When Hitomi returned home from running with Yukari, she walked to her room in exhaustion. She dropped her bag on the floor and fell on her bed. She closed her eyes and let her tired body relax into sleep. She had her dream again, of Van that is, except it was different. He was descending from the heavens, his white wings gliding him through the sky. Instead of reaching out his hand, he landed on the ground and stood a few feet away from Hitomi. He looked over her appraisingly. "You've changed." He said after a few moments of silence passed. He too had grown. He was taller than the last time she saw him, and had slightly more muscle no doubt from the years of training with his sword and Escaflowne. His eyes seemed gentler and his graceful figure had stayed the same so he still had a slight boyish look to him, but he none the less was now a man. "So have you." She said complimenting him. He smiled gently and tried to reach out to her. She raised her hand to touch him, but as she did so, the space between them seemed to grow. Her eyes widened and only when she lowered her hand did the space seem to close up. She smiled weakly, longing to want to touch him, and admired at how mature he had become. "Van…." She said.
"Yes Hitomi?"
"Van….will we ever be together again?"
He smiled excitedly. "You'll see. Come to the track tomorrow, you know. Where we first met. I'll be waiting for you." He titled his head to the side. "God, you're beautiful." Hitomi blushed in response. He started fading away. Hitomi gasped. "Where are you going, Van?" He smiled. "Meet me tonight at the track. I'll be waiting for you." She started running toward him, but the darkness started engulfing him. She started running faster, so as to catch him, but he eventually faded into the darkness. "VAN!!!" she screamed. Hitomi woke up gasping for breath. It was mid morning, so it was still dark out. She stumbled her way into the bathroom and took a shower. It felt good to have the warm water run over her skin, and she could once again feel Van's warm skin and gentle heartbeat. She imagined him behind her and imagined herself embracing him, and feeling his warm skin against hers (among other things). When she finally woke out of her dream, the shower was turning cold and her brother was knocking at the door, asking what was taking her so long. Hitomi quickly turned off the shower and put on her silk robe. She quickly scurried into her room and put on her new fuku.