Title: Angel Watching Over Me
Author: Ashley
Pairing: V/H, of course
Rating: PG, mostly for implied angst
Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne or any of its characters, but you knew that. I hope. But I do own this story and all the twists the plot takes.
Dedication: To anyone who took the time to review this, and especially to those who review again and again with helpful (and nice) comments.
I would have had this up sooner, but FF.net was down. Although it did give me more time to work on the next part. I may post them both at the same time, if not, no more than a day apart. Bonus points to anyone who guessed (correctly) that Van was having a vision!
CHAPTER 12
~*~*~*~*~
In the passing of one second to the next, the world seemed to shift. Van found that he was no longer seated on the floor with Hitomi settled in his lap. Instead he was standing in the middle of a very familiar forest clearing. He could feel the breeze against his skin, could see it as it danced among the leaves. Just then, a noise coming from somewhere behind him caught his attention. Turning slowly, he came face to face with a scene from his past.
The first thing his amazed eyes managed to focus on was a youthful version of himself. His feet moved him towards the two just as the other Van raised his hand to the sky, a glowing energist clutched in his fist. The brilliant beam of blue light appeared just as he remembered it to have happened. But this time as it lifted Hitomi from the ground and into the heavens, he went with her.
A blinding flash of light left him momentarily dazed. When Van managed to blink the dots from his vision, he took stock of his unfamiliar surroundings. The room he stood in was bright with light spilling through several windows. There were a few pieces of furniture in the room, but some instinct drew him to a bed pushed near the far wall. Or more precisely, to the person in that bed.
"Hitomi," he breathed in a voice that had no sound. Moving to stand by her bedside, he gazed at her sleeping face, never wanting to have to look away. However, the figure that entered the room denied him that wish. The person crossed the room to sit on the edge of Hitomi's bed.
Van was stunned as he caught a glimpse of the newcomer's face. He looked so much like Allen, it had to be the Amano person Hitomi had spoken of. The hair was different, the face more youthful and lacking some of Allen's aura of serenity, but the resemblance was uncanny. Van was so caught up in making the comparisons that it took a moment for him to realize that Hitomi was awake and speaking to the other boy.
As he observed the two, Van's brow furrowed in confusion. They were talking; he could see their lips moving, but not a single whisper of sound intruded upon the heavy silence that surrounded him. In fact, now that he thought of it, none of the millions of normal sounds that occurred every second of every day seemed to be present here. He'd have to content himself with watching their movements and guessing at the topic of their conversation. As he watched, he saw Hitomi raise a hand to where her pendant usually hung, but the necklace was glaringly absent. "That's because she gave it to me," Van thought. "I must be seeing what happened right after she returned from Gaea."
Just as that thought crystallized in his mind, another flash filled the room. When his sight cleared this time, he found the setting had changed once more.
He was still indoors, but this room was a far cry from the first. Though it also contained a bed, that was where the similarities ended. The first room had held a feeling of detachment, as though no one person truly claimed it as their own. This room brimmed with warmth and life. Dozens of small things declared that someone spent a lot of time here and had left their mark. Pictures dotted the walls; a crammed bookcase sat in the corner beside a comfortable looking chair. A pair of shoes sat side by side, almost hidden beneath a discarded jacket.
Van knew it was Hitomi's bedroom almost immediately, though she herself was no where in sight. It felt like her, warm and inviting, familiar and mysterious at the same time. He wasn't surprised when she came into the room moments later.
Dropping her bag onto the floor, he watched as she sprawled onto her stomach on the bed. She reached for something under the bed, pulling out a small box. Sitting up with her legs crossed, she placed it almost reverently in her lap. When she finally lifted the lid, Van was startled to see what was inside.
The feather was such a pure shade of white, it almost seemed to glow in her grasp. Hitomi held it cradled gently in her palm. She smiled softly, stroking a finger down it's length, then closed her eyes and seemed to concentrate. A moment passed until, a frown creasing her forehead, Hitomi opened her eyes.
She must have been trying to reach me, Van thought. The warm feeling that realization brought faded quickly as he saw the uneasy, worried expression on her face. All the years he'd held himself back from her had been rough. But he'd known that he had the means to contact her whenever he pleased, and that thought had brought comfort.
Now he put himself into Hitomi's place. What would it have been like to want to speak with her, and been unable to do so? To have had to wait endless days for her to reach out to him. What had it been like when he didn't? When she just kept waiting and waiting . . . She didn't know that he'd fought a losing battle with his insecurity every day. It must have seemed like he'd stopped caring about her. Like he couldn't be bothered with talking to her once she was no longer right there.
"No wonder she hates me," Van muttered to himself. He began to pace the room, dragging a hand through his hair. What a jerk he'd been.
Not once had he stopped to think about what his silence would seem like to her. Maybe that was why he was seeing this. He needed to know what had happened to Hitomi that had changed her so much; now he was experiencing it first hand. And though it hurt to see the pain he'd caused her, no way was he going to have come this far only to give up now. Hitomi was worth it to see this through to the end, no matter what. Even though some instinct was telling him the worst was yet to come. When the flash came again, Van was prepared. He would see everything this trip had to offer, then use whatever he learned to help Hitomi.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: I know I'm back to the shorter parts again, but I can't help it. I guess I don't want this story to end. But there are only going to be maybe three more parts till the conclusion, so you know you won't have too long to wait to see what happens. The visions were of (as if you didn't know) 1. Hitomi leaving Gaea 2. Waking up in the infirmary or whatever it was 3. Trying to reach Van using the feather These are pretty simple, but the future ones might need a little explaining, so I'm getting in the habit.
Author: Ashley
Pairing: V/H, of course
Rating: PG, mostly for implied angst
Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne or any of its characters, but you knew that. I hope. But I do own this story and all the twists the plot takes.
Dedication: To anyone who took the time to review this, and especially to those who review again and again with helpful (and nice) comments.
I would have had this up sooner, but FF.net was down. Although it did give me more time to work on the next part. I may post them both at the same time, if not, no more than a day apart. Bonus points to anyone who guessed (correctly) that Van was having a vision!
CHAPTER 12
~*~*~*~*~
In the passing of one second to the next, the world seemed to shift. Van found that he was no longer seated on the floor with Hitomi settled in his lap. Instead he was standing in the middle of a very familiar forest clearing. He could feel the breeze against his skin, could see it as it danced among the leaves. Just then, a noise coming from somewhere behind him caught his attention. Turning slowly, he came face to face with a scene from his past.
The first thing his amazed eyes managed to focus on was a youthful version of himself. His feet moved him towards the two just as the other Van raised his hand to the sky, a glowing energist clutched in his fist. The brilliant beam of blue light appeared just as he remembered it to have happened. But this time as it lifted Hitomi from the ground and into the heavens, he went with her.
A blinding flash of light left him momentarily dazed. When Van managed to blink the dots from his vision, he took stock of his unfamiliar surroundings. The room he stood in was bright with light spilling through several windows. There were a few pieces of furniture in the room, but some instinct drew him to a bed pushed near the far wall. Or more precisely, to the person in that bed.
"Hitomi," he breathed in a voice that had no sound. Moving to stand by her bedside, he gazed at her sleeping face, never wanting to have to look away. However, the figure that entered the room denied him that wish. The person crossed the room to sit on the edge of Hitomi's bed.
Van was stunned as he caught a glimpse of the newcomer's face. He looked so much like Allen, it had to be the Amano person Hitomi had spoken of. The hair was different, the face more youthful and lacking some of Allen's aura of serenity, but the resemblance was uncanny. Van was so caught up in making the comparisons that it took a moment for him to realize that Hitomi was awake and speaking to the other boy.
As he observed the two, Van's brow furrowed in confusion. They were talking; he could see their lips moving, but not a single whisper of sound intruded upon the heavy silence that surrounded him. In fact, now that he thought of it, none of the millions of normal sounds that occurred every second of every day seemed to be present here. He'd have to content himself with watching their movements and guessing at the topic of their conversation. As he watched, he saw Hitomi raise a hand to where her pendant usually hung, but the necklace was glaringly absent. "That's because she gave it to me," Van thought. "I must be seeing what happened right after she returned from Gaea."
Just as that thought crystallized in his mind, another flash filled the room. When his sight cleared this time, he found the setting had changed once more.
He was still indoors, but this room was a far cry from the first. Though it also contained a bed, that was where the similarities ended. The first room had held a feeling of detachment, as though no one person truly claimed it as their own. This room brimmed with warmth and life. Dozens of small things declared that someone spent a lot of time here and had left their mark. Pictures dotted the walls; a crammed bookcase sat in the corner beside a comfortable looking chair. A pair of shoes sat side by side, almost hidden beneath a discarded jacket.
Van knew it was Hitomi's bedroom almost immediately, though she herself was no where in sight. It felt like her, warm and inviting, familiar and mysterious at the same time. He wasn't surprised when she came into the room moments later.
Dropping her bag onto the floor, he watched as she sprawled onto her stomach on the bed. She reached for something under the bed, pulling out a small box. Sitting up with her legs crossed, she placed it almost reverently in her lap. When she finally lifted the lid, Van was startled to see what was inside.
The feather was such a pure shade of white, it almost seemed to glow in her grasp. Hitomi held it cradled gently in her palm. She smiled softly, stroking a finger down it's length, then closed her eyes and seemed to concentrate. A moment passed until, a frown creasing her forehead, Hitomi opened her eyes.
She must have been trying to reach me, Van thought. The warm feeling that realization brought faded quickly as he saw the uneasy, worried expression on her face. All the years he'd held himself back from her had been rough. But he'd known that he had the means to contact her whenever he pleased, and that thought had brought comfort.
Now he put himself into Hitomi's place. What would it have been like to want to speak with her, and been unable to do so? To have had to wait endless days for her to reach out to him. What had it been like when he didn't? When she just kept waiting and waiting . . . She didn't know that he'd fought a losing battle with his insecurity every day. It must have seemed like he'd stopped caring about her. Like he couldn't be bothered with talking to her once she was no longer right there.
"No wonder she hates me," Van muttered to himself. He began to pace the room, dragging a hand through his hair. What a jerk he'd been.
Not once had he stopped to think about what his silence would seem like to her. Maybe that was why he was seeing this. He needed to know what had happened to Hitomi that had changed her so much; now he was experiencing it first hand. And though it hurt to see the pain he'd caused her, no way was he going to have come this far only to give up now. Hitomi was worth it to see this through to the end, no matter what. Even though some instinct was telling him the worst was yet to come. When the flash came again, Van was prepared. He would see everything this trip had to offer, then use whatever he learned to help Hitomi.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: I know I'm back to the shorter parts again, but I can't help it. I guess I don't want this story to end. But there are only going to be maybe three more parts till the conclusion, so you know you won't have too long to wait to see what happens. The visions were of (as if you didn't know) 1. Hitomi leaving Gaea 2. Waking up in the infirmary or whatever it was 3. Trying to reach Van using the feather These are pretty simple, but the future ones might need a little explaining, so I'm getting in the habit.
