Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Twisted Fates ❯ Midnight Confessions ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter 3 ~ Midnight Confessions



The blinding column of light landed on the mossy earth, leaving behind it two shady figures.
"Well Hitomi, here we are," Van said gently whispering in her ear.
Hitomi did nothing but stir in his arms. Van looked at her only to find her deep asleep. He guessed she must have been tired. Hitomi stirred some more, snuggling deeper into his arms, her own wrapping around his waist.
"Hmm... Van..." she mumbled some other words he couldn't hear.
Van didn't know why, but he turned a light shade of red. He was in a dilemma whether to wake her up or not He decided to let her sleep for a while, before taking her back to the palace. He placed Hitomi on the soft cool grass. Immediately, her eyelids fluttered open.
"Are we there yet?" she asked him.
"Yeah, for quite a while. You fell asleep," Van told her.
"Sorry, I was really tired from all that running. Thank you." Hitomi said quietly.
"For what?" Van asked surprised.
"For bringing me here, after all, a lot could have changed in two years, yet you're still here by my side. Thank you Van, and I'm sorry about the way I acted." Hitomi told him in between yawns.
"How could I not be here for you?" Van asked softly. He suddenly blushed realising what he said.
"Well, I stopped talking to you. I tried to block you out of my life, yet when I need you the most, you're right there. Even after I've been a horrible friend, you're still here by my side." Hitomi explained.
"I... I'll always be here for you Hitomi," Van said hugging her gently.
"Thank you, I needed that," Hitomi said sadly. She hadn't had a hug from anyone since Yukari moved to America six months ago.
"Do you want to go to the palace now?" Van asked when Hitomi let go of him.
"Yeah, I would love to."
As Hitomi headed for the palace, Van waited behind and watched her step tremble at first, but then gain confidence. Something had happened to his brave Hitomi. Something destroyed all her confidence in herself. Something had made her loose her love of life. Van could see that her eyes lost all hope, all their former beauty. They were now masked by an aura of sadness, regret, and expectation. Hitomi was changed, yet the changes were not for the good. Van wondered what horrible thing could have made her so afraid of being herself. Most importantly, did it have to do with him? What if, he didn't even think about this before, but what if Hitomi had moved on with her life and had found someone else? Van knew he would be crushed if that was the case. But if so... why did she come with him to Gaea? In any case, he'd see what was wrong with Hitomi, and try to fix it. He wanted her to laugh freely again, and to enjoy life as much as she had enjoyed it two years before.
Van ran after Hitomi, who was now quite ahead of him.
"Hey, wait up," he called.
"Oh, sorry, I'm used to going off by myself," Hitomi said. He had no idea how many things she had to do alone since the death of her family. Hitomi looked at Van, and saw his sparkling eyes. "How did he deal with the death of his family, and the loneliness?" Hitomi asked herself.
"Are you ok Hitomi?" Van asked gently.
"I'll be fine, I'm happy to be here, and can't wait to meet everyone," Hitomi said smiling; a more heartfelt smile than before.
"Well, then let's go meet them!" Van smiled back at her.
They both walked into the palace. Van guided her to the main hall, where the people gathered after dinner. When they walked in, a young cat-woman came running straight to Hitomi.
"Hitttooommmiiii!!!!!" She giggled. "I'm so glad you came to visit!" Merle said throwing all her weight upon Hitomi.
"Hey Merle, it's great to see you again. I would never pass up the chance to visit Gaea, plus Van said he needed help to remodel the town. I could never pass that up." Hitomi told her.
"I never knew Lord Van needed help..........." Merle stopped herself in time, when she saw the red look on Van's face. Her lips formed a silent O. "You're right, we do need help, there's so much to do here!" she said playing along.
"Well, I'll be glad to help." Hitomi offered.
"Yeah, in the mean time, why don't you come have something to eat? I'm sure you must be starved. You too Lord Van." Merle invited them.
"Mmmm.... Food, I'd love to have something to eat right about now." Hitomi jumped at the offer.
"Come this way," Merle instructed
~~~~~
Later that night, Van introduced Hitomi to many people on his council. Some seemed nice, and some seemed a little odd, nevertheless, they were all loyal to their king. Hitomi could see that Van had found himself a new family. There was still no talk of any queen of Fanelia. Hitomi was starting to hope that maybe Van didn't have a fiancée. She could see them all have a good time, and for the first time in what seemed like a long time, Hitomi felt content, and even a sting of happiness. There was something wonderfully soothing about Gaea. It was here that Hitomi felt she belonged. She just wished that she had more time with her family. More time to tell them how she really felt. Hitomi felt the tears bite at the sides of her eyelids. She didn't want Van's council to see her cry. She didn't want their pity. All she wanted was time to be turned back, so that she could tell her family how much they meant to her. All of a sudden, the room felt stuffy. Hitomi went outside on the balcony.
Although it was broken, and pieces of it were missing, Hitomi found the balcony relaxing. She sat on the ledge, with her back to the laughing people, and let herself cry. She knew from experience that it wasn't good for her to hold it in. Hitomi didn't know for hold long she cried, or how long those two strong arms have been there supporting her, but when her tears stopped flowing, she felt them wrapped around her shoulders.
"Are you ready to tell me what's wrong now?" a soothing voice whispered in her ear.
"Van, how long have you been holding me like that?" Hitomi asked.
"Long enough. What's wrong Hitomi? Come on, talk to me." He sat beside her and hugged her.
"Well, seeing you with your council, it reminded me of my family. I miss them so much." She said quietly, tears spilling down her cheeks.
"Already? You want to go back already? You've only been here three hours." Van observed, hurt echoing in her voice. "I guess she really moved on," he thought.
"No, silly, I want to be here on Gaea," Hitomi managed to laugh. "I want to be here with you," she thought.
"Then, I don't understand," Van said confused.
"Oh, you don't know, no wonder. Well, my family, they... died in a car accident one year ago." She said burying her crying face in his shirt.
"I'm sorry Hitomi," Van said finally realising the reason of her sadness. No wonder she was so sad. He remembered how sad he had been when his family died. No wonder the spark went out of her eyes. Nevertheless, there was a cure for that. Van grinned sheepishly. He would have a great time making Hitomi happy.
"It's ok, it's just that I've been all alone for one year. I couldn't bear the loneliness when you came to get me. I... I... was wondering how you dealt with it?" Hitomi asked shyly.
"Well, I... I found some friends. Merle, Allen and everyone else helped cheer me up." Van told her. "And most of all, I fell in love with you. Dreaming of you Hitomi, helped get me out of my misery." Van thought. He hugged her tighter. "Don't worry. I promise you there'll be no sad times while you're here on Gaea. Don't worry, we'll cheer you up Hitomi," Van chuckled.
"Hmm, how do you manage to always be there?" Hitomi asked sleepily. That crying, and the heat from Van's body were making her sleepy.
In a matter of minutes, Hitomi was asleep soundly in Van's arms.
"I love you, that's why." He said after she was asleep. He picked her up, and took her inside. You could see the streaks of tears on her face, but to Van, Hitomi looked beautiful.
"Did she fall asleep?" Merle asked quietly as Van re-entered the room.
"Yeah, she was tired from the journey. I'll take her to her room," Van said equally as quiet.
Van carried Hitomi gently to her room. It was the second best right after his, and one of the only ones left intact. The palace still needed a lot of redecorating in order to be restored to its original state. Van tucked Hitomi in, and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
"Sweet dreams," he whispered before closing the door softly behind him.