Title: Angel Watching Over Me
Author: Ashley
Couple: V/H, of course
Rating: PG, mostly for implied angst
Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne of anuthing connected to it, but you knew that. I hope. But I do own this story and any turnes the plot takes.
Dedicated, as always, to the people who take the time to say anything, and especially to those who say what they like and don't like.
CHAPTER TEN
*~*~*~*~*
Van stood looking at Hitomi. Neither of them had spoken since that first, subdues greeting. Van couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from her. She looked regal, even sitting their wrapped in a coverlet. All he wanted to do was drop to his knees at her feet and hold her until the past seven years faded into nothing.
But he knew he couldn't rush things. He could tell by looking at her that Allen and Millerna's concerns weren't unfounded. Something was definitely wrong here, and he didn't want to make plans for the future until they had a chance to resolve the past. Which meant he had to get her to talk.
Firming his resolve, Van strode across the room to the wooden chair resting beside the large canopied bed. He carried it back to where Hitomi sat, watching him with wary eyes. He placed the chair facing her with a gap of less than two feet between them. Keeping all emotion from his face, he took a seat. Propping his elbows on his knees, he leaned forward.
"Hitomi, I . . ."
Before he could go on, she broke in. "You don't have to say anything. I know why you're here. Allen sent for you because of what happened between us years ago. And you came, because you're a loyal person who is always there when the people who matter to you need you." She paused, obviously waiting for him to say something.
Taking a deep breath, he gathered his courage. Now wasn't the perfect moment he'd imagined when he'd thought of telling Hitomi how he felt, but he couldn't keep it to himself any longer. Not with her sitting there, acting as though she believed he'd only come out of obligation. "That's part of it, I guess. But only part. There's so much more I have to tell you, have wanted to tell you for a long time. And now that my chance in finally here, I'm not sure how to say this. When you were here before, we were friends. But those last weeks, I . . . I felt something more than friendship."
Van stopped as Hitomi laughed softly because there was no humor in the sound. He looked at her, tying to figure out what was going on. Maybe she didn't want him. Maybe, after all this time, she'd found someone else. And now she was sitting there, trying to find a way to get out of this situation. He knew he should have told her sooner. But he'd had to listen to his fears and miss out on the best thing that had ever come into his life.
"You don't have to do this, you know. I'm not some child who needs their feelings protected. You don't have to play this game with me."
He frowned, not understanding what she was trying to say. "What game? I don't know what you mean." This didn't sound like she was trying to let him down gracefully. Maybe . . . maybe there wasn't someone else. Van felt his hopes rise, but firmly tamped them down. Even if there wasn't someone else, something was going on.
She leveled a look at him that said she didn't believe him. "Let me set this up for you, okay? You're off doing whatever it was that you were doing, when you get a message from Allen. He tells you I'm here, I'm sick, he's worried. You come rushing back here as quickly as you can because you're a nice guy. Millerna meets with you. She tells you I've been sick, and that she thinks there's something else going on that I'm not telling her about. I'll bet she warned you tread carefully, but to try and find out what's been going on with me. What better way to do that than to profess a dormant, undying love that has been reawakened by my return?"
Hitomi shook her head. "All this was for nothing. There's no secret hidden in my past. It's amazingly dull and normal. I'm too thin. Why? I caught the flu, and just when I was getting over it, I managed to catch it again. I seem tired. Why? They've been working on the building that I live in. Add loud noises to feeling completely awful, and anyone is bound to lose some sleep. I seem sad. Why? Lately, it seems like all my friends are married and busy with their husbands and kids. My brother is away at school and I don't get to see him much. And my parents recently moved pretty far away to find more comfortable weather. I've been going through an adjustment period of going from being surrounded by people who cared about me, to being on my own. That's all there is to it."
She smiled at him, her face showing no emotion. Apparently she didn't realize how much that last statement said. Looking her squarely in the eye, he whispered, "You're lying."
Hitomi blanched, obviously not expecting that he wouldn't believe her. Van leaned back in his chair, his eyes watching every move she made. He saw he swallow, then force a benign smile. "What makes you say that?"
"I can say that because, regardless of what you've been telling yourself and me, I do care about you. And when you care about someone, you know when they're not being entirely honest." Her mouth worked, but no sound came out. Van, giving into the burning temptation that had gripped him from the start, slipped from his chair to kneel at her feet. Taking her cold hands into his own, He looked into the face that had haunted his mind, heart, and soul.
"Hitomi, you matter to me in a way that nothing else does. Anything you have to say, I'll listen to. I'm here, and I'll always be here."
She didn't want to tell him anything. He could see it on her face. She would rather pretend everything was fine and have him go on his way. But this was a battle he refused to lose. It was too important, she was too important. Regardless of what it took, or where it left him in her eyes, he would find out what was keeping her trapped within herself. And he would find a way to free her.
Even if she chose to fly away.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: This part is short, sorry for that. But I do have a reason. I'm fighting a stomach bug, which is no fun at all. But I didn't want anyone to think I'd forgotten about this. So it was either two shorter-than-I-wanted-them parts posted as soon as I could, or one long part in a week or two. Later I may repost this part and the next one together, but for now I hope this tides everyone over for a few days. It had dialogue! And fluff! Okay, it was one-sided fluff, but it was sweet one-sided fluff! And it won't stay one-sided for long, I promise.
Till the room stops spinning enough to finish the next part . . . Ashley
Author: Ashley
Couple: V/H, of course
Rating: PG, mostly for implied angst
Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne of anuthing connected to it, but you knew that. I hope. But I do own this story and any turnes the plot takes.
Dedicated, as always, to the people who take the time to say anything, and especially to those who say what they like and don't like.
CHAPTER TEN
*~*~*~*~*
Van stood looking at Hitomi. Neither of them had spoken since that first, subdues greeting. Van couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from her. She looked regal, even sitting their wrapped in a coverlet. All he wanted to do was drop to his knees at her feet and hold her until the past seven years faded into nothing.
But he knew he couldn't rush things. He could tell by looking at her that Allen and Millerna's concerns weren't unfounded. Something was definitely wrong here, and he didn't want to make plans for the future until they had a chance to resolve the past. Which meant he had to get her to talk.
Firming his resolve, Van strode across the room to the wooden chair resting beside the large canopied bed. He carried it back to where Hitomi sat, watching him with wary eyes. He placed the chair facing her with a gap of less than two feet between them. Keeping all emotion from his face, he took a seat. Propping his elbows on his knees, he leaned forward.
"Hitomi, I . . ."
Before he could go on, she broke in. "You don't have to say anything. I know why you're here. Allen sent for you because of what happened between us years ago. And you came, because you're a loyal person who is always there when the people who matter to you need you." She paused, obviously waiting for him to say something.
Taking a deep breath, he gathered his courage. Now wasn't the perfect moment he'd imagined when he'd thought of telling Hitomi how he felt, but he couldn't keep it to himself any longer. Not with her sitting there, acting as though she believed he'd only come out of obligation. "That's part of it, I guess. But only part. There's so much more I have to tell you, have wanted to tell you for a long time. And now that my chance in finally here, I'm not sure how to say this. When you were here before, we were friends. But those last weeks, I . . . I felt something more than friendship."
Van stopped as Hitomi laughed softly because there was no humor in the sound. He looked at her, tying to figure out what was going on. Maybe she didn't want him. Maybe, after all this time, she'd found someone else. And now she was sitting there, trying to find a way to get out of this situation. He knew he should have told her sooner. But he'd had to listen to his fears and miss out on the best thing that had ever come into his life.
"You don't have to do this, you know. I'm not some child who needs their feelings protected. You don't have to play this game with me."
He frowned, not understanding what she was trying to say. "What game? I don't know what you mean." This didn't sound like she was trying to let him down gracefully. Maybe . . . maybe there wasn't someone else. Van felt his hopes rise, but firmly tamped them down. Even if there wasn't someone else, something was going on.
She leveled a look at him that said she didn't believe him. "Let me set this up for you, okay? You're off doing whatever it was that you were doing, when you get a message from Allen. He tells you I'm here, I'm sick, he's worried. You come rushing back here as quickly as you can because you're a nice guy. Millerna meets with you. She tells you I've been sick, and that she thinks there's something else going on that I'm not telling her about. I'll bet she warned you tread carefully, but to try and find out what's been going on with me. What better way to do that than to profess a dormant, undying love that has been reawakened by my return?"
Hitomi shook her head. "All this was for nothing. There's no secret hidden in my past. It's amazingly dull and normal. I'm too thin. Why? I caught the flu, and just when I was getting over it, I managed to catch it again. I seem tired. Why? They've been working on the building that I live in. Add loud noises to feeling completely awful, and anyone is bound to lose some sleep. I seem sad. Why? Lately, it seems like all my friends are married and busy with their husbands and kids. My brother is away at school and I don't get to see him much. And my parents recently moved pretty far away to find more comfortable weather. I've been going through an adjustment period of going from being surrounded by people who cared about me, to being on my own. That's all there is to it."
She smiled at him, her face showing no emotion. Apparently she didn't realize how much that last statement said. Looking her squarely in the eye, he whispered, "You're lying."
Hitomi blanched, obviously not expecting that he wouldn't believe her. Van leaned back in his chair, his eyes watching every move she made. He saw he swallow, then force a benign smile. "What makes you say that?"
"I can say that because, regardless of what you've been telling yourself and me, I do care about you. And when you care about someone, you know when they're not being entirely honest." Her mouth worked, but no sound came out. Van, giving into the burning temptation that had gripped him from the start, slipped from his chair to kneel at her feet. Taking her cold hands into his own, He looked into the face that had haunted his mind, heart, and soul.
"Hitomi, you matter to me in a way that nothing else does. Anything you have to say, I'll listen to. I'm here, and I'll always be here."
She didn't want to tell him anything. He could see it on her face. She would rather pretend everything was fine and have him go on his way. But this was a battle he refused to lose. It was too important, she was too important. Regardless of what it took, or where it left him in her eyes, he would find out what was keeping her trapped within herself. And he would find a way to free her.
Even if she chose to fly away.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: This part is short, sorry for that. But I do have a reason. I'm fighting a stomach bug, which is no fun at all. But I didn't want anyone to think I'd forgotten about this. So it was either two shorter-than-I-wanted-them parts posted as soon as I could, or one long part in a week or two. Later I may repost this part and the next one together, but for now I hope this tides everyone over for a few days. It had dialogue! And fluff! Okay, it was one-sided fluff, but it was sweet one-sided fluff! And it won't stay one-sided for long, I promise.
Till the room stops spinning enough to finish the next part . . . Ashley
