaner tube that whirled the defenseless victims from one place to another.
"Uhhh..." Hitomi stared up at her, clutching her knees involuntarily. "I... I find it hard to describe... at first, I was convinced only seconds had passed... but the more I think about it, the blurrier the memory becomes."
Possibly also out of self-protection. The abduction, because it could hardly be called anything else, was a nightmare.
How you began to float, all resistance in vain. The feeling as if invisible forces were tearing you apart molecule by molecule. The uncertainty of what awaited you at the end. Whether you would be hurled back to earth uncontrollably or eke out a miserable existence lost forever in space and time.
As soon as you slipped out of gravity, you also slipped out of the grip of time.
The journey between worlds or even within Gaia successfully defied the rigid cage of any definition. What remained was the feeling of unprecedented fear.
Yukari nodded in understanding, although she couldn't comprehend it one bit.
How could she, the involuntary adventure was too far away from anything she had ever experienced and probably ever would.
"Have you seen satellites, asteroids and planets passing by?" she asked curiously, thinking of the clunky spaceships of old science fiction series and their journey beyond the final frontier.
Hitomi nibbled on her lower lip, her eyes turned inward. "It was too bright... I couldn't see anything."
It was probably for the best. The temporary blindness in the transporter beam was a mercy. Darting through airless space like an astronaut without a protective suit would surely break a normal person's nerves, if not his mind. It was a miracle that she and Van hadn't gone mad from this experience of cosmic horror that had sprung from the imagination of author H.P. Lovecraft.
Perhaps it was a consolation not to have to go through the first trip to hell alone. Although she thought he was an unfriendly idiot, Hitomi was glad to have the strange boy next to her.
Apparently, he had been through this before and survived.
While she swam helplessly in the photon stream, he seemed to alternately utter foreign prayers and wild curses. He held the sharp sword as far away from him as possible and clutched the glowing stone, his trophy, tightly as he flew along with her.
Without warning they found themselves in soft grass; never before had the familiar gravity felt so relieving.
But from now on, nothing was the same.
In contrast, her last journey from Van's arms back into the circle of her family had been relatively smooth. Perhaps because, unlike before, she had welcomed the light like an old friend.
Thanks to their joint concentration, Hitomi had managed to find her way home. The power of the dragon stone had probably also played a significant part. Who could say for sure.
Yukari snatched the cell phone out of Hitomi's hands as she sat motionless. She stuffed it into the uniform jacket and buried her fists in her pockets. When a thought occurred to her, she tilted her head, her gaze suddenly darkened by concern.
"Do you ever worry that it might happen again?" she asked, "That this bolt of lightning will come down out of the blue and take you who knows where?"
"I wasn't until just now," Hitomi replied grumpily. And that wasn't a lie. She had never sensed a threat, had always felt safe.
But this intense interrogation of Yukari and the way she questioned everything cast a completely different light on her story.
She ran her hand over her neck. It felt a little tense. Was there a lurking fear? The same feeling that came over you when you were walking home alone in the evening, crossing a dark alley and suddenly hearing fast footsteps coming closer?
An icy chill ran through her.
This conversation had taken an unpleasant turn. Hitomi had never wanted to think so much about all these mysteries.
She listened. Sharpened what was left of her psychic abilities and listened into the world... and beyond.
"No, it's over," she judged with conspicuous determination after a long time. In response to Yukari's raised eyebrows and silent question, she added: "Don't ask me how I know that."
Her friend complied without resistance. What did she know about it... after all, she wasn't a clairvoyant.
She looked up at the sky again to watch the straight contrail of an airplane fade away.
Finally, Yukari broke the amicable silence.
"Well, you could certainly gain a lot of fame and honor if you were to reveal Gaea's planetary coordinates."
"Apart from the fact that I couldn't even guess them, Gaia's existence must never be known! I can't imagine what might happen otherwise! You promised me that you'd keep everything to yourself!"
Confronted with Hitomi's growing anger, her friend raised her hands in a soothing gesture.
"Calm down, it was meant as a joke." Sometimes Hitomi really was very sensitive when it came to her big little secret. "Of course I won't tell, I know what's at stake. I've seen Avatar too. Without proof, no one will believe me anyway and they'll end up putting me in the same box as flat-earthers and lizardmen enthusiasts..." She laughed, but only briefly. It sounded artificial even to her own ears.
Maybe she had gone too far. In the future, she would have to be more careful and keep her part to herself.
After Yukari's speech, Hitomi exhaled audibly. For a moment, she glared in the redhead's direction, then she grew tired of it and the whole conversation.
She looked at her watch. The break was almost over. High time to return to the desks. At last.
She gathered her things together and stood up. Her legs felt heavy and weak.
The students walked back to the door in silence. Their chocolate-colored skirts rustled with every movement.
Sometimes, Yukari's behavior was quite rude. It often annoyed her best friend since childhood.
But no one knew her better then Yukari.
No one stood by her so unconditionally and even suppressed all her own romantic hopes for a certain long-legged senpai only for her sake.
What's more, Yukari's cool objectivity gave her dreamy head-in-the-clouds a much-needed reality check.
Actually, that was exactly why she would have liked to speculate with her about what Van had mentioned but had not dared to say. They were easier mysteries in comparison.
However, on closer inspection... sometimes she feared that all the mysteries of the cosmos would be solved before she could really figure boys out (that one in particular).
And this despite the fact that humanity was still in its infancy with the exploration of its solar system. The first civilizations had already observed and mapped the stars.
No matter how you looked at it, with the critical eye of reason or a penchant for spirituality: everything that happened back then could not be explained.
It was just the way it was.
All she could do was accept it.
And do the following:
She would enjoy the happiness of their unusual arrangement and question nothing. Not even his new reluctance she had felt yesterday. Slowly but surely, he would open up to her completely.
Yukari held the door to the staircase. Hitomi slipped through without giving the blue sky a second glance.Time melted away, days became weeks, months flew by. Suddenly, Hitomi turned 16, the world celebrated New Year's Eve, and immediately after that, spring arrived with its fragrant crown of cherry blossoms.
Before she knew it, almost a year had passed. During this time, Van and Hitomi forged their delicate bond between the worlds, through whatever and however many dimensions.
It began slowly, as these things often did.
Every now and then but far to often, different thoughts gnawed at Hitomi and the foundations of her happiness.
Certain things were better clarified in person, face to face, and not over the phone in her head.
Slowly and steadily, inexorably, something was building up inside her.
A desire so strong that it became impossible to ignore.
She had to see him again.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

"Good things might come to those who wait
Not for those who wait too late
We gotta go for all we know
Just the two of us
We can make it if we try
Just the two of us
You and I."
- Just the two of us (Bill Withers and Grover Washington, Jr.
Oh heavens, why was the human brain such an unbearably unreliable traitor?
It memorized every embarrassing detail of every clumsy and stupid mistake one ever made, and then projected it over and over again on the inner movie screen for whom to enjoy exactly?
But the really important stuff got lost between the synapses.
And the harder one tried to hold on to those treasured memories, the more they slipped away like time itself.
There was only one thing to do, Hitomi thought. Refresh old memories, create new ones.
See Van again.
The one time his angelic figure had apparently managed to appear on a groyne, surrounded by waves, had been so long ago. And for whatever reasons he had kept his distance. What a missed opportunity to refresh her memory. It hurt to realize that she was having more and more trouble imagining his face.
Curiosity grew and grew. Maybe he had changed the past months? Gradually leaving behind his lank teenage form and becoming a man?
Just as she was slowly but inexorably growing up?
In all their time as interstellar pen pals, Van had never tried to ask for a real meeting. After all, Fanelia kept him busy as hell. Heavy is the head that wears a crown.
How could she presume to ask for a spot in his more than full schedule? He was already spending each free moment talking to her. But more than that? Or was he just not interested enough?
Nevertheless she was growing a selfish desire that could no longer be satisfied by merely talking to him. If anything, that fed the yearning even more.
Regardless of whether it would harm their relationship in any way, sooner or later she would have to reveal her feelings and take a risk.
That moment of truth came rather unexpectedly.
One summer evening, Hitomi told her distant "boyfriend" about her favorite matsuri that was about to take place again. He listened with his undevided attention, occasionally expressing his fascination.
She always enjoyed this curiosity about her ordinary life on Earth.
"That sounds really exciting," he commented on her lively account of tradition, food and a decorated downtown, games and exuberant fun. Was there a certain hint of longing in his voice, like from somebody who was in desperate need of some vacation days?
Something in Hitomi took over.
"Why don't you come here and we'll go there together?" she blurted out spontaneously.
Taken by surprise he fell into silence.
Hitomi held her breath.
There was an unbearably long pause during which her thoughts went wild. What demon had possessed her? She shouldn't have blurted that out so stupidly, she should have planned it with care! Wait for the perfect moment, choose the perfect words!
His silence tightened around her chest like a vice.
He looked for an excuse not to come, was her immediate assumption.
She hastily rebuffed: “It was just a suggestion, I'm sure you have other things-”
“I am delighted to accept your invitation,” he interrupted her. On its own, the sentence sounded a bit rehearsed. Like one of those diplomatic kingly phrases he had to memorize an alarming amount of. But the warmth in his voice, that was genuine.
“Really?” she asked shakily. “Don't you have any extremely important duties to fulfill? Won’t your...” She couldn't say the word subjects. It felt too strange. “... your people be concerned?”
“Let me worry about that. A day off for the king has never started a revolution.“
“A whole day?”
“Yes, why not.”
Hitomi felt her heart doing somersaults. Suddenly it had even become a whole day?
Just for the two of them.
“Okay, wonderful.” It took a lot of effort to keep cool and calm. Her unfiltered excitement might have put too much pressure on him and pushed expectations dizzyingly high. “However, before you pack your suitcase, let me explain a few things. You’ll have to stick to the rules of Earth very carefully, otherwise we'll get into trouble.”
The raised eyebrows could be heard in his reply. “If the situation demands it, I am more than capable of behaving appropriately.”
There was so much self-irony in his tone, as if he perfectly knew how often his emotions got the better of him. Hitomi grinned, then became serious again.
“I mean it... the rules are different here. Stricter. And sometimes difficult to understand.”
“Hitomi, name your terms and I will comply.”
Somersaults? By now, her insides had reached breakneck backflips.
He sounded enthusiastic, at least by his standards. Moreover, so determined, as if no army from his or her world could stop him from visiting her.
Why hadn't she dared to make this invitation much earlier? For example, he could have been here for her birthday in December, after all, turning 16 was something special.
In the morning, they could have walked together through the virgin snow, as she had done all by herself. They would have admired the white splendor, which was a tiny miracle no matter how often you saw it. Accompanied by the glittering ice crystals, they could have acted free and easy like the silly teenagers they were so rarely allowed to be.
At home, her family had waited with an extra huge breakfast. Including a small but nice present, a gesture not to be taken for granted.
Van could have been there for the modest celebration in the evening, when she welcomed her closest friends.
He would have had to put up with her and Yukari embarrassing themselves at the karaoke machine. Witnessed the unbridled revelry. Met her friends.
But would he have felt comfortable among peers whose lives were completely different from his own? Would he have withstood the thousands of intrusive questions her friends, parents and Laito would surely have asked? Would he have stumbled from one blunder to the next, just as she so often had done in his world? So that in the end all that remained was the stale taste of an unpleasant experience?
No, it was certainly wiser to stay just the two of them for the time being, to get him used to Earth gently. Wiser... and above all much nicer...
Hitomi picked up the thread again: "First of all, no swords." As if she had sensed his objections, she added: "No small ones either. Basically, no weapons at all."
Van remained silent.
"Second, you always do exactly what I say."
Silence.
"And third, no fussing under any circumstances."
She had assumed that he would at least want to discuss the first two points. Instead, he merely promised:
"I will be more unarmed, more obedient, and more inconspicuous than a shadow."
His agreement was the sweetest thing she had heard in a long time. He wanted to see her, desperately, and she felt as if he had agreed to any condition, no matter how outrageous.
"Will I present myself to your ruler, the Tennö?" he asked unexpectedly. And slightly worried.
"Oh... the Tennō." She had to stifle a giggle. It amused her that he would ask such questions, even though it was to be expected. Once again, the total different worlds they lived in were revealed. "I hardly think I can arrange an audience. Are you disappointed?"
"Not even close. I've had more of these tedious state receptions than I care to remember." What could have came out as pompous simply sounded like annoyance here.
"Please, don't think of this as an official state visit. I just want you." Too late, she realized the awkward choice of words. She slapped the palm of her hand on her boiling hot forehead and hurried to clarify: "So what I mean is, you without a title, as a private person. If you even remember how to do that."
"Ha ha," he said, but this time she was sure she heard a genuine smile at his cynicism. "Now I'm mainly coming to prove exactly that to you."
"Okay... I'll see you in two weeks then." Her fingers fiddled with her new earrings. One star on the left, one star on the right. "I need to get some sleep... let me work out the details in the next few days..."
"Agreed. I.. hmm..." A hesitation followed, Hitomi waited. Somehow she knew when it was time for him to choose the right words. "I look forward to seeing you.“
"Me too." Her cheeks glowed. "Good night."
For the first time, she tried to send him the feeling of a hug. Not sure if it worked. Hitomi certainly felt wonderful. Mainly because said hug would soon be taking place in reality and not just in her mind.
And that was the end of their conversation. It was already the dead of night and school would start early tomorrow.
However sleep was out of the question. Her heart was beating wildly and kept her wide awake.
He had sounded serious, as if he would pull out all the stops to see her. If necessary, he would unfold those amazing wings of his, hold his breath and flutter all the way across empty space to her.
Hitomi, without a doubt the luckiest girl alive, clutched her favourite pillow. She pressed her face into it to stiffle a cry of joy. Everything inside her was singing happy anthems. Her feet drummed on the mattress and she felt delightfully warm.
Around her heart, in her toes, everywhere.
She had actually asked him out, on a spontaneous whim. And now it looked like she was about to have a...”DATE!?" screamed Yukari. "You have a date?!"
"Well..." Hitomi sucked sheepishly at the spout of her sports bottle. "I don't know if you can still call it that when we've known each other for so long. And I've already confessed my love somehow..." Although, strictly speaking, this was only returned nonverbale.
"Of course!" Yukari took a few jumpy boxing steps. The adrenaline seemed to shoot out of her ears, she was overly excited about these news. "I can't believe it, you have a date! Van is really coming here."
"Yes, if everything works out," her friend qualified, but could only grin stupidly with joy.
He would come here, not just a projection, but his real, wonderful, true, whole body. Hitomi turned fiery red at this thought.
How much had he changed? She herself had grown, and many of her old clothes no longer fit her. To her disappointment, however, neither her bust nor her hips had followed suit, and she sometimes compared herself to the sex appeal of a lamppost.
Yukari would always get indignant and assure her in a tone of conviction how many admiring looks escaped her attention in the school corridor and on the street.
Right now, in the stands of that fateful sports field, Yukari could no longer keep still. She jumped up and around Hitomi. The latter got some well deserved rest after an exhausting running session. But despite her lack of sleep she had felt full of energy, and the coach was extremely pleased.
"So. How do you plan your day together?" Yukari wanted to know.
"Um, plan? Well... he'll come here and then we'll see."
It was very amusing how Yukari's expression derailed completely.
"Then... we'll... see?" She puffed out her cheeks. "Listen to me! You can't just let this date happen!"
"Why not?"
"Why not?" Yukari mimicked her dumb tone and threw both arms in the air. A few loitering classmates glanced in her direction, but were ignored. "You're being incredibly naive again. But it's elementary." She skillfully imitated a British accent. "We have to plan this meticulously so it doesn't end in a fiasco!"
"We?" Hitomi inquired with raised eyebrows.
"After all, this isn't just any date. This is THE DATE! At least somebody has to think and keep track of things," Yukari howled, clenching her fist in her uniform jacket as if she were having a heart attack. "Feeble Hitomi, what would you do without your best friend?"
"Be less stressed, probably."
"And above all, completely lost..." Yukari raised both fists to the sky. The sun bathed her slender silhouette in glittering light and she shone in a true anime victory pose. "First I trained you for running track, now for your important date!" she shouted loudly. Again, a few classmates stared curiously, and Hitomi hid her face, burning with shame, in her hands.
"I don't need any couching," Hitomi grumbled, her head as red as a tomato. They both attracted so much unneeded attention.
One of the classmates had recognized her and pretended to faint rather theatrically. The other boys laughed, whinnying like horses and imitated him.
Unfortunately, Hitomi knew all too well what was behind this weird scenario.
Last summer, she had risen to unwanted and, above all, unpleasant fame among the students of Kamakita High. That little incident during her run had been to blame, when the first vision of Gaea had clenched her in its claws, causing Hitomi to collapse on the tracks.
As a result, the so-called Hitomi-manoeuvre had made its rounds at school.
The process was simple: Girls would pretend to faint right in front of their secret crush. All in the hope that he would heroically escort them to the infirmary. There the couple-to-be could get close to each other without being disturbed.
But as soon as the male students found out about this perfidious swindle, the alleged perpetrator became a laughing stock.
How exactly the whole thing had started remained a mystery. Yukari swore by everything she held sacred that she had never told anyone. Hitomi believed her. So only Amano was left to suspect...
The treatment by her classmates could already be described as bullying, but at least it didn't last very long.
Hitomi surprised everyone by remaining completely calm and barely reacted. In steep contrast to Yukari, who never got tired of defending her friend in a fierce manner and with sharp tongue.
One time, when someone left a nasty comment online, she asked: "Why doesn’t this bother you at all?“
"You know..." the target of these attacks had said with a grim expression. "When you've been involved in a war and been declared public enemy number one by several countries, these trivialities hardly shake you."
This stoic indifference was the perfect medicine. And soon it was all water under the bridge. Most of the time, anyway.
Yukari stepped directly in front of her friend and snatched her back to the here and now.
"You want things to go well, don't you? You lack experience! How many dates have you been on?"
"Um..."
Of course, she had wanted to do something with Allen from time to time during their brief romantic interlude. After all, that was what they were together for, wasn't it? But suddenly the knight had been merely conspicuous by his absence. And when he was around, his favourite topic of conversation seemed to be her safety, which felt more and more like a prison.
Only since her relationship with Allen had she really felt like a stranger on Gaea. Not only to the people, to herself as well.
Allen was friendly and polite, which was hardly surprising. But she felt strangely changed and controlled by him. As if he disapproved of everything she did or as if she were just a precious little bird of paradise to him. She often thought wistfully back to those easier days when they had been just friends.
How different her relationship with Van had been and still was. Bumpy over hill and dale, full of rough edges. But honest and free.
After the end of the war and before her return home, she and Van had been practically inseparable. Still, it had never felt like a lighthearted rendezvous. The terrible events weighted too heavily on both of them for something carefree. In hindsight she regretted those missed opportunities.
In conclusion… the number of dates was zero?
Yukari interpreted her expression correctly. "See, you need help."
"Like you know more about it than I do! When it comes down to it, you've only had like two dates with Amano..."
As soon as she said it, she regretted it. In an instance, the redhead's face was distorted with sorrow. She sometimes joked about her poor love life herself, but when someone else did, she reacted very sensitively.
"I'm sorry, that was stupid of me," Hitomi hurried to say, cursing her often out of control tongue. "You are right, I could really use your help. So, what do you have in mind?"
Yukari looked somber for a moment, but the musings quickly distracted her. She took a deep breath to start her lecture.
"The Prime Directive is to prevent your medieval, extraterrestrial friend from panicking and switching into survival mode. In a revolving door, to name one example, or, yeah, on an escalator. Those things are death traps, even I get scared using them.“
„Well, he survived a war. Nothing is going to knock him out that easily." In fact, Hitomi could name dozens of life-threatening situations off the top of her head that Van had escaped with a few scratches, while some other men would have made it out only feet first.
What dangers might await him in one of the safest countries in the world?
"That's not what I mean at all. Like you said yourself, he needs to stay under the radar at all costs. The risks are high. You're overlooking the fact that he has neither travelling papers nor human DNA. So we need to avoid any situation in which he could gain the attention of our esteemed law enforcement officers.“
The latter was debatable. Still, it wasn't a pretty picture of her guest falling into the clutches of some secret service and ending up caged and dissected at Area 51.
However...
"I can imagine something far worse. My parents seeing us together."
"Would that cause trouble?" Yukari knew that Mr. Kanzaki was an incorrigible traditionalist. Would he have a problem with a gaijin at his daughter's side? But she was wise enough to not ask this so bluntly.
"No, not exactly trouble."
Hitomi ran a hand through her short hair. Basically, she enjoyed the complete trust of her parents. And one day, out of the blue, her mother had announced with a solemn expression that she was allowed to go out on dates. As long as it didn't interfere with her schoolwork or her chores at home.
But still. Would they overwhelm the unsuspecting stranger on the spot with questions? Or cross-examine their daughter later at the next opportunity? Both scenarios rather unpleasant. "I still want to avoid that. I just don't need the stress."
"And I have the solution, as always." Yukari tapped her temple. "Which places do your parents avoid like the devil avoids holy water?"
Hitomi stared uncomprehendingly into the bright brown eyes that were so familiar to her. Then a light dawned. " Attractions. Too many tourists, they always complain."
"It’s perfect! Play the tour guide, show him our beautiful home."
„Sightseeing? Isn't this a bit lame?" She imagined Van shuffling along behind her, yawning and checking an imaginary clock every second.
"Thousands of tourists who come to Kamakura every year will surely disagree with you. Besides, after all you told me so far, he seemed fascinated by every tiny fact about life on Earth and Japan in particular."
In no time, Yukari listed all her city's attractions, presenting their merits with the persuasiveness of a shrewd politician. The historical temples and shrines, the shoreline, the narrow streets with their cafes and restaurants, everything Hitomi had been used to all her life now shone in a new light.
Indeed, Van had always been very interested in her homeland and culture. He often asked so many specific questions that she had to look up the answers on Google.
"Actually, that doesn't sound too bad...", she admitted.
Her partner in crime immediately began to sketch out a rough outline of the potential itinerary. "So city tour, Tanabata and after the festivities he goes straight home or what?"
Hitomi's immediate disappointment must have been visible on the tip of her nose. A whole day, wasn't that what he promised? Didn't that include the night?
The night with its romantic starlight and secrecy in darkness...
Yukari tilted her head, grinning broadly. “You want him to stay longer, don't you?”
Oh, why was she so easy for Yukari to read?
“No... yes… but...” she sighed and pressed her lips to her folded hands. „But if he's going to go through all the trouble of getting here, then not just for a few measly hours, right?“
But inviting him to the Kanzaki residence was out of the question for the reasons already mentioned. Should they pitch a tent in the open air? Out of the question. At least in this compartment, life on Gaea had been much easier.
“Well, even if you had enough money for that, it’s unlikely that you two are allowed to stay in a Love Hotel.”
“As if I‘d want that!” she shouted indignantly, but Yukari saw how the very idea turned Hitomi's cheeks bright red.
She patted her friend’s shoulder encouragingly. “Let me worry about it for now. I'm sure I'll think of something so you can make all your erotic fantasies come true.”
“YUKARI!” Hitomi shrieked between horror and hysterical fits of laughter.
“Kanzaki!” came from the tartan track. “If you can laugh that loud, you can run again, can't you?”
“Yes, Sensai!” the called parried immediately, jumping up and leaving a cloud of dust in her wake as she ran off. “See you later.”
“You can count on me!” her friend promised, giving a two-finger salute. Alone again she took her smartphone out of the pocket and checked today's date.
Okay, there were 13 days left to prepare everything carefully. She smiled to herself.
What a thrilling quest, no time to waste.
Yukari was quite intelligent and approached even the smallest challenge with an almost fanatical perfectionism. A fact that was not immediately noticeable due to her quirky nature. But she was one of the brightest students in her year and still found the time to support her best friend wherever she could. Did this girl sometimes make the time to sleep? It remained a mystery.This evening, as soon as Hitomi had showered and changed into comfortable pajamas, her cell phone rang. It was Yukari, of course. Her voice was burning with enthusiasm and drive, Hitomi could almost feel heat radiating from the speakers.
"Guess what!" she warbled into Hitomi's ear without stopping to say hello. "I have amazing news! My parents aren't here on Tanabata! Some business trip for the entire weekend. I have the house to myself! If this isn’t destiny I don’t know what is!"
Yukari's parents were rather relaxed people, leaving their daughter alone for a few days every now and then.
A circumstance that Mr. and Mrs. Kanzaki absolutely did not approve of. They probably would have forbidden their daughter to spend time with the Uchida's offspring if it wasn’t for all the tutoring Yukari had given her friend. Free of charge, of course. Otherwise, Hitomis grades would have been much worse.
"Could you please stop saying that word?" Hitomi now asked in agony.
"What word? Parents?"
"No, destiny..." Hitomi scratched her neck. "I think I've developed an allergy to it."
"Whatever you say. So, how does it sound to you? You two lovebirds can set up your headquarters here and stay the night. I'll take care of everything. You know how much I enjoy spoiling my guests."
„Do I?“ Hitomi smiled mischievously. "Yukari… don’t play selfless Samaritan with me. Just admit it, your secret intentions are to inspect Van closely." If she was an open book to her friend then the reverse was true just as well.
Yukari pretended to squeak in indignation. "Out of scientific curiosity! Don't you think after all I have done I earned the right to at least take a quick look at your charming spaceman?"
Hitomi rubbed her forehead. What would happen if her best friend and the boy who always made the butterflies in her tummy dance like high on cocaine whenever he called her name met? Two with such completely opposite energies, trouble seemed inevitable.
On the other hand... maybe she was worrying to much, a bad habit she wanted to get rid of. In the end, it only allowed her fears to become reality... she just had to trust them both to show themselves at their best behaviour.
"Okay, thank you, that's very generous. Let's do it like this."
"Yay!" Hitomi heard paper rustling. Sure enough, Yukari was pulling out one of her ubiquitous notebooks to make the first of many lists. "So, I have a few things to ask. Does Van have allergies? To dogs? That would be a problem."
"I don't think so."
"Is he a vegetarian? Why are you laughing?"
"Sorry. He eats everything." Hitomi shuddered at the thought of freshly dug beetle larvae, grilled rattlesnakes and fruits so sour they would rearrange your taste buds. "Anything, really."
„Uncomplicated omnivores are my kind of people. Okay, next question..."With the meticulous care of a criminal mastermind, Yukari began to plan the big day. She really thought of everything.
Hitomi couldn't help but marvel and admire her friends endless ingenuity. Once again, she realized just how privileged she was to have such a trustworthy friend by her side.
But she firmly rejected the suggestion to give the whole thing the codename "A Date with Destiny". It brought back more ugly memories than Hitomi could bear.
Hence "Operation Isekai" was born.
They discussed the status of their important mission during a relaxed walk through the city. A light drizzle came from above and the two girls were huddled together under Yukari's yellow umbrella. Hitomi had forgotten her own again.
"Let's hope the weather doesn't throw a spanner in the works," Yukari mused as they cross-checked the opening times of attractions and the needed time to get there. "I'll make a backup plan in case it rains. Oh oh oh, why don't you stop by the school? I'm sure he'd be interested!"
"The ugly concrete block?"
"The ugly concrete block is, after all, the place where we spend most of our precious youth and which opens up all kinds of opportunities for us later in life. Besides, maybe some of your classmates will see you there?"
"Huh? What good would that do?"
"You could put an end to the rumors that you're having an affair with an older man once and for all."
Hitomi stopped abruptly. The umbrella hit the back of her head. "What?"
„It’s so stupid.“ Yukari rolled her eyes. “A few of the girls are miffed because you refuse to read the tarot cards. Besides, many are irritated about your newly adult behavior. Based on that evil tongues made up a few cringe gossip stories about you and some 30-year-old banker from Tokyo.”
“Don't people have anything better to do?” Hitomi muttered, feeling inevitably sad. Countless times she had laid the cards for her classmates, patiently listened to their worries and problems, and this was how they thanked her?
“Why don't you just start reading the tarot again?” Yukari suggested pragmatically, but Hitomi wrinkled her nose.
“I will never do anything just to make myself popular. It’s called integrity. Can we please change the subject?”
“Sure.”
They walked on. The asphalt shone darkly from the rain. But the sun already began to fight its way through the clouds. Near the mountain peaks in the west, a rainbow drew its colorful haze on the pale blue sky.
A housewife covered by a flowered rain cape cycled past them, her basket full of groceries. She was humming an old pop song.
Hitomi's heart felt lighter again. In the window of a cute flower store, she saw her and Yukari's reflection strolling past. The tubs of cut lilies and roses smelled wonderfully fresh.
Kamakura knew how to present itself from its best side. Hitomi, having lived here her entire life, began to appreciate it more and more.
Would her guest like it too? Yes, she wasn’t proud but that was basically all she could think about at the moment.
Yukari nudged her in the side. “I was wondering...” At these words, her pretty face took on such a sly expression that it sent shivers down Hitomi's spine. “... whether we should forge a passport for your visitor, just in case. I'm sure I can make the necessary contacts. My uncle knows a few shady characters.”
“In another life you would have made such a terrifying yakuza boss,” Hitomi snorted. Yukari just gave her an extra broad smile and felt flattered.One week went by far too quickly. As the big day approached, Hitomi's nervousness increased. Yukari tried to comfort her in a rather clumsy, semi-scientific way.
She sent her links to articles with such catchy titles as "The 10 biggest mistakes on a first date", "This behavior scares boys away" or "How to win him over with just three things". Hitomi wasn't sure if it was meant to be a joke or serious. Either way, she left each one unread.
What was the point? She had always liked not having to pretend for him, so why start now?
She would just be her charming, prickly, authentic self.
However... one aspect still needed some fine tuning. Her appearance.
Should she style herself, and if so, how much?
Van only knew her with very subtle makeup. Just what had been lying around in her gym bag and hadn’t been nicked by Merle. And really glamorous had he seen her only once, when Milerna's maids had worked their magic. Furthermore, after their struggle to survive in the wilderness of Freid, they both had looked (and probably smelled) more scruffy and battered than the Mole Man.
That hadn’t stopped him from slowly falling for her and she for him.
Maybe Van wouldn't even recognize her if she’d greet him all glammed up like a movie star. Rather reserved decorations then, she preferred that anyway. But at least one emergency trip to the hairdresser was necessary.
And, oh heavens, what should she wear?
She examined her wardrobe. It was full of clothes her mother had bought for her, but nothing was good enough!
She shared these devastating news with her friend, who simply suggested something that made her feel comfortable. But in the end, she promised to swing by on Sunday to evaluate the different outfit options.
The fashion show finally took place in Hitomi's room.
"Do you know where you’ll meet him?" Yukari wanted to know and opened a new page of her notebook while Hitomi put a pair of bottle green overalls on the "no" pile of clothes. They had made her look like a huge toddler.
"Yes, I found the perfect spot.“ Hitomi announced, proud that she had not been completely sidelined by the preparations for her own rendezvous. She held a pink blouse under her chin. "Here in the forest not far from us. I often go there for a run. There's never anyone."
"Excellent. And he rides the Starlight Express?"
"If you mean the pillar of light, yes. As far as I’m informed, there is no Shinkansen line between Japan and Gaea yet."
Thoughtfully, Yukari looked up from the bed she was lounging on.
"About that... you said yourself that nobody ever really found out how this Bifrost works. What if it misbehaves? Maybe it brings Van to a completely different continent or even century… 10 years before you were born, or 100 years after you die. Or even into an alternate universe where we're all characters in an anime..."
What should have been a casual remark left Hitomi strangely silent. She fiddled with the silver buttons of her blouse. Sure, there was a risk of bitter disappointment. But nothing ventured, nothing gained and luck was with the brave, wasn't it?
“We also don't know whether his stay on Earth could have any negative effects on him.” Yukari went on.
“What, for example?”
“Maybe he can't tolerate the composition of our air for too long, the intensity of the sun or suddenly starts to age backwards because of all your time travel shenanigans.”
Hitomi tossed the blouse onto the growing "no” pile.
“You forget, Gaeans are no little, green men. They are originally from Earth.”
“Yes, but there are 10,000 years of evolution between them and us, if Plato is to be believed. To be on the safe side, I'll see how much a radiation protection suit costs,” suggested Yukari, hitting her smartphone again. “No, that's definitely beyond our budget.”
Hitomi giggled. “I think you're expecting a bit too much alien-ness. The inhabitants of Gaea are humans like you and me.”
“And what about this Merle?”
“Oh... hmm yeah right.”
“And the fishmonger with the dolphin head? Or the slimy gecko gangsters? I tell you what, those Atlanteans had one hell of a weird sense of humor when they created their 'dream world'. Mine would just be populated by harmless unicorns and cute tanuki.”
“Let me guess: udon noodles growing from the trees and mochi from the bushes?” Hitomi muttered. She had put on a light brown dress and was turning back and forth in front of the mirror. The skirt wobbled lethargically around her skinny legs.
“Don't forget the fountains of yuzuka and milk chocolate mountains.” Full of joyous expectations Yukari stroked her flat stomach. Soon Mrs. Kanzaki would be calling for dinner. Her cooking skills were on a completely different level than her own mother's. Food was always a good reason to visit Hitomi's parents' house. Even if her brother was a real handful since he seemed to have developed a little crush on her.
Yukari grinned in pure anticipation, but all of a sudden Hitomi shouted in rage: “Oh, dang it! Nothing suits me! It's not the clothes, I'm a disaster…"
She scowled at her reflection in the mirror. She remained a beanpole, no matter what or how much she ate and exercised. This fact had never particularly bothered her. After all, this wiry body was capable of incredible sporting achievements. But all of a sudden she would have given a lot for at least one more cup size...
"Hitomi Kanzaki!" Yukari crowed straight away. "Stop it, that's complete nonsense! You are a knockout! Van will go crazy as soon as he sees you! All you need is…" She rolled off the bed and grabbed a pair of jeans. "Here, these will accentuate your slender legs and toned butt and this..." She held up a plain t-shirt. "...draws all the attention to those stunning green eyes. This outfit declares: I'm uncomplicated yet timelessly stylish."
Reluctantly, Hitomi slipped into it. But her doubts did not last long. Yukari was right. She looked exactly the way she wanted to feel.
Confident, grown up, but in a casual way. And yes, her legs really did look amazing.
She sighed. Had that been so hard? Why hadn't she thought of that herself?
"Still not satisfied?" Yukari inquired anxiously, straining next to her. The light coming in from the side made her red-tinted hair glow like a sunset.
"I'm nervous. This is so ridiculous," Hitomi whined.
"But it's also totally normal."
"That doesn't make it any easier." She couldn’t help but feel extremely stupid. Again, why was the brain such a lousy traitor?
There she was, Hitomi the seer from the Mystic Moon, having excelled at seemingly impossible challenges, defeated death and destiny, and now she was despairing over a simple ritual of human interaction? "What if he doesn't like me? What if he sees me and decides he deserves better? Should I call it off?"
Yukari easily held against it: ”What if you see HIM and he has grown one of those horrible, thin moustaches or something? Or got a weird face tattoo? Or completely shaved off that hair you liked so much? Besides, would you even want a guy that is so shallow as to reject you because of your looks? Which are great, by the way, as I keep telling you.“
That wasn't like Hitomi at all, to have such a nervous breakdown for completely marginal reasons. Was this yet another proof of how incredibly important this date was to her?
"Hey…" Yukari surprised with a spontaneous hug and a soft voice. "It's going to be great, for sure! Allow ME to predict the future for a change." Gently she pushed her restless friend away so that she could look into her unsteady eyes. "He will arrive here safe and sound. Your reunion will be terribly kitschy. He won't be able to take his eyes off of you. Maybe he’ll even propose right on the spot but let’s hope not. You two will have an insane amount of fun. And then you can finally sort out that funny little situationship of yours.“
Her kind words, filled with optimism, brought a cautious smile to Hitomis face.
"I‘m a mess.“
”You’re in love.“
That made the smile grow bigger. "Thanks for putting up with me. I owe you a lot."
"Sure, as a modest reward, I only expect you to name your first child after me. Although..." Yukari narrowed her eyes and pouted. "Perhaps I'll settle for a few small estates in the kingdom of Fanelia."
"Both would be more than fair." was Hitomis earnest reply. "Seriously. You've been a great help to me. Not just the last week, the whole year, actually, since I've known you."
Yukaris cheeky grin became emotional. "I'm always here for you. Whether you like it or not."
Now it was Hitomis turn to hug her friend, laughing heartily.
This unconditional support was so good, so valuable and by no means to be taken for granted. Just a few months ago, things were much more tense and the girls’ friendship had been put to a tough test...