Disclaimer: NO ESCAFLOWNE! OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS ARE MINE! OK?

A/N: REVISED ANOTHER COUPLE OF CHAPTERS! YAY! ^_^

* Vision *

Thoughts

Here we go! ^_^

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Chapter 4: Don't Die

Hitomi fell asleep as soon as her head hit the soft pillows.

* Hitomi was walking down the hallway as she heard a muffled scream. She broke into a run, and stopped in front of Van's open doorway.

She screamed in horror, "VAN!"

Allen was smothering Van with a pillow; Hitomi ran in and went after Allen…

Then, she was surrounded by blood. The faces of the deceased appeared around her.

Balgus, Zhongi, Folken, Naria, Eriya, Duke Freid, Plactu, the Dragonslayers, Dilandau…

They're all dead. And it was my fault.

Then she saw an angel. An angel with raven colored hair and deep brown eyes. It was Van, reaching towards her hand, his arm outstretched. He looked sad as the dead people chanted repeatedly:

"It's not your time yet, Van Fanel, it's not your time."

Suddenly, the walls caved in on her and she was drowning in a sea of blood.

AHHH! NO! WHAT'S HAPPENING?!

And as she took her last breath, Van's hand gripped hers, for the last time as together they sank into the oozing crimson floor… *

Hitomi woke screaming and panting for breath.

God, that was horrible… Was it all just a dream? Or maybe a vision…

(A/N: Who say THAT phrase coming? -_-;)

Cold sweat streamed down her forehead and Goosebumps covered her arms.

I'll get a glass of water from the kitchen, a nice little walk and something to drink… That'll calm my nerves… She tried to convince herself. She walked past Van's room and looked inside.

NO! Not again! She thought to herself. It's just like my dream… But no, that wasn't a dream, it was a nightmare, just like this…

There was Van, slowly running out of air as he tried to shriek, only to have the pillow crushed more forcefully against his face.

"IIE! TEMAE HIRETSUKAN! I WON'T LET YOU KILL HIM! I'M COMING VAN!" She shrieked, bounding towards the murderer and his victim.

"Hitomi?" Van cried out in confusion as Allen released the pillow from his face in surprise.

Allen had been preparing to make the fatal blow before Hitomi's sudden outburst. He reeled around in surprise and his sword made a large slash against her chest and stomach. She cried out in pain, grabbing her abdomen before falling on her knees and to the floor, unconscious from the blood loss.

"LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" Van screamed at Allen, not attempting to disguise the insurmountable pain this caused him.

"YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A COLD-BLOODED MURDERER! YOU ARE NO BETTER THAN DILANDAU!"

The servants ran in, signaled by the screams that had echoed from their lord's chambers. Several of the royal guard followed the flustered hired help. A maid fainted at the sight of Lady Hitomi, in a pool of blood and was lucky enough to be caught by one of her comrades before bashing her head on the floor.

"Do something!" Van pleaded, distress eminent in his voice.

As an afterthought he added, "And guards, arrest Allen Schezar, for attempted murder!"

"Yes Milord." They quickly replied, locking the blonde haired assassin in shackles and dragging him away.

"IT DOESN'T MATTTER WHAT YOU DO FANEL! HITOMI WILL NEVER CARE FOR YOU THE WAY SHE CARED FOR ME!" Allen shrieked, before the guards gagged him.

Could he be right? No… The jerk is just jealous that the only girl to truly love him is dead and the one that loves me is still alive and… He was about to say well, but that didn't seem to suit the situation at hand.

I almost feel sorry for him… ALMOST…

The maids grabbed bandages and rags to soak up the growing blood spilling onto the marble floor, while Van picked up Hitomi and placed her on his bed. The maids were angered by the blood all over their lord's bed, knowing they'd have a hell of a time cleaning it later, but with one look from Lord Van, they knew not to say anything on the subject and do their duty silently.

"Don't die on me Hitomi. Don't die." He quietly commanded her. He broke into tears just then. He could give practically any order in Fanelia and it would be instantly obeyed. If he told the people to burn their villages to the ground, they'd do it post-haste. For the first time in his life, he truly felt powerless.

Merle sprinted down the hallway, meowing as her nail file slapped hardly against her chest.

Why do these bad things always seem to happen to Lord Van? If Hitomi dies, I'll never forgive myself…

She knew that if Hitomi didn't make it, her stupid matchmaking letters would be to blame…

Why didn't I just stay out of their business…? Why didn't I just leave them alone…?

She knew the answer a minute later.

Because I love Lord Van and I want him to be happy, even if I'm not the one that can do it for him…

* Hitomi ran down an unfamiliar corridor at a heart pounding run. It was black. There was no floor, no walls, no nothing, just black. An angel reached out to grab her hand. She felt dizzy, and did not recognize the angel's face. But this time, the angel didn't save her. And she kept falling downward into the darkness… *

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The healers thought she was a lost cause, she just wasn't going to make it. She hadn't regained consciousness since her bout with Allen. Lord Van hadn't left her side. The healers reassured him that she wouldn't notice if he was there or not in her state.

He claimed, "She's never left my side, why should I leave her now?"

Whenever someone told him to go to bed, he stubbornly roared at him or her and gripped her hand tighter. They just didn't know if there was anything to be done. They'd kept watch over her night and day as she'd been in a coma for the last few weeks. Lord Van was becoming as thin as a skeleton and as pale as a ghost since he'd rarely eaten a thing since the attack. Everyone was very concerned about their king. They feared that he would die. The healers knew that a part of him would die with Hitomi. It wasn't a medical sort of thing, but they still knew the symptoms. He was slowly dying of a broken heart. They eventually realized that no matter what they did, he wouldn't go away until she was back to normal, so they suggested talking to her to try to snap her out of it. At first, he hadn't been able to do it. Just hearing her gentle breathing and seeing the crimson stains covering his sheets since he'd refused to let her be moved to another room. He fell asleep by her side every night, holding her, caressing her face, reassuring her that it would be all right. Sometimes he couldn't fall asleep, fearing she wouldn't be there in the morning. Even when he could sleep, it never eased the pain in his heart. He was haunted in his dreams by her smiling face and in his nightmares by her unstoppable bleeding. He kept a silent vigil, watching her, waiting for her to return to the sweet Hitomi he knew and loved.


It was on one of these sleepless nights that he'd first attempted the healers' suggestion.

"Hey Hitomi… How are you doing?" He obviously knew the answer, but it helped to begin with a common phrase.

"Hey Hitomi… It's me, Van… You know… The stubborn fool that never listens to reason and let you go, even though the pain nearly killed him… Hitomi… I wanted to tell you that you've got to live… You've just got to get through this… I need you… I need you here with me… I don't think I'll make it if you die… You're everything to me… I need you to get better Hitomi… More than anything… Who says we're too young to love? Love like ours surpasses everything fate can throw at it… Hitomi… If you don't get better, think of everything you'll miss out on…" He couldn't prevent the tears from trickling down his cheeks when he got no response from her.

"Dryden and Millerna were remarried… With a father like Dryden, I'm sure any children of theirs will be interesting individuals to say the least… You'll never get to see them… You know Allen's long-lost little sister, Selena, she's home now… She wants to meet the girl from the Mystic Moon that saved Gaea. You'll never meet her if you die… Hitomi… I want you to stay with me forever… I want you to marry me someday… Hitomi, we can never be married if you die… Hitomi… When we are married, we can have children… Wonderful little children that would look just like you and me… Wonderful little children we could love until the day we died… Hitomi, we can never have any children if you die… Hitomi, I love you… I wish that was enough to keep you here with me…" He whispered softly, kissing her forehead.

He walked out of the room, when he was out of earshot, a miracle that took place.

"Oh Van… I won't die… I love you too much…" Hitomi murmured, before falling unconscious once more.

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The following morning, Van held Hitomi's hand hopelessly, as the healers reran tests they'd run a million times before.

"Wait, don't leave me, all alone..." The healers and Van were shocked to hear the patient mutter these few words. She rose from the bed, a blank look on her face, with dilated gray eyes, much how she looked under Plactu's trance.

"I can fly…" She told them as she leaped out the window. But Hitomi couldn't fly.

"NO! HITOMI!" Van cried out as he leaped out the window, spreading his snowy white wings.

Some of the maids, not knowing of his Draconian heritage, fainted at their master's suicide attempt. Van swooped down and caught the plummeting Hitomi.

"You're an angel." Hitomi muttered as she had a relapse of unconsciousness.

A/N: Revised another couple chapters! I pretty much eliminated "Memories", because I thought it was pointless and annoying, so I just had Van's reasons for Hitomi to live as an alternative. I hope you liked it! Review! Arigatou and Sayonara! ^_^

~Trunks Gal~