A/N: Right into the next chapter. Yes, there will be a few but not sure how many. Maybe 7ish but that also depends on the length. As I said before, they will be on the short side anyway. It's a story with a slow pace but I'm in a gloomy mood these days so that translates into it. Besides, I wanted to try something a bit different.
As the weeks pass, Hitomi falls back into the motions. Although still unsure about her future, her recent experiences give her the strength of newfound enthusiasm for life. She contacts Yukari and joins the track team again. Yukari is overjoyed about Hitomi's sudden change of heart and is glad to have her best friend back in the spirits a girl in her late teens ought to be.
When she asks Hitomi one day what facilitated the change, she only smiles and looks towards the cloudless sky. Sometimes, on clear days such as this one and if she tilts her head just right, Gaea is faintly visible through the mirror between their worlds. After a while, Hitomi notices that these brief appearances coincide with thoughts about Van.
On this warm summer evening, Hitomi is on the train platform waiting for the light rail to arrive. The area is densely packed with uniformed students and business people in boring suits. Her upper back is braced against a pillar and she loosely holds her bookcase by its short handle as she calmly stares across the tracks.
Small ocean waves are rolling towards the shore lazily while the sun is beginning to touch the water on the far horizon. A soft sigh escapes Hitomi's mouth as she finally hears the rattling of the train in the distance. When it finally stops, the station becomes hectic as the doors hiss open and people try to get on and off the train at the same time.
Hitomi boards last and finds a small nook right by the door that she slides into. She grips the handle next to herself tightly and turns to face the door. Her station isn't far and she prefers to be close to the exit during the busy times. As the doors close again, newly arriving passengers on the platform mutter quiet curses under their breath and check their watches impatiently.
It amazes Hitomi that even after work hours some people still seem to be in a rush. She wonders what her life will be like as a working adult one day. Will she be standing on the other side of this door in a grey pantsuit with a briefcase and check the time even after she gets off work? Her dull train of thought is interrupted when she sees something curious.
She furrows her brow and her fingers clutch the handle a bit harder. Van? It's unmistakably him. On the other side of the glass window, the young king with the unruly black hair and the captivating eyes is standing next to an older man in a blue suit and a girl in this area's middle school uniform. His shape is not solid. He is almost see-through and if either of the two people were near enough, they could no doubt pass through him like a ghost.
Hitomi seems to be the only one who is noticing him, just like that day when she saw his brother Dune as they were both children. The only difference now is that Van's eyes don't seem to see her. It's almost as if he doesn't notice where he is. Maybe she is imagining it?
Shaking her head, Hitomi closes her eyes for a moment, but when the train lurches and slowly begins to move forward, she quickly whips her head back around again. Sure enough, he is still there. No, please! She thinks desperately and takes a step back into the packed train car. She pushes through the people in the walkway and ducks and squeezes herself through the small path into the opposite direction of the train's movements.
All the while, she keeps her eyes locked on the windows. Van is still standing outside, staring at nothing in particular as Hitomi stumbles over somebody's bag and barely catches herself. The train is gaining speed rapidly now and as she passes through the connecting door into the next car, she gets a last glimpse of a mop of black hair and a tanned upper body before Van's appearance vanishes together with the platform.
Her breaths come quickly as she tries to process what just happened. How? She asks herself and weaves through the people close to the next door to the left. Hitomi makes a quick decision and exits with them at the next stop. The three minutes until the next train arrives are pure agony. It's fortunate that the intervals are shorter during rush hour, but she still shifts her weight from one foot to the other nervously during the wait and on the train back to the previous station.
When she exits and crosses the platform in three quick strides to the other side, she is disappointed but not surprised that Van is no longer there. Her shaky hand brushes some unruly bangs out of her eyes as she mutters to herself. "Of course. What was I thinking? I probably just imagined this." As the next train approaches, she boards it again and glances out the window, half expecting to see Van again but it doesn't happen.
What she doesn't know is that days before, Van had a similar encounter. One cloudy morning in the village of Arzas, he was readying his horse to go hunting until something caught his eye in the woods behind one of the buildings. He whispered a few quick words to his chestnut mare before releasing the reins and quickly following the wisp of blue fabric he had spotted.
As he reached the first trees, he saw it again. Undeniably, it was Hitomi. She was dressed just as she had been when they met, in her blue uniform. The slender girl was walking a short distance ahead of him, seemingly unaware of her surroundings. When he called her name, she didn't react. Her appearance was see-through and upon attempting to touch her shoulder, his hand passed right through her.
The appearance vanished shortly after and left a dull ache in Van's heart. He had been thinking about Hitomi nearly every day since she disappeared but the distance helped soothe the pain. Why was his Wing Goddess suddenly appearing before him?
At her own train station, Hitomi exits and briskly makes her way home. As always, her mother is in the kitchen and Hitomi can just muster up enough enthusiasm to hold a nonchalant conversation with her during dinner before disappearing into her room. The following days are spent sighing and staring off into the distance a lot again. She finds herself scanning crowds in the city and at school in the hopes of seeing Van again.
Nothing happens for weeks until she dozes off while eating lunch by herself under a tree one day. Her head lolls back against the warm, dry bark as heavy eyes close on their own accord. Hitomi's breaths become deeper as she relaxes. The grass tickles skin left bare between her skirt and tall socks as a gentle wind takes her consciousness with it.
When she comes to, Hitomi is facing the sky and high up above her, the daytime reflection of the twin moons stares back at her. It only takes a second for her to realize what this means. She pushes herself up into a sitting position and comes face to face with a breathtaking scene. Van is standing near the cliff where they both spent their last moments together. His angelic wings are spread wide and the feathers on the lower end are waving back and forth lightly.
His head is inclined towards the sun and he seems to be enjoying its powerful rays, almost as if soaking up its energy. While scrambling to her feet, Hitomi tries to call his name but no sound escapes her mouth. She groans in frustration, but her soundless complaint doesn't change anything. Even though Van can't hear her, he feels a presence behind himself. Thinking that it's Merle, he shakes his wings and they fall apart in a flurry of white.
The Neko girl would appreciate any opportunity to obsess over his downy appendages but it's not something he particularly enjoys. Eyes wide, he stares at what he sees instead. It's another Hitomi appearance, and she is reaching for one of the feathers slowly tumbling through the air in front of her. A hopeful expression is on her face as the feather is a mere inch from her hand.
She seemingly holds her breath as her translucent fingers close around it delicately and she is able to feel its softness. Her green eyes immediately lock with his and their hearts speed up in unison. She drops the feather without a thought and hurries closer to Van. He meets her halfway and they both stop abruptly, scared to test the strength of the connection.
Hitomi's mouth moves but Van can't hear the words she is trying to speak. He carefully raises a hand towards hers and traces his fingers across the back of it. A trail of goosebumps rushes up Hitomi's arm when she can actually feel his touch. His fingers are warm and gentle as he takes her hand in his, but just as excited as they are when they were able to touch each other, just as disappointed are they when her hand falls through his after a few moments.
"No!" Van exclaims in a rare moment of desperation. Hitomi's form is slowly becoming thinner and thinner again until it is gone with the breeze of the warm winds. She wakes with a start and scratches the back of her head on the rough tree bark when her head snaps to the side. "What in the…" She exclaims, her mouth agape in confusion.
Was I really there or did I just dream it? Her right hand is warm and still tingles a bit. Van touched my hand. I felt his warm hand on mine. She reasons with herself and while slowly gathering her things, she recalls the recent events again. Class is in session, but she can't pay attention. Luckily, not much time is left today and soon she can leave to mull things over in the quiet space of her room.
Oh, Van. I just…wish we could see each other again. Hitomi thinks as she rests her head on her crossed arms and almost falls asleep again until the teacher calls her to attention. She doesn't have much time to think from then on, as her participation in class is required.
Two months pass until it happens again. One night, Van is walking back to his hut from a gathering among the village elders when he sees her. Hitomi is curled up on his bed, dressed in a curious set of thin, red shorts with a white top that barely covers anything. One of the thin straps is resting on her upper arm, likely having slid off her shoulder.
She is growing up to be a stunning woman blessed with natural beauty. Even though she keeps her hair short, the style seems more smooth and refined. Obviously asleep, she doesn't move until the door falls shut soundly.
Upon noticing her surroundings, she seems very confused but then sees Van standing in the doorway. His lips slowly curl up as his usually serious face brightens with a genuine smile. Hitomi sits up slowly and when Van reaches her side, she blushes a bit as she realizes that she appeared directly in his bed wearing the clothes she went to sleep in.
Resisting the urge to crush Hitomi to him, Van slowly reaches out and wants to lift the strap of her thin shirt back over her shoulder but she is not solid enough to accomplish the task. The strap rests between his fingers for a moment before it slips through them. A huff of frustration escapes his mouth and Hitomi shudders momentarily as she feels the warmth near her face and neck.
She raises a hand to touch that area and then tries to reach for him likewise. Only for a moment, her fingers are able to trace across his chest and it makes Van stiffen in surprise. Then, just as fast, her hand slips through him as if she were a ghost again. Retracting her hand, she looks at it sadly and slowly fades away.