All you need is Love, Isn't it? Chapter 96, an escaflowne fanfic

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

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

Chapter 96

It had been over an hour since they exited the forest, and they were now riding along the sandy path next to the river once again. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air as Hitomi returned to the melancholy mood she had been in the day before.

She glanced over at Van for what felt like the hundredth time. 'He's angry at me, I know it. I guess I can't blame him. Oh, you coward!' she berated herself. 'Why can't you just talk to him? Tell him? He'll understand, won't he?' She sighed, stealing one more glance.

"Ah!" she gasped and turned away quickly as Van's eyes met hers.

'Oooh, you're such a coward, Hitomi.' She lowered her head in shame.

After another 15 minutes, she looked up into the sky. 'Must be late afternoon already?' She lifted her arm to check her watch. 'Oh, that's right; I left it at the castle.'

"Something wrong, Hitomi?"

She looked over. "Oh, not really, Van. I was just wondering what time it was. I left my watch at the castle. Silly me." She giggled and gave a weak smile.

Van looked up and studied the position of the sun for moment, then looked at the trees across the lake. "I'm guessing it's about the sixteenth hour." He turned his gaze over to the girl riding next to him. "We should reach Arzas before the nineteenth hour."

Hitomi smiled. "Great… it will be nice to sleep on a real bed."

Van stared back and tilted his head, giving her a questioning stare.

She turned away, berating herself, 'Stupid! Where do you think you slept last night?'

After a few minutes, she glanced over at him again. Lowering her eyes in sadness, she sighed to herself. 'What are you so afraid of, Hitomi? This is Van, for goodness sake. Just talk to him. He'll understand.' She glanced over again, staring at his profile for a moment before speaking. "Van?"

Turning to face her, he answered, "Yes, Hitomi."

"Can we stop for a little while? There's something I've been wanting to talk to you about for some time now. I just didn't know–," was as far as she got to say.

Van's eyes suddenly lost their focus on her and he strained to listen to noises coming from the forest. He raised his hand abruptly, gesturing to Hitomi to be silent, then he turned his horse around and advanced towards the woods.

Drawing his sword, Van turned slightly while still keeping his eyes on the forest and said to her, "Stay behind me… and if things get ugly, ride as fast as you can down along the shore. Don't stop for any reason."

Hitomi's heart raced and her breathing grew short and choppy.

"Do you understand?" he shouted.

"Yes, Van!" She backed her horse up closer to the river; her heart racing a million beats a minute.

Turning fully towards the woods, Van commanded, "Show yourselves and fight like men!"

After what felt like an eternity to Hitomi, several shadowed figures emerged from the trees to advance on them.. Her heart continued to race faster and faster. She tightened her hold on the reins, her eyes darting back and forth from Van to the shadowy figures.

"Is that how you greet both ally and enemy alike, Lord Van?"

Van smiled and lowered his sword. "Ruhm. Do you always sneak up on people like that?" Looking down, he sheathed his sword and leapt off his horse, turning to address his companion. "It's okay, Hitomi, it's Ruhm and his men."

Hitomi released the breath she hadn't even realized she had been holding. Smiling, she rode up next to Van and got down. "Hello, Ruhm." She walked up to him and placed her hands upon his upper arms to give him a mild hug.

"Hello, Lady Hitomi. It's good to see you again." The leader of the wolfen tribe smiled and returned the embrace. Releasing the girl, he smiled down at her once again before he turned and walked towards Van to shake his hand. "It's good to see you again, Lord Van."

"And you, my friend." The king shook his friend's hand. "But what brings you out this way?"

"Searching for you, Lord Van. When you didn't arrive yesterday, we headed towards the bridge to see if there was a problem. Needless to say, we saw that it was washed out."

"Again." Grabbing the reins of his horse, Van started to walk along the sandy path that Ruhm's men had already headed down.

"Allow me," Ruhm said. Taking the reins of Hitomi's horse, he followed along side the king. Hitomi was going to go on the other side of Van, but he took her hand and directed her to walk between him and Ruhm so she wouldn't be on the other side of his horse.

"So, Ruhm, don't you think it's about time we built a real bridge to connect your village to the rest of the kingdom?" Van posed.

"You may be right, Lord Van. The young ones in my village crave the trappings of the capital city, but the path around the river is so long that many choose not to return after making the journey. A reliable bridge would make it easier for them to return."

Van smiled at the prospect of seeing the eastern portion of his kingdom linked to the rest of it.

"Then again, the elders of the village would probably say that building a stone bridge would simply make it easier for the young in our village to leave that much faster."

The king's smile vanished as he unconsciously tightened his grip on Hitomi's hand.

"Van, you're hurting me." The girl flinched in pain.

"Oh!" Van eased his hold on his girlfriend's hand. "Sorry," he said as he raised it to his lips and kissed it.

Ruhm couldn't help but laugh. "Relax, Lord Van. Somehow, we'll convince the elders that building a stone bridge is what is best for our village and for the kingdom we are a part of."

Van sighed. "I'm glad to hear you say that, Ruhm. If you believe it to be true, then the battle is half won."

"Indeed."

(000)

Making their way to an inland path, Ruhm and his men took the horses ahead while their guests rode upon the great oxen the Wolf People used to transport their goods to market.

High above the ground on the creature's back, Hitomi enjoyed the view as they slowly made their way to the village. "Not that I'm complaining, but won't this take us longer to get to Arzas?"

Van leaned back and folded his hands behind his head. "No, the inland route is a more direct path to the village. So even though we're traveling slower, we should still get there about the same time."

"Oh, I see." Hitomi smiled, then turned towards the forest again.

After a few minutes, Van asked, "Hitomi, you wanted to tell me something earlier. What was it?"

The young teenager looked over at the king, then glanced at the ox driver, who glanced back ever so slightly before turning his attention back to the road ahead. She sighed and said, "It's not that important. It can wait till later." She looked down at her lap. "But promise me you'll ask me again, when we're alone." She stared pensively at the king.

"I promise." Van reached out and gently stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers.

Smiling, Hitomi scooted up next to him. "Mind if I use you as a pillow? I'm feeling a bit tired."

"I haven't had a problem with you doing it yet." The young king leaned further back, placed his hand upon her shoulder, and gently guided her down upon him. Resting her head upon his chest, Hitomi closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, savoring his fresh, clean scent.

"Rest well, Hitomi," he whispered. "Rest well."

(000)

Hitomi stood in the middle of the guest quarters, making final adjustments to the Arzasian gown she had been given. 'It's like to a kimono,' she thought, 'except that the obi ties in front in a large bow.'

In general the Arzasian people were a hearty group and their clothes were designed to fit them comfortably. Because of this, the gown wrapped further around the young athlete than it was suppose to. Ruhm's wife, Dorha helped Hitomi with the adjustments.

"My, but you're so thin," the woman thought aloud as she tugged on the garment after tying the bow. In her effort to position the folds correctly she pulled the front open, exposing the young girl's bra.

"Aaah!" Hitomi pulled the gown tightly over her chest.

Dorha let out a mild laugh, reached into her pocket and pulled out a long pin, then carefully secured the front of the gown closed, preserving Hitomi's modesty.

The sandy-haired girl breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much, Dorha."

"Think nothing of it, child. I'm happy to help," the stout woman replied. "We should be going. The festival will begin once Lord Van is presented to the crowd."

Hitomi nodded, slipped on the sandals she had been given, and followed the woman out the door.

They walked the short distance to the town square where all of the villagers were gathered, awaiting the arrival of their king. Dorha led Hitomi to the front of the crowd.

Moments later, Van stepped out from the building behind the temporary platform that had been erected for the festival. Along with him were Ruhm and the 5 village elders.

The villagers applauded enthusiastically upon seeing their king. Hitomi's eyes widened in mild shock at Van's attire, but she managed to get herself to applaud as well.

Walking up onto the platform, Van gestured to the crowd, and flashed a quick smile towards his companion. "On this, the Blue 10th Moon and the beginning of the End of Year Harvest; I, Van Fanel, King of Fanelia, proclaim the End of Year Harvest Festival opened!"

Great cheers rang out throughout the village as children ran about tossing flowers from large baskets cradled in their arms, and young man and women ran about tying brightly colored ribbons to everything and anything they could get their arms around. At the opposite end of the square burly young man banged away at six oversized drums, in perfect rhythm.

After shaking hands with Ruhm and the elder, Van jumped off the platform and walked over to Hitomi.

"So, what do you think?" He gestured to all that was taking place around them.

Hitomi turned all the way around, watching in wonder at the flurry of activity, then looked back at Van. "I think you must be cold in that." She smiled.

Van looked down at himself. "This is the ceremonial attire of the tribal leader. If I hadn't been able to attend, Ruhm would have worn this to open the festival. Before turning to an agrarian culture, the Arzasians were noted for centuries as fierce warriors and hunters. This was what they used to wear. Now it is only worn for festivals, like this."

"A leather strap in place of a shirt and a fur skirt." Hitomi struggled to keep from laughing. "Sexy." She grinned.

Holding his arms out to the side to give her a clear view of everything he had on, Van said, "Everything has a purpose. The leather sash holds the warrior's sword." He gestured to his sword, securely in place behind him, then reached back and quickly drew it in one fluid motion, causing Hitomi to jump back. "Sorry." He raised his hand to reassure her, then sheathed his sword with trained ease. Holding up his arm, he continued. "The armlets protect the back of the hand and forearms from enemy attack. They are surprisingly light and yet can stop a blow from the sharpest sword."

Hitomi ran her hand over the armlet. "It's metal."

Van nodded. "And the 'SKIRT', as you called it, is actually a Kalit and is made from the hide of the spotted bear, the toughest in all of Gaea." He lifted his foot to show her the bottom of his sandal. "And these battle sandals used to have spikes that would allow a warrior to better grip the ground, but these have had them filed off."

Hitomi nodded her understanding. "I see. But if the Arzasian's have stopped being warriors and are now farmers, why do they still wear this sort of thing, even just for ceremonies?"

"Because generations of warriors' blood courses through their veins. That can't be plowed away no matter how many seasons of tilling the soil have passed. By keeping such garments, they remember who they truly are and where they came from, but by displaying it only during festivals such as this one, which honors the harvest, they ensure that those memories stay where they should, locked away in the past."

"But wouldn't they make good fighters in your army?"

"The Arzasians historically ally themselves with no one. The blood thirst that fills their eyes and their heart prevent them from fighting next to anyone other than another Arzasian. You've seen that look before. Remember the first time you came to Gaea with me after I slew the dragon? The Wolfmen who surrounded us would surely have torn us to bits had Ruhm not been there. It's his ability to temper his deeper, natural instincts that make him such a good leader to his people." Catching a glimpse of Dorha waving to get his attention, Van smiled and nodded, then turned his attention back to his girlfriend. "We should sit. The feast is about to begin." He took her hand and led her to the table of honor where he, Ruhm, and the elders were to sit.

(000)

Hitomi stood by the bedroom window, looking out into the night sky. The day's festivities had helped her forget her worries for a time. Being filled with food and dancing, story telling and song, had helped make the day one of the happiest she could remember in a long time. Now, staring up at the star filled sky, Hitomi reflected upon it all and the joy she felt being here with Van.

"It's sooo beautiful here, so peaceful." She sighed with a smile. Looking out across the meadow, she thought she could see something moving. Focusing her attention upon it, Hitomi realized it was a person, walking towards her. Her heart skipped a beat and she took a step away from the window, but after a few moments she realized who it was and went back to the window to undo the lock.

Opening the window slowly, the teenaged girl whispered, "Van… what are you doing out this late at night?"

Van waited until he was just a few steps away before answering. "Couldn't sleep. Thought I'd take a walk. Care to join me?"

Hitomi hesitated only for a moment, then nodded. "I'll be right there." She pulled the window closed and locked it.

Van walked around to the front of the house. A minute later, Hitomi stepped out with her sandals in her hand and quietly closed the door behind her. She walked to the end of the porch and sat down. She slipped them on and stood back up. "Lead the way." She smiled.

Van took her hand into his and gave it a gentle squeeze. Returning the smile, he lead the way out of the village.

They walked past the meadow and through a small break in the forest until they came to a clearing next to a small stream.

"Whoa!"

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Van asked.

"I've never seen so many stars in my life," Hitomi marveled. "But how could this be? Why are there more stars here than anyplace else we've been?"

"It's not the place, it's the time," the young king answered.

"The time?"

"Mmm, It's the star-filled night that marks the end of year harvest."

"Oh, I see."

Van sat on the tall grass and patted the ground next to him. Hitomi took the hint and sat down.

Drawing in a deep breath, she let it out and whispered, "It's sooo beautiful."

They sat there and gazed up at the stars for nearly an hour. Van pointed out the dragon constellations that made up the bases of worship on Gaea, and Hitomi did the best she could to point to the Chinese constellations, but she wasn't even sure if she was looking at the right sky for them.

Eventually, they grew silent and simply enjoyed the star-filled night in peace.

After several minutes, Van spoke.

"Hitomi?"

"Yes, Van?"

"I just want you to know…" He paused. "That if there is ever anything troubling you, anything at all, you can trust me, I'm here for you. I'll do everything in my power to help you, to set things right… even if it means returning to the Mystic Moon with you."

Hitomi turned away.

Van waited for a reply, but after several minutes, when it appeared none was forthcoming, he added, "I also know… that sometimes… there are things we feel we can't share with anyone, even those closest to us." Van paused. "I don't want you to feel like you have to tell me everything. I respect your need for privacy." He paused again, trying to think of anything else he could possibly say to set Hitomi's mind at ease.

His thoughts were interrupted when she turned and hugged him fiercely, burying her face into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and gently rubbed his cheek against her hair.

"I love you, Van," she whispered.

"I know, Hitomi. I love you too."

(To be continued)

AN: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was really hard for me to write because it was a tweener chapter. Those are always tough to write. I hope to include a whole lot more action in the next chapter. We'll see if I get far enough for it.

I'd like to say a very special thank you to my always-awesome beta-reader, Janice. She really out did herself this time around. Trust me, if you believe this chapter was worth reading, it was in large part do to her wonderful editing. Thanks so very much, Janice.

For those of you who don't know yet, I've created a Forum on for this story. Just click on the Forums tab, then select Anime, then Escaflowne. It's called,

Escaflowne: All you need Is Love Forum

Please feel free to drop on by, and check it out, add a thread, reply to an existing thread, whatever. I check on it several times a week so I'll be able to answer your question and respond to your thoughts and ideas. Looking forward to hearing from you all.

But please, still review. I love reading your reviews and now that I finally realize that I can click on the reply button, I will be replying to all signed reviews. Should be fun.

A. Amishi