Disclaimer: I don´t own "Escaflowne" or "Save the Last Dance"

Summary: As a result of her beloved mothers death, young Hitomi has to move from her safe and familiar hometown to live with her remote father. A new home in ´Gaea´ starts to play a role in her life and the new school along with new friends slowly settles her life back to normal. Hitomi soon finds herself in a romance with the mysterious boy from her school, but before the two can start a real relationship, they have to overcome the difficulties of their pasts. V+H

A/N: This fic was first published ages ago, but I suddenly became very busy with my schoolwork, so writing had to wait. I´ve changed the first chapter quite a bit, so you might want to re-read it. The story will mainly focus on Van and Hitomi and the difficulties they come across together when falling in love. This was inspired by the movie "Save the Last Dance", so don't be surprised if some of the scenes seem familiar. Hope you´ll enjoy!

Chapter 1: A New Home

The grey clouds formed a heavy blanket to the dim sky. The changing landscapes flashed by, as the train speeded to its destination. Hitomi leaned her forehead to the window, making a steamy mark to the cold glass. The passing fields and some cottages made her think how far away from home she was travelling.

A door to the section opened. Hitomi lifted her gaze and found a smiling, middle-aged woman appear in front of her.

"Is this taken?"

She referred to the bench opposite. Hitomi shook her head and quickly gathered her stuff from the seat, letting the woman flop herself on it. For a moment, it was quiet. Then the woman seemed to catch an eye on a dance- magazine that lay on top of Hitomi´s bag.

Carefully she touched the cover and then spoke: "I love dancing, though I never had the body for it." With a smile the woman continued: "Do you dance?"

Hitomi turned back to the window and her already serious face grew sad.

"I used to."

The woman nodded and then leaning her head to the seat she closed her eyes. Hitomi sighed and started to reminisce the latest painful days of her life.

* *

"Mom, you've got to be there, it's my first performance! I´ll surely screw up if your not there supporting me."

"I know that honey, but my hands are full of the work amount my boss has given me! I´ll try my best sweetheart, I promise."

* *

'She's not here. I can't believe it, she promised!'

* *

"Are you Hitomi Kanzaki?"

"Yes, is something wrong?"

"I'm terribly sorry to tell you this ...mother... accident... truck... car swerve... dead by the time we reached her..."

'No...no it can't be. She-she was just... no, NO!'

* *

If tears were left, they had been drifting down on her cheeks now. Hitomi felt hollow. Like something had started to eat her from inside and now nothing was left. She toyed with the burgundy pendant that rested on her chest.

* *

"This is to bring you love. Not luck, but love. You don´t need luck, because you dance like an angel."

* *

The brakes started squeezing and the scenery showed from the window slowed down. In a minute, people were getting up and collecting their equipment. Hitomi took her bag and jacket. Reaching the platform she saw a somewhat familiar figure leaning to one of the poles, reading a newspaper. He did not seem to notice her, so she made her way to him.

"Hi."

He looked up and something like a smile came to his face. He folded the paper and tucked it inside of his jacket: "Sorry that I didn´t notice you. How was the journey?" Hitomi shrugged: "Okay, I guess."

She watched her father shift his weight, obviously trying to figure out something to say. "Well then. I assume that you have luggage?"

Hitomi nodded and then quietly followed her father to fetch her suitcases.

* *

The car trip from the station to her new home was agony for Hitomi. Her father tried to come up with a conversation, but she kept answering shortly. He soon got the hint and shut his mouth. Hitomi looked out of the window. She did not want to be mean, but the current events had just made her really bitter. She wondered would her relationship with her father ever work.

After 20 minutes the car stopped before a one-floor house. The front garden looked like it had once been taken care of, but then suddenly abandoned. The building its self was not that bad from outside, and the neighbourhood looked okay.

Hitomi walked behind her father along the flagstone path. They reached the front door and he turned around, embarrassed smile on his face: "I...I didn´t have much time to prepare for you, so try to ignore the mess."

Nodding, Hitomi followed him inside. The entry was small and her suitcases banged the walls. On the right-hand-side of the hallway was a kitchen with a window showing to the street. The living room connected to it had two armchairs and a couch, a fireplace with a rug in front of it and a large table for four people to sit. A small television was placed on the corner. The whole apartment was a bit out of order, something Hitomi was quite not used to, since her mother had abhorred untidiness. Her father looked apologising:

"I forgot to tell you that I´ll be leaving tomorrow morning to market my newest book, and come back next Friday. I know this is all a bit preliminary, but we´ll settle things as soon as I get back."

He showed her the bathroom and the two bedrooms and then left her alone. Hitomi closed the door to her room and sunk down to the rug. She looked hopelessly around. There was a bed, a nightstand, a wardrobe and an empty shelf. A window showing to the garden seemed like luxury.

She pulled herself together. If this was to be her new home, she had to learn to live with it. Heading for her suitcases she started unpacking. Slowly the things most important to her left the safety of her bag and found their places in the room; pictures of her mother and friends, precious books, a white worn-out teddybear...

Then she pulled out a small package. The content of it was very much in her knowledge, but something kept her from opening it. Then slowly she started wrapping the white paper away and soon a pair of pink ballet slippers lay in her hands. Again memories of her dead mother in a crashed car appeared to her mind and Hitomi shook her head, that way trying to get rid of the image.

Quickly she pushed the slippers back to the papers, and then hid them to a box, which she placed on the top of the shelf. She felt like suffocating, but took some deep breaths to calm herself down. It was not time to make a scene, so she kept emptying her bags, like nothing ever happened.

* *

A/N: One more thing. If you have been reading "A rebel with out a cause", you might notice some similarities with these two fics. I´ve settled the thing with stargazin, author of "A rebel with out a cause" and it´s okay with her. :)

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