I probably haven't mentioned this anywhere else but I used to have an account here that I locked myself out of years ago. I re-read my Escaflowne continuation story and it wasn't terrible. Too bad I have no idea anymore where I was going with that. Well, anyway. I keep thinking about what I would write about a lot lately so I decided to give it a shot. This is only chapter 1 and there will be more to come -just not sure when.

A note of warning: English is not my native language. I realize that the only way to improve my writing is to…well…write. I may edit chapters and try to improve on style based on reviews if I get any good critique in that direction.

Disclaimer: Y'all know I don't own it.

~~Earth~~

A young woman stepped up to the starting blocks, kicking stray pieces of gravel off the red running track. Kneeling down, she firmly planted her fingers on the tartan, and feet clad in trademark running shoes on the starting blocks. Her long braid of honey-colored hair fell across her a shoulder as she assumed a tight starting position. About to start her mental countdown, she suddenly slacked from her focus. Hitomi Kanzaki closed her eyes and tugged at the faint mental image.

With a deep sigh, she opened her eyes and withdrew from the blocks. The wind picked up around her, gently pulling on her green running shorts and loose white tank top. Hitomi casually started to jog down the track until she found the rogue rock that would have caused her to stumble at about mid-sprint. Picking it up, she briefly glanced at it before tossing it in the direction of the distant chain link fence. For what good they had been, the faint remnants of her once strong mystical powers at least kept her out of trouble. Sometimes.

Ok, here we go again.

After resuming her position, Hitomi was satisfied to find her thoughts at peace.

GO!

Powerful legs pushed her quick feet into a routine one hundred meter dash. Arms pumping in a steady rhythm with the graceful strides of her legs and eyes focused on the finish line, Hitomi looked every part the former junior national champion and record holder she was. With a satisfied smile, she passed the white line and slowed her run into a comfortable jog. Breathing steadily, she granted herself enjoyment in familiar movements that never failed to put her at ease.

After a while, the sound of chipper voices drawing near caught Hitomi's attention. Cutting the present lap short, she took a direct route across the soccer field in the middle. She gathered her tracksuit from the bleachers and donned the grey jacket. 'Team Japan' it stated across the back in bold, black letters. By the time she was settled on the bottom bleachers, her students had arrived. "Good evening, Ms. Kanzaki!" Several of them greeted and waved as they filed into the area near Hitomi, clipboard in hand.

"Hey girls, how is everyone doing today?" She asked with a genuine smile on her face. As track team alumni with several national medals and records, she had gone on to study strength and conditioning and was now an athletic trainer and was now proudly coaching her own team of young ladies at the very school she had once attended herself.

They briefly convened and after Hitomi informed them of the training agenda, the girls divvied up in pairs to stretch and do warm up-ups. Hitomi surveyed them closely, making adjustments and giving instructions on proper techniques here and there. After some more warm-up exercises, they began circling the track together, running at a moderate pace. The sun was slowly setting while training was in progress, shading the late autumn sky a beautiful blend of orange and red. Several high-intensity intervals followed the warm-up jog and ended in the same manner. Sweaty and exhausted girls passed a proudly smiling Hitomi on their way back up the bleachers and out of the compound.

"You all will do great next week at the competition. I'm very proud of your progress." She placed a hand on the shoulder of one girl in particular and looked at her, nodding reassuringly.

The redhead glanced at Hitomi nervously. "Ms. Kanzaki. I won't disappoint you again."

Hitomi chuckled and simply shook her head. "Rai. You have not, and will never disappoint me. You are always out there doing your best and sometimes accidents happen. I want for you to have fun doing a sport you love and if you happen to win some medals along the way, it's just a bonus."

The girl beamed at her rewardingly. "Thank you, coach," before bounding up the stairs and out of sight.

Hitomi looked after the girl with a half smile. She is a great runner. Just a bit too uncoordinated in her movements sometimes.

Rai had clumsily and humiliatingly stumbled over her own feet during one of the qualifying runs for a regional competition a few weeks ago and taken one of her own teammates down with her. Needless to say, it had been difficult to rebuild the girl's confidence after the incident. Hitomi knew all too well the feeling. A decade ago, she too had messed up a run too for wholly different reasons.

No Hitomi. Don't go there again… She gathered her duffle bag and hurriedly stuffed her long training pants into it, deciding that she rather enjoyed the feel of the cool evening air on her legs. Letting her thoughts wander into the past was a slippery slope of depression and desperation she decided to spare herself this time. Running had been not just an escape, but a form of therapy for her throughout the years. A coping mechanism she was able to channel all the pent-up emotions into. Nothing was quite as relaxing as a good long run, or a set of sprints.

She removed the elastic tie holding her braid together and shook out her long hair, running her fingers through it to carefully untangle some strands. Ten years of growing it out and she braided it almost every day.

What's the point in even having long hair?

She abandoned the thought and swiftly made her way over to the gates. Hitomi had created a nice life for herself in the past years. Owning her own apartment, as well as a steady job with decent pay, two nice but ultimately, failed relationships, and a small but distinguished circle of friends.

Spinster. She thought and smoothed a handful of hair behind one ear. That's what they say behind my back…

Shrugging lightly, she continued on her way to the station and boarded her train. Busying herself with thoughts of coaching, her eyes skimmed the ocean waves through the darkness behind the train window. Her thoughts strayed. Almost every day she would pass this spot. The spot where she had seen… him just a day after she resumed her normal life. His ruby eyes had stared at her intently from behind that curtain of ebony bangs. A soft smile had tugged on his lips when she assured him that she was doing fine. This was the last time she had seen him smile.

Just then, a hand on her shoulder startled her. "Yukari!" She chimed happily and hugged her best friend.

"You are acting awfully surprised considering that you were supposed to be on this very train on your way to meet Amano and me for dinner!" The young woman scolded. "Don't tell me you forgot!"

Hitomi's face fell. "Yukari. I am SO sorry!" She slapped a hand over her face. "I did forget." She shrugged apologetically. It sure would be excellent if these powers of mine reminded me of things, instead of just warning me. They always only work when they want to.

Yukari rolled her eyes in mock irritation. "Hitomi! I'm not buying it. I know you aren't excited at being set up but this new friend of Amano's, but he's… well… he's a nice guy and I think you might like him."

Hitomi groaned theatrically but said nothing. Yukari flashed her tongue briefly. "Fine," she huffed. "I will let you get out of this one. But you owe me."

Hitomi laughed "Alright. What do I owe you?" She had lost count at how many feeble attempts of random matchups Yukari had failed over the years and could just not bring herself to be interested in attempting to date again yet. Hitomi Kanzaki was a perfectly happy, twenty-six-year-old woman. The experiences of her most recent relationship were enough for her to require a break.

I'm perfectly happy…

Quite content..?

Fairly okay.

Yukari's eyes narrowed "The Holistic Health and Spiritual Expo tomorrow! Promise me we'll go."

Oh, gods no. "Ok."

No need to try and wiggle myself out of that one.

This seemed to satisfy her friend. The two women found seats and chatted casually until it was time for Hitomi to detrain. She descended the platform stairway and came to an abrupt stop in the small hallway. Several people scurried by her. A mother with her tired looking boy, two older women talking animatedly about a popular TV show, and a businessman with a long, grey coat exited on either side of the building until she was alone. Eyes closed, she tried to make out the dull images that flashed in her subconscious rapidly.

A hand painfully fisting in her long hair materialized in the foggy picture. Sweat….blood..whose blood? Mine….hands….more than two….dirt and grass….pine needles and sweat. Flushed skin….dirt and pine needles and sweat and hands on me. The faint scent of sweat tickled her nose as a thick hand disappeared down the front of her running shorts. Another one roughly pushed her shoulders to the ground. The dark figures loomed over her as Hitomi attempted to desperately claw at anything within reach.

Disgusting!

Shuddering, she quickly made a decision to not take the usual route home. She crudely gathered her hair and wadded it down the collar of her jacket. Jogging lightly all the way, she made it a point to avoid the park she would normally pass through and with a groan, collapsed against her apartment door after securely dead-bolting it behind her.

Not today.

Hitomi had learned to heed the warnings early on. Her powers had weakened considerably following her 'excursion'. What remained were faint tugs, hints, and the occasional visual impressions of looming danger. A sort of foresight.

She had soon learned to accept that the remnants of power were here to stay and after proving themselves useful, Hitomi decided not to try and fight them; all the while with the firm resolution intact that she would not meddle with fortune telling again. Preventing broken bones, knowing when a glass was in danger of being knocked over, or a car was about to take a turn too fast for her in order to cross the road safely had only been an advantage thus far.

~~Not Earth~~

A gloved hand fisted tightly around the flashing pink pendant through black fabric, where it was softly resting against smooth, tanned skin underneath. The precious stone glowed so brightly it was visible through the layers of fabric.

That's twice today… A grim expression formed on the bearer's handsome face as he massaged the bridge of his nose tiredly with two fingers. He discreetly removed the necklace from around his neck and quickly stored it in one of the saddlebags on his black steed.

"….Van?" An impatient female voice interrupted his thoughts. "Are you paying attention to what I am telling you?"

Van rearranged his hands on the horse's reins. "I am. My apologies." He wearily raked a hand through his tousled, ebony hair. At the accusing look of his companion, the young man's face changed from curious worry to unexceptional ease. "Please, go on."

~~Earth~~

At the downtown location of 'Hibiscus Salon', Toshi Goda finished sweeping long, honey-colored hair off the floor. With a flick of her wrist, the soft pile was unceremoniously discarded into the trashcan.

Shame really. This lady had the nicest long hair. Unprocessed and healthy virgin hair is such a rare sight these days. Why would she have me cut it quite so short without hesitation? It turned out fitting her beautifully though. The long hair was almost overpowering on her. Toshi smiled at the thought.

Hitomi had casually walked into said salon an hour ago and made the three stylists in attendance gasp at her request for a pixie cut. After much encouragement for other options that would preserve length but still involve a great deal of change, they finally saw nothing was going to change her mind.

Hitomi leisurely made her way down the sidewalk, moving her head left and right while enjoying the cool air caressing her newly exposed ears and neck. She threaded her fingers through her short coiffure, marveling the unfamiliar sensation.

This is good. I like this. It's even shorter now than it was on Ga…..No. Do. Not. Go down that way Hitomi. Taking a deep breath, she quickened her pace towards the convention center. She pulled the denim jacket around herself more tightly as a particularly strong gust of wind brushed by her, carrying a few brown leaves with it. The simple knee-length red dress she wore underneath her well broken-in jacket was her favorite. With winter approaching shortly, it looked like she would have to store it in the back of her closet soon. The simple brown ankle boots she had chosen to wear had been a good choice for this brisk morning. She was about to shift her duffle bag to the other shoulder when Yukari caught up with her.

"Hitomi! When did you get your hair cut!? Why did you get your hair cut?! Never mind, I love it!"

How does she always do that?!

Hitomi smiled as Yukari beamed at her excitedly. "Oh. You know, I felt like it was time for a change." Yukari nodded her head in agreement and pulled two tickets from the pocket of her jeans, handing her one.

"Here is your ticket. I've had them for a while," Yukari winked. "Looks like they double as coupons for some of the vendors at the expo. You are supposed to trade it in for a sample or gift. Mine's got some sort of vitamin on it. Can't wait to find out what it does! You are the oracle here, so you can have the other one."

She chuckled at her friend's comment and shook her head. Hitomi had discussed this at length with Yukari several times over the past years. She was done telling fortunes. Looking at the ticket in her hand to inspect it, her face paled.

The Ace of Serpents. His card. 'Miss Cleo's Fortune Telling Services' was printed on it in gold cursive. She gulped and continued to stare at it. Don't be silly Hitomi. It's just a stupid coincidence. She quickly slipped the ticket into a pocket.

When they arrived at the convention center, Yukari nudged her towards coat check. "At least give up that duffle bag for a few hours and make me feel like you're not thinking about running while we hang out, will you?" The young woman tried to give her a stern look but the mischievous wink that followed made Hitomi laugh.

"Oooh alright." Relieved of her bag, Hitomi and Yukari entered the convention floor and casually started surveying the booths and wares, lingering at some for a while to scrutinize whatever the owners were peddling.

Hitomi leaned in to quietly whisper in Yukari's ear, "You know those pills you are thinking about buying are nothing but a scam, right? They absolutely won't do anything to make you lose weight. Exercise and proper nutrition..."

"Do you HAVE to always tell me this?" Yukari interrupted her with a huff.

Hitomi shrugged sheepishly, "Uhhhh yes. I'm just trying to keep you from wasting your money."

Yukari sighed and crossed her arms in front of her chest "Fine. Let's go somewhere else."

The aisle they walked into next gave off a wholly different vibe. Satin and silk fabrics, stars and glitter, crystal balls, sparkling stones and trinkets of all sorts covered the tables in this area. A good number of curiously dressed people stood out in the visiting crowd, along with most of the booth owners. Hitomi grimaced at the sight of a young girl dressed in trademark quack fortune-teller garb, complete with a headscarf.

Oh dear.

Yukari clapped her hands excitedly. "Now THIS is what we need to be checking out, Hitomi! You need another hobby. Running all day every day just won't do. Why don't you get into tarot reading again?"

Hitomi deliberately shook her head. "I don't think so, Yukari. You know I'm done trying to predict the future." She shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket in protest.

I can only see glimpses every now and again, but I don't ask for it. It just …happens sometimes. Not that you know about that.

"Let's just check out some of the booths. Only a look-see! No harm in that, right?" Yukari pleaded.

You have no idea. "Fine."

Yukari linked her arm with Hitomi's and pulled her into the crowd. They wandered for a while until one booth caught Yukari's interest in particular. "Look Hitomi! Crystal ball fortune telling!"

Hitomi looked at the sign in front of the booth. 'True Fortunes Guaranteed' She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Yukari…"

The redhead shook her head and looked at Hitomi accusingly. "No! Don't give me any of this. You used to tell fortunes with your cards and since you won't do it anymore, I have to obtain my information from other sources." She schooled her.

Hitomi shook her head and sighed. "Ok then, if you must. You wait your turn here while I wander around. I don't want to see this. But do have fun." She turned and disappeared into the crowd. Arriving at the end of the aisle, she leaned against the wall next to the last booth and stared at the tall ceiling.

"You look like you're not having a good time at all." Hitomi spun around and smiled at the older woman, embarrassed at having been called out on her attitude.

"Sorry, this is just not really my thing…anymore." Hitomi smiled sheepishly. She glanced at the sign below the booth. 'Miss Cleo's Fortune Telling Services'

"Anymore?" The older woman caught Hitomi's attention again inquisitively.

Hitomi regarded her for a moment. She was probably the most ordinarily dressed person to own a 'spiritual' booth at this convention. In a plain pair of black pants and a white blouse, the brunette looked just as normal as anybody. The smile on the woman's soft face extended all the way into her intelligent looking, blue eyes.

Noticing this, Hitomi relaxed slightly. Due to her tarot card reading, she had been pigeonholed a good deal in the past. Weren't individuals who meddled with spiritual stuff usually quirky and dressed in strange ways? Certainly, a good many people providing 'spiritual' services thought so, and would readily cater to their clients with elaborate and fantastic looking costumes.

Not this lady apparently.

"My name is Ai, what's yours?" The older woman offered her hand.

"Hitomi."

They shook hands briefly. "So what did you mean, not anymore?"The woman restated her question.

Hitomi smiled and politely explained, "I used to do tarot readings."

"Interesting." Ai chuckled. "Well, why did you stop? You saved Gaea after all. "

WHAT?! "Excuse me?"

"Hmm? I didn't say anything. I was about to ask you why you stopped reading cards." The woman looked at her bewildered.

Weird. Hesitating at first, "I realized that knowing too much about what the future holds isn't necessarily a good thing." Hitomi finally offered and was about to brush her hand through her long hair nervously. When she realized it was no longer possible, she smoothed some of the short locks near her left ear.

The older woman nodded knowingly. "I understand. The cards can reveal frightening things. Sometimes it's best to take a step back."

I probably just imagined this.

Hitomi smiled and moved closer. She absentmindedly looked at the sign in front of her again, re-reading the writing on it. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the ticket.

"Miss Cleo. Is that you?" Hitomi asked and showed her the ticket.

Ai laughed openly. "Oh, my. No. Miss Cleo is my mother. She used to own this…business until I took over most of it a few years ago. We do have our regular customers, so I didn't want to change the name."

Hitomi nodded knowingly. Maybe a bit shady after all?

Ai picked up the conversation again. "I see you were the lucky recipient of our ticket. There was only one given out. It seems like you will be the proud owner of our newly designed tarot deck." After rummaging through the area below the table for a moment, she pulled out a black, wooden box and offered it to Hitomi.

Taken a bit by surprise, Hitomi took the box and stared at it.

"Go on, take a look." Ai encouraged her.

Hmmm, should I? I don't want to be rude. Hitomi carefully opened the box and let the pile of cards fall into her hand. She gingerly cut the deck with her fingers and stared at the card that had revealed itself.

Ace of Serpents… The same as on the ticket. Pursing her lips, she snorted and was about to put the cards down. "I'm sorry but I can't take these."

"Do you not like the artwork? I designed each of these cards myself," the woman asked disappointedly.

Hitomi shook her head and looked at the card again "No. that's not it at all," she mumbled defensively. With an apologetic smile, she said: "This one is beautiful, actually." Looking at it closely, her eyes glazed over a bit. An elegant, white dragon with ruby eyes stared back at her from the card. Its long, graceful body was flecked with gold scales and the long tail was wrapped around the hauntingly familiar shape of a sword.

"He misses you, you know? He needs you more than he may think."

Hitomi dropped her hands and gasped. "What did you just say?!"

The woman behind the booth put up her hands in defense "Oh dear. I'm sorry I just asked if you wanted to take a look at the rest of the deck."

Hitomi took a step back from the booth and quietly said "No, thank you very much. I think…" she took a sharp breath. "I'm quite done here. I'm sorry, but I can't take these." She hurriedly stuffed the cards back into the box and set them on the table, then quickly turned on her heels and was about to walk away as she stopped for a moment.

"Just so you know," Hitomi spoke over her shoulder in a low, sad voice. "He broke the bond." With that, she swiftly disappeared into the throng of people.

A snarl tugged on the tip of Ai's nose. "No, he did not." The woman sneezed and shook her head. Huh? Strange.

Tbc…

A/N: I always thought running could be an important part of Hitomi's recovery. I may touch on that again in later chapters. Working out has been a big help during tough times in my life so I know it can be therapeutic to channel feels into physical activity. Hitomi will definitely be strong physically, as well as mentally. Well, mostly anyway.

A few weeks ago, I bought a shirt with the slogan 'Miss Cleo's Fortune Telling Service' on it so I decided to use that name here. The shirt was actually what inspired the expo Yukari and Hitomi visited.

That's all for now, folks! Do tell me what you think, if you would. Feedback is motivating!