Paradise Hotel

Disclaimer: i do not own escaflowne

Note: this story was created to get the author out of her slump not because she was high on shoujo and korean dramas

Note 2: you'llnotice throughout the storythat vancalls hitomi by her last name. this is because originally in japanese you'd refer to someone as Kanzaki-san however i've dropped the -san and just left it with the last name. if there are any more questions please ask them in your reviews. thank you and enjoy!

Welcome to a world of Paradise; a place where dreams never end. A place where you can find friends, companions, and even lovers. Partners who'd stay with you for however long you wished them to. Partners who'd do most anything you'd ask them to, from a little chat in a café to a night of pleasure. All it takes is one step. Come and enter our world.

"Paradise Hotel," the woman muttered softly as she stared at the building before her. The building appeared to be small but just like the ad it looked exactly like Paradise. From giant palms towering overhead to waterfalls of cool, clear, blue water, it was almost too much to take in. There were even blue and red macaws flying around. It was a wonder that they didn't fly away. Perhaps they thought this was their natural habitat. But as the woman stood pondering she realized that such a matter was trivial and that she had other more important things to get to.

She took a deep breath before finally stepping through the automatic glass doors. Upon entering her once deep breath was sapped from her within seconds. Thinking that she had entered a jungle she could do nothing but stare and try to take everything in. There was a small lounge of red couches, where several women were sitting, set up to the right and a help desk to the front. A man was sitting at the counter sorting through papers as the one next to him smiled and chatted with a tall blonde haired woman. To the left was a hallway that seemed to lead to several rooms of which the woman thought were off limits considering no one seemed to be going there. Upon closer inspection she noticed that there were many different men wandering around the place talking to no single woman in particular. They were all equally handsome too. She had to admit, the place did indeed look like paradise, at least in a woman's point of view. But to a perfectly intelligent woman such as herself, she realized that the place merely took up the name of Paradise but resembled that a lot of a host club.

"Maybe this is highly irrational," the woman thought. "Yes, this is all a mistake." But no matter how much of the idea was a mistake, her feet seemed to be planted to the ground firmly. Unable to move she looked around in a dazed fashion.

"Hey Shesta?"

"What is it Guimel?" Shesta responded as the woman to whom he was speaking with made her way out the front doors.

"That woman's been standing there for a while now. I think she's confused." Shesta looked at what Guimel was staring at and indeed he too saw a woman standing in front of the front doors, looking around nervously. She wasn't the average woman you'd see walking across the street. Every time she moved her head from side to side her long tan hair would wave in a messy fashion. She wore a sweater that looked as if she made it herself with cheaply bought yarn. And by the length of her skirt, Shesta could tell that she was a very conservative person. He also noticed that she would push up her big round glasses with her nervous and fidgety hands and then a few minutes later repeat the same actions. Indeed she seemed like a strange person.

"Ah! Good afternoon Mr. Fanel," Guimel said quickly while bowing his head with respect as a handsome man wearing a white suit walked in with a smile on his face.

"Thank you Guimel. Where are today's contracts and what is Shesta staring at that it looks as if his eyes will jump right of his sockets?" Mr. Fanel chuckled as his smile widened while staring at several of the day's contracts.

"Oh. I'm sorry sir. It's just that that woman seems as if she's lost and confused."

"What woman?" Mr. Fanel asked with curiosity as he turned his head and saw the woman whose feet were planted into the ground. "Guimel I want you to file these contracts and Shesta please prepare some tea."

Guimel and Shesta quickly attended to their tasks as Mr. Fanel walked in a smooth and cool manner towards the woman who looked as if she didn't fit in such a paradise. Even as he walked towards her, she continued to look around nervously. Mr. Fanel suppressed a chuckle as he was walking towards the confused and lost woman.

"Hello and welcome to Paradise. May I help you in some way?" he asked smoothly wearing one of what he thought was one of his award winning smiles.

"Oh. I– I was just . . .," she trailed off as her voice began to gradually disappear and she was once again fidgeting with her hands nervously. Mr. Fanel suppressed another chuckle. It was difficult to watch the way this woman was acting and not laugh.

"Please, let's sit down and talk." Mr. Fanel began to move towards the lounge when he noticed that she wouldn't follow him. Turning back around, he returned her strange expression with one of his own. He was beginning to think that she didn't seem to understand what sort of place she had entered.

"Is something wrong?"

"I– I can't seem to move my feet." She said glowing positively red with embarrassment. This time Mr. Fanel had to release his suppressed laughter which only embarrassed the woman further. He was still laughing happily as he took her hand.

"Then let me help you." He slowly walked her to the couches as her feet had been planted so long that it seemed almost difficult for her to even walk. As he sat her down he went across from her to the other side of the table and sat down comfortably in his own chair. Just as soon as they had sat down, Shesta came with a tray of prepared tea. As he set up the two cups, Mr. Fanel decided to restart the conversation once more.

"Now, what is the reason that you are here?" He asked as Shesta bowed his head before leaving with the tray and tea. Mr. Fanel took his cup and drank from it as the woman opened her mouth to speak.

"I– I actually don't even know your name," she replied with a gentle smile.

"Oh, how rude of me. My name is Folken Lacour de Fanel. I run this place known as Paradise. I'm sure you've seen our ad somewhere and that's why you came here so I won't explain any of that to you. However we do have several rules concerning the business of this place that we wish for all clients to follow," Folken explained as he held his cup in his lap and proceeded with a smile on his face. "As for the first and foremost rule this place, as you've noticed, is only open to women. No man may enter unless he is a worker here but even then we give out different pass codes as an extra safety measure. I do not permit any violence within or away from this premise, especially if it concerns a worker or other clients. I also do not allow a client who is on an exclusive to keep their partner for more than a year's time. I do not tolerate women who start to believe in these fantasies that we give them as a gift and have them think that that is their reality. And finally the golden rule of this Paradise. No woman under any circumstances must ever fall in love with her partner."

"I see. By the way, my name is Hitomi Kanzaki," she replied casually as she was still absorbing everything that Folken had just explained.

"Oh Hitomi. That's a beautiful name. Now once again, I must ask the reason as to why you are here?" Folken continued as he took another sip of his tea.

"I want a lover," Hitomi said as she stared dimwittedly at her untouched cup. Folken looked up to see her bowing her head in what almost appeared like shame. Putting his cup down, he leaned back into his chair comfortably.

"Guimel?"

"Yes Mr. Fanel," Guimel replied as he suddenly appeared next to Folken.

"Bring me a contract for Miss Kanzaki to sign." Hitomi looked up to see Guimel hurry away to get a contract and then stared into the deeply into the brown eyes of the man sitting before her.

"At the moment everyone is quite full with different clients, but there is one person who is able to take you as his partner. He should be here shortly." As Folken finished speaking the contract was placed in front of Hitomi to sign. Everything in the contract was exactly what she had heard from Folken a little while ago so she didn't see the need to read it over again. She signed the contract with ease and then passed it to Folken to look over.

"Now in order for this contract to work properly you have to tell me what it is exactly that you want." He watched as she hesitated slightly and then felt the formation of a small smile from the corner of his mouth. Before answering she glanced at Folken and became a little fearful. It was almost like the man was evil and that within the chambers of his mind he was plotting her demise. Chasing the idea away she spoke.

"I wish to have an exclusive; a lover who is always with me and not with anyone else. Someone who will . . . never leave me," she said as she whispered the last few words.

"I see," Folken said still smirking before standing up and fixing his suit. "Then the deal is done." He smiled his warm smile while handing the new contract to Guimel before turning to leave.

"W– Wait! I don't even know who my lo– lover is," Hitomi returned as she held his arm as to stop him from leaving.

"Don't worry. He'll be here soon," reassured Folken as he held her hand within his own. The doors opened once more and a man walked through without any care in the world. "Speak of the devil."

Hitomi stared at the man who had entered just recently as he spoke with Guimel. He had messy hair that was the shade of a raven's feather. His red t-shirt was slightly loose but it showed his torso and muscles clearly. He wore black jeans that appeared to fit just right with a pair of boots in the same color. Though he looked a bit messy and unsophisticated, Hitomi couldn't deny that he was indeed very handsome. While admiring his face, she realized that he was no longer beside the counter talking with Guimel but standing next to Folken and clearly staring right back at her. Blushing furiously she immediately lowered her head so he could not see that she was really embarrassed.

"Miss Kanzaki this is my little brother Van Slanzar de Fanel. He'll be your lover for the next year." With a big smile on his face he pushed Van forward to encourage him to take her hand and give it a shake. But it had failed miserably seeing as how Van wasn't even speaking and continued to just stare with an indifferent face. "Well I wish you two one year of bliss and Miss Kanzaki please remember the golden rule. You must never fall in love with your partner."

"A– ah. Yes." With that Folken left the two to attend to other duties seeing as how he was the man who ran the place.

Hitomi then returned to her staring at the ground. Not that she wasn't fascinated by the beautifully tiled floor that so much resembled the sand you find on a beach, but she couldn't bring herself to stare at the man she would now call her lover. She couldn't even remember what had just happened within the last few moments. All she remembered was that she came her looking for a lover and got one a few minutes later. As she tried to make sense of what just happened over and over again, the feeling of a warm hand drew her back from her thoughts. Van's hand was touching her cheek and she couldn't believe how warm it felt or how good. She even liked the smell of it that filled her senses. He smelled like peaches. Although as strange as it was, she didn't think it was a bad thing because after all she did like it, she just figured it strange.

"Kanzaki? Kanzaki!" Suddenly her vision of a handsome boy lying in a field of peaches left her as she felt soft slaps on her cheek. "Aren't we going to go home?"

"R– Right." Hitomi replied as she started towards the door. Forgetting that it was an automatic door she immediately leaned against the door giving it a push. Van watched her strangely and was about to say something when the doors suddenly opened. He watched as Hitomi went into a state of surprise and shock while trying to get her balance. Before falling flat on her face he saw her move, twist, and position her feet in ways that he thought impossible. This woman was definitely a strange person indeed. Helping her up, she immediately pulled her arm out of his grip.

"M– my apartment i– is that way," she stammered before walking away quickly her face flushing crimson as she did so.

The way home was a silent one as Van patiently followed after a still embarrassed Hitomi. Though he had tried to start numerous conversations by asking her about the weather or complimenting how nice the neighborhood looked he was only answered with silence. Besides he was getting tired of talking to someone who didn't want to talk back. Upon reaching her apartment and unlocking it with her keys, she allowed him first entry. He looked around and saw the kitchen to the left, the living room right next to the entryway, and the dining room in the back next to the balcony. As he walked further into the apartment he walked into the small hallway and saw that there was a room to his left and one at the end of the hallway as well as a small one a little further down to his right. Opening the door to the closest room, he saw a light table in one corner and bookshelves in the other. Pulling out a book he realized that it was a fashion magazine and put it back for he was not particularly interested in such trifling things. He also noticed a lot of pictures of dresses organized into several files which were placed into boxes leaning against the walls. Finishing with the room's inspection he went to the small room further down the hallway and realized that it was the bathroom, which was also clean and organized. Before starting in the last room he was stopped by what sounded like a mouse's squeak.

"The room at the end is mine. There's nothing there but a– a bed and closet," Hitomi said nervously. She again looked down at the floor and fidgeted with her hands while crinkling her toes together. Van looked at her and thought that she looked as if she needed to pee but chased away that thought before letting out a deep sigh.

"I won't do anything to you in your sleep, so you can stop worrying. If you don't want to sleep together then I'll sleep on the couch." He scratched the back of his head in a lazy fashion while walking towards the dining room and taking a seat on one of the chairs. "I'm a little hungry. Would you like to eat?"

"Uhmm, sure." Hitomi went to the kitchen and whipped up what she could in the shortest amount of time possible. In the end Hitomi prepared miso soup with some cooked meat and rice and set the delicious meal in front of her new lover.

"Thank you for the meal," Van said before eating the meal prepared before him. Hitomi watched him eat as she slowly took of her own portion. Hoping that he wouldn't make conversation, she always put more food into her mouth so as to prevent her from speaking. But Hitomi got her wish anyway. Van merely ate with content and never spoke once to her or even tried to start a conversation. After finishing their meals, the two cleaned up the dishes and then sat in the living room as evening approached.

"So what do you do?" Van finally asked after drinking some tea they had prepared together although he said that he could have done it himself.

"I'm a fashion designer," Hitomi replied with a happy smile.

"That would explain the magazines in that room." But no matter how Van thought about it he couldn't imagine Hitomi as a fashion designer. After all upon first impressions she appeared to look more like a lab researcher or some science geek than a very well known fashion designer.

"Actually, I'm more of one of several designers for the fashion company Gaea. I enjoy it very much but one day I hope to start my own line." Van looked at Hitomi's sincere and serene face. He could tell that being a fashion designer meant a lot to her. But for some reason there was also a hint of sadness. Van decided that maybe he should change the topic before the woman started crying since being with a crying woman would put him in a dangerous situation.

"May I ask the reason behind you buying a lover?" He said casually as he took another sip of tea and felt the warm feeling slide down his throat.

"My previous lover left me yesterday." Van was a little surprised that Hitomi would tell him something personal and painful with such ease.

"I see. So this is a sort of revenge; something to tell him that you don't need him in order to keep going."

"No. You're wrong," Hitomi said her smile slowly fading. "I just wanted someone by my side. I– I really loved him but since he left me . . . I just thought that maybe by doing this I'd forget him easier."

"Then you're pathetic." Van looked at her as she looked up surprised. "If you think that by doing this you'll forget him then you're wrong because this will only make you think of him more. In the end no one can ever forget the first time they fell in love."

Hitomi watched as he took the cups away and washed them in the sink. Even though he appeared silent and uncaring, Van really understood what it felt like to fall in love for the first time. Maybe he wasn't such a strange person after all. Getting up from the couch she headed towards her bedroom to get changed and sleep the rest of the night off. Van waited patiently outside the doorway before Hitomi showed up with a pillow in one hand and a blanket in the other. Thanking her Van walked back out of the hallway and set up his sleeping area as Hitomi closed her door and proceeded to crawl into her blankets. She turned out the lights and lay comfortably in her bed, only closing her eyes after she heard the click of the light switch outside indicating that Van had gone to sleep as well.

Though the day had been warm the night was predicted to bring forth rain. With the sound of the droplets gently pattering on the balcony and against the window Van slowly opened his eyes from sleep. He got up and walked towards the bathroom only to stop right before he entered. Hearing soft muffled noises from Hitomi's room, he abandoned all thoughts of going to the bathroom and leaned against the door to the bedroom and listened. He could hear her sniffling and whimpering soft cries. Though the rain was coming down outside, it wasn't enough to drown out her cries. Cautiously opening the door, he saw her not on the bed but on the floor leaning against it. Hitomi continued to cry and didn't notice that Van had come into the room.

"Kanzaki?" Van sat down on the bed so that his knees were where her head was from the ground. Hitomi lifted her head and stared at him. Thinking that she had cried for quite a while, he put an arm around her shoulders and let her cry some more on his knees. After a while he lifted her from the floor and laid her down on the bed. Then putting the covers over her still crying form he decided to give her some alone time. Just as he made to leave he felt a small tug at his pants and turned back around. Hitomi was sitting up from her bed and cried even more.

"P– Please . . . don't leave me alone." She looked so desperate when she said this; her tears pouring out some more from her emerald eyes. Van sighed and sat back down on the bed facing her. Then slowly he helped her position herself so that she was lying her head down on his lap. He stroked her hair with his soft and warm hands as she cried some more. Though her mind was filled with thoughts of her previous lover, right now her mind was blank. The only thing that made sense was the faint scent of peaches.

A/N: i know i know! i'm a horrible liar and slacker and procrastinator put into one! but but i have good reasons! . . . i think. :( but don't worry because i actually have half the story done on notebook i just need to type them up and make changes but . . . i'm just too lazy. i need motivation! but with learning how to drive, getting ready for college, filling out papers, and all that . . . no energy or motivation to type stories . . . so in order to get me back on track i'm going to start another story . . . that's all i ever do . . . start and never finish . . . i'm horrible . . . but sorry all revierwers who've stayed with me! forgive me! don't fret chapter three of My Loving Tsubasa No Kami! is actually being typed up onto my computer so i guarantee that before the week is over chapter three will be out. but for now hope you all enjoyed this read! remember to review! oh another thing i know peaches? but that will be explained later . . . it'll seem strange now but just wait!