Always And Forever [Prelude]

[Leia Avenrose]

Disclaimer: I don?t own Vision Of Escaflowne?. But whoever does?man are you a bunch of lucky people.
Dedication: To *Sagittarius Girl* & Tae. Also to all you Escaflowne fans?

Always And Forever
By: Lynzi Knight
Rating: NC-17
Prelude: The past

?Two hearts must be bonded together,
a bond of love to last for all time.? ? Seymour Guado [FFX]

Three years had passed. Three years of mending loneliness, of repairing broken homes, and most of all, mending a broken heart. Three years had passed, since a young girl from the Mystic Moon had disappeared from the plains on Gaia. The wars had ended, lives went on. Nothing had changed within those three years. Fanelia, a place where forests were the most lush, the most beautiful, had been rebuilt. It didn?t look the same as it did before the Zaibach Army had destroyed it, burning everything down to the ground. It now looked?newer. Fanelia was a different place to talk about however.

Somewhere around the world of Gaia, in Palas, Allen Crusade Schezar, one of many noble knights belonging to the Caeli of Asturia, tossed and turned as he slept. His dream was not a pleasant one, mainly the same one he had every other night. In his dream, he watched the bright white light engulf a young girl. It swallowed her up and then shot up into the sky like a torpedo, little stars flying away in every direction from the after light.

Allen outstretched his hand in his sleep, his fingers spread and reaching for something not there, not available to him. His face screwed up into a frown before he screamed, ?Hitomi!?

He then sat up abruptly in the bed. His dark blue eyes darted nervously around the room, searching the dark corners with sleep-clouded eyes for any signs of unwanted beings. Beads of sweat claimed the attractive and sincere face, plastering his long blonde hair to the sides of his face.

He groaned then, realizing it had only been a dream. He placed his head in his hands and rubbed at his eyes. Bringing his hands from his face, he plowed his long fingers through his hair, sending the long, damp strands back over his bare shoulders.

?Hitomi, are you happy with your life on the Mystic Moon?? He lifted his eyes and stared at the dark ceiling. ?If you can hear my thoughts, we all miss you, Hitomi.? He paused, searching for the words to say to someone thousands and thousands of miles away. ?Van misses you the most, I suppose. Please, Hitomi. Come back to?? His voice drifted off on the breeze that floated through the French doors on the other side of the room.

What had caught his attention?

Allen threw the sheets back and flew from the bed, running to the open French doors. He reached the stone railing on his balcony and stared out in confusion. A light, slightly faint in the distance, shone for a second longer, before it trailed back into the sky. He searched the ground, looking desperately for her, for anyone who had emerged from the bright light. He searched for a while before his eyes finally found someone stumbling around like a drunk, dazed person.

He gasped.

***

The dream. It was the same. Over and over, it played, every night for the past three years. Van Slanzar de Fanel grunted, turning onto his left side. He continued to dream the same dream:

He stared at the young girl to his left, a smile playing on his lips. She had always been able to do that; put a smile to his lips. She glanced over at him and returned his smile with a grin.

?Van, what do you plan on doing?now that Dornkirk?s dead??

His smile screwed up into a slight frown. ?I think I?m going to rebuild Fanelia.?

That answer must?ve pleased the young girl. She smiled faintly, nodding her approval. Van stared deeply into her sea-green eyes and noticed that they twinkled brightly. The girl tilted her head to the side, a look of concern on her soft, beautiful, and delicate face.

?Van? Is something the matter??

He shook his head, his black bangs falling in front of his shy reddish-brown eyes. Why should something be wrong? He lifted his hand slowly to reach for his bangs, his eyes still locked with hers. The girl reached over quickly, beating him to the task he had wished to perform. Her long fingers pushed aside the hair, and smoothed their soft, callus-free tips along his brow. He was slightly confused by the gesture. Her full, rose-colored lips were pulled by into a very soft smile. Slowly, so slowly, he took his hand and gently grabbed hers. He then entwined his fingers with hers and felt the shock. The girl looked down at their joined hands as he put them between one another. She had felt the shock also. She smiled shyly at him, not pulling away. Why would she want to?

?Van, what is it?? Her eyes searched his. ?You obviously have something on your mind. What is it that you want to tell me?? Her voice was soft, like her eyes.

Van continued to stare into her eyes. And leaned towards her. He paused. Should he go on? But her mouth was so tantalizingly close to his! Ah, hell. He continued for his destination, his eyes drooping. And brushed his lips against hers. He felt her lips react instantly, moving beneath his. He felt something inside; deep in the pit of his stomach and lower ignite. What was that? He felt her shift her body towards his. With his fingers wrapped together with hers, he wrapped his other arm around her and pulled her closer, feeling the heat from her body. He pulled away for a second, his eyes opening slightly, before he dove back in to taste some more of her. His lips parted and his tongue darted towards her lower lip that had managed to wedge itself between his lips. He began to stroke her lower lip slowly, begging her to open up some more.

The girl seemed a little hesitant. This was all new to her. Her lips slowly parted?but it all felt wonderful?and she felt his warm tongue touch hers gently, slightly recoiling from the new feelings, the new touches. She moaned softly, quietly into his mouth. And felt the grip he had on her shoulder with his arm tighten. Van didn?t want this moment to end; it meant so much to him. Obviously she did too. But what he really wondered was, what would it be like to take her completely? He slowly pulled away breathing heavily. He looked over at her and noticed her beautiful cheeks were flushed and her breathing slightly labored.

The girl looked at him, her eyes glazed, her face and body warm in many places. ?Van?what was t?? Van silenced her, laying a finger on her soft lips.

He only smiled at her, caressing her lips with the pad of his thumb as he now cupped her entire face. He continued to admire her beauty in the beams of the moonlight. She closed her eyes and slowly untangled her fingers from his. She pulled away slightly and laid her hands on top of her light brown skirt. He watched her with confusion, many thoughts crossing his mind at this gesture. Was she pushing him away from her? Did she not want to be with him? Did he do something? He pulled his hands from her face and ran them through his hair.

?Oh, God. Hitomi, I?m sorry. I didn?t mean?I have??

His voice left him. He raised his eyes and looked into hers. And he found an expression of fear and confusion in her beautiful eyes. Van jumped up and backed away slowly as soon as he felt and saw the bright light spurt out from beneath her. It engulfed her completely. She began to slowly rise off the ground and float in the air soundlessly. Van furrowed his dark brows. What was going on? Why was she leaving him? Why so soon? No! The girl shot out a hand, her fingers stretched, reaching for him. He stared up at her and found a look much more deeper then fear and confusion. His frown deepened and he shot his hand out. Their fingers touched, skimmed along one another. This wasn?t going to work! Van jumped up to grab her hand. And succeeded. He had to squint now as he looked into her eyes. The light had intensified for some odd reason.

He shook his head hard, feeling his heart hurt. ?I don?t want to go with you,? he shouted over the roar of the light that engulfed the both of them now. ?I want you here?with me.?

Tears entered her eyes and they turned into a bright emerald green. She shook her head slightly. Her mouth moved, as she began to shout for him, and Van found that he couldn?t hear anything. She was getting higher up. Their grasp was beginning to loosen. Her lips continued to move, her other hand reaching for him. Then it happened. The grasp that they had on one another was gone. She rose higher up into the air. Van shook his head hard and jumped up, reaching desperately for her outstretched hand. She was doubled over as far as she could go, her fingers wiggling back and forth. The tears that clouded her eyes slid freely down her cheeks and landed on Van?s right arm. Van crouched down to the ground and grunted, jumping up into the air. Their fingers slid along one another and then stuck for a moment as she doubled over a little more. He felt himself rising off the ground.

A snap clapped through the air, echoing on and on forever. Their hands fell away from each other as something hit their hands painfully. Van fell, landing on his back. The girl rose higher up into the air until she was a faint black dot in bright light. It had swallowed her up. The bright light slid up into the air, away from the ground, out from underneath Van. It disappeared completely.

Van sat up quickly and stared up into the star filled sky. No. No! He then jumped up, his eyes frantically searching the high skies for any sign of her. No?

He sank back down to the ground on his hands and knees. ?No, no, no, no! This isn?t happening?Why?? He shook his head, his eyes burning. ?Come back, Hitomi! Please?don?t leave me??

The tears now slid freely down his flushed cheeks and he yelled out in ache and frustration for the fact that destiny had treated him so cruelly. He also yelled out for the fact that the one who had captured his heart had taken half of it away with them. And they may never return. Van shook his head again, his lips quivering, his eyes burning, his chest aching, and drove his tightly clenched fist into the hard ground...

Van shot up in bed, his breath coming out in heavy gasps. His entire body was bathed in a heavy sweat. He looked around the room in a daze and let out a heavy breath that he hadn?t even realized he had been holding for so long. ?A dream?it was only a dream.?

Shoving his heavy sheets aside, he slid from the bed and padded barefoot to the balcony. Reaching the railing, he stared out at the Mystic Moon that hung on the north side of the large castle. An owl hooted in the distance and a wolf cried out to the moons. Down below, by the courtyard, he heard the shout of the guards changing positions. A smile touched his lips and he raked a hand through his disordered hair. He closed his eyes. And then opened them.

?Hitomi?so many feelings, yet so little time. I was young?pigheaded! Come back to me, Hitomi. I miss you,? Van whispered to the air, the stars around and above him.

He got no answer. But then again?he wasn?t expecting her to answer him.

He stopped expecting an answer from her three years ago.

[blackrose]

Okay, that was cruel. O_O Where's the rest?

Extremely well written, but you said it was going to be a lemon, and well...NO LEMON! **searches under the desk and under the rug...** WHERE IS IT??

**faints**

Please post the rest.

Love,
Rose

[Leia Avenrose]

Hiya, Rose!

Thanks for the praise 'bout my writing. It isn't that extremely well written--I need an editor and stuff. But, no lemons?! !!!

I would probably end up cutting out the lemon parts--just for this site. Hm.

Thanks again!

Zutto ai,
~L~

[blackrose]

WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE GOING TO CUT OUT THE LEMON?????

**faints dead away** But I WANT the lemon!!!!

And I thought it was very good. Sweet, and gah, poor Van! **sighs** He's being all sweet and romantic...I love that.

As for editor types, we have a betareading panel around here somewhere. You can email Sphinx...I think I have her email addy around here somewhere:

moonkistsphinx@hotmail.com

She can hook you up.

**goes back to sharpening pointy stick she uses to "motivate" authors with ^__~ **

Love,
Rose

[Leia Avenrose]

*chuckles* I'm sure EVERYONE wants lemon between Hitomi & sweet, painfully handsome Van, but...if you want it to be included--sure!

The lemon won't be cut out! Just for you. :razz:

I really hope you like the rest of it and stuff! Is that Sphinx person just a multi-chapter editor type of person, or are they just a one shot thing? [One chapter story]

Thankies!

Zutto ai,
~L~

[blackrose]

Here's the info on the betareading panel:

Betareader Panel

Sphinx is the high chamberlain and headmaster.... I think they'll do both one shots and multiparts, to my knowledge, anyway. Good luck! **runs off to read a LEMON**

What was that about incredibly handsome Van? **drools**

~Rose

[Jannbond]

Whoops. I somehow missed this! But that was all right. It gave me something more to read while I wait for the next part! (taps foot) ^_~

~Jen