Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?
Chapter 70
The castle in Fanelia
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Standing in the middle of the veranda, Hitomi looked up at the stars in the night sky and smiled. A gentle breeze rustled through her hair but the strong, loving arms that encircled her kept her warm. She leaned back into his chest and sighed.
"I can't believe I've already been here four weeks. It seems like I just arrived yesterday." She sighed again as the man she loved placed a soft, tender kiss on her right temple.
"So tomorrow will be your last day here then?" Van already knew the answer to his inquiry but held out hope she might change her mind at the last minute.
She slowly nodded. "I told Yukari I would only stay a month. I…"
Van waited a minute for her to finish her sentence but she said nothing else. "You what?"
"Nothing. It's nothing." She pulled his arms more tightly around her and whispered. "It's such a perfect night Van. Lets just enjoy this last night together. A night without regrets, without sadness."
"Every night with you is a perfect night Hitomi." The young king replied as he pressed his cheek against her temple.
For hours, they stayed like this, mostly in comfortable silence, occasionally whispering words of love. Eventually, Van walked Hitomi back to her chambers where they shared a kiss goodnight. Slowly Hitomi changed into her nightgown and got into bed.
"Van, I love you so." She smiled to herself. "Three years can't pass fast enough for us, can it?" A tear rolled from her eye as she slowly closed them and willed herself to sleep.
Hitomi got up early the next morning and immediately started packing her belongings.
After about a half hour, Merle came running into her room, "Hi Hitomi! Oh! You're already up." The catgirl walked over to her friend. "But what are your doing?"
"I'm packing. This is my last day here remember." The older teen said.
"Yeah, I know but… aren't you going to run today? And why are you packing so early?" The young feline asked.
"No, no running today. I'll give my legs a few days rest before summer practice starts. I'm packing now because I wanted to get it out of the way." She said without looking up as she placed the last remaining items she felt she needed to take home with her, in her bag.
"Merle, please don't take this the wrong way, but today… I'd really like it if you could let Van and I …" The teen started saying.
"Say no more. You want to spend the day with Lord Van alone, just the two of you." The catgirl smiled. "I understand Hitomi. Don't worry. I won't get in your way. I'll be in the garden in the back of the castle when you're ready to leave." She walked up to her friend and gave her a big hug. "I love you Hitomi. Next to Lord Van, you're my very best friend."
Surprised momentarily by her younger friend's words and actions, Hitomi quickly recovered and returned the feline's embrace. "I love you to Merle."
With that the catgirl turned and walked out of the room.
"Well, what do you know?" Hitomi whispered to herself with a smile.
Having finished packing, she set her bag aside and walked out of her room, heading for the stables.
In the stables, Van was working with the stable hand, getting the two horses ready when Hitomi walked in.
She spotted him first and called out. "Lord Van, funny I should find you here." She grinned.
"Hitomi!" He stopped what he was doing and walked up to her, pulling her into a loving embrace and kissing her warmly, tenderly.
Hitomi's eyes went wide for a moment as she froze for just a second before returning his embrace and kiss.
'Van, you've never been so forward, so bold to kiss me like this in front of others, without hesitation.' She sighed with pleasure as she let her eyes drift close. 'I hope you greet me like this from now on.' She giggled to herself silently.
"How did you sleep?" He asked after their lips parted.
She smiled up at him. "Wonderfully. I dreamt of you all night."
"Nothing inappropriate I hope?" He teased with a smile.
Hitomi gasped as her cheeks turned a pale rose color. "Lord Van! How could you even think such a thing?"
"My apologize Lady Hitomi." He took a step back and bowed. "I forgot myself for a moment. Can you possibly forgive me?"
"Maybe," She turned sideways trying to hide a smirk with her hand. "If my King can show me a day I'll never forget, then perhaps, I'll be able to forgive you."
"Well," The king smiled confidently as he took a step closer to his beloved. "One unforgettable day, coming up." With that, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her over to her horse.
Hitomi let out a yelp at the surprise of being lifted off her feet but she wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed him to carry her over to the steed, placing her foot in the stirrup then releasing her hold on her true love as she mounted the beast.
Smiling up at her, he walked over to his horse and asked the stable hand. "Have all the provisions been accounted for?"
"Yes my Lord. Everything you requested." The young boy bowed.
"Very good." He mounted his stallion and turned it about. "We will return before dark."
"Very good my Lord." The boy bowed once again.
Turning toward Hitomi, Van asked. "Are you ready for an unforgettable day?"
"As ready as I'll every be." She smiled back.
With that they rode out of the stable and away from the city.
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AN: Well, it may take a few more chapters to get Hitomi back home than I originally thought. Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter but I promised my Eva fans that I'd get my next chapter of Eva posted by the weekend. It took a lot more work to finish that chapter than I thought it would. Sorry.
Thank you all for all the wonderful reviews you gave me for my last chapter. It's been quite sometime since I've written a chapter that received anything less than nine reviews. I just hope my writing will continue to motivate you to review it. ^_^
Oh, by the way, Neither02, you are absolutely correct. I did change the terrain around Fanelia so as to meet my needs for this story. Though I did try to keep it as consistent with the show as much as possible.
Again, thank you all for reading and reviewing my story. ^_^ I love you all.
A. Amishi