The days passed slowly. The atmosphere at home had never been so very stressful. Meals with the family were quiet affairs, Yukio tried vainly to fill the room with chatter, but usually found himself being told to "Shut up and eat your dinner." The arguments between their parents grew in frequency and volume, though the two of them could never be certain what exactly was said.

Hitomi still found herself attending classes. She was unable to really pay attention, or complete any of the assignments, but it was an escape from the intolerable atmosphere that her home was now cloaked with. Yukari and several others kept close to her, and she was eternally grateful for their support, even though they had no idea what was taking place or what was bothering her.

She did eventually tell Yukari that she was pregnant and probably would not be in school much longer. She did not want her good friend to worry about her after she had gone. She was surprised to discover that Yukari remembered Van, and even Hitomi's "trip" to Gaia, though she remembered it as if it were a dream. She had admitted that their earlier conversations had mostly been her attempts to deny two sets of memories for the same period of time. It was a great relief to be able to tell her everything and to know, that even if she never saw her again, Yukari would always think of her and always be her friend.

Hitomi's mother insisted on taking her to the doctor and getting the diagnosis confirmed, then accompanied her get her first prenatal check making sure she had all the information she would need to stay healthy. The doctor had also provided her with pamphlets on abortion which she had immediately slipped into the trash.

As the two of them sat in the train car on their way home from the appointment her mother seemed lost in thought, hardly speaking to Hitomi at all. So it came as quite a shock for her when, instead of leading her daughter home, her mother instead led her to the park and motioned for her to sit.

"Hitomi," her mother began hesitantly, gazing into the distance, "tell me about Gaia."

Hitomi looked at her mother startled. This was the first time anyone had brought Gaia up since Van had left two days prior. "I don't know where to start."

"Start with Fanelia, Van's home," her mother's voice was soft, not disbelieving but astonished, yearning for more information of a world she hadn't dreamed existed outside of stories.

"Fanelia is a small country, its capital built in valley surrounded by cliffs. When I was first there, the castle was built into the cliff side itself, rising above the city proper. The buildings of the city were painted wonderful colors and the people were so happy. They love Van so much." Hitomi found herself expanding on every little detail. She told her mother of Merle and how dear she was to Van, not forgetting to mention the many annoyances she tended to cause, though leaving out the half-feline aspect. She told her mother of the village people she had met during the early part of the rebuilding, and that required explaining why rebuilding was needed.

From Fanelia, she began to speak of Asturia and then of Freid. She spoke so long the sun began to set and yet she still had so much to tell about the wonderful world she had come to love as much as her own. Her mother sat silent through much of the talk, asking a few questions here or there. Hitomi could not be certain what her mother thought of all she had said. Though she tried to leave the details of the war out, she knew her mother had guessed at some of what she did not say.

Finally, her throat dry, Hitomi ran out of things to say. It wasn't that she told her mother everything, she hadn't touched on Atlantis at all, or the key that the Kingdom of Fried had protected, or the significance of Escaflowne. In fact, she'd tried to leave Guymelefs out of the discussion as much as possible, since she wasn't sure how her mother would take the idea of them. Now though, they sat in silence, staring up at the moon, each lost in their own thoughts.

After a time, Mrs. Kanzaki finally looked over at her only daughter, and saw that the girl she had raised had become a woman. Her experiences on Gaia had changed Hitomi more than she realized. She knew, if Hitomi had anything to say about it, that she would go to Gaia, and she would never see her again. She wouldn't be there for the wedding, she'd never see her grandchild, never be there when her daughter had marital trouble, or just needed someone to talk to. Here was the last chance she'd ever have to be a mother to Hitomi, and she would do what needed to be done.

Smiling, she reached over and brought Hitomi's attention back to her and away from the sky, where she appeared to search for any sign that Gaia rested in the heavens, much as the mystic moon rested in the sky of Gaia. "It's getting late, let's go home."

Hitomi smiled at her mother and climbed to her feet, and the two women walked out of the park and back and back to the life they had temporarily escaped from.

--------

The day had finally arrived. Hitomi made it through half of her classes before she just couldn't stand it any longer.

It was during lunch when Hitomi decided she couldn't wait the rest of the day and went to find Yukari eating her lunch beneath her favorite tree. Yukari took one look at her face and put her food down. "What's wrong?"

"I can't stay any longer," Hitomi said sitting down beside her long time best friend.

"I've been thinking about that," Yukari said, looking at her friend intently. "This is our senior year, we have only five months left before we graduate. Surely all this can wait. You can finish your schooling then you can join Van on Gaia. You don't have to go now."

Hitomi smiled at her friend. She really didn't want to leave her, hated the idea of never seeing her again… but she had already made her choice. "My schooling isn't going to do me any good on Gaia. And I imagine it would be much worse for the king of Fanalia to wed an obviously pregnant woman than to just be off count a couple of months."

Yukari sighed, and reached over to hold her friends hand. "So I'll never see you again?" It was as if someone had ripped her heart out. Except for her adventures on Gaia, Yukari and Hitomi had been best friends since grade school. They had sworn to go to the same college, live in the same town, have children at the same time. Now though… now that could never happen.

Despite her resolution not to cry, Hitomi felt tears slip from her eyes.

"Van and I found a way to check on each other. It's limited, and you can only really get an impression of how they are doing and a look at them at that moment… but it's something. Maybe we can find a way to write."

"The postage on that would be horrible." The two friends grinned at each other through the tears in both of their eyes. "I'll miss you."

Hitomi opened her mouth to respond, she wanted say, "I'll miss you too," but the words stuck in her throat. So instead she smiled through the tears and started to turn away.

"Hey wait, before you go." Hitomi turned back to find Yukari digging through her backpack. "I got you something. It's not much with only a few days notice, but here." Reaching out she plopped something into Hitomi's hand. It was a key chain with a single plastic pearl attached to the chain.

"A key chain?"

"It's supposed to be good luck; I got it from the Higurashi shrine. I don't know if the ancestors can reach you on Gaia, but if they can, I want them to make sure you're happy."

"Oh Yukari," Hitomi threw herself into her friends arms. "Thank you so much, I hope you'll be happy too. Good luck with Amano, and don't let go of your dreams. I know you can make them come true."

Hitomi quickly wiped her eyes and pulled away from Yukari. With a final smile thrown towards her friend, she rose and walked away, never hearing Yukari's faint goodbye to her dearest friend.

--------

Hitomi went straight home and began fretting immediately about when Van would arrive. Her father had not been happy to see her home from school so soon, but her mom had understood, and luckily she had been able to get upstairs before her father could really lay into her. To pass the time she decided to pack. She took some clothing, but mostly she grabbed mementoes, pictures and jewelry, favorite books and a couple of stuffed animals; things she knew were irreplaceable, not for the monetary value, but for the memories they inspired. She had two bags ready to go within the hour, and then all she could do was wait.

Yukio got home from school at three and still there was no sign of Van, and Hitomi began to worry that he was unable to return to her… It was as if lightning had just struck. Suddenly she came to an epiphany. Every time he had come to this world in the past she had been concentrating, running.

God, she had to help him get here.

With that realization she quickly ran from the room, hardly noticing her family as she scurried through the house and out the door. Vaguely she was aware of them calling after her, but she couldn't stop, she had to help Van.

Hitomi went straight for the park, and got into ready position. She had to call Van, she had to help him get here. Unfortunately, she had been completely unaware that her whole family had infact followed her, and were now demanding answers from her. She almost lost her concentration completely when her father commented that he very much doubted Van would even come back, that she needed to stop acting like an idiot and make the right choice the child had to go.

Anger coursed through Hitomi's veins and her world narrowed. It was quite an effort to narrow it on Van, but the idea of proving her father wrong was all she needed. As if a pistol had sounded, Hitomi suddenly shot forward, racing with all her might, all her will on reaching Van, nothing mattered but getting to him. Each step was in that direction, each beat of her heart was for that purpose, every breath she took gave her energy for only that goal.

The world passed in a blur, and suddenly in front of her, a huge beam of blue light appeared. Much larger than the one that had brought Van to her last time, but it was his voice she heard crying her name from above. Looking up, Hitomi found herself looking at Escaflowne, and she was momentarily thrown by the fact that she thought he had shut it off, left it to eternal rest, but that didn't matter for long.

Van brought Escaflowne down and landed her faster than was probably safe. He leaped clear of the pilots seat as the joints were still settling the weight into place. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her to him, hugging her tightly as if afraid she would disappear.

"I didn't think I was going to make it. I thought I wasn't going to get through." Van's arms tightened around her making her bones creak slightly, but she didn't care as she held him just as desperately. "I never want us separated by the worlds again."

"Good idea," the knowledge that they had nearly lost their chance to be together shook her to the core and she found herself afraid to let him go, for fear he would be returned suddenly to Gaia without her. She couldn't stay in his embrace forever, her family had caught up with her and it was time to face them.

"That was so cool," Yukio said as he ran straight past Van and Hitomi and straight to the Escaflowne. "Wow, what is that?! Oh my god that is amazing! Its a giant mechanical dragon." Yukio seemed to have forgotten the stress of the last few days as he fell in love with the machine before him. Her father though. would not be distracted from the issues at hand.

"Well boy, welcome back," if it was possible her father seemed to have soured even further towards Van. He glared at him and radiated fury in all directions. Hitomi's mother on the other hand was staring past them all at the Ispano designed machine with wonder in her eyes.

"Sir," Van said stepping away from Hitomi's embrace, "as promised, I have brought the requested bride price." He gestured behind him towards the Escaflowne, and for the first time Hitomi noticed a bundle gripped in one of its claws.

Van climbed back into the pilot's seat and the Escaflowne dropped the cloth wrapped bundle to the ground near her father's feat.

"It doesn't look like much," grunted her father staring at the backpack sized bundle.

"Gold is heavy for its size," was Van's only response as he again jumped to the ground. Kneeling before the bundle, he unwrapped the contents, allowing Mr. Kanzaki to see the gold within, along with four scrolls. "These are some documents I need signed by you." Van said gesturing with on of the scrolls.

Mr. Kanzaki looked away from the gold and towards the parchment held out to him. Without a word he took the scroll and unrolled it. "What the hell is this?" He roared holding the scroll out towards Van. "I can't read this! This isn't even a real language, it's just a bunch of funny shapes." His hand curled into a fist around the scroll he was holding, "You're trying to make a fool of me!"

"A fool?!" Van stared at him aghast, "You see the evidence of Gaia before your very eyes," Van gestured over his shoulder where Yukio was still examining Escaflowne, completely unaware of anything else, "and yet you still cannot accept the truth of it."

"I don't know what your intentions are, or how you set this whole scam up, but I'm tired of it." Mr. Kanzaki began to shred the parchment he was holding, much to the Van's horror.

"Danyeb! Stop that at once." Mrs. Kanzaki stood before her husband, pulling the parchment from his hands. "You are a fool if you refuse to believe what your daughter has told you. You are a fool for not realizing that this cannot be faked and God knows you are a fool for trying to take this opportunity from her. It is our duty to provide for our children and to allow them the best opportunities we can manage. We guide them, but ultimately they make their own choices. I give my consent for them to marry, and I suggest you do the same."

As Hitomi's mother spoke her father seemed to grow more and more enraged, staring at her with flames in his eyes.

"Woman, know your place," before anyone realized what was happening, could even start to react, Hitomi's father drew back his hand and back slapped her mother. He hit her so hard she spun around, facing Van and Hitomi briefly before falling to the ground. One hand rose to cradle her injured cheek as he face registered utter and complete astonishment.

Hitomi stared openmouthed. She couldn't believe what she had just seen. Her father had never struck her mother before. Oh, they had argued, and her father was constantly yelling at her mother, but never before, never had she ever heard it come to blows.

Yukio, on the other hand, was not immobilized by what he had seen. "MOM!!" he screamed as he ran past his sister. Grabbing his mother he held her, as if he could protect her with his very body.

Van had also moved. He moved faster than Hitomi ever remembered him moving before. His sword had been drawn before her mother had fully hit the ground. He'd stepped forward before her brother could begin to move. Now he held the tip of his sword just under the throat of her father's chin. Hitomi could see where a single drop of blood slid down the blade as the edge just barely broke the skin.

"If we were in Fanelia your life would now be forfeit."

Her father looked down the blade into the eyes of the young man who held his life in his hand, and wisely remained silent.

"But we're not in Fanelia." Van's sword never wavered from its position, his eyes never left Hitomi's father's, but his attention shifted to her mother. "My lady, according to the rules of Fanelia, this man has just lost all rights to you. If you desire, you can come with Hitomi and myself as we return there. We can renegotiate the bride price and you can make your home among us. No lady should have to live with this man." Mr. Kanzaki's eyes filled with anger and he seemed to tense, but a slight move of the sword changed his mind about speaking.

Hitomi's mother looked up at Van from the cradle of her son's arms, "What?"

"If you desire it, you can come with us to Gaia, and live in Fanalia," Van responded easily, never taking his gaze from the man before him.

"B-But I couldn't leave Yukio," if anything her father seemed even more angry at the fact that she had not said she couldn't leave him, but still he held his tongue.

"Yukio is invited too of course."

Yukio looked torn. On one side, he was given the opportunity to visit another world. On the other, he loved his father even though right now he hated him for what he had done.

Their mother considered the idea silently, during which time no one dared to move; Mr. Kanzaki because he didn't want to provoke the boy before him into using that blade fully, Van as he faced down Mr. Kanzaki and waited like a predator for him to make the first move, and Hitomi for fear any move she made would break the stale mate between the two men. Her mother turned to gaze into the face of her youngest child as stared with love and fear towards his father. What would he become if she stayed?

"I accept,"

"WHAT!?" Mr. Kanzaki made to knock the blade aside and turn on his wife, only to find that the blade had repositioned itself and now instead of risking impalement on the point the edge itself was flush with his throat. Once more he froze, lest he cause himself any more damage.

"Don't make me kill you," Van said, his voice steady with the knowledge that he had before and could, once again, take a life were it necessary. "Go to your home and gather what you wish to take with you. We will not return."

Hitomi's mother nodded, and unsteadily rose to her feet. She leaned briefly on her son's shoulder before she was securely upright and turned to walk towards her old home.

"Van?" Van turned his head slightly to show he was listening to Hitomi, whose voice was undeniable shaky. "Are you going to be alright here?"

Van grinned, but didn't take his eyes off the man before him. "I'll be fine. Go home and get your things, I'll be here when you get back." She didn't want to leave him alone in this situation, but she knew he could handle it, even if she didn't like this any more than watching him march off with the Asturian army. Nodding she turned and ran up the path, eager to be back as soon as she could manage.

-----------

This is the last of what I have pre-written, but it doesn't end here oh there is so much more to come. Updates will be a little slower though, I'm starting a new job soon and I'm not sure how much of my time will be take up with it. I'm also changing shifts, moving from second shift to first, so that as well will take a bit to get used to. More chapters are coming though.

Review Please.