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.

Sorry, sorry, sorry! I know I said this would be out sooner, but I think this is a pretty good part, so I hope it was worth the wait.



Chapter 13
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This time the setting stayed the same, though there were subtle changes to the room that led him to believe a bit of time had passed. The walls were bare, the bed stripped of its colorful coverings. Several boxes stood by the door. Turning to see the rest of the room, Van caught sight of Hitomi. She was pulling items of clothing from a dresser and placing them into an open box at her feet.

When that chore was done, she sealed the box closed and lugged it to where the others sat. An older woman entered the room, looking from the boxes to Hitomi. She said something, and Hitomi nodded, smiling a little sadly. They looked at each other for a long moment, then hugged, laughing and crying at the same time.

The location changed again, though this time there was no flash of light. The bedroom merely shifted, changing until it became something new. Hitomi, in the same clothes she'd been wearing before, stood in the center of a small room. Boxes were stacked everywhere, taking up most of the space. She looked around, a small smile playing over her face. Taking a last look around, she began to unpack the first box. Van watched as she moved about, setting up shelves and putting things away. She seemed to be moving a lot faster than a normal person would, so he could only guess that this was yet another aspect of this strange experience. Focusing on Hitomi, he could see her pride in her efforts. Every once and awhile, she would cease moving and just stand there, looking around with a smile on her face.

As quickly as time was moving, soon it became night. He watched as Hitomi ate a small dinner, then followed as she made her way into the bedroom. When he made it to the room, she was already seated on the bed, trying once more to contact him with the feather. When it didn't work, he expected her to be as upset as she was before. But this time was different. When she opened her eyes, the feather was flung to the floor. Gaining her feet in the next instant, she paced the room with hurried, angry steps.

With a determined look on her face, she strode to a box sitting beside her dresser, yanking it open. Reaching into it, he watched as she pulled out a small stack of cards. Her Tarot cards, he realized. Another search yielded the small beeping thing she'd told him was a pager, a device used to contact people. Turning on her heel, Hitomi stomped her way to another box across the room. Reaching inside, she rooted around for awhile before pulling out a small blue bag. She tossed it onto the bed, then shoved the pager and Tarot cards inside.

For a long moment she stood motionless in the middle of the room, breathing heavily. She straightened suddenly, then dashed to the other room. Before Van could even think about moving she was back, something bundled in her hands. As she added it into the bag, he recognized her school uniform, the one she'd worn most of the time he'd known her. She zipped the bag closed and picked it up, then froze.

He watched the emotions play over her face. Anger, sadness, determination all warred there, followed by resignation. With slow steps, she moved to the closet. Opening it, she pushed the bag onto a shelf, far back in the corner. Shutting the door, she leaned against it with her head bowed. Moments later, she slid to the floor, her head buried in her upraised knees. Her shoulders shook, and he knew she was crying.

Van took several steps forward before he realized she wouldn't be able to see him. There was nothing he wanted more than to sit down beside her, wrap her in his arms, and make her believe everything would be all right. Maybe this was his punishment for those years of silence. He would always know what Hitomi had gone through because of him, but never be able to make it better. Never be able to convince her that she was the most important thing in the world to him. Never be able to swear that he would make her happy for the rest of their lives, then live up to the promise.

A burning pain filled his chest as he thought of life without Hitomi. It didn't hold any appeal. But was he the best person for her? He, who had caused her so much pain and suffering. He who she said she never wanted to see again.

As he contemplated his lonely future, the burst of light filtered into the room once more. When he cleared, Van found himself outside on a cool night. Hitomi was beside him, dressed in a loose top and pants. Time seemed to have equaled out between them, for he was able to easily keep up. She was jogging at a pretty good pace along a small, well-beaten path, her head raised slightly to the sky. Coming to a stop, she stood perfectly still. The moon's gentle glow painted the tears drifting down her cheeks a soft silvery color.

"Why, Van?"

Van started when he realized he could hear her. Her voice was low, clogged with tears. He could hear the sounds of the night, crickets chirping, small animals moving in the underbrush. From somewhere off in the distance, there came a loud squealing sound.

Van watched as Hitomi's head swiveled and her eyes widened. His gaze followed hers to where two glowing circles approached, swaying from side to side. They were moving at an alarming speed toward them, and as they neared, Hitomi, jerked to the side and tried to run. The next moments seemed to happen in slow motion. The squealing thing loomed close, ramming into Hitomi from behind. Her body lurched into the air, flipping sideways to the side of the road. She landed with an audible thud, face down in the grass.

Van knelt by her side, trying to touch her, but his hand passed right through as though he were as insubstantial as mist. When the light flared again, he cried out as he was jerked from her side. Turning angrily, tears in his eyes, he wondered what could be more important than Hitomi being hurt and alone. That thought stuck in his mind, bringing back her earlier words. "The worst happened, and you weren't there."

"No," he whispered brokenly, rubbing a hand over his eyes. She was right. She had needed him and he wasn't there. As his surrounding came into glaring focus, he saw a pale, limp Hitomi laying in a narrow bed. All sorts of machines surrounded her and a beeping noise filled the room. He saw her head loll slightly to the side, her eyes focused on the two people there, obviously talking to her. Only small bits of their conversation made its way to Van's ears.

"Serious damage . . . immediate surgery . . . no running . . . I'm sorry . . ."

Hitomi's eyes filled with tears. Van could feel the pain radiating from her. Racing was her passion, the thing she loved most. To be told she'd never be able to do it again must have broken her heart. And maybe her spirit. Add to that his silence, and the little she'd divulged about her family's leaving, and he had a good idea how she must have felt.

When the light came this time, it was a soft pink instead of white. Something told him this trip into the past was coming to an end. It was time to talk to Hitomi and settle things, once and for all. He'd let her down once when she needed him. And if she let him, he would spend his life making it up to her, insuring that it never happened again.



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A/N: Now we all know what happened to Hitomi. That was supposed to imply a drunk driver, in case you missed it. Oh, the vision explanations are as follow-

1. Hitomi packing up to move out

2. Hitomi in her new place

3. The once mentioned gathering of the "Gaea reminders"

4. The accident

5. Hitomi in the hospital

Whew, that was a lot of visions to cram into one chapter! Next time: What Van does with his new knowledge. AKA: FLUFF!!
The next part will be a little later than usual because it is the last part before the epilogue and I want to post them at the same time.
And just a little word in advance for anyone who might be interested in reading another of my stories; I will be posting my second Escaflowne fanfic on this site, hopefully within a week after finishing this one. If you're interested, look for "Promises Made and Secrets Kept". I won't say anything about it because the first chapter is supposed to be mysterious (as in keep you guessing who the main characters are and what's going on), but I hope you'll check it out.