So I re-watched the series and it inspired me to write my version of the story's ending. Hope you like it!
Hitomi stared at the woman staring back at her from the mirror: long blond hair in cascading waves to frame her face, adorned by a hair piece of pearls and white roses. Her face glowed with a touch of makeup, and her flowing peach off-shoulder gown emphasized the curves she had grown in the past five years. Hitomi almost didn't think it was her. She smiled. She had to admit it felt good to feel beautiful even just for a few hours.
It was Yukari and Amano's wedding: a formal ceremony before her best friend would join Amano overseas for a scholarship of her own. She was both happy and sad at the thought that Yukari was leaving: happy that they would finally be together for good, and sad that she wouldn't have her by her side anymore. Yukari assured her nothing would change between them but Hitomi knew something had to so she could focus on the family she would have with Amano.
Hitomi sighed. Family. A lot has changed in the past years. His brother had progressed in his studies. Her parents had started prodding her about her non-existent love life since Yukari was getting married. And soon, she would have to make a place of her own in the world - a family she would spend the rest of her life caring for.
Van's face flashed in her mind, his subtle smile filling her with warmth. She couldn't believe how long they had shared the bond they started five years ago. Instead of losing that attachment, she longed for him more. And despite only seeing phantoms of him - images of him here and there doing what he was doing whenever she thought strongly of him, she loved him more instead of forgetting him. She considered diverting those feelings to someone else, but the guys Yukari had her date always seemed to be too this or not enough that; too unlike Van, and not enough like him. At one point, she realized that her plight was akin to moving on from a greatly treasured relationship: somewhat hopeless and painful.
The sting of the loneliness would hit her, and an image of Van looking at her with worried burgundy eyes would appear in front of her. The intensity of his concern would sometimes make her hear his voice echoing inside her head: "Hitomi?" It was enough to calm her, comfort her, and assure her that he was there loving her despite the distance and making the impossible possible.
Still, thoughts of her having to marry someone from Earth haunted her. She figured as the days turned into months and the months turned into years that she would be like her grandmother, marrying a man of Earth and settling there with only memories of Gaea. It filled her with dread and sadness. She could only imagine herself with Van; waking up next to him, bearing his children, and growing old with him. Anyone else in that perfect picture tore her heart to shreds. Then Van would worry, his worried form manifesting out of nowhere to ask her what was wrong.
She shook her head and took a deep breath to calm herself. She couldn't have Van notice her anxiety, at least not yet. She wanted to surprise him. Despite growing her hair long as she grew more femininity, she kept her tresses in a neat ponytail partly to make sure Van recognized her despite the change. Van himself had grown manlier, taller and slightly brawnier possibly due to his active participation in rebuilding Fanelia. He hadn't grown a beard or even a stubble unlike his father which made him appear youthful despite the physical change.
Hitomi bit her lip, wondering what his reaction would be once he sees her in the bridesmaid attire - hair down, make up on, shoulders flaunted, and her curves accented in the right places. Would it stun him enough to want her back in Gaea?
Most of her insecurities and anxieties came from the fact that she hadn't gone back to him, even just for a quick visit. Seeing him here and there was good, like Yukari and Amano's Skype conversations, but the physical contact mattered too which was why Amano went back to Japan several times to be with Yukari. Part of Hitomi hated herself for not staying in Gaea but another part of her reminded her that they needed to grow apart. Her role outside the Mystic Moon was finished and it was time they applied what they've learned from that journey into their separate lives.
If only she had another role in Gaea...like a devoted companion to Van?
She frowned. Van was royalty. His companion would most likely be queen. And with Fanelia recovering its glory, the country would likely call for a sense of stability: an assurance that there would be a leader from Van's bloodline who would maintain if not grow Fanelia's glory. She had read enough royal history and watched enough documentaries to know that it meant marriage: forced or agreed upon between royalties of different countries.
Had Van been offered a bride? Had he taken it? Would he take it?
…Another sting she had to push down before Van noticed. It was instances like these when she longed for him the most; the only thing keeping her from wanting feverishly to return to Gaea was a sickening feeling that Van may not need her as much as she did him.
She stood up, practiced a warm natural-looking smile on the mirror and decided she would focus on her bridesmaid duties first. She would make Van fall head over heels in love with her later. She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear before prancing out the door of her hotel room to tease Yukari and make her best friend blush for her walk down the aisle.
Van felt his heart swell just a bit: a hint of excitement that made him smile. Hitomi was in a good mood. He had been worried in the past months that she had been shifting from anxiety and fear, reflecting the same emotions he had been trying to suppress.
He was undoubtedly wrong when he told her they could just see each other if they missed one another: seeing wasn't good enough. He had yearned to touch her in these past few years: feel her warmth against his skin, drown in the scent of her hair, and savor the way her arms wrapped around his torso when they rode Escaflowne across Gaea's blue sky. Thoughts of her would haunt him throughout the day; his only relief the apparitions of her that came when he wished hard enough to see her.
Rebuilding Fanelia had been a good distraction. He learned a lot from the people: their needs, their dreams, and what kind of leader he should be for them. He had also been busy with re-forging the alliance in cooperation with Asturia and Freid. The fall of Zaibach exposed the greed and fears of nations and it crumbled the foundation of the previous alliance. With diplomacy lessons from Asturia, enlightened advice from Freid, and help from Dryden's web of connections and economic control, a new alliance was born. New peace treaties were signed, better trade agreements were forged, and collaboration amongst nations were initiated.
And to celebrate the fifth year of the new alliance, it was agreed that Fanelia would host its annual summit hence Van's busy schedule. It was the day before the formalities and guests from across Gaea had arrived for the welcoming feast. Along with the summit was an annual sports event, one of the many practices that Van initiated which was inspired by conversations she had with Hitomi. Apparently, people of the Mystic Moon held athletic events where nations battled in a healthy and friendly competition. Van figured it would be a good way to use the pent-up energies and tensions incurred from the war. They had various sports events ranging from jousting to sprint, Hitomi's sport — Van mused with a warm smile. Each year, new events were included to cater to skills and talents from various nations. It urged collaboration between nations, spreading and preserving ancient arts and practices for more Gaeans to appreciate.
Nations bid to host the event every year because it brought in tourists and heightened commerce. It allowed them to showcase their wealth and resources, inspiring other nations and widening their connections. This year, it was Fanelia's time to shine: to show Gaea the leaps and bounds it had made since its recovery and exhibit its beauty. Van had been especially busy with promoting the schools they established in Fanelia — another idea inspired by Hitomi. He opened the doors of Fanelia to Gaeans willing to learn about history, swordsmanship skills, and nature. The dragons were no longer just frightening keepers killed for royal rituals. They were part of Fanelia, protected and understood.
Van tried to read the paragraph of the diplomatic letter he held in his hand for the third time as he sat in his study: an indication that he was too distracted by other things to fully focus on his task. Beyond the flowery words of gratitude and honor were hints offering him the hand of Basrum's princess in marriage. Other nations had done the same with the exception of Asturia and Freid. He sighed and put the letter down imagining how much Merle would fume at the offer. She had grown into a lady cat, but her temper brought back her youth. She seemed to hate just about any woman who expressed interest in marrying him, probably because like him, she was hoping Hitomi would be his queen. She even did her best to keep Selena away from him whenever she came to visit with Allen or Gaddess for swordsmanship training.
Selena seemed to have recovered and adapted to her surroundings in the past years, though once in a while they would catch her staring fixatedly at a bug, inwardly debating if she should grab and eat it or not. Allen has had his hands full with her and his duties in Asturia which effectively kept him from the market, as Merle explained. Despite the distance between the two nations, Selena seemed to develop an attachment to Fanelia. Van mused that it was because of the schools and the dragons which she had been fascinated with as of late but Merle said she had developed a bit of a crush on him, hence the monthly visits.
Van dropped the letter on his desk in defeat; leaning his head back against the plush leather headrest of his chair. It was mid-afternoon and his mind was just too distracted to focus on anything.
"It's not going to stop you know," Merle's voice purred from the window, catching his attention. She was apparently seated on the window sill, her tail flicking teasingly behind her. "They're going to hound you until you pick one of them to marry. The only way to get rid of them is to get hitched."
"To Hitomi," Van read the implied continuation of the statement from her sharp reprimanding gaze. He sighed.
Merle jumped off her seat and walked to his desk, slumping over the chair in front of his desk. "Do you even have plans to?" she prodded with a hint of impatience. "You honestly can't tell me you're fine with living the rest of your life with just apparitions of her. I bet she wants to be here with you too."
"Maybe," Van said, staring out the window to catch a faint glimpse of the Mystic Moon. "I hope."
"Did you even ask?"
Van turned to her. "You know it doesn't work that way." It took great passion and concentration to send even just one word from him for her to hear. A full-blown conversation across dimensions wasn't something they had experienced in the past years; just feeling the other's presence and hints of their emotions complemented with clear images of one another.
"Then use another way!" Merle snapped.
...Which meant "fly to the Mystic Moon like last time". Van crossed his arms over his chest. He had thought of doing so several times: flying toward the sky with his white wings, fueled by nothing but a fervent wish to be where she was. He ended up wondering how Hitomi would receive the sudden visit. What if the timing wasn't right? What if she wasn't ready to see him, let alone go back to Gaea with him?
"Are you really going to be fine with her getting married to someone else?" Merle asked.
Yes, he had thought of that question many times. And though it hurt, he always told himself he ought to be ready for it: open, understanding, accepting. Hitomi was from the Mystic Moon after all and marrying someone from there should be normal…probable.
Before Van could answer Merle, she stood up and headed to the door. "Fanelia is fairly stable now, Lord Van. That is why all these royalties are offering you their daughters," Merle said. "You have more free time now: no more excuses." She walked out of the room leaving Van to heave a heavy sigh.
"Hitomi?" he inwardly called, asking her in his thoughts if she still would like to live in Gaea with him and their friends; if she would be willing to be his queen.
"Oh Hitomi, am I doing this right?" Yukari asked for the fourth time as they stood before the doors of the hotel function room. The wedding march was about to start and the bridesmaids were lining up.
Hitomi chuckled and gave her best friend a tight squeeze. "Can you imagine anyone else in the world aside from Amano marrying you?"
"No," Yukari answered sighing in her white laced sweetheart neckline wedding dress. Her hair was kept in a bun atop her head; curly locks of brown hair trailing down the side of her face just enough to accent her jaw. Hitomi smiled at how beautiful Yukari was with her flushed cheeks.
"Can you imagine anyone else living the rest of your life with?" she asked the bride again.
"No," Yukari answered, looking at her with renewed confidence.
Hitomi nodded. "Now let's put that veil over your face," she said fixing Yukari's veil.
"I want you to have your own version of this, Hitomi," she said before Hitomi could walk to her place for the procession.
Hitomi blinked at her before smiling. "Don't worry about me."
"But you're not even giving anyone a chance!" Yukari protested, hinting at the number of blind dates she prepared for Hitomi; all of which were unsuccessful.
"Oh Yukari, I'll be fine."
"Which is why I had Aki invited," the bride said, smiling widely as if she successfully completed a difficult mission.
Hitomi gawked at her. "You didn't!"
Aki was...the only blind date of hers who she became friends with. Unlike most of the guys Yukari introduced to her, Aki didn't come across as someone immediately interested in her. He wasn't afraid to argue with Hitomi and he didn't do things to please her all the time Hitomi had to admit that he reminded her of Van, and not just because he had dark unruly hair. It was the way his brown eyes burned with passion and determination whenever he was doing something he wanted to complete or trying to convince someone - her, most of the time - that he was serious about something.
At one point, she imagined herself marrying him. It felt okay and sad at the same time: okay because he wasn't that bad as a person, and sad because at the end of the day he wasn't Van.
Hitomi shook her head. "Be grateful it's your wedding day," she teased Yukari before standing in line for the wedding march.