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invoking_uraniaTitle: Thinking of Home
Fandom: Vision of Escaflowne
Rating: G
Genre: Drama/Romance
Words: 950
Notes/Warnings: End of series spoilers. The fic premise might be slightly AU, as it gives Hitomi some time in Fanelia at the end of the series. Done as part of a collab with![[deviantart.com profile]](https://i.deviantart.net/icons/favicon.png)
khchick101 -- she provided a picture, and then I wrote the fic to go with it.
Summary: Even after the series, Hitomi can still have a bad day and need some comfort.
Disclaimer: Vision of Escaflowne copyright Shoji Kawamori and this derivative work was created without permission.
After the war, Millerna offered space in Palas for her, but Hitomi elected to return with Van and Merle to Fanelia. She felt safe with Van in a way she didn't with all the guards of Asturia. And, the halls of the palace reminded her of the troubles they'd had in the country. Fanelia had been attacked, too, but she hoped the rebuilding would make it feel less obvious.
She hadn't considered that Van, as king, would be at the heart of the effort. They might as well be in different worlds, she thought as she stared up at the Earth looking ghostly in the daytime sky. Van did try -- they ate breakfast and dinner together, alone or with Merle, every day -- but she could see the tired way Van moved. It was a happy, satisfied tired, the way she'd seen her teammates act after a meet, but it still meant that he was usually falling asleep into his meal.
Not that she was much better: the smell of fresh-cut lumber and sweat did nothing to mask the smoke and oil smell of the invasion. At least this time Hitomi knew her nightmares were just dreams of the past, rather than anything prophetic. At least her time on Gaea had given her that much knowledge, how to tell visions from dreams.
And it had given her friends. And Van.
She'd taken to helping out as well. Hitomi didn't know anything about carpentry or masonry, but she could fetch things. And, well, there was also feeding everyone and laundry and day to day chores. She had to admit that was relaxing, and she could see where Van's satisfaction was coming from. It helped. During the days.
Most days.
Today, nothing had gone right. Burned food, dropped plates, lost tools… after Merle had lost her balance on a wet floor and spilled dirty mop water on them both, they both had been told to quit for the morning and Hitomi had gone to find a quiet spot to change and rinse off She thought it has less to do with the string of accidents than the fact she looked like she was about to cry.
It was silly. She'd faced down a worldwide war, and the loss of friends, and a thing like being doused by mop water and a horrible morning was making her feel like she couldn't do anything right.
She'd toweled off and dressed again, thankful she'd been wearing her track clothing to help and still had a clean school uniform. On her way back to the kitchens, still a collection of tents, shanties and whatever ruins could be repurposed like most of the city, she saw a flash of red out of the corner of her eye. Van.
He wasn't working at anything, just staring at the grove of trees that had been behind Fanelia's castle, leaning on a bit of rubble that had been half-cleared yesterday. They were singed, and the outermost ones had been blackened, but Hitomi could see new growth. She knew Van had left Escaflowne there until he figured out what he was going to do with it.
"Van?" she said. "Can I talk to you?"
He turned around, and smiled at her, and Hitomi could feel her heart lift seeing him looking at her like that. "Was someone looking for me?"
Hitomi shook her head. "No, it's not that. Just… we don't get to talk much. Things are so busy." It sounded silly now that she said it out loud. They had so many important things to do; Van was king here after all. She was surprised he'd even found some time to be alone. And she did try to talk to Merle and the other people working in the kitchens. But it wasn't the same.
"I know. Some days I wish I could just… I don't know, just go get an airship in Asturia and go flying until no one had ever heard of Zaibach or Fanelia," Van said taking one last look at the horizon, before turning to Hitomi. "Does that make me a bad king?"
Hitomi shook her head. "I don't think so; you haven't actually left."
"You and Merle would drag me back by the ears for leaving you in this mess," Van grinned, and Hitomi had to smile too, at the mental image of her and Merle versus Van.
"And you'd deserve it, leaving us with the work."
Van nodded, then sobered up. "Every new bit of construction reminds me of how we lost the old city. It just doesn't look like home."
Hitomi nodded, her eyes again drawn to the blue and white orb floating in the sky, the moon circling it like a little brother.
"Thinking of your home?" Van asked.
Hitomi nodded. "A bit. Not that I don't-"
"It's home; you don't need an excuse to think about it," Van said. "I'd like to see more of the Mystic Moon someday. You saw some of Fanelia, but mostly I saw was your arena."
"Track," Hitomi corrected.
"Track, then. I'd like to see where you grew up."
Hitomi felt her face redden. That felt serious, even if she'd had plenty of people over her house. Van wasn't just any person, after all. "I'd like to show it to you."
"Maybe someday."
"Someday."
Fandom: Vision of Escaflowne
Rating: G
Genre: Drama/Romance
Words: 950
Notes/Warnings: End of series spoilers. The fic premise might be slightly AU, as it gives Hitomi some time in Fanelia at the end of the series. Done as part of a collab with
khchick101 -- she provided a picture, and then I wrote the fic to go with it. Summary: Even after the series, Hitomi can still have a bad day and need some comfort.
Disclaimer: Vision of Escaflowne copyright Shoji Kawamori and this derivative work was created without permission.
After the war, Millerna offered space in Palas for her, but Hitomi elected to return with Van and Merle to Fanelia. She felt safe with Van in a way she didn't with all the guards of Asturia. And, the halls of the palace reminded her of the troubles they'd had in the country. Fanelia had been attacked, too, but she hoped the rebuilding would make it feel less obvious.
She hadn't considered that Van, as king, would be at the heart of the effort. They might as well be in different worlds, she thought as she stared up at the Earth looking ghostly in the daytime sky. Van did try -- they ate breakfast and dinner together, alone or with Merle, every day -- but she could see the tired way Van moved. It was a happy, satisfied tired, the way she'd seen her teammates act after a meet, but it still meant that he was usually falling asleep into his meal.
Not that she was much better: the smell of fresh-cut lumber and sweat did nothing to mask the smoke and oil smell of the invasion. At least this time Hitomi knew her nightmares were just dreams of the past, rather than anything prophetic. At least her time on Gaea had given her that much knowledge, how to tell visions from dreams.
And it had given her friends. And Van.
She'd taken to helping out as well. Hitomi didn't know anything about carpentry or masonry, but she could fetch things. And, well, there was also feeding everyone and laundry and day to day chores. She had to admit that was relaxing, and she could see where Van's satisfaction was coming from. It helped. During the days.
Most days.
Today, nothing had gone right. Burned food, dropped plates, lost tools… after Merle had lost her balance on a wet floor and spilled dirty mop water on them both, they both had been told to quit for the morning and Hitomi had gone to find a quiet spot to change and rinse off She thought it has less to do with the string of accidents than the fact she looked like she was about to cry.
It was silly. She'd faced down a worldwide war, and the loss of friends, and a thing like being doused by mop water and a horrible morning was making her feel like she couldn't do anything right.
She'd toweled off and dressed again, thankful she'd been wearing her track clothing to help and still had a clean school uniform. On her way back to the kitchens, still a collection of tents, shanties and whatever ruins could be repurposed like most of the city, she saw a flash of red out of the corner of her eye. Van.
He wasn't working at anything, just staring at the grove of trees that had been behind Fanelia's castle, leaning on a bit of rubble that had been half-cleared yesterday. They were singed, and the outermost ones had been blackened, but Hitomi could see new growth. She knew Van had left Escaflowne there until he figured out what he was going to do with it.
"Van?" she said. "Can I talk to you?"
He turned around, and smiled at her, and Hitomi could feel her heart lift seeing him looking at her like that. "Was someone looking for me?"
Hitomi shook her head. "No, it's not that. Just… we don't get to talk much. Things are so busy." It sounded silly now that she said it out loud. They had so many important things to do; Van was king here after all. She was surprised he'd even found some time to be alone. And she did try to talk to Merle and the other people working in the kitchens. But it wasn't the same.
"I know. Some days I wish I could just… I don't know, just go get an airship in Asturia and go flying until no one had ever heard of Zaibach or Fanelia," Van said taking one last look at the horizon, before turning to Hitomi. "Does that make me a bad king?"
Hitomi shook her head. "I don't think so; you haven't actually left."
"You and Merle would drag me back by the ears for leaving you in this mess," Van grinned, and Hitomi had to smile too, at the mental image of her and Merle versus Van.
"And you'd deserve it, leaving us with the work."
Van nodded, then sobered up. "Every new bit of construction reminds me of how we lost the old city. It just doesn't look like home."
Hitomi nodded, her eyes again drawn to the blue and white orb floating in the sky, the moon circling it like a little brother.
"Thinking of your home?" Van asked.
Hitomi nodded. "A bit. Not that I don't-"
"It's home; you don't need an excuse to think about it," Van said. "I'd like to see more of the Mystic Moon someday. You saw some of Fanelia, but mostly I saw was your arena."
"Track," Hitomi corrected.
"Track, then. I'd like to see where you grew up."
Hitomi felt her face redden. That felt serious, even if she'd had plenty of people over her house. Van wasn't just any person, after all. "I'd like to show it to you."
"Maybe someday."
"Someday."