Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 72

The Crusade flew low and slow, to make it easy for its passengers to view the countryside. Van was an enthusiastic tour guide, naming all the forests, rivers and mountains; while Hitomi was a more than receptive tourist, hanging on his every word, pointing at things that caught her eye and asking him questions about them. As they passed yet another picturesque mountain range, a small city came into view.

"What is that?" She asked as she pointed at the approaching town. So excited was she that in pointing at it, she lost her balance and began to fall over the railing. Van reacted quickly, grabbing her around her waist and pulling her back.

"Wow! That was close." She smiled up at him.

"Hitomi, I've never seen you like this. You're so… so…" He paused as he searched for the right word.

"Giddy?" She giggled as she put her hands over her mouth and nose to hide her embarrassment.

"Well, I was going to say girlish but I suppose giddy works too." He gave her a crooked smile.

Hitomi's smile faded for a second as she pondered his response. 'Girlish? But I am a girl. Doesn't he see me as a girl?' A frightening thought occurred to her as she turned away from him. "Van, what do you mean by that when you said I was acting girlish? Don't you see me as a girl?"

"No. Of course not." He answered plainly.

She gasped as tears immediately spring from her eyes.

"I see you as a woman: intelligent, thoughtful, compassionate, full of love and life." He continued as he stepped forward and gently ran his hands over her shoulders. "There's nothing wrong with you acting girlish. It's just not something I'm used to seeing you do, that's all."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Hitomi smiled then quickly turned around and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her face into his chest, breathing in his sent and feeling his warmth. "I love you Van." She whispered. "I… I love you so much."

Van kissed her on the top of her head then pressed his cheek against her hair. "I love you Hitomi and I always will."

They remained in this loving, comforting embrace for several minutes before Van whispered. "We should head down to the main hatch. We'll be landing soon." Then he kissed her on the side of her head.

The girl from the Mystic Moon lifted her head and smiled up at the young king. Then she lifted herself onto her toes and pressed her lips against his, slowly opening her mouth and running her tongue over his lips then over his tongue as he opened his mouth as well.

As they slowly separated, she whispered, "Thank you for a perfect day."

The king wrinkled his brow and replied. "But the day's just begun."

"I know but it's already been a perfect day for me. Everything else is just icing on the cake." She smiled then kissed him on the cheek and added. "Come on, let's go."

Sliding out of his embrace, she took his hand and started to lead him back into the ship. Van quickened his pace for a moment so as to be walking side by side with the woman he loved.

The sun was setting behind the castle as the Crusade touched down just outside the city gates. As the hatch opened, two of the crewmembers walked the horses down the ramp and handed them over to the Fanelian guards who were waiting below.

"Thank you Gadess. We had a wonderful time." The king shook the captain's hand.

"It was my pleasure Lord Van, and if you ever need the services of the Crusade again, please don't hesitate to ask." The captain replied bowing politely.

"It was good to see you again Gadess." The girl from the Mystic Moon extended her hand as well.

"It was good seeing you again Lady Hitomi." He bowed again. "I hope our paths will cross again sometime soon."

"So do I." She smiled.

With that the King of Fanelia and his guest exited the ship which quickly took off again, heading back to Asturia.

As Van and Hitomi headed into the city, he turned toward her and asked. "So, did I keep my promise? Did I make this a day you'll never forget?"

She stepped in front of him quickly and turned to face him as she threw her arms around his neck. "Yes. It was a perfect day from beginning to end. Thank you Van. Thank you for making my last day here so memorable." She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close as they deepened their kiss. The rush of passion filled them both as she ran her hands through his hair and he worked his hands over her back. Hitomi released soft moans of pleasure as Van softly stroked the inside of her mouth with his tongue. As tears began to fall from her eyes, she slowly parted their kiss as she pressed her cheek against his chest and whispered. "I'll be back, I'll be back as soon as I can." She held on tight, not wanting to ever let go.

"Oh Hitomi." He closed his eyes and breathed in her scent as he committed it to memory. "Promise me. Promise me you'll take care of your commitments first. I don't want you coming back here with any regrets. Do what you must do then come back to me free of worry and without rush. I'll be waiting for you. No matter how long it takes."

"Oh Van." She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "I love you so much. I…" She pressed her face into his chest again and wept.

"Shhh, there, there." He caressed her back gently. "Let's have none of that. We'll be together again soon enough. You'll see." He took a half step back and released her from his embrace, which caused her to gasp. Placing his hands on the sides of her face he tenderly wiped her tears away. "Come, Merle is waiting to say her good-byes as well. She's been very patient up till now but if we keep her waiting much longer, she may just explode from the anxiety." He smiled.

This elicited a smile and a soft laugh from the woman he loved. "Okay. Let's go." She took his hand into hers and turned around so they could continue walking.

It took them almost two hours to reach the garden behind the castle. They walked at a leisurely pace, stopping every now and then to greet well wishers.

As they passed the archway at the side of the castle and come into view, Merle sprang up from under the tree she had been sitting at for the past four hours. "Lord Van, Hitomi! You're back!" She ran up to both of them and threw her arms around them, hugging them close.

Van gave a quiet laugh, "It's good to see you too Merle."

They both stroked the top of her head as they smiled at each other.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Merle released them suddenly and ran back to the tree then returned with Hitomi's duffel bag. "I brought down your bag for you." She smiled.

"Oh, in a rush for me to leave." Hitomi put her hands on her hips and tapped her toe on the ground as she gave the catgirl a narrow stare.

"No." Merle shrank away just a bit. "I was just trying to help." Her eyes began to glisten.

"Oh, I was just teasing Merle." Hitomi threw her arms around her little friend. "I'm sorry."

"Don't tease me like that." The catgirl buried her face into her friend's chest. "It's hard enough seeing you go, again. I-I…I." She squeezed her friend tight and wept.

"Oh Merle." Hitomi held her tight. "I'll be back, sooner than you know. Then we can go back to teasing each other, okay." She tried to reassure her friend.

"I don't want to tease you anymore Hitomi. I'm sorry for all the times that I did tease you. You mean so much to me now. It hurts to see you go."

To this, the emerald-eyed girl had no response. She just held her friend tightly as her own tears rolled down her cheeks onto her friend's hair.

After several minutes, Van placed a gentle hand on each of their shoulders. Slowly they separated and Merle took her place at his side. Van removed the pendant from around his neck and held it in his right hand. He stepped forward and hugged his true love one last time.

"Till we meet again Hitomi." He smiled at her with sadness in his eyes.

"Till we meet again Van." She replied then they kissed one last time, a short kiss, a chaste kiss.

As they separated, he held the pendant up in the air and a pillar of light appeared around them. Hitomi bent down and grabbed her bag then said one last time before she started ascending into the air. "I love you Van Fanel."

"I love you Hitomi Kanzaki." He replied as she rose up into the sky and out of sight.

A tear rolled down his cheek as he continued to gaze up into the heavens.

"Are you crying Lord Van?" A tearful Merle asked.

He paused for a moment, still staring up into the night sky then he looked down at his childhood friend. "Yes Merle, I am, but it'll be okay."

"Why will it be okay this time when it wasn't the last time?" She asked sadly.

"Because, this time, I know without a doubt that Hitomi will be back. She didn't rush off like last time. We had no unresolved issues like last time. I know she'll be gone longer this time, not just a day but I also know that when she comes, she won't have anything hanging over her." He paused for a moment. "And she loves me. I know now without any doubt what so ever. She loves me and I love her." He said, looking back up into the sky then down at his young friend again.

"Come on Merle. It's getting late. You must be hungry. Let's see what's in the kitchen." He put his arm around his feline friend as they walked toward the castle.

"Lord Van… do you think you could ever love me that way?" She asked hopefully.

"Merrrle." The king replied.

"Just asking, just asking." She gave a soft giggle.

"Oh Merle." He gave her a gentle squeeze.

"I love you Lord Van." She said happily.

"I love you too Merle." He bent over and kissed her on the top of her head.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: I know many of you were probably expecting a tour of Fanelia in this chapter but that would have taken far too long an I already spent more time in Fanelia than I had planned. But not to worry, we will still see different parts of Fanelia in future chapters. Next up, Hitomi is back home. How has controlling the time and point of her return affected her? Will she be able to perform at the level she achieved on Gaea back home during the summer practices? And when will be return to Gaea and to the man she loves? The answers to all these questions should be in the next chapter.

Once again I thank each and every one of you who have taken the time to read and review my story. I love all the feedback I get and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. ^_^

A. Amishi