Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, and neither does my sister.

AN: Okay, I am Gabriella. Madri's my older sister, and since she's on her honeymoon, she told me to post this part for her. So, here it is.

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The blending colours of the sunrise made the sky a water-colour painting, dark blue in the west, lightening to the pink, gold and orange the sky was over head. Everything seemed to brighten with the glorious shine, and silence reigned.

She sighed. She had been sitting on the bench in the garden for the last hours-since Van left. Their almost kiss replayed through her head with consistence, never once leaving her mind to rest. His hard body, strong arms, angles, his soft shoulder, his clean scent.

It had surprised her, when he had taken her into his arms, hugging her against him, but what surprised him more was that she had enjoyed it, and unconsciously, she knew she wanted it. She wanted his arms wrapped around her, his body hard pressed against hers. She wanted to feel his lips, his soft lips pressed against hers.

This feeling was new to her. She had never felt so hot in her life, but not only was she hot, it was a different hot then what she normally felt. This hot feeling wanted to devour her, and she admitted that she was almost a bit of afraid of the feelings running throughout her. Not to mention, this was Van she was feeling these things for. Van, who though he had saved her life countless times, and she his, was not interested in her. Or at least, she thought he wasn't. Of course, the kiss they had almost shared tried to disapprove that.

She was losing her self in her thoughts. She didn't know what to think, such thoughts about a man, and losing her senses in his kisses, even sharing a bed with him had crept into her mind, scaring her. She was only fifteen, for heavens sake, and she knew next to nothing about such matters.

At school, every year since the last year of elementary school, they were taught about such things. About changes in a woman's body, in a boy's. How she would start bleeding, and not to panic. She remembered her first time, waking up in the morning, and freaking out about the blood in her underwear. Morwenna had come rushing in, but seeing what was wrong, she smiled and gave Hitomi a napkin to stop the blood from flowing onto the bed. Here, I'm proud of you honey, and as icky as this sounds, you should be proud too. You're officially a woman.

Hitomi knew she should consider herself lucky. The same day, Morwenna had explained about sometimes having a slight pain, or cramps, talking about feeling awful and mood swings. As far as Hitomi knew, she hadn't experienced anyone of those things, not yet, at least. The only thing she ever felt was a slight ache when she first received it every month, and then it went away. Of course, Hitomi didn't think about how she wasn't ever in pain, but more about how annoying the blood was. How icky and gross.

Which brought her thoughts to her stay in Gaea again. Not only had her hair not grown, neither had she bled in the time. She should have received it twice, and she hadn't. Not that she was complaining, but it was semi unusual. Morwenna had always said it was a sign of being a woman, able to have children, but Hitomi didn't care.

She had never thought of doing such an act like climbing into bed with a man until she was finished with school, university, and she was married. Chastity was prided in her family. But that just confused her even more. She admitted that she wanted to climb into his bed, to give him herself. In was common sense that stopped her. Not to mention a quiet voice in the back of her mind which repeated constantly What about Allen? What about Allen?

It was amazing how she hadn't thought of him ever since Van had left her standing there. Her thoughts had been of Van, and her desires, not of Allen. It was almost as if Allen didn't exist anymore to her. As if he wasn't there…something that surprised her. What was exactly wrong with her? Was she really so fickle? She was lost in her thoughts, trying to work out what was wrong with her, what had happened to the love she had felt so strongly to Allen, when she was startled out of her thoughts by a hand on her shoulder and a warm, familiar voice. "Hello."

Hitomi jumped, as her heart leaped into her throat. The silence of the dawn breaking startled her, and she turned, wishing to see who it was. And everything stopped, the earth in its orbit, the sunrise, the quiet chattering of the birds as she saw him. "Allen."

Dressed as he usually was, Caelum Uniform, boots polished, golden hair falling down his back to his waist, sword on hip, his face was impassive. "Good morning Hitomi. May I ask what brings you here, so early on this morning?"

Hitomi brought her gaze to the rose bush, or what she at least thought were roses. If they were the real thing or not, she was not sure. Her throat closed at the sight of him, conflicting emotions swirling in her. "I couldn't sleep." Which was, in one half, true. She couldn't sleep, but it was because of the almost kiss with Van that was keeping her awake.

Allen said nothing, but in watching him, she saw his eyebrow twitch, a sign of his unbelief. His hand still on her shoulder, he turned her so she was facing him. With his other hand he reached up and took her chin, holding her face in his direction. "I see. May I sit down?"

Hitomi felt like yelling at him, telling him to go away and leave her alone, to leave her in peace, but she couldn't. She was divided in half, one half wanted him to sit down and stay, the other half wanted him to get as far as he could away from her. Her two halves fought with one another, eventually manners winning out. She had been raised with manners, and as much as she hated them at times, it was common courtesy to invite him to sit. "I guess so." She tried to make her voice seem as dismal as possible, hoping he'd notice the tone and leave. He didn't.

It was amazing how she felt almost nothing for him any more. The bench was quite small, and there were barely five centimetres separating them. Normally, she'd be quite hot and blushing, trying to make a conversation to draw him out, so they could really talk. And now…there was nothing. Well, she admitted, there was a little bit of something, but it was pale in comparison to what she felt for Van.

Just thinking about Van brought the heat rising in her again, the urge to track him down and ask why he had almost kissed her, if he felt the same things for her as she had discovered thinking about him. Unconsciously she shivered.

"Are you all right?" His voice was concerned. "Not being able to sleep, shivering even when it's fairly warm…are you sure there's nothing wrong?" He took one of her hands out of her lap. "If there's something wrong, please tell me. I'm quite worried." His bright be eyes met her emerald green ones, but instead of the fire inferno she saw in Van's eyes when she looked into his eyes, Allen's were plain, no depth, fire, no nothing, as if she looked straight through them.

Her voice was hesitant. She didn't want to hurt him, and somehow she knew that telling him to go away was going to hurt him. "I'm fine. Please, don't worry about me." She took her hand out of his grasp. "There's nothing wrong with me. I assume I'm just tired."

Allen raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. He did not look at her, but at the gardens around them. "Rosan are beautiful this morning." He broke the silence. Hitomi sensed he knew something was keeping her from acting normal with him, and was trying to draw her mind away from it.

"Rosan?" She questioned, glancing in his direction. He picked one and handed it to her, without sound. It was a rose, bright red, smelling beautiful. She took it in her hands, minding the thorns, though it struck her as odd that it barely had any. Feeling as she needed to say something, to break the cover of uncertainty and discomfort, she shifted. "On-on the Mystic Moon, we call them roses. My mother always had at least one rosebush in our garden."

"My mother enjoyed them as well. They were her birth flower, and she always had them in the house." Allen was silent again. He picked another flower and twirled it around his fingers. "Celena liked them as well. She was always picking them to give to Mother. The day- the day she disappeared, she had just picked several of them, and handed them to me, so she could find the others flowers she wanted to give to Mother." He turned towards Hitomi. "You remind me of Celena."

Hitomi felt a blush rising on her cheeks. "I do? I- I'm sorry she disappeared. Somehow", she stopped, watching Allen for a sign that she should continue, "somehow I don't believe she just disappeared. She must have been taken, and that could mean she's still alive." Though Hitomi knew on earth that the probability of a child missing for the last ten years usually meant she was dead, she hoped that Gaea was different. And even on earth there were miracles of missing children turning up.

However, Allen showed no glimmer of hope, and he answered her with a dead-pan tone. "That could be." He fell silent again, and Hitomi turned the other direction.

She was at a loss of what to do. In truth, the tiredness which had escaped her last night was coming on now, as if Allen's presence was sending her to sleep. She fought back a yawn, wishing to return to Van's-no, her bed. She blushed at the thought of going to Van's bed. Van was an early riser, she knew, so the possibility of meeting Van in his bed was slim, but the thoughts still spread throughout her, making her desire grow. She stood up shakily, and almost collapsed.

Strong arms caught her, before her head reached the ground. "You shouldn't lie." She was lifted up, as one would lift an infant, Allen's arm supporting her head as he cradled her. She wouldn't let her self react to his embrace, fighting down the emotion of being held in such a way.

She started to struggle against his hold. "I'm fine, just a bit sleep-", she yawned, "Sleepy." Instead of letting her go, Allen held her more tightly, pressing her against his chest.

"No. If you're so sleepy you can't even stand, I will carry you into your room, and inform Prince Chid that you are feeling a tad unwell today." He started through the garden, keeping his hold on her tight. Her body fought in protest, in being held in such a way by a man who she felt nothing for, or at least, nothing like what she felt for Van. In all honesty, Van should be the one holding her like this, and her heart protested to as why she hadn't gone after Van in the first place.

"Allen, please. Put me down. I can make it to my room, it's just down the hall." They had reached the doors to the palace. It was bad enough to be held like this, but to actually seen by someone else, one of her friends, or Millerna, whose friendship with her was not very stable, or Van, who she knew would be hurt, would cause her self pain.

Allen stayed silent, shaking his head, and marching down the corridor. Hitomi thanked God, before coming to the hallway, which led to her room. And there is where her trouble started, as she started to relax, glad that no one had seen her in such a position, as Van entered the hallway.

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-Madrilène and Gabriella, 3rd of January, 2003

P.S. Hope everyone had a nice New Year, and Holiday Season.