Disclaimer: Don't own Escaflowne, never will. end of story.

A/N: This chapter is something that just came out of my head. I thought, "Why am I just focusing on Hitomi when Van has a life too." But I want to keep Nakami and Inhestia mysterious so I'm not going to have one-shots about them yet. Wells, here it goes. I love my AP European History class! It's so freaking funny how peeps used to act back in the Renaissance and the Middle Ages. HAHAHA!!! Peeps are funny. So, I also realized how Esca is a little like this as well. Don't ask me how but it does. So, if things are kinda weird in this story, I'm putting this into perspective with what I've learned in my AP class. Yay! I'm taking AP as a sophomore! I'm smart! I'm smart! Oh, sorry. And the reason for the title is because I love the Goo Goo Dolls and the song. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Big Machine is such a good song and I recommend it. It's funny how the title Big Machine came up in my head when I first thought of this Van-based chapter. Hehe! Well, I hope you enjoy!



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Chapter XI: Big Machine

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I lay on the soft and cool grass. A small red river weaves in and out of the small green columns. Ants wave their antennae at the stream and scatter away back to go to their hill. Emeralds and Garnet. she closes her eyes and sighs to herself with a smile. She says something I cannot understand and looks to me with a smile.



Emeradu let Girundo...



Her beautiful red-dyed sandy hair rustles slightly in the wind, protesting the thought of ever moving. It's not her talking. She holds her pink hand onto her erupting heart and bites her lip. From her breast reaches out a hand. Long slender fingers reach out to the warm air in the night. The elbow comes and I watch with the anticipation of a father watching the birth of his son. She gasps and looks to me with empty green eyes.

A sprout of black hair comes out and soon the body of a woman comes out. Falling in a heap of blood, she hugs her moon bathed form and shivers from the sudden cold on her flesh.



Kala hoet tay! Naalaka mik a nim soen!



The other woman lays against the grass. Her eyes placed on me for an eternity. Haunting emerald glass mirrors that hold my appearance. She gives a whisper from the far plane.

" Gomen-nasai... Van..."

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I wake up in my bed. My body is drenched with sweat as I sit up. Shivering, 'Oh gods' is the only thing I can mutter out. Looking at my hands, I watch the candlelight dance on them. I look over to my lantern and remove the shield. The flame shakes a bit and then becomes still. Moving my hand over and onto the flame, it jumps and licks my hand in a hot burn.

"Shit." I curse and shove the shield back on. Pulling the sheets away from me, I sigh and run my other hand through my tangled and limp hair. This damn dream has been happening to me since I was revived. At first, I was scared like hell but now I'm used to it. True it still unnerves me but I don't wake up screaming anymore. Heh. Sometimes I would wake and scare myself from screaming.

The wind feels so good as I stand out on my balcony, looking over my people. The streetlights sparkle like stars and all is quiet. I don't feel like going back to bed yet but I still feel tired. I think it's just the fear of having the same dream again, or maybe on even more horrifying.

Sitting back on my bed, I lay back and close my eyes. Humming the song that Folken used to sing for me, I remember when he used to help me go back to sleep when I had nightmares. It's funny how I miss it. I used to go into room and crawl into his bed and he'd hum a song for me until I was asleep. Heh. I guess it works....

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He sat on the throne, completely annoyed as an old farmer dragged his daughter into the throne room. She was crying hysterically and trying to pry her arm from her father's hand. Van sighed and sat up. "Now what is your business here?" he asked in a bored tone.

The man bowed as did the girl. "My lord, my son has hunted a deer from your forest yesterday. I send his wife, my daughter to you for repentance." he said as he pushed the girl up to Van. Inwardly, Van laughed.

'He's got to be joking. I've given up my desires for women a long time ago.' he thought. "It's not a big deal. You can just take her and go home and enjoy the deer." he said as he got up. "Now if you don't mind, I have no more business to talk about."

The man shook his head. "I'm sorry my lord but I insist she at least stay with you for the night. We are only trying to apologize for what we did." he said. The girl just looked down and sniffed. He sighed and nodded.

"Sure, just don't do this anymore. A letter is just fine." he said and walked up to the girl. Bending down, he looked up to the man. "You may leave now."

"Thank you sir." he said and hurried out the room. Van smiled to the girl and lightly shook her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he asked with a smile. She looked up and blushed. Biting her lip, she looked down again and nodded. Helping her up, they walked out the doors. "We have to get you a room unless you want to sleep in the halls." he said with a smirk.

"Thank you my lord." she said quietly. She was a very beautiful woman, as high as his shoulders and very fair. Her long black hair was pulled back in a Fanellian style and the ribbons set off her deep blue eyes. Perfect curves were hidden under a long brown and red dress.

"You are a few months late if you expect me to have a use in you." said Van as they stopped at a door. "I've given up on my days of women. It became too routine." he continued and opened the door to a luxurious suite. The girl gasped at the beauty of the room and walked in.

Turning around happily, she smiled. "Thank you my lord. You truly are a gracious man." she said with a bow. He shook his head and closed the door.

'I'm not that kind of a man. If only you had come in Green. You wouldn't think of me the same.' he thought and walked away.

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Colors of blue were everywhere. The field was soft under his bare feet as he walked across the clearing. A lone figure stood by the cliff. Long black hair flowed behind her in the sea breeze. "Mother?" he asked in a hazy dreamlike voice. The figure turned to him and smiled lovingly. The golden symbol of an eye with moons and suns were decorated in the middle of her forehead. Slowly, he reached her and she hugged him. Speaking in Draconian, she whispered of their meeting was fate and destiny's doings.

Raising up on the tips of her toes, she planted a long kiss on his lips. Drawing in breath, he traced his hands down her back. The ties of her dress were warm and drew him fingers into them. Slowly, as if they had a mind of their own, his hands smoothly untied her dress. She hugged him and whispered, "Touch me..."

His hands did as they were told and she sighed at his soft caresses on her flesh. Soon, he was sending warm kisses up and down her neck, relishing in her smell of pristine water and smoke. "I need to stop. I can't do this." said Van in a husky whisper.

The girl gave him another passionate kiss and nibbled on his lip. "You can't. This was destined to be. Don't stop. His feels so good." she moaned. As they laid back on the soft grass, everything faded.

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Dammit. The dreams I've been having lately are turning out to being scarier by the minute. Hell, I'm so scared that I'm saying 'scarier!' That woman on the field........ I feel like I've seen her before but it's still a little hazy. Oh gods, the woman. Hitomi would kill me if she ever knew that I had a dream like that. I'll never forgive myself. But how was I going to be able to not do what just happened? My body just moved on it's own. All I could do was sit there and watch.

I should ignore this all and continue on with my day. My day? Holy shit! I'm supposed to make a speech today about the advancements of Fanellia! Well, this stupid dream can wait for a while! I have a speech to write. Okay, I'm in the study and I have the pen ready. What will I say? Um, today is a good... no. In the recent years of... of our developments. That's good.

In the recent years of our developments on restoring and advancing Fanellia and it's culture have given birth to a new golden age of this country. Our money is... our money is... screw this! I'll write this later. I've got all day to do this. At least I'll have a little fun first. And I need to think about this new dream as well.

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Flowers were everywhere as his royal majesty sat in the first row of pews. A beautiful fiery haired cat woman wore a long Asturian style wedding dress. Her bridegroom was a very handsome man, black hair about his length and wearing a soft white dress shirt.

"And now you may kiss the bride." announced the priest happily and the happy couple did accordingly. Van sighed and smiled sadly.

'If only this would be our wedding. It would be so perfect. And Hitomi looking so lovely.' he thought as he stood up with the other cheerers.

At the banquet, it was the same routine. A multitude of princesses asked him to dance with their overly applied makeup and tight dresses. 'They are all just rich whores. Nothing better.' he thought with a smirk as he sat at his solitary table. Merle was currently involved in an Asturian wedding folkdance and was giggling hysterically. She was twirled around in a circle of men while the women danced around in a larger circle.

He seemed like the lone wolf, the wall flower in a way but he chose to. Keeping in the corner, he just sipped wine from his glass and smiled, swirling the sweet red liquid. "Not as good as Fanellian Vintage. I could go for some whiskey. I don't think Merle will mind if I go run and get some." he said and stood up.

Leaving the wedding, he walked into his favorite bar, Copper Medals. He always laughed at the name. It was like it was trying to sound manly and tough but failed miserably. Sitting at a table in the corner of the room, a barmaid greeted him. "Good day King Van. I hope you come in good spirits. What would you like?" she said and wiped a clean cloth across the table. It was as if her breasts would pop out of the flimsy neckline of the dress. Looking to his hands he ordered his whiskey and she left.

"As if this day couldn't get worse with Gael waiting on me." he grumbled as he thought of their prior meetings. When he was in his women stage, he frequented this bar because the women were pretty and had some class. And he would always be accompanied with...

"Van Fanel! What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at the wedding of your sister?" asked a man about his age in youth and smacked his back. His shoulder length black hair was tied in a ponytail and the bangs hanging long on his face. His lips were curved in a sly smirk.

"You are supposed to be there too. But I guess you snuck off and got drunk eh Sumano?" he asked back coolly. The man blinked and crashed onto the chair next to Van.

"Now that you're "giving up your ways" you seem to be nothing more than a jackass with his fancy pants too tight up his arse!" he said and laughed out loud. He rolled his eyes and spotted Gael come by with two mugs of alcohol.

"I'd rather have fancy pants than beer mugs to serve whiskey." she grumbled and placed them down. Sumano calmed down to a drunken giggle and smirked to her.

"You can get in my fancy pants anytime. But I forgot you prefer to get in his majesties." he said and burst out again. Sweat gathered on his brow and he picked up the mug and took a big gulp of whiskey. Suddenly, he gasped and coughed.

"Just shut up and drink you ass." said Van and he took a mouthful of his drink. The way the drink burned the back of his throat made him smirk. Remembering his first time of having whiskey at Copper Medals was a funny one. He had just turned the drinking age and was with Balgus to celebrate. The way he looked to him was comical when Van tried to gulp the liquor down. His throat burned for a month and he learned to ease it all down. But he always loved this whiskey. It was the best and the only brew in all of Gaea with the significant burn in it. A burn all it's own, like breathing in liquid smoke.

Gael smirked and sat on Van's lap. Taking the whiskey from his hands, he chugged down the entire mug and gave an average burp. Sumano blinked and laughed in a slurred voice. "Aaah! The wench is trying to impress you. Hahaha! I think she can handle her liquor better than you Van!" he laughed and the turned to a deep mocking tone. "Shall I ... leave you two alone for a while?" he said and snickered.

"No," he began, helping her off. ", she was just leaving. I have to get back anyway. Merle will be wondering where I am." He stood up and dropped a few coins onto the table.

"I guess his majesty is a queer then. Are you Van? Giving up on women and under the foot of your sister! You are hardly a man at all!" yelled Sumano. Knocking his mug over in his outburst, he hurried himself in trying to save the rest of his precious drink.

Van smirked to himself and continued to walk on. "I am hardly a man." he said and returned to the festivities.



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A/N: I know what you all are probably gonna think at the end of this chapter. Is Van gay? He isn't. I just like to leave undefined quotes in this. I hope you all will review soon. I lost all of my reviews so I am trying to reload them all. But anyway, I am going to go back to the regular time line. This past reflecting thing is taking too damn long ad I want to get to the story already. Besides, the past is so bound on what I can and can't write because I wrote the first few chapters crappy and I'm too lazy to change them all.

YURKON SHENSTA AWKING!!! Here's for you. I wrote that the OCs are too perfect and they aren't that bad because they do have problems with their perfect-ness sometimes. And that is a concept in itself. Well, I hope you understand.

LOVE WITCH: I know you don't forgive me and as long as I don't get crosses burned on my lawn, I will have to take this to the side. I love your opinions and all but I have the demented artists' brain and that means that that goes on the backburner. Maybe time will get you back to being neutral at least. *shrugs* but it's not like I hate your guts. I just .. um... shutting my mouth right now... I have the same way of speaking as Simon Cowell from American Idol. I have reasonable thoughts and good ideas but I just say it too bluntly for others to handle. Please keep that in mind so you'll understand my lil' outbursts.

Well, I hope you loved the chapter and the next one is coming soon! And I can finally announce that I've decided to make this a V/H fiction. It'll just be a bit rocky. Don't try to shave in the car! Hehe! Thanks! Adios! And I'm not Mexican! Black power baby! Hehe! Well, bye!











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