Chapter 2: The Reunion

Hitomi tossed and turned as she had a rather unpleasant dream. In her dream, she went up to the castle and asked to see Van. He had come out immediately, only to ask why she was here and if they were in danger. When she explained that she had come back to be with him he gave her an awkward and confused look. She had felt mortified and ran away. Stupid Hitomi, of course he doesn't see you that way.

She winced in her sleep as she tried to run away from the doubt that was taking root in her mind and spreading to her heart. A single tear escaped her eye and was brushed away by a finger. Upon the contact, Hitomi began to stir. Slowly she opened her eyes and saw bright sunlight pouring all around her. Once her eyes adjusted she was met with sweet reddish-brown eyes watching her intently.

Hitomi blinked a few times, pushing a few more tears down her face. She recognized Van but was frozen. Her mind was still plagued by doubt and her sleepy mind had no idea what to do. So she just stared at him. He watched her and wiped away another stray tear. But this time, he let his hand linger near her cheek, cupping her face so she was looking directly at him.

"Hitomi…"

All of Hitomi's doubt melted away instantly at the wealth of emotion Van put in saying her name.

She sat up and lunged foreword, wrapping her arms around his neck, more tears falling from her eyes but this time from happiness. "Van…oh Van…" she managed to choke out.

Van was caught a little off guard but wrapped his lean, muscular arms around her, holding her to him. She continued to cry, all her bottled up emotions pouring out in a steady stream. Briefly Hitomi realized she must have repressed a lot of her feelings because she was overwhelmed with relief and happiness just being in his arms and hearing him say her name with just as much emotion behind it.

Van held her tightly and ran his hands up and down her back in a loving manner, trying to soothe her. Eventually one hand came to rest in her hair, gently stroking it. His other hand made its home in the small of her back, holding her firmly to him. She buried her face in his neck, inhaling his unique scent, wild and clean like the breezes in a field. She moved one hand down slightly to his back and shoulders and realized that he had grown a lot in the last year. His shoulders were broader and his muscles were more toned.

Eventually she quieted and for a moment neither of them knew what to do next. Van ventured whispering in her ear, "I missed you Hitomi…"

Hitomi pulled back slightly, enough so that she could reply in his ear, "I missed you too."

Just as Van was about to say something, Hitomi's stomach growled rather loudly. Hitomi was embarrassed to say the least and blushed. This wasn't exactly how she expected her reunion with Van to go. Van paused then chuckled and pulled Hitomi back to look at her.

"Why don't we get some breakfast Hitomi? I'm sure we have a lot to talk about." With that he smiled genuinely at her and winked. She blushed even more but allowed herself to be pulled up by him. She took one last look at Escaflowne before turning to Van. Van looked as though he was considering something and in the end decided to go with whatever it was. He grabbed Hitomi's hand and pulled her to him. He whispered in her ear, "Hold on to me." She did as she was told and as soon as she had locked her arms around his neck she heard the ripping of fabric and saw Van's beautiful, snow-white wings emerge. Once again she was surrounded by feathers. She watched as the ground leave them as they soared up over the forest.

Hitomi was overjoyed. She knew how Van felt about his wings and knew what it meant for him to do this for her. She looked up at him, feeling his strong, steady heartbeat next to her ear. "Van…your wings are beautiful."

He didn't reply but she could see him smile and knew that he understood her.

All too soon they touched down on one of the balconies of the castle. Hitomi noticed how most of the castle had been rebuilt over the past year. Once he was sure she had her footing, Van stepped back from Hitomi and retracted his wings. Van then did something that surprised Hitomi very much. He lifted his shirt over his head and discarded it. Hitomi blushed even deeper, stealing glances at his muscled, scarred chest and abdomen. He had certainly grown since she last saw him. Van noticed her blushing and smiled to himself.

"Well, there goes another shirt," he chided. He gestured at the ripped fabric on the back. Hitomi was still taking in his appearance and managed a half-interested response.

Van decided he would have more fun with this later but for now they should get some food. Van stepped past Hitomi into the castle pulling arm for her to follow. Once inside, he let go and walked over to a large, ornate wardrobe. He opened a drawer and pulled out a similar tunic to the one he had been wearing earlier. He slipped it over his head and put it on, inadvertently flexing his tricep, chest and back muscles. Hitomi continued to blush not only at that but at how intimate it felt to watch Van change his shirt.

Snap out of it Hitomi she told herself mentally. She looked around the room and concluded that this must be Van's room. Everything in the room had an air of the best but simple. There was a large bed to her left with more pillows than she could count. There was a nightstand and a large rug with the Fanalian crest on it. She refocused just as Van turned to her to lead her down the stairs to the dining room.

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Author's note: I forgot to mention this on the first chapter but please send some feedback. It doesn't have to be good, I just want to know if anyone is reading it.