Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Silent Secrets ❯ Unicorns and Mud-Catching ( Chapter 9 )

Silent Secrets

Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne, only the charakters, that I made up myself!!!

As already said in my last chappie I made it to write this one the day after (two chapters in two day... that's really amazing for me.....) I hope it is still as good as the rest.. Enjoy!!!!!

Chapter 9: Unicorns and mudcatching *g*

When Van woke up, he at first didn't know where he was. But when he felt delicate arms wrapped loosely around him and opened his eyes, he remembered. He was lying there on the grass of the clearing looking at the sleeping form of Hitomi in his arms. A smile crossed Van features. He looked up and saw, that it was already completely dark and they should make there way back to the castle, for it wasn't easy to find the way back in the dark.

As he was about to get up, Hitomi began to stir and slowly opened her eyes and they made contact with his. And of they were with that staring contest again. *g*

A blushed crept up on both there faces and Van thought, that she would probably jump up and disappear into the forest to never return or slap him and hate him for the rest of her life. But he exact opposite happened. She blushed a bit more and smiled a small shy smile at him. Embarrassment could be made out in here eyes, but also fright and worry.

Finally, Van smiled back and broke the silence:

"Hey, Slept well? I think it would be best to get back to the castle as soon as possible before we get lost, which I hope we don't. It is very difficult to find your way back in the dark."

Hitomi nodded slowly and they both stood up and made there way to there horses (~ who mysteriously haven't wandered of *g* ~).

As they where just about to mount, Van saw Hitomi suddenly stop in the middle of her movements and turn to around to stare into the forest.

"What is it Hitomi??", Van whispered and Hitomi made a sign for him to be quiet. Suddenly, she smiled and walked into the direction of some bushes. She stopped about three steps away from them and seemed to wait for something or some one.

>Maybe another dragon??<, Van thought silently, but held his breath when he found the answer directly infront of Hitomi.

It was no dragon....

And it also was no creature you normally see in a forest...

Infront of her stood a gleaming white horse with gold glowing horn on his forehead!!!!

>A Unicorn!! And I thought it was only a myth...<

Van watched as Hitomi stroked the unicorns neck and it nussled her shoulder.

It then looked towards him and Van felt, that those blue crystal eyes looked into the depths of his soul.

It slowly made it's way towards him with Hitomi at his side. It stopped infront of him and gazed at him. He glanced at Hitomi and saw her reassuring smile.

Van stretched his hand out and the unicorn nussled it, then lay his chin on it a closed his eyes for a while.

When it opened them again, it looked at Van again then turned his face towards Hitomi and nussled her face.

Then it turned around and trotted a few steps away from them. It turned his head around and seemed to wait for them.

They both mounted and silently followed the unicorn, whose fur was shimmering in the now dark of the night.

It wasn't long before it stopped and behind the trees, Van could easily make out the castle.

The unicorn turned one last time towards them and whined lightly before they watched it disappearing into the woods.

Hitomi looked at Van and smiled. He smiled back and they made there way to the castle.

Of course, the whole castle was already panicking. Guards where running frantically around and putting themselves together to form search-parties to look for the king. The advisers where trying to give orders to all, but only made it worse. Merle was already flaring in every direction and the others all had worried looks on their faces. All, except Dilly. Maybe he didn't show it, but he worried at least as much as the rest, for he and Van were nearly like brothers (~ as Merle is like a sister to both of them ~).

It is true, that at there first encounters, the only thing they did was argue, fight and Dilly swearing that he would kill Van, but when you had tried to stop them, they had both turned against that person. They were really like brothers, especially since Folken had died.

Merle couldn't stop pacing around and muttering to herself:

"Where are they?? Van has always come back before dark and it has been dark for already two hours!!! I hope they haven't crossed a dragons way..."

"And what if we had, Merle?? What's going on about here anyway??"

Everyone turned around to see a puzzled, but grinning Van sitting on his horse Hitomi beside him. If she could have, Hitomi would have probably laughed her head of. You could see it written all over her face.

With a loud "LOOOOOORRRDDDDD VAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!", Merle jumped right into Van arms making him fall of his stallion, hugging him to death. But before anyone could do anything, Merle had let go of him and had Hitomi also tackled to the ground:

"Where WERE you?? We've been worried about you!! There is no way, you could leave the two of you alone, without anything happening!!"

Luckily no one except the two (V/H) saw the blushes creep up on each others faces....

"Well, now that we are back, Merle, you could let go of Hitomi so she can breath again and since I'm hungry, I'll get something to eat. Hitomi?"

Hitomi finally released herself from Merle and made her way together with Van to the kitchen, leaving the others standing there, looking stunned.

"Could there be wedding bells soon?", Dryden asked interested, but didn't get an answer from the rest.

"Ahhhhhhh... That was good", Van said and released a sight after he had left with Hitomi the kitchen, both stuffed. Hitomi just nodded and jawned.

They first came to Hitomi's room. The panic had subsided and everything was quiet. As she was about to go into her room she heard Van calling her name softly. She turned around and looked at him questioningly. They stared at each other again for a while. Then to Hitomi's utter suprise, he leaned forward and gently kissed her cheek. Van whispered a small "Thank you" into her ear before turning around and leafing for his bed-chamber. She watched him until his door had been closed, then touched her cheek gently with her hand, where he had kissed. She smiled and went into her own room and closed the door.

"Ohhhhhh, come on Vannie!! Just one little match!!", Dilly was nearly on his knees, begging Van to spare with him.

"Not now. I'm not in the mood and last time we spared after the rain outside, you made some dirty tricks and stuck my face into a mud-puddle. AND STOP CALLING ME TAT NAME, DILLY!!!"

But Dilly only gave him those puppy-dog-eyes and he agreed. It was the day after he had been with Hitomi in the forest and over night it had rained like hell and the training ground outside were all muddy. Of course Dilly had to ask him directly at breakfast, if Van would spare with him.

Now they were standing on one of the muddy fields, sparing and being watched by Hitomi, Merle, Celena, Allen, some of the Dragonslayers and some of the crew from the Crusado. They were all watching rather tensed, for Van and Dilly were nearly equal, but Dilly liked to play tricks on Van.

When they both stopped to get their breaths back Dilly panted out:

"You are good, probably a bit better than me *grins devishly. I think I'll have to play one of my tricks, until I can finally stuck you face into a mud puddle again."

"You wouldn't dare. You told me, you wanted it to be a fair fight."

"Well, I just changed my mind then", Dilly said and wanted to charge at Van again. But he didn't make it. There was only a loud *SPLASH* and they were all staring at a boiling Dilandau, who had a face full of mud. He only regained his composure, when he heard them all laugh.

"All right!! WHO WAS THAT??? I'LL SKIN HIM ALIVE!!"

He had just enough time to make out Hitomi throwing something at him, before *SMACK* he had his second taking of mud on his face.

"I'm gonna get you for this, HITOMI!"

Dilly also grab a hand full of mud and threw it at Hitomi, but she got out of the way and to the suprise of Dilly, Merle had been standing right behind Merle. She made an even funnier look than him, with her mud-mask on. It wasn't long until, she started to throw mud at Dilly, but also at Hitomi. In the process it was obvious, that Van, Celena, two of the watching Dragonslayers and three of Allen's men (the crew) had gotten mud all over them and so tried to take revenge on the others. The mud-catching stopped when Princess Esmeralda

(~ again!!!! *g* ~) appeared and got a big hand full of mud on her clean white dress...

The advisers hadn't approved of it, of course, so they had spend the rest of the day inside the castle and Van had trained Hitomi a bit more.

And again, at the end of the day, Van lay exhausted on his bed thinking about Hitomi. When he couldn't fall asleep, he decided, as he got out of bed and made his way to the roof, to something he hadn't done some time ago....

I know, the end is a bit stupid and I gotta bringe probably more Celena and Dilly in this fic now. But I really gotta hurry now, for I gotta run to get my train... My brother can't drive to boarding school, so I have gotta take the train...

Hope you all liked it. Please read and review!!! BBYEEEEE!!!!