Formalities, formalities....

DISCLAIMER: Tenkuu no Escaflowne, its characters, plots, and storylines are the property of their respective owners. By writing this story, I do not claim any rights to or ownership of Tenkuu no Escaflowne, its characters, plots or storylines. If any of the rightful owners object to my use of said characters, plots and storylines, please notify me and I shall rectify the problem immediately. Let it be known that I am not using this story for profit. So don't sue me. Please.

"Hi-Hitomi," I stuttered. Something flashed in her eyes... pain?

She began to nod her head slowly. My heart wrenched. "You're here."

She looked me over. "Van...." She closed the gap between us, gripping my shoulders. "How many years?" she demanded, shaking me as her eyes flew wildly over my face. She'd become much stronger in her absence. "How many years has it been, Van?" Silent tears began to fall from her eyes. I lifted my arms and gently moved her hands from my shoulders.

"Hitomi." I spoke quietly, unsure of what to do, what to say. She reclaimed her hands and wiped away the tears. "Twenty-five."

She froze. I could hear her struggling to breathe evenly. "It's been..." she swallowed, "...twenty-five years?" She glanced up into my eyes, her chin trembling.

I nodded. "And on the Mystic Moon?"

"Six." Her voice was barely audible. Her breathing sped up considerably as she began to laugh in a desperate, half-hysterical manner. "Six!" she repeated, tears streaming down her face.

So I did the only thing I could think of: I held her. I pulled her close, wrapping my arms around her. She continued to cry, her body wracked by the sobs. I don't know how long we stood there like that: I, running my fingers through her hair; she, weeping and occasionally pounding an angry fist against my chest. I feel it too, Hitomi.

She twirled the long stem between her thumb and forefinger. Although she stayed silent, her mind was far from quiet. Gone, he was gone forever. The chance of lifetime, wasted. Love, a love unlike any other.... Or had it been? He had not even waited three years after her departure before.... But wasn't that logical? As a king, an heir was expected, required, even, as soon as possible. Besides, how could he have guessed that time would... behave the way it had?

Her mind pressured her to accept the truth and be mature about the whole situation. But her heart, her soul... how easily could she forgive this, the greatest of betrayals? Relax, Hitomi, she thought. Breathe. She shook her head, trying to keep control of herself. If the situation had been reversed, would she have waited her whole life for something that might never have happened?

Hitomi sighed and uncrossed her legs, stretching them out across the grass. She let her arms give way, allowing her body to fall back. She stared up into the depths of the sky, marveling at its simple splendor. She eyed a white speck, drifting downwards on the mild breezes. She traced the feather's path across the cerulean vastness, swirling and looping through the air, watching as it fell to the ground just inches from her unmoving body. Falling through the sky... that's what it felt like. Her whole world, all her hopes and dreams, yanked out from underneath her feet, leaving her floating, floating to the ground. Involuntarily, tears squeezed out of her eyes; she mopped them away with the back of her hand. That's enough, Hitomi. It was time to face reality.

"What's her name?" she asked calmly. She couldn't see his reaction, as he was sitting, hunched over, on the grass several feet away from her.

After another moment of silence, Van answered quietly. "Relm... Relm Alene."

Hitomi sensed something foreign in his voice... happiness, perhaps? Tenderness? Determined not to stop there, she continued. "Do you love her?" she asked bluntly.

Van inhaled sharply. "Hitomi, are you - "

"Van," she interrupted, "I can handle it. Just... tell me." Her voice took on an odd tone, reminding Van of a prisoner, begging for mercy. He shifted his position so that he faced her.

Van tried to make eye contact with her, but she had focused on the sky, unblinking. "Yes." No visible reaction from Hitomi. "Yes, Hitomi, I love her." She closed her eyes, trying to block it all out. "I love her, and I love our children."

She sniffed and sat up slowly, as if it pained her to move. She nodded. "Okay." She finally looked him in the eyes. Van was taken aback by her reply. "I'm okay, as long as you love her. As long as you're happy." Hitomi gasped as her eyes began to well up again. Van reached for Hitomi's hand, taking it in his own. Despite the anguish evident in her eyes, she smiled at him with quivering lips. Tears spilled over onto her reddened cheeks; this time, she left them where they lay.

She lay, nestled between the dense covers, upon the bed. He sat in a chair beside her, absorbing the rhythm of her breathing, the placid look on her face. He reached over, gently pushing a lock of her hair aside. His fingers brushed her forehead; she stirred. "Van," she murmured softly. He froze, think she had awoken. She continued to breathe regularly, though; he relaxed.

For thirteen years now, he had feared that this would happen. And yet, hoped that it would. Just to see her again, no matter how much they both had changed. His only wish was that when it did happen, she would be the one who was happy, with a life and family of her own. It would have helped to ease her pain. But now that it had actually come to pass, he recognized that it shouldn't have. Hitomi would have better off, he decided, had she never returned to Gaea.

He rose silently and walked towards the door. He turned around to take one last look at her, and sighed. She was more stunning than ever.

He exited, closing the door soundlessly behind him.


At this point I must defend myself. Reality: Six years have passed on Earth while twenty-five have passed on Gaea. What was Van supposed to do, sit around and wait for Hitomi to return, and deny his kingdom an heir to the throne? That's tantamount to treason (perhaps a slight exaggeration, but a serious issue nevertheless). Remember, Van is king, and as the good and noble king that he is, he cannot think only of what is best for him, but also of what is best for his subjects. Although Van is very much in love with his wife, Hitomi will always be a very special person for him.

Final note to the nice people who read this: I still don't think chapter three is done. No, it's not. There are a few more scenes I've yet to write before we can move on to chapter four (which is already written!). However, at this point I'm starting to do some serious re-evaluations of my plans for this fic. I think I need to see Escaflowne again before I continue writing. No, I am not abandoning The Experience. I will simply be taking a vacation from it for a little while. I mean, really, I'm so busy. In four days I'm moving two thousand miles away (and I've yet to pack) to a small town in the middle of the desert (two unfamiliar environments - I live in Miami, Fl!) to be a college freshman with no money and extra classes. Which start in a week and a half. And I really do need to clarify some things from Escaflowne. Although it a may be a few months before I pick it back up again, I am definitely going to finish this. I've had fun with it so far, and I want to find out what happens next! So, if you would like me to email you once I've gotten back to work, let me know - chizetoerin@babbit.org. Also, if you emailed me before at erin@touga.nu, please email me again as it seems I am no longer able to access that account. Please pardon the inconvenience.

ps. Yes, I wrote in the first person for a bit, and didn't like it much. It may be something that I do on occasion; like I said last chapter, I change POV a lot. Which do you like better? Do you even have a preference? Let me know: r e v i e w !