All you need is Love, Isn't it? Chapter 88, an escaflowne fanfic

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

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

AN: The song that Hitomi plays on her boom box is the sixth track from the RahXephon Original Sound Track CD. If you can get your hands on the RahXephon Soundtrack, I would highly recommend that you do. Track 1, which is the opening to each episode of that series, was written and arranged by none other than Kanno Yoko with lyrics by Iwasato Yuuho and sung by the incomparable Maaya Sakamoto. Track 6, KATUN no sadame (Katun's Fate, in English) had both music and lyrics written by Hashimoto Ichiko, who also arranged the music and sang it too. KATUN no sadame is a love song that the main heroine in RahXephon, Haruka Shitow, constantly listens to because it reminds her of her long, supposedly, lost love. I was listening to the RahXephon Soundtrack while I was writing this chapter and while Track 1, Hemisphere, is one of my favorite songs, I felt like track 6, KATUN no sadame, was just the kind of song that would fit perfectly in the dance scene later in the chapter. If you have a chance to listen to that song, I hope you agree.

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Chapter 88

Van Slanzar de Fanel, Ruler of the Kingdom of Fanelia, stood at the clearing in the garden behind the castle. The sun had set several hours earlier and stars filled the night sky. He gazed up at the Mystic Moon and recited the words that had become his mantra, "Hitomi, return to me. Tonight is the night we both agreed upon. Return to me, Hitomi, return to me..."

While the expression on his face remained placid, his heart raced in anticipation of being reunited with his one true love. Focusing on the Mystic Moon, his thoughts centered on his beloved, the young king gradually started feeling a surge of warmth as a sense of peace washed over him. His vision began to cloud over as his eyes grew very heavy. In his mind's eye, he could see her standing in the midst of a large field of tall grass. She turned towards him and smiled. He walked up to her and enveloped her in his arms, holding her close. Suddenly, they were atop Fanelia Castle, standing hand in hand, looking out over the city. Then, in an instant, they were in the woods on horseback, riding side by side. With each vision, Van's sense of joy grew in anticipation of the imminent arrival of his beloved.

But just as suddenly, the scenery changed dramatically as flaming guymelefs and charred bodies covered the landscape. In the distance he could see a handful of Zaibach melefs being pursued off field by a slightly larger number of Fanelia melefs, and right before him lay the brutally dismembered remains of at least twenty Zaibach melefs.

"Escaflowne, I'm inside Escaflowne," he realized. Looking to his left, then to his right, Van searched for signs of life, indications that he and the handful of melef soldiers were not all that stood of the Fanelian Army, but all he saw was death.

Gasping in terror as the most horrifying thought imaginable overwhelmed the young king, he cried out in desperation, "HITOMI!!! HITOMI!!!" But he received no response. Turning around, he started to cry out once again, "HITO! ... mi." He felt his throat seize up on him as he saw his devastated army lying on the battlefield.

"Sir Beckett!" he cried out. "Captain Cid! Captain Leopold!"

He took a cautious step. "Anybody!" Moving more swiftly now, he searched for any signs of life. "Beckett! Leopold! Anybody! Anybody... anybody." His voice was barely above a whisper as he lowered Escaflowne down to its knees, its head and shoulders hung low, serving as a mirror image of how its pilot felt.

Van looked up abruptly when he heard a faint voice call out weakly, "Lord Van."

He looked side to side, trying to identify the direction from which the voice was coming.

"Lord Van, down here," the voice said weakly.

Looking down, he saw a catgirl who looked almost exactly like Naria, except her fur was orange with black strips, and she was wearing the battle armor of an elite soldier of Fanelia. Armor no member of his army had earned the right to wear as of yet. Armor that was badly damaged and covered in blood.

'Who is this? Who could this be?' Van pondered, but before he could ask these questions, the catgirl spoke again. "Lord Van, is that really you?" she asked through hooded eyes.

The face shield went up revealing the face of the king.

The catgirl's eyes widened a bit as a smile danced across her face. "Oh, Lord Van, I knew you'd find me."

Looking deeply into the girl's eyes, the young king saw something hauntingly familiar.

"Merle?" Instantly, the hatch opened and Van jumped out of Escaflowne, rushing to Merle's side. "Merle, what happened? Why are you here?" he asked urgently but softly as he cradled her badly injured body in his arms. As she winced in pain, Van drew her closer and whispered gently, "Forget it, it doesn't matter. Finding help is all that matters now. Don't worry, Merle. I'll get you to a healer in no time. You're going to be all right. You'll see." He offered her a weak smile as tears rolled down his cheeks.

She smiled up at him and whispered, "It's too late for a healer now. But don't cry for me, Lord Van. I can't think of a better way to die then in the defense of the country I love and in your arms." She struggled to raise her hand up to touch his face, but lacked the strength to reach him.

Seeing what she was trying to do, Van reached down, took her hand into his, and raised it to his cheek.

"I love you, Lord Van, I always have, I always will." She smiled briefly, but now even that simple action caused her pain. "But no one can ever love you more that our Queen. Find her, Lord Van. I tried to keep her away, but she wouldn't hear of it. She insisted on coming. She's here somewhere, I know it." She coughed and blood spewed out of her mouth. "Find her, Lord Van, find the Queen."

Surrendering the last bit of air still in her lungs, Merle's body went limp and her eyes closed for the last time as her hand slipped out of Van's.

"Merle?" Van whispered. "Merle. Don't leave me." He pulled her close and wept upon her shoulder. "Don't leave me, Merle. Don't leave me... don't leave me." His shoulders trembled with the power of his sobs.

After several minutes, the king's tears subsided and he gently laid his childhood friend on the ground. Wiping his face dry with the back of his hand, Van rose to his feet and offered up a prayer for the girl who loved him longer than anyone he'd ever known.

Then he said, "I'll do as you said, Merle. I'll find her, I'll protect her." Walking out across the battlefield, Van called out the name of the only person he could possible imagine as his queen.

"HITOMI!!!" he shouted as he searched.

"HITOMI!!!" Running to and fro across the field, he called out desperately, "HITOMI!!!"

"Van, I'm right here." Hitomi clutched him by his shoulders and shook him firmly. "Van, snap out of it."

The young king's eyes, which had been transfixed as if in a trance, blinked back to life. Looking down and seeing the woman he loved filled him with an overwhelming sense of relief.

"Hitomi." He reached out and pulled her into his arms. "Oh, Hitomi. I thought I'd lost you." He held her tight and lowered his head onto her shoulder.

"Van?" Hitomi gasped in shock, embracing him with her right hand and gently caressing his head with her left. Feeling his whole body softly quake against hers, she refrained from asking him what was troubling him and instead comforted him as best she could, holding him close and whispering words of reassurance to him.

With Hitomi's bags flung over Van's right shoulder, they walked silently, hand in hand, to her chambers.

Finally, Van spoke, "I guess you're planning on staying for some time." He glanced at the bags, then offered her a warm, inviting smile.

Hitomi glanced over at Van and blushed. "Well, I did bring some gifts for you and Merle, and a few things I was planning on leaving behind."

"Oh." Van's smile vanished.

"But I was hoping to stay at least a month, maybe longer." She smiled up at him.

"I'd like that." His smile returned as he tightened his hold on her.

Upon arriving at Hitomi's chambers, Van unlocked the door and handed her the key. "Here." He smiled, following her in and observing her as she let her eyes travel about the room, remembering every detail of it.

"It's exactly the same." She grinned as her eyes traveled from the changing curtain to the vanity table, from the chifforobe to the mirrored dresser, and all the items she left upon it. "Except the blanket." She ran her hand over the bedspread. "And the curtains," she added, looking up at the window.

"You remember everything," Van smiled. "The sheets and the curtains in every bedroom throughout the castle were changed last week with the colder nights of the Blue Moon approaching," Van explained as he set the bags on the bed.

"Oh, that's alright, the floor is fine." Hitomi grabbed the strap of one of the bags. "I'll go through them tomorrow."

Placing his hand over hers, Van nodded. "All right." Then he gently slipped the strap from her hand and placed the two bags on the floor at the foot of the bed.

Hitomi smiled and fell back onto the bed. "Mmm... I forgot how comfortable this bed is."

"I should say goodnight now. You've had a big day, you must be tired," the raven-haired youth said, but made no move to leave.

"No!" Hitomi bolted back upright. "I'm fine, really." Her eyes pleaded with him to stay.

Van nodded with a smile, but suggested, "It may be a good idea if you change, just in case you do get tired suddenly."

It was Hitomi's turn to nod. Sliding off the bed, she headed for the dresser and opened the bottom right drawer. Rummaging through the small assortment of nightgowns she had to choose from, she pulled out her favorite one and pushed the drawer closed. Turning to face Van, she held up her index finger and said with a beaming smile, "I'll only be one minute, so don't go away." Then she spun around on the balls of her left foot and darted behind the changing curtain.

The young king smiled to himself, taking a seat at the foot of the bed. Hitomi's playful nature did not escape his attention, nor did her selection. 'Perhaps we will kiss before the night is through. Heaven knows how much I wanted to make her lips mine the moment she arrived... but that waking dream... or was it a vision?' His light-hearted smile vanished, replaced by a dark, pensive stare. 'No, it couldn't be. I don't possess that ability... still, it felt so real. By the gods, I pray it wasn't real.'

Fortunately, the young king was freed from his dark thoughts when the emerald-eyed girl walked out from behind the curtain. The vision of beauty in a traditional Fanelian nightgown captured his heart in an instant, especially the way she wore it with the collar pulled just off her shoulders. Standing up abruptly, he whispered, "Oh, Hitomi."

Smiling faintly, she asked, "So, what do you think?"

Van stepped close to her. "Hitomi, you're even more beautiful than I remember you being."

Blushing slightly, she curtsied and bowed her head, saying, "Thank you, my King," still holding that position.

"Hitomi," Van knelt down and took her hand. "You don't need to act so formal around me." He smiled and stood back up, bring her up with him.

Giggling silently as her face turned a bright pink, Hitomi replied, "I'm sorry, Van, I got carried away. Huh..." She all but froze as she found herself standing a breath away from the man she loved, who was staring intently into her eyes, allowing his vision to travel only momentarily to look upon the other parts of her face: her nose, her cheeks, her forehead, her chin, and her lips. Her pink, perfect lips called to him, beckoned him to touch them, taste them, take them.

"Hitomi..."

"Yes, Van..." she whispered breathlessly.

"May I kiss your lips?"

She didn't bother to respond with words, instead letting her actions speak for her as she rose up onto her toes and pressed her lips against his, bringing her hands up around his neck, pulling his head down to meet her fully.

Van offered no resistance as he brought his arms around her waist, pulling her into a loving embrace.

'Oh god, how I've missed this.' Hitomi moaned softly as she parted her lips and invited Van to do the same.

'Oh, how I've wanted Hitomi in my arms like this for so long.' Van moaned as well, accepting his lover's invitation, parting his lips and allowing his tongue to explore the sweet peppermint taste of Hitomi's mouth.

If it were possible to pour three long months of pent up passion and desire into a single kiss, this was that kiss. Hitomi and Van remained locked in their passionate embrace for several long minutes, neither wanting this moment to end.

'I feel warm all over, and yet, Van's touch is like fire on my skin, even through my nightgown. His body is as warm as mine, no warmer. Oh, Van, I love you so much. Van, I've missed you so very much.' Tears trickled downher cheeks as they escaped her closed eyes.

Feeling the additional warm moisture around their mouths caused Van to pull away and look down at his lover's flushed and tear stained face. "What's wrong, Hitomi? Why are you crying?" he whispered as he brought his right hand up and gently wiped away her tears.

Hitomi sighed with a smile as she sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her index finger. Shaking her head slightly, she answered, "No, nothing's wrong," she reassured him. "I'm just happy." She looked up into his deep, dark eyes. "I've missed you so much, Van. Please tell me this isn't a dream and I won't wake up tomorrow to find myself all alone again, like I was each morning for the past three months." She ran the tips of her fingers along his cheek and nose on down over his lips and chin.

Tilting his head down, Van kissed the back of her fingers. "I don't know if this is a dream or not, but if it is a dream, I never want to wake from it."

"Oh Van," she sighed and rose up on her toes once again to bring her lips up to his.

Without hesitation, the raven-haired king brought his lips to hers to continue their passionate kiss.

After several long minutes, they allowed their lips to separate but remained locked in their embrace, their eyes closed and standing cheek to cheek.

"I love you, Hitomi. I wish I had a better way of saying it to you. I wish I were more articulate, more poetic, so I could recite sonnets of my own making to you. But I'm only a warrior, and my sword is my instrument. I can't write you beautiful words or sing you a love song, but I promise to always protect you. It's not much, but it's all I can do for you," Van confessed, holding her tenderly in his arms.

"I love you as well, Van. With all my heart, I love you," she whispered in his ear.

They remained in their loving embrace for several minutes longer, but as their body temperatures returned to normal, Hitomi shivered ever so slightly.

Van looked down into her soft adoring eyes and smiled. "Let me get you your robe."

Nodding, the emerald-eyed girl slowly released him. As he walked to the chifforobe to retrieve her evening robe, Hitomi suddenly felt the cool night air invade her chest and abdomen, which had been pressed up against Van's warm body. Blushing slightly, she crossed her arms over her chest to conceal her nipples, which pressed against the fabric of the nightgown.

Returning with a white and yellow robe, Van walked behind her and held it open so she could place her arms into the sleeves. Hitomi moved her right arm so it would conceal her chest properly, then slid her left arm through the sleeve and pulled the front of the robe across her chest so she could slide her right arm into the sleeve. As she adjusted the robe, Van began securing the wide blue sash around her waist several times before securing it in a bow from behind.

"There we go." He smiled, then walked around to face his guest. "Better?"

"Mmm," she nodded. "It's nice and warm. Thank you." She took a step to the side so she could look at Van's handy work in the mirror of the dresser. "See, Van, you can do more than just wield a sword." She chuckled lightly, covering her mouth with her hand as her laughter went all the way up to her eyes.

"Well," Van folded his arms across his chest, "Glad I could be of some use to you."

"Oh, Van." Hitomi walked up to him, placing her hands upon his chest. Gone was the playful expression, replaced by a genuine expression of love. "Actually, there is something that you do wonderfully. Something we did once before and I've wanted to do with you again, especially since you told me about the festival. Van, will you dance with me?"

Smiling, the young king answered, "I'd love to dance with you, Hitomi, but we don't have any music. I suppose I could order the court musicians..."

"That won't be necessary." Hitomi walked over to her duffle bag and zipped it open. Moving a few things around, she finally found the two items she was looking for. She pulled them out and stood back up.

"What is that?" Van approached cautiously.

"This is my mini-boom box." She showed it to him, then walked over to the dresser and set it down. "Basically, it's a radio and a CD player. It sounds pretty good for being so small." Then she held up the small yellow case she held in her other hand. "And these are some of my CDs."

"CDs?" Van scratched his head in confusion. "Oh, you mean like those things you gave Millerna for her coronation?"

"Yeah." Hitomi opened the case and searched for something appropriate for the moment, then pulled out a disk. "See, this a compact disk." She held it up for him to see as he came to stand next to her. Then she pressed the OPEN button on the player and the top popped open. "You place the disk like this." After inserting the disk, she pushed the top closed, then pressed the control buttons to get to the one song she wanted and set it to replay. A moment later the music started coming out of the box.

A soft and gentle song filled the room, and while Van did not understand the lyrics, he knew that it was meant for a moment like this. Hitomi turned towards him and smiled. Her smile grew as he stepped forward and took her right hand into his left, placing his right hand upon her waist. For her part, Hitomi positioned her right hand appropriately to make it easy for Van to lead her, and she rested her left hand upon his shoulder. In perfect step they began to dance to the beat and rhythm of the music. Staring deeply into each other's eyes, they danced about the room.

When the song was in the middle of playing for the second time, Van asked tenderly, "What is she saying?"

This was one of Hitomi's favorite CDs, and over the past three months, she had listened to this particular song over and over again. While it did not perfectly fit their unique situation, it expressed the feelings of love and longing she felt for him so completely; it had become, in her mind, their song. She knew the lyrics by heart and picked up in perfect harmony with the song.

"If you open your heart and close your eyes

Surely you'll understand

The day is near when everything will perish

But this love will continue on forever," she sang.

Van leaned forward and gently kissed Hitomi at the top of her forehead.

Hitomi moved a little closer to Van and rested her head upon his chest as they continued to dance to the slow haunting melody.

While the song played for the fourth time, Hitomi stumbled slightly but was quickly caught by Van. "Oh, sorry," she apologized as she straightened up.

"It's all right," he assured her. "But perhaps you should get some sleep now."

She sighed sadly but nodded in agreement. Walking over to the CD player, she stopped it and turned it off. Turning back around towards Van, she asked with a bit of trepidation, "Van, w-would you spend the night with me?"

"Hitomi?" The young king's eyes went wide and his cheeks burned a bright red.

"Oh, not like that! I just..." she turned away for a moment, staring at the bed. "It's just... you helped me get to sleep so many nights while we were apart by having me envision you holding me in your arms. I just... I just wanted to go to sleep once, feeling the real thing." She turned back towards him to see his placid expression. "I'm sorry, Van. I'm being silly. It's not like me to be so bold."

"I'd love to help you get to sleep." He walked up to her. "I'd love to hold you in my arms till you've fallen asleep." Taking her hand, Van led her to the bed and pulled back the sheets. "Here, let me help you with the robe."

"Oh," she turned her back to him to allow him to undo the bow.

Removing the sash, Van draped it over the headboard, then helped Hitomi remove the robe and placed it on the headboard as well. Turning around to sit on the bed, the emerald-eyed girl slipped off her slippers, swung her legs up onto the bed, under the sheets, and slid over to make room for Van. Van sat down as well and pulled off his boots before sliding onto the bed, under the covers next to the woman he loved. He turned on his side to face her and was a little surprised when Hitomi, who had been watching him intently, rolled away from him. It wasn't until she said, "This is how I always imagine you're holding me," that he smiled in understanding.

"That's right." He slid in close and slid his arms around her waist, caressing her abdomen. "You've lost weight," he observed, his fingers gently tracing over her well-toned midsection.

"Mmm." She nuzzled back up against him and placed her hands over his. "It happens during the track season... but the season's over now. I don't have to worry about running again until next spring." She smiled, allowing her eyes to drift shut.

"Mmmm, your hair smells nice. Like... apples, green apples." He smiled and closed his eyes, enjoying the scent of the woman in his arms.

"Mmm, it's my shampoo," she whispered, already beginning to drift off. After a long pause, she added in a whispery voice, "I love you, Van."

Rubbing his cheek against the back of her head, Van replied softly, "I love you more... my love."

Within seconds both were sound asleep.

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AN: Well, this turned out much longer than I had originally intended it to be, but I'm happy with it. I hope you enjoyed it. It felt so good to be writing about Van and Hitomi together again.

Now the question you should be asking is: Was what Van saw just a waking nightmare, or was it a vision of the future? Only time will tell, but it won't be resolved anytime soon, that I can assure you. But don't get too hung up on it, there's lots of other things that will take place meanwhile, some very important things too.

I hope you could all find the song I referred you to at the beginning of this chapter. It's really a lovely song, and I think fits very appropriately with the moment.

On a personal note, I'll be attending my second anime convention for the year this weekend. It is Anime Reactor, the second Chicago area convention. Not nearly as big as ACEN, but a con nonetheless. I'm hoping the Escaflowne Perfect Collection will be available at the exhibition hall there so I can finally purchase my own copy of this amazing show.

As always, I'd like to take a moment to thank my totally amazing and awesome beta-reader, Janice. She really helps me look good by doing an amazing job of editing for me. Thank you so very much, Janice. I love you so very much.

And I'd like to thank you, all of my wonderful readers. You bring me such joy each time I read how much you've enjoyed what I've written. You give me the inspiration I need to keep writing. Thank you all so very much. I love you all.

A. Amishi