Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

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

Chapter 80

Hitomi's bedroom

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"Van… Van… Can you hear me Van?… Are you thinking of me Van?… Van… Van…" Hitomi Kanzaki sat with her back against the headboard of her bed, her knees pulled in to her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around her legs. Tears began falling from the young girl's eyes as her call turned into a desperate plea.

"Van, please answer me. I've missed you so much. I need to talk to you… I need to hear your voice again… I-I… I need you." She wept silently. "Please Van… please."

Hitomi buried her face in her knees and began to sob softly. "Vaaaaaaan… Vaaaaaannnn…"

"Hitomi!" She heard the young king's strong voice clearly in her head.

Instantly, her head shot up, though she managed to keep her eyes closed, and her tears stopped flowing as her heart began to race with excitement. "Van? Is that you?"

"Hitomi, yes, it's me, Van. I've missed you." His image appeared in her mind's eye as clear as if he were standing before her.

Hitomi smiled widely while she wiped fresh tears from her cheeks, but unlike moments ago, these were tears of joy.

"Van, oh Van, I've missed you so very much. I can't even begin to tell you." She reached out with her right hand, and could see in her mind's eye her hand stretching out toward him. She stopped suddenly, afraid the spell might be broken if she actually tried to make contact. Withdrawing her hand, she clutched it close to her chest, contenting herself with being able to see and speak with him.

"I thought I knew just how much I loved you, until you went away again. There's not a moment of the day or night that I'm not thinking about you, when I'm not wondering when you will be back in my arms again." The young king said with a hint of melancholy.

"Oh Van, I'm so sorry." She replied sadly. "I wanted to return to Gaea and see you again, honestly I did. But traveling back to my world this time left me so weak. I slept for nearly a day and a half. And the first week of practice was terrible for me. I ran slower than when I first started training in Gaea." Seeing the concern written in Van's expression, she quickly added, "But I'm alright now. In fact, I'm more than alright." She tried to smile. "I've become the top 100-meter sprinter on the girl's track team. We just got back from a big meet, and I won." She wiped her eyes and offered her true love a more genuine smile.

The young king returned her joyful expression. "I'm so proud of you. I'm glad your training here helped, even a little."

"Thank you Van. I couldn't have won the race if you hadn't built me that track. I owe it all to you."

"But it was you who made the effort to use the track, to train so hard."

"But it was more than that. You see, whenever I ran, I visualized you standing at the end of the track, waiting for me. It was you I was running toward, you I was running for." She blushed ever so slightly, not really knowing why.

The image of Van in Hitomi's mind smiled, bowed his head slightly and closed his eyes for a moment.

"So tell me everything, everything that's happened in Fanelia since I've been gone." Hitomi smiled eagerly.

"Everything?" Van's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Everything." Hitomi beamed. "And don't leave out the smallest detail."

The young king scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly. Then he cleared his throat and straightened up proud and tall. "Everything. Well… where should I begin? It's been rather quiet since you left. My ministers and captains are still on their missions. No one has returned yet…."

Over the next three hours they shared every detail of their lives from the past six weeks. During that time they laughed and cried, and told the other how much they loved them.

"So when do you think you'll be able to return to Gaea?" Van asked hesitantly.

Sadness once again filled the young girl's heart. "Well, you see, that's the problem. I have a meet every week till the end of October, that's…" She quickly tried to think of it in terms that Van would understand, "that's more then… two moons away still. I think. Well, longer than I've been away already." Tears once again escaped her large emerald eyes. "I'm sorry Van, but traveling between our worlds seems to take more and more energy each time I do it. I… I wish…."

But before she could continue her thought, Van interrupted. "It's alright Hitomi. You've made a commitment. You have people counting on you and your ability to perform at your very best. I understand. I'm not happy about the idea of having to wait so long to see you again, but I understand. As a king, I know a little bit about responsibility." He smiled. "And if anything, you've taught me the importance of living up to my responsibilities, even when my thoughts are a world away."

"Oh Van." She smiled lovingly. "I only wish you could hold me in your arms right now. I miss being close to you."

"As do I. As do I. But the hour must be late now. Lie down and go to sleep, and think of me. I will be there with you, by your side, holding you in my arms. This I promise." He said with all love and tenderness.

"I love you Van. I love you more than I ever dreamed possible." A tear escaped her eye as she slid down her bed and did as he instructed.

"I love you Hitomi, more than life itself. I'll always love you." He whispered as the image of Van slowly disappeared.

As the emerald-eyed girl slowly drifted off to sleep, she felt a strange sensation over her body as if something or someone was pressing up against her back. Then she felt a presence slide over her arm and gently caress her hand.

In her sleep, the young girl whispered, "I smell the grassy fields of Fanelia. I smell Van nearby. …. I love you Van… I will always love you…. forever."

And she could just make out the words in a faint distant voice, "I love you Hitomi. I love you more than life itself."

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AN: Sorry for making you all wait so long for this. I know it's short, but to be honest it says all I wanted it to say; I can honestly say I'm satisfied with it. ^_^ I hope you will be too. The inspiration for this chapter came from the long hours my wife and I would spend on the phone together back when we were dating. Anyone who has ever been young and in love should be able to relate. ^_~

I'd like to thank everyone who left a review for my last chapter. I'm glad you enjoyed it so. That chapter was a little hard to write because I had several different ideas as to how to write it, and in the end I decided to incorporate what I thought were the best parts of each. I'm glad you all seemed to like the end result. ^_^

I have some very exciting news! I have been asked to be a panelist for the Fanfiction Panel at Anime Central (ACEN) this year. ^_^ I am so looking forward to sharing my writing experiences and to offer helpful suggestions to other fanfiction writers out there. I don't know when exactly the fanfiction panel will be as of yet, but I do know that it is a two hour panel discussion, so any of you who are planning on going to ACEN this year, please stop by the fanfiction panel and say HI! ^_^ I'd love to meet as many of you as possible. ^____^ And thank you personally for all your wonderful support.

I'd like to give another big thanks to my totally awesome beta-reader, Janice. As always, she does a great job editing my work. I don't know how I ever got along without her in the past. Thank you Janice, you're the best. *Great big Hug and Kiss*

And to all of you, I love you all so very much, thank you for all your support. It means so very much to me, really it does. ^__^

A. Amishi