All you need is Love, Isn't it? Chapter 99, an escaflowne fanfic

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

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

Chapter 99

A violent shiver woke Hitomi Kanzaki up. The morning air was gray and misty. It matched perfectly the way her body felt, though she didn't hurt nearly as much this morning as she did the night before. Using her good arm, she pushed herself up to a sitting position, gritting her teeth from the effort.

"The fire is out." She looked about. "Did Van come back at all last night?"

She heard one of the horses, and looked towards the river. In the distance, she could make out Van tending to the animals. She smiled and was about to call out his name, but the image of Van as he looked back at her just before he walked off into the forest the night before, flashed in her mind. The sad, pained expression, which tore her heart apart last night, stayed her tongue.

She looked down at herself in disgust. "You fool. You brought this on yourself. All of it." She pulled the blanket off of her and took a good look at herself. Van had changed her out of her tattered riding clothes and into a nightgown while she was unconscious, so she pulled the gown up. She winced looking at her legs. There were scratches and bruises all over, and her knee was carefully wrapped. "I'm such an idiot. When did I become so frail and weak? When did I start letting every little thing bother me? This isn't me. I'm stronger than that." Hitomi's face took on a determined expression. With much effort she tried to roll forward onto her good knee so she could stand up.

"Hitomi! Don't!" Van ran over to her, dropped a pair of saddlebags near the fire pit, and helped her sit back down.

"I can do it, Van. I need to get up, if I'm going to ride down to the ocean with you," she insisted.

"You're not going to the ocean with me."

"What?" she said in shock.

"I'm taking you back to Arzas. They'll take care of you there, and in a few days, when you're better, they'll take you back to the castle," he explained.

Hitomi looked at the saddlebags and realized they were hers. "Y-you're serious? You don't want me to go with you?"

"It not a matter of not wanting you with me. It's a matter of doing what's best for you, and right now, taking care of your injuries is more important."

She wanted to protest, she wanted to tell him she would be all right, but she held her tongue and instead looked down and nodded.

"All right then." Van grabbed the blanket she had slept on and draped it over her shoulders, then he grabbed the saddlebags and placed them on her lap. "I need you to hold onto them."

Hitomi looked up at him sadly and nodded.

He grabbed the blanket and covered her legs as well, then stood up and took a few steps back. Van pulled off his shirt and tossed it aside. Clenching his fists, he focused all his energy and a second later his long flowing white wings erupted from his back.

Hitomi gasped in wonder. It never ceased to amaze her every time she saw him do that.

The Draconian knelt down and cradled the young teenage girl in his arms. She kept her hand on the saddlebags but leaned into him, resting her head upon his shoulder as he stood up.

"Ready?" he asked.

Hitomi gave a slight nod but didn't look up.

In an instant, they were up in the air and soaring over the trees, but Hitomi kept her head down with her eyes nearly shut.

'How can I blame him? If I were Van, I wouldn't want me around right now either.' She frowned. 'That's it. Stop wallowing in self-pity. Stop thinking only of yourself. Van is a king. He has responsibilities, and he can't be worrying about me, and taking care of me every second of every day. I need to take care of myself. I need to be ready and able to support him. That's what a wife does, that's what a queen does. If I'm going to marry him someday, then I need to learn these things and stop being so selfish and close minded.' Hitomi smiled, then looked up at Van. 'He's so handsome, so… ' She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

Van gaped and looked down at the girl in his arms. His eyes widened a bit, seeing her smiling up at him.

Though he didn't ask, Hitomi leaned in and said, "Because… I love you, Van."

The young king smiled and tightened his hold ever so slightly, not enough to hurt her, but enough to let her know he felt the same way.

(000)

In a matter of minutes, Van was over the village of Arzas. A crowd gathered as he cycled the village square coming down for a landing. He touched down and drew his wings back as best he could.

The children were in awe of their winged king and wanted to touch them to see if they were real. Most of the adults stood back in fear. Ruhm stepped forward, not hiding his surprise.

"Van, why the sudden return? Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Hitomi's been injured. Nothing too serious, but I think it's best that she return to Fanelia Castle as soon as she's well enough to travel. Will you tend to her and see she's returned to the capital safely?" his king replied.

"Of course." Ruhm reached out and took the girl into his arms. "I'll return her there myself."

"Thank you, dear friend." Turning to his love, Van reached out and ran his hand over her hair and down her cheek. "I'll return to the castle as soon as I can, Hitomi."

"I'll be waiting for you." She assured him and kissed his palm.

He smiled at her, then turned back to Ruhm. "Her horse is about a half a days ride from here, near a clearing by the river."

"I'll send some men to get it, don't worry," the leader of the wolven tribe replied.

"Thank you Ruhm." Van nodded. He looked to Hitomi once more and smiled. "I'll see you soon." In an instant he was airborne and soaring up near the clouds.

"Good luck, Van!" She cried out as she watched him soar high into the sky and out of sight. Turning to Ruhm, she couldn't help but blush. "Sorry to be a bother."

The wolven leader smiled as he carried her to his cabin. "It's no trouble at all, Lady Hitomi." He turned to the crowd. "Okay people, the show is over. Let's get back to work."

Slowly, the crowd disbursed. The adults went back about their daily chores while the children ran about gathering up the feathers that fell from Van's wings.

(To Be Continued)

AN: Yes, it's short, but it covers what I wanted it to. Again, I am posting this before my beta has had a chance to look at it. And just like chapter 97, I'll repost after I go through her edits. Hopefully, I've caught most of the errors already.

Next chapter should be up next week, I hope, but I'm not promising anything since it will depend on how much time I have to devote to my writing.

To those attending ACEN this year, I was hoping to host an Escaflowne fan panel but now it looks like it probably won't happen. I can't tell you how disappointed I am but the folks running Panel Programming have got me so frustrated, I'm about ready to give up. Anyway, if you are going to ACEN, let me know on the forum and maybe we can meet. I'd love to take some time and talk about this wonderful show with you.

A. Amishi