Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Stars ❯ Part II ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything. And credit goes to Rai Dorian for giving me the idea.

Part II

"My king, they are gathering in the city."

Van turned to the man who spoke. It was one of his guards, a tall, older man who had been in his service many years. But his vision seemed cloudy. He couldn't quite make out his face. "How many of them?" Van asked.

"A hundred. More. They are growing in numbers."

"I'll take a small force and meet them. We can't allow this to spread."

"With the Escaflowne, my king?"

"No!" Van returned sharply. "I won't awaken Escaflowne for such a trivial matter."

"Take the armour, King Van," the man insisted.

"Don't give me orders!" he snapped. "They're just-" He stopped. The man's face had disappeared and been replaced with an empty black spot. He stared in confusion for a moment, but the blackness was strangely ominous and, fearfully, he tried to back away. He couldn't move. Something was holding him down. He looked back to the darkness, but it had leaked out of the soldier's face and was spreading like liquid, running over the floor and onto the walls until it absorbed every last thing in sight. It wrapped around him, pulling on his arms, his legs, dragging him down, down into its darkened depths.

He suddenly jolted himself awake, nearly toppling from the bed. It was dark, and he felt his heart freeze, until he noticed a small sliver of light that peaked through the curtains. He rose from the bed and pulled the curtains aside, letting the moonlight wash over his body and bathe the room in a soft glow. It fell upon the young woman who was curled up in the chair beside the bed, sleeping soundly.

He knelt beside her, his face so close to hers he could see the tiny freckles on her skin, the gentle curve of her lashes, even the bit of chapped skin on her lips, every tiny little imperfection that made her altogether real in his eyes, and invariably perfect in that reality. He brushed a calloused hand against her cheek, his fingers drawing a trail from her temple, down to her lips, lingering there for a moment before they continued their path down her chin, her throat, finally resting across her chest, over her heart. His breathing slowly deepened to match hers as he took in the gentle rise and fall of her chest and her heartbeat filled his ears. It was a steady and quiet beat, comforting in its gentle rhythm. This is why I came back.

He felt her waken beneath his hand. Her eyes fluttered open and fixated on his. She pulled away, clearly uncomfortable at being so close to him. "Hi," she murmured. She couldn't think of anything else to say and they both chuckled at the awkwardness.

"You are why I came back."

She blushed deeply and was glad that the shadows obscured the colour of her cheeks. At least, she hoped it did. From the mischievous smile on his lips, she was sure he must be enjoying her discomfort.

"I want to stay here, Hitomi," he continued quietly. "With you."

"What?"

"I'm not going back to Fanelia. I'm staying here."

"Van, you can't do that," she reminded him gently. "You have to go back."

"I was brought here for a reason. I think I should stay."

"You can't-"

"But I want to stay with you!" He grabbed her arms, pulling her down beside him and trying to draw her closer.

"Van, stop!" she yelled, slapping him hard across the face. It hadn't really hurt him, she knew it wouldn't, but it caused him to stop anyway.

He looked away dismally. "Why?"

"I haven't even seen you in eight years and now this? What's going on?"

"I came back for you," he insisted. He leaned forward, letting her hair tickle his face and breathing in the scent.

She held out a hand, pushed him away and kept him there. "Van, don't."

"But why?" he asked again.

"Because I said no!" she snapped irritably. "Don't you think that this is just a little strange? Something isn't right here and you're not even worried!"

"What's to be worried about?" he grumbled, turning away.

"How did you get here? Where did that blood on your armour come from?"

"I don't remember!"

"Why not?"

"I don't know! I just can't!" He clutched his head, sinking to the floor and staring miserably at it. His head hurt. It hurt to think. It hurt to try to remember. Why did she need an explanation anyway? Wasn't it enough that he was here for her?

"Van . . . what happened in Fanelia?"

"I don't remember," he whispered.

She reached out to encircle his huddled form. And the moment they touched, her vision began. She hadn't had one in years, hadn't needed to. So when she felt that strange sensation of falling, of being enveloped inside her own head, she welcomed it as she would a sweet memory. Her sight opened into darkness. Long, empty, unending darkness. She searched for some sign of life, for anything other than the darkness, but it absorbed her vision, surrounded her like a thick cloak, prying at her senses, begging to be let in.

"Hitomi." The sound of her name startled her back to reality. "Hitomi," Van repeated, hands clasping the side of her face. She was trembling.

She pushed herself back, hands still clutching at his arms, as her gaze dropped to the floor. She couldn't look at him. Tears were stinging her eyes and she didn't want him to see her cry. "Van," she finally managed. Her voice shook and she had to take a deep breath to continue. "Your future . . . it's dark."

"Dark?"

She nodded. "It's not there. There's nothing there. Van . . . what happened-"

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, squeezing to reassure himself that she was there. He buried his face on her shoulder, in the crook on her neck, nuzzling his nose against her bare skin. She was small, with bones so tiny he thought they might break beneath his weight, but he could feel the strength within her and he held to it. "I don't-" he started, stumbling over his words. He shut his eyes. "I don't understand how I came here, I don't know why, but I don't care. I wanted to see you. I missed you. If I never get to do another thing in this life, I just want to be with you one last-" He froze. Now he remembered. He had said these words before. Back there. On Gaea. On the streets of Fanelia.

"They're just . . . rebels!" Van snapped at the old soldier. Defeated, the man stepped down. It was no army they were fighting; only a band of peasants with farming tools and a few shoddy weapons. It was an embarrassing situation.

Zaibach's army was crushed, her weapons removed, her economy and land ravaged by the war. Her people were scattered throughout Gaea now, trying to rebuild their lives, but finding it difficult. They were hated, unwelcome, especially in Fanelia. And then, something had happened. He recalled a briefing on some small situation. A Zaibach man had been attacked in town. He hadn't paid it much attention. Though he wouldn't have publicly admitted it, he held his own prejudice against former Zaibach citizens, especially former soldiers as this one had been. He'd dismissed the case. That was when the rebellions started. He hadn't thought there'd be so many of them, hadn't thought they'd have been much of a threat. And so he'd gone out personally to meet them, to put down this rebellion quickly. They'd been much more violent than he'd expected. That's when it had happened. He'd been separated from his guards and . . .

"I was injured," he said quietly. "Badly. I'd been stabbed. That's when I thought . . . I wanted to see you."

"Van, what-" He bent forward as wings suddenly sprouted from his back, filling the room with their extensive wingspan and sending stray feathers fluttering about. One settled gently into Hitomi's lap and she lifted it, holding it between them. The feather was black.

"I can't stay here," he said.

"I know."

He held her close, his wings encircling them. She slid her arms around his neck, as he leaned forward and touched her lips in a gentle kiss. "I don't . . . want to let you go," he whispered sadly. Cold hands were tugging at his arms, his wings, wrapping around him so tightly, they almost stole his breath. He wouldn't look at it, but he could sense it. Darkness was surrounding him.

She held to him tighter. "I won't let you go. I'll stay with you, Van. I-" Her arms suddenly felt empty and she realized he was gone. "-love you." The unspoken words hung heavy in the air. The room was cold, empty, and dark, save for the light that filtered in through the window. She went to it, gazing up at the stars, those tiny, twinkling dots that blazed so far away. "Van," she whispered. One hand went to her chest, where a small pendant hung over her heart. She clutched it tightly, a silent prayer on her lips. Warmth and light surrounded her hand.

Van awoke with a start. Sharp pain was boring into his side. His hand went to the wound, expecting to find a bloody, gaping hole, but feeling only bandages across his flesh. "What-"

"Lord Van!" With a shriek that nearly deafened the young king, Merle pounced and wrapped herself around him. "Lord Van! You're alive! I was so worried!"

"Merle?" he questioned weakly. "Where's Hitomi?"

"Hitomi?" She stared at him in confusion. "We haven't seen Hitomi in years."

"I was just with her. I-" He stopped short and looked away. "Never mind. I must have been dreaming." She shrugged, accepting his explanation or simply not caring.

"I'll let everyone know you're awake. Don't move!" she ordered happily.

Van chuckled and winced as his body protested. "I won't," he promised. She dashed out of the room on all fours. He watched as her furry tail disappeared around the door and lay back, looking out through the window at the two moons that hung in the night sky.

"Hitomi," he said quietly, "I love you, too."

Fin