Empty Inside – Epilogue
Disclaimer: Don't own Escaflowne, Uh-Uhhhhh...
Since many of you wanted me to write at least the scene where Hitomi tells Van about her little "secret" I decided to write it just for you! Hope you're all gonna like it. ENJOYYYYY!!!
The little "Secret"
Van whipped the sweat of his face with the back of his hand and looked into the clear blue sky. He lay down his hammer on the broad boards of the roof he was currently working on with some men of one of the new houses in the city of Fanelia. The city was bustling with activity, everyone trying to rebuild their homes and other houses. The birds were already singing in the trees again and children were playing among the leftovers of old houses or helping their mothers and fathers with their work. Everyone was slowly settling in and the city was slowly but steadily being rebuild and improved.
"Lord Vannnnnnn!!! Lunch is ready! Didn't you want to eat with Hitomi in the gardens?"
"Coming Merle!" Van called and jumped down from the roof, landing directly beside his long-time friend before they started walking. "Say, did you see Folken somewhere? I have to ask him something."
"I think he was somewhere at the other end of the city, discussing something with those workers about the water supply. Want me to go look for him?"
"No it's okay. It can wait a little longer. Anything new I need to know."
"Well, your advisers asked, if..."
Merle continued to babble on about those many hundred things those advisers always wanted to know as both she and Van made their way towards the part of the still intact gardens. Much had changed in just two and a half months.
Two and a half months ago, Millerna had married Dryden and she was quite happy with him already. There had been an attack attempted at the ceremony by Zaibach as they found out later, but it ended before it even started due to the destruction of the flying fortress Van's brother, Folken Lacour de Fanel, had been in charge of. Folken had set the destruction himself and managed to escape the fortress together with his two cat-woman Naria and Eria. He had wanted to talk to his brother then and Van had accepted, taking a rather stubborn Hitomi with him. They had met in the ruins of Fanelia's capital and talked for a very long time, Van being much more relaxed than he had suspected himself thanks to Hitomi.
Folken had then returned with them to Palas, where he had given the counsel the current situation of Zaibach and proposed to launch an attack against them before they would. The allied countries had done so, thus starting the last big battle of the Great War. Dornkirk had wanted to activate his machine in order to be finally victorious over fate, thus ending his own life.
Folken who had been transported with Hitomi to Zaibach through a blue pillar of light had tried to stop and nearly lost his own life in the progress. Hitomi had somehow managed to save him and Van had also appeared there, his wings and bringing him to his Hitomi. The three of them had made it to escape before the Machine exploded.
The information of the emperor's death together with his sorceress, who had all been near the machine, travelled fast through the ranks of the Zaibach army. Most soldiers had lain down their weapons then, giving themselves into custody for their startled enemies. The battle had come to an end and the people celebrated the downfall of the Zaibach Empire and it's insane leader. They had especially celebrated Van for his courage and fierce fighting, together with Hitomi and Folken, not to forget Allen and his crew.
Allen had even found his long lost sister after many years, finding out, that Dillandau had been an experiment from the sorceress on his sister. He had returned with her back to the house of their parents so she could rest and recover, trying to cope with the changes in and around her.
Van and Merle had finally arrived at the castle with which the repairs were also slowly starting to begin. He and Hitomi had insisted upon starting the city to be the rebuild first. But the people had pointed out to them - much to their surprise of Van and Hitomi how cunning the people of Fanelia could be – that they had only insisted upon the repairs on the city first and they had done so, but the two had not said, that they should only start to rebuild the castle also when the city was completely finished.
So the people had also started the first repairs on the castle about two months after the ending of the war and everything was going at a good and steady pace.
"... And that's what the advisers think should be done first, but if you ask me Lord Van, you should put those advisers to more useful work like fixing the houses before listening to them."
"Well, partly you are right, but the advisers also have a point here and there. Tell them I'll want a meeting to with them tomorrow morning. There are to many things I have to finish before sundown and after that Dryden's coming with a cargo full of suplies he wanted to send us. And if you are heading in that direction anyway, could you tell Folken that he should also be there when Dryden comes?"
"Will do Lord Van, will do. Now go to Hitomi before she gets impatient. And we don't want THAT to happen g."
Van had to laugh at Merle's last statement and playfully ruffled her hair. She growled in mock anger and tried to pounce on him, but he avoided her cunningly (all through years of training lol) and entered the garden. It was a sunny day with only a few clouds in the sky; just perfect to eat outside.
Van soon spotted Hitomi sitting und a small tree with her eyes closed, hand resting on her stomach.
He carefully crept up to her and before Hitomi knew what was happening to her, Van had lifted her up onto his arms whirling her around. She gave a startled yelp as her arms instinctively went around his shoulders. He settled both of them down after a moment longer with her sitting in his lap now.
"Van, don't scare me like that, you nearly gave me a heart attack", Hitomi began to lecture him although she couldn't stop the smile spreading across her face. He only grinned back and kissed the tip of her nose.
"Look whose talking. Besides, I'm not the one who seems to have put on weight for no reason. You do feel kind of heavy you know."
"Now really, is this a way to talk to a lady? Take that right back or else..."
"Or else, what?"
"Or else, I won't give you a kiss."
"Hey, that's unfair! Besides, the threat won't work."
Hitomi raised one eyebrow curiously: "And why would that be, mister I-know-it-all?"
"Because YOU WANT to kiss me! And if you go through with you threat, then you couldn't kiss me anymore!" Van concluded with a goofy grin.
Hitomi threw her hands up in to the air and rolled her eyes: "Oh, I give up!"
And with that she kissed him, catching Van totally of guard and before he could respond, she had already pulled away. She grinned back wickedly at his astound face: "What have you to say now, mister?"
"This", Van answered and touched his lips with hers. But unlike Hitomi earlier, he hadn't time to pull back before Hitomi drew her arms tightly around his neck and kissed him back. He decided that it was much better like this and let his mind concentrate fully on the kiss. When they broke apart they both just grinned at each other and finally began to eat the food that stood beside them in a basket. They both ate hungrily and Van slightly wondered where the appetite came by Hitomi. Of course she was also helping with the repair, she had insisted and didn't want to have it any other way, but he remembered from the Great War, that she normally never ate so much, even after a hard days of work.
"Say Hitomi, is everything okay with you again?"
Hitomi gulped down her food rather quickly at Van's unsuspected question, but managed to answer nevertheless, her cheeks becoming suddenly slight pink.
"Yeah, I'm fine now again. It was probably just something my body had to let out after the war and all the problems it caused..."
"And what did the healer say about it?" Van was getting more and more curious. Not only was Hitomi's behaviour now very strange, but also she had been behaving somewhat strange a few times during the end of the war and a little before that. And his statement about her getting heavy had been more truth then a little mockery. It just all didn't make any sense to him (but it soon will... eg).
Hitomi's by now had a bit of a problem with getting the words out of her mouth, stumbling over them from time to time: " Well... she said that... well... everything will be fine... and... that there... should be no problems...and she also said... that, well... it was... understandable..."
Hitomi broke of with her explanation, looking like she had already said too much about her situation and Van really starting to get worried.
"Why are you not telling me the truth, Hitomi? I know there must be something wrong; you never behaved like that."
He was holding her face in his hands now, staring into her emerald green eyes as she starred back at them, unable to break the contact. After a few moments she closed her eyes with a sigh and leaned into his embrace.
"But how to tell..."
"So there really is something wrong?" Van asked getting even more worried.
Hitomi slightly shook her head, indicating a no and opened her eyes again.
"No, nothing is wrong. I... well... I don't know how your reaction will be..."
"And if I promise not to be too shocked or angry?"
"Hmmmmm... But do you want me to say it blunt or through the flower?"
"Say it blunt."
"You're sure."
"Yep."
"You know what this means?"
"I think so. What do you think does it mean?"
Hitomi inhaled deeply: "It mean that I have to tell you that I'm pregnant straight out."
"And what's so bad about tha..." Van stopped in mid sentence, his chin almost hitting the floor as he stared in disbelieve at Hitomi who had an unreadable expression on her face, looking right back at him. He had to swallow hard as to get rid from the lump forming in his throat.
"Could... Could you please repeat what... you just said? I... don't think... that I heard right..."
"I'm pregnant Van, I really am. That night in the barn with the rain outside and Escaflowne with us..." Hitomi trailed of, unable to meet his stunned gaze. She nervously chewed on her lower lip, not sure how his reaction would be. The seconds stretched to minutes in which a silence fell, that were filled with tension. Van's mind only managed to slowly work out the information Hitomi had given him. He only noticed time moving again when he felt Hitomi softly shake in front of him. He looked at her. Her eyes were downcast, lids halfway closed, not meeting his inquiring gaze. He knew he had so say something before time moved to far ahead, but he couldn't bring out a word to say. So he did the first thing that came to his mind. He rapped his arms around Hitomi's shoulders, drawing her close to him again and kissed her. He felt her go stiff for a moment in his embrace before relaxing slowly again and returning his kiss.
Van couldn't stop the playful grin spreading on his face as he moved Hitomi's face away again so he could look into the deep pools of liquid emerald.
"You sneaky little devil knew about this the whole time and didn't tell me? Shame on you."
"Well, I don't think it would have been a good idea to tell you while the War still raged on and after that I just wanted to see how long it took until you noticed something and asked me. But I would have never thought it would take you so long!"
"You still don't show much of the pregnancy now, though. I don't think many have noticed it yet; even Merle seems to be to occupied."
"It's the same as with my mother. She only really noticed it when she was already three and a half months pregnant with me. The only two who know except you and me are the healer and Millerna. She's got one heck of a woman's intuition. She already must have suspected it when she saw us coming back together from the barn."
Van softly stroked Hitomi's hair, much longer then before, as she buried her head in the crook of his neck. He wondered almost himself, why he was so calm again. Would have someone told him a few months ago, that he would become a father soon, he would have just laughed at them and told them he was much to young for something like that. But now it didn't really seem to mater. He was going to have a child with Hitomi and that was more he would have normally ever hoped for had he not met her all those months ago.
"Say Hitomi what will do you think our child will look like?"
She smiled: "Oh, he'll be totally adorable. He's gonna have the same unruly hair as you and have my eyes."
Van had to chuckle: "I can't believe, that you did not only know about it, but that you even knew how he looked. Was it a Vision?"
Hitomi nodded: "Yeah. It was right when Allen tried to kiss me on the bridge. It was what kept me from kissing him back. That and all the other visions I had about you, Van. It was you who saved me Van. Always you." The last sentence was barely above a whisper and Van hugged her form tightly to his.
"And what name shall he have?"
"Well... I thought that maybe... Mamoru would suite him well. What do you think?"
"I think Mamoru would be wonderful." Van replied with a smile and a twinkle in her eyes and lifted her face up to meet his. "But don't you think we should be married before the child comes?"
Hitomi's eyes widened: "You mean...?"
Van leaned in closer, their noses almost touching: "Marry me Hitomi. Be my wife, my queen; become a part of me as I want to be a part of you."
Hitomi replied a breathless "Yes." before surrendering to his kiss, the world around them forgotten.
Time went on normal in the world of Gaia as the two moons hung in the sky; they're light shining brightly down on the people of their beloved planet. But for two of them, the light of the hearts shone brighter than any other thing as it gave them comfort and security.
Disclaimer: Don't own Escaflowne, Uh-Uhhhhh...
Since many of you wanted me to write at least the scene where Hitomi tells Van about her little "secret" I decided to write it just for you! Hope you're all gonna like it. ENJOYYYYY!!!
The little "Secret"
Van whipped the sweat of his face with the back of his hand and looked into the clear blue sky. He lay down his hammer on the broad boards of the roof he was currently working on with some men of one of the new houses in the city of Fanelia. The city was bustling with activity, everyone trying to rebuild their homes and other houses. The birds were already singing in the trees again and children were playing among the leftovers of old houses or helping their mothers and fathers with their work. Everyone was slowly settling in and the city was slowly but steadily being rebuild and improved.
"Lord Vannnnnnn!!! Lunch is ready! Didn't you want to eat with Hitomi in the gardens?"
"Coming Merle!" Van called and jumped down from the roof, landing directly beside his long-time friend before they started walking. "Say, did you see Folken somewhere? I have to ask him something."
"I think he was somewhere at the other end of the city, discussing something with those workers about the water supply. Want me to go look for him?"
"No it's okay. It can wait a little longer. Anything new I need to know."
"Well, your advisers asked, if..."
Merle continued to babble on about those many hundred things those advisers always wanted to know as both she and Van made their way towards the part of the still intact gardens. Much had changed in just two and a half months.
Two and a half months ago, Millerna had married Dryden and she was quite happy with him already. There had been an attack attempted at the ceremony by Zaibach as they found out later, but it ended before it even started due to the destruction of the flying fortress Van's brother, Folken Lacour de Fanel, had been in charge of. Folken had set the destruction himself and managed to escape the fortress together with his two cat-woman Naria and Eria. He had wanted to talk to his brother then and Van had accepted, taking a rather stubborn Hitomi with him. They had met in the ruins of Fanelia's capital and talked for a very long time, Van being much more relaxed than he had suspected himself thanks to Hitomi.
Folken had then returned with them to Palas, where he had given the counsel the current situation of Zaibach and proposed to launch an attack against them before they would. The allied countries had done so, thus starting the last big battle of the Great War. Dornkirk had wanted to activate his machine in order to be finally victorious over fate, thus ending his own life.
Folken who had been transported with Hitomi to Zaibach through a blue pillar of light had tried to stop and nearly lost his own life in the progress. Hitomi had somehow managed to save him and Van had also appeared there, his wings and bringing him to his Hitomi. The three of them had made it to escape before the Machine exploded.
The information of the emperor's death together with his sorceress, who had all been near the machine, travelled fast through the ranks of the Zaibach army. Most soldiers had lain down their weapons then, giving themselves into custody for their startled enemies. The battle had come to an end and the people celebrated the downfall of the Zaibach Empire and it's insane leader. They had especially celebrated Van for his courage and fierce fighting, together with Hitomi and Folken, not to forget Allen and his crew.
Allen had even found his long lost sister after many years, finding out, that Dillandau had been an experiment from the sorceress on his sister. He had returned with her back to the house of their parents so she could rest and recover, trying to cope with the changes in and around her.
Van and Merle had finally arrived at the castle with which the repairs were also slowly starting to begin. He and Hitomi had insisted upon starting the city to be the rebuild first. But the people had pointed out to them - much to their surprise of Van and Hitomi how cunning the people of Fanelia could be – that they had only insisted upon the repairs on the city first and they had done so, but the two had not said, that they should only start to rebuild the castle also when the city was completely finished.
So the people had also started the first repairs on the castle about two months after the ending of the war and everything was going at a good and steady pace.
"... And that's what the advisers think should be done first, but if you ask me Lord Van, you should put those advisers to more useful work like fixing the houses before listening to them."
"Well, partly you are right, but the advisers also have a point here and there. Tell them I'll want a meeting to with them tomorrow morning. There are to many things I have to finish before sundown and after that Dryden's coming with a cargo full of suplies he wanted to send us. And if you are heading in that direction anyway, could you tell Folken that he should also be there when Dryden comes?"
"Will do Lord Van, will do. Now go to Hitomi before she gets impatient. And we don't want THAT to happen g."
Van had to laugh at Merle's last statement and playfully ruffled her hair. She growled in mock anger and tried to pounce on him, but he avoided her cunningly (all through years of training lol) and entered the garden. It was a sunny day with only a few clouds in the sky; just perfect to eat outside.
Van soon spotted Hitomi sitting und a small tree with her eyes closed, hand resting on her stomach.
He carefully crept up to her and before Hitomi knew what was happening to her, Van had lifted her up onto his arms whirling her around. She gave a startled yelp as her arms instinctively went around his shoulders. He settled both of them down after a moment longer with her sitting in his lap now.
"Van, don't scare me like that, you nearly gave me a heart attack", Hitomi began to lecture him although she couldn't stop the smile spreading across her face. He only grinned back and kissed the tip of her nose.
"Look whose talking. Besides, I'm not the one who seems to have put on weight for no reason. You do feel kind of heavy you know."
"Now really, is this a way to talk to a lady? Take that right back or else..."
"Or else, what?"
"Or else, I won't give you a kiss."
"Hey, that's unfair! Besides, the threat won't work."
Hitomi raised one eyebrow curiously: "And why would that be, mister I-know-it-all?"
"Because YOU WANT to kiss me! And if you go through with you threat, then you couldn't kiss me anymore!" Van concluded with a goofy grin.
Hitomi threw her hands up in to the air and rolled her eyes: "Oh, I give up!"
And with that she kissed him, catching Van totally of guard and before he could respond, she had already pulled away. She grinned back wickedly at his astound face: "What have you to say now, mister?"
"This", Van answered and touched his lips with hers. But unlike Hitomi earlier, he hadn't time to pull back before Hitomi drew her arms tightly around his neck and kissed him back. He decided that it was much better like this and let his mind concentrate fully on the kiss. When they broke apart they both just grinned at each other and finally began to eat the food that stood beside them in a basket. They both ate hungrily and Van slightly wondered where the appetite came by Hitomi. Of course she was also helping with the repair, she had insisted and didn't want to have it any other way, but he remembered from the Great War, that she normally never ate so much, even after a hard days of work.
"Say Hitomi, is everything okay with you again?"
Hitomi gulped down her food rather quickly at Van's unsuspected question, but managed to answer nevertheless, her cheeks becoming suddenly slight pink.
"Yeah, I'm fine now again. It was probably just something my body had to let out after the war and all the problems it caused..."
"And what did the healer say about it?" Van was getting more and more curious. Not only was Hitomi's behaviour now very strange, but also she had been behaving somewhat strange a few times during the end of the war and a little before that. And his statement about her getting heavy had been more truth then a little mockery. It just all didn't make any sense to him (but it soon will... eg).
Hitomi's by now had a bit of a problem with getting the words out of her mouth, stumbling over them from time to time: " Well... she said that... well... everything will be fine... and... that there... should be no problems...and she also said... that, well... it was... understandable..."
Hitomi broke of with her explanation, looking like she had already said too much about her situation and Van really starting to get worried.
"Why are you not telling me the truth, Hitomi? I know there must be something wrong; you never behaved like that."
He was holding her face in his hands now, staring into her emerald green eyes as she starred back at them, unable to break the contact. After a few moments she closed her eyes with a sigh and leaned into his embrace.
"But how to tell..."
"So there really is something wrong?" Van asked getting even more worried.
Hitomi slightly shook her head, indicating a no and opened her eyes again.
"No, nothing is wrong. I... well... I don't know how your reaction will be..."
"And if I promise not to be too shocked or angry?"
"Hmmmmm... But do you want me to say it blunt or through the flower?"
"Say it blunt."
"You're sure."
"Yep."
"You know what this means?"
"I think so. What do you think does it mean?"
Hitomi inhaled deeply: "It mean that I have to tell you that I'm pregnant straight out."
"And what's so bad about tha..." Van stopped in mid sentence, his chin almost hitting the floor as he stared in disbelieve at Hitomi who had an unreadable expression on her face, looking right back at him. He had to swallow hard as to get rid from the lump forming in his throat.
"Could... Could you please repeat what... you just said? I... don't think... that I heard right..."
"I'm pregnant Van, I really am. That night in the barn with the rain outside and Escaflowne with us..." Hitomi trailed of, unable to meet his stunned gaze. She nervously chewed on her lower lip, not sure how his reaction would be. The seconds stretched to minutes in which a silence fell, that were filled with tension. Van's mind only managed to slowly work out the information Hitomi had given him. He only noticed time moving again when he felt Hitomi softly shake in front of him. He looked at her. Her eyes were downcast, lids halfway closed, not meeting his inquiring gaze. He knew he had so say something before time moved to far ahead, but he couldn't bring out a word to say. So he did the first thing that came to his mind. He rapped his arms around Hitomi's shoulders, drawing her close to him again and kissed her. He felt her go stiff for a moment in his embrace before relaxing slowly again and returning his kiss.
Van couldn't stop the playful grin spreading on his face as he moved Hitomi's face away again so he could look into the deep pools of liquid emerald.
"You sneaky little devil knew about this the whole time and didn't tell me? Shame on you."
"Well, I don't think it would have been a good idea to tell you while the War still raged on and after that I just wanted to see how long it took until you noticed something and asked me. But I would have never thought it would take you so long!"
"You still don't show much of the pregnancy now, though. I don't think many have noticed it yet; even Merle seems to be to occupied."
"It's the same as with my mother. She only really noticed it when she was already three and a half months pregnant with me. The only two who know except you and me are the healer and Millerna. She's got one heck of a woman's intuition. She already must have suspected it when she saw us coming back together from the barn."
Van softly stroked Hitomi's hair, much longer then before, as she buried her head in the crook of his neck. He wondered almost himself, why he was so calm again. Would have someone told him a few months ago, that he would become a father soon, he would have just laughed at them and told them he was much to young for something like that. But now it didn't really seem to mater. He was going to have a child with Hitomi and that was more he would have normally ever hoped for had he not met her all those months ago.
"Say Hitomi what will do you think our child will look like?"
She smiled: "Oh, he'll be totally adorable. He's gonna have the same unruly hair as you and have my eyes."
Van had to chuckle: "I can't believe, that you did not only know about it, but that you even knew how he looked. Was it a Vision?"
Hitomi nodded: "Yeah. It was right when Allen tried to kiss me on the bridge. It was what kept me from kissing him back. That and all the other visions I had about you, Van. It was you who saved me Van. Always you." The last sentence was barely above a whisper and Van hugged her form tightly to his.
"And what name shall he have?"
"Well... I thought that maybe... Mamoru would suite him well. What do you think?"
"I think Mamoru would be wonderful." Van replied with a smile and a twinkle in her eyes and lifted her face up to meet his. "But don't you think we should be married before the child comes?"
Hitomi's eyes widened: "You mean...?"
Van leaned in closer, their noses almost touching: "Marry me Hitomi. Be my wife, my queen; become a part of me as I want to be a part of you."
Hitomi replied a breathless "Yes." before surrendering to his kiss, the world around them forgotten.
Time went on normal in the world of Gaia as the two moons hung in the sky; they're light shining brightly down on the people of their beloved planet. But for two of them, the light of the hearts shone brighter than any other thing as it gave them comfort and security.