Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

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

Chapter 92

Along the Vinsorii River

Hitomi stirred gently, nuzzling more closely to her pillow. 'Mmm, you're so warm, Van.' She caressed her cheek up against Van's chest. 'And so strong.' Pressing up closer to him, she felt the warmth of his body mingle and warm her body all over. Instantly, her eyes shot open. 'Oh My God! I'm naked! He's naked! We're naked!'

A chill suddenly shot through her body, causing Van to tighten his hold on her. "Shhh, it's still early. We don't need to be up for awhile still," he whispered.

Hitomi's heart began to race and she tightened her hold on Van as she tried to remember the events of the night before.

"Van," she whispered to get him to look back at her. "There's something I want you to understand. I'm yours, all of me… belongs to all of you." She blushed slightly. "I'm here for you… body and soul," she whispered, then pressed her cheek against Van's chest. "I love you, Van… I always will."

"Oh, Hitomi." Van held her tight and kissed the top of her head. "Thank you… for giving me strength." He kissed her atop her head once again, then Hitomi looked up into his eyes and they kissed deeply, passionately. When their lips parted, he whispered softly, "I love you, Hitomi. I will love you till the day I die… and beyond." Then they kissed again. Van's hands ran up and down Hitomi's back, coming to rest at the subtle rise of her buttocks. They continued to kiss passionately as Van's hands slowly balled up into fists, bunching up the fabric of the shirt she was wearing. Gradually, his hands slid up her back, bringing the shirt up with them. The young teenaged girl let out a gentle moan, then she lifted her body away from his so he could finish pulling the shirt over her head.

She settled back down upon him and took hold of his pants, pulling down slowly. A moment later they lay bare, holding each other tightly, kissing each other passionately and whispering words of love and desire.

But beyond that, Hitomi could not recall anything else. 'Did we make love last night, or didn't we?' She ran her hand over his chest. 'If we did, how do I feel about it? Am I glad we did? Am I upset? Right now, I feel more frightened and confused than anything else, but I think that's mostly because I just can't remember.' She let out a gentle sigh.

"Is something wrong, Hitomi?" Van softly caressed her hair and kissed her.

"No," she responded too quickly. Letting her heart slow down a bit, she continued. "No, not really, Van. It's just… I just…" Each time, she trailed off, not knowing how exactly to complete her thought.

"If you're wondering if we made love last night, the answer is no," Van answered her unasked question. "We kissed and held each other tight, but that's all. You must have still been exhausted from your ordeal because you fell asleep in the middle of a sentence." The young king released a soft, short laugh, then stroked Hitomi's sandy-colored hair once again.

After a few moments of silence, Van whispered, "If being like this is too embarrassing for you, I'll get up now and get dressed." He started to sit up, but Hitomi held him tight.

"No. Please stay with me like this awhile longer," the emerald-eyed girl said softly. "I like being like this with you. It's just… I just couldn't remember is all. It was sort of embarrassing, not being able to remember."

Van wrapped his arms around her once again and pulled her close, smiling to himself and rubbing his cheek up against the side of her head. "I think I understand." Running his hands over her bare back, he whispered, "You're so soft, Hitomi. And your muscles are so small, yet strong," he added as he ran his fingers along the side of her spine.

"If you think my back is strong, you should feel my legs and my butt," she giggled, bringing her leg up and rubbing it against Van's thighs.

Feeling a bit mischievous, Van slid his hand down and caressed Hitomi's butt cheek.

The young teen let out a yelp and looked up at him with shock in her eyes, her cheeks bright pink.

Van smiled and replied, "You're right, it is very strong."

"Hmm." Sliding up onto Van just a bit, Hitomi firmly poked the king's side.

"OOMPH!" He buckled.

"Next time, know when I'm just teasing," she retorted.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied with a smile. "OOMPH!" He buckled again.

"And don't call me ma'am. It sounds weird when you say it." Hitomi gave Van a mock glare.

"Very well, Lady Hitomi," Van replied with playful formality. "Any other instructions, Ma'Lady?"

"Only one." Hitomi rested her head upon Van's chest. "Just hold me a while longer."

Tightening his embrace, the two of them remained under the blanket in tranquil silence for about another hour till it was time for them to get up and get ready to continue their journey.

(to be continued)

AN: Well, now that I have some extra time on my hands I figured I'd crank out a quick chapter. Just a short passionate one to act as a transitional chapter for their continued journey. Also, I wanted to make it clear that they did not make love that night. The time will come, but not now. There is still much ground to cover before that happens.

Just to let you all know, I am currently unemployed. My company had to cut back and I was one of the casualties, so right now I'm looking for work. If any of you know of anyone or anyplace that has a need for a software test engineer, please let me know.

On another side note. I think I may have mentioned this before but just in case I didn't, I will be hosting an Escaflowne Fan Panel at Acen'05 this year. So if any of you are planning on attending Acen and would like to participate on the panel, let me know, or if you'll be attending but don't feel up to participating, please at least take the time to drop by the fan panel and let me know you are one of my fans. I could use all the support I can get.

To accommodate a group chat session, I've created a channel on mIRC. If you're not familiar with it, just drop by the website, The channel is #Esca(underscore)ANL, and I'm a(underscore)amishi. I hope to be on and between Noon and 1pm most weekdays and after 11:30pm as well. If you have any questions about my fanfic or would just like to talk about Escaflowne in general, please feel free to drop in.

As always, thanks to everyone who took the time to read and review my story. I really appreciate every review I get. It's what keeps me motivated. And thanks to my wonderful beta-reader, Janice, who always does an awesome job for me. Thanks, Janice.

A. Amishi