Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Heart of the Dragon ❯ Do a Little Dance of Pain ( Chapter 19 )

Hitomi woke up only a half an hour later. She blinked her still sleep groggy eyes and looked about her. She had the intense urge just to start screaming like a crazy moron, but she held silent because of Van.

He was sleeping deeply, something that she knew he never did since he was a light sleeper just like her. It was then that she took the opportunity to check his wounds out. She was appalled, considering how bad they were.

He had deep gashes all over his body, but mostly on his arms. His face had little to no damage to it, which surprised her. He only had bruises and one small cut on his lower jaw. His chest was also bad, and it made her blood simmer with outrage. She started ripping apart the skirt of her dress, until she only had a small mini skirt left. She lifted Van with some difficulty off her and leaned him against the wall.

She felt tears come to her eyes as she bound his chest and back. Large pieces of skin on his chest were either missing, or were hanging off. Gore and dried blood blended in with the new oozing blood. She wiped most of it off, but it was hard. She took a deep breath and tied a tight knot on his side. She was grateful when she realized he hadn't woken up.

She continued her thorough search of his injured person after she ripped more pieces of her skirt apart that she hadn't used for his chest. She wrapped up the worst parts of his arms and legs and by the time she was done, her tears had dried up completely, for she had cried herself out. She was so confused and astonished that he was even able to talk without going through pain, considering how Dilandau had tore open the delicate skin of his throat.

She frowned when she noticed that he only had about two days worth of beard growth on his face. Had Dilandau shaved it off? She snorted and finished wrapping up a gash in his calf muscle. She couldn’t help but smile at him when she saw how he looked like a mummy from Egypt. She started giggling when she pictured him walking around like one and terrifying the wits out of people.

Van drifted out of his dark sanctuary of bliss and opened his eyes slowly, wondering why he was hearing Hitomi’s sweet musical laughter when she was dead. He blinked a few times when he saw her smiling face and then he remembered everything that had happened earlier. In a sudden rush of emotion, he leaned forward and gathered her as closely as he could in his embrace. He felt tears of happiness and now gone loneliness come to his eyes, but he kept them back, knowing that she would get upset if he cried.

"Van? Are you alright?" Hitomi asked, feeling the small tremor go through his body. Was he in pain?

Van swallowed and let out a long sigh, burying his face even more in her hair. It didn’t smell like the wind and sweet flowers, it smelled of decaying matter and mustiness from being so long in the dungeons. "I'm fine, Hitomi. Just let me hold you. I need to know you're alright and safe here with me."

Hitomi smiled and said, "I didn’t know we were safe down here."

Van let go of her and looked down at her smiling face. It glowed with happiness and love, which he was surprised at considering their predicament. He cupped it with his palms and gave her a small kiss, searching her face closely. "You won't ever leave me again, will you Hitomi?"

Hitomi closed her eyes and fell back into his arms. "No, I won't ever leave you again. Please don’t let go of me, Van. Hold me forever."

Van pulled her onto his lap and cradled her carefully, his hand resting lightly on her rounded stomach. He rested his chin on top of her head and she buried her face in his chest.

It seemed like they had been holding each other for hours, and when the door to their cell opened, making annoying screeching noises, it shocked them. They had almost forgotten about what was happening.

Dilandau’s eyes narrowed on the couple. He knew he was being too nice to them, and he was surprised at himself. Since when did he care about other people? Since he married Seibu? He felt shocked one moment and angry the next. He clenched his fists and ordered his guards into the room. "Seize her!!"

Hitomi’s head jerked up out of the crook of Van’s neck when she heard this. Hands grappled at her and started pulling her away from Van. She screamed and shrieked, trying to take hold of Van’s out-reached hands. She kicked out with her arms and legs, and she almost smiled when she heard a grunt of pain. She was hauled up against something hard and it hurt. Her face came right up into a handsome man's and she screamed again, her nails going up to his face to claw at it. The man yelled in pain and dropped her to the filthy floor.

Hitomi took a deep shuddering breath and crawled back over to Van, who immediately wrapped her tightly in his arms. He cooed soothing words to her and ran his fingers over and through her hair trying to calm her down.

Dilandau walked over to Ddi and kicked him in his side. "You pathetic man!! You can't even take a woman! How miserable are you?! Get out of my sight before I kill you!!"

Van felt a shudder move down her spine and rubbed her back with his other hand. She relaxed a little while later, feeling some small amount of comfort in his arms.

"So, my dear. For a pregnant woman, you seem to have my men quite terrified of you."

Hitomi looked at Dilandau with hatred in her eyes. Dilandau was temporarily taken aback, and then a smile crept up on his face. "Well, Van. Will you be kind enough to sign this legal and binding paper so I may enter the palace?"

Van glared at him and then nodded. Dilandau handed it to him and he signed it slowly and reluctantly. He was giving Dilandau all the power he could, or ever would need. What had he done?

Dilandau ripped it out of his hands when he was done. "Thank you. Until next time," he said and bowed mockingly, leaving the room.

They both let out a relieved sigh, and Van asked, "Are you alright, Hitomi? Gods, that scared me."

Hitomi nodded and snuggled closer. He felt so cold, and she hoped that her body heat was helping some. "What are we going to do, Van? We just gave Dilandau the pendant. Why do you think he wants it?"

"I don’t know, Hitomi. We’re just going to have to wait. I can't do much if you have noticed." He paused. "Oh yeah, when did you patch me up?"

Hitomi looked down, feeling kind of shy. "When you were sleeping."

Van smiled discretely. "You took advantage of my state?!"

Hitomi continued looking down, and she got upset. Van noticed this by how her breathing came faster and in shallower gulps.

"I'm...sorry, Van. I just wanted to help—"

"Is that it?!! Alright."

Hitomi jerked her head up and her eyes narrowed when she saw the smile planted on his face. "You...I should—"

Van started laughing, he couldn’t help it. "I'm sorry, Hitomi. I just couldn’t help it. I have to make us cheerful somehow."

"Oh."

"Is that all you have to say? 'Oh'?"

"Uhhhhh!!!!! You are so...insane!!!"

Van started laughing again at her outraged yell. He stopped when it started hurting too much and took a deep breath to hold it in. Hitomi had the intense urge to tickle him. She knew all his spots, she would have him squealing in seconds. She shrugged and looked away, not paying attention to him. She knew that annoyed him almost more than anything.

Van grinned at her turned back and rested against the wall. How were they going to get out of here?

Van’s question came to Hitomi an hour later. Her idea was so ingenious that it was scary. She didn’t want to tell Van, for he would say no immediately. She would have to act on her own.

She stood up, her hand splayed on her protruding belly, and walked over to the cell door. Her hands clasped the small metal bars in the window and she looked out. When she didn’t see anyone, she screamed as loud as she could. She screamed repeatedly, trying to make it sound like she was in pain. When a man came running down the hall and stopped before her door, she was already panting from using so much air. It went along nicely with what she was trying to do.

"What do you want, you stupid bitch?!" the man yelled, annoyed.

Hitomi contrived for a look of pain and she gripped the bars harder. "Please," she panted, "I’m going into labor. Please help me!"

The man’s eyes widened and he backed away from the door, as if he was scared. "I'm sorry, missy, I can't let you—"

Hitomi screamed again, interrupting him. "Please...it hurts so much...."

The man got a panicked look on his face and Hitomi dropped to the floor. She searched quickly for a weapon, and found a rock that had fallen from the wall. She took it into her hand and grappled at the bars again, pulling herself up.

The man gulped and she tried to hold back her smile. He fumbled with the keys hanging at his waist, and found the right key. He stuck it in the lock and turned, causing the door to open. Hitomi fell into his arms, and she said breathlessly, "Thank you...so much!!!" She brought the rock down on his head and he collapsed to the floor. She smiled and dropped the rock next to him. She walked back into the cell and went over to a beyond shocked Van, who wouldn’t stop staring at her.

"What are you doing Hitomi?! You’re not in labor!!"

"I know. I just got a way out of here. Now come on." She tried to pick him up, but he was too heavy. "Van, I'm going to need help to pick up your rather large person!!"

Van smiled and tried to stand. He fell into her arms and they both ended up toppling to the floor. "Come on, Van. You can do this. As soon as we get out of here, we can use our wings and you won't have to use your legs."

"Hitomi...I can't—"

"Yes you can! Don’t say that!" She stood up again and brought Van up along with her with some difficulty. He had almost all his weight leaning onto her and her arms were straining to hold up his weight.

Van could tell how hard it was for her to hold him up and he went to let go of her. She held onto him tighter, refusing to let him go. She came up with an idea suddenly and she set him on the ground. "I’ll be back, Van. I promise."

Van got a sad and worried look in his eyes, as if doubting what she was saying. "Alright," he whispered and looked away. Hitomi sat down next to him and pulled his face up to hers. She gave him a slow, long kiss, emphasizing her promise. Van kept his eyes closed and buried his face in her hair, as if to hold her there for just a moment longer.

She kissed his forehead and left him before she wouldn’t be able to any longer. He kept his eyes closed, and his face turned away from her. She ran out of the cell, and taking the keys away from the guard's hands, closed the door and dragged the man out of view.

It seemed like she had been running down the corridors forever. She had looked in every cell, every room, but she hadn't found Merle. Maybe Van was right, maybe she was dead. She shook her head vigorously, refusing to believe it.

When she had almost given up, she ran past a smaller, darker corridor that she hadn't gone down yet. She flew down it quickly, checking each one. Just as she had thought, Merle was chained up in the last one. "Merle?" Hitomi whispered and stuck her hand into the room.

Merle jerked her head up and got a wide-eyed look on her face when she saw it was Hitomi. "Hitomi! What are you doing here?! How did you escape?!"

"I’ll tell you later. For now, I'm going to get you out of here." She fumbled with the keys and stuck everyone in. When she came to the right one, she almost laughed, but held it back. She was wondering why she hadn't seen anymore guards, and it scared her that she hadn't seen any. She walked into the cell when she opened the door as quietly as she could, and went over to Merle. She unlocked her after a few keys, and Merle fell into her arms.

"Oh Hitomi, I didn’t think I would ever see you again. I'm so sorry for everything...."

"Merle, you didn’t do anything, don’t worry. Now, we have to go back and get Van. He’s really bad, and he needs our help. He can't even stand without assistance."

Merle’s hand flew up to her mouth and she got tears in her eyes. "Will he live?"

Hitomi took hold of her hand and started leading her down the dark corridors. "He’s strong, Merle. I have no doubt that he will make it."

Merle kept quiet the rest of the time and helped Hitomi find Van again. When they found him, Hitomi unlocked his door and went in. She was grateful to know that the man she had knocked out was still unconscious.

Van looked up when he saw Hitomi and Merle standing in the doorway. When he saw Merle and her poor ragged appearance, he struggled to get to his feet.

Merle rushed over to his side and started bawling on his shoulder. Van stroked her hair and pushed her back saying, "Come on, Merle. I'm fine. But we have to get out of this hell hole."

Merle nodded and wiped her tears, standing. Both Merle and Hitomi put his arms over their shoulders and pulled him up. Van had some difficulty at first, but got used to it when adrenaline started running through his veins.

They rushed down the hallways as fast as they could, but stopped at every corner to check everything out. Van expressed how they were feeling when they didn’t see any guards. "Where is everyone? Maybe this is a trap."

Merle and Hitomi kept quiet and they continued walking and looking around. When the walkways started getting brighter and brighter, they went in the same direction. The only logical explanation was that there was a door up ahead. When they found a metal, and locked door, they took a break. Hitomi started searching for the right key, and when she didn’t find it, she went through the keys again.

"Looking for this?"

Everyone jerked around. Hitomi gasped and her shoulders sagged. It was the man she had knocked out. In his outstretched hand, held the key they were looking for.

Van glared at the man. He decided to taunt him and got a smile on his face. "So, we were wondering where your ugly face was."

The man looked shocked at first, and then smiled. "Yeah, everyone is waiting outside for you. You were right when you said this is a trap."

Hitomi’s hope plummeted. She looked around for another weapon, but didn’t see one. The only weapon was the sword at the man’s side. If they were waiting outside for them, then they had no reason to try to escape.

Merle had the same thoughts going through her head. What were they going to do? She shrugged, not caring anymore. She walked over to the man who was so shocked, his mouth was hanging open. She extended her evil, long, sharp claws, and slashed open his face. He cried out in pain, and his hand went up to his profusely bleeding face and held up the skin the had been ripped off. She smiled and lifted her knee, causing it to slam into his stomach. The man's eyes widened and he fell to his side, gasping for breath. She acted like he was a pile of dirt she had just cleaned up, and wiped her hands. "Oh, yeah. One more thing" She grinned and kicked him in the side of the head. The man blacked out instantly. She stuck her tongue out at him and took the key from his hand. She handed it to a very accepting Hitomi and got a quick look at Van. "Is something wrong, Van?"

Van got out of his shocked state and shook his head. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm just not used to females saving the day. I was when I was younger, but I guess it wore off."

Hitomi unlocked the door and they wrapped Van’s arms over their shoulders, helping him outside. They walked up a small flight of dirt stairs, and then came to a huge dirt field.

Hitomi stared. No one was there, not even one man or woman. No animals made any noise. It seemed like they were the only people on all of Gaea. The only thing she noticed, were the weapons of war, and the guymelifs. Half of the field was filled with them, and she looked terrified for a moment, wondering if Dilandau was planning on using them on Fanelia.

Van wasn’t in the least surprised. "Come on, let’s get out of here."

Hitomi and Merle nodded, helping him and his slow gait across the gigantic field. Around the field was a forest, which Van couldn’t identify. They had no idea where they were.

They walked for two hours before Van’s pain became too much. They were still in the forest, and Van still didn’t know where they were. It was starting to get dark out, and they had no shelter.

Merle and Hitomi sat Van against a large tree covered in soft moss. He looked immediately grateful, and closed his eyes. Hitomi and Merle let him rest, and they walked off together, looking for food or water. Merle found a small stream a short time later, and Hitomi found some winter berries. Hitomi picked as many as she could, but Merle had no way to bring back the water. They decided that they would go get Van and bring him there.

When they got back, Van was still sleeping peacefully. Hitomi felt bad about waking him up, but they had to before it got too dark out and they wouldn’t be able to find the stream again. Van was reluctant to get up, and almost passed out at the pain. Merle and Hitomi were practically carrying him by the time they got there, and Van directly fell down against a tree.

"I'm so sorry for forcing you to do this, Van, but we had to get here before it got too dark out. Maybe after a small break we can throw you into that water and get you cleaned up," Hitomi said with enthusiasm in her voice.

"Oh, no. It's going to be so cold that parts of my anatomy will fall off and—"

"Van, don’t be ridiculous. Your wounds will get infected if they don’t get cleaned, and that water is going to be the cleanest thing we find."

Van gave up. He knew he shouldn’t argue with her, because what she was saying was true. She interrupted his thoughts when she said, "If it will make you feel better, I’ll take one with you."

His face brightened almost immediately. Hitomi giggled and walked off with Merle to find fire wood that was dry. They came back five minutes later with their arms full of dry firewood. It was starting to get colder out, considering it was almost winter. Merle found big rocks to surround the fire pit and set up the wood. Hitomi brought her back two smaller rocks to bang together and create sparks, and soon they had a roaring fire.

Van couldn’t help but smile. Even without him, they would have had no problem taking care of themselves. He was so proud of both of them. He needed their strength, no matter how loath he was to admit it.

"Van, dear. Are you ready for a bath?"

Van groaned in feigned pain. Both Merle and Hitomi laughed and dragged him over to the water's edge. Hitomi took off his almost destroyed boots and set them off to the side. Van stuck his hand in the water and was surprised to find out that it wasn’t as cold as he had thought it would be.

Hitomi stripped off all of his bandages and handed them to Merle, who took his boots and the bandages further down stream to wash.

When Hitomi fingers went to the top of his pants, Van stopped her. "No, Hitomi. I can do this. Please turn around."

Hitomi turned away reluctantly, wondering why all of a sudden he had modesty. When she heard a splash of water, and a shocked yell, she turned around to see Van standing stomach deep in the water, his arms wrapped around himself and his teeth chattering. She started giggling, and Van scowled at her. "Are you coming in or not, woman?"

Hitomi stopped laughing, but kept smiling. She stripped off her clothes quickly, and was surprised to see Van turn around. She wondered if he was ailing with something. She almost crawled in, and when she was at Van’s side, he turned back to her. She kept herself lowered in the water so he wouldn’t see anything, for she had reason to believe he didn’t want to feel anything now.

Van let himself be administered to, and when she was done, he had to admit he felt better, and cleaner.

Merle had come back a short while after they had jumped into the water and smiled her face off when she saw them in the middle of the stream. She put the cloths for Van’s wounds and his boots as close as she could to the fire so they would dry faster. Almost a half an hour went past by the time most of them were dry, and she brought them back over to the edge of the stream. Van and Hitomi were huddled as close as they could get, for they freezing.

Merle turned away so she wouldn’t see anything. Hitomi and Van edged closer to the water's edge, all the while trying not to laugh. They couldn’t imagine how funny this must look.

Hitomi came out of the stream almost running after Van had told her to get out first. He kept his eyes closed, and Hitomi frowned at him. She dried off quickly and put her robe back on, if that’s what it could be called since the bottom part was so small.

Van opened his eyes at Hitomi’s signal and saw her holding his cloth to dry off in her hand. She sighed when he motioned her to turn around. She dropped it on the ground in frustration and stomped away next to Merle. It was completely dark out, and the Mystic Moon offered little light.

"Can someone throw me my pants before I freeze to death?" Van asked suddenly.

Hitomi grabbed them and threw them over her head. Van smiled at her back and got dressed quickly. He walked slowly over to her side, for it was still hard for him to move, and sat down next to her. She gave him a long look and said, "Is something wrong, Van?"

Van gave her a fierce frown, and then shrugged. He held out his arm and waited for her to wrap him up. She sighed and started bandaging him. When she was done with his last leg, she tied it quickly and went back to her seat.

Van yawned. He was extremely tired. Merle saw this and she helped him lay down on the ground because he couldn’t do it himself. He fell asleep almost as soon as he hit the ground.

Hitomi kept watch while Merle and Van slept. They were freezing, but it seemed like they were reluctant to get closer than they already were, even while they were asleep. Hitomi watched Van roll over closer to her and wrap his arms around her to keep warm. She smiled when she heard him mumble her name. She still wondered what was going to happen to them, considering what had gone on between them. She sighed. Merle had told her to wake her up in a few hours. She wished those few hours were already gone. She wanted to be snuggled up to Van just like Merle was with him right now.

Hitomi waited for an hour or so before she got up to get more firewood. She walked off, her hand spread out over her belly as if to protect it. She gathered as much as she could and came back, throwing some of it on the dying fire.

She smiled when she got a sudden kick from the baby. She wondered what kind of mother she would be. She would make sure her child had the best life possible, but not let it get spoiled. As a future prince or princess, it would be hard, but she would try her hardest.

She caught herself drifting off a few times, and made herself get up and walk around. When that didn’t help too much, she went off to the stream and got a drink of the cool water and splashed it in her face. It was a small shock, and it only worked for a few minutes. She gave up and sat back down by the fire.

She started thinking about Yukari, Amano, and her family. She missed everyone, but not her mother. She wondered what had happened to her. She didn’t understand what had happened to her. It seemed like ever since she had come back from Gaea, she had become mean and testy, not caring about anyone but herself. She used to be so sweet and gentle. Hitomi used to love her to death, but not anymore.

She smiled when she thought of her annoying little brother. For his age, he was way too immature, but she didn’t care. She still loved him. In some ways he had reminded her of Chid and Merle when they were younger.

She pondered Yukari and Amano. She wondered if Yukari was in college now, and if Amano had graduated college and got a wonderful job. She hoped that they had a future together. They were the perfect couple, and they needed each other. She wished she could see everyone just once more, and see how everything was doing. She wanted know if her dad had found out anything about her mother. Did he know that she was cheating on him?

She glanced up at Earth. It was partially covered in black clouds and its bright blue light that normally lit Gaea was almost gone. She looked over at Van and Merle. She decided that they were too cozy for her and got up to shake Merle awake. Hitomi grinned when Merle snorted and tried to make her go away by throwing out her hands. Hitomi shook her harder and Merle shot up, saying, "Ok, I’m up. Leave me alone."

Hitomi helped her stand up because of her heavy burden and sat her down at the log by the fire. Merle looked wide awake, but mad.

"Sorry that I woke you up, but I couldn’t stay awake any longer."

Merle nodded and threw some more wood on the fire. She yawned as she said, "Alright, go to bed."

Hitomi gave a sigh of relief and came down next to Van, who was already shivering from loss of heat. She lifted his arms carefully and put them around her, snuggling close. He sighed and buried his face in her chest. She closed her eyes and fell asleep as soon as she closed them.

Van woke up to dimly hear the noise of an engine. He opened his eyes slowly, and found himself engulfed in Hitomi’s cleavage. He smiled and buried his face even more into her soft bosom. Hitomi stirred and started to sit up, but Van held her down.

"Van?"

"Hmmm?"

"What's that noise?" Hitomi asked groggily. It was getting louder and louder.

Van shot up, realizing that it could be Dilandau. He jumped up, forgetting his wounds. He almost yelled in pain, but ignored it. He had to get the women out of here before they came upon them. "Hitomi, Merle. Get up! We have to get out of here!"

He helped Merle up, who was beyond tired. It was freezing out, and Van had no doubt that it would start snowing. Almost as soon as he thought it, it did. A few small flakes drifted to the ground and melted before their eyes. Van cursed, and stomped out the rest of the fire. Pain laced up his leg and he all but fell. Merle and Hitomi woke up completely a few moments later, and wrapped his weak arms around their shoulders. Van looked grateful, and they started hurrying away from their camp site.

Van pointed out a huge pile of large rocks and they rushed over to them to hide. They kept their eyes peeled on the sky, and soon the saw what the noise was coming from.

Merle jumped up clumsily. "It’s the Crusade! It's Allen! Come on!!"

Merle took off without Hitomi and Van. Hitomi told Van to stay there while she went after Merle. Van was ready to object, but she was already gone.

Merle started waving her arms wildly, wondering if they were going to see her. She ran as fast as her wide girth would allow her. She knew that for a woman that was going to be giving birth in a few months, she shouldn’t be doing this, but she had to wave down Allen and the Crusade. She kept running and running until she had a painful stitch in her side, and she was running bent over. Hitomi forced her to stop and ran ahead of her. She wasn’t as pregnant as her; in addition, she was an athlete.

Hitomi ran for what seemed hours until she came to a field filled with brown dead grass. The snow was coming down faster and harder, and it was stinging her face. She went to the middle of the small field and started waving her arms. She saw the Crusade slow down and lower to the ground. The propellers whipped her hair into her face and added onto the stinging wind and snowflakes. Even before the Crusade had lowered onto the ground, Allen and Gaddes had jumped out. A few other men jumped out after them and Allen and Gaddes ran over to her.

Allen saw Hitomi in some short skirted robe and ran over to her, gathering her into his arms. He gave her a quick hug before he asked, "Where’s Merle and Van?"

"Merle is somewhere behind me. She couldn’t run as fast as I couldn’t because of her stomach. Van is injured and he is waiting for us at some rocks. He needs medical attention!" Hitomi felt herself get light headed even as she said this and she weaved where she stood. She collapsed into Allen’s arms. He picked her up and handed her to Gaddes. "Bring her into the Crusade. She needs to rest."

Gaddes nodded and brought the Queen of Fanelia into the Crusade.

Allen ran in the direction Hitomi had come from and saw Merle laying on her side on the now frozen ground. The wind was blowing dead leaves and small branches around in a small whirlwind and he had to hold his hair out of his face. The snow was an almost white blanket covering him, and the only way he had saw Merle was because of her dark clothing. He fell to his knees at her side and picked her up slowly and carefully. "Oh, Merle, please be alright," he whispered and started carrying her back.

Some of his men came up to him at that moment and he ordered, "Go find Van! He’s somewhere out here!!"

He could barely see his men nod and take off into the blizzard. He ran back to the Crusade as fast as he could with his very pregnant bundle. He walked into the bridge and saw Gaddes holding Hitomi. She was still passed out. He got worried after a few minutes went by and his men hadn't come back with Van.

"Boss, what should I do with her highness?"

Allen looked confused for a moment, as if he didn’t know what was going on. He waved his hand after a moment and said, "Bring her to a room and make sure she is warm."

Gaddes nodded and walked away. Allen followed him and went to his room, setting Merle down on his bed. He started to strip away her wet clothing when her eyes fluttered open. "Allen....?"

"Yes, Merle. It's me."

Merle got tears in her eyes and she pulled Allen down to her. "Oh Allen, please don’t ever leave me again. Don’t do something like that ever, ever again."

Allen concealed his face in her hair and held her tightly to him. Her small body was racked with tears. He pulled back a while later and said, "We have to get you out of those wet clothes before you get sick."

Merle stopped his wandering hands. "Where’s Van and Hitomi?"

"Hitomi is safe, don’t worry. But we don’t know where Van is."

Merle gasped and swatted his hands away when they started trying to get her undressed again. "No, go find him. I can do this myself. Go now before you make me upset."

Allen gave her a concerned look before he got up and left. He ran back down to the bridge to find that his men still hadn't come back. Gaddes was at the helm, giving orders to the few men who were still there.

"Pressures?" Gaddes yelled.

"Climbing!"

Allen laid his hand on his shoulder and Gaddes stopped mid-yell.

"Have the other men returned yet?"

"No, Boss."

Allen looked around and walked out of the Crusade only to have a blast of stinging wind blow in his face. "Damn!"

He walked with his arms held up to his face. He didn’t go to far before he saw a flash of red. It must be his men. He ran and ended up slipping on the now snow covered ground. His men almost ran past him and he yelled, asking, "Do you have Van?!"

His men stopped briefly before Allen started running alongside them. "Yeah, Boss. We got him!"

Allen felt relief go through him. They made it to the Crusade quickly, and Allen ordered his men to go.

"Raise anchors!" Gaddes yelled and followed Allen who had taken Van and slung him over his shoulder.

Van was dimly aware that his body felt frozen and that he was being carried over someone’s shoulder. He felt his stomach rebel at the bouncing around and he closed his eyes tighter, concentrating on keeping his stomach calm.

Allen carried Van to Hitomi’s room and walked in, almost dropping Van’s heavy weight onto the bed. He remarked again how much weight the boy had gained.

Hitomi woke up when she felt the bed shift. Van was lying at her feet and Allen and Gaddes were ordering two other men around to get supplies. Hitomi gasped when she saw how blue Van’s skin was. She climbed out from under the blankets and went over to him, crying. "Oh, Van. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have left you there!"

Allen jerked around when he heard Hitomi. She had tears running freely down her face. Allen ordered Gaddes and his other men out of the room back to the bridge. They would need all the help they could get in the blizzard they were in.

Allen pointed Hitomi over to a pile of blankets sitting on a chair and she got off the bed to grab them. When she came back with her arms full, Allen had already stripped Van and had him under the blankets. He ordered her to get under them with Van and she quickly obeyed.

She jumped when she felt how cold his skin was and was afraid to touch him because he was so cold. Allen barked at her when she backed away, and she immediately went back to Van. He was shivering violently, uncontrollably. She started running her hands up and down his back and arms to create warmth, but nothing seemed to help. Allen covered them with more blankets and sat down in a chair next to the bed.

Hitomi had many questions, but she kept quiet. Van’s trembling slowed some, but it was still severe. His skin went from blue to a pale white, and his lips stayed the cold bluish color. She touched her lips to his to offer some heat, and she was surprised to feel them press against hers more firmly. She opened her eyes, but saw that his were still closed.

Allen left an hour later, giving the excuse of Merle and checking on the men at the bridge. She didn’t mind, in fact she felt better now that he was gone. She had felt the nervousness in him, and the reluctance to talk. Dilandau must have changed his fate back to what it had been, or he would have been all over her. She closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep. She would give Allen some time before they talked.

Van moaned. Hitomi froze. She raised herself up and away from Van. His head fell to the side and he moaned again. "Van," she said softly, tapping his cheek. Heat.

For a moment she simply didn’t want to believe it. He moaned again, twisting away from her. Oh no, she thought. He was burning with fever.

Hitomi quickly rose and went to the door. Gaddes was standing outside, leaning against the wall.

"Gaddes?"

"Your highness? Is there something wrong?"

"Yes, Van is ill. I need some herbal tea and some cool water and cloths. I’ll wipe him down to bring down the fever."

Gaddes nodded and walked away. Hitomi hurried back into the room and lit a candle. She wondered how long they had been sleeping for the tiny room was dark. She touched her palms to his cheeks, then to his shoulders. He was soaked in sweat.

Within moments, Gaddes brought back her supplies. He left, saying that he would tell Allen. Hitomi nodded and closed the door behind him.

Hitomi straightened his arms and legs. She began methodically wiping him down, long steady strokes from his head to his toes. When the cold wet cloth returned to his face, he tried to twist away, but she held him, saying quietly, "No, Van. Hold still. You’re the one who is ill. Now stay still."

He couldn’t understand her, she knew. She wiped his face, holding the cold cloth still for several moments. He turned his face against her palm, trying to burrow into the cloth.

"Yes, you’re hot, aren't you? No, I won't stop, I promise. I know it feels good. I know your burning up, I promise I won't stop." The cloth went down his throat and to his shoulders. She lifted the cloth then and realized it was hot. The fever was heavy upon him.

Hitomi continued until there was a knock on the door. She covered him quickly and walked over to the door. Allen and Gaddes were standing in the doorway with the special herbal tea. Allen told Gaddes to check on Merle and then go back to the bridge if everything was alright. Gaddes nodded and walked away.

"How is he?" Allen asked and went over to the bed, his hand going to Van’s forehead.

"He has it bad. He must have gotten sick because of his wet hair. We didn’t dry it off."

Allen helped her prop him up against the pillows. She sat next to him and held him up with her arm. "Wake up, Van. I want you to drink this tea. It’s important that you drink liquids or you’ll dry up and blow away. Come on now, open your mouth."

He did. He choked on the tea and she slowed it to a trickle. She was patient. He drank the entire cup. Then he moaned again. They laid him back down and began again to stroke the cloth over his body.

At the end of an hour, the fever was down. He soon began to tremble and shudder with cold.

Hitomi didn’t hesitate. She crawled into bed with him and drew him against her. He sought her out then, trying to burrow into her, his legs pushing up against hers, his face under her right arm. She smiled even as she tried to straighten his body. She was soon sweating but she didn’t pull away from him; she pulled him closer, trying to cover every inch of him. Odd that he was so hot yet felt so very cold inside.

She leaned her cheek against the top of his head. His hair, at least, was now dry.

She came awake when it was dawn, a dull gray dawn with the snow still pounding down, lessening but a little. She forced more tea down him, cajoling him, threatening him, until the cup was empty.

Hitomi continued to hold him and wipe him down with the wet cloth. His fever rose and fell in cycles, endless cycles that scared her to death.

She was so scared she was praying.

Allen came and visited every once and a while, and when he brought Merle, Hitomi felt much better. When just he came to visit, they would sit there, uncomfortable in the odd silence. Merle gave Hitomi a quick hug and then started fretting over Van, who was thrashing about in bed. Hitomi was having a hard time holding him down, and Allen had to help. When he calmed down, Hitomi gave a huge sigh of relief.

Hitomi continued to tend him, alternately bullying him into drinking tea or eating thick gruel, and bathing him. Toward the end of one of the longest day's of Hitomi’s life, she knew he was going to live.

She stood beside the bed, staring down at him, knowing that the fever had broken. She knew that if only he would try, he would get better.

"Don’t you dare give up now," she told him. "I’ll thrash you but good if you dare to give up."

He groaned softly and tried to turn to his side. She helped him, then nestled the blankets snugly around him.

"So he’s going to live," Gaddes said from the doorway. Hitomi turned around and gave him a weak smile, also reassuring Merle and Allen standing behind him. He saw how exhausted she was and felt immediately bad. "Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll watch over the boy."

Hitomi nodded thankfully. She started walking out of the room and Merle led her away to her to her own tiny room, the only other livable room on the Crusade. "Allen, we are both going to take a nap. And when I wake up, I'm going to scold you but good."

"But—"

Merle glared at him and he shut his mouth. He wondered why she was going to yell at him. What had he done?

"You are the most egotistic clod I have ever met!! How could you let only Hitomi take care of him? You should have at least had one more person in there! If you haven't noticed, you moron, she is pregnant!! She is going to be giving birth in only four months!! How could you? She is completely exhausted, and all because of you!! I hope that you never do this to me!! And I'm only going to be giving birth in two or so months!!"

Allen looked down, ashamed. Merle continued scolding him, ranting on and on about what a simpleton he was for doing that. He hadn't even had a second thought of having another person help Hitomi. He had been too engulfed in...nothing. Absolutely nothing. He could have kicked himself. Hitomi could have hurt the baby, for heaven sakes, and all because of him.

Merle took a break and sat down. She was tiring a lot easier lately. She was surprised she had even been able to pace back in forth in front of him like she had without feeling dizzy. Along with being tired so much, she had been feeling off-kilter.

Allen noticed how worn out she was looking and felt the urge to scold her himself. "Merle, you need to rest. Why don’t I help you back to your room so you can rest?" he got up and helped her out of her chair. She jerked her arms out of his hold and yelled, "No!! Why don’t you rest?! Leave me alone! If I want to go take a nap, then I will by myself. Now, I'm going to go rest."

Allen stared after her and smiled, shaking his head. She was too complicated. That’s probably why he fell in love with her. He walked back to the bridge. They were nearing Fanelia and he had to make the preparations to land.