Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne.

Wish: Chapter Four

There were only a few things that they knew at that moment in time. The night was cool; the moons were bright; and their journey together had only just begun.

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" Mi`Lord! Mi`Lord!"

Hitomi's eyes drifted up to see a figure rushing down the stairs towards them. He was in robes, the most prominent a maroon and gold color encrusted with the Fanalian crest. Hitomi felt Van stiffen slightly and his hand clenched a little tighter than its previously casual hold. In truth she enjoyed the walk back to the castle with him. Listening to everything Van said with rapture and excitement; when in reality all she could think of outside of that was how he was holding her hand so gently, swinging it ever so while they walked. The thought made her smile now though it was quickly wiped away when the seemingly urgent man came closer.

He was incredibly old. Much older than any of the men she'd seen in the country on her previous visit. Breathing shallowly and rather ragged from his swift decent of the twenty some steps and five feet between them. His eyes were an unwavering swallow gray and cataracts white, hands creased with age, face wrinkled with deep canyons of worry. " Lord Van!" He rasped, leaning on a cane that Hitomi had failed to see before. " I have urgent news! There seems to have been a, an unexplainable phenomena!"

Van shifted a bit uncomfortably at the news. " Phenomena?" His voice took a tone Hitomi hadn't heard. It was strong, rich and ultimately authoritarian.

He nodded vigorously, reminding Hitomi of the bobble head she'd had in her first car. " Yes. It seems." The old hobbled voice stopped abruptly in mid sentence, this old man had finally taken notice of Hitomi. " Young maiden may I ask that you leave us as we may speak in private of, private matters."

Scowled lines appeared on Hitomi's forehead; not liking one bit his emphasis on the word 'private'. Though Van was the king, she began to lessen her grip on his hand, but Van held fast squeezing slightly for her to stay. "Out with it Audo!" Van said sharply, his scowl deepening eyes fixed. " If it is of such importance I find it best not to keep me waiting."

The man began again eyeing Hitomi wearily. " You see Mi Lord, there seems to have been a pillar of light here in Fanalia. It is estimated to be near the shrine."

Hitomi heard a slight snickering coming from Van. He looked to be attempting to hold in his laughter in the face of this old man and just the sight of his eyes lit up so; Hitomi had to bite her lip to stay quiet as well at the irony. " I see." He said in a slight shaky voice. " Audo. My I introduce to you Lady Hitomi Kanzaki of the Mystic Moon." Audo seemed to gape at the pair looking from Van back to Hitomi several times. " Hitomi this is Audo, one of the royal advisors."

" Then it is true." Audo gasped blinking a couple of times. " The wing goddess has returned!" Audo turned on heal and began to hurry up the stairs.

Green eyes locked with Van's mahogany ones for a moment before he began rushing up the stairs after him. " Wing goddess?" She muttered rolling her eyes and following him.

" Listen Audo!" Van shouted after him. " I want this kept quiet, nobody is to know outside of the household."

" But we can't have that Lord Van! No, no no! With the upcoming festivals and the celebrations we must include and prepare for the Wing Goddess's return!"

" Audo!" Van snarled at the old man, his eyes flaring slightly in annoyance. " Lady Hitomi is going to stay in the castle, in a private chamber, where nobody outside of a few people will know she is here until she deems a time when she wishes to make herself known." He seemed to be grinding his teeth at that moment, but that was exactly what they'd discussed on their short walk. Hitomi wanted some time before she was thrust into the fore front of it all to think about things, lots of things. " It is very simple Audo. You are to tell nobody of her arrival or that she is staying here, festival plans are to continue as planned. Understood?"

Hitomi's interest was peaked, Van never did get over his sharp fury when it came to certain matters but this was, it was, interesting. The look of astonishment on Audo's face was enough to tell Hitomi that Van never had an outburst like this before with one of his advisers; no it wasn't truly in his nature. Her mind began to wander while Van gave orders to Audo for a chamber maid and a meal to be sent to a room. Hitomi looked around the hall they were in.

The castle looked nice, rather homely, if that were even possible for a castle. It all seemed familiar to her, looking around at the white walls cathedral ceilings, the lavish rug that stretched down the entire length of the hall. " Not much has changed." Van's soothing voice broke her thoughts, turning and seeing Audo gone Van had once again taken her hand. " We rebuilt it nearly exactly the way it was."

Van began to lead her down the maze of halls, babbling about the changes to the castle and how the village was now completely rebuilt along with the majority of the country side, that they'd had an excellent crop year and this one was looking to be just as good if not better. Before he noticed anything they were walking down a somewhat darkened hall, he stopped abruptly in mid step. Jerking Hitomi from her thoughts about the country and how fondly Van spoke of his people, she looked around. They were close to a door; it seemed to be the only one in the stretch of hall.

" Van is something wrong?" She asked softly, nearly whispering the feeling of immense silence bearing down on her now.

" No nothing." His face was flush then, he turned slightly red with embarrassment. Hitomi's hand reached out for the door knob but he jerked her back the way they'd come continuing to babble about feeding her before she went to sleep for the night. 'Oh Lord! I hadn't realized!' Van had been in fact leading them directly to his bed chambers if admit a little less than subconsciously. " What about you Hitomi? The past years?"

" Oh. Um." Somewhere inside she knew Van had been leading her somewhere that he shouldn't have from the way he blushed as she reached for the knob, well she wasn't the dimmest bulb in the pack. " I finished High School, I did rather well actually. So well I got accepted into a prestigious college! Oh Van it has always been my dream to go to school overseas!" There was a smile on her face that Van had only seen once before, when he'd come back to get her before that final battle. " It's a fantastic place, truly. The education system there is second to none in America; I'd be studying overseas in a different place a new culture."

Suddenly there was something in the pit of Van's stomach that started to form, a black stone of doubt. She was speaking so fondly of this place, this America; the schooling, why on Gaea someone would need advanced schooling anyway bothered Van greatly, she was smart exceedingly smart and didn't seem to need to further her education. Maybe this is what she needed to think about. There was a life for her back on the Mystic Moon; Van watched her mouth as she spoke soft pink lips that moved and smiled with each word; then again he was here waiting for her, but did she know that? That he had waited all of this time for her.

" It sounds. Excellent." He finished not sure what words to use; he'd think about that later. Clearing his throat and signaling to a small wooden door just the same size as his own, in truth they were in the same hall way just on the opposite side of his own room in fact. " This will be your room." He said pushing the door open for her.

It was cool and dark in the room, Van reached up snapping a switch which in turn lit the oil lamps around the room. " Wow." Hitomi muttered to herself looking around. The bed was enormous! That was all Hitomi could think of, the whole room was enormous, bed, vanity, hope chests, desk, chairs. All of it beautiful mahogany color wood that reminded her of Van's eyes, the bed, a four poster, was draped with a bluish white sheer cloth with white sheets and a darker blue top. Hitomi walked around the room feeling a bit like Belle in that one movie, she couldn't believe it. Her hand graced over the bed. " Oh wow its down!" She flopped herself onto the bed snuggling her face into the sheets hearing a small chuckle from the foot of the bed.

" I'm glad you like it." Van said looking down at her, his eyes hooded. Hitomi smiled both inside and out. " The lamps act as a second heating system to warm the room quicker, one of the few convenient things that came out of Zibach. If it is still too cold I can build you a fire over there if you wish." He signaled to the fire place on a far outside wall.

She blushed when he sat beside her on the bed and she sat up holding the down pillow on her lap. " I'm not sure I will be needing it but thank you Van."

The silence in the room was a bit more defining if not for the crickets that seemed to be chirping outside. " I mean it Hitomi. Anytime you need anything you just come get me." He pointed at a separate spot over by the wall, there was a second door. " That door leads to my chambers and my private study. I've been spending more time there than anything of late. Just open that door and I'll be there."

Hitomi murmured an okay, hiding her face slightly with the pillow; felling Van's eyes on her for a moment she glanced over, catching his gaze. " Van will you do something for me right now?" Her voice was sweet and shy, making Van's stomach flip.

" Anything." Voice husky and mouth dry.

" Will you…"

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Hello Kittens,

Here you go Chapter Four, a cliff hanger. I have no beta, this we know so mistakes are my fault.

If you read it please review. Reviews don't take long at all. Even if you don't like it I appreciate the criticism. Review.

Five out soon!