Yubiwa Chapter 8: Verse 8: The Future That Blooms, an escaflowne fanfic

Yubiwa

Verse 8: The Future That Blooms In Tomorrow

...

Let's promise each other

That we'll hold on to the intensity we felt

That day,

And live the future that blooms

In tomorrow.

...

It was a dream. It had to be a dream.

Van looked down at the sleeping woman in his arms, his eyes trailing over her mussed hair and her parted lips as she breathed in the morning air. His head was beautifully clear and empty, harbouring no sign of the demonic voice in his head that baited him so intensely. All of his thoughts were his own now, which meant his arousal was indefinitely because of him, and not his demons.

Hitomi's eyes fluttered open, and she was met with Van's kind smile in the morning sun. Her heart stopped for a split second when she saw the radiance of his aura, flushing pink after realizing that her dream actually wasn't a dream. Van seemed to pick up on her thoughts, grinning roguishly and shifting closer, his hand grazing her thigh while his lips brushed over her neck.

"G-good morning." She greeted with a caught breath, arching her neck to allow him more skin to explore. His teeth nipped at her skin, suckling with ardour as she moaned softly in appreciation. A little red mark was left there as he backed away, and Van couldn't help the burst of pride when he saw Hitomi's green eyes gazing at him through half-closed lids.

"Best morning." Van corrected, cupping her face in his hands and leaving her breathless with several of his passionate kisses. "I love you Hitomi." He murmured against her pliant pink lips, his hand trailing between her legs to stroke her petals. She whimpered slightly, body tensing when he showed no sign of stopping, and even slipping his centre finger into her sensitive core.

"Van… Van I love—" her sentence was cut off when Van bent down, smothering the rest of her sentence with another set of hot kisses. She tried to back away to finish her sentence, but every time his lips would rain down on her again, and she would be left breathless when he finally parted from her.

He thrust his finger into her womanhood, adding another and another until he could feel her body shuddering with the culmination of her peak. Now, with her limbs heavy and her nerves hypersensitive, Van turned her on her front and mounted her, spreading her legs to settle between them. He slid his length along her, grinning when her juices slicked his manhood.

"Van…!" Hitomi gasped, her mouth now free of his lips when Van slowly eased into her. He groaned at the feeling of her vaginal muscles clenching around him, and she whimpered when his arousal spread her apart. With his chest brushing against her smooth back and his calloused hands gripping her hips, Van didn't bother to start slow. The tempo was fast and hard, unmerciful in force and speed. He unlatched one of his hands from her hips and wedged it between her stomach and the bed, searching around to flick at her clit. Her moans grew into shouts, and Hitomi could see nothing else but stars when her orgasm came, wracking her body with violent ripples.

Van panted harshly, groaning when her vaginal muscles squeezed him, and thrust into her a few more times before emptying himself with a grunt. It was difficult, but Van managed to support himself on his elbows to avoid crushing her with his weight, his harsh breaths whooshing against her ear.

"I know, Hitomi." He said, still trying to regain breath. "I know."

...

"Van, where are we going?" Hitomi asked, led up the stairs leading to the roof by Van's gentle, guiding hand. Her memories of this place bordered on exhausted and ecstatic. Exhausted because this was where Van dragged her infuriatingly quickly up to the roof, and ecstatic because this was where they had truly begun to fall into the ease of fast friends, and something more.

"You'll see." He said, grinning sweetly as the door to the rooftop came into view. He pushed it open, his hand still grasped in hers as he led her to the edges. Once again, Hitomi looked down to see the Fanelian people going about their daily lives, the sound of adults bartering and children playing rampant in her ears. For a second, she was lost in nostalgia until she remembered one particular incident and her neck snapped sharply towards Van.

"You aren't going to throw me, are you?" She asked suspiciously, inching away from the edge of the roof. Van looked taken back for a second before he threw his head back, obsidian hair ruffling messily in the breeze as he laughed. Hitomi was star struck for a moment, listening to his genuine laugh and the sparkle in his eyes when he finally looked back down to gaze at her in amusement.

"Do you trust me?" He asked, drawing a black ribbon out of his pocket and stepping forward to be closer to her. The seer watched the ribbon sway gently in the breeze, and then her peridot eyes flickered up to rest on Van's gentle, loving smile. The decision was almost too easy to make.

With an easy smile, Hitomi stepped closer to him, not touching but standing close enough to feel the heat of his body smother her in its warmth. She surrendered to the feeling of his rough hands sliding through her hair, the cool silk of the ribbon resting firmly, but gently, on her closed eyelids. She felt the little bump at the back of her neck that indicated where the knot was, before her attentions were directed to Van's arms hooking under her knees. He hefted her up almost too easily, but she ignored it in favour of wrapping her arms around his neck and snuggling into him.

Van smiled widely as she did so, not stopping the bursting of his heart when it overflowed with happiness. It still all seemed like a dream, but he was incredibly sure that there was no way a dream could ever feel this real. On the off chance it was a dream, he hoped to stay asleep for the rest of his life.

Breaking from his thoughts, Van let his wings unfurl from his shoulder blades, taking off into the day sky. Hitomi felt the elevation in their positions, and horrifically remembered the tainted black that littered a few of his feathers. She unwound one of her hands from Van's neck to try to pry off her blindfold, intent on getting a close look at the damage herself. The king saw what she was doing, and abruptly stopped his flight in midair to try to get her to put the blindfold back down.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Hitomi!" Van exclaimed, jostling her when he stopped so suddenly. "I didn't think I'd have to say it, but peeking isn't allowed." There was just a tinge of amusement to his voice, but Hitomi would have none of it. Her hand had missed its target when she was jostled, but she tried again to latch onto the ribbon. And she was definitely upset that Van apparently cared nothing for the black of his wings.

"Van, you shouldn't be flying!" She admonished him, getting close to her target. Van shifted his arm, reaching with his hand to grab the knot at the back of her head and pulling it tight so she couldn't rip the ribbon off. "Van!! We can't let your wings become fully black like… like…" her voice cut off, as she couldn't continue and say the name that was almost a forbidden subject between the two of them. Van didn't have any particular reaction to that except to smile and chuckle at her.

"Hitomi, I'm fine. My feathers aren't black anymore." He told her, and her lower lip dropped slightly in confusion. The king could hear the questions even before she said another word, and continued on to clear things up before she went into full panic mode. "I was dying very slowly, but now I'm cured. You cured me, Hitomi, because you decided to stay with me. That's all I needed; that's all I've ever needed."

Little trickles of tears built up in her eyes, but Hitomi quickly stomped them down. After hearing that, Hitomi wondered how she could have been so torn about choosing between Gaea and Earth. How could she have ever doubted him in the first place? They were so irrevocably in love with each other; how could she not have seen that earlier?

"Never say never." She mumbled against his neck, smiling slightly. Van was puzzled as he turned to look down at her, repositioning his arm when he realized Hitomi was content to keep the blindfold on and not ruin his surprise.

"But… I never said never." He replied, even more puzzled when Hitomi began to laugh. After she remarked, "don't worry about it Van", the king went back to flying through the skies, the wind soaring past them and through their hair, tickling their bare skin. It felt like the flight was too short, because Hitomi soon found herself lowered to the floor, something fluttering the skin past her shoes.

"Can I open my eyes now?" She asked, giddy with excitement. Van chuckled, and Hitomi knew that he was standing very close to her, as his body heat smothering her was any indication.

"Yes." He whispered against her ear, and she reached up to push the blindfold off, gazing in wonder at the clear fields all around her, tips of grass tickling her ankles. When she looked up, she could see the faint outline of the Mystic Moons in the sky, and somehow it all seemed very familiar to her. It only increased in that strange nostalgia when she decided to spin round and round, taking in everything was a star stuck gaze.

"Is this…" she murmured to herself, but Van could hear her clearly as he followed her with a gentle, encouraging expression. "Isn't this the place we landed when I first came to Gaea?" Her head whirled around to look at Van's triumphant smile, and Hitomi couldn't help her lips curving into one as well.

"Yes, it is." He replied, stepping so close to her she could feel his warmth again. "Do you know why I brought you here?" Van asked her, and Hitomi shrugged.

"Sentimentality?" Hitomi guessed. "Nostalgia? Reminiscence?"

Van chuckled. "All of those things." He told her. "And… one more."

Hitomi knew that the culture of Gaean countries and Earth countries were undoubtedly different, but the thought of it had never really impacted her quite as much before as it did now.

"Hitomi," Van whispered softly to her, his bare hands gently holding her delicately smaller ones, "be my queen. Marry me."

...

The halls were merry with excitement as she breezed through them, narrowly avoiding servants rushing by, their arms laden down with bundles of linens or plates and silverware. Despite the harried looks of their face as they rushed from one side of the palace to the other, there was a spark of happiness and enthusiasm that resided in their eyes. But Ophelia supposed that was to be expected, since the king himself was finally getting married.

With a light smile playing at her lips, the stewardess rounded the corner to stand in front of a pair of large doors. Behind it would be the bride herself, prepping for the ceremonies that would take place a little later in the day. With her would be the Lady Merle and Queen Millerna, acting as moral support. Ophelia had come to understand that every woman had what was called "pre-wedding jitters". Stifling back a smile, she cracked the door open to peer inside.

...

"I look beautiful." Hitomi said to herself in front of the full-length mirror, smile wide. "Absolutely stunning. Undoubtedly incredible." She continued, an imperceptible twitch appearing at the corner of her right eye. "I am totally going to knock their socks off." Behind her, Merle and Millerna exchanged puzzled glances at the earthen phrase, but looked worried for their friend despite their feelings for the creepy smile on Hitomi's face.

"Hitomi…" Millerna started, only for the other woman to suddenly whirl on her, eyes aflame and smile wider, twitching very obviously now.

"I'm fine!" She stated with a shrilly voice. "Nothing to worry about! I'm totally calm and cool and collected, and completely happy with everyone at my wedding!" she continued on, the shrillness of her voice not leaving as she whirled around again to stare at her reflection.

"That's what they all say." Merle muttered under her breath, hissing quietly when Millerna elbowed her in the ribs. "I mean, of course you are Hitomi. You're going to become the queen of Fanelia; you should be totally happy right now." And that only seemed to make things worse as Hitomi tittered on, her voice remaining annoyingly sharp. Millerna glared at the cat woman this time, as if to say, "nice going".

"Hitomi," Millerna began, standing up to walk over to the bride and lay a comforting hand on her quivering shoulder, "are you sure you're alright? You know that it's perfectly okay to be nervous." She consoled, thinking back to her own wedding with a nostalgic smile. She was an absolute train wreck back then, if she remembered correctly.

Hitomi looked nervously at herself in the mirror, wondering why she had been so stubborn about keeping her hair short. If she had grown it, there would've been a million different ways to style it for her wedding, instead of just gathering what strands she could and pinning it at the back of her head. If she had Ophelia's long hair…

The seer blinked twice, shaking her head slightly to stop herself from going there. That was exactly what she was trying to avoid thinking about right now. But Millerna seemed to see that split second when her barriers cracked, continuing to prod.

"Hitomi? Is that it? Are you nervous?" She asked, almost grasping at straws while Merle lounged on the daybed behind the two of them, spotting Ophelia peeking in through the doorway but choosing not to say anything. She just turned her attention back to Hitomi and Millerna, watching the former with her sharp lilac eyes.

"A little, yes." The seer admitted, turning away from her reflection with a grimace and sitting down on a vacant daybed, rearranging her skirts so they wouldn't be uncomfortable. Millerna helped her, hands gloved in white silk and rejoicing in her slight victory. Acceptance was always the first step.

"You have nothing to be concerned about." Millerna admonished the bride lightly, smiling to herself. "Van loves you, and you love him. Fanelia adores you, and Gaea worships you. Your marriage is a blessing to us all. You know that, right?" Hitomi nodded again, lips pursed as her head dropped to shadow her peridot eyes. "Hitomi? Is there something else bothering you?" Millerna asked, sighing when the bride stiffened.

"Of course not. Nothing could ever bother me today; how could it?" Hitomi exclaimed, her voice shrilly again as her head snapped up and she hurried to the mirror to gaze at her reflection again. "My dress is absolutely heavenly. Just look at it! The white is so white I swear the maids dropped it in a vat of extra-strong bleach and let it soak for three whole years!" Once again, Merle and Millerna exchanged puzzled glances at the earthen phrase. But Hitomi didn't notice, continuing on with an even higher voice, remarking on the loveliness of her dress and how nothing was bothering her, and everything was wonderful, and—

"Okay, that's it." Merle growled, jumped off the daybed to stalk over to Hitomi, grabbing her shoulder and yanking her sideways so they were face-to-face. "Snap out of it!" The cat woman hissed, striking the bride's cheek with the palm of her hand. Millerna gasped, and Hitomi stared at the ground beside her, eyes wide with shock before lifting her head to meet Merle's glare.

"Merle…" She whispered softly, just as the cat woman went off on an angry tirade.

"What is wrong with you today? You should be bouncing off the walls, and fussing over every little thing, paranoid that everything has to look perfect, most especially yourself. But you're just saying that everything's already perfect, even though I can see clearly that it isn't!" Merle hissed, her tail puffing up splendidly under her dress. But she calmed down quickly, searching Hitomi's eyes with a slight frown. "There's a reason we're here, Hitomi. And it isn't just to make sure you look like a goddess."

"Which you do." Millerna butt in, smiling at the bride. It took a few seconds, but soon enough the young woman began to cry, covering her mouth with her hands and crumpling into tears on the floor. Quickly, the cat woman and the Asturian queen knelt down with her, rubbing her shoulders in comfort and waiting for her hiccups to die.

"I feel like I'm second best." She said finally after the tears stopped and her voice was relatively steady. "She's so much more beautiful than I am. How could I ever compare?" Hitomi asked. And immediately, Merle and Millerna knew of who she spoke. Merle knew that the source of Hitomi's misery was listening just outside the door, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Van loves you Hitomi. I thought we already cleared that up." The cat woman said, slightly annoyed that they still hadn't gotten past this obstacle yet. But the seer was relentless, turning her head away at Merle's accusation.

"I know that, Merle." Hitomi said, playing with her fingers that almost disappeared beneath the multiple folds of her dress. "But I can't… I can't stop myself from thinking it. I can't stop remembering how she was Van's first woman and not… and not me."

...

Ophelia backed away from the door, as if someone had just pointed a spear at her from the inside of the room, the blade shining menacingly in the light. Her fists were clenched together so tightly in front of her dress, her entire body trembling with some unidentified emotion. Turning sharply away from the door, Ophelia walked along the rest of the hall until disappearing around the corner.

...

The marriage ceremony consisted of a trek up to the gravesites of the deceased Fanelian royal families and pledging eternal loyalty to the country of Fanelia, Escaflowne, and each other. Once their vows had been made, a priest instructed Van to shed his shirt, dipping his fingers into some blue paint before drawing two diamond shapes onto his forearm, one larger than the other. That was to represent his complete and total faith and loyalty to a single woman.

Next, the priest turned to Hitomi and simply bowed reverently after washing his hands of the blue paint. When she asked him why he was not going to do the same to her as he did to Van, the old man smiled kindly and bowed again. "Wing Goddess, we abhor the idea of permanently besmirching your body with the paint of our planet. Please understand." And then he backed away, heading back to his temple to continue his duties.

Van laughed when Hitomi pouted, and calmed her by taking her into his arms, smiling lovingly at her. Her lips turned up into a smile, and she snuggled into him, letting him lead her to the edge of the cliff where she could see Fanelia clustered between the walls of mountains. Van turned her head to look up at him, leaning down to kiss her and finally (finally) seal the deal.

"Van…" Hitomi murmured, too enthralled by the adoration in Van's crimson eyes to notice their guests smiling knowingly at each other and escaping back to the palace. Van just sent her another dazzling smile, taking her fully into his arms to lay another deep kiss to her lips.

"Fanelia is ours now, Hitomi." He told her against her lips, his hands sliding down to rest at her hips. She only recognized the devious smile that burst across face until it was much too late. "So let's go pay it a visit."

Screaming with wild abandon, Hitomi was launched into the air, suspended in the middle of the blinding rays of the sun before falling down, feeling her dress swish violently against her. Van laughed merrily, watching her fall before letting his wings burst from his shoulder blades, taking off into the sky and swooping down to catch her in his arms. He did it relatively simply, even though her voluminous skirts had to have gotten in the way.

Hitomi sighed in relief when she felt Van's strong arms encircle her body, turning her head up to glare at him.

"I swear that if I didn't love you so much…"

Down below, in the city of Fanelia, the people looked up to the sky when a booming laugh reverberated all through the land.

...

"Miss Clara Loven, daughter of Mister Cuno Loven and Missus Agnete Loven."

Hitomi's eyes lit up when she saw a familiar little girl hesitantly inch her way to the Fanelian King and Queen seated regally at their thrones. Clara, the girl that she had met so long ago in the marketplace, held out a fluffy brown teddy bear whose neck was tied with a blue ribbon.

"To the new Queen of Fanelia, I offer my bestest friend, Fernsworth." Clara said, loudly, but with a little shiver in her voice. Her head dropped remorsefully as she continued to say, "I'm sorry that you gots hurt because of him." Hitomi couldn't help the guilty feeling blooming in her chest, wondering why that sweet little girl could ever think that she was the cause of the scar at the back of Hitomi's thigh.

An attendant started forward to retrieve the teddy bear from Clara, but Hitomi quickly stood up and shouted, "Wait!" Startled, everyone's heads snapped to the seer, who was flushing faintly at the attention but smiling softly at the little girl. She stepped away from her throne, lifting her bridal skirts to walk down to Clara and kneel beside her, a twinkle in her peridot green eyes. Taking the bear in her hands, Hitomi observed it for a second, seeming like she was scrutinizing it, before pushing it gently back into Clara's arms.

"It'll be our little secret, okay?" She whispered, winking at Clara. A bright smile spread over her face, and she nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay!"

Hitomi straightened up, waving goodbye as Clara ran back into the crowd, reuniting with her parents. As the new Fanelian queen made her way back up to her throne, she caught Van's eyes and smiled at him, taking his offered hand in hers and sitting down, letting their entwined fingers stay like that for the rest of the gift-giving ceremony.

Millerna and Dryden were next to come up; their own faces all smiles as they bowed shortly to the King and Queen of Fanelia. The announcer behind them droned on about their titles, but the two couples only had eyes for each other.

"To the new Queen of Fanelia," Millerna started.

"And to the old King of Fanelia," Dryden continued, cracking a smile when Van sent him a withered glare. "We offer the title of godparents,"

"To the unborn child that rests in my womb." Millerna finished it, smiling softly at the gasps and excited cheers resounding through the hall. Hitomi bolted up, caring not for etiquette as she raced down the stairs and hugged Millerna, laughing happily. Dryden left the two women to gush, walking up the stairs to greet Van and shake his hand.

"Congratulations, Dryden." Van said. The King of Asturia smirked.

"Likewise, Van."

...

"And so concludes the gift-giving ceremony—" The announced began, only to be cut off when a yell echoed through the large throne room.

"Stop!"

Murmurs ceased, the hall deadly silent as one person emerged from the crowd, a determined glint in her eyes and a sweet smile on her face. Her hair was long and brown, looking limp and dead to the touch. The jade of her eyes were dull, any brightness to them having fled long ago. Her skin was deathly pale, almost translucent in appearance as she presented herself to Hitomi and Van Fanel.

"Ophelia…" Hitomi whispered quietly, her fingers tightening on Van's own. The announcer appeared flustered, stepping forward to ask her name and her station, but Ophelia did not respond to him and Van merely waved him away.

"I bear no physical gift to the new Queen of Fanelia, nor to the old King of Fanelia." Ophelia said, her voice weak but echoing through the room. "But what I am prepared to give to you both is a sound mind, and a complete soul." Confused, Van and Hitomi looked at each other, before back at Ophelia who was smiling kindly at them both.

"Ophelia, I don't understand—" Van started, only to be cut off by his stewardess.

"I am dying, Van." She told him, no one missing on the informality she spoke to him with. "Not of any external or internal illness or injury, but because the reason for my existence is no longer needed." Her eyes slipped closed, and she continued on. "I was not born in the way of which everyone in this room was born, or will be. I was created."

"Created?" Van whispered, and Hitomi turned her head sharply to look at him, seeing his face going pale as he listened to Ophelia. His hand was gripping her incredibly tightly, but she could not feel the pain because of the shock that was freezing every cell in her body.

"By your thoughts, Van." She said, looking at him directly as she spoke. "By the longing and the desire you had to be with Lady Hitomi again. You went so far as to create an image in your mind of her a decade later. Not just her physical appearance, but her as your queen. As your wife. As a woman of equal age." Here, she smiled bitterly. "And you ended up with me."

"How?" Everyone turned their heads to look at Merle, whose eyes were wide with disbelief and denial. Her body was visibly shaking, and it seemed like she would start clawing out one of the tapestries on the wall if she didn't get answers soon. "How?!" Ophelia just kept smiling that kind smile of hers, ever calm and peaceful.

"Van is a descendant of the Atlanteans. And the Atlanteans have the power to turn thought—"

"—into energy." Hitomi breathed softly, finishing the other woman's explanation. Ophelia turned back to look at the seer, smiling and nodding.

"Exactly."

"The pendant…" Van spoke up beside Hitomi, his free hand coming to rest on his chest where the pink pendant would be hanging if he had it on. "The pendant is supposed to act as a channel for the draconian thoughts to be transferred into energy. But… I don't have enough power to create a physical manifestation of my thoughts!" He argued, slamming his free hand on the armrest of his throne and standing up.

"But the drag energist does." Ophelia said, watching with satisfaction as the recognition dawned on their eyes. "It acted as the power supply, linking itself to the pendant which then created me in flesh and blood." Here, her smiled began to wane. "But then Lady Hitomi went back to the Mystic Moon, and the connection was severed."

"But I brought it back!" Hitomi spoke up, standing up as well. Despite her initial dislike for Ophelia, she would never have wanted to become the cause of someone else's death. Especially if that someone else had been keeping Van alive until she had come back to cure him completely. "I brought the pendant back, the connection should be re-established, right?" But it seemed she was wrong by the way Ophelia shook her head sadly at Hitomi.

"Once the connection was severed, there can no longer be a way to reconnect it. I am the basis of all of Van's hopes and dreams. I am a part of him just as he is a part of me." And though it went unsaid, Van, Hitomi, and Merle all finally understood how Ophelia could've ever been able to lay with Van in his bed, even though she was not Hitomi. It was because the demons in his head recognized her as Van, and not as another woman. "Once I die, Van will be whole again. Isn't that what you wanted, Lady Hitomi?"

She didn't know how to respond to that.

Ophelia gathered her hands together in front of her skirts, closing her eyes. "You will eventually forget of me. As I am nothing but a physical manifestation of thoughts and dreams, my existence in your minds will wither away soon enough." She smiled softly, her feelings bittersweet as a faint wind began to blow in the room. "But I will still be in your hearts, so I will never completely fade away. I will always be there in Van's soul, so rest assured. You will not be rid of me that easily."

With a teasing smile on her lips, Ophelia took a deep breath and began to sing a sweet, soulful song.

As my tears keep overflowing one after another,

I can't see your last smile through their blur.

Please don't go, please don't go... Stay here.

Light bursts through the sky

The wing began to pick up, blowing faster and faster in the room even though all the windows were closed firmly. They rattled and trembled with the storm that was beginning.

Even this insignificant me

Loved you more than anyone, with all my soul.

Thank you for all of

The precious feelings

You've given to me.

Tapestries started to flutter with the wind, slapping against the stone walls violently. Mirrors hanging on the walls threatened to break, the glass shards sprinkling over the floor prettily if they had.

"When you took off, I was

Watching for a long time as the vapour trail disappeared."

The skirts of all the females in the room began to billow out, and many of them squealed and pressed their hands down on their knees, trying to hold the gowns in place so that the men wouldn't get an eyeful.

Please don't forget

You're not alone.

Even if we're apart, we can still carry on hand-in-hand.

At the head of all the commotion, Van and Hitomi braved the winds, their hands still linked tightly together as they struggled to near the ever-fading body of the woman named Ophelia, with her tragic smile and her sombre voice.

With my first love, I first realized

That there could be such sorrow.

Hitomi was awestruck for a second when she locked eyes with Ophelia, a gasp catching in her throat when she saw the utter adoration and love that rested in the stewardess' eyes, directed solely at her.

Even if something lapses away, something will

Live once again.

When you gave me a smile as we parted, it was

Your message for me

To truly live with all my heart.

The bottom of her gown had disappeared completely, and the rest of her body was growing even more translucent as Van and Hitomi neared Ophelia. The long strands of her brown hair whipped around her, and for a second Hitomi was reminded of a benevolent goddess.

I just know that we'll see each other someday.

If we're together,

Even if we're far apart, we can gaze in each other's eyes

Let's bet everything on all our hopes and dreams.

They were so close now; almost able to reach out and touch her if the wind wasn't blowing quite so hard. Still, the two of them pushed ahead, faltering in their steps when suddenly blank spots appeared in their minds, asking them what they were reaching for.

Let's promise each other

That we'll hold on to the intensity we felt

That day,

And live the future that blooms

In tomorrow.

The voice faded away, and Van and Hitomi stopped in the exact spot of where the voice originated. They looked around, seeing all of their guests doing the same thing they were doing and looking just as puzzled.

"What are we doing?" Van asked Hitomi, turning to her with their hands still clasped.

"I'm… not sure." Hitomi answered him softly, stepping closer to him in comfort. The announcer soon regained his bearings, clearing his throat and announcing that the formal dance would begin in the ballroom, and if they would all kindly make their way there…

The King and Queen of Fanelia watched their guests all shuffle away, not moving from their spot. They stayed in the throne room even after it was completely empty save for the two of them, and looked into each other's eyes. Green met red, and unsure smiles soon evolved into ones of complete happiness.

"I love you Hitomi." Van said, and Hitomi smiled beautifully at him.

"I love you too, Van." Words couldn't express the joy that bubbled in her heart when she was finally able to say it, vowing that she would never let him stop her from saying it again. So with their fingers entwined, their hearts making one whole, and a mysterious feeling of something missing in their light hearts, Van and Hitomi finally took a step forwards.

Forwards to the ballroom where they would dance the night away. Forwards to the voice that seemed to whisper in their ears, "his name is Folken."

Forwards, to the future that bloomed in their tomorrow.

...

Epilogue

...

"… and then, the spirit faded away and left the king and the queen—"

"To live happily ever after, right?"

The woman smiled.

"Right."

The boy with the ivory black hair and the mesmerizing forest green eyes looked up to the woman with the long, brown hair and similar green eyes. She smiled softly at him, her gown a simple, pure white that glowed brilliantly in the day sun. Her skin seemed to shimmer in the light, and it was if she had decorated every single strand of her brown locks with some sort of glitter.

"I like that story." The boy said with a resolute tone, as if it didn't matter what she said to him because he was never going to change his mind. But the woman smiled, nodding her head as she circled her arms around the young boy's form, snuggling him to her and kissing his forehead. He immediately pushed back, exclaiming, "Ew! Mommy!" She simply laughed, letting him scramble off her lap.

"What's wrong Folken? You love my kisses, don't you?" Folken kicked at the dirt with his heel, pouting and turning away from his mother.

"Yeah, I do." He admitted with flushing cheeks. "But Sora, and Uncle Dryden and Aunt Millerna are coming over. What if they see you kissing me!" He exclaimed, his tone panicked as he began to pull at his hair in frustration. "If Sora saw you kissing me, then she'd want to kiss me!" He looked appalled at the thought, and his mother just laughed softly.

They remained silent for a while, with Folken still scuffing the dirt floor with his heel, thinking about what to say. He finally turned around nervously, his hands shoved in the pockets of his pants. "Mommy…" He started, ducking his green gaze to the floor and hoping she wouldn't get mad at him. "Are you gonna leave me?" His voice was small, vulnerable, and her heart went out to him.

"Oh, Folken. Wherever did you get a silly idea like that?" She asked, her tone slightly scolding. "I love you more than I love myself. I would never leave you. Never." She bent down and kissed him once more on the forehead, giggling when he scowled and pushed away again, exclaiming, "Mommy!" before reverting to his nervous demeanour.

"Well, I heard you and daddy fighting. You sounded really mad…" He ducked his head again; ashamed at telling her that he was eavesdropping when he knew he wasn't supposed to. But his mother simply cupped his cheeks and brought his green eyes to look at her own, and she smiled reassuringly at him.

"You father and I have already made up. We still love each other, don't worry about that." She told him, before backing away and sitting back down on the chair she occupied. Folken beamed up at her, turning around when he heard his name being called by someone inside of the palace.

"Folken!" The voice was deep and commanding, befitting one of a king. "Folken, are you out here?" Van Slanzar de Fanel poked his head out to look into the garden, smiling in relief when he spotted his son standing there. "Oh thank Gaea. Folken, didn't I tell you to go wash up for Uncle Dryden, Aunt Millerna, and Sora?" Folken flushed red in embarrassment, hating to disappoint his father.

"Sorry daddy." The young prince apologized, his eyes darting to the side. "Mommy was just telling me a story." He said excitedly, turning sharply around only to notice his mother sitting on the chair had mysteriously disappeared. Van looked at his son in puzzlement, wondering what the young boy was talking about. "Mommy?" Folken called out, running to the chair and checking behind it to make sure his mother wasn't hiding there. "Mommy?"

"What is it Folken?"

Turning his head to the entrance of the garden, Folken saw his mother standing in the doorway, looking at him quizzically. He rushed to her, hugging her skirts and smiling happily. Hitomi laughed when he rushed into her, picking him up and kissing him on the forehead. He swatted her hands away, glaring at her even though he was blushing slightly.

"Mommy, I thought we talked about this." He grumbled, and Hitomi set him on the ground with another puzzled look.

"Talked about what?" She asked, and he huffed in frustration.

"About kissing me when Sora's here!"

"Aww, how did you know? I was gonna surprise you!"

Folken gasped, whipping his head around to see a young girl with very light green hair and blue eyes. Millerna had always complained about how her daughter had taken her sisters physical traits instead of hers, but young Sora's personality was most definitely her mother's.

"Come on Folken, let's go horseback riding!"

"Hey, don't run so fast you tomboy!"

Oh yeah, most definitely like her mother.

Folken began to run after Sora, but paused and turned around to scrutinize Hitomi. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and he scratched his head as he asked his mother a question that would cause a strange feeling of absence in not only her heart, but in Van's as well.

"Mommy, why isn't your hair long anymore?"

OWARI

A/N And there it is. The final chapter of Yubiwa. Words cannot describe how much fun (and how much torture) it was to write this. It started as a one-shot, and then grew to phenomenal proportions. I'm just thankful for being able to finish it! And I'm especially thankful for everyone who as reviewed and stuck with me even though things seemed bad. (And that was quite a lot.) It's just sad that this is the end of it all...

Not.

Haha! I just love torturing myself with more work, don't I?

Some time in the future, there will be companion pieces (and possibly a sequel) to Yubiwa. If you look on my profile page, under "Upcoming Fanfictions", you will see I'm planning to write four companion pieces for Yubiwa. None of them are Van/Hitomi oriented, but there will be lots of insight into what happens in the ten-year period on Gaea, and what happens beyond Yubiwa. So look forward to that!

The sequel I'm debating on doing won't be Van/Hitomi oriented either. Rather, it'll be a fanfiction about Folken and Sora, and how they have to follow in the whole footsteps of "saving the world" sort of thing. Sound like a good idea to you? Shall I run with it?

Review, review, review! I do so love reviews. :D

And on one final not, even though I've already said this I think I should say it again:

THANK YOU!!

Snowflake Flower