Disclaimer: I do not own Visions of Escaflowne. This is merely a creative work based on those characters and storyline. I do not own the song Eyes by Rogue Wave, either.

Going Home

Washing my hands of attachments, yeah,
Land on the ground,
One thing I'm missing is in your eyes,
Cause I find love in your eyes.

Excerpt from Eyes by Rogue Wave

She had been back for a while now. She stood on the track field, staring down the emptiness, trying not to let her sadness take her. She had graduated high school, and she was moving into a girls' dormitory in a couple of weeks. University awaited her, sponsored by a prestigious athletic scholarship. This was probably the last time that she would ever run on this track, and she felt terribly lonely.

She remembered when she had come back. Due to the time paradox of her first brief return, her family and friends had only missed her for a month even though she had been gone for nearly seven. She was grateful for that, extremely grateful. They had all quizzed her over and over about where she had been, but she had told them she couldn't remember anything. It was only Yukari who couldn't be fooled.

She had cornered Hitomi one day, cornered her and forced her to tell the truth. Yukari explained that she remembered Hitomi's disappearance quite clearly, and that Hitomi had wanted to go back. All of her cryptic words had pointed to it, but Yukari hadn't realized until Hitomi had floated away on that beam of light. Hitomi had grudgingly told her best friend the whole unbelievable story.

Up until that time, Hitomi had held the entire experience close to her heart. She wanted to keep it to herself and keep it special, but found that telling her best friend made it even better. She finally had somebody to talk to about everything, and perhaps that person didn't fully understand but Yukari believed her and supported her.

She stopped telling fortunes; she knew all too well the terrible power that lay within telling somebody their fate. She delighted in watching Yukari and Amano fumblingly explore their feelings for each other, even though it only made her think of him. Then finally, with Yukari's love and support, she had told her family the whole truth. Her mother had believed her and thrown her arms around her daughter, and for that Hitomi was eternally grateful. Her father had merely looked on in disbelief, and Mamuro had been strangely indifferent.

Hitomi had brushed it all off by telling them that it no longer mattered, because she was back and that was all there was to it. Her father had looked relieved, finally, and Hitomi had smiled for all of them.

But she wasn't smiling anymore. She looked down the track at the spot where she had met him. He wasn't a knight in shining armor, but he was an angel. He was her angel, and her one true love. King of a beautiful land and pilot of a mystical robot, he had saved her countless times. And she had saved him, and loved him, and left him. And now she was doomed by her own choice, miserable in a colorless world.

Hitomi thought back to the times she had been lucky enough to see him since. It was like there was a pair of gauze curtains hanging between them. Sometimes her side would lift, and she could see vague shapes and hear whispers from beyond, clues that she couldn't interpret about what his life was like now. And occasionally she was lucky and both sides of the curtain would part ways and she would see him clearly and watch him smile at her. Sometimes they could get in a few hurried words, but usually the curtain would simply fall again before either of them had a chance to say anything.

She didn't want to go to university. Maybe he wouldn't be able to see her anymore if he didn't know where she was. Perhaps she would never talk to him again. She felt a tear slip down her face, but left it unchecked. She looked once more at the spot where he had come for her, and felt her heart flutter. Perhaps if she wished hard enough, and ran like she had before, then just maybe there would be a miracle.

With that thought in mind she readied her feet on the blocks. She counted down in her head and heard the imaginary sound of the starter pistol, and took off. She concentrated on him, and the spot where she willed him to be, and ran like her life depended on it. She was almost there, and barely dared herself to hope…

That was when she fell. She stumbled awkwardly to the ground, tripped up on the shoelace that she had been too hasty to tie. Hitomi sat there, hating herself, and began to cry helplessly.

"What's wrong?" said a voice from her right. She darted her head in the direction and stared disbelieving for a moment. It was Van, he was here!

But he wasn't, not really. It was just another vision of him, and she couldn't even touch him because he was an entire planet away. He was crouched down near her, and his deep brown eyes were filled with concern. Her tears started fresh. "This is what's wrong," she answered, and darted her hand out. It passed right through him.

Van's eyes were pained. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he got a sound out he disappeared once more. Hitomi let out a noise of strangled rage and pounded her fist on the ground. It wasn't fair! Why couldn't she just be happy? She dragged herself from the track and sat on the bleachers nearby. She buried her face in her hands and cried, not caring who heard or who saw, just trying to alleviate the pain that was being completely cut off from she person she loved most.

She cried so loudly and for so long that she didn't hear the new set of footsteps running along the track. Nor would she have cared if she did, but a very important event was unfolding and she was missing it.

"Hitomi," said a voice again, this time from in front of her. She looked up, wiping her eyes quickly and sniffling a little. It was Van again. She sighed dejectedly and went towards him. Perhaps she could find some happiness in being able to see him twice in one day. He looked as real as he ever did when she saw him, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to touch him and her heart was broken from trying. He looked at her with pleading eyes. "Hitomi, why are you crying?"

"I want to go home!" she blurted without thinking.

He smiled gently. "But you are home."

She shook her head violently, her light brown hair flying around her face. "Yes, because I was young. I was scared, Van. I didn't want to stay without saying goodbye. And now I see where I truly belong." She started crying again, still hopelessly sad. "My home now is Gaea, but I'm stuck here."

"No you aren't," he said slowly, and she lifted her eyes to meet his. The expression on his face was completely unreadable. "Come back with me."

Hitomi's heart was pounding in her chest. "What are you talking about?" Van smiled, and reached out his hand. He rested his fingertips gently on her cheek, caressing her ever so gently that she wasn't sure if it was real or simply a light breeze.

"I came back for you, Hitomi." Her eyes widened in disbelief. He stepped closer, and suddenly she was enveloped in his arms. His warm, real arms. Hitomi froze instantly, completely confused as to what was going on. She couldn't make sense of it all; there was too much information for her brain to comprehend. He wanted her to come back with him; he was here, really and truly right in front of her, holding her close but not tightly.

She pulled back, out of the warm circle of his embrace, and stared at him. A hurt look crossed his face momentarily, but he hid it, or got over it, she wasn't sure which. Hitomi reached out and grabbed his hand, lifting it to her face. It was warm and real, proven because she was holding it. She pressed it suddenly against her cheek and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of it. He had calluses, but they felt nice against her smooth face. Her eyes opened slowly and met his once more, and once again his expression was foreign to her. But he was tinged a slight pink, and she smiled at him. She kissed his palm lightly before releasing it, and he reddened more.

"Okay," she finally said.

He took a moment to recover. "What?"

Her smile grew in brilliance as she replied, "Let's go home. Do I have time to tell my family?"

He returned her smile with the same happiness. "Of course you do." He pulled a chain out from under his shirt, and on the end of it was her pendant. "I used this, and I think I can do it again anytime. But let's go now, just to be safe."

She nodded happily, and began to lead him towards her house. She stopped only to grab her duffel bag and immediately reached into it to take out her cell phone. She dialed Yukari's number, and barely contained her laughter when Van watched curiously.

"Hello?" said the voice on the other end.

Hitomi began to tremble, not sure what to say. "Um, can you come to my house? Like right away? It's kind of important."

Hitomi had to give her friend credit, she didn't even hesitate. "Of course I can! I'll be there in about fifteen minutes. Should I get Amano too?" Hitomi chewed her lip anxiously for a moment, thinking about it before she gave an affirmative. Their conversation was over quickly, and she returned her phone to her bag. Van must have been ridiculously curious, but he said nothing.

They finished their walk in silence, until Hitomi stopped in front of her house. She stood there, not really sure of how to proceed. Van touched her elbow gently, prompting her to go inside. Her nerves were on fire, she felt queasy and her hands were shaking. She couldn't get her key to go into the lock on the door, and spent almost two full minutes trying before the door was pulled open from the inside. It was her mother.

Mrs. Kanzaki looked from her pale, shaky daughter to the dark, calm man beside her. She studied him for a moment, looked back at Hitomi, and then stepped back. She opened the door wide and smiled at them both. "Come in, please," she said gently. Hitomi looked very grateful, and nodded at Van. He held out his arm to let Hitomi enter first, and smiled at her mother as he followed. Mrs. Kanzaki took a deep breath as she closed the door again, knowing that today was the day she had both dreaded and hoped would come for nearly four years now.

She led her daughter and the quiet man into the living room and sat them next to each other on the couch. Hitomi looked like she was about to say something, but her mother stopped her. "Don't worry, dear. I'm going to get your father and your brother, and then you can say what you need to say."

"Yukari is coming too," Hitomi blurted out, and her mother smiled at her.

"Of course she is, dear," said her mother with a smile, and patted her head. "Now the two of you have some tea and I'm sure we will all be ready soon." She left the room without another word, and Hitomi leaned back into the sofa with a shaky sigh.

"It's like she knows," murmured Van.

Hitomi fiddled with her watch for a moment before saying, "She probably does. I told them everything a while after I got back and it's like she's been waiting for me to say I'm leaving again. Yukari and my mother are the only two that really tried to understand. I don't know how my father is going to take this…" her voice trailed off and she looked at Van, completely lost.

He smiled at her, trying to be reassuring, and covered her hand with his. He couldn't help but let his smile broaden a little when she blushed at his touch. He wanted nothing more to kiss her worries away, but there was a time and a place for that and this was not it. Right now she needed his support and not more confusing emotions.

Mrs. Kanzaki was back in a few moments, and smiled nervously. "Everybody's in the kitchen waiting. I thought that would be best, so you two could just say it once and not have to answer questions yet." Hitomi nodded gratefully, and Van helped her up from the couch. She looked pale, and scared, and he wondered if this was really what she wanted.

They stepped into the kitchen, and he saw her resolve strengthen. Her back straightened and she met everybody's eyes. A girl about Hitomi's age with long reddish-brown hair gasped at the sight of them. "Oh, Hitomi," she cried out, "is that him?"

Hitomi blushed wildly and Van was confused, but thought that somehow this was a good thing for him. She was saved from answering by her mother, who injected, "Perhaps we should just let them say what they came here to say."

"I'm leaving," Hitomi said suddenly. "I don't know if any of you really believed me or if you were all just humoring me, but I'm going back to Gaea. I- I'll try to come back and visit…" She trailed off and looked at Van, who nodded in agreement. "But I'm going to stay there," she finished suddenly.

There was a pregnant silence, and everyone stared at her.

"You are not taking my daughter away from me again," burst out her father suddenly, standing with a loud scrape of his chair.

Van was startled, and his hand immediately went for the sword that was normally at his hip. He was stopped by Hitomi, who laid a gentle hand on his arm and shook her head.

"This isn't his fault, dad," she said quietly. "I'm not happy here anymore. I only came back because I was worried about everybody missing me, and I missed you guys too, but it isn't the same anymore. I want to go back, I miss everybody there, and it's too hard now."

There was a tense silence in which Van wished for his sword, even though he would not use it. He hadn't brought it because he didn't want to scare anybody, but he had never realized how much he depended on it to feel safe. He met the eyes of Hitomi's father solemnly, trying not to look threatening. They stared each other down for countless seconds until finally Mr. Kanzaki sighed resignedly and returned to his seat. "You'll take care of her?" he asked quietly.

Van nodded. "I have always guarded her with my life."

"And she can come back to visit?"

He nodded once more. "As often as I can bring her."

Hitomi flew forward and hugged her father, and then her mother. Mrs. Kanzaki was wiping tears from her eyes, and when Hitomi pulled away from her she presented Hitomi's old duffel bag that she hadn't used since she returned to Earth. Hitomi looked confused. "What is this?"

"I- I packed a few things for you, a long time ago. I knew that you would need this one day, because you always looked so sad... There are some photos, a few things to remember us by, and some other things. Will you be happy?" she asked her daughter.

Hitomi nodded vigorously, tears beginning to brim in her eyes. "Yes, mom, I will be now."

"Good," Mrs. Kanzaki said with finality. "I love you darling, and my heart has been breaking watching you so sad. Young man," she said, commanding Van's attention. "You don't know what you hold in your hands here. You are both so young… Be careful."

Her words were cryptic, but Van nodded nonetheless.

Hitomi said goodbye to Yukari and Amano, wishing them luck and telling them that she believed that they would be truly happy together. Van overheard Yukari saying, "And so will you," and wondered at the relevance. She hugged her little brother, who was not so little anymore, and Van stepped forward to shake his hand. Mamuro looked up at him with awe in his eyes, and Van smiled at him.

He shook Mr. Kanzaki's hand, and Amano's hand, but when he moved towards Mrs. Kanzaki she threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "Love her like she loves you," whispered the older woman, and Van pulled away feeling shaken. Yukari hugged him as well, and he marveled at the love that this family shared. He wondered why Hitomi wanted to leave so badly, and hoped that it was really because she loved him.

"Van," said her tender voice. "We should go now." He turned to look at her, and nodded. She carried the duffel bag over her shoulder and managed to look happy and sad all at once, and it broke his heart. "We can leave in the backyard," she added quietly, and began to lead him through the house.

The family followed, and stood on the porch while Van and Hitomi walked to the centre of the grass. Van put his arms around her and pulled her gently towards him, and concentrated for a moment. His wings sprouted suddenly, and he heard the gasps of the people watching them. But he looked only at Hitomi, and she looked at him, and for a moment he felt like everything was right. He wished to go home, and the column of light fell from the sky without warning, enveloping them in its warm, electric embrace.

He flapped his wings, once, twice, and then a third time to get them started off the ground, and Hitomi suddenly twisted in his arms and began waving frantically at her family. But Van still had eyes only for her as they were whisked away. He was going home, and he was bringing his goddess with him.

Hitomi opened her eyes slowly, not sure if she wanted to see her surroundings yet. She concentrated on other senses first. She could hear rustling grass and the wind through the trees, without the background noise of cars and electricity. Gaea. She felt Van's body against her own, felt his shirtless torso rise and fall under her hands as he breathed. She felt the heat from his breath and the cool wind against the back of her neck, and the combination gave her chills. Finally, she could smell him. Van smelled like fresh grass on a summer day, and she nuzzled his neck softly in a subconscious attempt to inhale the smell deeper.

"Hitomi," he finally whispered. Her eyes whipped open and she craned her neck up to see his face. When had he gotten so much taller than her? "We're back."

She looked around, finally curious to see everything. It was still light out and looked as if it would be for a few hours. They were standing in a large field with the fringes of a forest beginning on their left. "Where are we?" she finally asked.

Van didn't even look around. "We're on the very borders of Fanelia. Well, the civilized part, anyway. The land all the way to the sea belongs to us, but we don't really do much to it." Hitomi nodded slowly. "It will probably take us until tomorrow afternoon to get back to the capitol. Do you mind sleeping outside tonight? If not we could fly back…" He didn't seem very eager for the second option, so Hitomi quickly declined.

"No Van, it's alright. Will you be warm enough?"

"Of course," he said with only a little arrogance.

Hitomi smiled easily. Despite everything there was still some of the boy she had met left inside of him. "Besides," she added, trying not to sound too eager, "it will give us some time to catch up before you have to go back to being a king." The corner of his mouth twitched into a slight grin before he began to lead the way.

They walked for a while in silence, and Hitomi studied him carefully. "You're a lot taller," she finally ventured.

Van didn't even look at her, but she could see the smile on his face. "You aren't. Your hair is longer, though."

Hitomi fingered her light brown strands delicately, smiling a little. It was just past her shoulders now, but she liked it still. "You smile a lot more," she practically whispered. He didn't answer for so long that she was afraid he hadn't heard her at all or thought she was rude.

"I'm no longer at war," he finally responded, but Hitomi thought he had wanted to say something else. For some reason she thought that she had offended him somehow, and didn't know what to say next. Fortunately, he seemed to recover quickly and asked, "Why do you want to stay here?"

Hitomi cringed. Why couldn't his bluntness and straightforwardness apply to when he wanted to say something? She picked her words carefully. "Well, I miss everybody, and I wasn't happy on Earth anymore."

"But how do you know that it won't be the same as- well just like the last time?" His voice sounded pained, and she looked up at him hoping to see a clue in his expression. He was looking away from her, studying something in the distance.

"I just know," she answered quietly. What was she supposed to do, confess that she loved him? She couldn't, not yet anyway. She was hoping that he felt the same but she wouldn't say anything until she knew how he felt. They were approaching the forest now, and Hitomi had to fall into step behind him in order to stay on the path.

Suddenly, Van stopped in front of her and she ran into his back. Before she even had a chance to try and apologize Van had spun around and grabbed her by the arms. Hitomi stepped back, startled, but she couldn't move far and found herself pinned against a tree. She could only look up at him, her green eyes huge with apprehension, and watch the confusing expressions and emotions cross Van's face. She recognized the look on his face, though. He was leaning down to her, and their faces were only a few inches apart. He looked recklessly intense, completely emotional, and she remembered why she loved him. He had always done something like this when he had something important to say to her; and he usually screwed it up and said something all wrong.

"No mistakes this time, okay?" he finally said, giving her a light shake. "I promise." She opened her mouth to ask him what exactly he was talking about, but he lifted a hand and put two fingers to her lips. "I won't mess it up this time, I swear Hitomi. But you can't leave me again, not ever, I can't live without you!" His voice hitched in his throat, and Hitomi could see tears forming at the corners of his eyes. Her own eyes began to tear up in response and she nodded wordlessly.

He pulled his fingers away from her mouth and lowered his face to hers by another inch. Hitomi turned her face; she had to say something before it went any further. "I- I lied about one thing, though." She looked back up at him and saw his questioning eyes before she continued. "I didn't come back because I missed everyone. I… I came back because I missed you, Van." She was blushing crazily, but she didn't care at this point. She met his eyes directly and ordered her body to convey the emotion she was about to express. "I love you."

Van didn't even hesitate. "I love you too, Hitomi." He pulled her forward into a crushing embrace, and Hitomi hugged him back just as tightly. Her heart was pounding; she could hardly believe her ears! He loved her, just like she loved him, and now everything would be okay. Suddenly, he was pulling away again and Hitomi looked up to protest, but his mouth was claiming hers and she couldn't speak. His lips were soft and warm, and they moved clumsily but earnestly over hers. She clutched desperately at his shoulders, feeling like she was drowning and unable to save herself. Their lips parted in unison, and their tongues met briefly. Hitomi immediately pulled away, gasping in shock.

"I'm sorry," Van said instantly. "I've just been waiting for so long…"

"It's okay," she answered, trying not to gasp for air too much. "I've just never done anything like- like that before." She felt her face get hot when she thought about it again. But Van only smiled down at her, and before she knew it he was laughing and she didn't think she'd ever heard him laugh before but it was wonderful.

Suddenly he stopped, and he was looking down on her as serious as ever. "I told you a lie as well, Hitomi. I didn't start smiling because I wasn't at war. I almost never smiled when you were gone, except when I got to see you. I didn't start smiling for real until I came to the Mystic Moon and you agreed to come back with me." Hitomi threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly. She could never get enough of his laughter, or his smiles, and she told him so. He kissed her again, but this time it was slower and sweeter, and he caressed her face and back and waist while he did it.

Hitomi responded in full force this time, and it was Van who pulled away first. Hitomi whimpered in disagreement, but stopped when she saw his face. But after a moment he smiled once again and took her hand, leading her down the path towards home.

Home, Hitomi thought happily, and squeezed his hand. He looked back at her and smiled, and she knew that everything would be okay. For the first time in a long time, everything was going right, and they were both going to do their best to keep it that way.

A/N: Yay! I hope you liked it and please leave a review!