Hi! This is Jayli again wishing a fond hello to all my fellow readers and writers. If you've been reading the story so far you should already know all the mumbo jumbo that goes here, but just in case and for all legal purposes… I do not own in any way Escaflowne, it's characters, plots, themes, etc. Somebody else very lucky owns all of that and I wish almost every day that I was the lucky bastard who thought of it first. Okay now with that out of the way, welcome to Vision of Escaflowne: Homecoming. On with the show!!!
Chapter Four: Reunions-Part One
"Hitomi, Van, Merle!" Millerna waved to them from the top of the steps.
Hitomi looked up as she dismounted. Millerna was still as beautiful as ever. Tall and regal, Millerna looked every bit as much as the queen she was. Standing with an arm around Millerna's waist was her husband, King Dryden. Van had told her that soon after she had left, Dryden and Millerna had found their way to each other. They were now happily married and had succeeded the throne three years ago. Under their guidance, Astoria had continued to flourish.
On Millerna's other side stood Allen and Selena. Allen was still dashing. Hitomi sighed as she remembered when she had thought of nothing else but him. He had changed a bit, but the biggest change was his hair. Allen had cut it and from her view it was a little shorter than her hair and was tied into a low ponytail at the back of his neck. Hitomi turned her attention to Selena. They had not known each other long and Hitomi was most nervous about meeting her. She hoped that Selena and her could be friends.
"Hi!" Hitomi waved back and walked up the steps with Merle and Van. Once at the top, hugs and greetings were exchanged. Soon laughter and excitement resonated among the friends. "It's so good to see all of you again." Hitomi commented.
Dryden smiled and motioned for all of them to follow him, "Come. Dinner is awaiting us in the dining room. We'll continue to catch up there."
The group quickly agreed and made their way into the palace. Once inside, they made their way to the dining room. As soon as they were seated they immediately erupted with questions for Hitomi.
"How long are you here for?" Allen asked.
"Van's letter was a little unclear. Is there to be some trouble?" Dryden put forth.
"What have you been up to all this time?" Millerna felt that it was rude to discuss business over dinner and gave a small glare at both Dryden and Allen to make her point.
Selena was the last to inquire something of Hitomi. "Will you be needing any help?"
Hitomi blinked. Although all their questions seemed a bit overwhelming to answer all at once, it was the question that Selena had asked that caught her attention. When she had first met Selena she was shy, but it seemed that in a familiar environment surrounded by familiar people opened her up a bit. She decided that she would answer Selena's question first. Hitomi smiled at Selena, "I would be glad for any help that you are willing to offer. What we're setting out to do is sure to be difficult and I would love to have your company on our journey."
Selena broke into a grin, "I would enjoy accompanying you if you need me." Selena ignored the look of disapproval coming from Allen.
Hitomi giggled at the look she saw Allen give Selena. She sighed, "As for the rest of everyone's questions: I'm here indefinitely. I don't know if there will be trouble. And I've been growing up these five years."
The group of friends burst into laughter realizing at how awkward they had been bombarding Hitomi with questions. Millerna stifling a laugh spoke up, "Hitomi, forgive us. We were so excited once Van had sent the message that you were coming. It took a while for us to get used to the fact that you were back in Gaea."
"You're all forgiven." Hitomi grinned brightly, "But it is good to be all together again."
At that they all wholeheartedly agreed. Dinner was shortly served and they stuck to topics of Fanelia's affairs, Astoria's affairs, how the Mystic Moon was faring, how Allen was doing as head of the Astorian Royal Knights, and on various anecdotes of everyone seated at the table. Millerna was glad that her husband and the others at the table took her silent decree of not discussing business during dinner to heart.
For Hitomi, dinner was full of remembrances. She glanced at Van who was seated next to her to Dryden's left. He and Dryden were engrossed in country politics. Allen who sat across the table from her was participating in their conversation. For the most part she was listening to the conversation that had struck up between Merle, Selena and Millerna. Hitomi noticed how every once in while; Millerna would reach over and squeeze her husband's hand in a show of affection. Dryden would respond by running his hand up and down her upper forearm. Hitomi imagined what it would feel like if Van did that to her. She blinked back the pleasant thought and brought her mind back to the various topics being discussed.
Hitomi took the time that she wasn't participating in any conversation to continue her perusal of her friends. She smiled as she watched Selena get comfortable with everyone. She still was shy but she certainly had a strong personality. Although Selena would glance at her brother just in case she said something that he wouldn't approve of, she seemed to have adjusted well with her new situation in life. Allen for the most part, kept a protective eye on his sister. Hitomi hoped that his protectiveness wouldn't lead to any misunderstandings. Hitomi promised herself that as Selena's new friend, she would find a way to ease the tension brewing between a growing young woman and an uncertain older brother.
Satisfied with her observations, Hitomi hoped that she did the same for their observations of her. Selena and Merle noticed the far away look in Hitomi's eyes. "Hitomi?" Merle waved a hand in front of her face, "Where are you?"
Everyone at the table turned to Hitomi. "No where." Hitomi rushed, "Just thinking."
"Good thoughts I hope," Van patted Hitomi's hand.
Hitomi smiled, "Of course."
The conversation turned back to politics and the upcoming 21st birthday celebration for Millerna. Hitomi settled back into the talk, offering comments of her own now and again. But Hitomi never really returned her full attention to the conversation. Her mind was suddenly full of thoughts of her sister.
Dinner ended and Dryden moved the group into the adjoining lounge. After they were all settled, Allen decided to broach the subject that they had avoided during dinner, "Hitomi, what's going on? What's brought you back to Gaea?"
~Next morning – Myami's inn room~
"Myami wake up!" Tardus charged into Myami's room and yanked the blanket off of her sleeping form. Tardus ignored Myami's currently naked figure and threw the blanket back on her. "How could I have forgotten that you sleep in the nude?"
Myami chuckled from under her pillow, "Serves you right for trying to wake me up that way. You know I'm not a morning person." Myami turned over and keeping her assets fully covered winked playfully at Tardus.
Tardus threw his hands up in the air and called to Pristelle, "Could you please make the 'princess' get off her ass and get going?"
"Coming!" Pristelle came prancing out of Ryley's room, "I just got Ryley up." She shooed Tardus away and plopped herself next to Myami on the bed.
Myami groaned and lay back on her stomach, "So what time is it?"
"Around seven in the morning." Pristelle offered cheerfully.
"Tardus and his infernal internal clock!" Myami threw the sheets aside and walked to her travel bag. Pulling out various items of clothing, Myami turned to Pristelle, "Why don't you tell me how you ended up in Ryley's room while I get dressed?"
Pristelle already accustomed to Myami's occasional nakedness shook her head, "And why should I tell you anything about that?"
"Cuz I'm curious and you know you're dying to tell me." Myami tugged on her undergarments and then slipped herself into her pants and sleeveless shirt.
"You know me so well," Pristelle chuckled, "Anyway, I fell asleep in my room first then…."
Tardus who had been listening in by the doorway shook his head and walked to Ryley's room. Yil had already been up half an hour ago and was preparing their horses. He was to join them downstairs for breakfast. Knocking on Ryley's door, Tardus let himself in.
"Pristelle, I'm awake!" Ryley called out as he was getting dressed in the corner of the room.
"I'm not Pristelle." Tardus clucked his tongue as he sat down in the only chair in the room.
Ryley finished buttoning his shirt and sat down on the bed across from Tardus, "So what are you doing in my room?"
"Avoiding a particular pair of women who seem to be gossiping about how one of them ended up in this room with you."
Ryley chuckled, "Pristelle can't keep anything from Myami. We both know that."
At that the men shared a hearty laugh. "I don't know if that causes more trouble than good." Ryley began stuffing the rest of his things into his travel bag.
"What causes more trouble than good?" Myami stuck her head into the room. "Pristelle and I are going downstairs now." Myami then wagged her eyebrows at Ryley while giving him an appraising look up and down his body, "Unless you wanna demonstrate for me what you did for Pristelle last night."
"Myami!" Pristelle slapped the back of Myami's head.
"Ouch!" Myami indignantly yelled.
"Come on you," Pristelle dragged Myami's face out of Ryley's room, then popping her head in, "We'll see you downstairs."
Ryley and Tardus heard the women walk away with Pristelle constantly scolded Myami. The two men broke into a fit of laughter. Once they had calmed themselves down, they began to make their way downstairs.
Tardus couldn't resist, "So what exactly did you demonstrate for Pristelle?"
That earned Tardus a well-placed elbow in the ribs.
~Next morning – Hitomi's guest room~
Hitomi awoke to sounds of the ocean outside her guest room window. She sat up and stretched, taking in a deep breath of fresh air, "I've forgotten how beautiful Astoria is."
She threw her legs over the side of her bed and straightened out her short nightgown. After taking her turn in the bathing room, Hitomi quickly returned to her room to change. Being that it was slightly cool due to the breezes from the ocean, Hitomi dressed in similar form-fitting pants, linen shirt, and a fitted short coat for warmth. Hitomi dried her hair as much as she could then pulled it into a half-ponytail. Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she dabbed on some strawberry lip-gloss that she had brought with her from Earth and made her way to find Van and the others.
Hitomi hummed to herself as she wandered the palace's halls. She assumed it was sometime between seven and eight in the morning and that just in case anyone was sleeping, she would wait till someone found her instead of the other way around. She wandered around until she came upon the balcony where she had seen Millerna kiss Allen. Stepping out into the open air, Hitomi took in the view. She walked out to the railing and leaned out slightly. Hitomi watched the waves crash against the shore. Even though it was early morning, the harbor was already bustling with traders.
Hitomi placed her elbows on the railing and leaned her chin on her hands. After everything she explained last night, it had taken a while for the information to seep in. Once they had gotten over the initial shock, that's when the questions came. Hitomi had prepared herself and answered all that she could. The questions ranged from "Since when do you have a sister?" to "What's going to happen now?". It was the last question that Hitomi couldn't answer. All she could offer her friends was that more answers would come once they found Myami.
Van then put up the offer of joining them on Hitomi's quest. Allen immediately accepted and turned to Dryden to ask for permission to leave for a while. Dryden had concurred, although he and Millerna wanted to accompany them, they could not due to the upcoming birthday celebration. Then suggestions were made to go seek out Duke Cid's aid. Eries, Millerna's older sister had recently left Astoria to visit him and it would be good for Hitomi to visit Millerna and Eries' nephew. Hitomi quickly agreed, stating that they would be glad for all the help that they could get. Dryden promised to send a messenger in the morning to notify Cid of his upcoming visitors.
With everyone immersed in making a plan of action, Selena took the chance to whisper to Hitomi that she wanted to come with them. Hitomi enthusiastically agreed and turned to announce that Selena was joining as well. Allen had not taken Selena's desire to join them to heart. He had immediately disagreed and had ended up arguing with Hitomi. Hitomi had jumped up as Selena's champion and ardently took up her cause. The argument raged for about ten minutes when to everyone's surprise Selena spoke up. She had thanked Hitomi then turned to her brother and proceeded to put him in his place. Selena had explained that she was old enough to make her own decisions, that she could be an asset to their journey and that she could take care of herself thanks to his fencing lessons. For the rest of the night Allen's face held a look of astonishment.
Hitomi laughed lightly at the memory. It did Selena good to stand up to her brother. Hitomi only hoped that things would continue to go on that well. Hitomi cleared her head and watched in silence as the seagulls flew above the water. Ever since finding out that she was Ryujinbito she had only spread her wings once. Taking a quick glance around to see if anyone could see her, Hitomi slipped off her shirt. Keeping on her bra, Hitomi concentrated and released her wings.
That was how Van found her. At first Van couldn't believe his eyes. Then he remembered that Hitomi was like him and he hid in the shadows to watch her. She was incredibly beautiful. At this moment he could think of nothing more amazing than Hitomi.
Hitomi didn't notice her visitor. Clutching her shirt to her bosom, Hitomi stretched out her wings. She flapped them once and the rush of air swirled around her. Hitomi laughed with cheer. She curled her wings toward her and ran her hand through the soft feathers. It blew her away that she had something like this. Suddenly aware that she might be seen, Hitomi quickly willed her wings to retract. Once she was sure they were gone, she buttoned up her shirt and returned to her position at the balcony railing.
Van smiled to himself. He remembered what it was like for him when he had discovered he had wings. Although his mother had forbidden him to use them, Van had snuck off many times to just look at his wings. Van looked to the woman that he loved. She was his match in every way, his soul mate. Something had led him to her this morning and he was glad that it did. Van grinned as he walked up to Hitomi, "Good morning."
Hitomi looked away from the ocean scenery and into Van's eyes. "I wonder if he saw me." She thought. Finding her voice again, "Good morning, Van." Hitomi watched as he nodded and proceeded to join her at the railing. "It's beautiful isn't it?"
"Yes it is." Van not exactly meaning the view that Hitomi was looking at, "Would you like to join me for breakfast?"
"What about the others?" Hitomi wondered.
"I'm sure they'll either be there or join us soon," Van offered his arm, "Allow me to be your escort."
Hitomi gently linked her arm with his, "Of course."
Van led Hitomi in comfortable silence to the breakfast room. Van promised himself one thing as he opened the breakfast room's doors, "I promise to take you soaring Hitomi."
As if reading his thoughts, Hitomi looked into his eyes and offered a silent oath of gratitude.
"Good morning you two!" Millerna greeted cheerfully as Van and Hitomi entered the breakfast room, "Please help yourselves." Millerna pointed to the buffet table at the side of the room, "Our cook always prepares the most scrumptious morning meals."
"Will anyone else be joining us?" Hitomi asked as she began making a plate of food.
Millerna took a sip of juice, "Dryden should be here shortly as should Selena. Allen has already eaten, as he is the early riser among all of us. What about Merle?"
Van sat down to Millerna's right and responded, "I checked on Merle before finding Hitomi. She is still sleeping. We woke her up so early yesterday to make it here by dusk, that she is feeling a bit fatigued."
"Millerna?" Hitomi sat down on the opposite side of the table across from Van.
"Yes, Hitomi?"
"I was wondering that since we're going to be here for two more days if you wouldn't mind showing me around a bit." Hitomi inquired hopefully.
Millerna clapped her hands in excitement, "Of course I'll show you around. There's so much of Astoria that you haven't seen that I'm dying to show you."
"Arigato, Millerna-sama." Hitomi smiled.
"We'll take Merle and Selena with us and make it a girl's day out." Millerna planned, "I can take you all shopping for dresses to wear to the ball for my birthday."
Hitomi chuckled, "Millerna-sama, please, one thing at a time. We might not even be back in time for your birthday celebration."
"You better be back in time for my birthday," Millerna grabbed Hitomi's hands, "I can't celebrate it without you. I would love to meet your sister and all my family will be there. Believe me Hitomi, I consider you, Van, Merle, even your sister who I haven't met, family."
"I don't know what to say." Hitomi was speechless. It touched her deeply that Millerna cared enough to consider her family. She looked to Van and he smiled in support, "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. And don't say anything. Just think about coming back in time for my party and keep it in mind while you're finding Myami."
Hitomi nodded and the trio continued eating their breakfast. Soon after Dryden and Selena walked in and joined them and last but not least Merle came in stretching her arms out and yawning. "Am I too late?"
"Just about," Van laughed as he finished his tea. "I for one am done." Getting out of his chair he made his way to Hitomi and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Have fun today, and if you need anything I'll be with Allen in the soldier's barracks."
Hitomi placed a hand on Van's and thanked him. The look of attraction that passed between their eyes didn't go unnoticed by the other occupants of the room. After Van left, Selena turned to Hitomi, "What was that all about?"
"Oh, Millerna-sama is taking all us girls for a day out in the city." Hitomi explained.
"No I mean…" Selena started and caught the look coming from Millerna and Merle.
"What?" Hitomi looked questioningly at the three women. Dryden shrugged when Hitomi stared at him.
"Nothing." Merle quickly interjected, "Ne, Hitomi-chan. Why don't you go get ready and by the time you're ready I'll be done eating. That should be plenty of time for Selena and Millerna-sama to prepare as well."
Hitomi, who got the distinct feeling that she was subtly being asked to leave for a bit, nodded and excused herself from the table, thanking Dryden for his hospitality. As soon as Hitomi exited, Merle placed her attention on Selena, "Sorry about that, but there are some things that I forgot to tell you about Van and Hitomi."
Selena quizzically stared at Millerna and Merle, "And Millerna-sama knows of this."
"Yes," Merle supplied, "And so does Dryden-sama. I spoke with them last night after our meeting in the lounge."
Dryden nodded in assurance to Selena, "But Allen does not know yet, but I'm assuming that once Van talks with him he'll understand."
"What does everyone know that I don't know?" Selena was beginning to get impatient.
Merle grinned, "Van and Hitomi are in love. We're just giving them time to figure it out on their own. Until it happens, I would tread lightly when it comes to their displays of affection."
"Merle's right." Millerna asserted and gave Dryden a knowing look, "It's more difficult to express one's feelings to another when there are others always asking questions. Love, at first, is an uneasy emotion. It should not be trifled with. Unless Hitomi asks for advice, we should just pretend that what they do is normal."
"I guess I understand," Selena tilted her head, "But how will Onii-chan know once Van talks to him. If you told Van what you just told me wouldn't that defeat the purpose of letting them figure out their feelings?"
"What we just explained to you, Van does not know of." Dryden continued, "I have a feeling Van is going to spend time with Allen to find out if he still has feelings for her. And if he does, he will stake his claim on Hitomi."
~On the road leading to Astoria~
"Slow down, Dorser!" Nigel called out in annoyance, "At the rate we're going, the horses won't be able to go the distance that you have planned for today."
Dorser reluctantly reduced his speed. His horse was already laboring and they were a good half a day's ride away from a place to get another horse. Looking for a spot where they could give their horses a rest, Dorser soon spotted a grove that had a small stream of fresh water running through it. "We will rest there."
Nigel silently thanked whatever supernatural being out there for coercing his companion into taking a break. They had left the inn before dawn at Dorser's insistence and Nigel had not been too happy. After a night of sex with one of the women he had surrounded himself the evening before, Nigel was beginning to feel the strain. Once at the grove, he leapt off his steed and led it to the stream for it to refresh itself. Nigel did the same, splashing his face with the cool waters. "It's about time."
"Because of me we shaved off a day from our travel time." Dorser sat on a rock near his horse. "Astoria is not too far beyond those hills. I'd say about three to four more days."
Nigel grunted in response and plopped himself in front of the stream, "Is that device of Master Kirok's still pointing in the direction of Astoria?"
"Yes. The light grows stronger the closer we get."
"What guarantee do we have that the sister will still be there once we arrive?"
Dorser sharpened his dagger on the rock, "None, but the trip to Astoria won't be fruitless." At Nigel's quizzical look Dorser continued, "Master believes that there are pages missing from the last volume of Ryujinbito spells and prophecies."
"Which would explain why the researchers are having trouble deciphering it," Nigel began to wipe down the horses with the cool water, "Is one of the pages in Astoria then?'
"He believes it is," Dorser chewed on a blade of grass, "They're hidden in different treasures. In Astoria, Master Kirok thinks that the page is hidden in the royal scepter."
"That's gonna be difficult to just take under Astoria's nose. Think about the Royal Knights."
"Don't tell me you're scared of some poorly trained boys. Besides remember what Master Kirok commanded us to do." Dorser reminded Nigel.
Nigel's eyes lit up and he nodded in understanding, "Kill anyone who gets in our way."
~Astoria – late evening~
"I'm getting sleepy!" Pristelle yawned loudly.
"Don't worry, Pristelle." Myami consoled, "We're going to stop there for the night."
Pristelle's eyes followed Myami's extended arm to an inviting inn. They had just reached the gates of Astoria and it had been a very long day. "Thank the heavens!" She exclaimed.
As soon as they had entered Astoria, Myami had gotten a strong feeling of familiarity. Quickly she glanced around the area. Hitomi was here. The small group stopped in front of the inn. Myami turned to Yil and silently motioned for him to secure the area. Yil nodded his acceptance of her command, got off his horse and began to wander the perimeter of the inn.
"Trouble?" Ryley asked as he helped Pristelle off of her horse.
Myami shook her head, "No, just a precaution." Then leaping off her steed, "She's here, though. I can feel it."
"Hitomi?" Tardus began to lead the horses into the inn's stables.
"Hai." Myami seeing that Pristelle was about to fall asleep standing up turned to Ryley, "Here." She handed him some money, "Why don't you get our rooms and get Pristelle to bed. It's really late and we can talk about what we need to do tomorrow morning."
Ryley nodded and half carried, half walked Pristelle into the inn. Myami waited a bit for Yil and Tardus to return from their tasks. Once they had both returned, the trio went into the inn to call it a night. Tomorrow was a new day and they would all search for Myami's sister, Hitomi, then.
~Hitomi's room – Astoria's Palace~
Hitomi sat on the window seat of the guest room she now occupied. Dressed in an old t-shirt that she had brought with her from Earth, Hitomi felt comfortable and safe. How odd it was just three weeks ago she had been on the Mystic Moon, Earth. Now back on Gaea, she had at first thought that she would feel out of place. Much to her surprise, it had just felt as if she was coming home.
It had been a long day. Especially since Millerna was her tour guide. It seemed as if she had endless supplies of energy. They went everywhere Millerna could think of to show her. From clothes makers to food vendors, their day had been full of adventure.
Millerna's excitement had proved to be catching and it didn't take long before the other three girls had taken on her mood. Hitomi laughed at the day's antics. All in all Hitomi had had a great day. Hitomi leaned her head against the side of the window. She thought back to the memories of Myami. Now that she did remember, all the feelings of love she had for Myami reinforced themselves in her mind. Myami was and would be her rock. She was family and she knew that whatever it was that was approaching, she could rely on Myami.
Hitomi thought also of Van. She could not forget about him. He too had proved to be another rock in Hitomi's life. Her love for him had only grown stronger the last three weeks. Van had gone out of his way to make her feel at home and he had succeeded and for that Hitomi would always be grateful. Just his presence comforted her.
Then there were the rest of their friends: Merle, Millerna and Dryden, Allen, Selena, Cid, and Eries. Once they were all together, including Myami, Hitomi knew that things would be okay. Hitomi thought for a moment and decided that tomorrow she would do another tarot reading to see if she could find the forest kingdom that had appeared in her last vision. Myami was close. She could feel it. Saying a quick prayer of thanks and luck, Hitomi stepped away from the window and went to bed.
~Courtyard~
Unbeknownst to Hitomi, her time by the window was being watched by two men. Each man watching Hitomi from opposite sides of the courtyard didn't even realize that he wasn't alone. On one side was Van, wishing with all of his heart that he could find just the right words to burst into Hitomi's room right at that moment to confess his love. On the other side stood Allen. For Allen it had been five years of thoughts of Hitomi that had drawn him to her window. After his conversation with Van he had to come to terms with what he still felt for the beautiful woman.
~Flashback~
Clang! Crash! Clang! The sounds of the practice field filled Allen's ears. As captain of the royal guard, Allen was in charge of keeping all those under his command sharp and ready for action. Although it had been five years since the last time a sword was even really needed, Allen's troop was still the best in all of Gaea.
Allen stepped slightly away from the practicing soldiers to observe everyone's progress. As he watched his mind wandered to the one thought that he had been trying to avoid for the last three days: Hitomi. Ever since Dryden had informed him of a Fanelian messenger arriving and that the message was that Hitomi had returned and was coming to Astoria, Allen couldn't stop thinking about his unrequited love for her. He still did not know what Hitomi actually felt for him or for Van, but he knew that he had to find out. He was fully prepared to act on the feelings that still dominated his mind and heart to discover if Hitomi was really the one he was meant to be with.
Allen looked up to find Van approaching him from the entrance of the practice field. Allen smiled in greeting, "Van."
"Ohayo, Allen." Van motioned to the various swords on a stand near the wall, "I came to see if you felt like testing my skills."
Allen raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure? I mean, you have yet to fully defeat me." Allen added cockily.
"We'll see about that my friend." Van picked up a sword and saluted Allen with it.
Allen chose his weapon and the fight began. Neither one holding back, they soon drew the attention of the entire field. The soldiers were all rooting for their favorite and the crowd was soon drawing on lookers from the castle. Blow for blow the two combatants seemed to be equally matched. Thrust, parry, block, thrust, parry, and block: so continued the pattern. Allen was impressed with Van's improvement. It seemed that Van had kept practicing after the Great War. Allen winced as Van's last blow shook his arm.
Van grimaced as his stamina began to wane. Allen was still as good as he always was. Their duel had gone on for the last seven minutes and it seemed to be taking its toll on the fighters. Neither dueler could take an advantage over the other. Van's face grew serious as he remembered why he had come out here in the first place. Ever since he had seen the way Allen had looked at Hitomi when they had first arrived, Van couldn't help but feel threatened. He knew how close they had once been during the Great War. Because he still did not know how Hitomi felt towards him, Allen was competition for her heart. Van needed to know how Allen felt. He didn't know what compelled him to challenge Allen but it was quickly releasing a lot of the pent up aggression he didn't even know he had. Another clash sounded between their swords, "I love her." Van grunted out.
Allen was taken by surprise, "What?" He almost missed blocking Van's sword.
Van advanced, "You heard me."
"Then why are you telling me?" Allen swung down his sword.
"I'm telling you because I want you to stay away from her. I want you to be no more than her friend."
Allen gave Van a small smile, "And what if that isn't my intention?"
"Then next time we duel," Van stepped back and dropped his sword. He extended his hand to Allen and waited till they clasped arms, "It will have to be for real."
~End Flashback~
Allen turned away from the window once Hitomi had stepped out of view. Although he didn't tell Van exactly how he felt about Hitomi, he knew that whatever it was it couldn't, wouldn't be ignored.
Van stirred at the sound of movement coming from the other side of the yard. He saw Allen quietly making his way back into the palace. Van looked back up to Hitomi's window and found that she had left. "Probably to get some sleep." He thought to himself. Van scratched the back of his head as he too made his way to back into the castle. He didn't expect to see Allen there. Although he had already spoken with Allen, Van couldn't shake the feeling that Allen may still be in love with Hitomi. Van shook his head. If he was ever going to expect to win Hitomi's heart, he had better think of something fast. Van just didn't think he would ever compare to someone like Allen.
~Somewhere near Vastras~
Nigel stirred as the carriage ran over a bump in the road. Seated across from him was Dorser. Upon Dorser's insistence they were traveling through the night on a hired carriage. It would take them to Vastras by morning and another two days would be shaved off their travel time. They had only stopped long enough to change horses for the carriage twice.
Nigel, thinking Dorser was asleep, opened his eyes to appraise the carriage. Dorser was unbearably serious but he did have taste. Nigel approved of their style of travel. Although it annoyed him to no end that they had to travel by night, it made a lot of sense. He stared at his companion. Through the years they had competed in everything, including Myami's affections. Dorser had been the clear victor in that altercation, but soon had lost it all when she had left. They then competed for the Master's favor and Dorser had once again out done Nigel. He wondered why he was never really bitter about it all. Nigel shrugged it off. Dorser was the closest thing he had to a friend and although they didn't always get along he knew that they would always be loyal to one another. "I promise next time, though, I will be the one on top." Nigel whispered to himself as he closed his eyes and returned into the sandman's clutches.
Dorser kept his eyes closed as he heard Nigel stir in his sleep. It had been essential for them to take this carriage. Without it they would have to still travel for a while to reach Astoria. Dorser heard Nigel sigh and fall back asleep. Turning to look out of the small window, he thought about what Myami might be like today. He had let himself get too close to her and had almost allowed himself to go along with her when she had escaped. But Dorser hadn't allowed that. Instead he had cut all ties to her and chose the power that Master Kirok had been willing to give him. To Dorser, power was everything. He had once fancied himself in love with Myami and he knew Myami had once returned that love, but they were young back then. When faced with the choice to either leave or stay, he knew he had broken her heart when he had chosen to remain under Master Kirok's tutelage.
Dorser took out the small instrument that the Master had given him. It's light shined brighter the closer they got to Astoria. Myami's sister was there, and somehow he knew Myami would be there too. Surely she would risk being found by Master Kirok to venture out and find her sister. If she were there, Dorser would make her see why he did what he did. For him, he wasn't worth anything without power, but Myami had never been able to envision that. She had told him that he didn't need power to love her. He had slapped her then. It was the only time he had ever raised a hand to her. He had gone on to explain that power was everything and that with it he would shape the world to his liking. He would no longer be the victim of anything.
"Myami," Dorser uttered, "I have never forgotten you."
~End Chapter Four~
Thanks all for reading this installment of Homecoming. The second part to Reunions will be out next week. As always I expect some reviews, PLEASE!!! It seems that there are a lot of readers, but not a lot of reviews. Of the reviews I've gotten so far, thank you so much for those. You're the ones that keep me writing on. Just knowing that you're pleased with my work helps lend some inspiration. So don't forget to review, whether it is good or bad (more good though, I hope), and let me know what you're thinking. Oh, and before I forget, let me know if you can't link to any of my stories. I've informed fanfiction.net of the problem, but if it still occurs, just e-mail me at jayli123@rocketmail.com, and I'll send you the chapter that you can't read. Thanks again!!! AND REVIEW LIKE CRAZY!!!!
Ja ne! Jayli.