Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Heart of the Dragon ❯ I Missed You ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter Four: I Missed You

Two weeks went by and Van still hadn't come back. He had sent her a note the day before simply saying that he was sorry that he hadn't come back yet and that there were a lot of important things happening. He told her that he would write back later if his stay was to be prolonged even longer. Hitomi guessed she understood, but she was restless to see him. She was ready to go there now.

The past two weeks had been fun, but empty without him. They all had explored Fanelia and the palace, discovering fascinating secrets in the palace. Like how it had dungeons below it and had secret passageways leading to certain rooms. The town was much larger than before, Hitomi told Yukari and Amano. She had noticed how much closer they were getting and felt jealous. If Van were here, she wouldn't be jealous at all. In fact, they would be jealous of her.

The city and palace got boring soon though. Hitomi had asked Marie the servant what they could do, and she had said that they should get clothed properly. Therefore, Hitomi and Yukari went down to the seamstresses. Amano had objected heartily, refusing to wear anything but his jeans and crazy shirts. College had really changed him a lot.

Yukari was in the process of getting a light yellow morning gown and Hitomi a dark green one to match her eyes. They already each had an enormous pile of dresses ready to be made. And not to mention all of the underthings that went under the dress. Shifts, chemises, nightgowns, robes, and other things that Hitomi couldn't even remember that were being made for her. Yukari wasn't having as many because she wasn't going to be here as long as Hitomi was.

Hitomi had her arms held out and a woman pinning a piece of cloth to her side when Yukari said, "This is awesome! I wish we did this on Earth! And everything is made just for you so it fits perfectly!"

Hitomi nodded in agreement. The woman took off the piece and ordered Hitomi to sit down. She gave her a book with drawings and told her to pick of several evening gowns. Hitomi saw one that fell to the floor, the skirt billowing out with a low neckline that she said she wanted made for her because it was absolutely dazzling.

Yukari had teased her the other day how her shirts weren't fitting in her chest area anymore because of how she was eating properly and gaining weight. Hitomi had grinned wickedly and she was actually starting be happy about her body. She wasn't a skinny toothpick anymore; she had the curves popping out to prove it.

A woman named Stella took a bolt of silk out and asked Hitomi if it was the color she wanted. It was almost black it was so green, but when you moved it one way, it was the normal dark green color. The woman started to cut it when Hitomi nodded eagerly. The other two women were working on Yukari, making her a white satin nightgown, that wasn't in the least modest like the women had scolded her on and then giggled. They finished with her and Yukari got off the pedestal. She waited for the woman to finish taking measurements for the other two evening gowns for Hitomi. When they were done, Hitomi jumped off the pedestal and thanked the women graciously, telling them how much she appreciated it and walked out the door. They had told them to come back tomorrow to get more and to pick up the dresses that would be done. Hitomi and Yukari were stunned that they could get them done that fast but they didn't say anything.

The next few days were spent measuring and making clothes for Hitomi and Yukari. Amano had started hanging out with the warriors and started to learn how to fight with the newer young men like him. He learned fast and willingly, for it fascinated him.

Hitomi and Yukari, while not getting measured to death, were with Merle. Merle was constantly doing something and provided much entertainment for them.

She commented on how much weight Hitomi had gained, slightly jealous, and then started making fun of her because her shirt was to small to hold her upper workings. Hitomi had blushed and tried to stretch the material. She just got redder and redder when it didn't help.

"Why don't you get changed into one of your gowns?" Merle asked and they walked back to the palace, for they had been in the gardens. Both Hitomi and Yukari needed help getting the underthings tied and buttoned and Merle obliged them by helping them out. Hitomi felt exposed because her breasts were being pushed practically out of the gown. Merle made fun of her some more and told her that Van would ogle her like she was a piece of meat and he hadn't eaten in a month. She flushed red again, not believing that her breasts were sticking out as they were.

Yukari's wasn't nowhere near as bad as hers and she made fun of her too.

"Do I look bad or something? Because you guy's keep making fun of me. I thought I looked good. Well, maybe for this part," she said and pointed to her chest.

The both shook their heads and Yukari said, "Hitomi, you're utterly beautiful. I'm so jealous of you. I mean, look! At least you have something! Now all you need is to go outside more, and maybe you're still a little thin, but you look so much better. Amano will probably dump me for you," she said seriously. Yukari was still shocked, not noticing how much Hitomi had changed until Merle had said something. All the prominent bones had disappeared, only to be replaced by a more voluptuous figure. Her chest was almost to heavy for her torso, but accented her well when you looked at other places that were lacking, such as her pale skin.

Hitomi laughed, her confidence soaring. "Really? I look ok? Amano might ever dump you, Yukari. And I don't even like him that way anymore. He's just my friend. Do you think Van would like it?"

"Hitomi, if Van saw you right now, he would drop dead," Merle said and giggled. Hitomi tried to pull up the neckline but it wouldn't budge. They all started to giggle when Amano stopped when he saw them and stared.

"Did I die and go to heaven? Are you like the hottest chicks in this world or what?" he asked and walked over to Yukari to give her a kiss. He kissed Hitomi on her cheek and smiled at them. "I am in heaven!!!" he said again and picked Yukari up, spinning her around the room.

Yukari smacked his arm. "Go away if you please. Go fight and be manly. We will be womanly and go back out to the gardens. Have you seen them yet? No? You're missing out. Too bad you won't be with us to see them," Yukari said and they started to walk away, leaving him to stare after them and grin.

Hitomi felt even more self-assurance go through her when she saw a male servant stop and drop the duster he had in his hand. He forgot himself and shook his head, going back to dusting the pictures without trying to stare back at them.

**********

The rest of the month disappeared and Hitomi wondered if Van was ever coming back. It was the middle of the night and she was lying awake in her soft bed. She watched the Earth and the moon through her window and saw a black cloud cover it, making her room go dark. She blinked when she heard the door open and close in the bathing room. Could it be??!

She jumped out of bed, her white silk nightgown floating about her, more than likely making her look like a ghost. She whipped open the door to see Van close his eyes and rest his had back against the rim of the bathing pool. His eyes shot back open when he saw Hitomi. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened. A slow, roguish smile ascended to his face.

Hitomi didn't care; she jumped right into the bathing pool with her nightgown to get to Van. It was hard pulling herself with all of the flimsy trappings on her nightgown. She wrapped her arms around his neck, him still sitting on the step in the pool. He hugged her back and kissed her hard, wanting to kiss her before he said anything.

Hitomi pressed herself against him and she felt him stiffen in surprise. He squeezed her closer to him, savoring her curves and softness. It was the first time she had done it and he relished it.

When he left her mouth, he kissed her nose, her cheek, her forehead. "Hitomi, I have missed you so much. I couldn't stand staying there anymore and I just left. I said that something bad had happened in Fanelia and I had to leave immediately. Everyone, even Duke of Freid believed me." He kissed her again and ran his hands down her body, exploring her for the first time. He grazed the curves of her breasts and rested his hands on her hips, thinking that he had probably already done too much.

He stood up and Hitomi realized he was naked. She felt a blush coming on but she didn't let it.

"Um, Van...you're naked," she stated.

Van grinned at her. He didn't bother with preserving his modesty. "Hitomi, before I jump on you, I want to ask you something," he said and took a deep breath, running his hands up and down her arms. Her nightgown was wet and he could see through it. It was driving him mad. When had she gotten so many curves?!

"Yes? What did you want to ask me?" Hitomi asked, not realizing that she was practically naked.

"Will you marry me?" Van whispered against her lips before he kissed her. He let his tongue run along her lips before he entered her mouth. Her tongue stroked his and he shuddered. He ripped his mouth from hers as if it almost hurt, wanting to know her answer. He hoped his kiss would convince her further.

"Yes," she said simply. Van covered her mouth again and devoured her. He couldn't get enough of the feel of her; she was so soft, so giving. He noticed how much weight she had gained and how she wasn't as pale. She had gotten better so fast, and he hadn't even been there to see her. She still needed to eat more, though.

He brought his hands back up and cupped her breasts. Hitomi responded shamelessly when his fingers drifted over her nipples and they hardened. He kissed her more deeply, playing with her tongue and circling it. Hitomi's hands went through his wet hair and fisted when he let go of her mouth and went down to the column of her neck.

Van started to think again when her hands gripped his hair. He brought his head back up and said, "Hitomi, we shouldn't be doing this."

Hitomi stared at him, as if she didn't understand. She blinked a few times to clear her mind and calm her rampaging body, along with her pounding heart and the molten heat rushing through her veins. "Why?"

Van's upper body started to get cold from standing above the water too long. He let go of her and sat down, bringing her willingly onto his lap. Her nightgown was floating everywhere, air bubbles holding up some of it. She slapped it down but it came right back up.

"Because we aren't married."

"No one would have to know, Van. You and your obsession of not being married this or not being married that. You're too stubborn."

Van grinned and kissed the tip of her nose. "I know, but I want it to be special, Hitomi. I know I sound like I've gotten all soft, but I am only when I'm with you."

Hitomi smoothed the wet hair back from his face because it had been sticking to it. She leaned her head down and let her lips flutter over his. Van lifted his head and took her mouth again. He knew that she didn't care if they waited, but he did for some reason. He pulled her away, taking in a ragged breath.

"I need to wash, Hitomi. You're just distracting me, half-naked like you are," Van said and grabbed the bar of soap lying beside the pool.

Hitomi looked down and saw that he could see right through her wet nightgown. She covered herself with her hands and blushed a delightful pink.

Van laughed and pushed her off his lap. Hitomi turned around and walked out of the tub, water pouring off her and making the nightgown cling to her, Van able to see right through it even more if that was possible. He closed his eyes and waited for her to walk out. He heard the door open and close and his eyes opened slowly. He scrubbed himself fast and got out, drying off twice as fast as he had washed. He stood with the towel around his waist after he was done drying off and wondered what he should do. Should I just go back to my room? Or go to Hitomi?

He walked into his room and put on a pair of shorts that he wore when it was hot. He turned back to Hitomi's room and went through the bathing area. He cautiously opened the door, afraid that she was getting dressed or something. He opened it more when he didn't see her. He went in and saw the balcony door open. A warm breeze ruffled his damp hair and he strolled over to the balcony, watching Hitomi's flowing gown fly about her.

"What's wrong?" Van asked when he got to her side. He looked over the city. It was dark out, no stars out and the Mystic Moon was covered by a black cloud. He could only see a few lights around the city because it was late. The breeze came again and Hitomi closed her eyes, breathing in deeply.

"The air is so clean here, not all dirty and musty like on Earth. I hope I never have to go back," Hitomi whispered, in awe of Gaea and how wonderful it was.

"You won't have to Hitomi, because you're going to be my wife," Van said and hugged her to his side. They stared over Fanelia for a long time. Hitomi started to fall asleep and Van picked her up, carrying her into her room. He left the door open because it was nearly boiling outside when the wind wasn't blowing. He put her on the soft bed and lay down next to her, pulling her back against him and kissing her temple. Hitomi moaned softly in sleep when he tugged her closer to him and snuggled closer. Van sighed and laid his chin on top of her head, falling asleep as soon as he closed his eyes.

**********

Yukari knocked on the door but Hitomi didn't answer. She started to worry because she wasn't a heavy sleeper and she woke up at every noise. She turned the gold handle and knocked again while she was opening the door. She stuck her head in and smiled. Hitomi and Van were lying curled up together on the bed. She went to close the door when Merle appeared at her side.

"What?" Yukari asked, starting to close the door again.

"Why are you looking in there? Is Hitomi still sleeping? It's late, wake her up," Merle said and ran in, bounding onto the bed. When she realized she had jumped on Van too, she squealed and launched herself on him, giving him a big hug.

Van felt something jerk him awake from a deep sleep. He shook his head and blinked his heavy eyes. He saw Merle grinning him down and groaned, covering his head with the blanket.

"Van! You're back! When did you get back!? I'm so happy! Come on, get up! It's really late, like seven or something! Get up so we can do something!" Merle yelled, lifting the blankets off his head. Van buried his head in the pillow. Hitomi stirred next to him and he hauled her against him. Merle was having one of her rare annoying times.

Merle scowled at them and stood up on the bed, jumping off. "Leave the sleepy heads alone. They look tired," Merle said and walked out the door, expecting Yukari to follow her. Yukari giggled and closed the door, pursuing Merle.

Hitomi opened her eyes when the door closed. "Why did Merle do that? Uh, that was annoying. I'm not even going to be able to fall asleep again."

"Be quiet so others can," Van mumbled, his eyes still closed. He turned over onto his back and sighed. He felt the bed shift and got up because he knew he wasn't going to get any peace and quiet.

Hitomi sat up and saw the lazy grin on Van's face. She smiled back at him and walked over to her dresser for her brush. She looked in the mirror and gasped, immediately picking up the brush and combing her hair. It was a pile of knots and tangles all puffed up on her head. She gave up and was ready to rip it out of her head when another large tangle came about. Van laughed and told her to come over. She walked over to the bed and plopped down, handing Van the brush. When he couldn't use the brush, he used his fingers. He was calm; something Hitomi wasn't when it came to her hair. She wondered why she could deal with other people's hair, but not her own.

When Van finished unsnarling her hair, he got off the bed, stretching his lithe body. Hitomi watched the muscles flex and was totally fascinated.

"How did you do that?" she asked in awe, walking back over to her dresser to put her brush back down.

"What?"

"Your muscles...that was amazing!"

Van laughed and walked over to the door across the room to get to his own. "I didn't know I did anything," Van said, exiting through the door.

Hitomi smiled and walked over to her armoire to pick out a gown. She picked out the almost black green one that was her favorite. The neck was low and pushed her chest out more than necessary. She pulled out all the underthings she needed and put them on without having trouble because she picked ones that buttoned or tied in the front. She stepped into the gown and tied the front up, tugging the black ribbons through the holes and pulling tight. She tied a small bow at the top and looked at herself satisfied in the mirror. She tried to jerk the gown up some because she still felt exposed when she wore the new "in style" gowns. When she was here last, these kind of gowns were probably thought to be outrageous. She brushed her hair again and heard a tap on the door. She walked across the soft blue and white carpet and remembered she didn't have any shoes on. She walked back over to the armoire to pull out a pair of fine leather slippers. She yanked them on briskly and ran over to the door. She smoothed back her hair and adjusted her gown before she opened the door.

Van was dressed in a white shirt and blue pants. His hair was stilled ruffled because he hadn't brushed it.

His eyes went straight to her chest. She giggled when he didn't stop looking and she pushed him out of the way. She walked down the hallway and he ran to catch up to her. He stopped her by grabbing her shoulder and pushing her up against the wall.

"Do you want to torture me?" Van asked, exasperated. His eyes drifted back down to the full white expanse of her breasts.

Hitomi smiled and jerked it down a couple inches. His eyes widened and he looked up and down the hall before he pushed it back up. "Don't do that outside of your room or I'll-"

"Why? You can't really see anything," Hitomi explained, smiling the whole time and wondering at how easily she could arouse Van.

"Oh, yes you can. Especially from this point of view. If I lean forward just far enough I can see right down your-"

"Hello you two. Have you decided to join the world of the living?" Yukari asked and walked up to them. Van was leaning towards Hitomi, his arm above her head for support. Hitomi was pushed up against him and she was looking at Yukari as if she wanted her to die or go away right now. Nevertheless, she didn't, of course. She came up to them and waited for Van to go away from Hitomi.

"Hello, Yukari," Van said and didn't move away from Hitomi. He just stayed as he was and Yukari stared at them, becoming red.

"Um...well, I wanted to tell you, Hitomi, that there is this guy downstairs with long blonde hair that has to be the most beautiful man I have ever-"

"Allen!!! Van, you didn't tell me he was here!!!" Hitomi yelled, slipping away from his comforting hard body, and running down the corridor. Yukari chased after her and Van was left standing there, trying to cool his ardor.

Hitomi went down the passageways and stairs as fast as she could with her dress. She could hear Yukari behind her and she slowed so her friend could catch up. She stopped when she got to the hall and she saw Allen standing by the doorway talking to a guard.

"Allen!!" she yelled and ran to him. He turned around, a shocked grin appearing on his face. He held his arms out as she launched herself at him and squeezed him hard. He whirled her around and set her back down, grinning and his blue eyes sparkling.

"Hitomi!! What are you doing here? Van didn't tell me that you were here! How did you get here?" Allen asked, so surprised that he didn't even let go of her when Van came trudging down the grand staircase and into the hall.

"Van wished me here...and I guess I just came," Hitomi replied to his questions. He asked how she was doing, if she was all right. He gave her another hug, pulling her closer to his warm body. Hitomi was unsure, since Van was standing right there, but she took it only as a friendly embrace. When he was done asking her all the questions he could come up with, Hitomi asked him her own, her hands holding onto his arms as he still held her closer than what she felt comfortable with.

Van stood at the foot of grand staircase that led to the hall and scowled. Allen was still holding onto Hitomi. He remarked that it was too close for his own personal taste. He blinked when he realized he was so possessive of Hitomi that he was jealous of any man even touching her. He walked over to Allen and Hitomi, putting his hand on her shoulder. She let go of Allen and her arms went automatically around his waist, kissing his cheek and letting her lips linger, brushing his stubble-covered face. He smiled wickedly at Allen when she didn't let him go and pressed herself closer to his side.

"You didn't tell me she was here, stupid! Were you that worried about all of the transitions at Freid that you couldn't even tell me? Is that why you were so distant all the time?" Allen asked. He observed the satisfied male smile that Van was giving him because Hitomi had latched right onto him after he had held her for an improper amount of time. He smiled back at him, waiting for his answer.

"I thought I told you. I guess I didn't. I assume Hitomi was the reason that I was so 'distant' as you put it. But who would care about this...thing?" Van said, grinning. He looked around quickly, making sure no one of importance stood around so he wouldn't have to worry later about being yelled at. Hitomi got a horrified expression on her face until she noticed he was kidding. She slapped his flat stomach and his hand covered hers, holding it in place. She blushed and looked at him through her lowered eyelashes. She smiled and stuck her tongue out at him after recovering from the intense surge of heat.

"Do you know that sticking your tongue out at me only makes me want to kiss you?" She gave him a pouting look and he pulled her closer to him, his hand around her waist caressing languidly. Allen blinked, wondering what was going on. He knew that they were in love, but what was going to happen? Was Hitomi going to stay here? And did they know what they were doing was very inappropriate around the guards and other people?

"So when are you two going to get married?" Allen asked, studying his nails, acting like he hadn't seen what had transpired.

"We haven't set a date as of yet. I just asked her last night. Of course she said yes, who could refuse me?"

Hitomi was going to punch him in the stomach again but Van was still holding her hand. Van smiled at her and pressed a kiss to her forehead and resting his chin on top of her head.

Allen laughed and looked curiously over to the man and woman standing off to the side watching them. He walked over to the woman and bowed gallantly, taking her hand and kissing it. "My name is Allen. May you be kind enough to tell me your name?"

Yukari flushed a light pink while he still held onto her hand. She felt Amano stiffen next to her and smiled at Allen. "My name is Yukari."

"A beautiful name for a beautiful woman," Allen said charmingly. He let go of her hand and held his hand out to Amano.

Amano didn't want to be rude so he shook Allen's hand. Allen raised his eyebrow in question. "My name is Amano."

Allen laughed and said, "I'm not going to say your name is beautiful for a beautiful man because I would have to be scared. But a nice name nonetheless."

Amano smiled at his sense of humor. He couldn't help but like him. He looked like a great swordsman, especially with the wonderfully crafted sword hanging at his side in its expensive scabbard. He couldn't wait to see if he was good. Amano had been getting more and more obsessed with swordplay and learning how to fight lately. He knew he shouldn't because they were going to leave, it wasn't like they were going to stay here like Hitomi. He frowned when he saw how similar they looked. The only difference was the hair.

Allen didn't even seem to acknowledge it and he let go of his hand. He looked over to see Van and Hitomi in close conversation. They came over after Allen called to them.

Van frowned at the mud markings on the gigantic carpet. He would have to get servants to clean it. The whole palace needed a good scrubbing. The staff seemed to have been slacking off lately.

"So what were you two talking about?" Allen asked and got Van out of his haze of thought.

"We were talking about when we should be married," Hitomi answered him when she saw the blank look Van had given him.

"Come up with a date?" Amano asked. He hadn't known that Van had proposed to Hitomi. He looked at Yukari and saw the shocked look on her face too. Hitomi hadn't told anyone. Well if it had been last night, then she hadn't gotten a chance to, apparently.

Van understood finally what they were talking about and interrupted Hitomi before she could say anything. "As soon as possible, maybe even today."

"What ever happened to that glorious looking woman that you were supposed to marry?" Allen asked. He looked around the hall and noticed how dust was starting to accumulate on the small stands and on the large pictures of places on Gaea and in Fanelia. Was Van running out of money to hire servants?

"I don't know. She scared me," Van said and lowered his voice at the last part. Allen, Yukari, and Amano started to laugh at him, wondering how a woman could scare a man, especially a man the size of Van.

"You? Scared of a woman? And one half the proportion of yourself?" Allen said while he was still laughing.

Both Hitomi and Van frowned at them all. Van said in a rush, "She acted just like Dilandau. The way she laughed, the way she screamed and grabbed her hair. And when I told her that it would be off, she flipped out totally, saying I had ruined her life, her plans. She kept banging her head off a picture and when she walked away, it was smashed into tiny pieces with blood all over it. And another thing. She almost looked like him. The purple eyes, the almost silver hair. Her hair wasn't exactly the same, but her eyes were so close it was scary."

Allen calmed down at the mention of the name Dilandau. "But she can't be in alliance with him. My sister is at home, being taken care of by some genius healers. She improves so much everyday, I'm so proud of her," Allen said smiling while he talked about his sister.

"How is she doing anyway?" Hitomi asked. They all walked out of the hall to the back of the palace where the huge gardens were kept. Hitomi could smell the flowers before she could see them. Van opened the black iron gate and they walked through, going to the center where another large fountain laid. They all sat down on the ring, listening to the birds and the flowing water and the smell of the flowers.

Allen listened to the sounds all around him and the aroma of the flowers calmed him. "She's doing wonderful. But sometimes she does things that she doesn't even realize she's doing. Like this one time, she had been in her room tearing up one of her nightgowns and enjoying the sound of it ripping. And whenever she is asked to help in the kitchen, she agrees willingly and comes back later covered in blood and delighting in it. She has been getting worse lately too. I mean not when it comes to her talking more and acting more mature in mind, but in destroying things. I'm afraid she'll never get better. Other than her violent acts, she's great. And she's becoming great with the sword I got her, too. But I don't understand what is going on with her. "

Van patted him on the back when he buried his head in his hands. "It'll be ok, Allen. She just needs time to heal. She has been through a lot."

He nodded and took his head out of his hands. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply the smell of the blooming flowers. The colors were amazing. The way they blended beautifully next to each other and looked nearly like a rainbow. A bed of red, blue, black, purple, and yellow sat next to the fountain. Blood red roses blossomed wildly around the barrier of the area. Large oak trees towered over their heads and he could see a few squirrels bouncing from tree to tree.

The entire group was content to listen and watch everything happening around them. About ten minutes went by before Yukari asked, "Who is this Dilandau guy? He sounds absolutely psychotic."

"He is. Well, he was. He is actually now a she. I can see you're confused," Van said coming to a stop, not being able to explain the insane Dilandau.

Yukari blinked and waited for a better explanation. When no one piped up, Hitomi started. "He is about our age. He is bloodthirsty and insane. His favorite things to do have to be screaming Van's name, how to get rid of him, or destroying things. He is very arrogant and self-centered. He thinks himself to be highly beautiful, and a perfect example has to be when Van cut his face. He fell to the ground as if he had been given a life threatening wound. He totally flipped out and told Van that he would pay for cutting his face. Dilandau worked for Dornkirk, a guy who was attached to several tubes and wires to keep him alive. He's really old just in case you're wondering. He also worked for Van's brother, Folken. He had his own little army called the Dragonslayers. The Dragonslayers were a group of young men who were around his age." She paused and took a breath.

"He is actually a she. He was Allen's sister and when she was really young, she was captured by Zaibach and turned into Dilandau. That's what Allen was talking about earlier. Her name is Celena just in case you were wondering."

"Oh. I guess that's a good recounting considering it was four years ago," Yukari said and rested her head on Amano's shoulder. Hitomi was leaning against Van too and Allen was left alone in the middle. He got a sad look on his face then wiped it off. He wouldn't show weakness about being lonely. He absolutely refused to.

Van let his eyes drift down, feeling so comfortable and satisfied for the first time in four years that he didn't know what to do. Hitomi rested her hand over his heart and sighed.

Allen got up, getting scared with all the mushiness going on around him. "I'm going to go to the practice field. I'll see you all later."

Amano jumped up, scaring Yukari and almost making her fall into the water fountain right behind her. "I'll come with you," he said and walked away with Allen, talking about how fascinated he was with fighting and the art of swordplay.

Yukari stood up and told Van and Hitomi she was going to search out Merle and see what she was doing. She had disappeared when she had gone back to tell Hitomi about Allen.

Hitomi started to get tired and leaned more heavily on Van. He grinned and said, "I know how you feel about being fatigued. I'm almost dead myself. I got back like ten minutes before you jumped on me in the pool. What time was that? Four in the morning?"

Hitomi nodded weakly. Van helped her up and they walked slowly back to the palace front doors. They walked in and over the mud-covered blue, white and gold carpet in the hall. He picked her up when she stopped and yawned. He almost tripped on a rise in the carpet that a servant hadn't fixed. He got angry but it went away fast when the weariness overcame him. He kicked open his door and almost threw Hitomi onto the bed. He dropped on the bed and fell immediately asleep.