Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Heart of the Dragon ❯ Angels...or Dragons? ( Chapter 15 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Chapter Fifteen: Angels...or Dragons?

 

"Did you know that Allen brought Adara back from Freid?"

Hitomi walked beside Van, who had slowed his pace to match hers. They were outside, going to the newly completed stables that Van was very excited about. "Really? Where exactly did he go when he left Merle?"

Van stayed away from her side, although today was one of her good days. It had been three weeks since Allen had returned and Hitomi and him could finally touch without it hurting her too much. Hitomi had her bad days and her good days, and yesterday was an example of a very bad day. Van had discovered that certain things could trigger it, like the nightmare she'd had the pervious night. And it had just added onto it when Van had told her about a conflict between the townspeople because there was so little space left in Fanelia's capital. So he decided that he couldn't tell her disturbing things and had to keep her safe and warm, not around anything dangerous.

"I think that he went to Palas for some business and went back to Freid to get our stuff that we had left there. Other than that, I don't know."

It felt good to be outside again, considering Van hadn't let her out since their little 'picnic', nor had the healers. She knew that he was trying to protect her, and she felt grateful for it. She smiled again, something that was rare, ecstatic that Van was going to bring her riding again for the second time. He told her that he wasn't going to teach her anything, he was just going to let her ride and enjoy it. She had eagerly agreed.

"Hey! Wait you two!"

Hitomi and Van spun around at the voices of Merle and Allen. Merle ran up to Hitomi and took her arm, dragging her to the stables while Allen grinned after them and Van stared at the ground.

"So do you want to come with us?" Van asked and treaded after his wife and Merle. They were out of his sight because they went around the corner of the palace. He could still hear them laughing although he couldn't see them.

"Yeah, Merle got all excited when she saw you and Hitomi walking out of the palace talking about the newly finished stables."

They turned the corner Merle and Hitomi had just run past and Van got a wonderful look at the completed stables. He could smell the new and freshly dark green painted wood. It was twice the size of the old one before the Great War. He had always dreamed that Fanelia become renowned for its stables and horses. He already saw his dream coming true.

Allen smiled at the look on Van's face. He could already hear all the neighing and whinnying from the horses. Several horses stuck their heads out when Hitomi and Merle walked by and they had to stop to pet them.

"Adara!!" Hitomi cried when her beautiful horse stuck its own head out of its stall. She patted its white nose and started to talk to her, telling her how much she missed her and how glorious she was.

Van tugged on her ponytail when he walked by. Hitomi's hand flew up to it to make sure he hadn't ruined it. It was different having her hair up, considering that her hair had been short her whole life. Now it had got too annoyingly long and she had put it up. Merle had told her that she looked cute when she had been chasing her and her hair had been bobbing everywhere.

Van went to the stall right next to Hitomi's and he whistled. Knight stuck his head out and butted his head against his shoulder. Van scarcely smiled and scratched behind his ear.

"How did you teach him all those tricks he knows?"

Van looked at Hitomi who had her hand resting on Adara's nose. "He was taught by some horse master that died a few years ago. I found Knight at some horse auction and he had been beaten pretty badly. I didn't just buy him because I felt bad for him, I bought him because of all the information that came with him. He was originally meant to be a nobleman's war horse, but some jerk stole him and used him for labor work since he was so powerful. I bought him and found out that he knew everything that a war horse should know. I took him up as my favorite and nursed him back to health. He's only about six years old."

"How old do you think Adara is?"

"About four or five. She's still a teenager."

Van brought his hand up to his mouth and covered it when a hoarse cough escaped his throat. Hitomi looked worried but ignored it, knowing Van didn't want her to fret. He called for a stable boy to tack up their horses after he was done nearly coughing up his lungs.

"Our horses are completely the opposite of each other. One's dark and one's light. Kind of like good and evil."

Van tried to hold back another cough. "Yeah, Knight can be as evil as any villain. He's thrown me a couple times when I do something he doesn't want to do."

Hitomi got a shocked and terrified look on her face. Van cursed silently to himself for scaring her. "No, I was fine every time he threw me."

Two stable boys with saddle's opened the wide swinging stall doors and Hitomi and Van backed up so they weren't in their way. Hitomi watched them lay blankets over their back's and asked Van, "Why do they lay blankets over their backs?"

Van took her hand carefully and brought her over to where Allen and Merle were mounting their horses. "So the saddle doesn't chafe their backs."

"Hey, are you two coming or are you just going to get all lovey-dovey?" Merle threw their way and Allen laughed.

Van turned away and looked down. Hitomi put her hand to his back and rubbed it up and down. She was really starting to get worried about him.

Merle looked ashamed about what she had said and how Van acted and said, "We'll meet you down at the path behind the palace and we can ride to the cliffs."

Van nodded and turned to the horses being led by the stable lads their way. He helped Hitomi up and made sure she was comfortable. He frowned when he saw how high up her skirts were hiked up. He still felt uncomfortable about her using a sidesaddle for they were so dangerous. "Hitomi, next time we go riding, you're going to have to use a pair of pants." He had the intense urge to laugh when he saw the back of her gown billowing out behind her, making her look like her behind was enormous.

"I can use a pair I have from Earth," Hitomi said to his back. They took their time going up the small incline to the path where Allen and Merle were waiting for them on their own horses.

Van click-clicked his horse faster with his tongue and trotted up to Merle and Allen. Van blinked when he saw Hitomi go past him, riding surprisingly graceful on the back of her horse at a fast trot. "Hitomi, be careful."

"I'm fine."

She pulled back the reins to stop the horse when they came up next to Merle and Allen.

"So are we going to the cliff?" Van asked and started up the steep incline. He leaned forward to make it easier for his horse and it took about five minutes to make it the whole way up. His back had started to hurt from the strain.

He loved how the top of the incline was a huge grass field. The long green grass waved in the soft blowing wind and he turned around, waiting for the rest of the group. Hitomi was right behind him and Merle and Allen followed her.

"Are you alright?" Van asked when Hitomi came up behind him.

"Exceptionally exhilarated."

Van smiled a real smile and started across the field. A large forest surrounded all sides except the side where the cliff faced the ocean. He could see all the birds circling around in the air and the squalls of anger when a bird stole something from another one.

Merle came up next to Hitomi and she tugged on her arm to follow her. "I won't go too fast. I promise."

Hitomi smiled evilly and kicked her horse hard in the sides. Merle did the same and chased after her fast canter.

Van looked horrified and thought that she would fall or kill herself at first, but he noticed how she was doing fine and calmed down, although his hackles were still raised.

"Calm down, she looks fine. Let her have some fun."

Van glared at Allen and sighed, raking his hand through his wind-ruffled hair. "I don't know what to do."

Van walked his horse beside Allen's as they headed slowly towards Hitomi and Merle who were clear across the field next to the woods.

"Do about what?"

Van sighed again. "Hitomi's...having some problems and I don't know what to do about it."

"What kind of problems?" Allen asked and looked across the field to Merle. Her red hair was floating all around her head like a red halo. He sighed with Van.

"I know I shouldn't be talking to you about this," Van said with a smile, "But you know everything when it comes to this kind of topic."

"What kind of topic?"

Van looked down at the ground moving under him slowly. The grass was brushing his ankles and he was glad he had pants on or he would be itching like crazy.

"Ever since her ordeal with Dilandau and him destroying her mind, she...well, she doesn't feel things anymore."

Allen snorted. "What do you mean doesn't feel things?"

"She doesn't...respond to me anymore."

Allen looked at him blankly and then his mouth formed a big "O" when he finally understood. "How do you know?"

"She told me. She totally freaked out."

"Is it like a side effect of some medicine?"

Van swatted at a bug that got too close to his face. He looked up at the birds flying overhead and said, "That's what I thought, but Nara told me she wasn't taking anything that would do that. She said that it more than likely has to do with her incident."

"Maybe she is too nervous to think about it," Allen said and looked up at Van. He looked unhappy.

"No, that doesn't effect her in the least. She never had this...problem before."

"Get her drunk. That makes you forget things, doesn't it? Makes you loose and happy and comfortable, at least until you get hung over and are puking your guts out," Allen said with a laugh.

Van grinned and shook his head. "I don't know. The last time I was drunk, I nearly killed myself."

Allen laughed harder and pushed his blowing hair out of his face. "Won't the headache in the morning be worth it?"

Van rolled his eyes, still smiling. "I guess it won't hurt to try. I just hope she won't get addicted and insist that she drink more and more until her nose is red and she gets fat like the men that live in the taverns. Have you ever seen them?"

Allen smiled and nodded. "Yeah, we should have a contest to see who can find the fattest and most drunk man in Fanelia."

Van and Allen's heads shot up when they heard two screams drift over to them on the fast blowing wind. Van paled when he saw several arrows come out of the trees and fly towards Merle and Hitomi.

Allen reacted first and slammed his heals into his horse's sides, galloping madly to Merle and Hitomi. Van got out of his shocked state and pursued Allen as fast as his horse would go.

Allen's eyes widened when he saw Merle's horse rear up high and fling her off its back, and Hitomi's horse jerk the reins out of her hands, taking off at a reckless gallop. He heard her terrified scream, and watched her reach for the reins dragging on the ground. He yelled at Van to save Hitomi while he got Merle.

Van shot past him, raised high up on the horse's back and his hair whipping in his face.

"Van!!!" Hitomi screamed when she looked back and saw Van chasing after her. She couldn't stop the horse and she didn't dare let go of the mane she was gripping onto like she would die if she let go.

"Hitomi!! Hold on!!!" Van yelled and kicked his horse harder, urging him faster. He looked up when he saw spray from the ocean fly up into the air. They were getting too close to the cliff and he was too far behind her to stop the horse. "Hitomi! Grab the reins!!"

"I can't reach them!!!" She panicked when she saw the approaching cliff and tried to reach for them again. She shrieked when she almost fell off and she hauled herself back up by the mane. "Please stop!!" Hitomi begged the horse. It was too frightened to even care what she was saying. Adara's crazy gallop just seemed to grow faster and faster and Hitomi squinted her eyes and felt them water when the wind stung them. The tears slipped out from the corners of her eyes and flew off her face.

Van felt terror go through him when the horse got to the edge of the cliff and reared up, stopping just in time before it fell off. Hitomi was flung over its head, her arms flailing in the air as a scream was ripped from her throat and echoed through the air. The last thing he saw was her skirts wafting around her legs.

Van brought up his horse and jumped off its back, hurling himself over and off the cliff, his arms spread. The spray stung his eyes and he closed them, yelling in pain when his wings burst from his back and ripped the back of his shirt apart. He gritted his teeth and dived for his wife.

Hitomi looked down and saw the ever-approaching sharp rocks below, the churning water a frothy white and yellow. She screamed as she felt a sudden instinct force its way through her, her skin splitting and rupturing in her back. She was lifted up as if someone was holding her there and she stopped just in time before she crashed into the rocks right below her. The spray covered her face and made her skin damp.

Van jerked back up and stopped in midair, right above Hitomi. He stared. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He had been falling after Hitomi, getting ready to grab her arm...when wings had just exploded out of her back, just like his! He went down farther and turned her to him. He saw the shocked look on her face and shook her. "Hitomi?! Are you alright?!"

Hitomi licked her lips and looked up at Van's panicked face. She didn't think about her mind and all the images, she just buried her face in his hair. His arm went around her back while his other hand stroked her hair. He whispered soothing words to her while he flew back up to the top of the cliff.

Both Allen and Merle gasped and stared when they saw Van with wings holding Hitomi. But that wasn't why they gasped. "Allen, I didn't know she was a Draconian!!!"

Allen helped her up off the ground. They had started to dread the thought that maybe they had both flown over the cliff and smashed into the rocks below. But when they saw them come flying back up, each with their own wings, they had calmed only a short amount. Allen dusted her off and they started running to Van and Hitomi who were lowering themselves to the cliff edge.

Hitomi calmed her shaky breathing and gripped onto Van harder. He was rubbing her back up and down, his wings curled around her in a soft white embrace. He could feel how lacerated her gown was from her wings tearing it to pieces.

Hitomi pushed herself as close as possible to him and wrapped her own wings around him, amazed that they were actually that flexible. She sneezed when a feather landed on her nose and they both laughed, their foreheads touching as they stared each other in the eyes.

Allen smiled when all he saw was white feathers flying around in the wind and Van and Hitomi's wings shrouding their whole bodies. He could only see their ankles and feet.

"Are you two alright?" Merle almost yelled and tried to peek over and around their wings. Van folded his wings behind him and they disappeared into his back. He detached his forehead from hers and kissed her gently, so scared that he had almost lost her again. He shuddered and held onto her tighter.

Hitomi ended the kiss quickly, not seeing the point of kissing when she didn't even feel anything. She squeezed her eyes tight at the pain when she brought her wings into her back. Van practically squashed her against him.

"I'm fine," Hitomi mumbled and pulled away from him. He looked hurt, but he didn't say anything.

Hitomi walked back over to her horse and Van stopped her. "No, you're not riding her. You're going home with me and then you are going to take a nap to calm down your nerves."

Hitomi looked ready to protest, but Van said, "I'll take a nap with you if you'll feel better."

Hitomi pinched her lips, still annoyed, but nodded.

"We have to hurry and get out of here before we are attacked again. Those arrows weren't play. They were real," Allen said and mounted his awaiting horse, tugging Merle up in front of him. He watched Van bring his horse over and mount him, bringing Hitomi up in front of him.

Van nodded to what Allen said and they started off at a quick pace, back to the palace. When he saw Hitomi look back at her horse, Van said, "Don't worry, we'll get someone to go get your horse and Merle's."

Hitomi stared straight ahead, not knowing what to think. She just wanted to get home where she was safe and do something to take her mind off everything.

Van yelled for some stable boys when they got back and a young man came running out to take the reins tossed to him. He didn't wait to see what Merle and Allen were doing, he just carried his wife into the palace. He shouted at the lax guards standing at the doors and told them to send men up and get the horse's and scout the area. They nodded and ran off to do his bidding.

Van carried her up to their room and set her on the bed. When he started ripping away her clothes, she sat up and grabbed a hold of his hands. "Van, don't touch me."

Van frowned at himself and walked to the door. "I'll be back in a little while. Get some rest."

She wasn't tired in the least bit and jumped up off the bed. She wanted to listen to some music and dance or something. She needed something to do while Van was in a tizzy about her protection. She grabbed her headphones sitting on the side table beside the bed and pulled them on, adjusting them to fit her head. She pushed the small power button and changed the track to number seven. She smiled when her favorite, fast-paced song came on. She twirled to the middle of the room and got frustrated at her gown when it wrapped around her legs, preventing her from doing certain moves. The whole back was ripped and there was no need to wear it. She took it off quickly and chucked it across the room.

 

 

 

Van turned the handle, opening the door. And stopped dead in his tracks. Right before him, was his half-naked wife. Her hips moved side to side, seductively and rhythmically. She turned, her arms in the air, her softly curved hip listing sharply to the right. Her eyes were closed, her lips moving to whatever music was coming from the head contraption she had on. He could hear the fast paced music and an occasional male voice. Her hips moved in a graceful motion side to side continuously, her head moving and her hair whipping to and fro. She turned around again and again slowly, but her movements fast to the beat.

His eyes followed every tantalizing motion, every jerk or slide driving him crazy and causing him to go into alarmingly blank state. He had never seen anyone dance like that before. It was so captivating and enticing that it frightened him. Her eyes were still closed and she had no idea that he was there watching her dance. He found himself being drawn to her side. He couldn't help it. Two months of pent up need was rushing through him uncontrollably.

Hitomi snapped open her eyes and almost screamed in terror when she felt someone's hands on her hips and pulling her against something hard. Van's mouth covered hers before she screamed and buried his fingers in her loose hair. He kissed her hard and uncontrollably. He was trembling with a force that scared him. He lifted her up and all but threw her on the bed. He fell on top of her and in jerky movements, lifted her chemise. She hadn't had a gown on in the first place. He didn't notice the terrified look on her face or how she was struggling until he undid the buttons on his pants and thrust his full length into her.

She screamed in panic and arched up, trying to buck him off. She pounded his shoulders and back as hard as she could, trying anything to get him off her, but she doubted he felt anything because he was so strong.

She was beyond frightened; all the thoughts that had been slowly vanishing from Dilandau entering her mind and torturing her, came slamming back into her mind. She continued to scream and fight him, but he was too strong and frenzied. She started to cry and she yanked at his hair, almost pulling it out.

He pressed himself as close as possible to her and kissed her. He pulled away just in time before she bit his tongue off. But that wasn't the reason he pulled away. He stared down at her tear streaked face, her lip bleeding from biting it too hard.

"Hitomi, why didn't you tell me?" he asked quietly.

She gazed up at him, more tears coming to her eyes. "Van, I'm scared. You're hurting me."

He cursed, not believing himself. Hitomi was still panicky and look what he just did to her. He had become crazed when he had come into the room and saw her dancing like some exotic dancer. He hadn't made love to her for over two months and he wasn't surprised that he hadn't jumped on her earlier. He was also astonished that he hadn't attacked her when he had just saw her legs when her dress had been hiked up around knees on the horse.

He rested on top of her carefully, immersing his face in her hair. Her fisted hands on his back un-snagged from his shirt and she shifted to get more commodious. He controlled his body's reaction and ignored it. He said again, "Why? Why didn't you tell me?"

The tears dried on her face. "I'm sorry," she said pathetically.

Van wanted to be angry, but he knew it wouldn't be a good idea to scare her more. If he moved his hand the wrong way it intimidated her. He couldn't conceive how unconditionally fearful she must be.

He raised himself up and off her. She rose upright and turned away when she saw Van redo his pants.

He pulled her back against his chest and ran his hands down to her belly to the tiny, barely feelable curve. He closed his eyes and felt his bitter soul fill with warmth and happiness. Ever since having Hitomi returned to him the way she was, his whole being had darkened in pain and anger towards Dilandau, every minute and hour dedicated to a personal hell. He didn't smile anymore, he didn't laugh. He had resigned himself to brooding and walking around the palace in a dead manner. He had lost weight, his health had gotten worse, and he was a sickly pale. Allen had remarked this to him and he had seen the sad look in Allen's eyes.

Almost every night he had cried himself to sleep, something that he knew he wouldn't accept if he ever got better. His mind had sunken into a deep dark trench that had made him sensitive to everything. If someone even snickered behind his back, he would walk away, his head down, trying to hold back the tears. And the stupid snicker didn't even have to be about him.

Hitomi read everything going through his mind, and felt her despair and terror of even being alive start to heal. Van started when he realized she was reading his thoughts. He spilled through her own and held her closer, squeezing her every once and a while when he read a particular one that disturbed him. He went through everything she had when Dilandau and Seibu had defiled her mind.

She had stopped reading his thoughts when she had come back to Gaea because she'd had no reason to. Van either told her how he was feeling or showed her. If it was neither of them, she would see it on his face.

She felt him hug her harder when he got to a vicious memory. He held her for almost a half an hour, it taking that long to go through her head.

"I'm so sorry, Hitomi," Van murmured and kissed her temple. "Please forgive me. Gods, I'm so sorry. I didn't know...I just didn't know it was that bad. If you hate me forever, I'll understand. Please...I'm so sorry...I just love you so much...."

Hitomi didn't know what to say. He had hurt her, but he had been there for her for so long. What should she say? "I don't know what to say, Van. You hurt me, but you have been there for me. What should I say?"

"Say you forgive me," Van said with a small laugh, trying to convince her to forgive him. He would do anything.

Hitomi twisted around when the pressure of his fingers lightened on her stomach. He pecked her on the lips, then turned it into something much warmer. He wanted to cry when she tried to pull away, but he pressed her closer.

Hitomi thought and smiled at her conclusion. "If you can make me feel something, then I'll forgive you."

Van gaped at her. He pulled away from her and got off the bed. He rubbed his forehead, thinking about what to do while he paced the length of the huge bed. He sneezed suddenly and he looked violent for a moment. "It's all because of you that I'm in this condition!!" he shouted and pointed at her. She drew back and then lowered her head.

"I'm sorry," she mouthed and clambered off the bed, racing out of the room. He winced when he heard the door bang against the frame and his shoulders sagged in failure. He looked sadly at the door before he just dropped to the ground, staring at the ceiling and watching the little flecks of dust dancing through the air. He couldn't believe he just did that, after practically begging her to forgive him, after he almost raped her....

He had no idea how long he was just laying there, but when someone walked in and kicked him in the ribs he came out of whatever he had been in.

"Get up."

Van looked up through the darkening room and saw Allen scowling down at him. "What do you want? And why did you kick me?"

"You know what? I'm so sick of you hurting Hitomi that I could just kill you," Allen growled and hauled him up by his shirt. He still had the shirt on that had been ripped in the back from earlier and he felt the rest tear from his weight. He pushed him onto the bed and Van snarled at him. He stood up on the bed, ready to jump on him when there was a faint knock on the door and a bunch of tousled red hair popped through. "Allen? Allen, is that you? I don't feel good."

Van jumped on him, but it was too late. Allen was already across the room to Merle's side and Van hit the floor, his knees and hands hitting the soft carpet. He was happy it was really soft and thick, or he would have hurt himself badly. He wrenched himself around and saw Allen bring Merle into his arms gently, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Are you alright, love?" Allen asked tenderly and froze when she shook her head no.

"No, I'm not alright."

Allen glanced back at Van before he picked up Merle and carried her out of his presence.

Van felt like cleaving something in half. Hitomi had gotten upset just because of what he had said? Was she that sensitive??!! And had she gone to Allen? Again?! He felt like yelling and screaming in rage. He seized one of the feather pillows off the bed and gripped it in both his hands, shredding it into a thousand pieces. He felt some relief and satisfaction from it and he took another one, slicing it in half just like the other one. Fluffy feathers floated in the air along with the dust he had been observing before Allen had come in.

Hitomi stopped outside his door when she heard a hoarse yell filled with pain and anger escape through the door. She dipped down and peeked through the large gold lock hole. Van was rending apart the bed pillows and chucking the thin summer blankets off the bed. She blinked when she saw him push back his hair from his face and turn around, stalking to the room-length balcony windows and open the glass door surprisingly soft. He stomped onto the balcony and he concealed his face in his palms. She watched his shoulders shake and pondered if he was crying or if his body was just shaking from anger or something.

She was scared to open the door and talk to him in his current mood. Knowing him, he probably wanted to kill someone right now. But it was all her fault he was in the frame of mind he was in now. She brought forth all the courage she could muster and opened the door.

Hitomi treaded across the beautiful carpet and stopped before she got to the opened glass door. She could hear Van's harsh breathing even from where she was standing. She lightly stroked his shoulder before he turned around and glared at her. "What?!"

Hitomi's eyes squinted in fury and she gripped his head, kissing him hard and forcing his lips open. He staggered against her, his arms in the air, afraid to touch her. She kissed him more fiercely and he hugged his arms around her firmly.

He was knocked down when Hitomi leaned on him too much and they toppled to the wooden floor of the balcony. Hitomi raised herself up and looked down at him, her cheeks red and her eyes glittering furiously.

"Moron."

"Moron? What did I do now?!" Van asked and tried to sit up, but Hitomi's weight held him down. He raised himself up on his elbows, but Hitomi bounced on him hard and he fell back down. He was trying not to smile, but his white-toothed grin appeared and Hitomi sighed. She used to melt at that smile.

"I don't know why you're a moron, you just are," Hitomi said and lifted herself off, straightening her flimsy gown that she had quickly grabbed out of her room.

"Hitomi," Van said and raised himself up off the floor. "I want us to stop fighting. What do I have to do to make it stop?" He clasped her hands and pulled her closer to him. She was looking down, as if she was embarrassed to look at him. He grasped her chin gently in his palm and made her look him in the eye. "Hitomi?"

She tried to look down, but Van wouldn't let her with his beautiful pleading eyes. She clutched his arms and tried to shake him, but he was too big. "You made me this way!!!"

Van looked at her, perplexed. "What do you mean?"

"I'm all moody and stuff now," she said with a wave of her hand. "It's all because of you!! I have all these aches and pains, and I throw up all the time, I can't keep anything down, and if I do, I'm lucky. I'm constantly going to the bathroom and...and my breasts are sore."

"All this just because I made you pregnant?" Van asked and felt something warm fill him at his words. It seemed such a short time ago that Hitomi had come back, like only a few days, compared to a few months. "A wonderful birthday present."

Hitomi's eyes widened and she felt like smacking herself. "I feel so stupid!! I totally forgot, even after mother told me!!"

"Mother? You mean my mom?"

"Yeah, she told me to call her that. It fills some sort of empty void when I do because I...because my...mother never really loved me...I guess."

Van kissed her forehead and smiled. "I guess I can give you permission to call her that."

Hitomi punched him in the arm and then rubbed it, turning it into a caress. Her hand drifted to his chest and she grinned when she felt his muscles flex and go as tight as a bow string. "You are so easy to tease."

"Really? So are you."

Hitomi's still sparkling eyes dimmed and darkened in sadness. "Not anymore," she said and left his side, going back into the bedchamber. She walked to the door and was ready to leave when she heard Van say, "Will you eat dinner with me tonight?"

A crooked smile appeared on her face and she left, not answering him.

Van took it as a yes and grinned at the closing door. He had hated it when the healers had forbid him to have much contact with her after their little escapade in the garden. He had only seen her at lunch and occasionally breakfast, and it had helped with the decline he had gone into. Riding with her today was a rare treat granted, indeed. He had flipped out on Nara, and she had given in, not able to persuade his highness that she wasn't ready for something like that.

He had ranted and yelled until the whole palace was ready to kill Nara just to make him shut up. He smiled at the thought and watched the orange sun set over his city and turn the sky shocking pinks and purples before he walked back into the nearly jet black room.

 

 

 

A half an hour later, Van and Hitomi sat alone in the informal dining room. Hitomi loved the smaller room, and how much different it looked compared to the formal one. They were sitting side by side on a small round table that could sit about five people. The room was dark, and the only thing lighting the room was the four candles set atop the table.

Van asked without warning, "How pregnant are you?"

Hitomi set down her forth glass of white wine and said, "How many months have we been married?"

Van poured more wine into her glass and smiled to himself. His plan was coming along wonderfully. "I have no idea."

"Well, I don't think I was impregnated on our wedding night, maybe a little while after that. Possibly on Earth," she said and forked some fresh green salad in her mouth. She had missed salad and couldn't get enough, nor the wine. She felt herself get all tingly and her cheeks grow warm.

There was a soft rap on the door and Merle poked her head through. "Hitomi? Van? Can I come in for a minute?"

Van gave her a look. She already knew she was allowed to come in. She walked over slowly to Hitomi and sat in one of the silky and downy cushioned chairs. "I don't know if he has become aware of it yet, but I have to tell him, Hitomi. I have to. If he even touches me in the right spot, he'll know."

Van blinked when he heard this. "Are you pregnant, Merle?"

Merle looked down and chewed on her lip, nodding. "I don't know what to do." Merle watched Hitomi take a large sip of the wine she had in her glass.

"Merle, you haven't told him yet? I thought I told you to tell him the day he came back," Hitomi almost yelled and set down her glass. Van smiled when he heard how slurred her words were.

"I know, but I haven't been feeling very well, and I've been in bed throwing up my guts. He just thought that I was sick with something. What do you think he'll do if I tell him?"

Van and Hitomi glanced at each other before Hitomi said, "Merle, he loves you, right?" she asked, her words getting more mispronounced.

"Of course, he tells me every day that goes by."

"Well, don't you think he'll be happy about this?"

Merle realized then how stupid and selfish she had acted. "Should I tell him now?"

Both Van and Hitomi nodded and Hitomi gave her a brief hug before Merle dashed from the room. "Great," Van said. "Now we're going to have two pregnant, moody, throwing up women with aches and pains that constantly have to go to the bathroom, walking around the palace and making everyone miserable and leaving all the people wishing you were gone."

Hitomi gasped and went to throw her spoon at him, but his hand grabbed hers before she got a chance. "Not anymore of that. We'll both get in trouble."

The glass that Hitomi had just taken another drink from, slipped from her fingers and shattered into a thousand pieces on the hard wooden floor. Her mouth fell open when she felt heat spread from her hand and up her arm, radiating through her whole body. As if Van understood what had just happened, he took her hand and they both ran from the room, Hitomi having a hard time of it because she was so drunk.

"Van, my head is going to be killing me in the morning," Hitomi said as they sprinted to their room, almost knocking over a servant with a duster in his hand. They both said sorry and kept going.

Hitomi was already taking off her clothes before they got to their chamber. Van tore the door almost off its hinges and shoved Hitomi in, promptly slamming the door. They jumped on each other and started ripping off their clothes, their mouths clinging and not letting go.

When Van had to take his shirt off over his head, he just split in half and threw it to the floor. Hitomi yelled in rage and yearning when her ties lacing her front got twisted in knots. Van didn't even notice she was having problems and he ripped it in two, ceasing Hitomi's frantic struggles.

They launched themselves onto the bed and their bodies tangled together. His mouth moved hungrily on hers, while his hands tugged out the hair band she had put her hair up with.

"I've been dreaming of this," he murmured and tunneled his hands into her hair. He pressed a kiss to her ear and said, "If you want me to stop, I will, just tell me."

Hitomi shivered as the tingling spread from the top of her head to her toes. His mouth claimed hers again, hotter, hungrier than before. With a moan that was part surrender, part triumph, she enveloped him with her arms, holding him close, but still not touching him with anything but her arms.

An answering moan was drawn from him as her tongue dueled boldly with his. Yes, this was what she wanted, longed for, yet scarcely thought she would ever feel again. By the time he raised his head, she was clinging to him, her senses dazed.

"Oh, Hitomi," he whispered, his eyes so dark they were black. "You're taking away all of my control with just a few kisses."

His hands skimmed up her ribs to cup her breasts, stroking them. He absorbed the small moan in a devastating kiss that made her melt.

She shivered deliciously as his long clever fingers teased her and she felt like she was burning, her skin on fire and her blood running through her veins like molten lava. "Van, please."

He gritted his teeth, afraid about what he was going to do. He kissed her one more time for good measure and lowered his body onto hers.

She jolted when their bare skin met. Van stilled, breath ragged, heart racing. Hitomi's problem. Damn. "Hitomi?"

Her face was level with his, flushed. Her eyes were smoky, rounded with wonder. "Van. You are so beautiful." She caressed the hard muscles on his chest, her fingers probing over the ridges.

"But aren't you scared? Didn't all those images come back?" he asked, his voice harsh due to his slipping control.

"No, I'm not scared." She wriggled closer and arched up against him. They both moaned.

Van slid his hands down her back and cupped her bottom, molding her against him. Hard to soft.

"Van!! Be careful!!" she shrieked.

Van didn't seem to hear her. He stitched a line of stinging kisses down her neck and across her collarbone to the swell of her breast. His hot breath fanned her skin and she shivered when he looked up at her, as if asking permission to continue. She shoved his head down and he smiled. "Alright," he said, a small amount of amusement in his voice. His tongue laved one nipple and then his mouth covered over it, drawing down with devastating thoroughness.

Hitomi cried his name, clutching his head as he tortured her. She cried out again, only this time in dismay when he lifted his mouth away, but it was only long enough to transfer his affections to the other one. Hitomi ran her hands through his hair, urging him on as his fingers came closer and closer to where she wanted them most.

Van shuddered, struggling to maintain some control over his rampaging body. The feel of Hitomi coming apart in his arms nearly broke him. He just wanted to bury himself in her, but he held back, wanting her pleasure more than his own. His reward was her throaty groan as his fingers touched the secret heart of her, smiling as the moonlight played over her shocked expression. The surprise gave way to wonder and finally ecstasy as he led her over.

Hitomi arched against him, moaning as release shuddered through her. She opened her eyes and saw him poised above her. His face was stark, nearly violent, the corded muscles of his neck and chest testimony to the effort he made to hold back. For her. "Van...."

With a groan that was part aggression, part surrender, he parted her thighs and gave her what she wanted.

Hitomi cried out, gripping Van's shoulders to make him stop. Pleasure vanished, and there were only those false images running through her mind.

"Oh, Hitomi. I'm so sorry, love." He held himself perfectly still, muscles quivering with the strain to hold back. "I'll stop."

"Wait." Her body clenched instinctively to keep him. He gasped and she felt the images start to recede. She concentrated on Van and they went away completely.

Experimentally she moved her hips in a slow languid caress. They both gasped this time, and she felt the familiar rush start again. "Love me, Van," she murmured, twining her arms around his neck.

"I do...I will...but-"

"No buts. Make me well and truly yours."

"You are," he said softly, and set about proving it. He kissed her brows, her nose, the sensitive hollow of her neck. He whispered words of love and passion as he moved gently into her, the rhythm slow and easy, coaxing and seducing.

Hitomi sighed and clung to him. The sense of being invaded by the false images retreated on a wave of pure bliss. "This is like a dream come true. I never thought I would feel this again."

Van smiled. He had traveled through hell to find a woman whom he belonged to as thoroughly as he did Hitomi. She was his soul mate, his other half. Feeling the first tiny flutters begins deep inside her, he lifted her hips and plunged faster, carrying them higher and higher. "I love you, Hitomi. Before I met you, I never thought to say the words. I love you with all my heart and soul."

Hitomi's eyes misted over and she felt the tears seep out of her eyes at his words. He kissed the tears away and his lips moved to hers. He caught the cry in his mouth as her body convulsed, waves of rapture and earth-shattering pleasure shivering through her. Groaning, Van tightened his hold on her and rode out the storm.

"I forgive you, Van," Hitomi whispered before she fell asleep, her arms wrapped limply around his neck.

Van lowered his head to her shoulder and closed his eyes. This time was right and perfect. That was Van's last coherent thought before he drifted into oblivion.