Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, its characters, or any flashbacks from the series. The original characters are my own. I also don't own the song "I Will Remember You" by Sarah McLachlan.

A/N: Hey, it's me again! I would be surprised if there haven't been wagers on if I've died or not. I'm sorry. I really am. My life's just been really hectic. My boyfriend moved away so we broke up. So now my ex-BF is trying to get back with me when I am totally not interested. I got a part in the school play, "Oliver Twist". I'm going for the 7th and 8th Grade Straight A's Award. I have finals coming up. I'm trying to work hard enough to be ready to try out for U-High cheerleading by busting my butt at gymnastics. My Band instructor is having a nervous breakdown because we can't master his ridiculously difficult pieces. On the bright side our dog is working out, although she's très hyper and we got Microsoft Word XP! Please, be patient with me and again, I'm really sorry. Now I'll stop making excuses and get on with the fic. Thanks!

Tears of the Heart

I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories

Remember the good times that we had?
I let them slip away from us when things got bad
How clearly I first saw you smilin' in the sun
Wanna feel your warmth upon me, I wanna be the one

I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories

I'm so tired but I can't sleep
Standin' on the edge of something much too deep
It's funny how we feel so much but we cannot say a word
We are screaming inside, but we can't be heard

But I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories

I'm so afraid to love you, but more afraid to loose
Clinging to a past that doesn't let me choose
Once there was a darkness, deep and endless night
You gave me everything you had, oh you gave me light

And I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories

And I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories
Weep not for the memories

-"I Will Remember You" by Sarah McLachlan

Chapter 8: I Never Liked the Rain

"Milady… I wish that I had hair like yours…" Ari commented idly as Hitomi smiled slightly, shaking her head in objection.

"No, you really don't… For some reason, when I was a girl I practically shaved my head. I looked like a boy. I'm embarrassed just talking about it…" Her face flushed as she chuckled softly.

"Ah. I was wondering about its length. Usually girls of your age have hair a great deal longer. We don't have ha-re dres-surs here! Did I say it right?" She beamed as Hitomi sweatdropped.

"Uh… Sure…" She nodded hesitantly as Ari grinned.

"I think that Yuushi's going to be put on night patrol next week! I'm so proud!" Ari's eyes literally shone with pride.

"Don't you worry about him?" Hitomi arched an eyebrow in puzzlement.

"Of course. But if he wasn't a Dragonslayer, he'd probably have been drafted as a foot soldier. He's in danger no matter what I do, so I might as well appreciate his high rank." She smiled softly. She finished brushing the queen's hair and beamed once more.

"Done. If that's all, I'll say goodnight now, Lady."

"Goodnight, Ari."

"Pleasant dreams." the girl wished her well as she left and Hitomi blew out her candle, climbing into bed.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

"I'm glad you're alright, Kanzaki…"

"Amano?" Hitomi whispered, eyes widening as she spun around in the blackness.

"I've heard how you saved Lord Van's life. As soon as the ceremony's over, we'll do everything in our power to get you back to the Mystic Moon…" Balgus promised her solemnly.

"But it was too late for Balgus…" Hitomi realized gravely.

"It was too late for most of my friends…" She saw Merle, Allen, Millerna, and the rest of them falling into pools of blood as the rain fell silently.

"I never liked the rain… It always seemed sad to me… Tragic even…"

"Your predictions always come true, Hitomi…" one of her friends commented fervently.

"That's amazing. Not even Plactu can predict the future. Hitomi, can you tell me my future…?" Chid asked hopefully.

"Your wishes are rooted in deep anxiety. Such wishes only make those anxieties real."

"Tell me my future…" Millerna implored anxiously before her marriage to Dryden.

"Yes… I can see the future… can't I? But the question is… do I want to?"

"A bunch of cards can't tell you your fortune…" Van grumbled.

"But there were always those who mocked the cards… They eventually found out that they were always right… Always…" Hitomi murmured grimly.

"Escaflowne's pain is my pain. The pain of war…"

"This world where man fights against man… No, where every living thing fights to take the life of another. We kill beasts. We kill dragons. We even kill men. Fighting begets fighting and the slaughter begins anew. Such is the way of the world…"

"I mustn't allow any further loss of life…" Allen warned Van who looked enraged at the knight's pacifism.

"Well, if you don't fight, you're just waiting to be killed…"

"Fighting solves nothing…" Folken muttered forebodingly.

"There is nothing brave about rashly choosing to die!" Allen yelled at the young Fanelian king.

"War is the destiny of which humanity can never wash its hands…" Dornkirk warned the terrified trio as they were trapped in Zaibach.

"No more! I don't want to fight anymore! I'm sick of it!" Van shrieked.

"Never throw your life away so easily…" Folken warned Van, tossing his sword at him.

"You mean fighting to bring an end to fighting? I think you'll find there's no such thing…" Van commented angrily at Folken's implications.

"They resisted the war… and all the pain it caused… Nothing good ever comes of war… Nothing but sadness…"

"I'll keep my word, just like I promised. Whether it's to Allen or the Mystic Moon, I'll bring you back safely. I won't let you down…" Van vowed softly.

"As Fanelia's king, I'm going to avenge my people!" Van proclaimed proudly.

"You don't know how glad we are to have met you, Lord Folken…" Eriya whispered as she died with her sister aboard the Vione.

"One proves innocence through one's deeds…" Chid commented when he released her and the others.

"I'm never going to give up…" Millerna whispered as Allen rode out of sight.

"Hitomi, if you wish hard enough, your wishes will come true…" Her Grandmother whispered.

"And yet, in spite of everything… There's always hope…" She smiled softly.

Hitomi awoke to a light rain pattering against the windowpane. Perhaps the rain was what had woken her. She sighed, staring out the window at the two moons glowing in the distance.

Will I ever see my home again…? She wondered silently, hanging her head in doubt. Then she heard a loud clang and the scrape of something metallic.

"What's that noise?" Hitomi wondered aloud, getting out of her chair and grabbing a candle.

Where is it coming from? She whispered in the deep recesses of her thoughts. She could see the pendant in her mind. It swung straight ahead.

"The guymelef hangar?" she seemed to direct her question at the pendant in confusion. This was a day off and it was the middle of the night. No one should be in there.

She proceeded to the hangar, opening the door slowly for fear of what she might find behind it. What she saw was a boy. A boy with dark raven hair. His back was to her. But when he heard the door open, he turned towards her. She dropped her candle, not even noticing the sharp clatter it made as it rolled across the floor.

"It's you…" she gasped as the man nodded, smiling at her.

"It's nice to see you again, Hitomi." Van whispered as her eyes widened.

"It's really you… Van… You're alive! But why…? Why are you here…?" The concern in her voice was evident to herself, but perhaps not to the young king because he scowled in irritation.

"I thought that you'd be happier about my arrival. I thought that you needed me…" he grumbled in obvious irritation.

"No! I didn't mean it that way at all! I'm so happy that you're here with me, Van!" She smiled, rushing up to him and placing a hand on his broad shoulder. "I was really worried about you…" she admitted softly, a faint blush on her cheeks. She could see he was about to say something and quickly jumped in. "And please don't give me that, 'I don't need any woman to worry about me' bit, because it didn't work the first time and it's unlikely to work now…" She nodded as he gave her a surprised look. "I'm sorry, Van…"

"What for?" he asked in puzzlement.

"For leaving you guys here… without my help… I could have helped. I could have saved them… If I hadn't been so childish, maybe things would have turned out differently." Her eyes widened with surprise as he caught her by the chin and lifted her face up to look directly into his dark eyes.

"It's not your fault. You had no control over the others' fates. They died valiantly and will always be remembered. I don't want you to be sad for them."

"I'm not exactly sad for them…" Hitomi confided, looking to one side awkwardly. "I'm sad that they left us here, behind… That they expect us to go through life without them… But I know that I won't, I can't Van… I'll never forget Allen or Merle or the others… I want to, but I never will…" She shook her head sadly, tears blurring her vision. She was surprised once more as he reached out with a gloved hand and gently wiped a tear away.

"Please don't cry…" he murmured. He was acting so strange. Not cold and emotionless like the Van she knew. Something about him had changed.

"So, what has happened to you, Hitomi?" he asked softly, studying her as though he was intent on memorizing any changes that had occurred during her rather lengthy absence.

"Van… Everything's different now… But I missed you… I think that I missed you most of all." She pressed her face into his chest. He smelled of the fields. Apparently that much hadn't changed. She inhaled deeply. Being with him was like therapy for her, taking away the cross she was forced to bear.

"I was brought here by that strange pillar of light. But this time, Yukari was transported here with me. Van… We were brought here by Zaibach sorcerers. I was married to Folken… I'm the Empress of Zaibach now…" she whispered gravely, tears in her eyes as she looked up at his face, seeing the rage that she knew was going to be there.

"That arrogant bastard! I'll tear him limb from limb! I'll destroy him and his entire fleet! Damn him!" he yelled angrily.

"You may not wish to awaken the hundreds of soldiers and guards that are stationed here… Just a thought…" Hitomi commented.

He grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her rigorously.

"Hitomi!" he cried urgently before looking a bit odd, not seeming to be able to find the right words. Or perhaps he could find them, but really didn't want to say them.

"Has he… er… um…"

"Has he what, Van?" she asked, looked a bit perplexed.

"Oh for God's sake, Hitomi! Has he touched you?!" Van burst out and said what she predicted he would. Sometimes the cards weren't necessary.

"Of course not!" Her cheeks were a flaming red. "Nothing has gone on between us… However, Yukari was killed because of Dilandau's attachment to her…" She shuddered at the memory of her best friend's tragic death.

"I'm sorry." Van murmured remorsefully. "But I will kill Folken for what he has done. You are mine and no one will dispute that claim…" She looked up in obvious surprise, but he continued to be stern-faced.

"There were so many times… that I thought I'd give up… that I thought I'd never see you again… There were so many times when I cried myself to sleep, knowing that the chances of you being alive were second to nil. But you're here now. And I… Please, Van… Just hold me. Just for a moment. Just so I know that this is real… I don't know the difference between dream and reality anymore…" Tears filled her eyes as she crushed herself against him, crying softly into his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I'll always be there for you…" he promised softly. "Always…"

"Now isn't this touching?" a smooth voice commented sarcastically. She recognized that voice. Apparently so did Van.

"Dilandau…" he hissed furiously as the diabolical Adonis appeared out of nowhere.

"I'm glad that you remember my name, Van… I thought that getting hit in the head so many times in battle might have caused you a few brain lapses…" the insane man chucked softly.

"Not as many as you, you bastard…" Van jeered angrily at his arch-nemesis.

"It's been a while since we've fought… This will be quite amusing, don't you think?" He drew his sword, cackling as Van drew his own and Hitomi stepped back.

"If that's what you call it, then sure!" Van agreed bitterly.

"Now, now, don't get mad, Sire…" Dilandau sneered. "Your little bitch has been having a lot of fun with your brother though, if you know what I mean…" He grinned as Van snarled.

"Take it back!" he demanded, clashing swords with Dilandau.

"Why should I? It's a common-known fact around here… I'm surprised that the whore isn't pregnant by now with the way she sleeps around…" he snickered at his commentary.

"TAKE IT BACK!" Van demanded again, slicing into Dilandau's cheek. The captain briefly touched it with his gloved hand, growling angrily at yet another scar on his formerly-flawless visage.

"I can't take back the truth, Dragon boy…" he ridiculed Van further.

"TAKE. IT. BACK!" Van shrieked once more, pinning him against the wall. The pyromaniac gulped nervously as the blade sawed at his pale throat with every breath.

"Van…" Hitomi murmured in wonderment as she saw the two men in a deadlock.

"Well, well, Brother. I see that you've seen my wife and become reacquainted with an old friend…" Folken commented upon ominously entering the room.

"If you had informed us ahead of time, we could have arranged for a formal greeting upon your arrival. Perhaps one of those noisy parades or something of the sort…" he continued derisively as Van glared.

"I despise you…" Van whispered, glowering at his older sibling.

"My feelings can be described as mutual…" Folken replied emotionlessly. "I'd ask now that you get off of my ship and out of my country… before I'm forced to end your life…" He drew a sword at his side threateningly.

"No…" Hitomi whispered. "No… It isn't supposed to be this way…" She watched as Dilandau stood, staring at the two men from the corner as though he'd lost all comprehension of what was going on. Van and Folken, the Draconian brothers, sized each other up, apparently planning to fight to the death.

"STOP IT!" she shrieked, but they ignored her. Everyone ignored her. She grew quite tired of it.

"Strategos…" Dilandau murmured in confusion.

Folken planned attacks. Folken drew up schematics. Folken gave orders. Folken didn't fight. It was a most peculiar sight. As though he had made a snap decision, the silver-haired seventeen-year-old rushed in and was quickly met by Van's sword. Van sliced through him effortlessly and the Adonis slid sickly to the ground, drenched in blood. Hitomi tried to hold back a silent scream as she saw his body clatter to the floor, his eyes rolling back.

"Tell her…" He mumbled absently as Hitomi rushed over to cradle his head in her lap.

"Tell her what, Dilandau?" Hitomi asked in confusion.

"Sorry…" Dilandau murmured before his eyes closed and his body fell limp.

"In killing Dilandau I must draw the line, Van. He was one of my most trusted men… You will pay for his death…" Folken informed his younger sibling irately.

"I will never let you have, Hitomi..." Van swore heatedly. "NEVER!" He charged forward, tearing through Folken's cape as the older boy simply shrugged it off, allowing it to flutter to the floor.

"NOW, DIE!" He thrashed at him continuously, attempting to strike the blue-haired emperor to no avail. "DAMN YOU!" He stood, gasping as his shoulders rose and fell in exhaustion.

"I believe that your death approaches swiftly, Brother…" Folken observed icily as he charged forward.

"I've got to do something…" Hitomi murmured, staring at the battle. It was then that she knew what she had to do. She made her own charge, throwing herself between the two brothers.

As the final blow was struck, a small cry was heard. Folken looked down and saw that he had not pierced the chest of his brother, as he had intended to repay him for his treachery, but instead, the arm of his own wife.

What have I done? He thought in horror as he withdrew his sword. Van stood, gaping silently at the young woman. He couldn't believe what had just transpired. Hitomi's face tightened in pain. She couldn't let them kill each other. She was just lucky, or unlucky, depending on how you looked at it, that he had gotten her in the arm instead of the heart.

"It's over…" she whispered. "It's finally over… I don't want to see this anymore or ever again… I will no longer sit by and watch the people I care about die…"

"Because you cannot work out your differences, thousands of people have lost their lives… Because of your selfish, cruel, manipulative behavior, thousands of people are dead… You killed them… You're a disgrace…" her voice shook with emotion, her face already red with tears. "But I won't see it anymore… I won't! If you two have to kill each other, then you'll kill each other without me being forced to witness it…" She turned away from the wide-eyed boys.

"Please… I know that I don't have the pendent, but please, send me home…" she whispered softly. The column of light reappeared and Hitomi allowed herself to be lifted into the air.

"Goodbye…" she murmured. The two men felt their hearts break as the girl they loved disappeared into the endless sky.

A/N: No, it's not over. I'd have a little "The End" tag if it was. This fic will probably be about 14 to15 chapters long, I'm guessing. I'm not really sure yet. This was way longer, but I cut out a part of it for a later chapter because it didn't fit anymore. Again, I'm so sorry for neglecting this fic and all you loyal readers. I hope that you haven't completely forgotten about me. And I hope that I still get some reviews for the fic that's never updated… I know that this sounds aggravating, but I'll probably not be able to update again until June… I have a ton of other stuff to work on and finals are coming up. But I promise that I'll update in June after school lets out. Scout's honor. (I'm a GS, you know!) If I haven't updated by then, send me angry emails. It probably means that I forgot… (I'm blonde, give me a break…)

Next Time On "Tears of the Heart":

"VAN- COME TO ZAIBACH. I CAN BRING BACK HITOMI."

"What…?" Van whispered in confusion as the boy trembled a bit, noting the expression of anger and disbelief on the young king's visage. He quickly scurried away, leaving Van to his thoughts.

"Hitomi… Can be returned?" He asked the silence, although he expected no reply.