Hey readers, here is my second story. Although I enjoy writing Esca-Fantasy it's kind of boring and frustrating to write cos the story line is already laid out for me to follow and I have loads of ideas for Esca fics floating around in my head that I'm eager to write. I wrote this chapter a while ago but it didn't really go anywhere, but then the other day I re-read it and liked it so I'm now trying to find a story line to go with it, but it's hard to find one that I'm completely satisfied with, so I may need you guys help a little later. This originally started out as a fic that focused entirely on Van and Hitomi's relationship without an enemy and with very little action. But in order for the ending that I've got planned to work, I've had to introduce an enemy and some action. I have a feeling that this fic won't do too well as people will probably read the summary and expect it to be another boring continuation fic, but I'm gonna keep writing it anyway. Ok that's enough rambling from me, here it is and I hope you enjoy.

You'll be in my Heart

Chapter 1

Missing you

On a cool, clear night, with stars scattered like diamonds across the sky, a young woman, sat at her desk in front of the window, dreaming of another world. Her short, honey brown hair danced around her head gently in the breeze and her emerald eyes sparkled like the stars above. She often sat at this window, gazing into the sky, trying to find that strange world that she left behind three years ago and thinking about the raven-haired boy she met that had captured her heart.

"I wonder what he's doing right now? I wonder if he has changed much or if he's still the same?" she thought to herself wistfully, as she remembered the young king. "I wonder if he ever thinks of me?" Then her spirits fell as she came back to reality. "Yeah right Hitomi, why would he think of you, the annoying girl that followed him to Gaea and was nothing but trouble, he probably has a beautiful wife now, with beautiful children, he's probably happy, so why would he think about you?" She hadn't seen Van, or felt anything from him for a long time. She could only guess what his life was like now. When she first returned to Earth, she could feel the care and warmth that he had for her through their special connection, she had been happy knowing he was always there for her. But then, one day, she could no longer sense him. At first she had thought he was in trouble, but when she done a tarot reading on him the cards said that he was fine. That was the first time that she had done a reading since she returned to Earth. She didn't want to return to Gaea, not knowing why he had broken their connection, so she stayed on Earth and tried to continue with her life. From that day on, she had felt alone.

"I miss you, Van." she whispered to the night sky. A single tear fell from her misty eyes as she buried her head in her arms and let her sorrow over come her.

***

On a cool clear night, with stars scattered like diamonds across the sky, a young man lay on the blue roof of a grand castle, staring up at the mystic moon, it's pale blue light surrounding it, shrouded it in mystery. He let out a sigh as he thought about the tomboy seeress that he had fallen for, only to lose her.

"I wonder…… if I had asked her to stay all those years ago, would she be here with me now?" He thought, as he remembered her charming smile and wonderful kindness. His thoughts were broken however when he heard a catty voice.

"You thinking about Hitomi again?" the cat-girl asked as she sat down next to him. Van smiled to himself, something that happened very rarely.

"I can never hide anything from you, can I merle?" he said, sitting up and resting his right arm across his raised knee. She smiled too, and looked out at the city below them, admiring the beautiful lights of the night. After a few minutes of them being lost in their thoughts, Merle broke the silence.

"That's not true." she said, Van looked at her in puzzlement as she continued to stare at the horizon. "There is one thing that you've always managed to hide from me……one thing that I've never been able to figure out," she turned her head slowly towards him, her blue, inquisitive eyes meeting his brown ones, "Why did you send her back?……Why did you let her go?" His eyes filled with sadness as he looked back up at the moons above.

"I guess…. it was because I had to," Merle just sat in silence, waiting for him to continue, "we were both young, we didn't know what true love was…... as much as I wanted her to stay, I couldn't ask that of her…..she still had her life there; she had her family and friends waiting for her…..she belonged on the Mystic Moon……that's where she wanted to be." Merle shut her eyes and lowered her head, now understanding her life long friend more.

"Did you ask her if that's what she wanted?……Did you tell her how you felt?" She asked gently.

Van let out a sigh of regret, and lowered his eyes back to the city below him

"No….I didn't."

"Then how?….How do you know that going back was truly what she wanted?" Van closed his eyes at her words, trying to block out the waves of emotion and regret that were pounding into his heart. Merle moved next to him and hugged his arm affectionately, just as she always did when they were young.

"Even now, after all these years, you still care for her just as much as you did then, you haven't looked twice at another woman, no matter how much your advisors nag at you about getting married, she's always been the only one for you. Don't be afraid to show her your feelings, believe in her, I know she still feels the same."

Van pondered her words for a moment. It was true that he had stopped contacting her through the special connection they had some time ago, but it wasn't because he had lost feelings for her, he just had lost hope that she would ever come back. She always told him she was Ok, and he could always feel her happiness. It had hurt him too much, so he stopped contact with her, in an attempt to put her behind him. He would never forget her, he couldn't do that, but he wanted to move on, but now almost a year after, he found that he couldn't, he still longed to hear her sweet voice and feel her soft touch. She was always so close but still out of reach.

"Don't worry Lord Van," she said comfortingly, "she'll come back, you just have to be a little more patient." and she silently stood up and made an agile jump onto the balcony below, she smiled reassuringly back up at Van before disappearing into the castle. Van lay back down on the roof and stared up at the mystic moon, his hand unconsciously moved to the pink pendant that was always around his neck, his fingers savouring its warmth.

"Hitomi." he whispered.

***

In the room below, Merle stopped at the door and looked sadly back out at the Mystic Moon, "Hitomi where are you? Don't you know that Lord Van misses you so much it hurts? When are you coming back?" she asked silently, before leaving the room.

***

Hitomi stood on the edge of a large cliff, spread out before her and bathed in golden sunshine was a beautiful city with strange birds with large white wings that flew across the clear blue sky.

"But…But that's…..Atlantis." she said in confusion.

"Hitomi." called a calm and peaceful voice.

Hitomi turned around to see where the voice had come from, and standing there, beneath the same tree that her and Van had nearly died under, stood Van's mother.

"Varie?!" Hitomi said, surprise apparent in her voice. Varie smiled, her long, dark hair hung down her back and her pure white wings were stretched out proudly behind her and Hitomi could see the wisdom that was hidden deep in her ruby eyes.

"Hitomi, you mustn't feel sad, Van still cares very deeply about you." she said with a gentle, knowing voice.

"What?...Then why did he stop contacting me?" Hitomi asked incredulously.

"Because he couldn't continue living with a hope, that he believed would only be in vain." Varie answered calmly.

"What do you mean?"

"He couldn't live each day with the hope that you would return to him when he could feel how happy you were on the Mystic Moon."

"The only reason I was happy was because I could always feel him there with me." she said in defence.

"He stopped contacting you so that he could move on with his life, but he cannot. He cannot put his feelings for you behind him, he stopped contacting you because he still cares for you so much, Hitomi." Hitomi just stood, staring at her, not believing what she had just heard.

"He stopped contacting me because he……he still cares for me?!" Hitomi thought to herself.

"Yes," Varie nodded gently, "he misses you Hitomi." Hitomi then felt a wave of long forgotten feelings wash over her; warmth, care, happiness, security and…. love. She closed her eyes, enjoying the strength of the feelings that she had missed so much. Slowly her sorrow, despair, regret and sadness disappeared. "Those are the feelings that he did not want you to know he had, the feelings that he has longed to share with you, but has kept hidden away for so long."

"Thank you," Hitomi said smiling, "everything is so clear to me now, I know where I belong."

"Do not be afraid to return to him, it's what he wants more than anything." Varie said, as she started to fade away, "Believe in his love for you." and with that, she disappeared completely.

"Thank you." Hitomi said softly, to the empty space in front of her.

Suddenly, in the sky above her, a bright light shone, glowing brighter and brighter.

"I believe." Hitomi whispered, smiling contentedly to herself as everything around her went white.

***

In a large, cold and empty hall, a man in dark robes sat on his throne, stroking the dark hair on his stubbly chin as his eyes gazed around his throne room. A few blue flames that were fixed onto the pillars provided a small amount of light, and long widows that stretched down the walls on either side of the room offered a night-time view of a large city. This was Zaibach three years after the Great War. Not much had changed about the city, it was still full of machinery and modern technology and was still one of the most powerful and feared countries on Gaea, the only thing that had really changed was the leadership, which had been given to one of Dornkirk's most trusted advisors after his death.

The silence of the room was broken when a soft knock was heard on the door. The man on the throne gave a small nod to the soldiers guarding the rooms entrance and they pulled open the large heavy doors that creaked noisily in protest. In stepped a young woman, the long skirts of her black dress muffled the sound of her footsteps as she made her way to the emperor. When she was a few feet away from the steps that lead up to his throne, she stopped and knelt down on one knee, her long, wavy dark hair fell over her shoulders as she did so.

"Yes Lord Zirakin." She said.

"Rise." The emperor commanded. Obeying his order she stood up and lifted her head so that her amber eyes met his navy ones. "It has come to my attention," he started, "that you have been studying under the sorcerer's tuition…..is this true?" He asked, giving her a cold stare.

"Yes my Lord." She answered politely.

"May I ask why you have been studying without my permission."

"Well my Lord, Maylin, Solan and Réna have all been tutored since they were young so I just wanted-"

"What your sister's have done has got nothing to do with it, they will be the ones that guide Zaibach in the future and make her decisions, they need to be educated, you do not"

"But why not? Why can't I do the same things they do? Why am I always treated as if I'm less than they are?" She cried out.

"That's enough! You are not worthy of the things they are. Don't forget that you were merely the result of a careless night of lust, although you are their sister, you do not have the same royal blood they do. You would not be able to handle the responsibilities of leadership."

"Why do you have so little faith in me?" She asked, "Why do you only look at me like dirt? Like I'm nothing to you, why do you not care for me like you do my sisters?"

"Sharé, have I not looked after you all these years? Letting you live here in the palace with the life of a noble, giving you the luxuries of royalty. If I didn't care, then when your mother left you on the doorstep I would have given you to the dogs. You should be thanking me for that much." Sharé just stared at the ground, her eyes were dark and shadowed.

"And besides," he continued, "you have your own part to play in Zaibach's future. One day you will be married off to the ruler of another country and will help create a strong Alliance."

"So am I just a tool of politics to you? Does my spoilt blood shame you so much that you need to send me as far away as another country?" She asked bitterly.

"Nonsense, you would make me proud by marrying a grand king, and that reminds me, my advisors tell me that you will be eighteen rotations old at the end of this moon." She nodded her head in affirmation. "That is excellent, at the end of the moon I would like you to come back and see me and we will decide who your betrothal should be to." She nodded her head again. "Oh and about your tuition, maybe it is best if you continue to study under the sorcerer's for the rest of your time here, after all, no ruler is going to want to marry you if you're brainless." He stated. "You may leave now, remember what I said and remember your place." He commanded.

"As you wish…..father." She relied bitterly as she turned around and left the hall. When she was outside, she quickly made her way through the long and twisting corridors or the palace.

"One day I will make him see," she thought angrily, "that I am just as worthy and capable as my sisters. One day I will show him that I too have what it takes to rule a country, have power and have respect, and one day, he will love me like a daughter." She silently vowed to herself.

Thanks for reading! ^_^

Natalie xXx