Title: Angel Watching Over Me
Author: Ashley
Rating: PG, mostly for implied angst
Couple: V/H, of course
Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne or any of the character therein. But you knew that. I hope. But I do own this story and the the couse it takes.

Hitomi tried to lie still, but the ground beneath her didn't seem to want to cooperate. Everything tipped and swayed, threatening to hurl her back into oblivion if she dared to move.

She was cold. That much she knew. Her hands were numb and her teeth wouldn't stop chattering. Countering that, her back felt like it was resting on a burning stove.

Hitomi could feel something beneath her cheek. Something familiar, but out of place. This something was damp against her face; its scent filled her nose.

She tried to move, to turn her head away. All that accomplished was to set a thousand tiny men to pounding against her skull. Her stomach flipped and dived, dragging a moan from her throat.

Suddenly she knew she was no longer alone. Someone was there; gentle hands moved her onto her back. She tried to protest, but couldn't. Hitomi opened her eyes to an unfocused world. A face swam somewhere above her, familiar and strange at the same time. Some dim part of her mind told her it was someone that she knew.

A name popped into her head. "Amano?" she managed to mumble, the word faintly slurred.

"Shhh, I've got you. Hang on, Hitomi. Everything will be all right."

Before she surrendered to the pain, Hitomi sighed. She was safe now. Finally she could rest.


* * * *

Allen Schezar had seen a lot of things in his life. Wars, death, suffering, joy, peace, and love. They all had their places during different times in his past.

As he rode slowly away from Austoria, he reflected upon the brighter of those memories. The return of his sister to him. Peace finally coming to Gaea. The fact that he had good friends to spend time with.

A grin crossed his handsome face as he thought of that one. It brought to mind the party last night. To see Van so obviously so tongue-tied and astounded was not something he would soon forget.

But for a moment, when he blew out the candles, there had been something infinitely sad bout Van. It wasn't hard to figure out that his friend had been thinking about Hitomi.

Hitomi. Funny how he didn't seem to think of her so very much lately. She'd changed the way he looked at women forever. No longer were they just weak, defenseless souls waiting to be saved. Now he saw them as individuals, with their own merits and faults, the same as any man.

He'd thought that he loved her, and in a way he had. But Allen knew now that what he'd felt for her was a mixture of friendship, respect, and admiration. Never having felt those things toward a woman before, he'd assumed they must be something else. Love was the only thing that fit the bill.

Van was another story. Even now Allen could tell the young king thought her often. Whenever Allen visited Fanelia, he'd noted the always-present pendant worn proudly around his neck. The way Van's face softened when they spoke of the war against Zaibach. His newfound penchant for stargazing, especially in his most hectic times. But for all that, he never spoke her name, as though keeping it to himself to be cherished.

Allen smirked to himself. Now he knew he was getting soft. Prosing on about true love and devotion. He shook his head. He'd always wondered what kept Van from asking Hitomi to come back. The way he'd been working feverishly on rebuilding gave Allen a clue, but he'd never been able to bring himself to mention it aloud. Sometimes it was best to allow things to follow their natural courses.

Suddenly he stiffened in the saddle. There was something wrong. The crickets had ceased chirping. His instinct was telling him to be aware, and he'd been a warrior for too long to ignore that instinct. His hand went to the hilt of his sword.

He was just about to draw when he heard it. A low moan, like an animal in great pain. He waited, and when it came again he slipped from the saddle. Silently he brought his sword to the ready. One could never be too cautious. Slowly he stepped to edge of the surrounding forest. It was closer now; just a few steps ahead. Moving as quietly as he could, Allen crossed the short space.

There, huddled against the ground in a miserable heap, lay a girl. A girl with very familiar honey-brown hair. Before he even realized he was moving, Allen knelt beside her.

"Hitomi."



A/N: Did I have anyone thinking Hitomi was still on Earth there for a minute? I was trying to be sneaky. Also, I may have misspelled some of the place names and the names of some of the characters. It's just because I cannot spell. If I didn't use spellcheck, you'd really have no clue what I was trying to say. And, as if you haven't guessed, I'm not a doctor, so any and all medical terms and ailments come from like ER and books, so no flames, please. Please R/R!!