Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Heart of the Dragon ❯ Lovers ( Chapter 18 )

Van went into the biggest decline he had ever had in his short life. Hitomi and Allen had left for Asturia two weeks ago and no one had seen them since. Their divorce proceedings had ended the same day she had left with her new lover.

Merle had been absolutely hysterical over her and Allen getting divorced, but she had continued right next to him, her head held high and proud.

Normally when something like this happened, which wasn’t normal at all, either the queen was killed or she was banished forever. But Van couldn’t do it. He still loved her and always would, no matter what happened.

Van was standing on his balcony, staring at the starless sky. Memories flashed before his eyes of his ex-wife and him soaring through the sky. He clenched his fist. He remembered Hitomi’s cold words the day she had left. "When this child is born, I’ll send it to you. I don’t want it. It's not mine and Allen’s."

He felt the all familiar tears come to his eyes. He didn’t want to think about the child. Did he want it now? Or would he cherish it as if it was the most precious thing on Gaea?

He turned his thoughts inward. He didn’t want to think about his ex-wife and Merle’s ex-husband making love, if that’s what those insane acts were called.

He didn’t hear the door click behind him. How long had it been? A month and a half since she had turned on him? What had made her do that? "Oh, God, Hitomi. Why?!" he shouted into the still night air.

"Van."

He jerked around to see Merle standing behind him in some frothy black confection that hid everything from his view, for which he was grateful. He looked away and motioned her to his side.

"Have you been crying?" Merle asked and laid her hand on his back, rubbing it up and down to sooth his stiff muscles.

"No, but I was about to," Van muttered.

"I just finished my nightly hour of crying."

Van got a concerned look on his face and he turned to her. "Are you alright?"

Merle closed her eyes. Van could see the muscles jumping her jaw in anger just like his did. The thought made him smile.

The black cloud that had been covering the Mystic Moon disappeared and illuminated the land. Van’s eyes widened when the sheer fabric Merle was wearing was rendered transparent by the light. Desperate lust made his blood boil unwillingly and he tried to look away, but he couldn’t for some reason. He reached for her and Merle gasped when he pulled her gently into his arms. When she looked up into his heavy-lidded gaze, she blinked.

"Van?" She licked her suddenly dry lips and saw the desire flare in his dim eyes. She looked down, wary.

Van lifted her chin with his hand and looked into her eyes. She closed them and Van lowered his mouth to hers. Their kiss was tentative and nervous at first, but soon got more intense and frantic.

His hand slid down from her chin, down over the side over her breast, around her waist and down, spreading over her bottom, and pressing her firmly against him.

Merle’s eyes widened and she exclaimed, "Gods, Van!! You're huge!!"

Van chuckled and let his mouth drift away from the tempting salvation of her mouth to her throat. His tongue traveled over the pounding pulse and licked and kissed it, letting his lips linger. Merle moaned and held onto him tighter, arching her body against him so he would have more access to her.

Van’s hands slid the small straps away from her shoulders. It caught on the fullness of her breasts and Van’s eyes glittered, his eyes taking in what he had never appreciated before. He pushed it down with his fingers inch by inch, until it was resting at her waist. Van’s eyes completely devoured her and he cupped them gently in his hands, knowing that they would be tender from his experiences from his ex-wife’s pregnancy.

Her nipples hardened in response and he dipped his head to take one in his mouth. A soft cry left her mouth and she clutched his head, drawing him closer.

Van suckled her greedily, yet with a gentle thoroughness that shocked Merle and made her completely melt.

Van lifted his head and covered her mouth with his, his tongue urgent and unsatisfied. She whimpered for more and Van took her up in his arms, bringing her into the room, closing the door, and lying her down on the bed as if she was the most precious thing in the world to him.

He covered her with his still fully clothed body and pulled down the rest of her nightgown, having her lift her hips as he did so. He threw it over his head and he groaned when Merle wrapped her legs around him.

"Oh, Merle. You are so beautifully responsive," he whispered and stared at her giving and willing body. He was surprised at how deliciously curved she was and moaned deep in his throat when she pressed against him again.

She begged breathlessly, "Van, please. I need you so much."

At her words, Van went wild. They both tore at his clothing until they were ripped to shreds and lying at the side of the enormous bed.

Merle gazed at his naked body with beyond shocked eyes. She gulped and looked back up into his silent face. He cocked an eyebrow at her as if waiting for her to say something, and she giggled. "Oh, Van. If I didn’t already know what this was about, I would be absolutely terrified."

Van grinned at her and asked, "Why?"

Merle stuttered. "B-because you’re so...big."

A wicked smile reached his face and he kissed her carefully, molding her against his body. She fit him almost as good as Hitomi did. He froze at the thought and took a deep breath. The woman didn’t deserve anything from him, damn it. He kissed her harder and moaned when she wrapped her legs around him again and bowed up to press her breasts against his hard chest.

Merle started trembling and short gasps emerged from her throat as Van’s hand went between her legs and worked their skillful magic. "Oh, Gods, Van. Please!!"

Van hesitated a moment before he parted her legs further and settled himself between them. He came into her slowly, drawing moans from both of them.

When he was fully inside her, he moved faster and faster, his movements becoming more forceful and rough. He thrust his tongue in her mouth just as he was her body and the erotic sense of it made Merle stiffen, crying out as her body convulsed. Van heaved over her and with one final groan, fell on her.

After their harsh breathing calmed, they stiffened and stared at each other. Van swallowed and thought about what he should say. "Merle, you don’t...hate me now do you? I couldn’t take it if you did."

Merle felt tenderness go through her and wrapped her arms around his neck, shifting her position.

Van groaned and Merle felt him harden inside her once more. "Oh."

He went to pull away from her, blushing and muttering something about what a pig he was.

"No, Van. Don’t leave me. Make love to me again. I need you to fill the empty void that no one else can."

"So you don’t hate me?" Van asked nervously, strange feelings going through him at her words.

"I could never hate you, Van."

He made quick and harsh love to her again, the need to cover the hurt from their beloved’s driving them to higher levels and only made them want more.

Merle laid drenched in sweat and more sated than she ever thought possible after the fourth time. Van hadn't been able to get enough of her, and had nearly driven her insane with the crazy and unrelenting pleasure he had evoked in her. They had just kept going, neither of them seeming to be satisfied.

It was almost morning, the birds chirping outside. Van fell to his side and drew her against him, falling asleep after he said, "I'm sorry, Hitomi."

Merle didn’t feel any hurt at his words, but only felt longing for Allen to hold her one more time in his strong and loving arms. She needed him, wanted him. However, when presented Van, she felt something special click. She hoped she didn’t fall in love with him. Again.

Van woke up to a soft purr running through his mind. Merle’s body was almost vibrating from it and its power soaked into him, giving him a gentle massage. He smiled and looked into her beautiful relaxed face. He couldn’t believe what had transpired last night. Four times. He racked his mind for a time when he had done it that much, but couldn’t find one. Him and Hitomi and done it three times, and he could have went further, but he didn’t because she was pregnant and hadn't wanted to hurt her.

He blinked when he saw her tail swish out of nowhere. It thumped the bed when it went back down and he grinned. He watched the sway of it and got a closer look. He hadn't seen her tail since after the Great War, for she had taken to dresses. It was longer, soft fur with light stripes covering it.

He jumped when it curled around his arm. He smiled and said, "Merle, I know you’re awake."

He was shocked at how strong it was when it actually pulled him closer over to him. She giggled at the stunned expression on his face when she opened her pretty blue eyes. She let it drift back down behind her and Van said, "Bring that thing back over here. I want to get a closer look at it."

Merle laughed and brought it back over, letting it whack him in the arm. He smiled and took it in his hand, inspecting it. He started to pet it and her purring got more intense. He became a captivated creature when his hands left her tail and explored her body. He kissed her and they both laughed when her tail curved around his back.

The sudden knock on the door made Van bolt upright in bed. He looked at Merle and smiled at the blush that was rising high on her cheeks. He gave her another kiss and jumped out of bed, searching for his mutilated pants. He pulled them on and both him and Merle grinned when they saw his left pant leg dangling from a string, his button missing at the top of his pants and other assorted rips among them.

Van walked as casually as he could over to the door, for his legs were wobbly. Merle giggled from the bed and he gave her a false scowl, which made her only erupt into even more. He awarded her one of his white-toothed grins and opened the door a crack. "Yes?"

General Eagan stood there, a pale look on his face, wringing his hands. Van knew something was terribly wrong instantly because his favorite general would never do anything like that, ever.

"Your highness, I don’t know if you are going to take this as good or bad news—"

"What?!" Van asked impatiently, fear clutching at him. He walked out into the hallway and closed the door.

"Her high—err, your ex-wife, has been found...dead."

Van stared at him as if he hadn't heard it. The general chewed on his lips and continued. "Her body isn't exactly what one would call in good condition. Reports from Asturia said that the couple had gone missing after a week of being there. They found her body lying in a ditch. She was burnt to death."

Van turned around and walked back into his room, closing the door quietly. He saw Merle digging through his drawers for a shirt and a pair of pants, although he doubted they would fit her because of her stomach. She had a black silk shirt on that went down to her thighs and she pulled out a pair of his tan pants. She tugged them on quickly and turned around to see Van staring at nothing. She gave him a smile and then it dropped of her face when she saw the single lonesome tear run down his cheek and slip between his lips.

"Van!? What's wrong?!" She ran over to him and she watched him close his eyes, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to pour over in a torrent. When he reopened them, Merle gasped. Pure utter rage and hate reflected in the brownish-red depths. She wrapped her arms around him and he buried his face in her hair, inhaling her feminine scent that only a woman could have. Hitomi had that smell. She always had smelled of outside and her true undying love. But not anymore. She was dead, burned to the point of death, their child, and his only hope, dead along with her.

"Merle, why do all these horrible things always happen to me? And you for that matter," Van whispered and held onto her tightly.

"Van, I don’t understand. What happened?" Merle asked. He let her go and walked over to the side of the room where his sword and scabbard were resting, unused. He went back over to her and she gasped when he picked her up. She thought that he was going to bring her over to the bed and make love to her again, but he walked over to the balcony. She saw his intention and said, "Van, I don’t know if this is a good—"

She stopped at his pained yell and clamped her jaws shut. She gaped at his beautiful wings, something that she hadn't really gotten a good look at for a few years. Sure, she had seen them from a distance, or hadn't paid attention to them because she had been worried, but now she could.

They were bigger, the wing spread was about twelve feet and went over the sides of the balcony because they were so big. The feathers were so a clean and pure white that it almost blinded her. The feathers that had come loose when he had unfurled his wings were floating slowly down.

"I'm sorry, Merle. But I have to take off for a while. I hope you don’t mind that I bring you with me," Van said and adjusted her in his arms.

"Not at all. Where are we going? Do we have any money?"

Van smiled. "Never heard of an adventure before?"

"But Van, I'm pregnant and I need—"

"Don’t worry, Merle. I’ll take care of you," Van said and kissed her on the lips and let them remain, apparently not getting enough. She couldn’t bury her fingers in his hair because she more than likely would fall. He deepened it and she felt his breathing quicken and become more harsh. She pulled away, looking down and saying, "If we are leaving maybe we should go now before you want to go further."

"I thought you liked it," Van said with a small grin.

"No, I hate it." At Van’s shocked look, she laughed and smacked his arm playfully. "You actually believe that?"

Van relaxed visibly and said, "You’ll pay for that later." His grin widened when he felt the shiver go down her spine. He couldn’t believe that him and Merle were lovers now. The thought had never even crossed his mind before. Well, maybe it had before Hitomi and him had been married, but that had instantly disappeared when he got her in his bed. He frowned at himself, remembering the past month or so without her. He had, just like he had told Merle, searched her out. He wouldn’t even know it until all the thoughts of Hitomi being naked in his arms had him hard as a stone and he was walking around like that. He smiled at the ridiculousness of it all.

Instead of finding Hitomi after he had calmed down, he had found some servant girl walking down the hallway. It had taken everything in him not to jump on her, but when he had seen the look she had been giving him, and had brushed against him in invitation, he hadn't been able to help himself. He had always kept away from the palace maids, for he had never believed in that sort of thing. She had pulled him into one of the antechambers and he had practically ravished her, and had felt so disgusted with himself afterwards, that he had wanted to kill himself. He had left her sleeping in the rumpled bed and hoped that he would never see her again.

He left for the city to see if he could find something to do, such as some of the left over construction that was still going on. He should have known better. If every single palace maid had turned him on, then he shouldn’t have even left his room. Still, in his ignorance and continuation of the search for his ex-wife, he had walked down to the market place.

Immediately he had almost fallen out of his saddle and it had seemed like all the women were giving him tempting looks, even the little girls and old women.

He had gone straight back to the palace and locked himself in his room, raging at himself for a horny bastard. He had almost ripped his hair out of his head, for he would keep going back to the door and trying to unlock it. He had been some sort of a crazed animal, like a female in heat, yet he was a male. He had walked out of his room, shaking almost violently and had found a guard. The man had been shocked that his highness had wanted him to guard a door with himself locked behind it. But he hadn't argued, in fact, he had done his job surprisingly well. They had found a room without any windows, for he knew that that small barrier wouldn’t have held him back. He had left the guard with instructions not to let him out for no reason, unless food was needed, and if he got out, to knock him out.

The guard hadn't argued and for that Van was grateful. He had been in there for three days, just sitting there and staring at the wall. The man had become some sort of a friend to Van for they had talked through the door. Van had tried to explain to him what was wrong with him, but he didn’t think the man had understood. He could have cared less if everyone in Fanelia thought he was going insane. For in a way he had, and still was. If he hadn't had this problem, he more than likely hadn't of made love to Merle. And four times at that.

Merle watched his thoughtful expression for a few minutes before she said, "Are you ready?"

Van looked at her blankly, as if he didn’t know why she was there. He blinked a couple times and smiled at her. "Yeah, I guess I'm ready."

Van jumped up onto the low railing and smiled at her. He dived right off it and Merle almost screamed, her stomach leaping right up into her throat. She gulped and held it down. Her morning sickness hadn't been as bad, but sudden things like this could make it start again.

Van went up high over the city when he got the wind under his wings and looked down at her. Her face was a wonderful shade of green. "Oh, I'm sorry, Merle. I totally forgot about that."

"It’s alright," she whispered and held onto him tighter. She had never been in his arms when he was flying and after her stomach calmed, she let the soft flowing motion relax her.

Van watched her eyes close and clutched her tighter. He was feeling more protective of her by the moment and it was starting to scare him. He didn’t want to take that responsibility again. Allen had taken it over when they had gotten married, and it had felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Merle, although she was much more mature and beautiful, was still a handful. He smiled when he realized she was asleep.

He had no idea where he was going, he just wanted to get away, as far away as he could get. He saw familiar things in Fanelia disappear and wondered where as was. He adjusted Merle in his arms again to make sure she stayed comfortable. She sighed and mumbled something, but stayed sleeping peacefully.

The air grew colder as time went by, considering it was fall, going into winter. The leaves on the trees were almost all gone, and the ones that were left, were assorted browns and reds. He decided that he needed a break since he had been flying for over four hours, and looked around. A small village was approaching to the north and Van wondered if it was enemy or ally. He decided that he would check it out and see. Merle was probably hungry, and she needed to feed the baby.

He landed next to the woods by the village so no one saw him with his wings. He started hiking towards it and took a deep breath, smelling something that was cooking. Merle was still sleeping in his arms contentedly, unaware of the possible danger that might face them if the town was enemy or didn’t accept visitors.

He found a small dirt road and followed it to the looming town. It didn’t seem like they would even care he was there. It was big enough that it should have some housing arrangement for them to stay in. He smacked himself mentally, realizing, even after Merle had told him, that they didn’t have any money. They would have to improvise with what they had.

The noise of the town grew louder as he got closer to it. People that were loitering along the road giving him weird looks, more than likely because he had no shirt on and he was carrying a pregnant cat woman in his arms with men’s clothes on.

He looked at the bustling crowd in the marketplace. No one even noticed him. He felt something brush his hip and he looked down. A little boy was trying to take his sword! Van glared at him and the little boy ran away. Van frowned and walked further into the town, which was bigger than he thought it would be. People parted so he would have room to move through. They probably thought he was carrying an unconscious woman.

Merle stirred in his arms and opened her eyes when she heard the ear-blistering noise. She covered her yawn with her hand and said, "Van? Where are we?"

Van made sure she was alright and asked before he answered, "Do you want me to set you down?"

"Only if you want to."

Van held her even closer in his arms if that was even possible, and Merle smiled. He wanted her with him. She felt protected and cherished, something that she had missed since Allen had left her.

Van looked around and saw a wooden sign above what looked like a tavern. "I think this town might be called Fadri. I don’t think I have ever heard of it before. That sign says Fadri’s Lodge. Do you want to go in? Maybe I could plead that my wife is pregnant and isn't feeling well."

Merle smiled and nodded. "What happens if they don’t buy it? What do we do?"

Van thought a moment before he said, "We’ll be sleeping in the woods."

Merle got a disgusted look on her face and Van couldn’t help but laugh. "Did you grow soft on me, Merle?"

"No more than you did me!!!"

Van smiled and said, "Alright, here we go. Try to look deathly ill."

"If I even smell something I won't even have any problem with that. Just watch, as soon as I go in there, I'm going to have to puke. Just watch."

"If you do, don’t do it on me," Van said and walked into the opened doorway. Merle went limp and closed her eyes, wrapping her one arm around him and holding onto her stomach with the other. Van almost laughed at how convincing she looked, but held it back, walking over to the counter.

A big-bosomed woman with a brownish red dress and a surprisingly clean white apron on stood behind one of the biggest men Van had ever saw, even though he was big himself. His own six foot two didn’t even compare to the man. He walked up to him and said, "I was wondering if—"

"Sorry, boy. All our rooms are full."

"But—"

"Wait a second. You look familiar. Tell me your name," he said in a booming voice.

Van hesitated, wondering what the surly group in the large tavern thought of royalty. He shrugged, thinking that they wouldn’t dare hurt him with a woman in his arms. "Van de Fanel, King of Fanelia."

The man gave him a suspicious stare and the woman behind him turned around. The drunk men that had been sitting at the tables looked up and gave him their own glares.

Van looked back and forth, making sure no one approached him and would hurt Merle. He wasn’t worried about himself, it was the pregnant woman in his arms.

"Is that so? Prove it," the man said and crossed his arms over his barrel chest, taunting Van.

"Merle, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to set you down," Van said and started to lower her.

The woman behind the huge man slapped his arm as hard as she could. "For shame, Elide!! Can't ye see how sick dis poor woman is?! He were just asking for a room and ye are so insensitive!! Da poor thing looks like she’s goin’ ta be sick!!"

Van checked Merle and almost smiled, but contrived for a concerned look. "Are you alright, Merle?"

Merle felt her stomach roll around and tie into knots. "Van, I'm going to be sick. I told you that I would."

The woman behind the counter gasped and smacked the man again. She bustled around and took Merle, almost dragging her into a back room.

"So, I guess you were telling the truth. The woman said your name," Elide said and uncrossed his huge, muscle bulging arms.

Van smiled and said, "Yeah, I'm sorry about Merle. She’s pregnant. If she hadn't have done that, then I just would have taken out this." Van proceeded to unsheathe his sword and turned the handle to show the crest of Fanelia. The man glanced at it and then took it from Van.

Van thought he was going to break it right in half and almost sighed in relief when he didn’t and handed it back to him. He had no doubt that the man could crush him to death with just his enormous hands. He looked to the now open door to the back room when he heard Merle throwing up whatever she had in her stomach.

"So, is there something that you need, your highness?" Elide asked, as if he was a servant to Van. Van was expecting sarcasm and smiled at the man when he didn’t receive any.

"I was looking for a room me and my wife could stay in, but we doubted it because we have no money. We just left the palace without anything. I needed to...get away," Van said and tried to keep the tremor out of his voice at the last part.

"I had that feeling when you first came in here with your wife. We don’t normally lend out rooms, and I was telling the truth when I said our rooms are full. If they weren't all full, me and my own wife would have willingly let you have a room for the night. I'm sorry."

Van nodded and sighed. He guessed him and Merle were spending the night in the woods. He didn’t like the thought of freezing, but other than that, he had no problem with it.

"I guess we are going to stay the night in those woods south of the town," Van said and looked up when he saw Merle stagger back into the room with the man’s wife he was talking to. He opened his arms and Merle fell willingly into them, moaning. "Uh, I hate being pregnant."

"I'm sorry, Merle, but we’re going to be staying in the woods."

"A wonderful prospect, surely," she said and leaned on him more heavily. "I'm hungry."

Van smiled at her and picked her up in his arms. "I’ll see if I can hunt something down."

"If only I was cat enough I could catch something and you wouldn’t have to worry about it," Merle mumbled and latched her arms around his neck.

"How do you know if you can't catch something? You never tried."

Gem looked at her husband Elide and rolled her eyes. "We can give ye some blankets so ye can stay warm in da freezin' cold tonight. We are sorry about our place bein’ full. The travelin’ festival is in da town dis week."

Van watched the woman scurry into the back room and come out a few moments later with her arms full of blankets. Van set down Merle and wondered how he was going to carry her and the blankets at the same. She waved her hand as if she was confirming something. "I can walk, Van. You can carry the blankets."

Van thanked the people and Merle and him left, walking out into the lively town. Merle looked completely fascinated and took off, Van trailing quickly behind her. "Merle, slow down!!"

They walked into the heart of the festival, the people so smashed together that it seemed like no one moved. Merle latched onto his arm, and covered her rounded belly with her other hand, as if to protect it. "Van," she said, "How are you going to catch anything when you only have a sword? Are you going to chase after a rabbit and slice off its head? I sincerely doubt it."

Van thought about what she had said and realized how stupid it had been just to take off. He cursed and Merle smiled. "Don’t worry, Van. I got the problem solved." Van was about to question what she meant, but she disappeared into the crowd. He panicked and looked around frantically. Just as soon as she had disappeared, she came back. And with a bow and a quiver of arrows along with her.

Van grinned and shook his head. "You're bad, Merle."

A wicked grin plastered on her face, she said, "Anything else you want or need? I saw this thing I wanted over there—"

"Merle, you're crazy. Since when did you take up to stealing?" Van asked, a tint of humor in his voice.

"Since now."

"Oh, well. Normally I would heartily object to something like this, but if you insist. And if you get caught," he paused and pointed, "Run like hell to those woods. I’ll go there if you don’t come back in fifteen minutes. Until then, I’ll be waiting here. I won't move, so don’t worry."

Merle smiled and handed him her merchandise. She departed again and Van stood there, his arms full of blankets and a bow with arrows. He waited for what he thought was fifteen minutes and looked around. He turned and almost dropped everything. "How do you materialize like that? It’s like all of a sudden you’re gone and then you're there. It drives me nuts!"

Merle had her own arms full of all the junk she had stolen. She had a big grin on her face and Van started walking out of the crowd towards the woods, Merle following behind him.

She told him all the things she got: kindling for fire, a small deadly sword with a ruby imbedded in it along with a scabbard and a leather belt, a white shirt for him, two apples, a bag to carry the stuff in, some soap, and a flask to fill with water. Van just smiled and shook his head some more. She had gotten everything they needed, plus more. Maybe sleeping outside with a pregnant and needy woman wouldn’t be as bad as he had thought it would be.

It was only around five thirty and the sky was starting to get dark. They hurried to the woods and looked around until Van found a large stream rushing in soft waving currents. He longed for a bath, but not a cold one. They dropped their stuff and started setting up. Van went off to look for firewood and Merle laid out the blankets and found some big rocks to surround the fire pit.

Van came back with a pile of wood that should last them for a few hours. He smiled when he saw the camp set up, but it dropped off his face when he didn’t see Merle. He abandoned the wood by the fireplace and looked around. "Merle? Merle, where are you?!"

He saw a shirt lying next to the blankets and then saw her pair of pants a few yards away. He followed them and saw a smaller blanket sitting next to the stream. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, leaning against a tree. He saw Merle in the middle of the surprisingly deep stream, washing her hair with the soap she had stolen. She dunked her head under the water and came up squealing and shivering to death. She slapped her arms and rubbed them, her teeth chattering. "Th-this is th-the cold-coldest water I h-have ever f-felt!"

Van laughed and she looked up, a smile on her face. "I’d like to see you come in here and not freeze!!"

"I’ll take one in the morning. Until then, you better come out before you get sick."

"If you l-leave, I w-will," she said and rubbed her arms more vigorously.

Van cocked his eyebrow at her. "Since when do you have modesty?"

Merle slouched in the water and thought. "Since...now!!"

When he just stood there, she yelled in frustration. A big smile appeared on his face and he watched her trudge out of the water, still freezing and shivering like crazy. She tried to cover herself from his eyes, but didn’t succeed very well. His eyes swept her like water and she felt herself blush. She picked up the blanket and wrapped it again her tightly. She walked passed him and he held out an arm, stopping her.

Van knew it wasn’t a good idea to do what he was doing, for he still needed to find something for them to eat while the sun was still up. He couldn’t help it after seeing Merle—a wet pregnant cat goddess—come out of the water.

He tugged her into his embrace and covered her mouth with his. His tongue plunged into her mouth and she responded wantonly, pushing her body against his. He moaned and she pulled back when she felt the evidence of his arousal pressing against her rounded belly. "Van, shouldn’t you um, go find something for us to eat?"

Van wondered why she was feeling so nervous. He could tell by the wary look in her eyes. "Did I hurt you last night, Merle?"

"No...no you didn’t hurt me at all," Merle mumbled. In fact it had been quite the opposite.

"Then what's wrong? Why are you acting this way?"

Van felt the increase in her breathing, but he knew it was because she was getting upset. "Van, I just...don’t want to."

Van’s raised eyebrows lowered in an instant. "Why?"

Merle felt the tears come to her eyes. Damn her pregnancy. If it wasn’t for it, she wouldn’t be so emotional. "I feel like I'm betraying Allen."

Van felt intense anger go through him at her words. He shook her hard until her head snapped back and she looked at him with fear in her eyes. "At least you still have him alive," he said viciously and pushed her hard away from him, stalking away back to the camp to get the bow and arrows.

Merle stood there, confused. She watched Van take the needed utensils and walk into the darkening woods. She was scared at the way he had reacted, and felt like maybe she had lost him and his much needed friendship. Was she all alone now? She felt a sob raise into her throat and she fell to the ground, her legs suddenly too weak to hold her weight.

Van came back an hour later, a pheasant clutched in his hand. It was dark and he could barely see anything. He didn’t see Merle’s form under the blankets and sighed, wondering where she was now. Had she just left this time? Pregnant women were just too much for him.

It was getting colder by the second, and he couldn’t see Merle, which further alarmed him. He walked over to what he thought was the pile Merle had dumped on the ground and dug through it, finding the material needed to start the fire. He piled the wood in the pit and found two rocks. He banged them together hard enough for sparks to fly. They hit the kindling and Van smiled when it started. He blew on it a couple times and put some more wood on it, until he was confident it wouldn’t go out.

His eyes searched the campsite and he saw a small bundle shivering in a blanket by the stream. He frowned and walked over to Merle, picking up her violently shivering body and carrying her back over to the blankets set by the growing fire. He went back to find her clothes and came back, setting them next to her. He unrolled her and tried not to look at her. All he cared about was that she didn’t get sick. He dressed her quickly and put her under the thick blankets. He wanted to go under them with her to help her warm up, but he had to cook their dinner.

Merle woke up to the wonderful smell of food. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She looked down at herself when she realized she had clothes on and was under the blankets. She glanced up and saw Van staring into the fire, a piece of something held in his hand. He lifted it to his mouth and tore a part off with his teeth. Merle smiled and said, "Is that food?"

Van scrutinized her and looked back into the fire. "Yeah. There’s some over there if you want any. Its pretty good considering what I had to work with."

Merle looked over to were Van pointed and picked up a small piece. She ripped off a piece just like Van and chewed it thoroughly. "I commend you for a good cook, considering what you had to work with," she added and took another bite.

A brief smile splayed over his mouth and he went back to eating and staring into the fire.

After what seemed an eternity to Merle, although it was only ten minutes, she couldn’t contain herself anymore. "What did you mean when you said ‘at least you still have him alive’?"

She saw the spasm of pain cross his face and could have kicked herself. "I'm sorry, Van. I shouldn’t have asked, I’m a cat and I have so much curiosity—"

"No, it’s alright," Van interrupted her. He went back to glaring into the fire and Merle sighed. She jumped when he started talking again. "This morning I was told Hitomi was killed. Burned to the point of death. That’s why I cried."

Merle’s hand flew to her mouth. "But...how? I thought you felt everything she felt, especially pain. Wouldn’t you have felt it?"

Van contemplated what she had said and shrugged. "I don’t know. Maybe our connection was severed when she took your husband as a lover."

Merle jerked back, the words scalding her. Van didn’t notice, and even if he had, he more than likely wouldn’t have cared.

"I'm sorry, Van. Hitomi was my best friend and I depended on a lot of things from her. I just can't believe someone killed her." She paused and said, "Who do you think it was?"

"Dilandau and Seibu. They want me to suffer, and they’re doing it very well. I don’t know what to do," he whispered. He looked at her with sad eyes and she crawled over to him, bringing him into her arms. "I don’t know what I would do if I lost you, Merle."

Merle felt his body tremble with the force to keep back the tears. "It's ok, Van. Just let it out."

Van shook his head against her shoulder. "No, she doesn’t deserve this. She doesn’t deserve me!"

Merle heard something in the woods and her ears perked up and went back. Van was still trying to hold back the tears that Merle knew he should let fall over.

"Do you think she ever loved me, Merle?" Van asked quietly and buried his face further into her hair.

"Of course, Van. I don’t understand what happened, but for some reason I don’t think it was because they were having an affair. I think it has something to do with Seibu and Dilandau."

Merle heard it again. The crunch of dry leaves under someone’s foot. She felt the back of her neck prickle and nudged Van. "Van, I think someone’s out there," she whispered.

Van, knowing not to underestimate Merle after all the times something like this had happened, let go of her slowly, and reached for his sword lying beside him. He said, "You watch my back, and I’ll watch yours. If you see something, you know what to do. Just pretend your still talking to me."

Van laid his sword on his lap and wrapped his arms loosely around Merle.

"Um, what are we going to do tomorrow?" Merle asked and kept her eyes peeled on the area around her. She kept hearing that noise and it was distracting her.

Van watched her ears go up. Even with all his skills, he would never hear as good as Merle. "I don’t know. Maybe we should only stay gone for a couple of days and then go back. Fanelia is probably going nuts thinking that we are dead or something."

It was then that Van heard it. Merle stiffened in his arms. The signal. His left arm went down to his sword and he slowly unsheathed it, inch by inch.

Merle fell backwards when Van jerked around faster than lightning and his sword clashed with his foe’s. She searched around for her own small blade and saw it lying on the pile of stuff she had stolen. She grabbed it and threw the scabbard to the side.

Van felt the force of their swords crashing reverberate up his arm. His adversary wasn’t as good as him, but Van knew that there were more out in the woods. Just as soon as he had thought it, five more men came out of the woods. Van yelled for Merle to run, but she didn’t move. He noticed his opponent’s weak spot on his right. He left it unguarded. He took advantage of it and jammed his sword through his side. The man fell to the ground and Van ran over to Merle who was holding her sword in front of her in a fighter’s stance. Van felt pride go through him and had no doubt she would be able to protect herself at least to an extent.

It was then that Van saw him. Dilandau. He waved his men forward and they all ran at Van at once. Van held his place, but a man knocked him down, causing his sword to fly out of his hand.

"Van!!"

Van looked over at Merle who had her small sword encountering another man’s bigger one. She kicked out at the man and met his groin. He fell to the ground holding himself. Merle smiled and said, "I learned that from Hitomi!!"

Two men picked up Van, hauling him to his feet. He fought against them, but he couldn’t throw them off. They dragged him over to Dilandau who handed them a rope. They tied his hands behind his back firmly, cutting off his circulation. He gave Dilandau a look of sheer hatred. His face twisted into an evil grin and Van spit on him, landing on his cheek with the scar. Dilandau’s grin fell off his face and he kicked Van as hard as he could in his shoulder, making him fall to the ground.

Van jerked his head over in the direction of Merle when he heard another pained yell. Merle had jumped on a man and had slashed open his face with her claws, her sword going through his stomach. Van watched blood pour out of his mouth and smiled when he fell to the ground, dead. She twisted around when another man came up behind her and ripped the sword out of her hand. She looked scared for a moment, but wiped it off her face and smiled to cover her fear.

The two men that had taken him hostage picked him back up and made him stand to his feet. "Let her go, Dilandau. She’s just an innocent woman."

"Innocent?" he laughed. "How ridiculous!! She seems to be a better fighter than you, my dear Van." He turned to the man that was facing her and said, "Bring her to me."

She turned and ran into the woods, but the man grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back against him. He dropped her when he felt her round stomach and she took off again.

"You fool!! Grab her!!!" Dilandau yelled in fury.

Merle disappeared into the dark woods and so did the man. Van sighed, hoping that she had gotten away. His hopes were crushed when the man in black and red armor came back with an unconscious Merle over his shoulder. Van felt intense rage go through him. "You bastard!! Let her go!!! She’s pregnant!!! Your going to hurt the baby!!"

The man looked at Lord Dilandau who just shrugged and turned to Van. "Whose child is it Van? Yours? You seem to be impregnating a lot of women lately."

Van glared at him, wondering what he should say. How had he known that? He didn’t want him to think that Merle’s child was his, less he take out his anger on Merle and the baby to hurt him more. "No, it's not mine."

Dilandau motioned for his men to drop Van again and tie up the "pregnant" woman. Van went to get up, but Dilandau kicked him in the side. He tried to hold back the moan of pain, and succeeded.

The man that had caught Merle made sure the rope was long enough so that he could haul Merle behind them when they left. Dilandau, while waiting for his men to finish the task and destroy the camp to make sure no one knew someone had been there, tied another rope to Van’s bonds to drag him also. He patted Van’s face when he was done and smiled at him. Van drew back in disgust, which only enraged Dilandau further. Van watched his face turn red and rolled his eyes. "Could never control your anger and still can't, can you? You’re a sick jerk, you know that? Taking out your anger on a poor defenseless woman who—"

"Shut up!!!!" Dilandau screamed at him and kicked him in the side of the head. The men laughed and cheered him on when Van was thrown down to the dirt, unconscious.

Dilandau took up Van’s rope and dragged him into the woods, his men following with the woman also being towed behind them. Two more men, plus Seibu were waiting in the woods with horses. Dilandau smiled at her when he saw her and kissed her lightly when he came up to her, Van still being hauled behind him. He dropped his bonds when his wife jumped into his arms and kissed him more thoroughly. He gave her another smile and set her on the ground carefully, not wanting to hurt her.

Seibu splayed her hand on her rounded belly and gave her husband her own smile. "Did you get him?"

Dilandau shouted over his shoulder to tie the pathetic people to the horses so they could be lugged behind them. He turned back to his own pregnant wife and said, "Yes, plus a bonus."

"A bonus? Oh, I love bonuses," she murmured and wrapped her arms around his neck. She wanted to push herself against him, but he had all the hard metal armor on. She sighed when he unlocked her arms from around him. "Sorry, dear. I have too much work to deal with to worry about you."

She pouted and he kissed it off her face, patting her cheek. "Just keep my heir safe. That’s all that matters."

She nodded and he helped her mount her horse again. He walked away and smiled when he saw that Van and Merle were still knocked out. He ordered for his men to mount their horses and mounted his own, Van tied behind him to his saddle. He smiled when he kicked the horse in its sides and they started off. They had quite a while to go, and by the time they got there, Van and his little cat would be scraped up good.

Being Dilandau’s prisoner wasn’t as bad as he’d expected—it was worse. Van tried to recall how long he had been in here, but time had blurred together. Bouts of torture blended into waiting for the next round of beating to begin.

Van hung by his arms from shackles in a windowless cell that would make hell pale by comparison. A fire burned in a central pit, glinting off a gruesome array of instruments laid out on the floor: barbed lashes, thumb screws, thin knives sharp enough to peel a man like a grape. He already knew which ones were Dilandau’s personal favorites.

He had been burned, branded, and beaten. He didn’t know how much longer he could last. It seemed like he had nothing to live for in the first place. His life had just completely fallen apart, and the only thing he had left was Merle. But they had probably killed her already.

When Dilandau came in, he would try to draw his mind inward and escape the worst of the horrors being done to his body. He would think about his beautiful ex-wife, at how she had always been happy, had always been smiling and trying to find away to make him laugh or shock him. Her name gave him something to scream when the pain got too bad.

Van had no idea why Dilandau was torturing him. Revenge against him cutting his "beautiful" face? No, he was preparing him for something. He wanted something, and he was weakening him so he wouldn’t have a hard time getting it out of him. If he continued like he was, he wouldn’t have any problem at all.

The door grated open and the devil waltzed in, his black cape swirling, his smile chillingly smug.

"Are you ready for more?"

Van felt his body bracing for the upcoming pain. He closed his eyes, praying.

"I bet your wondering why I'm doing this to you. Well, I'm not going to tell you. But, I was wondering...would you like some company?"

Van’s eyes shot open and he felt the sweat pour off his forehead and run into his eyes. The fire just seemed to be getting hotter and hotter....

"Like who?" Van asked warily.

"You’ll see in a moment." He walked over to the arrangement of devices. He picked up one of the long barbed whips and swayed it back and forth. "Do you miss your wife?"

Van tried not to show expression on his face about his ex-wife. What was Dilandau getting at?

"Did you know she is pregnant?"

"I'm not that stupid," Van muttered. What did he mean by she is?

"Ah, but do you know who’s it is?"

Van felt his stomach twist. Was he just trying to add onto his pain about his love being dead? He shook his head. No, he wouldn’t believe one word he said. Van glared at him as he paced back and forth of him, the whip dragging on the filthy floor.

"She’s a glorious piece, I must admit. She really filled out during those four years of her being gone, didn’t she? She was so soft, and she made all these little mewling sounds in her throat as I played with her. She was in pain for a while because of what me and Seibu did to her, but she forgot after I—"

"Shut up!! Don’t you know she’s dead?!? Stop torturing me like this!!!" Van yelled with all the pent up rage he had in him.

"Why? I'm only telling the truth. Don’t you know or couldn’t you ever bring her to—"

"I'm going to kill you!!"

Dilandau paused his pacing and a sinister smile emerged on his face. "I raped her twice before she became willing. By then, she would have done anything. She told me in that soft little voice of hers, ‘I was sort of getting sick of Van...he didn’t do much for me—"

"Stop lying you—!" Van yelled, but was interrupted and groaned in pain as the barbed lash slashed across his chest, leaving another trail of ripped skin and splattered blood along with the other ones.

Dilandau lashed out again and it curled around his calf muscle, tearing deep. "I'm not lying!!" Dilandau screamed at him, followed by a gruesome laugh, blocking Van’s pained yell as he did.

Van felt tears sting behind his lids and he closed them, blinking them back. He refused to show Dilandau how far he had gotten to him.

He stared down at the floor, looking at the pieces of his shirt and pants lying on it. His shirt was practically gone, and there was no point of wearing it anymore. The bottoms of his pants hung in tatters below his mid thigh. He wondered why Dilandau didn’t hit his lower midsection. He always stopped at his stomach and mid-thigh.

Dilandau snorted and waved his hand to the men in black and red armor guarding the bared door.

Van kept his eyes closed, knowing that they were going to bring in Merle. He heard the door scrape against the floor and something being dragged across it. He caught the sounds of chains clattering and locking.

Dilandau excused his two Dragonslayers and they bowed, walking out of the room.

Van opened his eyes and gasped. Am I dead? He blinked a couple times, seeing if his vision was playing tricks on him. "Oh, God," he whispered when he knew it was real.

Hitomi hung by the manacles, her legs dangling off the floor because she was too short. Her beautiful face only had a bruise on her right cheek, and there was a trickle of blood running down her temple. His eyes swept her body to make sure everything else was alright. She had some see-through tight ivory robe on with a rope tied around her waist. He blinked when he saw how big her belly had gotten. But other than her face, she seemed alright.

Dilandau saw the shocked expression on his face and walked over to her. He caressed her cheek saying as he did so, "So soft. Isn't she, Van?"

Van glared at him, his eyes digging right through him.

"Tsk, tsk," Dilandau said and waved his finger at him. "Don’t look at me like you hate me." He turned back to Hitomi and smacked her face.

Her head jerked to the side, her hair covering her face. It fell back into place and Van watched her eyes flutter open slowly. Her eyes darkened almost as soon as she saw Dilandau in front of her.

"Hello, my dear," Dilandau said in a false sweet voice.

Hitomi licked her dry, cracked lips and asked in a hoarse voice, "Can I have some water? I'm so hungry. 

"When was the last time you ate? Didn’t my men feed you?!" Dilandau yelled and Hitomi flinched back, even the noise of him yelling hurting her head.

"I haven't eaten in I think three days," she whispered and kept her head down, for it was too hard for her to hold it up.

Dilandau wrenched around and glared at his men. He said in a fake calm voice, "Why didn’t you feed her? Can't you bastards see that she is pregnant?!"

The men bowed repeatedly, fearing retaliation. "We’ll bring something immediately, my lord," one of them said and ran off.

Dilandau scowled at the rest of them and they looked down. "I'm sorry, my dear. We’ll have food for you in a moment."

"Thank you," she said in that same rasping voice. She felt her vision blur and wondered what was wrong with her. She studied the floor, for it was the only thing she could see. Gore, water, waste, old straw, bones, and things she didn’t want to identify littered it. She heard the door open and she tried to look up, but she couldn’t.

Dilandau yelled at the man and he took off, fearing for his life. Dilandau frowned. "No, stupid. Get back in here so you can hold this tray!!" The man looked around nervously and almost crawled back in. Dilandau set the tray in his hands and turned back to Hitomi.

Van watched as Dilandau cradled his ex-wife’s head in the crook of his arm, lifting her face. He couldn’t see because he was blocking his view with his body. Dilandau took the cup of water off the tray and held it up to her lips. She drank it greedily, gulping it loudly and as fast as she could get it down. She took a deep breath after she was done and Dilandau smiled. "Feel any better?"

Hitomi nodded and opened her mouth when he brought a spoon to her mouth. "I'm sorry about this fare, but my man doesn’t know what to feed a pregnant woman. Next time, I promise it will be better."

Hitomi ate whatever it was, which was some kind of cornmeal mush. It wasn’t too bad, and she was grateful for it, wanting anything possible to feed her baby. She hoped he was alright and that he wasn’t in pain or something. She finished it quickly and she thanked Dilandau warily, wondering why he was being so nice to her. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

Dilandau shrugged. "I don’t know. I have a soft spot for pregnant women. My wife is pregnant, you know." Hitomi eyes widened and she kept the disgust off her face. How could he impregnate a woman when he was one himself?

"Um, do you know how...Van is?" she asked quietly.

"Why do you want to know?" Dilandau asked. "Have a change of heart?"

Hitomi felt rage go through her. "Yes, damn you!! If it wasn’t for that stupid fate alteration machine, I wouldn’t even be here!! All I want to know is if he is alright!!!"

Van’s eyes went large. Fate alteration machine? What the hell??

"Do you love him?" Dilandau sneered and shoved her away from him.

"Yes!!!! More than anything in this world!!!" Hitomi felt her rage make adrenaline rush through her veins. She tried to kick out with her legs to hit him, but he moved away too fast. Hitomi’s eyes widened and she gasped, seeing Van chained to the wall next to her. "Van!!"

Van felt a smile tug at his lips. "Was it fake, Hitomi? Had it just been a trick? You didn’t really have a love affair with Allen?"

Hitomi shook her head and felt the burning tears in her eyes fall over. "Van, I love you so much. I wouldn’t ever do anything like that to you. Dilandau made me and Allen fall in love because he re-made the fate alteration machine." She paused and looked him over. "Oh, Van you’re so thin. What did they do to you?"

Dilandau walked out of the room in disgust, slamming the thick wooden door behind him, leaving the outside world shut away from them. Van smiled at her. "Oh, Hitomi. I thought you and Allen had an affair and you didn’t love me anymore and I went into this huge depression and I couldn’t take it and I—"

"Van, I would never do anything like that," Hitomi said and rubbed the sides of her face off on her shoulders to get the salty tears off her face.

Van didn’t know what to say. He hated himself more than anything right then. "Hitomi, I have a huge confession."

"What?"

"I just want you to know that I'm not very proud of myself because of it, but something was wrong with me and I couldn’t help it and I—"

"Van, just tell me!"

Van gulped and looked down, ashamed. "I cheated on you."

Hitomi blinked and she got a blank look on her face when what he said dawned on her. "You mean after we...after we got a divorce?"

"Yes. I did something that I know I shouldn’t have even thought about, let alone do."

"But Van, if you did it after our divorce, then you didn’t really cheat on me. You were a free man and you had all the right to do it," Hitomi said and smiled at him, trying to make him understand.

"No, but it felt like it. I went too far. I poached on territory that wasn’t even mine," Van whispered and stared at her. He had to tell her. He wouldn’t be able to look at her straight if he didn’t.

"What do you mean? Did you have sex with a woman who was married? Are you insane?!"

Van smiled in spite of himself. "No, but it was close enough."

"Someone’s betrothed?!"

"No. Merle."

Hitomi glared at him. "Merle!??! Were you that desperate?! You could have had any woman in all of Fanelia and you had to have her??! How can you even look at her now?!"

Van looked down, feeling even more mortified now that Hitomi was saying this to him. "I know. But would it help if I told you I love you?" Van asked with a hopeful smile.

Hitomi felt the corners of her mouth twitch, trying to hold back the smile that was coming on. "Damn you," Hitomi said with fondness in her voice.

A full fledged smile appeared on his face and Hitomi gave him her own answering one. "You're crazy."

Van hoped she wasn’t angry with him. But there was something he had to know. "Did...did you and...Allen...did you um, did you have...did you make—"

Hitomi laughed and rolled her eyes. "No. Don’t worry."

"But when you were in the bedroom, you and Allen were...you were—"

"Right after you left I threw up my guts, almost all over Allen, too," Hitomi said with laughter in her voice.

Van visibly relaxed and she giggled. "Can't stand anyone else touching me, can you?"

Van shook his head forcefully. "Hell no. You’re mine and only mine."

Hitomi smiled at him with all the love she felt for him in her eyes. "But, what are you going to tell Allen? You and Merle...you had...you made..."Van couldn’t help but laugh. Hitomi and him couldn’t quite spit it out when it came to saying something about one another having sex with another person. "I’ll talk to Merle and find out what she says. She’s going to be ecstatic when she hears this." He paused and said, "I hope she’s alive."

"Of course she is. She was in the same cell as me before they knocked me out and brought me here. I was kicking and screaming, scratching and biting, punching and kicking, anything to get away from them. One of them tried to rape me before and Dilandau caught him. He was dead even before he had his pants pulled up."

Van felt the blood drain from his face. "Someone raped you?"

"No, almost did. I couldn’t defend myself because I was shackled just like I am now."

Van felt his blood boil after she told him that. "Are you alright?"

Hitomi snorted. "I'm fine. I kicked him in the groin, and with his pants down, but that’s when Dilandau came in. He shoved his sword right through his heart. I almost laughed, but I couldn’t imagine what Merle and him would think. I mean, considering how I was so close to being raped and all."

"I guess I have something to thank that insane jerk for," Van muttered. He felt his wounds start to hurt more and hoped they didn’t get infected. "Oh, Van. You need so much medical help. I need needles and thread and cream so they don’t get contaminated with some disease. When was the last time they fed you?"

"Four days ago."

"You need food more than I do. Next time when the serpent comes back I’ll ask him—"

"No, Hitomi," Van interrupted. "Feed our child. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine."

"But you need food so much. What are you living off of? You don’t have one once of fat on you! All you have is hard, strong muscles that I like to run my hands—"

"Hitomi, shut up. I don’t need to get all excited now. Although with you practically naked wearing that transparent clothing I can't help but—"

"Van, shut up. I don’t need to get all excited now," Hitomi mimicked him and they both laughed.

"How’s our baby?" Van asked after they calmed down. "Are you still throwing up and moody?"

"No, thank God. I'm already half way there, did you know that?"

Van blinked and got a panicked look on his face. "You are?"

"Yeah, I wish you would have been there when I first felt the baby move. I was so excited."

"You felt it move?!" Van asked with excitement in his voice.

"Yeah, it moves a lot. It also seems like I'm a lot bigger than I should be, and I don’t understand it," Hitomi said with confusion. "Maybe next time it moves Dilandau will unchain one of us so you can feel it."

Van snorted. "Yeah, right. That’s funny."

The door flung open and they both jerked their heads towards it. Dilandau walked in and grinned when he saw the horrified look on Hitomi’s face. "What’s funny, Van?"

Van didn’t know what he should say and decided not to lie. "I thought it was funny when Hitomi said that maybe you’ll unchain one of us so I could feel the baby move."

Dilandau’s expression didn’t change. "You’ll have to earn it, if you want to so bad. And I have a perfect way for you to earn it." At that he walked over to Van and leaned against the filthy wall. "Where’s the pendant?"

Hitomi’s eyes widened. Is that what he wanted?

"I’ll never tell you," Van said and braced himself for Dilandau’s uncontrollable anger which came right after he said it.

Dilandau whipped a knife out from under his cloak and ran it right above Van’s skin on his chest. Van heard Hitomi’s gasp echo through the room and he gritted his teeth when he pierced his skin with it. He was barely even touching him with it, that was how sharp it was. He deepened the pressure and slid it along his whole left side, leaving a small red line. It didn’t even compare to the other things he had done to him, but it still hurt.

"Dilandau, please leave him alone," Hitomi whispered brokenly, begging him not to hurt him.

Dilandau didn’t even pay attention to her and looked up at the top of Van’s head. Almost as soon as he had looked up he raised the knife and cut off a lock of his hair. It dropped to the floor and Van stared at it. He felt a smile tug at his mouth and said, "Is that supposed to hurt?"

"No, but you won't feel as confident about yourself if you didn’t have all your hair."

Van snorted and laughed. "It can always grow back, stupid."

"Oh well. I feel some pleasure knowing that people will look at you and laugh." He took another swipe and cut off half the hair on his left side, leaving one side longer than the other. Van rolled his eyes and Dilandau just got angrier. He whacked off the other half and laughed when he looked at Van. "Oh, too bad. I had thought that you would look worse, but you don’t. I guess I'm just going to have to go back to physical torture won't I?"

Hitomi could have cared less about his hair, but the pain Van would feel any moment was what tore at her heart. Dilandau walked over to the array of torture devices. He picked up his all-time favorite: the barbed lash. Hitomi’s eyes widened and got a terrified look in them when he flicked his wrist and it twisted around his arm. He tugged it back slowly, letting it run along the length of his arm and split open the skin. He snapped back his wrist and the whip flew off. Van was trying to hold back the yell of pain and gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut. Hitomi cried out and tried to fight against the chains, but it was hard considering all her weight was hanging off of them. They were digging into her skin painfully hard, but she neglected it, not caring when Van was in a thousand times worse pain. "Van, please!!! Just tell him!!"

"I don’t want to!!" he yelled at both her and him. Dilandau’s crazy laugh filled the room as he lifted his hand and brought it back down on Van. It curled around his stomach and Van bowed off the wall in agony. Hitomi felt tears streak down her face as Dilandau hit him over and over again. She screamed when it went around his neck. She knew if he just pulled a little bit it would cut his throat and Van would die. "No!!! Please!!"

"Tell me, Van."

Van didn’t dare breathe or swallow. He stared at Dilandau and fought against his mind. If he said no, he would die. If he said yes, then more than likely Gaea would be doomed. He looked over to Hitomi, his pregnant ex-wife, and struggled some more. He wanted a future for their child, and he wanted to be in it with Hitomi and their baby. He closed his eyes. What if he lied? Would that buy them time? On the other hand, would he even believe him? Hitomi looked at him with her pleading eyes, begging him not to sacrifice himself. He watched as each diamond tear drop fell down her face and hit the floor. "It’s in my room in a stand by my bed, hidden underneath mine and Hitomi’s outdated marriage papers."

Dilandau frowned. "What do you mean outdated?"

"Me and Hitomi terminated our marriage."

A smile stretched across his face. "How can I get into the palace without someone trying to kill me?"

Van cocked an eyebrow at him and then flinched suddenly as a streak of pain stretched across his body. "Give me a piece of paper and I’ll write on it that you are permitted to enter it. They wouldn’t dare try to kill you with it."

"Do I have your word of honor?" Dilandau asked, and crossed his arms over his chest.

Van nodded slowly and his shoulders sagged in defeat.

"Oh!" Hitomi cried suddenly and both Van and Dilandau looked at her. "Oh! It did it again!"

Dilandau frowned. "What’s wrong with you?"

"It’s moving! It's kicking me!"

Van perked up and Hitomi looked at Dilandau, wondering if he would hold his promise. He shrugged and unhooked the ring of keys around his belt. He unlocked her chains and she almost fell to the floor, but he caught her. "Be careful. I don’t want to have to drag you around because you can't walk."

Hitomi wanted to jerk away, but didn’t, just in case he would get angry. He lifted her up and she walked over to Van, who Dilandau unchained next. He fell to the ground just like Hitomi, for he was so weak, and Dilandau sighed in frustration. He was tired of being so nice. He hauled Van up, smiling when he flinched in pain. He leaned him up against the wall and Van supported himself with his legs as best he could. Dilandau let go of him and Hitomi took his hand, laying it over the spot the child was moving.

Van's eyes lifted and he laughed in surprise when he felt the barely detectable kick under his fingers. He splayed both his hands on her belly and he smiled at her. "You're getting so big," he said and his grin got wider when it moved again, except on the other side. "Yeah, this is its most active time. It moves around at night a lot, and the same in the morning."

Van got a confused look on his face when it moved against his hands on both sides. "Hitomi? How did it do that?"

"Do what?"

Dilandau let out a bored yawn and said, "I'm too lazy to chain both of you back up. I’ll just lock you in here. There’s no way you can get out." At that, he turned and left, closing and locking the wooden door behind him. "He’s acting so weird, isn't he, Van?" Hitomi asked.

"Yeah, he’s being as evil as ever, plus with a nice streak through him. Maybe Seibu softened him up," Van said with a chuckle.

Hitomi smiled and covered Van’s strong hands with hers. He stared at her and leaned forward, brushing his lips against hers. She giggled when Van jumped just as the baby shifted again. A happy smile crossed his face and she looked down at his hands touching her rounded tummy. His left hand picked up her chin and he kissed her again. He lifted his head after a moment and said, "Hitomi, will you marry me?"

Hitomi’s smile widened and she giggled. "Never thought you would have to propose to me twice did you?"

Van shook his head and touched his lips to her sweaty forehead. The heat from the fire pit was making both of them sweat to death. "I suppose I’ll marry you again."

Van pretended mock outrage and she kissed the silly grin off his face. The baby gave her a vicious kick right then and she gasped, hurrying to put Van’s fingers over the spot.

"He’s very active isn't he?" Van said and bent down to his knees so he could press his ear against her stomach. He listened to the odd noises of what sounded like a very fast heartbeat. He pulled back suddenly when his cheek got kicked. They both grinned and he went back to his spot.

"This sounds so amazing," he said and put his hands on the sides of her belly.

"Can't get enough of this can you, Van?"

"No, I could stay like this all day. It fascinates me."

She started to feel tired after a few moments and asked Van with some embarrassment, "Um, Van? Can I sit down?"

Van pulled back again and helped her sit down, forgetting his own pain in the pleasure of being in her close company. He leaned back against the wet stones and was thankful his back wasn’t really ripped open, or there would have been no doubt his wounds would have gotten infected.

Van closed his eyes and opened them when he felt fingers tug on his short hair. Hitomi smiled at him and pulled him by his hair back to the position of lying on the mound of her stomach. He beamed at her and laid it back into place, the soothing sound of her heartbeat mixed with the fast one inside her lulling him to sleep quickly.

Hitomi stroked her fingers through his abominably short hair and sighed. She couldn’t believe that she was content in these dreadful conditions. She watched Van’s peaceful face as he found much needed sleep. She didn’t want to sleep, she just wanted to cherish the time she had with Van. She thought about the past month and half without him. Almost as soon as her and Allen had "fallen in love", they had signed divorce papers with Van and Merle. They had left shortly after, going straight to Allen’s big house in Asturia, where his sister had been taken care of before she had been turned into Dilandau. Allen had tried countless times to make love with her, in fact he had almost gone crazy every time, just trying to get to her. Just thinking about her made him go insane, and the fact that she had been vilely ill from the time they had left Fanelia to the time she had been abducted, had saved her from near rape. He would just look at her and his eyes would darken and he would start trembling. She had wanted him also, but the healer had kept them apart, wondering if they were lunatics with the force that they had wanted each other. She had kept the door locked just to keep him out. She smiled at the funny memory.

She remembered how she had been in the dying garden behind the house, swinging back and forth on a swing, sitting on Allen’s lap. The healer had warned him that she would kill him if he touched her with her still sick. She hadn't really been that sick, but the healer didn’t want to take any chances. Allen had gotten more and more excited with each sway of the swing, and soon he had had his hands all over her. She hadn't really minded, in fact she had quite enjoyed it. She had been about to take off his shirt when someone had hit the back of his head with a rock, knocking him out and causing him to fall off the swing and land on her, pinning her so she couldn’t run to save herself. Dilandau and a few of his men had taken her back to wherever their hideout was, and had promptly changed her fate back to what it had been before. When she remembered what she had done, she had freaked out and nearly went crazy, wondering if she had permanently ruined her relationship with Van. Dilandau had brought her to a cell, not one that was bad as Van’s, but one that had still made her sick. More than a month later, Merle had been brought in. Merle had flipped out on her, calling her unbelievable names. Dilandau had had to explain to her what had happened, smiling that evil smile of his all the while. Merle had gotten a horrified look on her face afterwards, and she had begged her to forgive her. Other than that, it had just been short periods of starvation’s until she had been brought here. She closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep.

It didn’t come to her for a while, but the drip, drip of the water and Van’s even breathing helped her along and she soon found herself sound asleep.