Disclaimer: Escaflowne does not belong to me. Nikki, Harumi and Mia do.
Chapter Two
"Ouch!" Harumi exclaimed as she landed right on her butt. "What was that?"
"The portal to Gaea," Hitomi said calmly.
Harumi stood up and took in her surroundings. They were in a forest. Small animals like chipmunks and squirrels were collecting nuts that fell on the ground before someone else came along and got them. She watched them with awe. They weren't things she normally saw in the city. In fact, nothing there was like the city. She saw a small dirt road slopping down to the valley below, but there was no traffic, no street lights; none of the things she had grown accustomed to seeing over the course of her life were there. It was quiet, tranquil. Now she knew why Hitomi liked it there and told her so.
Hitomi shrugged. "Well, not really. This is Gaea at peace. When I was here, things weren't so quiet. And I just added to the chaos."
Harumi breathed in deeply the fresh, pure air. "It's hard to imagine chaos in this place. If this isn't why you liked it, then why did you?"
"You need to pay more attention," Hitomi replied.
"Okay, so maybe I was a little hasty doubting you. But why?"
"The answer's quite simple: I found love here."
"Speaking of love, am I going to meet this guy?"
"I don't know. But we have more important things to do right now than worry about boys."
"Yes, ma'am," she teased.
Hitomi frowned at her. "Come on." She walked down the path. Harumi raced to keep up.
* * * * * *
"And she tripped him and he fell right in the mud," Nikki said.
Van laughed. It felt strange doing so. Although Mia's crazy antics were plenty to laugh at, this was the first time he laughed about something that involved Hitomi. She almost made up for the darkness that had seemed to be taking over his life. Not as much as Hitomi would, but, with the combined efforts of his friends, it took away some of the pain her leaving had given him.
"Can you tell me a funny story about you and Aunt Hitomi?" Nikki asked him.
"Didn't she tell you everything already?"
She nodded. "But I want to hear it from you."
Van thought for a moment. For a minute he wasn't even sure that there was anything, or they had all been erased from his memory. Some events he supposed he could laugh about now, like when she had slapped him for being a jerk after slaying the dragon. Or Hitomi and Merle fighting. But, even so, he didn't find them funny. They just made him sadder than before.
Nikki sat patiently, awaiting his story. Van shook off the wave of grief that had overtaken him in his reminiscing. "Did she tell you about the hand maiden thing?"
"Tell me," she replied.
"Well, it was when we first went to Palas…"
* * * * * *
"Hitomi, slow down!" Harumi exclaimed. "Ow, I wish this road was paved." She had taken her shoes off because it was her unfortunate luck that she had decided to wear heels that day. Running in them was bad enough if it was a normal person, but Hitomi was nearly impossible to run after without spraining something. "Where are we going?"
Hitomi turned to look at her. "I'm not sure."
Her jaw dropped. "You're not? I thought you knew this place!"
"I do, but that doesn't mean I know where Nikki is." She turned back and stopped dead in her tracks.
"What's the matter?" She peered around her so she could see. "Wow, talk about a big house."
"It's not a house," Hitomi corrected her. "It's a castle."
"What's the difference between a castle and a palace anyway?" Harumi pondered.
"I have no idea."
"For someone who lived in this medieval world, you sure don't know much."
"Well, it's been fifteen years. It's changed. Come on, let's go to the castle."
"You're kidding." She stared at it. "Where going in there?"
"You said you wanted to meet Van. So now is your chance."
"Huh? What? Van?" But Hitomi was off and running again.
* * * * * *
Allen was relaxing outside the castle when he spotted two figures rushing towards them. As they came closer, he realized he knew one of them. He could scarcely believe his eyes, but he knew it was her without a doubt. Logic told him that she would be coming after the girl, but he still couldn't believe it was really her after all these years. He raced to meet them. "Hitomi!" he shouted.
"Allen!" She ran to him. "Oh my gosh, it's so good to see you!"
He laughed. "It's good to see you too."
"I'd love to catch up, but I kinda have something to do. You see…"
He grinned at her. "You're always rushing to save someone. And you haven't even been here for five seconds yet. Come on, let's go to the throne room."
"Normally, I'd love to, but this is a special case. You see I…"
"I know." He took her gently by the arm and led her away. Harumi followed, dumbfounded.
* * * * * *
"Wait out here, okay?" he said.
"But Allen, I need to find…"
He cut her off. "I know, I know. That's why you're here, isn't it? That and for a nice little reunion." He chuckled. "I can't wait to see the look on his face."
"Now? I'm in crisis here. Just look at me. You can't expect me to…"
"I'm sure he's seen you looking much worse."
She frowned. "That doesn't comfort me."
"Um, excuse me," Harumi spoke up. "Uh, hi. Can you please explain to me what's going on here?"
"You're getting a proper introduction," Allen answered her. "Although I wish Millerna were around. We could use her medical expertise."
"Oh, get on with it!" Hitomi shouted at him. She blushed. "Sorry."
"It's okay. I just wanted an effect. But we'll do it your way. Rush, rush, rush. Don't you ever slow down?"
Before she could reply, he pushed open the large wooden doors and they stepped inside. Sitting in a chair was none other than…
"Nikki!" The girls exclaimed.
"Harumi! Aunt Hitomi!" She ran to them. "You came here too?"
Hitomi hugged her fiercely. "I was so worried about you."
"I'm okay. Guess who I met!"
"Who?"
"Hitomi," she heard a voice say softly. She straightened up. "Van?" she asked uncertainly.
"Yeah." She studied him for a moment. His voice was deeper and he looked like he hadn't shaved in a while, something that was unnecessary when she had last seen him. But his hair was as messy as it had ever been and his eyes were the same. She ran into his arms. Nikki cheered. She heard a loud bang. Mia had been hiding under a table watching and hit her head. No one else noticed her. Allen had a huge grin on his face, while Merle was standing at the door, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. Even the guards were smiling. Hitomi was near tears herself. She held onto him tightly. He clutched her with equal strength. They held eachother as if they would never let go.
(Six more reviews) to be continued…