A/n: Yey! Another esca fic! Though this one is quite different, kind of an AU P. But nonetheless hope many will like this -. I plan on having ten chapters at the most of this story but depends on the reviews that I'll receive. 'Coz I'm still working on my other fic Remember Forever, updates will tend to take long (gee it's really hard being a writer (-.-;) ) so please bear with me minna!

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne

A SHOTGUN WEDDING

By Unmei Hime

Summary: They say they were friends. Hitomi is like the sister that Van never had. Likewise for Hitomi, Van is the big brother image she longed for. And they both have their own separate love interests to be greatly concerned about--- Hitomi is in love with Dilandau and Van with Celena. However, one fateful night happened to the both of them that vastly changed their lives forever.....

Chapter 1: A Fateful Night

Hitomi woke up with excruciating pain in her head as if a big hammer was pounding it to pieces and tons of heavy lead weights were put side by side on top of her skull.She forced her eyes open and blinked dazedly, trying her best to focus, but her vision was blurry, and she was seeing two of everything, one superimposed over the other. Blinking again, she sighed, the images were becoming clearer. Now she could recognize the ceiling and the square lamp in the middle of it.

'Hangover,' was the first word that came to her mind.

With all the energy she could muster, she tried to pull herself up to sit. But her eyes widened in utter shock at the discovery that the only thing covering her body was a thin sheet that nearly slipped off with her movements. Closing her eyes again, she heaved a deep breath, 'Don't panic Hitomi, stay calm. Perhaps you're just imagining things,' she told herself.

After a minute and much contemplation, hesitantly she opened her eyes once again only to find out that nothing had changed. She was still clad in a thin sheet with specifically nothing on! Panic and fear were settling in and beginning to spread fast through her, eating her whole.

"Wh--what happened? Was I raped or something? This is insane! How did this---?"

Quickly, her eyes roamed the room she was in. The room was a cluttered mess; with large posters of different expensive cars pinned on the walls, and a collection of various gundam robots displayed in one corner. She figured it was definitely not her room.

"Wait a minute! Car posters and gundam robots! VAN! This is Van's room!" Her mind was screaming at the sight.

Pulling herself from her panic-stricken thoughts, she glanced at her left as a sudden movement and mumbling sound caught her attention. What she saw made her eyes widen even more and her mouth to go agape. Van was lying flat on his stomach with his face on the side and his raven locks even more unruly and rumpled. He was stretching his arm and trying to hug Hitomi's belly, seemingly contented in his sleep.

All the blood in Hitomi's veins began to boil. Her temper started rising into uncontrollable wrath and rage, ready to explode at any moment.

"VAN!!! Wake up! You abominable creature! Wake up! What did you do to me?!"

With her right hand, she tried to shake him vigorously, while her other hand was holding the sheet securely so it wouldn't slip off her form. After a few minutes of futile attempts to awaken the person responsible for what she thought was the most unforgivable act anybody could do to her- "That does it!" Clenching her fist, she landed a hard punch to his right cheek, propelled by all the anger and rage within her.

Van's head abruptly sprang up from the sudden pain, his eyes snapped open. "What the heck?" His face was contorted with irritation and anger towards whoever it was that had awakened him up from his peaceful sleep.

"Hitomi? What are you doing here?" Confusion and puzzlement replaced his frown as he recognized the girl beside him.

"I was gonna ask the same thing! What am I doing here? What did you do to me you jerk! You---you moron!" Hitomi shouted and Van flinched in surprise.

Van tried to sit up but was immediately shocked upon learning that both of them were under the same thin sheet that hid their bare bodies from view. "What in the world---?"

"You raped me, Van! And you're gonna pay for this! I'll sue you and make sure you rot in hell!" Hitomi's green eyes were blazing with fury and her body was shaking immensely.

"Wait a minute! I don't know what you're talking about, Hitomi! And by gods! I didn't rape you. I'm not in the habit of forcing girls into my bed! And you of all people should know that!" Van retorted indignantly.

Just then Hitomi burst into tears. Wild sobs began racking her body. She knew that. She knew what Van said was true. Deep in her heart, she believed he couldn't do that to her, let alone treat her like one of his past girlfriends.

Damn! Talk about being the best of friends! They had known each other since time immemorial. And every little secret they had was not hidden from each other's knowledge.

Hitomi knew so very well how Van was with girls. With his handsome face and his lean body to die for, he looked like one of those guy models who stepped out right from the front covers of popular fashion magazines. Even though he was barely eighteen of age, women of various kinds—---young or old, naïve or sophisticated, witty or serious, pretty or average---they were practically his for the asking; even begging him on their knees. He even had this flavor-of-the-month thing with them. Not a single relationship of his had she known to last at least a few weeks. He'd pick one girl, spend some time with her, then dump her the minute he felt she wasn't the one. That was usually the case until he came across Celena, his latest girlfriend whom he told her was the one he felt he'd been looking for and would spend the rest of his life with.

'But if he's in love with her like he told me he is..... Then why did this thing happen?'

"We're friends damn it!" she didn't notice she had said that out loud.

"Yes we are," Van replied quietly. His head was bowed, eyes cast downwards. Confusion, anger, fear, and a kind of guilt were flooding inside him.

"What happened, Van?" Hitomi asked in a muttered voice.

"I don't know, Hitomi. We were just drinking last night. You were telling me how upset you were with the way things are going with you and Dilandau. I guess we got too drunk and then....." Van trailed off, trying to search his memory for the events that had occurred in the past hours of the night before.

Hitomi found herself lost in her own reverie......

Hitomi had showed up at Van's doorstep earlier that evening, carrying a plastic bag of beer cans and wine bottles she had bought from a convenience store nearby. Judging by the upset look on her face and being the good friend that he was, Van immediately invited her in and led her to his room where they could talk and drink without the risk of being noticed by his parents or his brother. Only after emptying two cans of beers did Hitomi spill out what was bothering her.

"Van, tell me. Why is it that you guys often want us girls to prove our feelings for you by asking if we could give up our chastity and make love with you? Why is it always the case huh?" Hitomi asked in a slurred voice, before taking another gulp from her can of beer. She was sitting lazily on a love seat near the window while Van was nonchalantly lying on his side by the bed.

"Well, I think that has something to do with the guy being insecure about the girl's feelings. Most guys want a firm assurance that the girl is theirs alone," Van tried his best to give a reliable answer.

"I think that's nothing but crap! That doesn't justify anything!" Hitomi exclaimed as anger flashed in her eyes.

Van was alarmed by Hitomi's sudden outburst and he eyed her dubiously. 'Something is definitely wrong with her.' He got up from his position and squatted beside her.

"What is it, Hitomi? Did something happen with you and that idiot boyfriend of yours?" Van questioned. His voice was calm but his eyes mirrored a rising anger for the albino, who had been Hitomi's boyfriend for the past few months. Ever since he had met that Dilandau, he never had trusted him. Given that he has good looks and all, still Van didn't trust the mischievous glint in his eyes.

Van had always been protective of Hitomi. She was like the little sister he never had although he was only a year older than her. Long since they were children, he had had this feeling that he should protect her, not that Hitomi had asked him to, but for him, it was his responsibility to look after her welfare and take good care of her even until now.

"Don't call him that! Dilandau is not an idiot, Van!" Hitomi said defensively. Then lowering her voice as though talking to herself, she added, "After all, I still love him....."

"Tell me what he did to you, Hitomi," he asked quietly. Even though he didn't approve of Dilandau as Hitomi's boyfriend, he couldn't change how she felt for him. Come hell and high water, Hitomi would defend her good-for-nothing boyfriend no matter what.

"It's really not that much....." Hitomi answered with a look of apprehension.

Van shook his head. "Hitomi, you wouldn't be this upset if it wasn't THAT MUCH, would you?"

"Okay! But promise me first you won't get mad."

"I won't get mad if there's nothing to be mad about."

Hitomi steadied herself and breathed in deeply before gathering all her courage to tell Van about everything that had happened that day, while he listened intently beside her.

"We had a huge fight..... Dilandau brought me into a--- a--- mo-- motel and asked me that if I truly love him then there's no reason we couldn't do that thing that most lovers do......" Hitomi was afraid to look at Van's reaction, but she could feel the tension in his gaze.

"Don't tell me....." Van said with gritted teeth.

"Of course, I refused! I told him that I have my own beliefs and principles that I'm adhering to, and not engaging in pre-marital sex is one of them....."

"Good. I thought you'd be foolish enough to....."

Hitomi immediately cut him off. "How dare you say that!" Her eyes were sending daggers toward Van's direction.

"Ok I'm sorry. I admit that was kinda harsh." Van raised his hands in surrender. "So then....?"

"An angry argument between us followed. In the end, Dilandau furiously gave me an ultimatum that if we don't do IT the next time, then we better call it quits." Hitomi ended, choking back the tears that began welling up in her eyes. One of the things she hated was being a cry baby, but right now she couldn't help it, much as she wanted to.

"Damn that idiot Dilandau!" Van cursed under his breath. His fists clenched fiercely, thinking that if only Dilandau was there at the moment Van would beat his lungs out of him. "That idiot has no right to force you into something you don't want to---"

"Van....." Hitomi interrupted, stretching out the word.

But Van ignored her. "Forget about Dilandau, Hitomi. You could find someone better than him."

"Easier said than done," Hitomi mumbled bitterly.

Van looked straight at Hitomi, trying to assess her from head to foot. She wasn't that bad. Actually, she was pretty. Not glamorous in a high maintenance way like his former girlfriends, but attractive in her own right. With those deep emerald green eyes that emitted a warm feeling, she could break the heart of any man. And though she always wore her hair in a bob-cut style, her face radiated freshness and innocence like that of a child. As for her body; before, she had been so skinny that no matter how much food she ate, she just wouldn't gain weight. But looking at her now, he must admit the years had done some good on her. She no longer seemed like a long stick brought to life. Her body had blossomed into having such curves he never thought she'd have.

"What are you staring at, Van?" Hitomi asked in puzzlement, startling Van out of his thoughts.

"Nothing. It's just that I didn't seem to notice how you've changed physically these past few years. The ugly duckling is now a beautiful swan, eh? You're no longer the Japanese counterpart of Olive Oyle," he replied teasingly.

Hitomi smacked him in the face. "I hate you!" Van always used to make fun about her being the Japanese and younger version of Popeye's love interest, Olive Oyle, in their favorite t.v show when they were little. It pissed her off even now.

Van laughingly backed out. "Hey! I was just joking!"

"Don't you dare call me Olive Oyle ever again, Van!" Hitomi threatened, her hand curled up into a hard fist before his face. "Let's just drink, ok? I intend to get drunk. Perhaps I can escape my misery for just a while," she said sternly and grabbed another can of beer.

"Hitomi! I'll strangle your neck if you let yourself get wallowed in self pity." A warning note was visible in Van's tone.

"Okay! Okay! Big brother Van!"

Hours passed until neither of them noticed that they'd drank the last drop of alcohol from numerous cans and bottles.

Everything after that went blurry.

'I hate myself!'Hitomi silently screamed to herself. There were flashes in her mind of what happened between her and Van but she was unable to picture the whole thing. Maybe because thinking about them making love was just too absurd a thought for her. Or perhaps she just couldn't accept the fact that they'd done it just like that- a trifling matter, like no big deal.

"Damn! It concerns me! My whole life!" Hitomi pounded her fists against her knees as tears continued flowing down her cheeks.

"Hitomi....." Van tried to hug her but Hitomi hurriedly backed away.

"Don't touch me, Van. Please." Her voice pleaded.

"God! What do you think I feel about this matter! I don't know what to think anymore!"

"Let's just forget it ever happened, Van. It was an ACCIDENT. Just an accident....."

Thanks for reading! How do you like it so far ? Oh please let me know what you think.