Shattering Crystal: Ring

by Diamond Sakura Li

He sighed as the image of her slowly walking away faded from his mind's eye." The sequel to my one-shot Shattering Crystal.

[Shattering Crystal: Ring]

Written by: Diamond Sakura Li

Edited by: Lillie Frost

A.N: Wow! Thank you to all of the people who reviewed my first Escaflowne one-shot Shattering Crystal. This here is the sequel, but you'll find that it's not as angsty as the first one. That's because I didn't want to end on such a sour note. I'm not really an angsty kind of person . I hope that you all like this one just as much as my other one so on with the fic!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne and unfairly probably never will, however any original context in this story does belong to me so there.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

He sighed as the image of her slowly walking away faded from his mind's eye.

"Aishiteru, Hitomi."

Running a hand through his black hair exasperatedly he leaned his body back against the balcony railing that overlooked the beautiful country of Fanelia. Looking up, Van gazed at the breathtaking sight of the Mystic Moon and it's small white companion suspended in the sky. Unwittingly a few rogue tears began to fall, he sniffled and wiped them away stubbornly with a gloved hand.

As my tears keep overflowing one after another,

I can't see your last smile through their blur.

Please don't go, please don't go…Stay here.

Light bursts through the sky.

In the back of his head Van knew that he could never truly let go of her, never in a million years. Selfishly he remembered how he had weakly tried to convince her to stay, but he knew that he belonged on Gaea and her on the Mystic Moon. Turning around he looked down at his country, being slowly rebuilt piece by piece. It was an amazing sight to see. Everyone working together to accomplish one single task, even people from neighboring countries were lending a hand.

'I wonder what Hitomi would have thought of this.' Van mused knowing how much she wanted to see everyone working hard together in peace.

Even this insignificant me

Loved you more than anyone, with all my soul.

Thank you for all of

The precious feelings

You've given me.

Suddenly a yellow and orange blur raced across his line of vision chasing what seemed to be a gray and white blur while screeching at the top of it's lungs.

"SPHYRIX!!! GET BACK HERE WITH MY CATNIP!!!"

Van laughed as he watched Merle chase her cat friend Sphyrix through the crowd of market goers, occasionally bumping into a shopper. They had found Sphyrix after the war, he was a cat-boy orphan, and Van having the kind heart that he had had taken him in. 'Kind hearted…ha.' Van remembered a time when he was definitely not known for his kind-heartedness. It seemed that he only acted kindly towards Merle, but after Hitomi arrived he slowly began to change. He knew this thanks to Merle's constant reminder after Hitomi left.

"When you took off, I was

Watching for a long time as the vapor trail disappeared."

A shooting star caught his attention. It's long trailing tail reminded him of the bright column of light that took his love away. Then again, almost everything reminded him about her, about Hitomi.

Please don't forget

You're not alone.

Even if we're apart, we can still carry on hand-in-hand.

He found it especially difficult this time not to ask the pink pendant to take him over to the Mystic Moon. She seemed so sad, he had known for a time that all of the happy fronts that he showed her in some of their encounters before were all a fake to hide just how miserable she was. She felt so alone.

"But you're not alone Hitomi, never, as long as I live will you be alone." He whispered.

With my first love, I first realized

That there could be such sorrow.

Even if something lapses away, something will

Live once again.

When you gave me a smile as we parted,

It was your message for me

To truly live with all my heart.

"King Van! It is time!" an attendant called from outside of his door.

"I'm coming!" he replied.

If Hitomi had been worried that without her Van would relapse into his old ways and habits, if she could see him now she would rest easy. After the war, Van had been a king of the people. Always listening to his subjects and treating them as equals. He learned that lesson well. Van always had time for any special event, like the Mid-Autumn Solstice that had been a Fanelian tradition ever since he was a boy. And the event in which he was making an appearance today.

I just know that we'll see each other someday.

If we're together,

Even if we're far apart, we can gaze in each other's eyes

Let's bet everything on all our hopes and dreams.

As he slowly walked back inside, Van took one long last look at the Mystic Moon and its sister hanging serenely in the sky.

'I will see you again Hitomi, I don't know how or when, but you can be sure of it.'

Shutting the glass doors gently behind him, Van leaned against them for a moment smiling slightly. Walking towards his chair, he gently picked up his cape and swung it around his shoulders and strode out of his bedroom door making sure to lock it behind him. As he walked along the hallway the pink pendant around his neck shone mysteriously and for a moment he felt as though Hitomi were walking right behind him. Whirling around he came face to face with an empty hall, shaking his head lightly he continued his walk down the hall and the flight of grand stairs. Behind him a faint image of Hitomi appeared. She was leaning against the wall in her denim skirt with a scarf wrapped around her neck as her jacket fluttered in a nonexistent wind. Slowly lifting her head up, she smiled as light glinted off of her teary green eyes.

"Thank you." She whispered before disappearing once again.

Let's promise each other

That we'll hold on to the intensity we felt

That day,

And live the future that blooms

In tomorrow.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

A.N: Ah. I finally managed to finish this. I hope that all of you who wanted a sequel to Shattering Crystal weren't too disappointed. If some of you are wondering why Hitomi was thanking Van, it was because one of the reasons why she was so heartbroken was the fact that she was worried that he wasn't doing so well. Knowing that he was doing all right helped to ease some of her pain. The song that I used this time was the ending theme to the Escaflowne movie. It was called Yubiwa, which means 'Ring' hence the title of this fic. This is only a translation that I got off of the Internet, the song sounds really nice in Japanese. Please review! I love reading your reviews although if you feel a need to flame me, please try to restrain yourself to only constructive criticism seeing as it will help me with my writing in the future. Thanks! Ja ne!

Diamond Sakura Li

.::Lillie Frost::.