FicWad

Escaflowne7



Oh man, less than a week until going back to college. So you can understand the next chapter won't come out until I'm settled, probably. But that'll only be like a week or so. So really, it'll be the same update speed I've been going at. . . so forget I said anything. ^_^ I hope you enjoy!

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Dream Desire: Chapter 7
Choices

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"It has been a long time, Hitomi," Folken said in greeting while closing the distance between them. He was looking at her with kind eyes, but she was slightly disturbed to find she could see through those eyes, and the rest of his body. The silvery light all around him reflected off the water and when Hitomi looked she saw Folken wasn't even standing in the water, he was floating just above it. With his black wings extended he truly looked like a guardian angel.

"Folken. . . why?" she asked in a broken voice. Why was she once again in Gaea? Why was Folken appearing in front of her? Why was she naked? Hitomi blushed as she remembered the answer to that particular question. She had finally been able to confess her love to Van. And then while they were lying in bed afterwards, he had given her the pendant. Hitomi reached to grasp the stone hanging between her breasts and Folken followed her movement.

"That is one reason why. The power to enact desires and dreams is the cause for this situation. But it is not the only thing to blame, for it could not work without the dreamers themselves," the angel said in his deep, soothing voice. Though the older man was looking directly at her unclothed body, Hitomi was too confused and distressed to think about it. She brought the pendant up to her face and stared at the stone.

"Dreamers?" she whispered. Of course the power wouldn't work unless it had a desire to be fulfilled, but Hitomi had had no access to the stone after leaving it in Gaea. Could it have reacted to her wish even though she was so far away?

"You were not the only one with a dream, Hitomi." Folken's voice seemed to echo oddly, and all at once Hitomi was besieged with visions of her friends.

There was Dryden and Millerna in a loving embrace at their second wedding, leaning in close to join lips in a kiss long waited for. When they broke apart the pair waved and smiled at the cheering crowd and all their closest friends. Making their way down the celebrated path and to the castle, Dryden and Millerna stopped before going inside the doors. As one they looked to the bright blue sky and to their friend that couldn't be at this happy occasion. Millerna whispered "Hitomi" and Dryden wore a sad smile.

There was Merle searching through some of her old belongings as she packed to move into the newly rebuilt castle in Fanelia. She found some old papers she had practiced drawing and writing on, sketches of birds and ships and a few of people, although they weren't that good. She was scrunching her face up at a horrible attempt to draw Van when she heard something crinkle between the sheafs of paper. She rifled through them until whatever it was fell out from the pile and floated lightly to the ground. She bent down to pick it up but her fingers froze in midair before making contact. It was the container for some of those strange snacks Hitomi had brought from her home. Merle lightly brushed it with her index finger, then carefully picked the bag up, smoothing it out and adding it immediately to her pile of things to take.

There was Allen sitting with his sister at a table, drinking tea and eating dinner together. After the meal they walked side by side through their private garden, sometimes talking and sometimes just enjoying their chance to be together, making up for the years lost. Allen paused in a clearing and stared at the darkening sky, the Mystic Moon just barely visible. Celena stopped beside him and watched her brother watching the moon. She tentatively rested her hand on his shoulder in quiet support, and he put his hand atop hers, giving a gentle squeeze. Allen turned away from the sky to smile down at Celena, and the two began to walk the garden once again.

There was Van, glorious Van, laying awake in his bed staring at the ceiling. His eyes were sad and his expression distraught. In his hand he tightly grasped what looked to be the chain of a bracelet or necklace. Van let his head flop over to the left so he could stare out the window. Looking out for a few moments, he sighed and turned so his whole body faced away from the window. He uncurled his hand and gazed longingly at the pendant Hitomi had left with him before she had returned to Earth. He brought the memento up to his lips and kissed it gently, then once again wrapped his fingers around the precious memory, eyes slowly falling shut.

The visions ended and Hitomi was brought back to the present with a sob catching in her throat and a few tears running down her face. She had not only seen her friends, she had felt their emotions as well. She felt their intense desire to see her once again and their sadness at her not being with them. She felt their love. Van's love. She stared up at Folken and he graced her with a small smile.

"So you see, it was not you alone that caused fate to work oddly again. But it would seem that only you can make things right again," Folken explained, the knelt down in front of her. "As the guardian of this place, and of fate's design, I am going to have to ask you to make a choice." He held his hand out and the pendant in Hitomi's hand pulled free to float lightly in the air between them.

"Things can stay like they are now with the five of them on Earth and missing from Gaea," he paused to let the choice sink in. "Or, I can return them to Gaea and erase them from your mind so an incident like this will not happen again."

"Erase. . . ?" she asked fearfully, begging Folken with her eyes to deny what she knew that meant. His eyes closed and he took in a deep breath. When he opened them Hitomi know she would not like what he was about to say.

"I am sorry, it is exactly as it sounds. Though you weren't the only one who wanted to have a reunion, it was the power in you that made it possible. If you do not remember Gaea and its residents then it will be much more difficult, if not impossible, for you and those on Gaea to interact. So if you want them to remain here on Gaea, your memories must be erased." When he was done speaking, Hitomi stared down at the water with wide, unfocused eyes and covered her face with one hand, the other sinking beneath the liquid to support her.

"What happens if I choose to keep them on Earth?" she asked, not looking at Folken. It didn't feel right to keep them on Earth and erase their memories, but if all of them had wished to be with Hitomi, then maybe it wouldn't be so bad. They had so much less responsibility on Earth, and there were no terrifying wars for them to fight in. Would it really be selfish and wrong to give them a happier life on Earth?

"I do not want to effect your decision, and I do want my brother to be happy, which he would be as long as he was by your side, but there is trouble on Gaea due to their disappearance. Dryden and Millerna's marriage united two kingdoms, but with them missing old arguments are falling back into place. With the captain of the World Knights gone even more conspiracies are floating around, and Allen can not dispel them or order who to protect. New Fanelia has just come into power, but it is helpless without Van to rule it and Merle to carry out his orders as his knight. New wars will start and more people will die.

"If they are returned to Gaea, most of the problems can be solved and life will go on peacefully until the next crisis. If they remain on Earth, Gaea will go through a time of horrors and war, but none of you will know of its existence so you will not be affected."

Would it be selfish and wrong to keep Van and the others away from their home as it destroyed itself? Would it be selfish and wrong to condemn millions of people just so she could be happy with her friends? Hitomi started to cry in angst, tears falling into the water beneath her and disappearing as though they were nothing. Neither choice was what she wanted, but Hitomi knew what the right choice had to be. She would never see them again, she couldn't. And she wouldn't even get a chance to say goodbye before her closest, most loved friends were erased from her memories. At least. . . at least she had gotten to be with Van for one night. At least she knew that beyond distance or time he loved her and she loved him. The tears slowed and eventually stopped. Hitomi stared at her reflection in the water and watched as her face hardened in resignation.

"I know what I have to do."

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Allen had picked up Dryden, Millerna, and Merle before speeding over to Van's. Van had kept the details light, but he had told Allen that two strangers had appeared and their story matched Hitomi's strange dream exactly. When he had anxiously told Allen Hitomi had disappeared, the blonde had woken up his house mate with the loud reaction. Hitomi was one of the closest people to him, so much like his sister and yet so much more. If he lost her like he'd lost Celena. . . It just wasn't a possibility. They would deal with whoever had appeared in Van's room and find where Hitomi had gone, he wouldn't fail again. He had phoned Millerna and told her there was something wrong and that he would be picking her up. Conveniently Merle was sleeping over with her so they only had to stop at one place. Both the girls and Dryden had wanted answers, but Allen had none to give, so the ride to Van's was filled with an ominous silence.

Though Allen thought he was prepared for anything in this new case, nothing could have prepared him for what he did find. Van had opened the door for them and silently led them to his bedroom. No one wanted to break the spell the silence cast upon the five, so they remained quiet. Even Merle was silent, though there were a million questions in her mind. Where was Hitomi? Why were they here so late at night? The door to Van's bedroom was opened and a shiny new question formed. Who were those strange people on Van's bed?

Allen was the first to come into sight of the strange pair and he wasn't ready for the woman to leap up and charge at him.

"Brother!" she yelled, and Allen froze. Celena wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. When he didn't respond, she pulled back and looked desperately into his eyes. "You remember me, right?" she asked, clutching his shoulders. "Please say you remember me."

He looked long and hard at this woman who had called him brother. Memories of his childhood returned, Celena and him playing in the backyard, pushing her on the swings, combing her hair. Hundreds more flashed through his mind as he gazed at the woman in front of him Her face and eyes were so familiar, and her platinum hair was just as he remembered. She had grown up, that was for sure, but she had to be. . .

"Celena?" he whispered faintly in disbelief. The others all stared in shock at Allen and his new found sister. Celena just nodded eagerly at Allen's recognition and smiled at her brother. "But how? Where?" he began asking then shook his head. His sister was finally home. He initiated the embrace this time and the siblings were finally reunited.

"You do remember! Thank goodness! Now we just have to find a way to get back to Gaea," she mentioned cheerfully, letting go of her brother and nodding to Gaddes.

"Gaea? Celena, what do you mean? Find a way back?" Allen asked, slowly backing away from Celena to look at her and Gaddes full on.

"Back to Gaea, brother. Back home."

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I love all the response I'm getting from this fic. Makes me want to do many many chapter fics, teehee. I think I finally know how this thing is going to end, so it should all get wrapped up pretty soon. Thanks for all the support to those of you who have reviewed! And hell, I'll thank the people who haven't reviewed too, because I know I usually don't review anything but I still read a lot of fics. So thank all of you! Yey!

Mako3