Summary: A conversation between friends leads to more, and a new face appears at Elmine's door...
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Hitomi lay sleeping fitfully in the bed of Elmine's bedroom once more, her torn-apart shirt replaced by one of Elmine's, despite it being a little big on her. It was late now, and Allen had not yet slept; he remained faithfully by Hitomi's side, too worried to even think about his own slumber.
She was a Draconian. One of the Atlanteans. How was it possible? How had she not known...? Her pendant pulsed light in time with her heartbeat. Perhaps all the signs had been there and they had just been overlooked, he thought. The pendant, her strong connection with Escaflowne, how she seemed to be able to bend Fate itself to her will...
"Such an odd reaction," he heard Elmine from the kitchen area, talking to herself as she was making tea to calm her own nerves as well as Allen's, "How did that happen? Draconians, gods..." After a moment, she walked into the room and handed the blonde-haired man a large mug filled with a particularly sweet-smelling tea. Gratefully, he drank from it, and looked up to her with a nod of silent thanks before looking back to Hitomi and placing his free hand gently on one of hers. Elmine smiled gently at this, her heart going out to the poor man...she placed a hand on his shoulder, softly saying, "She means a lot to you, doesn't she..."
"More than I could ever explain," he responded, smiling just a bit as well, "I love her...more than I can say."
"My herbs must have triggered some memory deep within her," Elmine began, feeling that he deserved at least some attempt at an explanation, even if she didn't understand it herself, "They were only meant to boost her recent memories to wake her mind up...but I think perhaps they worked too well, too deeply..." Nodding just a bit to herself, she quietly excused herself, intending to make more of the salve she had applied to Hitomi's burn.
Hitomi began to stir, expression in one of fear as though she were having a nightmare. Frowning slightly, Allen set his tea aside and reached his hand up from her hand to gently stroke her cheek, trying in some way to soothe her. Suddenly she awoke, eyes opening wide and looking around for a moment before she sat upright.
"Hitomi?" Allen asked gently, still not sure if she was entirely there, "Are you all right?"
She took a moment to get her bearings, looking around the room and down at her own body before she bit her lip gently, seeming ashamed to look at him, and managing to ask, "Did it really happen? Or was it just a dream? Am I really a Draconian...?"
He gently tilted her head back up, nodding slightly, "It was real...and we're just as confused as you are...but please, Hitomi, don't cast your eyes away so shamefully...do you think I'd think any less of you for this?"
"Considering your past with Atlanteans...I don't know, I'm just...so confused, Allen..." she murmured, shaking her head slightly while trying to fight the tears as they came. Allen leaned out of the chair beside the bed and turned to sit on the edge of the bed instead, gently clasping Hitomi's hands within his own. She blushed slightly, looking up at him.
"No matter what, Hitomi," he began softly, suddenly finding the words so much harder to say, "I will always..."
"What?" she whispered, a deep longing in the depths of her eyes, "Tell me..."
"Hitomi, you're awake!" came Elmine's voice from the doorway as she walked in with a fresh vial of salve in her hand. Allen let out a breath and couldn't help but chuckle slightly from the ironic timing of her entrance, and he sat a little further back on the bed to allow Elmine to come close and reapply the slave to Hitomi's arm. "How do you feel, dear?"
"Better," Hitomi admitted, "My arm doesn't hurt so badly anymore...I'm just terribly confused..."
"I can only imagine so," the older woman began gently with sympathy in her eyes, before there came a knock at the door in the other room, and frowning slightly, she excused herself to answer it.
"I wonder what Van would think of this," Hitomi said, suddenly looking upset again, "Or Gaddeth, or Celena...anyone...will they think me even more a curse on the world than I am now?"
"You're no curse, Hitomi," Allen murmured, shaking his head, "You've only been a blessing to me..."
This surprised Hitomi a bit, and she spoke as her heartbeat sped up a little, "A blessing? Me...?"
He moved closer to her, gazing deeply into her eyes in all seriousness, watching the pink rising back into her cheeks, and he smiled at it. "What I was going to say earlier," he began, lifting a hand to gently caress her cheek, "Is that no matter what, I will always love you..."
Hitomi's eyes watered a bit at this declaration, and she couldn't keep a smile from her face. "Oh, Allen..." she whispered, "I love you too...I always have..."
He didn't need any more persuasion than that, he leaned forward and gently caught her lips with his own. She returned his kiss as softly as it was being received, and a tear slid from her eye. For the first time since leaving Gaea those three years ago, she was truly happy.
~~
Elmine couldn't help but smile, having caught the scene from the small crack in the doorway, and she turned to the girl who had knocked at her door. Another stranger; she was tall and lithe, long shimmering raven hair swept back into a low ponytail, and bright green eyes sparkling with life. She was young, yet looked a little older than Hitomi. She wore a simple outfit - a pair of black pants and a loose-fitting dark blue shirt, and a sheathe fitted with a beautiful sword looped about her waist.
The girl rose an eyebrow slightly as if to question Elmine's hesitance to let her go speak with Allen and Hitomi, but said nothing.
"Let's give them a little time, dear," Elmine said quietly, still smiling in happiness for the new couple, "Come here and I'll make you some tea. What is your name, dear?"
The girl seemed to hesitate for a moment, then took a breath in and spoke, "Saria. My name is Saria."
"What a lovely name," Elmine responded, "Come in and get comfortable, Saria."
Smiling slightly from the woman's warm hospitality, Saria walked fully inside, glad that she had found the right place. Speaking with Allen and Hitomi could wait, but not for long...
---
---
Hitomi lay sleeping fitfully in the bed of Elmine's bedroom once more, her torn-apart shirt replaced by one of Elmine's, despite it being a little big on her. It was late now, and Allen had not yet slept; he remained faithfully by Hitomi's side, too worried to even think about his own slumber.
She was a Draconian. One of the Atlanteans. How was it possible? How had she not known...? Her pendant pulsed light in time with her heartbeat. Perhaps all the signs had been there and they had just been overlooked, he thought. The pendant, her strong connection with Escaflowne, how she seemed to be able to bend Fate itself to her will...
"Such an odd reaction," he heard Elmine from the kitchen area, talking to herself as she was making tea to calm her own nerves as well as Allen's, "How did that happen? Draconians, gods..." After a moment, she walked into the room and handed the blonde-haired man a large mug filled with a particularly sweet-smelling tea. Gratefully, he drank from it, and looked up to her with a nod of silent thanks before looking back to Hitomi and placing his free hand gently on one of hers. Elmine smiled gently at this, her heart going out to the poor man...she placed a hand on his shoulder, softly saying, "She means a lot to you, doesn't she..."
"More than I could ever explain," he responded, smiling just a bit as well, "I love her...more than I can say."
"My herbs must have triggered some memory deep within her," Elmine began, feeling that he deserved at least some attempt at an explanation, even if she didn't understand it herself, "They were only meant to boost her recent memories to wake her mind up...but I think perhaps they worked too well, too deeply..." Nodding just a bit to herself, she quietly excused herself, intending to make more of the salve she had applied to Hitomi's burn.
Hitomi began to stir, expression in one of fear as though she were having a nightmare. Frowning slightly, Allen set his tea aside and reached his hand up from her hand to gently stroke her cheek, trying in some way to soothe her. Suddenly she awoke, eyes opening wide and looking around for a moment before she sat upright.
"Hitomi?" Allen asked gently, still not sure if she was entirely there, "Are you all right?"
She took a moment to get her bearings, looking around the room and down at her own body before she bit her lip gently, seeming ashamed to look at him, and managing to ask, "Did it really happen? Or was it just a dream? Am I really a Draconian...?"
He gently tilted her head back up, nodding slightly, "It was real...and we're just as confused as you are...but please, Hitomi, don't cast your eyes away so shamefully...do you think I'd think any less of you for this?"
"Considering your past with Atlanteans...I don't know, I'm just...so confused, Allen..." she murmured, shaking her head slightly while trying to fight the tears as they came. Allen leaned out of the chair beside the bed and turned to sit on the edge of the bed instead, gently clasping Hitomi's hands within his own. She blushed slightly, looking up at him.
"No matter what, Hitomi," he began softly, suddenly finding the words so much harder to say, "I will always..."
"What?" she whispered, a deep longing in the depths of her eyes, "Tell me..."
"Hitomi, you're awake!" came Elmine's voice from the doorway as she walked in with a fresh vial of salve in her hand. Allen let out a breath and couldn't help but chuckle slightly from the ironic timing of her entrance, and he sat a little further back on the bed to allow Elmine to come close and reapply the slave to Hitomi's arm. "How do you feel, dear?"
"Better," Hitomi admitted, "My arm doesn't hurt so badly anymore...I'm just terribly confused..."
"I can only imagine so," the older woman began gently with sympathy in her eyes, before there came a knock at the door in the other room, and frowning slightly, she excused herself to answer it.
"I wonder what Van would think of this," Hitomi said, suddenly looking upset again, "Or Gaddeth, or Celena...anyone...will they think me even more a curse on the world than I am now?"
"You're no curse, Hitomi," Allen murmured, shaking his head, "You've only been a blessing to me..."
This surprised Hitomi a bit, and she spoke as her heartbeat sped up a little, "A blessing? Me...?"
He moved closer to her, gazing deeply into her eyes in all seriousness, watching the pink rising back into her cheeks, and he smiled at it. "What I was going to say earlier," he began, lifting a hand to gently caress her cheek, "Is that no matter what, I will always love you..."
Hitomi's eyes watered a bit at this declaration, and she couldn't keep a smile from her face. "Oh, Allen..." she whispered, "I love you too...I always have..."
He didn't need any more persuasion than that, he leaned forward and gently caught her lips with his own. She returned his kiss as softly as it was being received, and a tear slid from her eye. For the first time since leaving Gaea those three years ago, she was truly happy.
~~
Elmine couldn't help but smile, having caught the scene from the small crack in the doorway, and she turned to the girl who had knocked at her door. Another stranger; she was tall and lithe, long shimmering raven hair swept back into a low ponytail, and bright green eyes sparkling with life. She was young, yet looked a little older than Hitomi. She wore a simple outfit - a pair of black pants and a loose-fitting dark blue shirt, and a sheathe fitted with a beautiful sword looped about her waist.
The girl rose an eyebrow slightly as if to question Elmine's hesitance to let her go speak with Allen and Hitomi, but said nothing.
"Let's give them a little time, dear," Elmine said quietly, still smiling in happiness for the new couple, "Come here and I'll make you some tea. What is your name, dear?"
The girl seemed to hesitate for a moment, then took a breath in and spoke, "Saria. My name is Saria."
"What a lovely name," Elmine responded, "Come in and get comfortable, Saria."
Smiling slightly from the woman's warm hospitality, Saria walked fully inside, glad that she had found the right place. Speaking with Allen and Hitomi could wait, but not for long...
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