The Vision of Escaflowne 2

Chapter 4

"Oh Hitomi, I've been so worried about you, I thought you were never going to wake up." He started to gently stroke her hair out of her eyes.

“Van?” She asked weakly.

“Yes its me, Hitomi,” He smiled at her.

Her hand flew up to her head in confusion. “I don’t understand, What’s going on? Where am I? Are you even real?”

He gently grabs onto her hand that’s resting on her head and brings it back down to its resting place at the side of her body.

“Shh, just relax Hitomi, relax and go back to sleep to rest, you need your rest.”

Having him say it out loud make Hitomi feel the tiredness even more. She was feeling a bit confused and disorientated, but indeed very tired.  Maybe the afterlife wasn’t so bad after all, especially some part of her imagination was able to bring her too.

*******************

Van had been watching her in relief.  The feeling of hope was so strong now within him.  She had woken up of her own accord earlier and he couldn’t have been happier. This was a very good sign.  She had seemed a bit confused earlier, and with the amount of blood loss she had suffered, she was sure to be very exhausted.  He quietly rose from his position on the side of the bed and let go of her hand before making his way out of the bed chamber. 

For the two days that Hitomi had been unconscious and he had stayed by her side in that time, he hadn’t gotten washed as he should have nor changed his attire of clothes and suddenly realising this, he stopped a passing maid to ask for a bath to be arranged for him in another room.

He made his way down the long hallway to Merles room.  The door to her room was slightly open and he peaked into the room.  He was a little surprised to find the young cat girl sitting by her open window in a state of prayer.  It pulled on his heart strings to know that she was also praying for Hitomi’s life.

“Merle.,”  He broke into the soft mumbles of the cat and surprised to her from him, her arms opened in exclamation as she turned her body around.

“Lord Van, Hitomi??” She began.

“She is fine Merle, she woke up a few minutes ago.” Van cut in.

Merle moved herself away from the window and closed the distance between the two of them in the room.  Her faced moved in expression of her obvious relief at his statement.

“That’s wonderful! How is she?” She asked.

Van looked at Merle fully now, giving her his full attention.  The cat girl looked as though she had also been in much distress.  It was funny how concerned Merle was now off Hitomi, when you consider how much distaste the young cat had for the girl at the beginning.  Maybe she knew that he loved Hitomi very much.

“Well she seemed a bit disorientated and very tired, I told her to rest more.  No doubt she will awaken in the next few hours and she will need some food and drink to help strengthen her.  Please have something light prepared for her.” He brushed his hand along her upper arm in reassurance to Merle who sighed.

“Of course. I will have something arranged, now I must go, I made promises to the Gods if they would save her.” She declared before making her way out of the room.

Van smiled, unsure what to think of what she just said.

*************

Washed and refreshed with clean clothes and having a hearty meal, Van felt much better.  Returning back to the room to see Hitomi, he found her in the same position as he left her in earlier, and thankfully there was a bit more colour to her cheeks.

Van returned to her side by the bed and waited.

**************

It was a few more hours before Hitomi began to stir.  She still felt so exhausted and her wrist hurt badly.  She groaned slightly and continued to awake from her sleep.

As her eyes slowly blinked open, the first thing she saw was his face.  He looked much more mature and older and had filled out much more than she remembered him to have been.  Yet his eyes were still the same dark brown.

“Am I dead?” She murmured.

“What? No! Your here, with me in Fanelia. I brought you hear Hitomi when I found you bleeding.”

Bleeding? Blood, a knife.  She looked to her arm and saw the thick white banages around her left wrist.

So it didn’t work after all.  And yet here she was.  In Fanelia. 

"They told me you weren't real.”  She glanced up at him.

“They said I had imagined you and Gaia." Her small hand freed itself out of his and made its way to his face and rested on his cheek as she slowly closed her eyes. His left hand instinctively put itself over hers.

"Oh Van, I missed you so much" A few tears seemed to slip down her cheeks. His right hand reached up and his thumb pad wiped them away.

"Shhh...it's okay...."

He smiled softly at her and she smiled back.

*********

"Hitomi!" The cat girl ran from the door onto the bed and began licking her face.

"Your awake!" She squealed.

Hitomi laughed gently.

"Yes Merle, it's good to see you too!  You’ve grown up so much.” Hitomi mused.

“And look at you!” Merle pulled a strand of Hitomi hair into the air. “You actually look like a girl!” Merle declared before dropping the strand and it fell back onto the pillow.

Merle leaned forward, closer to Hitomi.  If someone was no accustomed to Merle’s lack of personal boundaries then they might be a little uneasy, but Hitomi remembered the cat girl well.

"Oh Hitomi, Lord Van has missed you so much. Please stay," Merle whined at her.

Hitomi smiled weakly and glanced down to her lap.

“I don’t know Merle.” She said hesitantly.

Van’s small smile sank quickly.

“Hmm, well I’m going to get your food ready, I will be back shortly.”  Merle got up off the bed and left the room.  The sour note continued in the air of the room and silence filled the room as both Van and Hitomi were swept into thoughts of their own.