Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ You said you would never forget! ❯ Back to Earth Van! ( Chapter 2 )

IMPORTANT!! This whole chapter is set 6 months after Hitomi's parent's death.

The flashback is in italics and any thoughts made by the characters are normal and in speech marks “like this”

Disclaimer: Me does not own Vision of Escaflowne… But I'm saving up!!

A short balding old man in his late fifties, was about to enter a large room in the palace. He seemed to be wearing his best clothes which appeared to be a pair of black trousers that clung tightly around his large middle with a tatty leather belt. He wore a large woollen cloak tied together with string around his double chin. He wrapped the cloak securely around his middle in hope to hide his stained white t - shirt underneath

“You may enter the Council Chambers,” the portly guard said in a gruff, hard tone.

The man entered the large room, his belly preceding him as he walked. His right hand clutched his wooden walking stick for support. His cold microscopic eyes wandered around the room, he lifted his head in hope to see better through the small pair of glasses that clutched the end of his crooked nose, as he walked.

The room was large and grand, but in a modest way. The walls were made of a deep mahogany wood, with a Renaissance painting here and there of an important figure in Gaeaian history. The floor also made of a grand material. But the majority of it was covered by a large rug which felt soft under his thin and worn out thatched shoes.

In front of him, he saw a long table, which nearly filled the width of the room. Thirteen men in all sat along the table, each of them wearing formal attire, and the Westonian crest stitched proudly upon their chests.

“State your name,” said the man in that sat in the middle of the table, without looking up from the documents in front of him.

The old man stood there, twiddling his thumbs, until he tentatively spoke “Orito Nara,” his voice shook with anticipation. `This has to go well,' he thought to himself.

“Occupation?” Still with head down, studying the text which lay in front of him

“I - I am a merchant from the country of A- Akina”

“What is you purpose?” The man in the centre of the table had still not set one eye on the old man, Orito.

“I - I have found a suitable wife for the K - King of W - Westonia”

“Guards take him away, before more garbage starts spewing from his ungrateful mouth of his!”

Two large men in uniform appeared in front of him, and grabbed him forcefully at the elbow, his feet being dragged across the floor.

“But, but you don't understand, you're making a huge mistake,” the guards still dragging him across the room to the exit. “I - I am not just talking about any ordinary w - woman! I am talking about... Hitomi Kansaki!”

“Guards! Release the man,” The man centred in the middle of the long wooden table, slowly lifted his head to look at the merchant in front of him. His hazel eyes glimmered with intrigue. As his head rose, you could see his shoulder length auburn hair, tied tightly into a hair band at the back of his head. He removed his half - moon glasses and placed them delicately in front of him. “Hitomi Kansaki you say?”

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[Flashback

Van sat in a small café with a hot mug in his hands. He stared hard down at the dark contents of the cup, steam billowing from its centre. Devastation crashing down on him like a ton of bricks. Gone? Disappeared? Vanished? But how, why? It did not make any sense.

Yukari sat opposite Van. She did not know what to do with herself in this kind of situation. Should she talk to him, comfort him? But she hardly even knew the man. He sat and stared at the coffee clenched tightly in his hand. His wild, jet black bangs covered his face.

“When did she - When did she d - disappear?” He asked. His voice was quiet, so quiet that is was barely audible.

“About six months ago.” It was obvious that Yukari was taking Hitomi's disappearance hard. The mug that lay in her hands, ratted ferociously on the metallic table. In one swift movement she let go, and placed her hands on her lap instead.

Van swiftly moved his hands from the table and rubbed the coarse stubble that was beginning to form on his face. A glint suddenly caught Yukari's attention. There it was. She had not seen it in over four years. The last time she had seen it was the night she saw Van for the very first time. And there it lay gracefully on Van's chest. The pink pendant, Hitomi had received from her Grandmother when she was a child. It was exactly the same as she remembered it. The soft pink oval jewel with the pointed metal base, which was attached to the delicate silver chain. It very much resembled a tear drop.

A ripple formed in Yukari's coffee. Then another, and another. Van looked up to see tears slowing forming in her eyes. Then they would plummet down into the liquid below. Van was NOT good in situations like these. To be quite frank, crying women made him nervous. “What the hell should I do?!!! Maybe if I talk to her she will stop!!” he thought urgently.

“Do you think that it is possible that she has returned to Gaea?” he asked. He did not mean to ask this, but his curiosity got the better of him. Now that he thought about it, what he asked would probably make her cry harder!

She looked up in surprise. His eyes were dark, but sincere. “He really cares about her” she thought. She gave a quite sniffle, and then received a tissue from her handbag that lay by her feet. She wiped her damp eyes and then quickly wiped her nose. Then she let out a reluctant sigh.

“I - I don't know” she said truthfully.

Van looked at her, and then a confused look overtook his face. Yukari took this as a sign to justify her answer.

“I know for a fact that Hitomi went to Gaea four years ago because you have her pendant. She obviously cared for you… that pendant was her most prized possession.”

“Cared? What does she mean… cared? What happened… did she meet some one else.” For four years Van had never been able to have feelings for anyone else. When he even touched upon that subject, his mind would automatically think of Hitomi. He had never been able to move on. Now he regretted letting her go.

“But - But…” She could not do it. It would break his heart. Knowing would destroy him. But she had to. He had a right to know. She could not let him live a lie anymore… it would be wrong. Her heart racing, she continued. “But when she returned… she acted - she acted as though,” not able to look at him, she diverted her attention to the table, “she acted as though she had never been to Gaea, or that she even knew you.” She gasped from relief. “Thank God that's over”

Now Yukari was dreading what cam next. She decided to try and distract herself from the inevitable. “Wow, I really like this table. It's really shiny” she thought childishly

“She never said anything, anything at all?” said Van with a tremble in his voice.

“Perhaps I should get a table like this for the flat… it would go nicely in the kitchen” she thought, still in her not paying attention to anything around her.

“Huh? Sorry… spaced out for a moment. What did you say?” Gods how embarrassing!

“She never mentioned me once?” Saying that aloud made the truth Yukari spoke of made it seem more true and daunting to him. How could she not have mentioned anything? After everything they had been through together, they had become really close. Well, at least Van thought so. And what about the feelings they had for each other. Were they just one sided? Was it just him who felt that way? It can't have been, surely? Allen told him that Hitomi practically admitted her feeling for him after he retrieved Hitomi from earth during his second visit. And what about when she left… the last time that Van had saw her. She said that she would never forget him, not even when she was old.

“No. I'm sorry Van. Not once in over four years” “Gods I feel like such a horrible person right now.” She thought in her mind. “When she returned, she just acted like nothing had happened. That she never even went away. We, Amano and I, just thought that it would take her a couple of weeks to start opening up about everything that happened in Gaea, but she never did… Oh Van I'm so sorry!”

“Don't worry about it; it's not your fault.” Was everything that happened between him and Hitomi a lie? He was sure as hell starting to believe it! If she never cared why didn't she just come out and say it, instead of leading him on like that? But could she really have lied all that time. Van's heart believed that she did care. She was so kind, thoughtful and so considerate of other peoples feelings. But right now, his mind was taking control over him. All of his thoughts were in a jumble. It just felt as though that all of his thoughts had all been thrown carelessly into a box and someone started to shake it non stop. Everything in a mess, everything out of order.

Uncomfortable Silence decided to take up a seat and shadow over the pair for a while, as though it was interested in the stillness.

Van abruptly stood up and without meeting Yukari's gaze said “I should leave. I should return to Fanelia. I have a lot to do. Thank you for your time. I appreciate it.” He turned to leave, but…

“Wait!” Yukari shouted. Then the pair made their way to the exit. They both stood outside the door.

Outside, the breeze was soft. And it was easy to tell that summer was approaching. The sun was beginning to set behind the high rise buildings. Cherry blossom had bloomed on the trees. The warm breeze pulling them away from the branches and they momentarily flew with the wind, until gravity took hold of them, and pulled them to the tarmac below.

Yukari finally plucked up the courage and asked him, “will you come back in six months. Just to tell me in Hitomi has turned up in Gaea? And I will tell you if she turns up here? Please? It will put both our minds at rest.”

“Yes. I will. I promise.” “She really cares about her doesn't she? But who wouldn't?” he thought.

[End Flashback

“Van. Van. For Gods sake! VAN!!”

“WHAT!!”

“Your Highness, could you please pay attention. This is an important Council meeting,” stressed the Senate. Anger flaring in his face

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