Did you know I have a pillar of light in my wallet? Of course its possible… isn't it? Well if it's not going to Gaea where is all my money? What are you saying, I spent it? Darn Otakon! Curse you concert! Never again will I shop with my sister and foot the bill! Grrr animovies online you evil fiend with your low prices and large selection, Grrrr!

I hate being broke. You know I would still be broke if I Owned Escaflowne cuz all my money would be going into making a sequel. Do you see a sequel? Then I don't own Escaflowne! That counts as a Disclaimer right?

Far From Home

Chapter 5

Light streamed in the window playing bright patterns across her face. Wait why were her curtains not doing their job? Light this early only meant one thing. What that thing was eluded Hitomi's still slumbering mind. All she wanted was to roll over, to ignore the annoyingly cheerful sun, and once again sink into her peaceful dreams of Van. Van! She leapt out of bed with such quickness that a cheetah would be jealous. Dashing towards the window in question she batted the offending pink curtains aside.

There he was in all his glory basking in the golden early morning light. Van lay with his head resting in his hands, left foot propped up on his right knee. Hitomi's jaw dropped at the sight of him, the word tanning sound to small for such an amazing sight, bathing in the light of the sun, came close. As angelic as he looked he must have heard her drooling for he opened on eye to look at her casually.

She looked like perfection to him. Hitomi sat on the window frame, her honey colored hair tussled from sleep caught the light just right to give her a halo. Her tank top clung to her chest where he fought his eyes not to linger. The top stopped short to reveal a smooth stomach, fallowing down the curve of her body he was mesmerized by her toned legs and lean arms. Most of all her eyes shown, sparkling just for him glowed with inner warmth. This woman didn't need wings to be an angel, her heart was large enough to engulf the world, and it belonged to him. I don't deserve a girl like her. She is far too good for me he thought.

Van sat up leaning heavily on his well muscled arms. "Good morning sleeping beauty."

His voice was low and warm sending chills rampaging across her skin. "Good morning handsome." She said crawling slowly towards him. I can't believe I said that! Her mind screamed. How else do you respond to being called beautiful? She blushed.

This time it was Van's turn to gape in aw. Her movements were graceful like a cat and almost too sensual to believe. The soft blush that adorned her cheeks made his mind reel. "Um… Hitomi…"

"Yes Van?"

He gulped. "Why are you crawling?"

"So I don't slip. I forgot my shoes in the room. Why do you ask?" She was almost next to him now.

"Hitomi… y-your… your"

"My what?" She looked down to see what his eyes were glued to. What she saw was her shirt gaping open to reveal more cleavage then she knew she had. She quickly sat down with a thud clutching her top closed, her face crimson.

"I- I'm s-sorry." He stuttered looking away ashamed, his eyes hidden by his hair.

"It's alright." She warped her arms around him, burrowing her face into the crook of his neck. "You tried to tell me. Thank you."

Her breath was hot on his skin or was it that he was burning up. He smiled She has no idea how much she torments me. Van ran his fingers through her hair brushing the strands out of her face. I have to change the subject before I say something stupid again. "Would you like me to tell you how all our friends are doing?"

She looked up, her face mere inches from his. "Please."

He turned her around to cradle her back against his chest so they could both look out on the horizon as he spoke. It also eased some of the tension away. "Where do you want me to start?"

"Tell me about Merle first."

"She misses you. Claims that she has no one to pick on, but she's never had a true friend before you." He paused "I'm her brother not her friend. Though there are a few of her kind now living in Fanela, and a cat-boy by the name of Graydon has taken a fancy to her. She is lonely, I'm sure of it."

"How about Millearna?"

"Well, she is a good ruler and kind to her people. Not a month after Dryden left she send him a request to return. It stated that she needed his merchant mind to help recover losses from the war and make Astoria prosperous once more. He became one of her head advisers and she found that she had fallen in love with him after all. They are married once more, this time with no interruptions." Van smiled softly into her hair. "As of last month they found out that Millearna is with child."

Grinning Hitomi tilted her head back to look into Van's face. "Oh how wonderful for them. I don't need a reading to know that they will be happy after all."

"Who next?" He asked laying a soft chaste kiss on her forehead.

She quickly looked back out over the roofs, blushing. "Um…"

He took that as a clue that she didn't want to offend him, a very good sign. "Lets see, Allen gave up his title shortly after you left. He moved to Fried as is now an adviser and swords master to King Chid. Who is doing quite well for the youngest king in Gaea's history. Celena, Allen's sister has married Gaddes." Van shook his head. "He is a strange man. Celena has gotten rather good control of Dilandau. She can change into him at will, as well as back. Her temper tantrums have caused more then one fire, but are quickly contained. I think that covers all our close friends"

"Well what about…"

"Folken. I had his body buried next to father in the royal shrine. Escaflowne is once again in cased in stone. As I hope it will always remain."

They sat in silence gazing at the people below beginning their day. Hitomi took his right hand and laced her fingers between his. "If you want I can show you around Tokyo. This is a huge city; we live on the edge where there is more room." She swept her free arm through the air. "Over there is my school where we first met. There are so many things to see, so many things that are different."

"I would like that." He squeezed her fingers lightly. "I have one question."

"Ask away."

"Are all the people here like that?" He asked pointing down at the house that they shared a fence with on the left hand side.

There sitting on the porch was a woman wearing a full length blue Kimono with purple, torques and red butterflies embroidered on it, a gold Obi with a thin diamond pattern tied in a monster of a bow on her back. She had long brown hair with golden highlights falling over one shoulder in a braid that trailed down to her hips. The picturesque sight was ruined by the fact that she was playing a Ukulele and singing loudly.

You had to be there to see how I got here

You had to be there with or without your underwear

But you're here and I'm thankful I made it

I'm not sure if you'll love how I played it

At the risk you'll unfavorably grade it

Here's what I'm going to do

Sing a little song for you…

Hitomi laughed. "No one is like her. One day its tea ceremonies, the next she is practicing archery in her yard or skinning rabbits. We all think she was born in the wrong time period or even wrong planet. Her name is Medina, she teaches history at my school. She once came in wearing full armor and carrying a sword." She smiled up at him. "You know maybe we should take her back to Gaea with us, she'd love it there."

Van's face fell. "I'm surprised she isn't already there. With all the people teleporting all over the place, we've had six land in Fanelia alone. The odd thing is they all seem to know where they are. What do you think is happening?"

She swallowed hard. So Gaea is seeing the effects of the anime too. "Van… I-"

"Van! Hitomi! How did I know I'd find you two up here?" Hitomi's mother stuck her head out the window. "Breakfast is ready. Please come in before Miss Medina launches into that awful song about hell."

Hitomi stood up brushing her pants off. "I think the song is funny. Mom thinks is offensive. Let's go in before Mamoru eats all the bacon, the little cannibal."

Van stood holding his hand out to help her with her balance. "What were you going to say?"

Hitomi stumbled in shock, but Van caught her around the waist before she fell. "I'll tell you later." She said separating from him and heading towards the window carefully. They climbed back into the house fallowed by the first verse of a new song.

There's a special place in hell for you

There's a special place in hell for me

There's a special place in hell for each

And every member of society!

Feeling the notes ring a little too true Hitomi shut the window blocking out the rest of the song. She sent Van down to the kitchen ahead of her so she could change out of her pajamas. Once wearing a pair of jean shorts and a purple tank top she went down the stairs and stopped in the doorway to the kitchen. Van was helping her mom place heaping plates on the large table. She smiled at the peaceful look that softened his features. "Any thing I can do to help?"

"If you would set the table dear that would be wonderful."

"Well you look like part of the family already Van." Hitomi's father straitened his tie as he took his seat at the head of the table.

"Thank you Sir, your hospitality is greatly appreciated."

Just then a loud battle cry was heard as Mamoru charged Van, plastic sword in hand. He swung hard and fast at the older boy.

Van quickly dodged each attack with the ease of familiarity. With one smooth downward swing the toy sword went flying out of Mamoru's hands, spinning across the floor to stop at Hitomi's feet. All Van was holding was a butter knife from the table, which he had just used to disarm her little brother. He wore a smug look as Mamoru came running up to him.

"That was so cool! How did you learn that? Can you teach me? Do you have a real sword? Can I see it? Please! Oh Please! Can I call you sensei? Are you a real samurai?" He spoke so fast it was hard to tell when he was taking in air, or if he was breathing at all.

"Mamoru! That was uncalled for! Apologize to Van right now." The mother in the room scolded.

"It is alright… mom, no harm done." Van pulled out Hitomi's chair for her, and then proceeded to sit down in his own seat next to her, with out even a glace at the head of the family whose jaw was nearly on the table.

He managed to close his mouth long enough to say "Well Hitomi you sure found a one of a kind guy."

You have no idea. She just nodded and grinned at Van, who smiled back at their silent little secret.

To Be Continued…

I apologize for the scene in the beginning. I haven't seen my boyfriend in a week blame him. Yea that was longer then I intended. It was supposed to have more including my pair of reviewers. They will be in the next chapter… I SWEAR! I had to cut this short, but please review anyways!

Just a little farther. Press that little Review button. Or I'll not post the next chapter! I'll do it! Or is it "I won't DO it!"…?

What do you think of the neighbor? I'm Medina. The two songs are from Doctor Sparkles once again. Here is the rest of

'There's A Special Place'.

There's a special place in hell for you

There's a special place in hell for me

There's a special place in hell for each

And every member of society

There's a special place in hell for Adam

There's a special place in hell for Steve

There's a special place in hell for Lilith and Eve

And every loving combination they conceive of

No one's left out! Ain't it swell?

We each have a special place in hell!

There's a special place in hell for you

There's a special place in hell for me

There's a special place in hell for yours

And there's a special place in hell for mine

And if ya believes what ya hear

There's a special place in hell for everybody's, no lyin'

Ya know, honey, there's a whole lotta self-righteous people out there

Sayin' dey's right and everybody else is wrong

Point bein', why can't we set judgment aside

And all just get along?

There's a special place in hell for yellow

There's a special place in hell for green

There's a special place in hell for black and white and red

And each shade in between

There's a special place in hell for Moslems

There's a special place in hell for Jews,

For Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Taoists, Pagans, Atheists,

And of course those who worship Satan too

No one's left out! Ain't it swell?

We each have a special place in hell!

There's a special place in hell for you

There's a special place in hell for me

See you next week!

banryuu