AN: Merry Christmas everybody! And here's a Christmas present! This idea hit me at 6:00 this morning, so I had to get up and write it down. This story hasn't been proof read yet and I will probably re-post this chapter after it is, but I wanted to have this up in time for Christmas (which is tomorrow), so here it is! Hope y'all like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne. Shocker, I know.

Hitomi smiled as she watched Momaru tear into a present. It had taken all weak to wear down their parents, but in the end Hitomi and her brother had convinced them to let everyone open one Christmas present on Christmas Eve.

"Yes! A Gundam!" Momaru shouted. Hitomi laughed at his excitement. She loved Christmas and looking around at her family, she remembered why. Her parents sat next to each other on the couch with smiles on their face. Momaru was now draped around their necks, hugging and thanking them for the wonderful present. Yukari and Amano were sitting next to the tree watching the events with smiles big enough to mirror Hitomi's. Everyone was so happy at this time of year and everyone she loved was here to celebrate the holiday together. Well, maybe not everyone.

Slowly, the smile faded from Hitomi's face.

"I'll be right back," she said, trying to hitch a fake smile onto her lips. "I just need to get a little fresh air." She left the room, making her way towards the front door. She plucked her coat from the closet and continued on her way.

Once outside, Hitomi stared up at the full moon. She remembered a mystical place where the moon and the Earth hung in the sky. It was a sight she hadn't seen for nearly three years. Every time she had looked up at the Earth, she could only think of returning home. Now that she was home, it seemed she could only think of Gaea.

As she stared up at the sky, Hitomi began to think of the people she had met on Gaea. She thought of Milerna. Had Dryden returned to try to capture her heart again? Was she focusing on ruling the Asturia with her sister, Eres, or had her attention turned back to Allen? Where was Allen now? Had he returned to his former post on the border of Asturia or was he living in Palas? Was he happy now that Celina had been returned to him? What of Chid? How was he coping with ruling an entire country at his young age? And what about Merle? She would be a young lady by now. 'No,' Hitomi thought, chuckling to herself, 'I don't think Merle would ever be a "lady". She's much to wild to ever allow herself to be called a lady, but certainly she will grow into a beautiful woman.' Finally, Hitomi's thoughts began to turn to the man she had been trying not to think about.

"Van." Even whispering the name made her heart ache. Three years ago, she knew that she could never leave her family behind, even for Van. Now, she wasn't so sure. She loved her family and she never wanted to be parted from them, but she also loved Van. The years since she returned from Gaea had shown her that being without him was just as painful as being without her family.

Hitomi closed her eyes and her hand unconsciously traveled to the place where her pendant used to rest. She called out with her mind softly, searching for Van. When she had first returned to Earth, it was easy to reach him. Sometimes, even the thought of his name was enough to conjure a vision of him to see her. Now, she had to concentrate with all her might just to catch a glimpse of him. She wondered if her connection with Gaea and with Van was waning.

There! Hitomi had seen something. She concentrated harder and the image resolved itself. Van was sitting in the castle library; his face plastered the open page of a rather large book. His eyes were closed and his chest breath was slow and even. Hitomi felt herself smile. She loved to speak with him in her visions, but this was almost as good. He looked so peaceful when he slept and she was free to study his face without him noticing. She noticed that the angle of his chin had straightened a bit and his hair was a bit shaggier than last time she had seen him. As she watched, a stray clump of hair fell forward, covering his eyes. Hitomi reached out her hand, longing to smooth the ebony hair back to see his face again. But this was just a vision. As much as she would like to reach out and touch Van, she would never be able to.

Van's lips moved slightly as he began to mumble in his sleep. Hitomi leaned closer. It had been weeks since she had heard his voice.

"Hitomi," he mumbled. "I miss you." Hitomi smiled. Maybe their connection wasn't as faded as she had imagined.

"I miss you too, Van," she whispered.

Hitomi began to feel her world pulling her back. A slight tug from just behind her eyes was her warning that time was almost up. The last time she had tried to ignore this, she woke up in her room after being unconscious for several hours. Slowly, she opened her eyes, severing the connection.

As her own world came back into focus, she heard a the soft click of a door opening.

"Hitomi!" Hitomi turned to see Yukari calling to her from the house. "Come back inside before you freeze to death. Besides, it's your turn to open a gift."

"I'll be in in a minute," she replied. She turned to look at the moon once more, thinking of the one Christmas present she wished for more than anything.

After a moment, she tore her eyes away from the sky and back to her best friend, who was giving her a questioning look.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Hitomi hesitated. Yukari and Amano were the only people she had ever talked to about what had happened on Gaea. They, of all people, would understand. But as she looked at her friend's worried face, she pushed that idea away. Yukari had been crushed when she had disappeared. There was no way Hitomi could tell her that she wanted to leave again.

Hitomi pushed another fake smile onto her face. "I'm fine, Yukari. But we better get inside before Momaru opens my present for me." Yukari grinned and the two girls made their way back inside, laughing and joking.

Van slowly raised his head from the make shift pillow, hoping none of the book's ink had smudged onto his face. Another dream about Hitomi. They came so frequently now that he was hardly surprised by it. Yet, somehow this dream had been different. It felt as if Hitomi was standing right by his side.

Van shook his head, looking down at the book he had been attempting to read. 'I have plenty of problems here to worry about,' he thought. 'Hitomi is never coming back. I should just forget about her and concentrate on helping my country.' It was no use. Every time he woke from a dream about her, he tried to convince himself to forget, that it would be the best for his country if he could just forget about her. In the end, however, he knew that it was hopeless. No matter what happened, he would never forget Hitomi.

AN: So, what did you think? Reviews are a wonderful Christmas present you know. (hint hint)

Also, I must apologize. I am a horrible, horrible person. Why? Because this story might not get picked up again until next Christmas. Why? Because I have 2 other fanfics that I've already promised to work on next. One of them is another Escaflowne fic, so if you want something to hold you over until the next chapter of this story comes out, you can always read that one.
However, because I love you all so much, I'll try my bestest to get the next chapter of this story done much sooner than next Christmas.