Return to Gaea from the Mystic Moon Chapter 28, an escaflowne fanfic

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

As the month ended, so did her drawing of Fanelia, or the piece of Fanelia that she could see from their bedroom balcony. She looked at it again after she had dropped the pencil to the floor and let it roll since her fingers where cold and the wind wasn't making things much better. She would have wanted to paint it, but she didn't feel like standing outside in the cold just to paint and she didn't have access to them either. She walked back inside to their apartment and she looked at it again as she closed the door. She was glad to be inside the warm to because her feet hurt and where cold as well as swollen. Hitomi looked at the drawing once again and put it down and wondered when she would be able to give it to him since Van was still coming in late and she never got a chance to see him. She had gotten use to it, but she wasn't happy with the fact that she couldn't see her husband when she wanted to or as often as she would like. Merle would want to see it and she wanted to show it to Merle with Van but that wouldn't be possible since Van was too busy either in his office or at the training sight with his soldiers. She let a depressed sigh escape from her lips as she now thought about it. She wrapped it up anyway and would find a way to give it to him, even if she had to leave it there for him. She sighed again as she tried to figure a way. It was hopeless.

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Van heard a knock on his office door. "Enter." He ordered and watched as Merle came in. "What is it Merle?" Van asked his child hood friend and his sister like figure.

"You're going to send us to that tribe this coming moon aren't you?" Merle asked and Van looked at her.

"Yes." Van said sadly once Merle had shut the door. "You know that I want you and Hitomi out of here before the war starts."

"But Van-Sama!" Merle protested. "Won't the roads be blocked with snow by then?" She asked.

"We'll use the snow creatures if we have to Merle, you know that. I will get you and Hitomi to safety and I will take you there myself."

"Have you told Hitomi that you won't be there to name your child when its born?" Merle asked.

"No, not yet."

"You should you know, Van-Sama at least by the next moon you should."

"Merle, leave my wife to me, I know that Hitomi is your friend but just let me handle it will you?" Van asked.

"Yes Van-Sama." Merle said sadly.

Hitomi felt the world go as the vision came.

She looked up at the moons and saw that the earth looked green and the moon looked like it was a full one. Her eyes then focused down to where she was standing and she could see the EscaFlowne start to fight the red guymelof and destroyed him. Fried, Asturia, and Fanelia where all fighting side by side against Zaibach on a land that was unfamiliar to her. She watched as Van fought against a black guymelof and watched as Van was knocked to the ground. The black guymelof pulled open the thing that kept the cockpit closed and watched as he pulled Van out of the cockpit, who was bleeding badly. Laughter came from the man's voice as Van was being dangled by an arm, bleeding badly. She screamed!

She then felt someone's arms around her as they held her. "Van, you're alright." Hitomi said in a voice lower then a whisper.

"You had a vision didn't you Tomi?" Van asked as he stroked her hair.

Hitomi looked to the side and tried to avoid Van's eyes. "I can't say it Van." Hitomi said as tears came down her eyes. "I wont!"

"Tomi…" Van said again as he looked down at his wife. "Come on you can tell me you know that."

"I don't want to see it again!" Hitomi shouted. "I don't…. not that again…."

"How is she Van-Sama?" The doctor asked as Van waited for her in the hall way.

"Not well, she had a vision and she won't speak to me." Van said and ran a hand through his raven black hair. "She won't sleep either I'm sorry to call you this late but…"

"No need to worry, I am a doctor, it is expected your highness. Are you sure it was a vision she had and not some mental distress?" The woman asked.

"No Aya-San, I don't think so, Queen Hitomi is usually always right about her visions." Van answered. "I have known her long enough to trust those visions, if it wasn't for some of her visions, I wouldn't be alive right now."

Van watched quietly as Aya tried handing Hitomi something to take but Hitomi refused it.

"This will help you sleep my queen, you need to rest." Aya insisted.

"No." Hitomi said as she tried to look away from Aya.

"Why not Queen Hitomi?"

Hitomi didn't answer, Van could tell from where he was, that she had that distant look in her eyes.

"Why not?" Aya persisted and Hitomi then sat up and looked at Aya rather annoyed.

"None of your damn business that's why! Now get out!" Hitomi shouted as she glared at her with angry green eyes.

Aya walked over to Van at that point. "I'll leave this here, it is suppose to help calm her and help let her have a dreamless sleep." Aya said and handed Van the cup of medicine.

Van put it down on a near by table and walked Aya outside. "I'm sorry for my wife's behavior, she isn't usually like this, even when her mood swings are at their fullest."

"Excuse me I'm going to go since she doesn't want my help, good night." Aya said and with that she was gone.

Van sighed as he walked back in the room and found Hitomi lieing back down on the bed again. "Hitomi." Van said as he walked over to her and sat in the empty space next to her. "Why won't you sleep?" Van asked.

"I CAN'T!" Hitomi said and actually moved her head next to his leg since he was sitting with his legs crossed. "I see… every time I see, no……."

"Hitomi!" Van said and made his wife sit up straight and pulled her hands away from her face. "I'm right here whatever it is let me help you."

"During the battle on the morning of the yellow moon the war will have started at Zaibach's borders. The one who controls the black guymelof will control the fate of EscaFlowne and the Fanelian king." Hitomi said in a trance-like state. She finished speaking and was back to normal. Tears came down her eyes and she clung to Van. "No, don't pilot the EscaFlowne Van, don't… if you do, you'll…. You'll…." She cried.

"You're worried about me and the war aren't you Hitomi?" Van asked his sleeping wife sympathetically. "How many of these visions have you had and why was it that you didn't want to tell me any of them?"

Hitomi didn't answer him. She just clung to him as if this was the last time she would see him alive. "Don't pilot the EscaFlowne." She begged.

"I have to." Van said. "I don't have a choice."

She had given Van his present sometime later that month and he had said that he liked it and even hung it in his office to which Hitomi thought was a little stupid since he had so many other better paintings there. Hers looked so out of place compared to some of the others that he had hanging there.

The winter season had passed quicker then Hitomi had expected or wanted it to. Van felt the same way. She had found out that a moon later, which would normally be December on Earth, that she was leaving to live with Rhum and his tribe as a guest so that she would be away from the fighting. She was rather upset that he had kept this secret from her for so long and she had told him many of hers. Van sat next to her on a creature to which was called a Snow Cradle since they used these animals to go through the snow when they needed to during the winter months. She was quiet during most of the ride and she didn't want to say anything to him which she knew that she was being stupid since she might never see him again but she couldn't help but be angry at him. She could feel the necklace which she hung around her neck that he had given her before he had told her. It was a four pointed star made out of emerald green four points which all where connected to a small round crystal circle center in the middle. Van had given it to her as an early first year anniversary gift incase…. She wanted to kill him for even thinking that something could happen, but she knew it was true.

She blinked as she felt Van's hands pull her coat tighter around her and then pulled him next to her. "I don't want you to catch cold." Van said as he blushed since they weren't alone this time. Van had a set of six to guard them, six soldiers to accompany them. Merle rode on a separate Snow Cradle next to theirs.

"Van, one more month, I mean moon. Are you sure that you want me to go?" Hitomi had asked him before they had set off.

"Yes." Van said. "I'm sure."

"But…"

"I love you Hitomi, that's all that I want you to remember." Van said had pulled her in to a kiss.

They arrived at Rhum's village some time later that night before sun set and Rhum himself had greeted his guests.

"King Fanelia welcome." Rhum said. "Queen Fanelia you to as well." He then turned to Merle. "You, Lady Merle are also welcomed as my guests."

"Thank you Rhum, you know I appreciate this." Van said as he stood next to Hitomi.

"It is an honor Fanelia, you and your wife had help save Gaea from the demon Zaibach once before. As war turns again, I am sure that you will succeed a second time."

Hitomi squeezed Van's hand at Rhum's last sentence.

"Come, follow me to where it is warm inside, your mate is in no condition to be out here in this weather and your friends must be cold and tired after your long ride."

"Thank you Rhum." Van said respectfully and followed him to a hut with Hitomi at his side.

"We have a guess hut made for Lady Merle and Queen Hitomi." Rhum said once they where inside and have gave everyone some strange hot drink that tasted good. "You can stay the night here if you wish so you do not have to travel back to Fanelia in the dark and can leave at first light."

"We need to get back." Van insisted and watched as Hitomi's eyes just looked at her hands. "I have to deny the offer sadly."

"Yes when will you leave?" Rhum asked.

"Van-Sama." One of the soldiers said. "Forgive me but it would be foolish to travel in the dark in the cold."

Van looked to Hitomi who looked at her hands which where on the table with sad eyes. "We leave at first light then, if your offer is still good." Van asked Rhum.

"Fanelia is always welcomed in our homes." Rhum said and then showed them where they would be staying. Hitomi, Merle, and Van stayed in the hut that was prepared for Hitomi and Merle and Hitomi blushed once she saw that there was a cradle made for the baby there. "Van, why is there a cradle here?" She asked.

"I asked Rhum and paid him to have someone do it for me." Van answered. "I figured that our child would need a place to sleep while they where away from home."

"Van!" Hitomi said happily.

"I have also have thought of a name for our son or daughter." Van said and Hitomi looked at him with a raised eye brow. He bent over in to her ear and whispered in it. Hitomi smiled once he had told her two of the names that he had chosen. "Those are good names." Hitomi said happily.

"What?" Merle asked wanting to know.

"You'll find out in a moon." Hitomi said as Van wrapped his arms around her. "One more moon."