Return to My Heart (Con't)
Keetra: I'm back again! -backs away from all the mad reviewers from last chapter- Alright alright! Here's the next chapter okay? Oh, and just so you all know, it's the last one. :P I'm sad and happy at the same time. Read on, "patient" reviewers :D (Wow, I wrote a short intro this time! Yay for me:P)
Chapter Five: All Good Things…
Edwin nearly flew to the console where the nurse was sitting, shocked. Completely ignorant of her presence, he stared intently at the information flowing from the unit in front, monitoring all vital statistics of both of the patients. Something he saw triggered action, for he grabbed another tray from a nearby storage and ran back to the two bodies of his former patients. Quickly filling the clean syringe with the medication from the tray, he injected it with more force than necessary into the arm of Hitomi. He did not wait before filling it again and repeating the procedure with Van's body.
Everyone held their breaths, the only sound being the single beep from the vital monitor of Daphne, who was in the safeness of dreams. Another slow beep cautiously mingled with its sound, uncertain at first, then gaining in strength to match its beeping. Simultaneously, a breath escaped forcefully from the lungs of Hitomi, turning quickly into a hacking cough. Despite the danger, everyone present was greatly relieved and helped Hitomi to ease her breathing as Edwin attached a breathing apparatus to her nose and mouth. They turned in surprise as another beeping entered the orchestra of sound, followed close behind by Van's own gasping. Edwin reached over and attached another apparatus to Van, causing his breathing to ease and slow into even, controlled breaths.
Edwin looked back at the monitors. "They're safe. The transfer is going smoothly now." He wiped trails of sweat from his brow with the back of his sleeve.
Everyone in the room sighed with relief that the danger was now over; at least, it was over for now. Merle reached out a tentative paw and placed it gently onto Van's arm, careful not upset any of the instruments. Faintly she could feel his steady pulse causing minute vibration against his skin. Though it synchronized perfectly with the beeping monitor, to feel its touch beneath her paw gave her a realism in the life of her childhood friend.
For the next half hour, no one seemed to move except the nurse, who would only glance towards the screens then look back at the three sleeping figures of her patients. Occasionally, Edwin would come over to look, then he would look back at the others. At the end of the half an hour, the nurse spoke up.
"Doctor, the blood transfer has reached the minimum safety level. The reading indicate that both patients should survive if the transfer is discontinued at this point."
Edwin walked over to double check her report.
"Cut the transfer, nurse." Edwin turned back to the others. "Good news, I'm happy to say. Though startling, the... incident earlier caused a balance of the transfer between Daphne and Van. I was a little worried at first, but the dose of adrenalin I gave to both Van and Hitomi seemed to balance the flow better than I predicted. Both of them should recover safely. However," he looked at all the occupants sternly, "all three of them will need plenty of sleep for a few days to recover their energy. I am now revoking any visitor rights until all three patients are awake." He waited a moment then seemed annoyed when no one made a move. "Ahem, this is effective immediately." Still no one moved as they stared at him. "Move it people. I have recovering patients I need to attend to."
Allen was the first to move and he tapped Millerna to do the same. Seeing them leaved jarred all but Merle from their revere and they all exited. Edwin glanced at the cat-girl who was still hovering over Van. She turned her head and gazed at him with large, innocent eyes.
"You're sure he'll be alright? Van-sama isn't going to die now?" While innocent like a child, her gaze told him not to try any nonsense with her; he would regret it if he tried it. Edwin sighed.
"To that, I am still uncertain. I need to run a few tests to make sure, but he should be out of danger from that now."
"But what if there's some of it left? What if that... thing didn't find all of it? What then?" Merle asked, her tone climbing closer to hysterics with every question. Edwin gave her a small grin.
"I can treat the infection on that kind of minute scale. My first scan will be to determine that very fact. Then I will monitor how his body reacts and functions with the new blood in its system. I modified the program to extract only the damaged blood so there is still some of Van's original blood present; enough to keep his body from rejecting it outright. You can rest easy now, miss. The worst is over." He laid a gentle hand on her arm, squeezing it reassuringly.
Merle slowly turned and walked towards the door. When she was less than a foot from it she slowed to a cautious stop. Slowly, she turned back and glanced at her friends Van and Hitomi. Then she turned her gaze once more towards Edwin.
"Could I... stay. At least... until you finish the tests on them." Merle wrung her paws together as she spoke meekly, "Then, if you want, I'll leave until they wake up. But, I just... I don't want to leave unless they're really safe."
Edwin gave her an understanding nod and grinned. "Would you like to help? There's no room for useless hands or paws in this room right now."
Merle's mood was significantly brighter as she hurriedly returned to Van's bedside.
Two Weeks Later
A pair of eyes opened slowly, squinting harshly against the little bit of light the pupils were now exposed to. Through the narrow slits, Hitomi peered at her surroundings only to see the small cot she lay on with the bright white sheets, and a nightstand that was covered with flower bouquets with small cards there from her friends. Other than that, the room was a dull beige color with no other decoration. Hitomi tried to raise her head, only to flop it back down again as a wave of dizziness overcame her sense of balance and caused the room to spin, defying all forces of gravity. She squeezed her eyes, tight, still sensing the imbalance of everything around her. Slowly, the spinning slowed and finally stopped and Hitomi chanced opening her eyes once more. Content now that the room had stopped its dizzying movement, she sighed heavily and relaxed.
'It's over now. Everything is over in that room. We'll be alright. Won't we, Van?' Hitomi thought happily. Her eyes widened a second later. 'Van? Did you hear me?' She waited, but Van did not respond. She struggled upright, ignoring the pain in her muscles and the sickness within her stomach.
"Van?" she spoke aloud, but she did not recognize the dry croak of a whisper as her own voice. She looked around for something to wet her throat but found nothing of use. "Van?" she tried again, this time was slightly louder. "Please, somebody, answer me? What's going on?" Hitomi heard nothing, and this saddened her. For the first time since she came to Gaea this time, she felt totally and completely alone, and this feeling frightened her. Tears feel from her eyes that she did not even attempt to hold back. Instinctively, she licked every tear that fell, her throat rejoicing at even so small of an amount of liquid touching its cracked edges. "Please," Hitomi said, her voice louder again, "somebody hear me? Why can't anyone hear me? Somebody, please answer me. Please!" Hitomi cried harder, her face now buried within her hands.
At that moment, the door slid open to reveal a nurse she had not seen before. The woman stopped at the entryway, each woman as surmised as the other at seeing each other. The nurse quickly turned and ran back down the hall, dropping her instruments as she yelled, "Doctor, come quick! The Lady Hitomi is awake!"
Hitomi tried to call after her, but it was no use, the nurse was too far for Hitomi's parched throat to carry to. Hitomi sighed in defeat, waiting for someone else to show up. Across the room, she noticed a sink attached to the wall. Now, all she needed to do was get over to it... Hitomi moved her arms, stopping when the movement caused tingling sensations to race along her entire appendage as the blood re-circulated through her limb. She waited for it to stop before she repeated the movement in the other arm, not surprised at the tingling sensation that movement made as well.
How long have I been asleep? Hitomi wondered, then brushed the thought aside.
She gripped the handlebars of the bed and used them to pull herself into a sitting position. Her vision blacked for a second as the blood now rushed to overcome gravity to bring the vital blood through to her brain. When the spots cleared, she found the catch to lower the handlebar on one side and swung her body so her feet dangled over that side. Again, a numbing sensation swept over her, this time through her legs as her body once more tried to compensate for the sudden movement. That passed quickly and Hitomi took a deep breath, steeling herself as she pushed from the bed, putting her weight upon her feet. Hitomi barely grabbed the bed again in time as her knees buckled beneath her, unable to carry the weight. Hitomi mouthed a silent curse as she struggled to get her legs to accept the weight but they continually refused. Hitomi sunk to the floor, tears of defeat rolling down her face as she cursed at her body's own weakness. In her depression, she failed to hear the feet pounding down the hall to her door until the sound of the footsteps entered the room. Hitomi looked up to see an out-of-breath Allen looking at her in shock.
"Hitomi?" Allen ran over to her and knelt before her, worry evident upon his handsome features. "What are you doing on the floor?"
"Water." Hitomi managed to croak. When Allen looked at her with the expression of not understanding, Hitomi simply pointed to the sink and pantomimed drinking from a glass.
"Thirsty, huh?" Allen asked softly, running a hand through her hair. "You scared me, Hitomi. I thought you had fallen out of the bed for a second there." Allen laughed at the silliness of that thought, stopping when Hitomi simply glared at him and pantomimed drinking again. "Alright, a lady should not have to tell me twice, I'm sorry. Let's get you back in the bed first though."
Hitomi nodded in agreement and allowed Allen to lift her back to the bed and move her legs back under the covers. When he was sure she was comfortable, he walked over to the sink, found a cup on a nearby shelf, filled it with water, and brought it back to Hitomi. Hitomi reached eagerly for the glass but Allen kept it from her reach.
"I know you're thirsty, Hitomi, but drink this slowly in small sips. Your stomach hasn't had anything in days so it needs time to remember how to work correctly." Allen flashed her one of his winning smiles that would have most women doing whatever he asked. Hitomi just gestured for the glass impatiently; she'd grown immune to that smile. Allen just chuckled and handed her the glass. Despite her incredible thirst, Hitomi managed to drink only small sips as Allen had told her to. After about ten of these she lowered the glass and took a deep breath. The cold water did wonders for her sore throat and she managed a smile at Allen, who'd been watching her to make sure she followed instructions.
"Thank you." Hitomi whispered, happy that her voice did not crack anymore.
"You're welcome, Hitomi. You had us all worried you would not wake up when the others did." Allen told her, grasping her hand gently in his. Hitomi allowed this, knowing he was worried about her.
"How long?" Hitomi asked softly after taking another sip of water.
"Two weeks," Allen replied, surprising her. "The Draconian girl woke up three days after the transfer and Van woke up four days after her. You had all of the doctors stumped; they all said you should have woken up the day afterwards. Then, of course was the fact that the doctor would not allow any visitors until all three of you had woken up so the Council was getting a little annoyed."
Hitomi giggled slightly at the thought of those old men fretting over their King. Then that brought her thoughts back to Van.
"Van, is he alright? Can I see him?" Hitomi asked, looking at Allen with pleading eyes. Allen looked nervous under the gaze.
"I think it's better if you wait for the doctor, Hitomi. He's in a meeting with the Council and I had heard the nurse running to the other side of the castle, calling for him and yelling that you were awake." Allen replied with his most apologetic tone.
"But then all the Council members are going to be with him and they would not let me in. Please, Allen! I'm fine, I just have to see Van but I need you to carry me since I can't walk yet. Allen, I have to know he's okay. Please," the last word was spoken as a light whisper as Hitomi tried to hold back her tears. Her entire body yearned to know that Van was okay, angry with itself that it could not get there on its own. She looked up as she heard Allen give a deep sigh.
"I never could say no to you or Millerna, could I?" He replied with a smile. "Alright, Hitomi, I'll help you. But then you're going to wait for the Doctor and follow his advice." Hitomi nodded in agreement. Allen took the cup from her hands and placed it on a nearby table. He slid the sheets off her and slid his arms under her shoulders and knees. "Ready?" he asked, getting ready to lift her.
"Yes." Hitomi replied.
Allen lifted her easily and carried out of the room, careful not to bump her into the doorframe. He walked slowly down the hall, weaving between people, some of them recognizing her and saying hello and saying how happy they were to see her awake. Hitomi smiled and thanked them, inwardly wishing they would leave her alone so that she could see Van quicker. Finally, they were in the hall that Hitomi recognized as the one leading to the room where she had first seen Van when she had returned. The guard at the door looked shocked to see Hitomi.
"L-Lady Hitomi! I had not been told you had woken up! You should be in bed." The guard stuttered.
"According to Allen, I've been in bed for a long time." She swung her legs out of Allen's grasp and stood on them, Allen supporting her on his left side as she looked the guard square in the eye. "I have to see him."
The guard became very nervous at this and avoided eye contact.
"No one is to enter until Doctor Edwin gives permission. I'm sorry, Lady."
Before either of them could speak another word, Allen had drawn his sword and pointed it towards the guard.
"Let her in. I, Allen Schezar, will take full blame. Now let her pass. The doctor stated no visitors until Hitomi awoke and she has. Now she wants to see him. Let her through."
The guard made as if to protest, his hand crossed over to draw his own blade.
"Portis! Let her in." Van's voice came from inside the door.
"My Lord, I cannot!" Portis replied, but his hand paused in midair and Allen's grip loosened slightly on his blade.
"I said let her in." Van's voice replied and the door opened to reveal Van standing in the doorway. "Allen, you'll have to stay out here. Edwin said I could have only one visitor at a time. Tch, that doctor still thinks I'm too weak to do anything."
Allen smiled at Van's protest.
"He told you not to be walking around again?" Allen said with a wink, giving Hitomi the impression that Allen had found a way into Van's room despite what the doctor said.
"Hmph. I can walk and I know when to take a break without him hovering over me." Van replied, crossing his arms over his chest determinedly. This made Hitomi giggle and Van turned to her with a smile. "You're finally awake, Hitomi. You had me worried."
"I'm sorry, Van." Hitomi replied, lowering her head slightly. "I hadn't meant to."
Van walked over to her.
"Of course not," he replied, placing his hands lightly on her shoulders, "Come. The doctor would not let me see you until you woke up." Van laced one arm under her arm and around her shoulder blades. "I'd carry you, but I think it would be better for your legs to get some exercise." Hitomi nodded and walked in with Van, him taking most of her weight on himself.
The inside of the room was now much brighter than the last time. Hitomi barely had time to witness this before she was pulled tight into Van's strong embrace, one she returned with all her heart.
"Hitomi, I thought I would never be able to do this again. All those years... even when you came back, I could not hold you, yet you were here." Hitomi gasped as she felt a tear land upon the sensitive skin of her neck.
"Van," she began but Van cut off her sentence before it began.
"You're going to leave me again. Even after all of this, you'll leave me for the Mystic Moon. You'll leave and I'll be dead inside once again. To be able to talk to you, even see you sometimes, but I'll never be able to touch you like this." Hitomi felt her heart tear in two hearing Van talk like this as his tears flowed unchecked down his face and onto her neck, soaking the rim of her collar. "Stay with me, Hitomi. I know what happened at your school. I read it in your mind while you were asleep. There's no future for you there. I'm offering you a future here, with me. We could bring your family here. I'm sure if we wish hard enough for it, it can happen. I'm willing to do anything, Hitomi. Please, just stay with me."
All strength gave out in Hitomi legs and she brought them both crashing to the floor, Van landing on top of her. The jolt seemed to knock Van to his senses and he quickly got off her and sat, facing away from her.
"I'm sorry. I understand if you still want to go. I mean, the Mystic Moon is your home and all so it just makes sense that you'd want to go back." He started to babble.
"I want to stay."
"I thought you'd say that. I'll have the servant get your stuff ready for you to leave. We can arrange for everyone to say goodbye later since you'll need all the energy you can get for the trip back." Van continued with the babble, barely pausing for breath.
Hitomi let out a small giggle and placed a hand on Van's should making him jump and look back at her, causing him to stop his ranting.
"I want to stay. Here, with you, is where I belong now. You're right. Mother and Father can come here with my brother if they want." Hitomi hugged him again, the hug awkward since she was hugging his back. "I always told myself, when I went back, that having met you was enough. That just knowing that I loved you and that my love was returned was enough to make me happy. I was lying. Every time I'd see a couple kissing in a corner, I'd wish that you were there so that I could kiss you and my arms would want to hold you like this, but they couldn't. I can't go back to Earth. I belong here."
For one full minute, neither of them moved. Then Van's eyes lowered to look down at her and he turned slightly more towards her.
"You mean it?" he asked in a tentative tone, as if he expected this to not be real, for Merle to pop out of the disguise and scream 'Fooled ya! Van-sama, you should see your face!' but that did not happen. Instead his every wish got answered as Hitomi's lips found his in a passionate seal of their love. No words were needed, for the two were too caught in their body's yearning for each other to hear the sound of the guard closing the door to the room that they had forgotten to close.
Twelve Years Later
"Cerise! Wait for me!" a little boy called after the distant figure that continued to run. He let out an annoyed grunt, pushing his unruly chestnut brown hair back from his amber eyes.
"Hurry up, Lowell. I told you it was a race, so come on!" Cerise looked back with her shining jade eyes that stood out from her pale face, peeking from behind her long black bangs. The rest of her hair was tied back in a low pony-tail, the end of her hair reaching just past her shoulders even while up. She took pity on her brother, however and stopped to wait for him as he panted across the distance separating them. She smirked as he finally closed the gap and fell to his knees, panting for breath. "You're out of shape, brother. It's no wonder I keep on beating you." Cerise flashed him a winning smile.
"I never said I wanted to race," Lowell muttered unhappily. Cerise just smiled wider.
"Come on, Brother. Grandmother should be there already." Cerise said, tugging on his arm to move him forward. Lowell sighed.
"Fine, but can we walk now, please?" Lowell begged his sister, giving her his best 'pity me' look. Cerise just laughed.
"Alright, slowpoke. Should I hold your hand too?" Cerise teased. Lowell just shoved her away, got to his feet and walked forward angrily. Cerise giggled watching her 6-year-old brother stomp away. It wasn't her fault that he was two years younger than her and so much fun to tease! She ran up to catch up to him. "You mad at me?"
"Of course!" Lowell replied icily. Cerise smirked, knowing he had gotten to the phase where he didn't want to be treated like a little kid anymore. Still, it was another tool to tease him with.
"Guess you don't want me to walk with you then. See ya!" Cerise called the last two words over her shoulder as she took off once more, leaving Lowell gaping after her in shock.
"Sis! Watch out!" Lowell cried. Cerise looked behind her only to be barreled over by the flying form of her brother. "Caught ya!" Lowell announced, throwing himself into a fit of laughter. Cerise joined her laughter with her brother's.
"Alright, you got me. Now let me up already, will ya?" Cerise said wit a smirk. She may be faster on the ground, but her brother was far better than her when it came to flying. "How about we make this more fun?" Cerise asked while they both got to their feet, the look of challenge in her eyes. Lowell met her gaze with one of his own, knowing a challenge when he heard one.
"What is it, sister?" He asked, fairly certain he already knew what she would say.
"Another race, of course," She announced, making Lowell groan, "but with a twist. Me on the ground and you in the air." Lowell's eyes lit up hearing this, "Let's see who's really better. Oh, and once we hit the forest," she pointed to the forest 20 yards away, "you can't fly above the top of the tress. Sound good? Or are you too scared to be beaten by a girl at something you're good at?" Cerise smirked, knowing her brother could not resist this opportunity to beat her at a race he had a chance at.
"You're on!" Lowell accepted the challenge, returning his sister's knowing smirk with one of his own. Both of them crouched down low, Cerise in the typical racer's start, Lowell preparing for the lunge upward.
"Ready," Cerise called and both tightened their leg muscles, "GO!" she cried, lunging forward as her brother gave mighty leap in the air. Both the siblings raced as fast as they could towards the tree line, each concentrating only on their target. They hit the tree line, Lowell barely ahead of Cerise, though neither was aware of it. Now their attention was only on avoiding the obstacles in front of them. Every leaf, trunk, bush and vine seemed to leap out from their surrounding and attempt to tangle or trip them, but each obstacle the racers managed to swerve at the precise moment, barely letting it affect their momentum. They lunged, dived, swerved and jumped, each using every advantage and skill they had to propel themselves forward to reach their goal. Then the obstacles parted, revealing a clearing with a large headstone surrounded by a low rail. In front of the rail was laid out a cloth of a red and white pattern, with a human sitting upon its surface, looking up at the large 'Melef that loomed to her left, looking as if it guarded this sacred sanctuary. The woman turned as she heard the sound of the two racers and her face cracked into a kind smile.. With a knowing nod, she reached into the picnic basket and pulled out a large napkin and unfolded it quickly and stood up. As the racers passed her she waved it wildly. Both racers managed to stop just before the rail and turned to look back at the woman, each panting heavily from their exertions.
"Who won?" they both asked simultaneously, making the woman smile.
"A tie. You both passed me at the same moment," she replied in Japanese. Both racers looked at her in shock.
"That's not possible, obaa-san!" Cerise protested, easily switching her language to Japanese, remembering her grandmother still struggled to learn the Gaean language.
"Hai, obaa-san! Don't say that just to make us feel better! Tell us who won!" Lowell pleaded, landing on the ground next to his sister and retracting his wings. Their grandmother just smiled through their pleas.
"Would I lie to you about something like that?" she asked with an angelic smile.
"Yes!" Cerise and Lowell replied, smiling back.
"Well, I didn't this time. So, to the victors go the rewards, and there's plenty of rice balls for the both of you," Grandmother replied, reaching down behind her and grabbing the open container of rice balls.
"Yatta!" Lowell cried, reaching forward and grabbing one, "you're the best, obaa-san. Arigatou!"
"Arigatou!" Cerise added as well, taking a rice ball for herself.
Everyone looked up at the sound of a whinny.
"Looks like your parents have arrived now." Grandmother replied, facing the direction of a narrow path that led to the left of the woods. There, two Gaean horses were seen, charging at full gallop down the path, each narrowly avoiding boulders, branches and each other. The horses were reared in at the edge of the clearing and their occupants dismounted easily, revealing the riders as Van and Hitomi, each dressed in Gaean clothes with Hitomi in yet another tomboyish outfit. Cerise smothered an urge to giggle as she knew that Princess Millerna would be throwing a fit right now if she knew. She smiled seeing the Atlantis Stones, as they were now referred as, around both of their necks. Both their parents claimed the second stone had appeared on Van's pillow the night that Daphne had disappeared. Though they both thought Daphne had left it as a gift, no one had seen the Draconian girl again. "Hitomi, Van. It's about time you joined us."
Hitomi smiled but Van looked confused for a moment then finally smiled as well. Van had not been able to learn Japanese at all, since he spent most of his time ruling his country. However, Hitomi and Van had been able to establish a mental link thanks to their stones, so Hitomi usually translated for him that way.
"Sorry we're late, okaa-san," Hitomi replied, "The meeting ran longer than both Van or I thought it would, then," Hitomi paused slightly and looked at her daughter with a mischievous smile, "we got an important letter addressed to Cerise."
"A letter? For me?" Cerise's eyes lit up with excitement as she received the rolled up parchment from her mother. She unrolled it carefully as if scared it would fall apart in her hands. "To Cerise Hana Fannel. May it please you to know we have accepted your request to participate in the Gaean Festival Race, as part of the celebration of the 15th Anniversary of the Allies' defeat of the power of Zaibach's empire. All racers are required to arrive exactly one full day before the start of the race in the country of Freid. Congratulations on your acceptance. I looking forward to seeing you once again. Signed, King Chid." Cerise said nothing for a full 5 minutes as her eyes scanned the letter over and over again, her mouth outlined the words while not sound passed them. "I was... accepted?" Her voice finally questioned the words.
"Don't be so surprised," Hitomi told her with a smile, "You've won every race held in Fanelia, even ones that I've participated in. The race asked for the racing champions of all the Allied countries and there's no one in Fanelia who would deny that you are Fanelia's champion. Though," Hitomi gave Cerise her most serious stare, "You still need the permission of both the King and Queen of Fanelia to participate."
Cerise's hopeful expression instantly faded seeing her mother's serious face.
What have I done wrong? Mother was encouraging me to participate in this race! Have I forgotten something? Did I offend Father in some way? Cerise gasped at the sudden thought that passed through her mind. I forgot to ask father for permission! I did not want to bother him while he was busy preparing Fanelia's portion of the Festival, and mother told me he approved! I should have asked him. I should have known that he does not like to be left out in that way.
"I'm sorry, Father. I knew you were busy and had thought it best not to bother you, but I should have still asked your permission in person." She apologized, switching back to Gaean. In the background, she heard her brother softly translating for their grandmother, but she tuned it out. "Please, Father! This race means a lot to me. I've been working hard for the past year to be able to participate. I'll do better on my studies, I'll... I'll tease Lowell less," she heard Lowell's voice get more excited as he translated this, "I understand your feelings, Father, but please, I beg you to forgive me and allow me to participate in the Festival Race." Cerise bowed low to her Father in the Japanese form of giving utmost respect and honor. She nearly cried while staring at the ground when first her father then her mother broke into laughter. She jerked when a hand gently clasped her shoulder and drew her into a hug.
"Cerise, dear Cerise, it is me who is sorry. Your mother was simply joking with you as we had planned on doing on the ride here. We should have remembered how much this race truly meant to you and not joked upon it. Forgive us, Cerise. You have both your mother's and my permission, as you always did, to fulfill your dream of being a racer and we shall always support you in that goal."
Cerise wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Really, Father? You're not mad?" She asked, still a little uncertain.
"Of course," Van replied with a reassuring smile. He fell over backwards as Cerise tackled him with her excitement.
"Thank you, Father! Thank you so much!" She announced, her tears of happiness now becoming tears of joy her smile beaming brighter than the afternoon sun.
"Am I forgiven then?" Van asked, pulling her away slightly. Cerise nodded, Her voice suddenly lost again as she dried her cheeks on her sleeve. "Good, now... if memory serves me, your grandmother promised a nice little meal and if we don't hurry, she may decide to have it all herself." He joked once more, knowing his son was translating.
"Van Fanel, you know perfectly well I would not eat all of that food myself. Though, I'm sure Lowell and Cerise would be more than willing to help me out and help me in guarding the food against you as punishment for teasing my granddaughter."
And the squabble began. Though, this was very interesting since each participant (Van and his mother-in-law, that is) had to wait for their respective translator to finish before they could respond, Lowell translating for his father while Cerise did the same for her grandmother. It wasn't long before Hitomi noticed that her children weren't translating exactly what was said, and this added an even more interesting spin which only Hitomi and her children could truly enjoy. After a while, Van was able to calm down enough that, with the very small vocabulary that Van had been able to pick up, he was able to figure out a difference between what he was sure his step-mother said and what his son said, and when it was figured out, sent the whole family into peals of laughter at the payback tease the children had played. Hitomi laughed along with them, happening to glance over at Escaflowne as she recovered from the giggles. It sat in its usual position, guarding Folken's resting place as the eternal guardian of peace instead of the weapon it used to be. The Mystic Moon seemed to rest upon it's shoulders as if her old world were now a burden upon it that is must carry. In her tearing eyes, Hitomi's old world seemed to shine bright and Hitomi had the unmistakable feeling that she and her family would not be the last to travel between the two worlds. Hitomi gasped as two strong arms encircled her and pulled her back against a well-muscled body, pressing her tightly but gently into its loving embrace.
"Do you miss it?" Van's voice whispered softly into her ear. Hitomi sighed, for even after all these years, he would still ask this question when he knew she had the ability to return there any time she wished. In the twelve years since she returned, though, she had never gone back to her home world after her parents and brother had joined her in Gaea, happy to leave all the high expectations and stress of the Terran life.
"No, it has nothing to do with that," Hitomi replied, reassuringly. However, this only made him turn her around to face him.
"What did you see? Please, tell me, Hitomi. You have not had a strong vision in a long while." Van said, stroking her hair, making Hitomi lean gently into his hand.
"It wasn't a vision, just a feeling. I don't think Gaea's quite finished yet with Earth. I feel like someone else will come here and will be involved with Escaflowne." Hitomi replied, turning her gaze once more towards her old world.
"Escaflowne will need to be protected then! I won't allow any harm to come to it, even if I am no longer bonded to it." Van spoke harshly, attracting the rest of the family's attention now. Hitomi laid a calm finger upon her husband's lips, now quite used to his outbursts of protection to his former fighting partner.
"It's alright, Van." Hitomi broke from Van's arms and walked the few feet over to stand next to Escaflowne. She laid a gentle hand upon its surface and the pink jewel seemed to glow soft for a moment and Hitomi smiled. "Escaflowne is eager to meet him, no matter how far into the future he may appear."
Van stood for a second, watching his wife standing next to his Guymelef with the pale pink light reflecting in her eyes as she gazed up at the jewel. To him, she was just as lovely at that moment as when she had first told him she thought his wings were beautiful. He walked over and took her back into his arms' embrace.
"I'm sorry. I got overprotective again." Van apologized hugging her tightly, as if to never let her go. Hitomi leaned back upon him, letting him balance her weight as she wrapped her arms over his.
"You don't need to apologize. I know you miss it a little and it will always be a part of you, no matter how many times they switch out your blood." This statement brought a smirk back to Van's face, and Hitomi could sense it was there. Then she sensed the smirk disappear as Van voiced a thought.
"Hitomi, have you ever... regretted coming here, to Gaea?" he asked, his embrace tightening slightly as he nervously waited for the answer.
Knowing that his question was not to be taken lightly, Hitomi thought carefully over her answer before she finally voiced it.
"Yes. A few times" Hitomi felt Van's embrace slacken and she tightened her own. "Like, the time where I was so fed up with how you had changed fighting Zaibach that I actually did go back. Then, while I was on Earth, I could only think of Gaea and my soul seemed to call to it, because I would answer to the feathers reaching to me. Even though, I knew if I went back to that track, I would have to go back, it didn't matter, because I wanted to go back to you. I knew then that my heart was linked to you. When I went back once more, those three years I spent apart from you seemed to tear at my heart and empty my soul. I started writing those letters I gave you. The early ones were mostly filled with just I love you's and such. Then I wrote where I wished to go with you if I ever returned somehow. During those three years, I can't recall how many times a daring boy would ask me out and how many rumors started that I had a boyfriend in college, but these died out quickly. The latest letters I wrote when you became more busy and we didn't link as often. I wrote daily things. Each day for those three years, I looked forward to being able to write to you. Many times, I wasn't sure if I'd ever be able to give them to you and I would hide the letters. I even threw some out when I got depressed enough about it. Then, inevitably, something would happen and I would think 'I want to tell Van about this!' and I would write it in yet another letter. Then, I was finally able to come here. I had no chance at making it in a good grade college anymore because of the suspension," Van was always confused at this word since Gaea had no word that had a similar meaning. "and coming back to Gaea made me so happy, like I was complete again, and I am. There were a couple times in the past several years, I had thought it would have been easier to never have come here, to just live on Earth and become a racer and have lived a normal high school girl life. However, all I had to do was remember that I had wished to find my true love, and it brought me to Gaea. My heart knew its soul mate was not on that world."
Hitomi turned in Van's still loose embrace and looked into her husband's eyes.
"My heart knew its soul mate was here, as my guardian angel who rules over the heaven of Fanelia."
With those words, the lovers shared a kiss that was as meaningful to them as their first kiss in Zaibach was.
End Chapter Five
End of Return to My Heart
Keetra: T.T The story's over! I'm kind of gonna miss writing this, but I'm also glad it's over so I can concentrate more on my Spirited Away fic, which I've been sadly neglecting... Oh, and I am not writing a sequel to this! Well, at least, I don't have one planned. This story does have the possibility for a sequel though, but I need to at least finish my Spirited Away story before I do any kind of planning on a sequel. If I do write a sequel though, it would be someone from Earth comes to Gaea and is able to pilot Escaflowne. I kind of hinted at it towards the end when Hitomi looks up at Escaflowne. But it will not be written for a loooong while yet. Anyways, few quick notes before I leave:
First, I used some major artistic leeway on their kid's names. Their names came from me thinking what if their kids looked like them, but the hair color switched? Well, I started with the boy, since I knew I would be writing him first. So, here was my train of thought: "Brown hair, brown eyes... Wait a minute... THIS sounds familiar... OH MY GOD! VAN'S SON LOOKS LIKE SYAORAN-KUN! (From Cardcaptor Sakura for those deprived people who do not know) so, I was a little bad…. I could not resist having a mini Syaoran in my fic. So, I went to my handy baby names site (I love that site! It helps me so much with names T.T) and was looking for any name that meant wolf. Well, I got something better! Lowell is an English name (meaning from England, not like American or something) and it means "Little Wolf"! (For the non-CCS fans, Syaoran means Little Wolf in Japanese.) I was psyched! Well, even though the girl did not look like Sakura (I had envisioned long black hair kept back in a ponytail and I wanted to keep that. Sorry peeps!) but I could not have the little wolf be without his cherry blossom, it was just not right. SO, I looked again to get the girl's name. Cerise is a French name meaning "Cherry" and Hana is a Japanese name meaning "Flower". So, slight apology for the slight out of character on the children's names, but I had to do that. In reality, Van probably would've named his son Balken (Combining BALgus and FolKEN) in memory of them. I was tempted slightly when I found the Japanese name that meant "peace" but shook it off. So, again, sorry for my weak resistance to the opportunity to make Syaoran and Sakura appear here. -bow-
Second, I realized when I did the time jump that I had forgot to mention the time frame this story was set in when I started this fic. Sorry! This story takes place 3 years after Hitomi returned. So, again, I did an artistic leeway because I do not know how many years Japanese people attend high school. So, being lazy and not really wanting to look everywhere to figure it out, I assume they go for 4 years, so Hitomi would be a senior in High School (She was a First Year in the anime). Sorry if this caused any confusion at all. Also, the three years is why they had electric consoles. In those three years, Freid had people studying the Zaibach technology and were integrating it into their lives, mostly their medical facilities, making them the best medics in the planet. Since they already knew how to use energists for Guymelefs, they used the same concept to run the consoles and monitors. I had wanted to put this explaination in the story, but I could not really figure out where would be good, so sorry again, if that caused any confusion either.
And, last but never in the least, I want to thank all my incredibly loyal reviewers that kept coming back even though I was aggravatingly slow with this story, even more than usual. Especially FireTemptress, my ever-loving okaa-sama. I love you with all my heart! Thank you so much for your inspiration on how to end this story. It is now so much grander than I could ever have imagined it ending. I pray your ideas and stories will continue to inspire me to do my best. I also pray I can return the favor just as often.
Ja ne to you all! Love yas! Hugs and kisses and fond wishes to all!