Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne. I do, however, own the twisted little plot, and any characters I have created. Basically, if you don't recognize them, they're probably mine. (No one that I own appears in this chapter, though.)
Re-Visions
Chapter 11
The sun was sinking in the west when Van and Hitomi returned to the castle. For a while, she had spoken of her family- silently telling them goodbye as she did. He had done the same, his voice soft as he told her what he remembered of his mother and father. She sat beside him, her head resting on his shoulder, while he had one arm draped loosely about her as they spoke.
When he finished, they sat in a companionable silence for some time. Slowly, he became aware she was leaning against him rather heavily. When he looked, she had fallen asleep, a slight happy curve to her lips. Careful not to jostle her, he laid back in the grass, tucking his free arm behind his head. She nestled comfortably against him, one hand curled up on his chest. He knew his arm would eventually go numb, but he didn't care.
She wanted to stay. It was a miracle, something for which he would thank the gods every day. Past the treetops, he watched the clouds scud past, white and fluffy against the bright blue of the sky. The quiet music of the stream and her even breaths lulled him, and he closed his eyes.
It was several hours later when Hitomi blinked. Her nostrils were filled with Van's scent, still slightly smoky. Did I fall asleep? Well, I haven't slept much the past few nights. I guess the walk here tired me more than I thought. She realized they were lying on the grass, and shifted a little, to look up at him. He, too, had fallen asleep. She grinned and hitched herself up on her elbow, preparing to wake him. Before she could, he opened his eyes, awakened by her movement, and smiled up at her. "Feeling better?" he asked, sitting up and flexing the arm on which she'd lain.
She nodded as she stood. "Much, thank you." She felt herself redden slightly, looked away and said, "Sorry- I didn't mean to be such boring company."
He climbed to his feet as well. "Hmmm, yes, well, we'll have to do something about that." She glanced back at his serious tone. His face, too, was solemn, and he looked at her steadily. She felt her blush deepen as he continued. "Politeness to royalty is extremely important- and comportment, and manners, and whatnot." Suddenly, he couldn't hold it anymore, and grinned at her, as her mouth dropped open in astonishment.
Recovering, she glared at him and poked him in the chest as she said in mock anger, "Look, mister, you'd better behave or I'll tickle you into the stream!" But he merely kept grinning at her and grabbed her finger.
"Oh, and how will you do that, my lady, if I do it to you first?"
She laughed. "All right, you win." She was unprepared when he tugged hard on her arm, and fell against him, startled.
"What's my prize?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her.
"Prize?" she repeated, staring into his eyes, a bit lost.
"Well, you said I won . . . . So, what's my prize?" He was still grinning at her foolishly.
"I don't know. What kind of prize would you like?" She played along, smiling. She'd never dreamed her serious Van had this . . . this utterly delightful teasing side. Or that he was ticklish . . . somehow, it seemed out of place. But she liked it.
"Hmmm. If you don't have a prize ready, I'll have to think about it. Can I claim it any time?" Releasing her, he looked up at the sky, glowing orange and red as the sun set. "We should go. Are you going to be all right going back?" he asked, concerned. "I mean, you seemed to be tired . . ."
"I think I'll be fine. I'll certainly sleep well tonight." A breeze kicked up, whipping strands of hair into her mouth. She pulled them out, and tucked them behind her ears. She'd have to find something with which to tie it back. "And yes, I suppose you can claim your prize anytime, as long as the prize itself is within reason."
As they walked out of the clearing, her hand crept into his, and their fingers twined together tightly.
Hitomi considered what Van had told her regarding her visions. Was I really dying? she wondered. Was I really trying to kill myself? No! I never gave up, no matter what my subconscious was doing to me.
That must be why I ached all the time, and why my head hurt so much. I don't hurt anymore. Does that mean that I'll start having visions again? If I use our link, to talk to Van, will I still have that backlash? Will I . . . have that black and white vision again? Lost in thought, she stumbled. Somewhat guiltily, she looked up into Van's worried eyes.
"This was too much for you," he said flatly. "Do you want to rest?"
She shook her head. "No, I was just thinking. We're almost there, anyway."
He looked doubtful, but nodded.
After supper, Hitomi crawled up to her room and collapsed on her pallet. When Van looked in on her a few minutes later, she was already asleep.
When she became aware of her surroundings again, it was very early. She sat up, completely and suddenly awake, with none of the usual yawning, stretching and groaning with which she usually greeted the morning. It was unusual enough to make her blink in surprise. She stood, and padded over to the shutters leading onto the balcony. The sun was only just beginning to think about rising. I wonder if I dare go for a run . . . She reached down for her sneakers, and teetered against the wall, losing her balance.
The hands were black, somehow, in the blue Earthlight, though the arms were not. Then she recognized that the hands were so ingrained with soot and ash that they could not come clean. She watched as they struck a spark in the darkness, and then another. She saw the scars on the backs of the hands, the tufts of hair burned away on the forearms. There was a small pile of kindling- bits of cloth, dry leaves, small twigs- and the sparks fell on it. She tried to see who the hands belonged to; it was important- imperative- that she see the face. She forced herself to look around, and saw houses surrounded her. The smoldering pile of kindling was set against the wooden door and frame of a house . . . why?
Hitomi realized that her cheek was cold, pressed against the stones of the floor. Slowly, moaning softly, she pushed herself off the floor and onto her knees. Her head throbbed in reaction for just a moment, and she laid it against the wall behind her, her eyes closed. Well, she thought distantly, I guess that answers the question about having visions . . . But was that something that had already happened, or would it happen tonight? She couldn't tell, not this time. Normally, her visions told the future, but she could not forget when she told Chid's fortune- the flashes she'd seen of a younger Allen and the blond woman who looked like Millerna, her sister Marlene. She had not understood them until much later.
She realized she was expecting the intense pains she had become used to at home. She was waiting for her head to start pounding, her body to ache. But there was nothing. She pulled on her shoes, climbed to her feet. I guess I am cured. Just like Grandmother said . . .
The wave of loneliness on the heels of that thought was so powerful she had to lean against the doorframe for support. Mom . . . Dad . . . Her vision forgotten, she concentrated on keeping the tears that suddenly filled her eyes from flowing. After a moment of fighting, she regained a shred of control. Numbly, she pushed herself away from the doorframe and stumbled to the landing. Somehow, she descended the ladder and wandered out of the castle, into the city. Stupid, she thought. Stupid to think I could just say goodbye and not miss them anymore . . . Yukari, you were so concerned about me . . . I would have tried to tell you about this . . . Her thoughts ran in circles of self-condemnation and sadness.
Sunlight reached into the shadows of Fanelia with its golden fingers. Slowly the city came awake. Merchants and tradesman, craftspeople and bargain hunters spilled out into the streets to do business. Hitomi walked aimlessly through the crowds, up one street and down another, staring at the ground. A few people noticed her- a thin girl of about average height, her sandy brown hair just brushing her shoulders, dressed in red and white boy's clothes. Her hands were clutching her upper arms as if she were cold, her eyes melancholy and lost. Fewer still connected her with the legendary seer from the Mystic Moon. After all, that girl had helped save Gaea. She was strong and brave, and certainly had no reason to be so forlorn . . .
Dry-eyed, Hitomi wandered for hours, lost in her memories of home. Instinctively, she avoided the busiest streets, choosing instead to walk alone. She was completely unaware of Van's emotions, concern escalating into worry and fear, surging through their link. She didn't even know he was searching for her until she heard his voice calling her name, not too far behind her. She finally stopped moving, slowly turned.
Van had been pursuing her for almost as long as she'd been gone. He'd woken early, and found her gone. No one had seen her leave. For one cold instant, he'd thought that she'd gone back to her family, to the Mystic Moon, that she'd lied . . . But he dismissed it. She had said she wanted to stay, she would not just leave him, not without saying anything. He took a deep breath, and started to look for her, using the pendant as a guide.
Now that he had found her, all of his worry immediately transmuted to anger. He strode up to her, fully intending to lecture her about roaming around the city alone. But he bit it back when he saw how she was standing, trying to make herself smaller, as if she wished to disappear. She was staring at him almost blindly, her eyes swimming with unshed tears. Her face broke his heart; it expressed every moment of her inner torment.
He put his hands on her shoulders, looking down at her. "I was worried about you," he said softly. "Are you all right?"
She nodded, and raised her hand to touch his, but said nothing.
Studying her intently, in the same tone, he asked, "Do you want to go back?"
Somehow, she knew he wasn't talking about the castle. At once, she shook her head and clasped his hand tightly. "No. I miss everyone on Earth, but I don't want to go back." Looking away from him, she finished, "I'm sorry I worried you. I just needed to . . . walk . . ."
He turned away, still holding her hand. "It's all right, I know you didn't. Let's go get some breakfast . . ." He realized she wasn't following, but was staring wide eyed at her surroundings.
"Van . . . where are we?" Quickly, her gaze came back to him. There was fear in her eyes now.
He frowned slightly at that. "We're right at the edge of the reconstruction, just one street over." He gestured. "Everything over there is almost done being rebuilt. Why?"
She closed her eyes. Yes, it was the same, all exactly the same. "He . . . he's going to set a fire here . . . near one of these buildings . . . in the door of one of the houses . . ."
"What?" He dropped her hand.
She opened her eyes again at his sharp tone, and cringed at his anger and disbelief. "I . . . I had a vision this morning . . . and I saw hands . . . black, burnt hands, setting a fire against one of the houses. I'm sure it was here . . . but it was night, and I could only see by the light of the Earth." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, inspecting the ground, feeling the weight of his glance. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "That's all I saw."
Without warning, she felt his hand brush against her cheek, and she looked up at him again in surprise. He was smiling, just a little. "Hitomi, you have just told me more about this . . . Dilandau in training . . . than we have been able to find out in three years. You have nothing to be sorry for." He stepped closer to her, so they were only inches apart. Because she seemed to need it so much, he put his arms around her and pulled her to him. He meant to comfort her, and was unprepared when she pressed hard against him, her arms tight around his waist.
Their embrace lasted only a moment, and they stepped apart, startled by a noise in one of the alleys. Van took her hand again, still smiling, and started to lead her back to the castle. She looked behind for one moment, wondering what could have caused the sound, but saw nothing. Turning back, she increased her pace to keep up with Van's long-legged stride.
For Hitomi, it was a long, tiring, but ultimately satisfying day. Not for the first time, she begged Merle to let her help, to do something. Finally, Merle sighed in exasperation and eyed her. "Fine! You can help. Come on." Grabbing her hand, she led Hitomi to the kitchen.
The castle kitchen was, perforce, a large, warm, bustling place. The ovens and hearths had suffered little damage, made of brick and stone. Crude tables and shelves had been constructed immediately upon the Fanelians' return, and served well enough. The head cook was delighted upon hearing that soon she would be receiving much more suitable items. Work was all but completed in the city. Indeed, the last few homes were all but completed, and the only new construction was a warehouse or two, paid for by merchants. Van had kept his vow. The castle, in truth, needed little in the way of actual reconstruction, except for the towers, but it did require furnishings and amenities.
It also needed a thorough cleaning. Merle led Hitomi to cauldrons of hot water on one of the ovens, and thrust a smaller bucket at her. "Fill it, and we'll go scrub some floors and walls. Everything upstairs is still covered with soot." Merle filled her own pail and picked up a cake of harsh floor soap, made of the Gaean equivalent of lye, Hitomi guessed. She trudged after the cat-girl, trying to keep the water from sloshing over and scalding her. Getting the heavy buckets up to the landing without spilling too much was another chore.
Merle preceded her down the hall, past the rooms she and Van used, and around the bend. The corridor had recently been swept, but as Merle said, the walls were still black with the after-effects of the conflagration. "No, not here," the younger girl called when Hitomi would have stopped. "We'll do that some other time. We'll have enough to do here. I've started, but the smoke must have been really thick. There was a lot of heavy furniture in here . . ." She stepped through an empty door. There was nothing to distinguish this room from any other.
That is, until Hitomi followed her into the room. When she did, something hit her. Hard and fast and thick, memories and images crowded her mind. She reeled against the stone wall, and fought to breathe. Intense unhappiness warred with profound joy. She strove to clear her head. "Merle," she croaked hoarsely. "Whose room was this?" With an effort, she forced herself to drive away the feelings invading her.
"These were Lord Goau and Lady Varie's chambers. The king's chambers." Merle looked around, a bit sorrowfully. "I can only remember this as a sad place. Lady Varie was so unhappy after Lord Folken . . ." She swiped at her furry cheeks, and finally looked back at Hitomi, surprised to find tears in the other girl's eyes as well. "Do you feel it too?"
"Van . . . Van spent a lot of time here, too, didn't he?" she asked softly. Van stoically trying to hold back his little boy tears, Van crying in his loneliness; those were the images that she still saw clearly. "He came here . . . to remember when his whole family was together . . ."
Merle nodded. "I'm sorry, Hitomi. I should have realized . . . We can go somewhere else, if it hurts you . . ."
She shook her head. "No, I'm all right now. At first, all at once, it was a bit overwhelming. Where were you cleaning?"
"In here." She guided Hitomi to the right, through the bedroom, into the bathing room. The ceramic tiles on the floor had shattered, but Merle had swept the dust into a corner. The walls were utterly black, except where the cat-girl had started cleaning the far wall. There was a sunken area in the middle of the floor, slightly longer than Hitomi was tall, and about as deep as her knees.
Looking around, Hitomi inquired, "It was really bad in here, wasn't it?"
Merle nodded. "But not as bad as Lord Goau's study. He had so many books in there . . . the ceiling must have soot a foot deep." She plunged the soap into her bucket and rubbed it with a stiff bristled cleaning brush. "Well, we'd better get started." She began scrubbing the wall, where she'd made some progress before. Hitomi knelt at another wall to do the same.
Van located them there much later- several trips down the ladder for clean water later. It was growing dark out, but they hadn't even noticed. He leaned against the doorframe and watched them, unaware of his smile. They had managed to clean all four walls up as high as they could reach. The uppermost parts of the walls and the ceiling would have to wait for a ladder or a long-handled brush. He watched Hitomi stretch her back, arms over her head, on her toes, bosom thrust forward, and swallowed convulsively. She did . . . things to him, things he couldn't identify, things that created a sort of . . . longing in him. Like when she kissed him with her tongue only yesterday- it had created a longing in him then . . .
"Are you hungry, Hitomi?" Merle asked. She was sitting on the floor, legs sprawled, stretching as well. She hadn't noticed Van yet.
"Famished. Let's go eat." She completed her stretch and turned to the door, stopping short when she saw him.
"Lord Van!" Merle scrambled to her feet and bounded over to him, then pecked him on the cheek as if in passing. "Where's our supper?" she whined, seeing he did not hold any bowls or food. "We worked hard today!"
Van arched an eyebrow. "You worked hard? But you didn't even finish one little room! I'm not sure that you deserve supper," he said in a very serious tone.
Merle stared at him, openmouthed. Behind her, Hitomi had a very hard time trying not to laugh. She could see the grin quirking at the corner of his mouth, and had to cover her own with her hand.
"You . . . you would not let us eat supper? Just because . . ." Then she, too, saw the smile threatening to break over his face, and she yowled. "You jerk!" She attacked him, beating his arms with her small fists.
He cowered under the assault. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please, Lady Merle, please don't beat me!" he begged through his laughter, covering his head with his arms.
Of course, that left his sides open, which he suddenly realized when Hitomi stepped next to him and said, "No, Merle, do this." She started tickling him, utterly without mercy. Merle watched, wide eyed, as Van writhed, laughing uncontrollably, and squirming to get away from the other girl. Then she grinned and joined in.
Within moments, everyone was tickling whomever they could reach. They collapsed breathlessly to the floor, half in the bathing room and half out. "Two against one . . . no fair . . ." Van panted.
Hitomi was still giggling, unable to speak. Merle replied, "Sure it is . . . you're bigger . . . than we are . . ." Someone had managed to ruffle the short fur on her arms, so she smoothed it back down again.
Van recovered his breath. "Yes, Lady Merle, of course you're right. I managed to save some bread and a bit of some of the roasted hen before it was all consumed. Unless someone has taken it, it's waiting for you in your room." He smiled at her as she clambered to her feet and dashed away. To Hitomi, who had finally managed to regain her composure, he said, "Merle loves having roast hen. It's her favorite. Didn't you two notice how late it is? It's long past the meal time . . ."
He was a bit surprised when she leaned against him. "So, you saved her some. Meaning you do intend to let us eat, after all . . ." she laughed softly.
His arms came around her of their own accord. "Well, maybe just Merle," he teased. "I don't know what you like, so I couldn't save you anything . . ."
"Right now, if it's edible, I'll eat it. I might even consider some inedible things."
"Piscus?"
There was a long silence. Then, "Which category does that fall in?" she asked curiously.
He laughed, then stood. Deprived of her support, she fell to the floor and pouted up at him. He easily pulled her to her feet. He pulled so hard that she fell against him. Maybe it wasn't that, he thought as she snuggled against him. Maybe . . . it was just because she wanted to. He enjoyed the embrace for a moment, the feel of her against him, even liking that indescribable longing it caused. Then he said, "I thought you were hungry."
She shifted so she could look up at him. "I am, but you haven't said if you're going to let me eat or not."
"Yes, my love, I do intend to let you eat." He blushed as soon as the words were out of his mouth, but she hugged him tightly and his embarrassment faded. "I left our meal in my room. Come on." A little reluctantly, he unwound her arms from around him, but kept hold of her hand.
It was fully dark when they finished eating. He ignored the Mystic Moon as it rose with its silver companion. An idea had struck him while eating, and he was trying to decide how he wanted to broach the subject. A gentle breeze wafted through the window, ruffling Hitomi's hair. She perched in the window, staring at the sky. He sat on his blankets, discarding one method after another, growing more uncomfortable as she looked at her home world.
Finally, he could stand it no more, and went to stand beside her. "Hitomi . . . I . . ." When she glanced up at him, her eyes shining in the moonlight, he nearly lost his nerve. He steeled himself and plunged ahead. "I've decided what I'd like my prize to be. I think it's a reasonable request . . ."
She smiled and swung her legs out of the window, so she could face him. "Good! What is this 'reasonable request'?" she asked, a little mischievously. "And if you say to never tickle you again, I'll tell you right now, that's not very reasonable at all!" She grinned, but it slowly faded as she felt his solemn air.
The light from Earth illuminated his face, showed her the lopsided smile he wore. "No, that isn't it. The prize I'd like is . . . just your honest answers to my next two questions. That's all."
"That's all?" She frowned slightly as he looked away. Why was he so . . . tense? Where had all the fun fled? "You're right, that's very reasonable. What are your questions?" She took his hand, squeezed it gently.
He took a deep breath, forced himself to look at her steadily. "The first is . . . Are you sure you can be happy here, so far from your family?" Before she could interrupt, he shook his head, raising his free hand. "No, don't answer yet. The second is . . ." He swallowed hard, trying to clear the sudden block in his throat, but still the words only came in a whisper. "Would you be my wife?"
Hitomi felt her astonishment register on her face. She could make no sound but a gasp.
He heard her sudden intake of breath, but could not see her expression. Closing his eyes, he continued doggedly. "I . . . Since you left, I've felt less than alive. I was only really alive when you were here. You were . . . you are everything to me, the other half of my heart. I love you, and if you can truly be happy here, I want you to stay with me always."
Abruptly, he felt her warm fingers cover his lips. He opened his eyes again, and looked into her face, but he could still see nothing, with the light behind her. As she stood, her hand drifted to cup his cheek, stroking it softly. He was unmoving, confused by her silence, her actions.
He couldn't see her tears, she knew, or her smile. She had never thought she could be so happy. Before he could speak again, retract it, regret it, she reached up to kiss him, wrapping her arms around his neck. It was not a long kiss, not a passionate kiss, but nevertheless, it was filled with every ounce of her feeling for him. She felt his hands come to rest on her hips as she ended it, pulling back only slightly to whisper against his lips. "Why do you ask questions to which you already know the answers?" She hugged him to her tightly and murmured against his ear, "Yes, yes, a million times yes!"
Yes! For an instant, he was frozen in wonder. As it started to sink in, he returned her embrace, burying his face in her hair. Suddenly, rapture burst through him, as strong and bright as the blaze of the summer sun, and he couldn't contain it any longer. He swung her around and around in his arms, grinning like a madman as she shrieked and laughed and held him. He didn't stop until they were both dizzy. Breathing heavily, they leaned against each other for a long moment before he bent to kiss her again. Bathed in the moonlight, in their shared joy, it was an instant they hoped would last forever.
Author's Note: Well, you knew it had to happen sooner or later. Did I not tell you that I am an avid (and I do mean AVID) Van and Hitomi fan? Let me know what you think . . .
