Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Beyond the Moon ❯ Revenge of Dreams ( Chapter 4 )

Wow, thanks for all the wonderful supportive reviews! ^_^ I won't give any information about some of the questions asked (*ahem* Waku-chan *ahem*), but hopefully this chapter will succeed in making life a bit more complicated. All the life-is-good mushiness was really getting to me. *spins in circles* Well, enjoy!

Beyond the Moon

Four

Hitomi opened her eyes, brought out of her peaceful slumber by a warm embrace. Looking up, she found she had drifted off leaning on Van's shoulder. The carriage bumped along the country road, causing Hitomi to hold onto Van's arm for balance. He smiled down, arms wrapping around her waist.

"We're almost there," he informed her. Hitomi had finally talked Van into a visit to Allen, and they had departed from the castle early that morning to the Schezar residence. After a brief conference with them, Millerna and Dryden had agreed that the trip was a good idea. Allen had taken over two weeks of leave to take care of his sister, claiming she had fallen ill. He and Van had not departed on the best of terms, and the only contact maintained with the Schezar family was through Merle's correspondence with Allen's sister Celena. Merle had been a little concerned when her friend stopped writing back, giving Hitomi an ulterior motive for visiting the knight of Caeli's home out in the country.

She had asked Merle to come along, but the cat-woman had declined on the grounds that she and Gaddess had to return home and spend some "quality time together." Hitomi had politely requested that she not disclose any further details.

It wasn't much longer after Hitomi awoke that the carriage came to a halt. Hitomi climbed out, unsteady on her still sleeping feet, until Van steadied her with both hands.

The area was woody, but the ground was blanketed by lush green grass, which extended up a nearby hill and into the forest beyond. The house, on the other hand, was large but humble. It was made of dark brick and the finest wood, with large windows lining the top floor. A handsome stone stairway dropped down from the entrance, tapering off into a flagstone path. It blended in with the tall, overhanging tress which surrounded the small property.

Turning around, one could see the high towers of Palas, arching like protective birds of prey over the vast scape of the city. Even the shimmering stone terraces of the palace could be seen over the high walls.

Hitomi was brought back to reality by a high-pitched squeal. A servant woman, who appeared to be middle-aged, rushed down the wide, stone path toward them and came to a halt in front of Van, smiling and breathing erratically.

"King Fanel! We were informed of your arrival in Asturia a few days ago, but we had no idea you would be arriving here so soon!" the woman panted, a bit winded. "Do, come inside and make yourself at home!" she continued, motioning towards their waiting coachman and the luggage still in the carriage. "The master is riding in the forest now, but should return presently."

Finally regaining her composure, the attendant bowed formally to Van and led the two visitors inside. The coachman followed close behind, carrying a trunk and dragging another one behind him. Hitomi took her bag from him, offering to help with the trunks, but he refused and continued valiantly up the stone steps.

After being fed until she was about to burst, Hitomi announced that she was going to unpack and then have a look around. One of the maids bustling through the kitchen nodded and smiled.

"Your room is down the east hall and third on the left. Your bags should be waiting for you. And if you please, ma'am, I'm sure Celena could use some different company." Leaving Hitomi to her wonderings, the maid exited the kitchen. Van continued munching on some leftover dinner rolls. When he found Hitomi's expectant gaze on him, he shot her a questioning look.

"Go on without me. I'm going to retire after this, I believe. I'll just have to see Allen in the morning," he assured her. Hitomi smiled and nodded, retreating to her room.

***

After arranging her clothes in her closet and slipping her duffel bag under her bed, Hitomi left her room. She was curious as to why Celena hadn't been the one to greet them; though she had never formally met her, she felt as if she already knew the lost sister of Allen. She had spoken to Van about it briefly, but even his knowledge was limited. Merle visited Celena often, mostly to keep each other comforted in a man's world. Hitomi was surprised Celena hadn't been married off yet, but she supposed Allen was still protective, trying to make up for lost years.

Hitomi strolled down the ornate, wooden halls, she came to an unusually large door at the far end of the east hall. She knocked lightly, and when no one replied, she slowly walked in.

This was definitely not Allen's room. The bed, amazingly, was not the centerpiece of the room; it was a humble object in the far corner. Hanging on the far wall, was a familiar black jacket, complete with red collar and other various gold and cinnamon colored decorations. A sword hung by it, the sheath complete with red flames etched along the scruff. Papers lay scattered across the floor, drawn in with thick, multi-colored ink. As Hitomi walked further into the room, she heard a light click coming from the bathroom. She jumped, feeling slightly unnerved as she walked slowly towards the sheets of parchment strewn around the center of the room.

Hitomi almost leaped a foot into the air as she heard the sound of water splashing. Knowing there was no running water on Gaea, she took a cautious step towards the bathroom, where the sound had ensued.

Slowly pushing the door open, she saw a tall, white-haired woman, standing in front of her mirror. Water ran down her face, and was followed by more when she splashed her face again. Her eyes were blue, but the soft color was muddled by the bags under her eyes and bloodshot streaks. Her curls of pearly hair hung down to her middle back, but some stray parts of it could be seen around her face, as if they had been merely sliced off.

Hitomi had barely opened the door when the woman's eyes were fixed on her. They were unreadable, water trickling down the sides of her face. She wore a loose nightgown, despite the fact the sun was only just going down.

"I'm not supposed to have visitors," the woman said, her voice cracking a bit. Hitomi took a step back, eyes widening.

"I'm sorry... I was just looking around... Do you know where Celena is, by chance?" she asked. Hitomi thought for a moment that the woman before her might be Allen's new lover, or worse, his wife, when she suddenly smiled, the demeanor in her eyes changing completely.

"I'm Celena! Who are you?" she asked, drying off her face with a small towel. Hitomi let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"I'm Hitomi!" she replied, smiling. Celena's eyes widened considerably.

"Hitomi? Hitomi... Wow! I never thought I would meet you! What are you doing here?" she asked excitedly. Hitomi, taken aback, stepped out of Celena's way as she walked back into her room. The brown-haired woman passed over the drawings, making out images of fire and big, red guymelefs all painted in bright, Easter egg colors. She choked a bit in surprise, but continued following her hostess.

"Well... That's a long story. I arrived in Asturia a few days ago, and thought I would come for a visit!" Hitomi replied, following Celena to a pair of chairs in the far corner of the room opposite the bed. Celena sat down, holding a finger to her lips. Hitomi raised an eyebrow, but closed her mouth and sat down opposite the white-haired woman.

"Shh.. Dilly's still sleeping," she said, pointing to the bed.

Hitomi let out an audible gasp, holding her throat with one hand. Celena raised an eyebrow questioningly. "What's wrong?" Hitomi stuttered, coughing a bit.

"D-di-dilandau?!" she whispered, her hand twitching a bit. Celena nodded, as if it were no big deal.

"Yes! I'm sure he would be happy to see you. I'll wake him up," Celena said, smiling. She got up, when Hitomi grabbed her sleeve.

"That's.. that's alright. I'm sure I'll meet him some other time," Hitomi said, her voice still choked. She stood up, turning on her heel and bolting from the room. Celena shrugged and turned, getting her paint off the dresser and another stack of paper.

***

Hitomi burst into Van's room, closing the door swiftly behind her. Van glanced up from his bed where he sat, scribbling a letter. Noticing Hitomi's shaking and disheveled appearance, he quickly got up off the bed and walked towards her.

"Hitomi? Are you okay? You're white as a ghost," he observed, putting arm on her shoulder. Her eyes squeezed closed.

"Did.. did you know that.. that Dilandau is still alive?" Hitomi stuttered out, raising her gaze to Van's. His chocolate eyes widened, then narrowed and focused on her.

"Just what do you mean?" he asked, voice low and throaty. Hitomi knew the deepness of their hatred for one another, and hesitated to go on. "What do you mean?!" Van demanded, shaking her a bit.

"I.. I walked in to see Celena.. and she said.. she told me to be quiet because Dilandau was still asleep.. in the bed.. the.." she grabbed Van, burying her face into his chest. He slowly put his arms around her, holding her close in assurance. Van relaxed a bit, running a hand through her hair.

"Well... I wouldn't be too worried. Merle said Celena's last few letters were a little.. off, and her last visit was a bit unpleasant. Apparently, Celena is not in prime mental health right now," Van said, drawing Hitomi away from him. She looked at him, then nodded.

"I don't blame her.. But still. Why would she say something like that?" she asked worriedly. Van just smiled, hoping to calm down the hysterical woman.

"I'm sure she still feels Dilandau every once in a while. I wouldn't worry about it. We can talk to Allen tomorrow," Van assured her. "I have to finish some letters to be sent back home, so you should head off to bed too. We have a big day tomorrow, I bet," he said, smiling. Hitomi nodded, detangling her arms from around his waist. She jumped up quickly, planting a surprise kiss on his cheek before she left the room.

Van rubbed the warm spot on his face, then smiled brightly before returning to his work. He decided not to dwell on the matter too much; anyone related to Allen and had to live with him all day, every day, was sure to be a bit eccentric.

***

I lay in my bed, kneading the soft blanket with my fingers. I stared out the window, which I was lucky enough to have directly in my view. The two bright moons of Gaea hovered in the air, glimmering with an unnaturally silver light. I had been awake for hours, mulling over the events of the evening.

I jolted up when I heard a creak in the hall. Sliding out of my bed, I padded across my room silently and opened the door without a sound. I stifled a gasp.

Walking down the hall towards the main room was a familiar knight. His blonde hair was shorter than I remembered, and hung around his shoulders in the perfect way it always did. His riding boots were brown and dirty, along with his white pants and black riding jacket. He didn't have his sword as he usually did; I suppose he had a right to walk around his own home without fear of being attacked. At this thought, I felt bad about arriving while he was away and not at least sending someone before us to warn him ahead of time.

"Allen?" I whispered. The blonde knight froze. I slowly closed the door behind me, my face lighting up. He turned, eyes wide, his hand shaking.

"H-h-hi-hitomi?" He asked in disbelief, taking a step towards me. I nodded, a wide grin spreading across my face. He took another step, arm rising to touch my face, as if I were a ghost.

"Hitomi! It's really you!" He cried, pulling me into a tight embrace. I coughed, patting his arm.

"Yes, yes, it's me, now let me go.. I think you're going to squish me, Allen," I replied, smiling. He nodded furiously, still staring at me wide-eyed. "Come on, let's go outside. I don't want to wake up Van or your sister," I said. At the mention of the Fanelian king, Allen's eyes darkened. I tugged on his arm.

"Oh, stop that," I chided quietly.

Speed-walking, it only took us a matter of seconds to leave the house. Once outside, Allen hugged me again.

"Oh Hitomi! You don't know how wonderful this is!" he exclaimed, releasing me for a moment before embracing me again. "I never thought I would see you again." I coughed again, prodding his side so he would let me go.

"Me either... I never thought I would see any of you again," I admitted. It was almost as if he had gotten more handsome while I was away; his face was more relaxed, and his eyes were softer, albeit a deeper, more severe blue. I smiled, taking a step back. He was still the charming knight in shining armor.

"When.. how.. did you come back? I thought you gave the pendant to Van," Allen asked quietly, his eyes tracing followed my face down to my chest, where the pendant hung in the V-neck collar of my nightgown. I blushed, gulping. What was this familiar feeling? The one I always got when Van looked at me like that...

"I don't really know. I woke up in the middle of the night and.. and I knew. I don't know how. Van was there when I woke up. I really don't know how to explain it," I tried, clutching the pendant. Allen's eyes darkened again.

"Van, Van! You've returned, Hitomi!" he said, his voice rising. "Van doesn't deserve you. He let you go back!" Allen continued, his eyes narrowing. I felt my heart begin to beat frantically. Something wasn't right. "Stay here with me, Hitomi! I love you. I always have!" My throat chose just that moment to clog up. I gasped, trying to voice my objection.

Allen pulled me into another embrace, but his arms were no longer just friendly. He looked into my eyes, and taking my expression every way other than how I meant it, bent over and kissed me full on the lips.

***

Van opened his eyes, yawning. The two moons cast a silver sheen on the world, when Van caught sight of two figures standing outside. Curious, the king threw off his blankets and put on a coat, changing into some warmer pants. He slipped on his boots, opening the door and walking quietly into the hall.

He passed Hitomi's room, and noticing the door open, took a peek inside. He furrowed his brow. Where could she be? What if she was kidnapped?! Van thought, his mind racing a mile a minute. He trotted down the corridor faster, rapidly approaching the entrance hall.

Van swung open the front door, standing on the top of the stone stairs. Standing in the middle of the yard was Allen, holding Hitomi in his arms, the two engaged in a passionate kiss. The memory of the bridge came back to him full force. Van stumbled, leaning against the house, groping for the door with one hand.

At that moment they parted, and instantly looked up. Van turned around, back to the pair, and walked back into the house. The door slammed behind him with a clearly audible echo.