Disclaimer: I claim no ownership on Escaflowne or any visions pertaining to it. I'm not Sunrise nor am I a psychic.
[Rubs hands together] Ok, this is my first attempt in making an Escaflowne continuation fic. This will be a 3 part series, meaning, I already have a sequel in mind, and another sequel after that. Pretty ambitious e? And I still have 2 unfinished GW fics and a lot more one shot fic ideas [sigh]. Anyways, I must warn you that my knowledge of Escaflowne is a little bit rusty. It has been a while since I've last seen it and I got used to writing GW fics. For comments, suggestions, flames or reviews you can email me at raizenheero@aol.com .
ENJOY.
He found himself walking deep in the woods, not knowing how he got there. A sweet voice filled his mind. She was singing to him, calling him, beckoning him to find her. He continued walking, drawn to the voice just like the sailors were drawn to the sirens' song.
He entered a clearing and saw a beautiful lake --- The Lake of Lethe, and knew that his journey was over. In the middle of the lake was an inlet where a girl stood, her back against him. Though her long, golden hair cascaded down to her waist, he knew instinctively that her back was bare down to the hollow of her spine. He smiled to himself. He had found her at last.
Sensing him, she stopped singing and turned around. Their eyes met, her lavender eyes piercing his reddish-brown ones. She was wearing a white, flowing gown that reached to her ankles, her shoulders bare. She looked young, almost as young as him, 16, though he had the nagging feeling that she wasn't. Young or not, she was remarkably beautiful, as enchanting as a wood nymph or a sea sprite.
Smiling at him she said, "You came. I've been waiting for you," in that melodic voice of hers.
"Who are you? Why did you summon me here?" he asked.
"It was fate who summoned you, not me. As for who I am, my name is Shahrei. You and I are of the same blood, even of the same destiny. That's why we're here. That's why we belong together." Upon saying so, a shower of feathers glittered by the moonlight as wings sprung forth from her back. She slowly rose and flew towards him, stopping a few feet above him. Still on the air, she offered him a hand then said, "Come. It's time."
Van's eyes suddenly fluttered open. He sat up, his eyes wandering around his darkened room. Satisfied that there were no Draconian girls singing nearby, he lied down again. "Just a dream," he muttered in relief, before falling back to sleep.
3 days after…
"Hitomi, are you done? Hurry up!" Yukari called from outside the locker room.
"Ok, ok. I'll be out in a minute!" Hitomi answered, rolling her eyes goodnaturedly. She slipped out of her track clothes and started changing into her school uniform. Yukari had been jumpy all the day, as if she couldn't wait for this day to be over. Hitomi couldn't blame her bestfriend though. Yukari's boyfriend, Amano, was coming over to her house today. Amano and his family had migrated to the U. S. and this was their first time to visit. Yukari was just excited to see him again after a whole year of being apart. Hitomi knew firsthand how that must felt, having been separated with someone she loved herself.
"Van," she whispered. In her mind, she saw him pause for a moment to take a drink offered to him by a kid before continuing on with his work. He was busy helping his people rebuild Fanelia and even if he was the King, he didn't mind getting his hands dirty. He had been busy the whole year, restoring Fanelia to its former self, going on diplomatic missions and establishing alliances. He had become a great King, just like she knew he would. She saw him wipe his forehead with the back of his gloved hand first before greeting her.
Hitomi, she heard him whisper. He sent her his love, causing her to feel warm all over. She sent her love back and told him to resume what he was doing. See you later, he told her. Then the image faded away.
Hitomi sighed. They had been like that for a whole year now, seeing and communicating with each other through their thoughts, sensing each other's emotions. Though she knew that they were more than lucky to have the means to communicate with one another even if they were worlds apart, it wasn't enough. It would never be enough. It could never substitute for the actual bliss of being together, of being able to touch and feel one another, of being able to express their feelings into actions. But it had to do. They made their choice and they had to live by it. They were young and they still had so much to do. So they let each other go, leaving it to fate to run its course. Their destinies had been intertwined from the very beginning, they were certain that their destinies were also intertwined 'til the end. And when the right time came for them to be together, they would find a way to be together. The fates willed it so. Until then, they had to be patient.
And speaking of patience, she knew that Yukari's patience must be running thin. She stuffed her clothes inside her gym bag and hurriedly went out of the locker room.
After a hard day's work, Van climbed up the Palace roof, a ritual he had been doing for a whole year now. By this time, the Fanelians had grown accustomed in seeing their King on top of the Palace, staring at the sky. Kings on rooftops were quite uncommon but it really wasn't a big deal to them. With all that he had accomplished and for all that he was ---a great King, an exceptional soldier, and a hero, the one who had saved Gaea during the war with Zaibach, he still was a boy. And if pretending to be a gargoyle statue on top of the roof would make him happy, they wouldn't begrudge him of that. Besides, all of them knew about the girl who helped the King during the war, the Seeress from the Mystic Moon. No wonder he liked staring at the sky. He was looking for her.
Van settled himself on the roof, lying down on his back, his hands cushioning his head. This was the only place where he could just be himself, where he could be left alone to think his private thoughts, where he could look up, see the Mystic Moon and think of her. One year… She had been gone for only a year but for him, it seemed like an eternity. Letting her go was the hardest thing he had ever done, but he didn't regret making that decision. Whenever he felt her joy of being with her family and friends, he knew that he had made the right choice. They both did. There were things that they had to do on their own first, and when they were ready, if it was time, they would be together. Fate had led them to each other once, it would surely lead them to each other again.
Soulmates. It might sound corny but that was the only plausible explanation why they had such a special bond. A bond so strong even living in two different worlds couldn't break it. He could feel her, as she could feel him. It was like they were living in each other's heads, occupying halves of the same soul. It was incredible! They could see and talk to each other through their minds, feel each other's emotions over a vast distance. But it still couldn't compare to having her in his arms, feeling her, touching her, and just being physically there for each other. But it had to do, for now.
He touched the pendant hanging from his neck, the one Hitomi gave her before she left, and fingered it lightly. "Hitomi." He then saw her in her room, doing what she termed as 'homework'. Hitomi had immersed herself more in her studies the day she came back, just like he busied himself in his duties as King. It wasn't that they wanted to bury the pain of being apart, they agreed to get separated in the first place so they could do and finish their responsibilies first. It might just make time go faster. He saw her smile when she sensed his presence.
Busy day? she asked.
Just like any other. You?
About the same. Track practice, homework. Oh, and Amano is visiting. We'll get together tomorrow.
Amano was the guy with you and Yukari when I first came there, right?
Yup. He's Yukari's boyfriend. And he looks just like Allen.
Van knew that he and Hitomi had already straightened out the issue with Allen a long time ago but he couldn't help feeling jealous, especially whenever he remembered them kissing in the rain. And even how hard he tried to keep it from Hitomi, she still sensed it. He felt Hitomi laughing. Hey. I don't have a thing for tall, blonde knights any more. I like those skinny, dark-haired types more now, she said in a teasing voice.
Van laughed goodnaturedly. Then, he felt her get troubled. Van, you seemed distracted for three days now. Are you worried about something? Hitomi asked.
I guess I'm just tired. I haven't gotten a good sleep this past three nights.
Why couldn't you sleep? Are you having nightmares? Hitomi asked with concern.
It's not really a nightmare. Just a reoccurring dream. But it's nothing, Van assured her. For the past three days, he made sure that Hitomi would never get wind of his dream or any of his feelings pertaining to it. But he guessed some feelings still seeped through.
He felt Hitomi wasn't entirely convinced. If you say so. Don't overdo yourself, ok?
Ok. You too. Don't go fainting in the middle of a race again, he teased.
Hitomi pouted. No fair! It only happened once and it wasn't my fault. I saw you, well a vision of you in the middle of the track!
"Lord Van, dinner's ready!" Merle called out from below him at the same as Hitomi's mother called out, "Hitomi! Dinner!"
Well, time for dinner. Tell Merle that her voice is so loud, I could practically hear her here in the Mystic Moon, Hitomi told him, grinning.
Will do. Talk to you later, Van replied. He tried to send her a kiss, imagining that he lightly brushed her lips with his. Feeling her blush, he knew that she saw the mental image too.
Bye, Van, he heard her whisper before her image faded away.
Sighing, Van sat up and looked at the Mystic Moon one last time before climbing down.
Van woke up with a start, clutching Hitomi's pendant with one hand. That dream again, he thought. He then felt Hitomi worrying about him, having been woken up also. He assured her that he was fine and that it was just that dream again. He pushed the dream to the far recesses of his mind, not wanting Hitomi to get a glimpse of it. He didn't want her to worry or get hurt. When he was sure that Hitomi had fallen back to sleep, he stood up, went to the window and started pondering about his dream.
Why am I dreaming it over and over again? What is it trying to tell me? he wondered. It was true that he was having the same dream for 4 nights straight but this time there was a change. Against his better judgment, he slowly reached out to Shahrei's hand. It was like he was drawn to her, not having control over his actions --- just like when he was lured to the lake by her singing. Their hands were about to touch when suddenly his pendant glowed and he had woken up.
The sky was starting to clear as few of the sun's rays slowly lit up the dark sky. It was still too early, even for Fanelia's standards but he didn't want to go back to sleep. That dream might come to haunt him again. So he remained by the window and silently watched the coming of a new day.