In her own world, Hitomi wasn't terribly special, even if her tarot readings were better than most people's were. When she travels to Gaea, she finds that she is a stranger in a strange land with special powers to see the future. Still, she is a young girl and her heart is anxious and uncertain. She dearly loves her friends there but her desire to help them might do more damage than help. Most people, even Folken, grow to like the brave, young lady, but in the end there is one to whom she gives her heart.

In most stories, the prince rescues the damsel from the dragon, but imagine what would happen if the damsel saves the prince. If Van was very rude when he first met Hitomi, there are a few good reasons. First of all, he was in a life and death battle with a giant dragon in order to become king of his people. Second, he was suddenly transported to a strange land and he had no idea where he was or why he was there. He is in the heat of the battle when he hears her warning scream and dodges a deathblow from the dragon. When he finally wins, he tries to thank her but it sounds so clumsy and rude that Hitomi smacks him and cries that she was just trying to help him. His expression becomes kinder but he doesn't have time to apologize because the flash of light returns and both he and Hitomi are pulled back to his world.

Van is a bit cold toward his new companion, but he makes an effort not to be rude at least and he promises to help her return to her world. His promise is put on hold when his kingdom is destroyed, but he still protects Hitomi even if she saves him as often as he saves her. She falls for the suave knight Allen Schezar but it is Van who runs to her rescue when she is kidnapped to be sold into slavery. Van tells her that he will protect her for Allen, but there may be more to it than he wishes to admit.

While he may not be in love with her at this point, he shows how close he feels to her when he allows her to see his wings, something his mother warned him not to do. It may be that he is too preoccupied to notice his attraction to the strange girl, but he may simply consider Hitomi "unavailable" since she has such a major crush on Allen. There is some intimacy between them due partially to her ability to sense things about him and his willingness to talk to her. Also, they are both still adolescents who lack experience with love and attraction. Their confusion and lack of… tack must be forgiven, especially on Van's part. For him, if she really is in love with Allen, any romantic feelings for her would be rejected.

Strangely enough, while their feelings remain unclear to each other, Folken and his master, Lord Dornkirk, see them growing closer. As long as their feelings for each other remain ambiguous, the future remains undetermined, even for Dornkirk with his advanced technology. If the two major powers come together, their plans will be ruined, so they must work to keep them apart.

In this instance, Folken displays a certain cruelty (or perhaps callousness would be a less severe word) in his manipulation of not only Van, Hitomi, and Allen, but his catgirl companions as well. Van, after bumbling about a bit, finally seems ready to say something to Hitomi, but Folken stages a rendezvous for Allen and Hitomi, acting out the scene with one of his girls. Van had been looking for Hitomi in the rain but when he finds her she is kissing Allen on a bridge. She sees him and he looks absolutely devastated, but he simply runs away and she has just had her first kiss from a guy she is deeply infatuated with.

Whatever the nature of her feelings for Allen, she is still deeply concerned with Van's well being. Van seems to withdraw a little bit out of respect for Allen and Hitomi, but he seems bent on fighting and Dilandu's obsession with him doesn't help matters much. During the course of the story, the ka-tet go to a mysterious valley but Van, Hitomi, and Allen are transported away from the others. The valley holds different secrets for each of them. Hitomi tries to use her powers to wish Van and Allen back but Van's mother and Hitomi's grandmother appear to her and warn her that her wishes are hurting those she loves. Because she is afraid and confused, her wishes reflect her fear and create misfortune.

The group is reunited and forced to leave the valley. At a wedding between two of the ka-tet members, Folken's catgirls attack but, while they do a lot of damage, one escapes injured and sick and the other gets separated and sets out on foot. She kidnaps Hitomi in the night but she is too sick to be much of a threat. Hitomi, seeing how sick she is, helps her. She learns a little about Folken and how deeply the woman loves her master. When she is finally able to take Hitomi to her master, she seems to have a change of heart and leaves her saying she would get in their way. Nariya and Eyria both die, but Dornkirk treats their loss casually which infuriates Folken so much that he abandons his side and contacts his brother.

Van, although hesitant and mistrustful, finally agrees to return to Fanelia to meet with his estranged brother. Hitomi won't let him go alone so she goes with him. In the ruins of the city, Folken tries to talk to Van, but he is angry and very hurt. Suddenly dragons appear and Van tries to fight them but Hitomi ends up alone and unprotected. Suddenly Folken grabs her and pulls her back, covering her mouth with his real hand. He tells her not to fear the dragon, but to let it be and when the dragon no longer senses danger, he waddles off. Van doesn't fare quite as well and Folken helps him as well. He stands between the dragon and his brother, his giant black wings exposed. He will finally be with Van, but instead of convincing his brother to join him, he must convince him to trust his help.

He proves to be very helpful, even though Van still doesn't trust him. Folken likes Hitomi because she is very honest and kind. He is also aware of her feelings for Van and his for her even if they are not, and he seems to approve of his brother's choice. One night he and Hitomi meet by chance and talk for a bit. Folken wonders why she is so willing to trust him. He could be lying. She replies that while its possible, she doesn't think its true. Besides, if she doesn't trust him, he won't trust her and they won't get anywhere. Folken seems touched by her uncynical and honest answer but then Van appears and he is rather angry. It might simply be only mistrust of Folken (contrasted with Hitomi's answer) but he might also be jealous.

The war finally gets to Hitomi and she can't stand it any more. Angry and scared, she wishes to go home and the light that brought her to Gaea returns her to Earth, all the way back to the school's hospital wing. Even though she is home, she can't stop thinking about Van. By reliving the same scene from her new point of view, she sees that her friend is in love with the boy she had a crush on at the beginning of the story. The girl warns her to tell him her feelings before it is too late, but it is no longer Amano to whom she must confess. A feather appears beside her on the train and she draws the Ace of Serpents (a card that represents Van), both of which force her to consider more carefully her feelings for the young king. She decides that she must return and that there is only one way-to set up the situation that brought her to Van in the first place.

On Gaea, the others are shocked at Hitomi's sudden disappearance. They are concerned that their enemies took her, but Folken assures them that it is impossible. Van knows what happened and he says, "She went home." He tries to seem optimistic about it, since it means that Dornkirk can't use her, but Folken gives him a knowing look. No matter what he says, Folken knows that his brother is deeply hurt by the loss of the girl from the Mystic Moon.

Merle, his catgirl companion, is also aware of his pain. He sits alone on top of a building looking at up at the sky. She comes to see him and tells him that he must face his feelings for Hitomi and find her. Hitomi believes that people will return your feelings so she knows that if Van is honest with her, it will all work out. Convinced, Van jumps on dragon Escaflowne and flies into space, trying to get to the one he loves.

Hitomi is almost ready to ask Amano for the race again, but first she has to clear something up with her friend. She tells her that she knows that she has feelings for Amano and that she is sorry she didn't see before, but she must go to him, to see him again. Of course the viewer knows she means Van. The race begins and she concentrates all her thoughts and energy, just like before. Van's energies are concentrated as well and he suddenly appears before her on Escaflowne with his arm stretched out to her. Amano and her friend are shocked and scared, but she is with Van again. She embraces him and, blushing, he tells her that he will never let her go again. The light takes them back to Gaea and Hitomi's friends are left on the track field.

They still do not confess their love, but it is clear that she is no longer infatuated with Allen. It's just as well since he decided that his feelings for her were based on her resemblance to his missing sister. Van agrees to lead troops into battle, but Hitomi is to remain behind. They are still connected and she can sense his suffering, so she decides to go to the one person who is also concerned with Van's suffering and can do something about it. Folken has figured out a way to go face Dornkirk and end the war, but Hitomi refuses to let him go alone. He senses her determination, gives her another of his knowing looks, and takes her directly to Lord Dornkirk.

Although Folken is there to stop Dornkirk, the extremely old man seems pleased to see him, especially since he brought the girl to him. Folken threatens to kill him and the old man stands up and tells him to do it. Folken flies up on his black wings and strikes him with his sword, but the blade breaks on a piece of metal and flies back at him, piercing his heart. He had entered the zone of total action and reaction and his deathblow killed him as well. He falls, but his last thoughts are of his brother. At the same time Van seems to realize that his brother is dead and he screams "Brother!"

Although alone with her sorrow for a moment, Hitomi isn't alone for long because the spirit of Dornkirk appears next to her. Although he isn't pleased with the war himself, he tells her that war is what the people most wish for. His forces are defeated but the allies turn against each other. Hitomi doesn't know what to do, especially when Van and Allen end up in a duel. Folken appears to her and tells her that her confused feelings and fear keep Van tangled up. She must decide how she feels about him and have faith in him. Van's skill has improved so much that it looks like he will win the duel when he hears Hitomi calling for him. He abandons Escaflowne and reveals his wings to everyone as he flies to find the one he loves most. Men look up to the sky and see him and Hitomi and they no longer feel the need to fight.

Hitomi must return to Earth and Van cannot go with her. Still, because they love each other, they will always be together in their hearts. Van returns his war machine to its dormant state and uses the energist to send her home. Back home, she gives up fortune telling but she still sees Van because their love connects them between the planets…