Obligations [2/?]

[Waking Dreamer]

Well.. it's been a long time since I've posted. Sorry for the delay, and thanks to anyone who is still reading this story.

Love to my beta, who is currently working hard on her thesis. So, if there are any mistakes, confusing sentences, please let me know, so I may correct them!



Chapter 2- Together Again



?You should never be left unguarded, Van, King of Fanelia,? the voice threatened.

Keeping his cool, Van mumbled a few words to his Guy Malef. His eyes glinted, the young king kicked his leg, causing the sword to tip towards its wielder. With this opening, Van rolled to his left, out of harm?s way, unfolded himself, unsheathed his sword, and stood up, poised, ready to face the intruder.

His eyes narrowed, his mouth edged into a firm purse, Van relaxed his stance when he looked into the twinkling eyes of his sparring partner, his friend, his confidant, and right now, his annoyance: Allen Schzarde.

?Good job, getting out of that,? Allen praised, ?but, didn?t I say you shouldn?t be left unguarded?? Allen jabbed his sword forward to enunciate his point.

Slashing his sword right above his hip to block the blow, Van glowered at his instructor. ?I?ll show you!?

Bringing his sword up, the younger man pushed his companion?s sword away. Angling his sword above his head, Van bent his knees and leaned into the balls of his heels. Giving out a battle cry, he charged towards Allen, bringing his sword down at the last second to strike his opponent in the shoulder.

Remembering the move of the assault, the older man lowered his shoulder. As he moved his body, he also placed the tip of his sword under the assailant?s and slashed it to the side, away from him.

Van was prepared for this counter-move. Moving with the force of Allen?s swing, Van neatly turned around in a loop and skillfully pierced the cloth of Allen?s shirt, leaving a straight cut in the now ruined shirt. The victor stood behind the torn-shirt, knees slightly bent, one foot in front of the other, anticipating the next move.

Giving a low chuckle, Allen congratulated Van on besting him, ?Nice job, Van!?

Van gave a smirk and lowered his sword. The smirk promptly left his face, however, when he suddenly fell upon his back, and he felt the cold steel tip of Allen?s sword at the side of his neck.

?But don?t underestimate your opponent- ever.? Allen concluded the lesson with a wide smile. He had turned around and hit Van?s sword with so much force, that the young man, unable to absorb some of the blow, fell flat on his back.

Sulking, Van grabbed his tutor?s hand and got up to his feet.


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?So, what are you doing here?? The two asked each other at the same time, after they brushed off their clothes from their skirmish.

Van cocked an eyebrow and waited for Allen to answer first. After all, he is King.

Slightly rolling his eyes, Allen shrugged his shoulders, ?I couldn?t sleep. And it?s such a beautiful night, I thought I would take a stroll around Fanelia. You?ve done a remarkable job with this land, Van. I never imagined you would have rebuilt it to this degree.?

Taking in the praise, Van leisurely scanned the surrounding area. The night sky, full of stars, shone its soft light onto the lushness of the land. Allen was right. Fanelia had grown, these past years, into a prosperous kingdom. The remnants of war were barely traceable, and the kingdom was infused with a greater sense of unity and community than ever before.

?And you? Couldn?t sleep either? Let me guess?you had a dream, didn?t you?? Allen stole a glance at his companion, who was glaring at him with each passing word that he said. Encouraged by this, the blonde knight decided to have some fun. ?Not a nightmare... otherwise, you would have been screaming and have woken up the entire castle.. aha! I know! You were dreaming about a lady! A certain lady I imagine! One with honey-ginger locks... soft skin... even softer, lush lips..? The older man trailed off as he noticed his young friend, glaring darkly at him. Allen smirked in triumph over his accurate guess.

Van continued to glare and walked away.

?Oh come on Van! I?m just having some fun! Speaking of her, though, when are you going to bring her back??

Stopping in his tracks, Van took a short breath before responding curtly, ?She?s happy on the Mystic Moon.?

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Allen continued to dig deeper. ?C?mon Van. You really can?t believe that. That she?s truly happy over there??

?I do believe that she is happy.?

?Next, you?ll be telling me about the common feeling you two have. I know, I know,? the knight waved away his friend?s impending rebuttals with his hand. ?You two have this bond that ?surpasses people?s minds.?* When are you going to stop thinking about her and actually see her instead??
For a second, Van looked as if he would react, but he instead kept his back turned. In a flat voice that betrayed the emotion he was feeling, he simply stated, ??When she wants to.? With that, the king left his friend, who was deep in thought by that last comment.


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Rubbing his temples, Van trudged up the stairs of the castle, trying to erase the conversation he had with Allen.

Of course, he wanted to see her. In fact, he couldn?t stop thinking about her. Did she still speak in the same soft voice? Did she still do tarot card readings? Did she still care for others so much in that she often placed her own desires lower in priority?

Truthfully, his mind was consumed by thoughts of her only recently. The past years, he had been overwhelmed with the tasks of rebuilding a kingdom from lands, ravaged with war. It had taken five years for Fanelia to be completely rebuilt. And it had taken the past two years for the kingdom to develop, to flourish, and finally expand so rapidly that Fanelia was becoming one of the most economically rich areas on Gaea.

With Fanelia completed, Van had time to visit with the new allies he made during the war: Allen, Dryden, the Austaria royal family. Under Allen?s tutelage, more so now his sparring partner, Van improved his swordsmanship. With help from his friends, Van also learned the finer nuances of running a kingdom.

Eventually, things settled down, and Van found himself with more and more free time, more free time than he could find things to do.

Giving a wry smile, Van thought about Merle. She had remained loyal to him, ever since he was a kid. And she definitely played a big part in his life. Keeping him company throughout the rebuilding of Fanelia, Merle was always eager to help out in any way she could. As she grew older, however, her interests became more directed, and now, she was to be married soon to one of Van?s advisors.

So, without the constant companionship of Merle as well as the breaks between visits from Allen and the others, Van became a little lonely.

And that?s when the thoughts of Hitomi kept popping into his mind.

Allen was right, the king wryly thought as a half smile pulled at a corner of his mouth. We do have this bond that connects us in a way that no one, even mf, really understands. Perhaps, the reason why I haven?t thought about Hitomi as much as I do now was that I knew she didn?t need me. I knew that she was okay; she was doing fine. Besides, I was too busy with Fanelia as well. It?s not that we forgot each other; we just got consumed with other matters.

But now? his brow furrowed in contemplation. I need to see her. I don?t know why I do, but I know if I don?t see her, I won?t be able to sleep without dreaming about her. Hell, I won?t be able to do anything without my mind constantly on her. Van paused for a moment to rub his eyes and run his fingers through his unruly hair.

He leaned against the stone walls of his castles, feeling the coolness of the material through his shirt. Closing his eyes, Van tried to clear his head, breathing deeply yet evenly, concentrating on the coolness that was seeping into and all over his skin.

In his mind, he envisioned a flashing pink color. Without any boundaries of a shape, he felt strangely aware of this shapeless hue.

Flashing his eyes open, Van realized what he had to do. He hadn?t used it in years?he had promised that he wouldn?t use it, but he knew it was the only thing to do.

It would be the only thing that would allow him to go see Hitomi.

With determined eyes, the once tired king ran up the stairs.


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It was right where he left it, those seven years ago. Although it hadn?t seen the light of day, it hadn?t collected any dust. It still remained the same dull luster when it wasn?t being used.

Carefully lifting it from the box, Van kept a tight grip on the drag energist. He held up the object in the moonlight, inspecting it. It hadn?t even gotten a dent much less a scratch on it, after all those years. Smiling at the energist, Van spoke to it. ?Let?s hope you still work.?

Guarding it close to him, Van quickly went out his bedroom door and down the stairs.


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He quickly and quietly walked his way back to the garden. When he reached the edge, he glanced over his shoulder and over his surroundings, making sure no one had seen him. Satisfied that no one was present, Van jogged over to Escaflowne.

?Alright, Escaflowne. Let?s see if you?ve still got it!?

Plunging the energist into the heart of the Guy Melef, Van jumped back and waited for Escaflowne to come back to life.

The glowing drag energist spread its life throughout the once stationary mecha. Changing from its lackluster gray into a brilliance of tones, Escaflowne emerged as it once had, all those years ago.

Van felt the same bond that had connected him to Escaflowne before resurface. Accustoming himself to the connection, he also was careful to keep the bond in check. Taking one last deep breath, Van climbed up the huge mecha and jumped into the cockpit.

The bands snapped over the limbs of his body, as he sat, waiting for Escaflowne to be fitted to him properly. He spread his arms, perpendicular to his body, hearing the gears grind, as the arms of the Guy Melef became under his control.

The lid snapped down, and Van proceeded to transform Escaflowne into its dragon transport form.

As quickly as Escaflowne had been revived, Van soon found himself on top of the dragon, with the reins, hanging loosely in his fists. Tilting his head down, he spoke, ?C?mon Escaflowne? let?s head to the Mystic Moon!? Lifting the reins up, the Guy Melef headed towards its destination.


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Out in the countryside, a blond hair man smiled as a giant winged creature flew past the moon.

?It?s about time you did something, Van.? as he gave a low chuckle. He grinned in the clear night sky, as he walked inside the castle.


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Inside the castle, a ball of red ran smack into him.

?There you are!!! I was looking all over for you!! Do you know where Van is?!?! I?ll tell you!!!? Merle anxiously answered her own question. ?He?s gone! I saw him leave! He took-

?Yes, he took Escaflowne. It?s okay, Merle. Go back to bed.? the older man admonished her. He patted her on the head as he tried to go up the stairs.

Hopping in front of him, Merle slid in front of the stairs, blocking Allen?s exit. ?If you knew, why didn?t you stop him?!? She had placed both hands on her hips, glaring at the blonde knight with narrowed eyes, pursed lips, and a wrinkled forehead.

Sighing, the tired man humored the too awake pest. ?He?s gone to get Hitomi. Now, can you please move, so I can get some sleep??

Forming an ?O? with parted lips, the cat girl stood in silence and amazement, as Allen pushed her to the side. Merle shook her head, as the words sunk. Jumping in front of Allen again, to which he now more audibly sighed his annoyance, Merle hopping from one foot to the next asked, ?So, does that mean he intends to marry!? Am I going to be an aunt soon?!?

Placing a hand on each of the excited girl?s shoulders, Allen steadied Merle and answered in an even voice, ?I don?t know. Can I go to bed now??

With squinting eyes, Merle studied the tired knight. She opened her eyes in wide realization. ?You didn?t tell him, did you?!? She clenched her stomach with her hands and fell to the floor in hysterical giggling. ?Oh man! Is Van in for a surprise!!?

Allen threw up his hands in surrender. ?I give up. How does your fianc? deal with you??

Sticking out her tongue, Merle countered, ?How does Eries deal with you?? She smiled with pleasure as Allen answered with a pale face. ?Oh wait?was I not supposed to know that? Hm.. oh well. I think you?re right, anyway! It?s about time Van got Hitomi back. Well, I?m tired,? the bouncy girl yawned for effect, ?Good night Allen!? Dropping to all fours, Merle ran to her bed chamber.

Allen stood on the steps. Shaking his head slowly from side to side, he rubbed his temples with the pads of his fingers, pretending the conversation never occurred.


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He spotted the familiar patch of green glass, the orange clay colored track, and the glaring fluorescent lights overlooking the bleachers. Putting his hand against his forehead to block out the blinding lights, he scanned the area for signs of anyone who could point him to Hitomi.

Pit pat pit pat pit pat

A rapid, rythmique pattern was heard in the distant, but got louder with each step. Turning around, Van noticed a blur of ginger colored hair. He rubbed his eyes with his forefingers and saw a very familiar figure materialize.

?Van!?

?Hitomi?? he answered uncertainly. Then, he could clearly see the outline of the woman who had been haunting his dreams and robbing him of sleep for the past weeks. ?HITOMI!? he yelled compassionately.

Jumping up from the ground, Hitomi opened up her arms and wrapped them around Van?s neck. For a quick second, Van dropped the reins and returned the girl?s fierce embrace. Rubbing her nose against his warm neck, Hitomi whispered, ?Van..?

Breathing into her ear, he softly murmured, ?I?m here,? He could feel Hitomi nodding her head, as her nose slide up and down his neck. Keeping his arms around her, Van felt for the reins and grasped them into the palms of his hands again. He pulled Escaflowne against him and directed his Guy Melef to take them back home.


TBC


* According to www.visionsofescaflowne.com, in the script, Dornkirk says that Van and Hitomi have this bond. This bond is so powerful that is not affected by the destiny machine, which was crafted to surpass people?s minds of this type of connection. Instead, people?s minds were generated to craft war. At least, I believe that?s what Dornkirk was trying to achieve. Anyway, check out the link and read the script, if you?re interested.


P.S. The pairing of Allen and Eries was for my beta, since she supports them!