Hitomi Kanzaki rumaged through her room, looking for first aid kit that she took with her when she worked the graveyard shift at Tokyo General, when suddenly the cordless phone rang.
"No, no, NO! Right before my shift too," just as Hitomi said this, her eye caught the medium sized white box lying near... the phone. "Well, maybe not no," she conceded, taking the kit and stuffing it into her already full bag, "at least the phone helped me find it." She walked over and picked up the phone.
"Happy Birthday, dear Hitomi!" Yukari's happy voice sounded like chimes through the telephone. "You're twenty today, so what did you do?"
"Birthday... oh, right. Nothing, Yukari. Too busy!! I was at the clinic until noon, and then I slept until..." Hitomi checked her watch. 10:00 pm. "8:00. But my shift starts in an hour, and I HAVE to go."
"Hitomi, just a few minutes. Please?"
"Oh, well fine," teased Hitomi. She really was glad that Yukari had remembered her birthday, even from where she was in America. With Amano. Remembering this, "so how's the baby, Yukari?"
"I just KNEW you weren't going to make it through the whole conversation with mentioning Mara, or Amano. They're both fine. And anyway, we're supposed to be talking about you. Remember?"
"Oh. Right. Well let's see. The standard Yukari and Amano questions are (1) How are you? (2) Are you dating? (3) You know you work too much for someone your age, even for a doctor, right? (4) Have you fallen in love with anyone yet? and (5) When will you visit?"
Yukari's lafter pealed. "You know us too well, Hitomi-chan. But since you've listed the questions, I want the answers."
"Alright," Hitomi said, taking a deep breath, "(1) I'm fine actually, I'm getting used to working REALLY late at night," Hitomi paused as she heard Yukari sigh, "(2) No, not yet. (3) I do NOT work too much it's what I have fun doing," Hitomi paused again as Yukari make a skeptical sound, "(4) No..... and (5) Maybe in a month."
"You HAVE to be in love with SOMEone," said Yukari, exasperated. "What abou that guy you told me and Amano about when you came back from..."
"Don't say it, Yukari. I might have loved him but I'll never see him again. So drop it. I have to leave now if I'm going to be on time for my shift. I'll call you later Yukari!"
Before Yukari could say anything but Goodbye, Hitomi had hung up the phone.
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If it's not ONE thing with the Council, it's another. The young king of Fanelia looked around the meeting room table tiredly. They had been in there for more than a few hours, and he was itching to do something other than listen to old nobles talk about whether the Gaean Alliance would work. For the FIFTH time. When can I get out of here to just...
"Lord Van, if it so pleases you, I move that we adjourn this meeting," a low voice suggested.
Van turned to Kirei in relief. His cousin ALWAYS came up with a solution to ending meetings. And he seemed to get bored of them just as fast as Van did. "Thank you, Kirei. Gentlemen, it has been said MANY times that the Gaean Alliance, is, for now, working out well. Should anything conern you at the next Alliance meeting, we can call a meeting to bring it up then." Standing, Van nodded to the old men, straightened his overcoat, and left the room, Kirei close behind him.
"Lucky for you, I seem to know when you're beginning to get testy, right Cousin?" Kirei looked at the tall, ruby-eyed king humourously.
"If you say so Kirei, I think you just have good timing. Your grandfather did, as did mine."
"Well if so, it must SKIP every other generation Van, because obviously, you don't have any." Smiling when he said this, Kirei stepped aside (he was facing Van) and watched, laughing, as the king was pushed into the ground by a familiar cat-girl from behind.
"MERLE!" said Van, laughing as well. "You know it isn't fair to jump from behind."
"But Lord Van... Kirei never seems to mind when I do it to him." Merle's voice rang out laughing.
"That's because Kirei never gets hit!!" as Van whirled around to continue scolding the cat-girl face-to-face, a worried soldier ran into the hallway where the trio was standing.
"Y-your majesty," the soldier said bowing deeply, "Lord Kirei, Miss Merle." Another bow. "The spies sent to Goshem have returned with bad news," the soldier said this shakily. It was clear that he had been one of the spies. "The army of Goshem, they have amassed tens of thousands of guymelefs, and their direction appears to be Fanelia."
"Why..." said Van in a dangerous tone, "and where are the other 3 I sent with you, soldier."
"Majesty... we were caught amidst the Goshemin soldiers. I was the only one to escape. I bring you this information with the hope that we can protect ourselves against them, and in the memory of my comrades."
"Very well. You are dismissed. And I thank you." With a nod at the soldier, Van swept around to walk to the military room, only allowing Kirei to accompany him.
"Well Van, what are you going to do? We have only one thousand guymelefs, and a few thousand foot-soldiers. We are not prepared for this Cousin. What shall I tell the melef unit?" Kirei looked at Van seriously, seeing fire burn deep in the king's eyes. Kirei was commander-in-cheif of the Fanelian melef unit, his guymelef second only to the Escaflowne in strength.
"YOU are to take command of the foot-soldiers as well. It is not safe to have the old general leading them."
"But what did he say?" Kirei was shocked at his cousin's demand. "He's not the type who would give up a post like that so easily..."
"He agreed. He knows he's getting old. Consider yourself promoted. And Kirei, make sure to evacuate the capital into the mountainous valley of Adon, shielding them with the guymelef unit and the soldiers. Bring the nobles, and Council as well."
"We're not going to fight? Van, you MUST protect this country," Kirei yelled into his cousin's face. "You are king now."
"I AM PROTECTING THIS COUNTRY," answered Van heatedly. "I will NOT allow my people to be killed again."
"Very well. I'll inform the civilians, nobles, and all else who dwell in the castle." Kirei turned to leave, but Van beat him to the door. "Van, where are you going? It's dangerous, remember what that spy said..."
"For a ride. And he said NOTHING about them coming tonight. Start evacuating at once Kirei. I will be back in a few hours. Right now, I need some time to think." Van said this coldly. "Alone." He stressed, when he saw Kirei about to say he should come as well. There was something that Van had to think of alone.
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Yukari's right. I did love him. But I was right too. There's now way I can see him again, no matter how much I wish... With a loud sigh, Hitomi shifted on the bench, her trusty messenger bag still beside her, and looked up through the canopy of trees to see the sky. I love him... Van. I wonder if he remembers me. Rumaging through her bag, she bypassed what pretty mcuh could've passed for a carry-on. There was pajamas, two changes of clothes, undergarments, some pictures of Yukari, Amano, and her family, the first aid kit, a watch (hers) and a toiletry kit. Hitomi had planned on sleeping/staying at the residence after her shift, but since it turned out they no longer needed her tonight, she decided to sit in the park and just think for a few hours. Still rumaging through the bag, she held them up triumphantly when she found them.
The Tarot cards.
They had told her about love before, so why not now? She lay out the cards, and, seeing the answer turned to the sky again. Suddenly the area around her lit up as a brilliant meteor streaked through the sky.
If you wish upon a star... Hitomi thought. Just one wish. Just one.
"I wish that I could see him again! I wish to see VAN!" Hitomi screamed this into the night sky, not caring if anyone heard. And as if the world was lit like a candle, Hitomi was engulfed in the light from the star.
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I just want to see Hitomi. Just once. God, couldn't you grant me that? I shouldn't have let her go... And now what? There's no one here. Taking out a small glowing object from around his neck, he slipped the necklace off, looking at it sadly. She gave this to me. For protection.
As on earth, and now on Gaea, Van, still on his horse, turned his face to up the stars - and to the Mystic Moon. The very same star that Hitomi had wished on streaked past Gaea.
If you wish hard enough, they'll come true... Van could hear Hitomi's words in his mind. Maybe they were were true. One wish. That's all I ask.
"I want to be with her! I want to see Hitomi! Please, let me see her!" Van cried this out. And suddenly a beam of light, THAT light came down only a few metres away. And dimly, amid the brightness, he saw a woman's shape...
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Hihi everyone!!
I'm soo happy to finally find a V/H and Escaflowne forum, I don't come by a lot...
Please give my story a try! I'll be posting weekly, and eventually the whole thing will be up on FFN... it's already 32 chapters long, I hope you enjoy it!
^_^ Angelic1090
I saw where you posted another chapter, so I'm off to read. Hurray! **skips off singing** Van and Hitomi...