Disclaimer: The Vision of Escaflowne is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. I do not own the Vision of Escaflowne or its characters.

A/N: Oh man, I'm sorry it took such a long time to update. Well, it felt long to me lol.I thank all of you for reviewing. Just 5 more chapters until the end! I wonder what can happen in 5 chapters . . .

Chapter 21

Evening Romance

"Bastard," muttered Dilandau.

Hitomi looked behind and saw Escaflowne's dragon form following close behind. He hadn't listened to her! Van, what are you doing? Why don't you ever listen to me?

"Give me back Hitomi," growled Van's angry voice.

"Well, Van, in that case catch us if you can."

The two guymelefs weaved intricate patterns through the air, hurling their weapons at each other. Hitomi thought her limbs were going to snap, jerked to and fro like that in the midst of their quarreling. Closer and closer the grand fortress of Vione loomed. Would Van be able to rescue her in time?

"Folken!" Dilandau cried.

"Yes, Dilandau?"

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Catch!" Dilandau flung Hitomi from him. A scream managed to escape from her dry throat. For a moment as she sailed through the air, she truly thought this would be the death of her.

"Van!" she called and stretched her fingers out to him.

She saw his eyes widen and jumped from Escaflowne, wings spread magnificently. Dilandau immediately attacked Van with the liquid claw. Van faltered in his flight, gripping his wounded arm. Something caught her. She turned and saw Folken in one of the Zaibach guymelefs. Could she trust him? Van made to move to him but Dilandau blocked Van's way.

"Folken!" roared Van. "What are you doing? Why are you with him?"

Instead of answering, Folken flew away from the scene but not towards the fortress. Hitomi heard Dilandau's perplexed shouts and Van's furious ones. However, neither would allow the other to reach Folken without putting up a fearsome fight. Hitomi and Folken landed on a gentle moss covered cliff.

"Whose side are you on, Folken?" Hitomi demanded.

"Neither. You should know, Hitomi. You are in much the same position as I am."

What? What was he talking about. She was on Van's side . . . wasn't she? So what was making her hesitate? "I want to protect Fanelia . . ."

"But?"

"I don't want any violence."

"It's not so easy, Hitomi. Consider the independent kingdoms. They have as much right to rule their own as Van does his. And Dornkirk in his own way. But you, you have shown Dilandau a bit of your kindness. Your virtue . . . your integrity has opened up a side of him that no one else but I could. If you could manage that I think nothing will be able to stand in your way. You alone can bring the peace that Dornkirk failed to do."

She had heard this so many times before and she was tired of it. Everyone depended on her and yet they hated her at the same time. This burden she didn't ask for was Gaea's salvation. She understood Folken's intention and she too wished to cease the bloodshed but she didn't want to be a part of it. She knew deep down people would get killed no matter what she said or did.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do or not do. What if I make a horrible mistake? Everyone would suffer because of me."

"I can guide you. I have studied much of the history since the time of Dornkirk, or I should say, Isaac. That was his former name before he came here. I can help you where he went wrong," coaxed Folken.

She gazed up at the two figures battling up above her. "You know, Van and Dilandau are more alike than they would ever admit. They both love to fight. It's the way their body moves that tells me so. I can't stand it when I see them fighting, even if it's not with each other."

"They grew up learning the art of combat. It is all they have and live for," was Folken's soft reply.

Hitomi suddenly felt nostalgic. Home. What a wonderful word it was. Home was safe and warm, filled with familiar scents and objects. She didn't realize how much she had missed it until now. She never gave herself time to think about it because she was overwhelmed and intrigued by this strange world. She missed her mother, who always smelled faintly of cherry blossoms and cookies. She wanted to go home now and leave this horrible, violent place.

And as if someone had heard her plea, an intense, white pillar of light shot down from the sky at her. The hair on her arms rose and chills rippled throughout her. It was happening again, just like before. This light was going to send her home. A sense of relief filled her but as she turned her head, she saw Van hurtle toward her like a falling meteor. Was he crying?

Van was crying . . . ! Hitomi had never seen him in tears before, not even when she had gone missing for months on end. And then he was there in the light with her, arms around her crushing her to him. It amazed her that she was able to think how inappropriate it must have looked being held by a half naked man.

He didn't care if she saw him with tears in his eyes. He didn't even care that Dilandau had seen him like this, even though he was sure Dilandau would never let him hear the end of it. The harder he held her the more he felt in his heart she was slipping away from him.

"Don't go, Hitomi," he whispered breathlessly against her hair. "Stay with me."

She didn't look at him. "It's too late, Van."

Did she really dislike being here? Was it so awful? He bent his head so that it was touching hers. "Why?"

"This is something I can't control. I don't know how to stop it," she said quietly. Van couldn't see if she was crying or not.

"Try," he urged her, but she only shook her head.

"It's better this way, Van. Zaibach will leave Fanelia alone if I'm gone. I already got someone killed because they wanted me. I don't want any more to get hurt because of me."

"It wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was!" Her hand caressed his cheek and she spoke in a low voice, "It was."

Van suddenly felt very tired. He could not find the strength to argue further. His wings were straining the muscles in his back and the wound on his arm burned sharply, but he refused to give in. Bit by bit, her body took on a light transparency until his arms no longer felt the solidness of her body. The beam disappeared, and along with it Hitomi. He kept his eyes upward as he slowly descended to the cool grassy meadow. There was a hollow in his chest and a throbbing ache. He couldn't believe she was really gone. He was just holding her a moment ago.

Out of curiosity, he glanced over at Dilandau, who had a look of astonishment clearly written on his face. Van had to laugh. He never thought that stupid maniac was capable of making that kind of face.

"Perhaps it was our fault," Folken calmly suggested.

Van didn't feel like listening to him at the moment. He still did not know whether to hate him or simply ignore him for returning to Vione. Van could not bring himself to trust Folken. Not yet. He looked to the Mystic Moon and wondered if Hitomi had made it safely to her homeland. What was she doing right now?

Dilandau was looking at it too. "I wonder if she'll be coming back."

"Of course she will!" Van almost shouted.

"Geez, I didn't know it was such a crime to voice my thoughts aloud."

"Just shut up."

Dilandau's laugh came out like a barking dog. "You're telling me to shut up? You really want to die, don't you?"

"Say that again and you'll die too."

Both of their hands instantly went to their swords but Folken's words cut them short. "This is exactly why she left, both of you. If I had to see this all the time, I too would want to leave."

"It was nothing serious," Van protested, trying to hide his guilt.

"Yes, but had I not interfered the two of you would have killed each other without hesitation. This is not how it should be. Hitomi believed there can be peace without violence, but she didn't know how right she was. Is it so hard? To put aside your differences and see each other as friends?"

Van reeled at the mere suggestion and impulsively gave Dilandau a distasteful look only to have him do the same thing. He could not imagine himself calling Dilandau in a brotherly way.

"It's what Hitomi would have wanted," continued Folken.

"What makes you think that?" Dilandau shot back.

"She told me."

"So it was our fault," murmured Van. He thought hard and long until he found the only suitable solution. "I guess we could call a truce until she returns."

"That could be years!" Dilandau exclaimed. "Are you willing to wait that long?"

Van narrowed his eyes. "Are you?"

Dilandau gave a defeated sigh. "Fine. We'll call a truce but the minute she returns—"

"It defeats the whole purpose of Hitomi's intentions, no?" interrupted Folken. "There is no point in calling a truce and then fighting again if you are only going to make her sad again."

"Or we could battle until she comes back," grinned Dilandau.

Van shook his head. "I don't think that'll work."

"Why not?"

"I don't see the sense in fighting just to fight. There's got to be a reason."

"But there is a reason."

"And what is it?" Van demanded.

Dilandau fell silent.

"You see? You can't even come up with an explanation."

Van caught the discreet smile on Folken's mouth and realized with amazement that he and Dilandau were having a nearly decent conversation instead of trying to hack each other to pieces. The same thing had apparently dawned on Dilandau as well.

Dilandau made a face and turned his back. "Since we can't spar with each other anymore, I'll just find someone else."

Van let himself fall back on the grass. He remained that way even as the sun fell from the sky, which slowly shifted from pale blue to salmon red. From the corner of his eye, he could see Folken leaning harmlessly against a silvery birch tree as if he was waiting for Van to say something. Van scowled in annoyance at having Folken hover over him like a protective mother. It made it difficult to think.

"Are you going to stand there the whole day?" Van asked irritatedly.

"Just as long as I need to."

"I was planning to spend the time alone, Folken. I don't need you here."

Folken peered at him through half lidded eyes, weighed down with weariness. "There comes a time when you will seek comfort in the company of others, but by then it will be too late."

Van stubbornly ignored him and continued staring at the dusky sky overhead. It was so silent that Van wondered if Folken was still there. His eyes flickered over to the vacant birch tree. Folken had indeed left. He sighed and turned his head to the side, nearly choking with surprise. Someone had sat down beside him. The girl was looking down, her hair covering her face. His heart pounded as he wondered if it was Hitomi. He had not realized that he had been staring until she turned to face him, smiling gently. It was . . . it was Hitomi!

He sat up and grabbed her arms. "Hitomi! When did you get back?"

She did not answer him. Did something happen on the Mystic Moon? He closely examined her face for any signs of grief or trouble but he detected nothing. This wasn't like her. He was usually was able to easily see through her because she was never able to hide anything from him or anyone.

"Is something wrong?" she asked him.

He shook his head. This was almost like deja vu . . . this vague familiarity but he couldn't recall what it was. He looked at her again and then it finally hit him. That wasn't Hitomi but Eni. How was it possible that he had never noticed their likeness before? Eni had been living in his own home and he never noticed. There was nothing to give her away because she had been so cleverly disguised. How cunning.

Eni glanced at him with knowing eyes. She wrapped her hands around her legs and leaned her head against her knees. She looked so small and vulnerable right now Van almost forgot that she had tried to kill them. "It's ironic, isn't it?"

"What is?"

"Even though you're king, I don't feel like you are. I feel as if I've known you all your life." Eni's smile faltered. "Fate changes the course of things. I could have killed you, but I didn't. You could have died, but you didn't. She could have died but she didn't either. It's funny, I envied her."

Envied . . . ? His eyes fell to the ground, observing the rustling grass blades. Their conversation had taken an intimate turn.

"In the short time that I was able to be with you, I actually fell in love." Her smile turned scornful but lost its malice a second later. "I can see why she loves you."

"Why are you telling me this?" he demanded, feeling slightly perturbed.

"I just felt that you needed to know." Eni stood up and extended a hand. "Will you come with me?"

He hesitated at first but grabbed her hand as he got up as well. Perhaps she was going to explain some things to him and clear this mess up. She gave his hand a tiny squeeze as she lead the way. She looked back at him. "I never did find out who shot that dart at me."

Van remembered that night. Merle had sneaked out and aimed the clover needle at Eni. He knew, but should he tell her? "I—"

"It was Merle, right?"

He nodded.

She seemed pleased with herself. "I thought as much. She's a sneaky one. I'm sure she had her reasons for doing that."

"Where are we going exactly?"

"You'll see."

They walked across a narrow path to the other side of the forest and into the grounds of the temple. She lead him into the temple and together they knelt down before the gods. Even though he came here often, this time it felt different. He felt certain there was a purpose why she brought him here. Eni lifted her head up and gazed at the statues. Van wondered what she was thinking about.

"I used to come here all the time," she began on her way out of the temple. "I always felt protected in this little temple. Did you know, the Half-Moon Goddess did more than signify the counterparts of nature? She brought a small fruit with her when she descended to Gaea. She gave the fruit to the first man she saw who was to then bury its seed in the ground."

"I never knew that," he marveled as he followed her.

"Of course you didn't. It was something I heard from one of the old villagers. I think she was the daughter of the daughter of a storyteller. Anyway, the seed represented the hope and salvation the people of Gaea had prayed for."

"Did it give it to them? Hope and salvation?"

"It did . . . for a time."

"What—"

"I was getting to it. Their hope was destroyed when they gave it up for the advanced technology a foreigner was able to forge in Gaea. They had mistaken the technology as a sign of salvation."

"Not every one has. If you're talking about those in the Zaibach Empire, then I understand but Fanelia still has faith."

"No, even Fanelia has partially abandoned its hope. The guymelefs are part of a different, ancient technology. But was it not created for the same purpose? You need it to save yourself and your kingdom. The seed the goddess brought with her was not supposed to have been cast aside. The people on Gaea were supposed to nurture it and watch it blossom as it spread unity to all. There would be no more wars, lost feuds, no more hatred and greed."

"You sound like Hitomi," he remarked, mostly to himself.

"Do I?" she said without a hint of surprise. "I was created from her DNA."

"Created?"

Eni stared out at the setting sun before answering. "Yes, created by injecting her blood into my veins. It was a permanent operation where my doppelganger powers fused together with her DNA. It was terribly painful. I can no longer revert to my original form."

"The Madoushi did this to you."

She nodded, and turned to him with a bright smile. "It's probably better this way. I won't have to take the lives of other people anymore. I can live freely and safely."

"What do you plan to do now?" Van leaned on the hilt of his sword, watching her movements. He realized that even if she had tricked him into believing that she was Hitomi, he still felt some sort of affection for her.

"I don't know," she replied softly. Her eyes brightened as if some thought had occurred to her. "I would like to make a request. Is that all right with you?"

"Yes, I guess."

"Will you show me the love that you have for Hitomi?"

He looked up startled, feeling a little embarrassed. "Why?"

"I want to know what it feels like." Eni made it sound as if she was going to die the next day or something like that. She leaned in. "Just pretend that I'm Hitomi. After all, we're identical."

"Uh, what do you want me to do?"

"Anything."

He nearly flinched. He did not want to seem like a pervert. "Well, what do you want to do?"

"Let's have a nice dinner, you and I."

"That sounds fine."

Eni clung tightly to Van's arm as they searched for a small, quiet diner. Van looked down and saw the happy expression on her face and felt a little guilty. He would try to love her as Eni, not Hitomi. It was just this once and he was sure Hitomi would understand. When they had been seated and had ordered their food, Eni reached across the table and placed a hand over his.

"Thank you," she said. "This means a lot to me."

"I hope it turns out the way you want it to."

"It will. What do you like about me?" she suddenly asked.

Crap. He didn't know. How was he going to answer? His brows furrowed as he searched for something he admired in her. "I think it's your ability to keep on going even if you feel lost and confused at times."

She smiled absently, and Van knew he had said the right thing. They ate mostly in silence and left, walking hand in hand down a grove of sweet smelling trees. They stopped at the hill behind the palace and talked the night away. Laughing together and even crying together.

"The sun's rising over the horizon," she said liltingly. She turned and brought her arms around his waist, burying her head in his chest. Van hesitated but returned the embrace. Then she looked up and kissed him long and softly.

"This is what she must have felt," Eni uttered breathlessly. "I'll remember it always."

Van didn't know what to say.

"It's time for me to go, Van. You really are Fanelia's beloved king. Well, then, goodbye."

"Goodbye, Eni."

He felt a strange emptiness when Eni had gone. It was not how he had felt when Hitomi disappeared in that beam of light. Rather, it felt like a loss one suffers for a deceased. Something told him he would never see her again. He began to chase after her but found that she was no where to be seen. He didn't know where to look for her. Just a head of him, about a hundred yard or so, a wild commotion broke out. Van heard shouts and shrill cries. As he came closer, the sounds rose in volume. What was happening?

Van was able to spot Eni from where he was standing. A Zaibach soldier was attacking her! Eni had her arms crossed in front of her to protect herself. With the tightly packed crowd in his way, Van could not see a way to get to her and help her. Unless . . .

"Make way for your king!" he shouted.

Talk was abruptly cut off as every eye was placed on his royal being. There were muffled whisperings, shocked voices expressing the excitement the body and soul felt. The crowd parted, giving enough room to fit two full grown elephants. The Zaibach soldier and Eni continued their battle as if nothing had happened. There were several more Zaibach soldiers standing on guard in the back. If something were to go wrong they would immediately take action.

Van was about to call out Eni's name but stopped himself. The townspeople did not know that there were two Hitomi and he couldn't risk any confusion right now. They were already riled up as it was. Some were even shouting at him.

"Tell them to take her!"

"We don't want to them to hurt us!"

"Please, my lord, have mercy on us."

He thought they were being a little too dramatic but if he was afraid like they were he would probably do the same thing.

"Come willingly and we will not harm you," said the Zaibach soldier.

"No. I don't want to go back there."

"But Emperor Dornkirk has need of you."

"Well, you can tell him to f-ck off!" Eni spat angrily.

"Then, I have no choice but to annihilate you." The soldier drew his sword and impaled Eni with it before anyone could have time to react. Eni slumped to the ground, the sword sliding out of her body. The soldier wiped his blade clean before jamming it back in its sheath.

Gasps rippled through the crowd, bodies moved against each other either to get away from the scene or to get a closer look. The Zaibach soliders rounded together and marched mechanically out, leaving the victim of their kill for all to witness. Van rushed over and tried to get her to talk to him.

"You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?" he said accusingly.

She smiled painfully. "It's what Fate asked of me and I agreed."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"It wasn't . . . for you to know."

"I could have saved you . . ."

"I had to die . . . so Hitomi could . . . could come back . . . as a god."

"I don't understand."

Eni's breathing had become short, ragged gasps. "People had to see . . . see me die." She swallowed thickly and continued in a low voice. "They would think . . . she is the Half-Moon goddess . . ."

She said something else but Van could not hear it. He leaned down so close his ear was almost touching her lips. ". . .come . . . to save . . . them . . ."

When she did not say anything after that, he knew she had died. What else did she know?

What else?