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Fateful Confession: Hitomi Kanzaki was a normal 15 year old, first year High School student. On the track team, with a crush on the captain of the senior boy's team, Susumu Amano, hanging out with her best friend and self-described "manager", Yukari Uchida, and interested in Tarot cards and devination. All that changed the day she had a vision of a strange boy and, in a dream, saw people and places she had never seen before: a burning city, giant, fighting mechanisms, and an angel. That was also the day she learned from Yukari that Amano would soon be leaving for college overseas. Yukari encourages her to tell Amano how she feels about him before it's too late. A tarot card reading told Hitomi that she would soon experience a long separation and would have to be brave. She assumed it referred to Amano's imminent departure. The next day, Hitomi met with Amano, entrusting him with her grandmother's pendant and securing a promise of a first kiss if she beat 13 seconds in the 100 meter dash. That evening, at the track, with both Yukari and Amano present, the boy from her vision actually appears before her in a column of light! Though a bit hostile, the boy tells them that his name is Van Fanel, but, strangely, only Hitomi is able to understand what he is saying. They soon discover that Van has not come alone, he has been followed by a dragon! Van battles the dragon and is at last able to defeat it when Hitomi has another vision and warns him of an attack. From the body of the dragon, Van removes a strange stone. The stone begins to glow and Van and Hitomi are engulfed in light and begin to float into the sky. Amano runs to Hitomi and reaches out to her, but she is only able to grasp the pendant necklace as it floats from his hand. Hitomi finds herself in a clearing with Van standing nearby. When she asks where they are, he tells her they are near the town of Anzasu. Of course, Hitomi has never heard of this place before and when she looks up in the sky she knows why. Hitomi realizes that she is on another world, for suspended in the sky, she sees the Earth and the Moon shining brightly. Suddenly, Hitomi notices that she and Van are being surrounded, but by whom she doesn't know. She can soon tell, however, that whoever it is, they do not appear to be human, more like some kind of wolfen animal. The Girl From The Mystic Moon: Van and Hitomi are standing in a clearing, slowly being surrounded by wolf-like creatures. As they get closer however, it is apparent that these "wolf-men" are Van's comrades. They take Hitomi and Van back to the kingdom of Fanelia. Hitomi learns a bit more about this strange world she has come to, and more about Van. She discovers on this world, called Gaea by those who inhabit it, the Earth is known as the Illusional Moon. Another strange discovery is the fact that she is still having visions. While traveling to Fanelia, Hitomi has a vision of the destruction of a city, but not understanding what she is seeing, she dismisses it. Upon arriving in Fanelia, Hitomi learns, much to her suprise, that Van is a prince. Retrieving the stone from the dragon was a rite-of-passage, so he could be crowned king. In Fanelia, Hitomi meets some of the important people in Van's life. One is Balgus, Van's guardian and mentor, who has been taking care of him and training him in the art of battle since he was young. Van is not particularly enthusiastic about learning to fight, or being king for that matter, but Van greatly admires Balgus and does as he instructs. Balgus promises Hitomi he will help her find a way home. Hitomi also has a rather unexpected encounter with another companion of Van's, a cat-girl named Merle. Merle does not like how "friendly" Hitomi appeared to be with her "Van-sama." Hitomi tells her she has no interest in being "friendly" with him. Merle doesn't appear to care what she says and sets about trying to irritate Hitomi, succeeding brilliantly. This first encounter pretty much defines their entire relationship. Right after Van's coronation ceremony is completed, the city is unexpectedly attacked by a strange, invisible enemy. Balgus instructs Van to take Hitomi into the castle and use "Escaflowne" to escape. Hitomi has no idea what that is, but she follows Van and he proceeds to perform some kind of ritual that summons what looks like giant, mechanical armor from a huge stone. It is exactly the same thing that Hitomi saw in her first dream! Van then proceeds to open Escaflowne, by placing the stone he took from the body of the dragon, with some drops of his own blood, within another stone on the chest of Escaflowne. Van intends to help defend his people. Unknown to him the battle outside has been going very badly. Before he is even able to get outside, the door to the castle is broken down. Van knows the enemy has arrived, but he can not see them! However, Hitomi discovers that by concentrating she can "see" the invisible enemy, and realizes that she also saw these giants in her dream! Hitomi warns Van of the direction of the enemy's attack. He holds his opponent of for a while, but when another of the invisible invaders come up behind him, Hitomi isn't able to warn him in time and only the timely intervention of Balgus saves him. Balgus, wrestling with one of the enemy, tells Van to take Hitomi and leave. Van gently picks up Hitomi with one of Escaflowne's hands and leaves the castle. He then sees that the whole city is burning, everything is being destroyed. Suddenly, Hitomi has a vision of Balgus being struck down, she tries to warn him, but is too late. With his dying breath he instructs Van to leave. Van is devestated by the death of his close friend and teacher. Hitomi, too, is completely horrified by the sight before her and she screams for it all to stop! The stone on Escaflowne's chest and Hitomi's pendant begin to glow. As the enemy draws near, Hitomi, in Escaflowne's hand and Van, within Escaflowne, are suddenly engulfed by the same kind of light that first brought them to Gaea, and transported away. |
