Return to Gaea from the Mystic Moon Chapter 23, an escaflowne fanfic

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CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

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The next month passed and it was getting more and more difficult to hide the fact that Hitomi was pregnant. She had gained a decent sized amount of weight and was now beginning to be visible. Peace seemed to remain in Fanelia and even though Van wanted her to have body guards now that people could most likely tell that she was with child, she still refused to. She knew that their people respected her enough as Van's wife from stories that they have heard about her being in the Great War. Everyone in Fanelia knew about how she helped their king as a seer help him fight the invisible enemy Zaibach. She was also respected as their queen, which she was glad since she assumed that it had taken Van's mother Varie ( I think that's her name.) more then a few months to get their trusts. She was Van's queen and wife for nearly a year now, and was glad for the first time in a long time. On Earth she had to force herself to be happy since they where so far away, but now, now she was happy. She had no regrets even though she did miss her family and friends from time to time. She was Van's wife, and with their child, that was all that mattered to her now, and missing her old life on Earth, that wasn't important at all.

"Queen Hitomi, you shouldn't be out here alone." A man with dark brown hair and blue eyes said as he came up to her.

"Setsuna-San." Hitomi said to the young samurai who bowed. "I'll be fine, I'm still in the palace grounds you know."

"Yes, I know, but it is my duty to protect you my queen." Setsuna said.

Hitomi sighed. "His highness' idea once again?" Hitomi asked.

"Yes Queen Hitomi." Setsuna replied. "The king asked me to watch over you. I am not to leave your side but if there are certain reasons, such as personal reasons or if the king tells me to leave."

"I figured." Hitomi said sighing.

"Forgive the intrusion." Setsuna apologized.

"Yes, I suppose." She replied sadly. 'I wish that Van would trust me more.' She thought as she bent over to pick up a rose. 'I am a prisoner with in my own home and my own husband wishes for me to remain here as a prisoner.' She thought sighing. She looked at the rose which appeared as if it was near its time to die. The leaves where beginning to change color and where beginning to fall to the ground. Hitomi sighed as she looked up at the Mystic Moon, hanging clearly in the sky. 'Maybe I'll bring Van some flowers while their still alive.' Hitomi thought. 'Maybe not, they would look weird in Van's office since he is a man after all.' Hitomi thought and had failed at drowning her giggling.

Hitomi wished that she could run, it would have been a nice day to. When Van was away, or when the advisers called her, she had nothing to do. A loud booming sound appeared somewhere in Fanelia and it felt like the whole world was shaking. Hitomi screamed as she felt her body start to move toward one side and a strong arm caught hold of her. "Queen Hitomi!" Setsuna said as he grabbed hold of a tree and her as well. He pulled her up to the tree and she grabbed on.

"What on Ear… Gaea is going on?" Hitomi asked as another booming noise could be heard. "An Earthquake?" She asked Setsuna.

"We do not get Earthquakes here in Fanelia." Setsuna replied.

"Then what could it be…" Hitomi started to ask but suddenly saw Dilandu's face once again in her mind. "Van, where is Van?" She asked not giving a damn at the moment about formalities.

"The king? I'm not sure." Setsuna replied and another boom could be heard echoed through the palace.

Hitomi quickly hurried to the palace, falling a few times, but she didn't care, she got right back up and hurried on her way. "Where is the king?" She demanded to know from one of the soldiers who was running in the palace towards where ever it was where he was going.

"I'm not sure my lady."

"Damn you're all useless!" She yelled in the back of her mind as she almost collapsed in to another wall. "Van…" She whispered as she felt her husband catch her before she hit the wall.

"Thank the gods that your safe." Van said. "Fanelia's under attack again, I want you to get back to safety."

"What about you, you're not going to pilot EscaFlowne again are you?" Hitomi asked.

"If I need to yes, however right now I'll be giving men orders. You however, need to get to safety." Van said.

"Van, I think Dilandu's back." Hitomi whispered.

"What?" Van asked in a serious tone. "Celena took back over."

"Yes, I know but I keep seeing him, I think that he and Celena somehow managed to separate and are now two different people." Hitomi explained.

"Why do you think that?" Van asked.

"I just had another vision before I came looking for you, when the shaking started." Hitomi explained.

"That would explain why were under attack." Van said. "Damn it, Saiya probably found some way to separate the two and managed to get Dilandu to work for him."

"Sorry Van, but I don't want to leave your side." Hitomi protested.

"You are going to safety with the other women and children." Van said sharply. "NOW!"

"But Van…" Hitomi protested and could then feel another loud shake of the earth and Van held hold of her to keep her up. He then pushed her against the wall in between the booms. "Van…" Hitomi whispered again and then was silenced by his kiss.

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"Van…" Hitomi whispered once she was in the safe zone with all of the other women and children, and even a few guards. "Stay safe."

"Van-sama will be fine." Merle protested and Hitomi looked over to her friend. "Merle."

"He'll be fine since he has you to come back to, not to mention that the rest of his people won't have a king if he…"

"Shut up!" Hitomi snapped not wanting to hear any more.

"Believe in him" She could hear the echoing words of her grandmother's voice. "Believe in the man that you love."

'Van, I believe in you, you can do whatever it is that you need to do to destroy this enemy.'

Van Fanel looked to the EscaFlowne and held the dragenergists in his hand. "NO! Van Don't pilot the EscaFlowne again!" He could hear Hitomi plead with him. He had almost died on more then one occation by piloting the EscaFlowne but he needed it, the enemies guymelofs where enclosing too close to Fanelia, and they had just recently rebuilt almost all of it. He wouldn't let that happen again. "I Van Fanel, King of Fanelia summon you EscaFlowne from your eternal sleep." Van said and the energists glowed a pink color. He stuck it in and the EscaFlowne responded by opening up to him. He got in to the familiar old machine. "Thank you EscaFlowne." He said. "Sorry for this."

Hitomi nearly fainted once she spotted EscaFlowne moving once again from the garden that it had been resting in. "No…" She whispered. "No…" She fell backwards and was caught by a woman behind her. "Thank you, sorry." She apologized as she stood up but just fell to the ground, her knees collapsing beneath her. "Why, why Van, why?"

Van Fanel walked towards the enemy which wasn't invisible which was surprising. It was almost as if they wanted to be found.

"Van!" An all too familiar voice shouted at him which made him swing his large sword to block the attacker.

"It's been too long, Van!" Dilandu laughed as the two emerged in a fight.