Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Heart of the Dragon ❯ Believe What You Think ( Chapter 23 )

February had flown by and March was approaching to a ripe old age.

Allen, Merle, and their child left a month after Merle had delivered the baby, and Hitomi was beyond lonely. Although Van and Varie took up much of her time, she needed a younger, more feminine person to talk to.

Hitomi being lonely was the last thought on Van's mind. Her safety was his first priority. The countries that had become allies with Fanelia to save Gaea were still searching for Dilandau and Seibu. Until they were caught, it was impossible for Van to rest entirely at ease either day or night. He was always on watch for anyone suspicious, and was actually leery of taking Hitomi out of the palace.

Yet, in spite of his own vexation, Van tried to spare his wife, making a brave show while keeping her entertained with stories of his adventures, revealing more than he would have done otherwise.

Despite the worry and rage that never strayed from Van, the days passed pleasantly enough although Hitomi tired more easily in these, the final stages of her pregnancy. As a result, the palace retired fairly soon after an early supper, allowing Van to ease his wife's discomfort in the privacy of their bedroom. In recent days, he had noticed her massaging her back and getting around much more slowly as her burden lowered in her belly. She was usually more comfortable in bed after he rubbed her back or when she could prop her legs across his. Snuggling beside him with their heads on the same pillow was always relaxing to her. Sometimes they would talk for a time while he held her close within his arms, but more often than not she fell asleep listening to the soft murmur of his voice. Not so Van. He remained alert for long hours afterwards, keenly attuned to the sounds of the palace, his mind constantly roaming in search of a plan that could be set into play to fully guarantee his wife's safety.

It was the third week of March, into the wee hours of the morning, when Van was snatched abruptly from a sound sleep, his mind instantly alert to danger. After bounding from the bed, he ran to the room length balcony windows where he searched the night-shrouded shadows cloaking the front yard of the palace. Behind him, Hitomi murmured restlessly, no longer comforted by his presence. Van cast his glance over a shoulder and watched as she drew up into a small knot upon the bed, as if distressed or disturbed by something. Whatever it was, caused her brows to gather into a fierce frown, but in the passing of a moment, the scowl eased. Without waking, she rolled to his side of the bed and snuggled her face against his pillow, breathing deeply and then releasing a long, blissful sigh as if savoring the scent of it even in her sleep. Van, however, was fully conscious, and the odor he was smelling wasn’t sitting well with him at all.

It was smoke!!!

Van snatched up a pair of pants and pulled them on quickly. As soon as he buttoned them, he rushed over to the bed stand table where his sword and scabbard were resting. He snatched them up and ran to the door, at which he jerked it open. He couldn’t believe that the guards were still awake, and when he got over his second of shock, started issuing orders. They nodded and ran off to do his bidding.

In a few moments Van followed them, making a cautious descent to the lower floors. He prowled through each room, searching for some indication of a fire before moving on to the next. The palace was wreathed in silence, but nothing seemed amiss despite the growing awareness of smoke.

"Your highness," someone called softly from down the hallway. "Come take a look at this."

Van walked out of the room he had been in and saw one of his samurai bent over a crumpled manly form. Turning the unconscious man over, Van muttered a curse as he noted the bloody gash above the young servant man's brow. Van glanced around as the guard said, "Whoever did this certainly meant for this poor fellow to be out for a while."

At that moment, a group of men came running up to them, out of breath. Van stood as they said, "The stables are on fire!!"

Van ordered them to wake the servants to put out the fire and to save the horses while the others in the palace were to be woken. He cursed suddenly, remembering how Nara and all of the healers had left Fanelia for a week to go to Freid for some business or affair. He wanted to kill himself now, knowing that there were going to be casualties.

The guards all left except one, who stayed with him. They went to the rooms of his generals and woke them. The first thing that general Dunwe said was, "Where is her highness and the dowager queen?"

Barely an instant later after muttering these words, a scream from upstairs sent shards of ice-cold dread shooting through Van. Pivoting sharply about, he raced across the hall and leapt up the stairs three at a time. He was less than midway when he saw Hitomi and his mother above the landing, but they were not alone. A masked man in black, lean and more than average height, had seized Hitomi from behind and had an arm clamped tightly about her, effectively pinning her arms to her sides. In his right hand, the brigand held a knife directed at her.

Varie displayed a fair amount of outraged zeal as she pummeled him with her fists and kicked him sharply with her bare feet. She proved too much a distraction for the villain, for he turned on her with a snarl, lifting the hand that held the knife. He slammed the end of it on her chin and promptly sent her slithering unconscious to the floor.

Van's ire soared to unparalleled heights as he bounded up the stairs, but the man whirled to face him once again, this time pressing the tip of the knife to Hitomi's neck. Van froze in sudden alarm, causing the man to chortle gleefully. Emboldened by the control he had over the king, he motioned Van to retreat, briefly flicking the hand that held Hitomi. Van had no choice but to slowly, obediently retrace his steps down the stairs. The black-swathed rogue cautiously followed, using Hitomi as a living shield.

Van was nearing the middle curve of the stairs when the assailant paused above him. The eyeholes in the mask gleamed with reflected light as he swept his gaze about, taking close account of his surroundings. Though only a fourth of a way down, he could see part of the front door open.

In a deep, gravelly voice that seemed oddly exaggerated, the man taunted Van. "I could kill your wife now, you know, and save myself the trouble of coming back later. But of course, if I do that, I'd lose the chance to escape, for I cannot hope to kill you both. As much as it displeases me to leave here without completing my errand, I guess I'll just have to wait until a more opportune time to finish the bitch off, and then you."

Without further warning, he yanked his arm from Hitomi and thrust her forward, snatching a scream from her as he sent her hurtling down the stairs towards her husband. Van threw himself forward to catch her, but the impact of their collision knocked him backwards, causing him to lose his balance. Even as he sought to hold Hitomi on top of him to cushion her fall with his own body, he saw their foe leap over the balustrade to the marble floor below and rush to the front portal. The slamming of the door attested to the brigand's success in fleeing the scene of the crime.

"Damn it!" General Eagan roared as he came charging into the hall as he espied the tangled forms of their majesties thumping down the last few steps. They came to rest on the marble floor, prompting him to ask in concern, "Are you two alright?"

"I'm not sure," Hitomi answered, trying to subdue a wince as she pushed herself upright.

Having descended headfirst and on his back down the stairs, Van was sure he had bruises he wasn’t even aware of yet, but there was no time to think of himself. Twisting around to look at his general, he urged, "General Eagan, you'd better go check on my mother. That bastard hit her hard enough to knock her out."

The general nodded and ran up the stairs as fast as he could. When he got to the landing, Varie had rose up on her elbow and was holding her head. "My lady, are you alright?" He got down and picked her up gingerly. He carried her to her room which was a ways down the hall. She nodded and groaned at the pain it caused in her head. Everything came flooding back to her in a moment and she struggled against the man's hold. "Oh, no!! That man was trying to kill Hitomi!!"

"Rest easy, madam. Her highness is alright," he said, not knowing if that was true or not, he just wanted her to stop fighting his hold so he wouldn’t drop her. He brought her into her room and set her on the bed.

She laid back, relieved. "Unharmed? Are you sure?"

"She appeared to be when I left them."

At that precise moment, the object of Varie's concern was sitting beside Van on the marble floor, confused and dazed.

Van went closer to her and immediately rested his hand on her stomach. She was looking down, and Van's eyes followed her line of vision. She was sitting in a puddle of liquid. She clutched at his hand still resting on her stomach. "Oh, God, Van. My water broke."

Startled, he looked up. "Your water broke? What the hell is that?"

"I'm going into labor, stupid!!"

Van blinked. "No you're not."

"Yes I am!!"

Van swore. "Hitomi, we have a problem."

She squeezed his hand harder. "What kind of problem?" she asked warily.

"We don’t have any healers."

"That’s silly, Van. Of course we do. They're in the infirmary. Don’t scare me like that."

"No, Hitomi, they're gone. No one is here. I let them leave for some every decade thing that all healers go to. I didn’t think. They are going to be back in four or five days. Can't this wait?"

"No!!! How could you let them leave when you knew I could have these things any day?!?!"

Van looked around frantically, not knowing what to do. "I should go look for some help." He got up, getting ready to leave and look for aid, but Hitomi said, "Do you suppose you could help me to our room first?"

"Should have thought of that first," Van mumbled in some chagrin as he scooped her up in his arms. "Not very gallant of me to leave a lady in distress."

She giggled and lopped her arms around his neck. "That’s alright. I forgive you. After all, you are my knight in shining armor. But I must say, if we go through too much more abuse, we're going to be crippled before our time."

"As long as I grow old with you," he replied softly, "then I'll be satisfied."

Once in their bedchamber, Van pressed a doting kiss to her forehead, and left to look for some help with reassurances that she would be alright while he was gone.

Hitomi donned a new nightgown, for her old one was soaked. She walked over to the bed, and as she was about to sit, she gasped in sudden pain, her hand clutching at her belly. She grabbed hold of the bed pole for strength and took a deep breath, trying to relax as she sat down.

Van ran through the halls, searching for anyone who knew anything about birthing a child, let alone two. When he didn’t meet anyone, not even a guard, he stopped and leaned against the wall, falling to the floor. He squeezed his eyes shut, his fingers digging into the soft carpet. He didn’t know what to do. What was going to happen now that no healers or doctors were here?

Van didn’t know how long he had been sitting there, and he got up, determined to find anyone, even one of his generals so the people of Fanelia could be woken. He had to find someone.

He walked back down the hall, and smacked his forehead when he realized he had overlooked yet another thing. His mother! She could help!! He ran to her room, and banged on the door with his fist. It opened a long moment later, and a very pale, fragile looking Varie opened the door. She rubbed her eyes to clear them and she blinked a few times so Van's face would become one, instead of four.

"Mom, Hitomi has gone into labor. There are no healers, and I don’t have anyone to help her. I have never gone through this! I don’t know what to do!!" Van started panicking, all his worries bursting forth. He kept pulling frantically at his clothes or raking his fingers through his hair repeatedly.

Varie held onto the door, for she was weaving where she stood. She could see the state that Van was in, but she didn’t know what to do, either. All she had done was give birth, not aid in it. She gulped, and that small movement made her head spin. She gripped onto the door harder and took a deep breath, trying to forget her pain for her son. "Van, don’t worry so much," she said, trying to calm him. "It will be hours before something actually happens—"

"Hours?" Van felt the color drain from his face and suddenly his knees seemed too weak to support him. "That long?"

Varie nodded. "I need to get some more rest, my head is killing me. Hitomi will be fine for a few hours, but stay with her. If anything happens, come and get me. And have some of your guards to go and search Fanelia for a doctor or something."

Van nodded, so thankful he almost collapsed from relief. He kissed his mother's forehead and left, searching for someone, a servant, anyone. Dawn was only an hour or so away, so waking Fanelia would be unnecessary.

He found general Dunwe a few minutes later, walking down the stairs back to his room. Van told him what to do, and the man nodded reluctantly, more willing to go back to bed than aid his highness with the delivery of his first child. Van could see this, and he tried not to punch him as hard as he could in his skinny face. For a man that was approaching forty, he looked much older, yet skinnier than a twig. Van waved him away, rushing back up the stairs to his room.

 ******************

Allen grinned at his baby girl and set her on the thick soft blanket by Millerna's own. His wife and Millerna were sitting on the blanket with them, playing and making funny faces at their children. Dryden was off doing some kingly duty and had left his beautiful wife.

Merle watched Allen's thoughtful expression and wondered what was going through his head. He had been wandering the past few days and it concerned her. "Allen, what's wrong?"

Allen glanced at her and started pacing. Millerna just smiled and said, "Let him work out his male problems by pacing his feet off. Did you ever notice how much men do it?"

Allen frowned at her and kept pacing across the room. "I don’t know. Something's wrong. I have a weird feeling."

There was a knock on the door and Millerna started to get up on her feet to answer it.

"No, I'll get it. Just stay on the blanket with Merle and rest," Allen said and strode to the door.

A small boy, who was red in the face and gasping for air like he had run ten miles without stopping, handed him a note quickly and bowed, trying to regain his breath.

Merle watched Allen's hand clutch the paper and pale. He told the boy to wait and walked quickly over to Merle and Millerna, hauling them up.

"I must be off, my dears. It's Hitomi. I just got word that she's in labor, and in a very bad way. Van's going crazy. Nara and all the healers are gone."

"Oh, no!! We must leave now! Why aren't there any healers? Doesn’t anyone know how to help her?!" Merle exclaimed, picking up her baby and cradling it close to her bosom.

"Nonsense. I have to leave now. It takes a full day to get there galloping like a mad man, let alone with two women and newborns!!"

"We will take an air cruiser. It will take less than a half a day, and we can bring our children," Millerna said and stood, taking charge like the queen she was. "We will meet you at the docking area in half an hour. Be there." The women left him standing there, wondering what had just happened. He got out of his temporary shock and got ready.

 ******************

They arrived at Fanelia in the late afternoon, the sun nearly setting. Allen got a quick glance at Varie's downhearted look and felt hope disappear.

"She's still holding on," Varie said sadly, no emotion in her sweet voice. "She is having twins, just in case one of you don’t know. She gave birth to a baby boy, but the other one is still inside her." She turned to Millerna and asked, "And who is this young lady?"

"Queen Millerna of Asturia."

"How nice," she said with a little more enthusiasm in her voice. "Merle and Allen, go inside and see if you can do anything for Van. He is literally going insane."

"I wish to see Hitomi," Millerna demanded, not asking. "I'm a doctor. I can help her."

Allen ran into the hall and went straight to the study, where he had the feeling Van would be.

The first glimpse Merle had of Van made her gasp and clutch at her throat. He was rumpled and trembling, beyond pale, his large hands gripping Allen's shoulders. He looked ready to fall on the floor and die, either that or go even more crazy and put himself in an insane asylum.

"Three days," Van mumbled his eyes blank and empty. "What am I going to do?!! She's dying!!" He was yelling now, nearly bruising Allen's arms with his violent grip.

Allen felt powerless and furious. Something like this should never happen to anyone, let alone Van and Hitomi. Van already was dealing with enough, let alone his wife and her possible upcoming death.

Merle went into the study with Varie, who she noticed had a very dark and ugly bruise on her jaw, spreading to her cheek and temple. She didn’t want to see Van and Allen anymore, for it scared her. She watched Millerna rush up the stairs with a servant and sighed. She settled onto the sofa and tried to keep calm. Until she heard the scream. It was high pitched, broken, and filled with such severe pain she sucked in her breath.

She heard pounding footsteps and ran out of the room with Varie. She saw both Van and Allen racing up the stairs. She listened to Van yelling and cursing himself for leaving her. He was nearly crying.

Allen happened to look back at that moment and saw Merle and Varie, white-faced, standing at the bottom of the stairs. He felt so worried that his throat constricted and a lump formed. He couldn’t say anything to them.

The two men burst in the royal chamber. Millerna was beside the bed, bending over Hitomi, acting doctor and a woman on the other side. The "doctor" was speaking, wildly waving his arms, trying to get Millerna's attention, who was ready to attack him for not helping Hitomi. The man tried to shove her away, but Millerna grabbed his collar and pushed him so hard he fell on his butt on the floor. She went right back to Hitomi.

"Hitomi!" Van cried when he saw what was going on.

"Van." Millerna briefly glanced up at him. "Come and help me. Allen, get this fool of a "doctor" out of here, before I kill him."

Allen took the man's arm and pulled him away, shoving him willingly out the door. He almost personally killed the short, portly man who was balding at the top of his head. He calmed himself and went back into the room, closing the door.

"Now, I've succeeded in turning the babe into the correct position, in spite of that jerk of a "doctor". I want you to press down on her belly, Van. Hitomi, I want you to push down with all your strength. Do you hear me?!"

Hitomi whimpered, tears running down her face in pain. She heard the words but didn’t understand them all the way. She oddly recognized Millerna's voice, and didn’t understand why. How had Millerna gotten here? She stared blindly up at her husband for console.

"Get those covers off her, Van. Now push, Hitomi!! You can do it!!"

The wailing, thin cries made Allen tremble. He saw Van pressing down on the mound of Hitomi's belly. He watched Millerna motion to the woman and the two of them lifted Hitomi's legs and parted them. He saw Millerna's hand plunge into Hitomi. He closed his eyes, not able to watch. He whispered a prayer.

Allen heard Hitomi screaming, her hoarse voice rending the silence of the room. "Oh, gods, please," he murmured quietly.

Allen opened his eyes to see Millerna's hands receive a small, dark head. "I have its head!! Stop pushing, Hitomi!!"

Millerna grasped the tiny shoulders, gently pulling the baby from its mother. "A baby girl, Van, it’s a beautiful little girl you got."

A woman Allen hadn't noticed rushed forward as the baby let forth a loud wail. He saw Hitomi's head fall back against the pillow. She was unconscious, that or dead. He didn’t know.

Van was bending over his wife now, his hands gently cupping her face. He had tears running down his cheeks. He fell to his knees and buried his face in her bosom, his hands fisting in her nightgown and he cried as he had never cried before. Allen gulped at the emotion he was feeling from the scene of Van pouring his heart out onto Hitomi's sweat-soaked nightgown, his body racked with sobs. He didn’t know if he should leave or try to comfort Van, and he was about to walk over to him when Merle and Varie appeared at his side. Merle had tears in her eyes, and she was fighting to hold them back. "Is she—?"

"I don’t know," Allen whispered. He could see both Varie and Merle looking over his shoulder to get a look at the hysterical Van. Varie let out a cry when she saw the state both of her babies were in and shoved Allen out of the way with surprising forceful strength. Merle went into his arms and they both held each other, waiting to see if she was alive or not.

Millerna walked over, wiping her hands on a towel. "Don’t worry you two, she's alive. She will live."

Varie fell to her knees and started crying along with Van, wrapping her arms around his shaking shoulders. Van was just starting to quiet, his fingers loosening on the death-like grip he had on her nightgown. He didn’t lift his head, he absolutely refused to, even when his mother stopped bawling on his shoulder and asked him to look at her. He shook his head vigorously, his fingers tightening again on her gown. He stopped crying so loudly, but he still had tears pouring down his face. When Varie tried to pull him away from his haven, Van realized how he was acting. But he couldn’t help it. Just the briefest thought of losing his wife made him want to cry worse than he just had. He pulled away from her and wiped his tear-drenched face on his sleeve.

"Oh, my poor baby," Varie murmured soothingly, gathering Van into her arms. Van couldn’t stop trembling, but his crying had ceased. Merle sat down next to Varie and Allen walked up behind her. Varie let go of him reluctantly so Merle could hold him and tell him it was alright. Merle herself knew she was going to cry her eyes out tonight, for she hadn't let much emotion show through here. Allen would probably freak, wondering if she was getting sick with some crying syndrome.

Van released a long sigh, and then laughed pathetically, standing. Allen ruffled his hair like he always did and everyone in the room had to give a little laugh.

Allen saw how Van was about to collapse from being so tired, and asked, "How many days have you been awake?"

"Ever since Hitomi went into labor. Three days. Oh, God, I could have lost her. And it's all my fault. I'm never going to touch her again."

Allen wanted to snort at the absurdity of what Van had just said, but when he saw the very serious look on Van's face, he shut up and clamped his jaws. He helped Van into Hitomi's room, which wasn’t so heavy feeling and had a cleaner, more airy feel to it compared to the room they had just escaped. Van ripped off his shirt and crashed onto the bed, falling asleep before he had even hit the mattress. Allen smiled at him and covered him with the thick blankets before he left to get Merle.

Van woke up to a splitting headache, a sore body, and a hungry stomach. He felt absolutely miserable. And he deserved to be. Or at least he thought he did. After what he did to Hitomi, he deserved to suffer for the rest of his life.

He crawled out of bed, almost groaning at how much pain he was in. He hobbled like an old man over to the door and hung onto it as he opened it slowly. The guards were as wide awake as ever, and they immediately started asking him questions, or if he needed anything.

"Food, and some kind of good pain medicine. And fast, before I pass out." One of the men nodded and took off. Van went back into the room and fell onto the bed, nearly killing himself from the agony and suffering. Just knowing that his wife was in worse pain made him feel a little better, but the headache was violent and made his head feel like it was going to explode into a thousand pieces.

His food and medicine arrived ten minutes later, much to the grief of Van. He swallowed the drug first, and then ate the boiled potatoes smothered in butter next. He didn’t like anything else on the tray, either that or he just wasn’t in the mood.

After he was done eating, he felt exhausted again, so he took a nap. Upon wakening, he saw Allen sitting in a chair next to the bed, he had his eyes closed, his head resting in his hands. He knew that he wasn’t sleeping, so he said his name. Allen opened his eyes and sat forward, asking him if he needed anything. Van shook his head, he was fine for the moment, his pain only a dull thud, his brain not so ready to combust.

Allen smiled when Van asked him how his wife was doing. "She is currently sleeping, but she awoke very early this morning." He didn’t add that she had nearly been screaming in pain. "Do you want to see her?"

Van stared at the wall in front of him across the room. "No, she'd probably start screaming in horror, not in pain if she saw me. She probably doesn’t ever want to see me again."

"Nonsense. The first thing she said when she woke up was your name. If anything, I bet she doesn’t blame you one bit for what happened. It wasn’t your fault, Van. Just a few misplaced happenings. If Nara would have been here, I doubt any of this would have occurred."

"Exactly. I sent her away, even knowing that Hitomi could have the twins any day. I'm so stupid!"

"Van, calmed down. Hitomi wasn’t even worried about herself from what I heard, she was worried about you. She kept asking for you, but no one had the guts to come in here and wake you up, you lazy lout."

Van snorted. "Are you sure she wasn’t asking for someone else named Van?"

Allen was ready to smack him upside his tousled head. Instead, he asked, "Have you even seen your children yet?"

Van blinked a few times. "A glimpse."

"Do you want to?"

"What are you saying?" Van questioned, annoyed.

"I'm asking if you want to see your children. You haven't even held them yet, and everyone else has. So get your butt out of this bed before I pick you up and carry you down to the infirmary."

"Have you held them?" Van asked, his voice and eyes softening.

"Yes."

Van started to get out of the bed when he stopped. "What...what are they like?"

Allen chuckled. "If you don’t mind me saying so, I think you got the most beautiful pair of twins on Gaea. I'm not going to say more, since you haven't even seen them yet, and I don’t want to ruin the surprise."

"Really? Even more beautiful than Aleta?" Van asked, a grin on his face as they walked out of the room.

"Don’t push it."

Van's grin widened and they continued down to the infirmary. When they entered, a woman stood from a chair in the corner of the room, beside two cribs. She curtsied and excused herself, leaving the room.

Van felt almost nervous as he approached the bassinets warily. Allen stayed behind him, and Van peeked over the edge, his right hand holding onto the side.

Allen watched Van smile and lean over more as he looked at his baby son for the first time. He came up beside him and asked, "Well?"

Van's gentle smile roughened into a frown. "Has Hitomi held either one of them yet?"

Allen shrugged. "I don’t know. You were the one here, not me."

Van looked down at his sleeping child. He had black hair, but he didn’t know what color eyes he had. He wanted to hold him more than anything, but he didn’t know if he should. Allen pointed him over to the little girl's crib and Van walked over, not hesitant in the least. An amazed look came to his face and Allen went over next to him, wondering why.

"She has green eyes. She has Hitomi's eyes and my black hair. She's so perfect," Van said in wonder. He couldn’t help himself as he stared at his wide awake little baby girl. He picked her tiny body up and brought her close to his body for support and warmth. Part of her small soft blanket fell and Van tucked it closer around her. She stared up at him, not blinking. Van smiled at her and she closed her eyes, letting out a small sigh from her tiny lips.

Allen grinned when he realized she had fallen asleep in his arms. "All this holding and falling asleep in arms is making me want Aleta right now." Allen paused when Van looked up, the smile still on his face. "I wonder if all our children will become friends and rule all of Gaea with their beauty."

Van wanted to laugh, but he didn’t want to disturb his little girl's peaceful sleep. "Do you ever wonder about Chid, Allen?"

Allen blinked at the sudden question. He looked away, sighing. "Van, I want more than anything for Chid to know that I'm his real father. I love him, but that love is suspended by the invisible boundaries that he doesn’t know about. Maybe someday I will tell him, when he's older and would understand. But until now, I have to suffice with my beautiful wife and baby girl."

"How old is he now?" Van asked, rocking back and forth slowly and smoothly.

Allen thought for a moment and then said, "Thirteen. I wish I would have been there for his first birthday as a teenager. Now I really feel old."

Van chuckled and said, "We all do sometimes. I wonder what Chid is doing right now. Do you think he's interested in girls yet?"

Allen's face brightened in a wide smile. "If he's anything like me, which he is, he's very interested in women right now. I haven't seen him for almost a year. I can't wait to see what kind of man he'll turn out to be, although he'd probably be creeped out wondering why I care so much."

Van set his child back into the bassinet, all without her stirring once. "When did you start getting interested in girls?"

"I started very early. I have no idea other than that. I can remember even at eleven and twelve chasing after all the girls. They would run away from me, giggling." He laughed. "When did you?"

"When Hitomi came. Since she was around me so much, I learned a lot more about them. Then I started to fall in love with her, but—I don’t want to get into this," he said, stopping abruptly.

Allen didn’t push him, knowing what he was going to say. 'But she loved you, so I didn’t follow my feelings.'  

Van started walking from the room, saying, "I can't take it anymore. I'm going to go see her."

Allen followed after him, leaving him only when he got to his door. He heard Merle and Millerna from within, talking. He waved Van away when he stopped, wondering what he was doing. Allen went into his room and Van walked into his so quietly, he didn’t even hear himself.

His first view of Hitomi made him swallow. She was pale, almost bloodless, dark marks under her eyes. She looked so fragile, so delicate. She was still resting, lying on her side. He could tell that she hadn't moved much, noticing how the bed clothes were barely disturbed. He saw that someone had brushed her hair and fanned it about her head, along with changing her nightgown.

He sat down in one of the chairs that were littered about the huge bed and took her hand that was lying limply on top of the thick blanket. She stirred. She must be in a light sleep, Van thought smiling. Maybe now that she wasn’t pregnant she wouldn’t be such a heavy sleeper. And now he wouldn’t have to go through all her hormonal mood changes. Still smiling, he bent over and kissed her cheek lightly, willing her to wake up.

Her eyes fluttered, but didn’t open. They squeezed shut harder and her hand flew out of his hold as she stretched. She yawned and her green eyes opened, wide and staring.

Van tried to keep a grip on his emotional self and gulped.

"Van?"

He took back hold of her hand and she clasped it weakly. "Yes, it's me, Hitomi. I'm right here."

"What...what's wrong? What happened?"

Van shook his head. "Nothing. Don’t worry, everything's ok."

"No."

Van cocked an eyebrow at her, not understanding. She struggled to sit up, but Van held her down, telling her to stay put. She sighed and fell back down.

"Something is wrong. And it's with you," Hitomi stated, more strength going into each word she said. "Van, don’t blame yourself for this, it wasn’t your fault."

Van wasn’t about to get into an argument with her and make her hurt herself. "I don’t," he lied.

Hitomi knew he was, but gave up. "Did you see them?"

Now this was something he could talk about. "Yes." She searched his face and he continued. "Hitomi, we made two of the most beautiful children ever created."

Hitomi smiled, relieved. She had wondered if he was going to hate them because of what she had gone through trying to get them into this world. She felt so weak, and tired, but she wasn’t done talking to him yet. "What...what do they look like?"

"They have my black hair and your gorgeous green eyes."

Her smile widened. "I want to see them. I want to hold them with you."

"I don’t know...you're still so weak, you need to rest for a long time—"

"Please," she pleaded, her eyes sad on his face.

Van gave up without a fight and went to the door to see a servant girl about to knock. It was Marie. "Your highness, I was just wondering...do you want the little prince and princess?"

Van smiled at the titles, and nodded. The girl curtsied and walked away, going to get them.

Van went back into the room, telling his wife that they were on the way. She thanked him and tried to sit up again. Van scolded her for even trying and did it for her. She had a frail smile on her face from the amusement of Van and his protectiveness. They were quiet for the next few moments, not knowing what to say. When Hitomi piped in, Van looked at her eagerly, looking for any kind of conversation to break the uncomfortable silence.

"What are we going to name them?"

Van had no idea. They hadn't discussed anything, nothing at all. "I think that you should name them, after all, you did all the work."

Her smile got just a tiny bit bigger, and Van squeezed her very white hand. "Although we haven't been talking about it, I had been thinking about it. For the boy, I think that Ryu would go perfectly. And for our little girl, Malaika. Do you like them?"

Van was startled at how wonderful the names were, and how well they seemed to fit. "Ryu de Fanel. Malaika de Fanel. I love it. How could you come up with two such perfect names? And all without me?"

Through her hoarse voice, she giggled. "I don’t know. But it seemed to work out fine without you, didn’t it?"

"I suppose. Ah, guess whose here?" Van said at the knock on the door. He got up and opened it, to see two women with his babies in their arms. They both held them out to him, and he became instantly overwhelmed. How was he going to hold both of them? He took the little girl first, and looked confused at the other elder woman. She gave him a toothless grin and made the cradle position on his left arm, setting the little boy in the crook of his arm. Van had no idea a person could hold two babies at once, and like this. He thanked them and walked back in, closing the door with his foot.

Hitomi stared at her husband and her two little babies he was carrying over to her. They looked so much the same, black hair, green eyes. The only way she could tell them apart was how the little girl was wrapped in a light pink blanket, and the little boy in blue. Van gave her the little girl, complaining that he hadn't held the little boy yet. She smiled and adjusted her into a more comfy position in her arms. She started cooing at her when she started fussing, her tiny arms flailing about. She stared up at her with her small green eyes and stopped crying instantly, to the amazement of both Van and her.

Van had been about to show Hitomi how to hold both of them at the same time when there was a knock on the door. Annoyed, he stood and cradled his child close to his body, walking over to the door. He opened it without even looking, for he was concentrating on his baby. He had just realized that this small thing was going to be a king someday, going to rule all of Fanelia.

Millerna crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her foot. Van looked up and smiled, inviting her in. She thanked him sarcastically and strode in over to Hitomi. She evaluated her, and upon seeing her weak, yet happy face, said she was going to make a healthy and fast recovery. Although she said this, Hitomi was to stay in bed for at least a week, or until Nara returned and told her otherwise. Van agreed with her, and Hitomi didn’t say anything.

After sitting around and talking, Hitomi holding both of the newborns with help and support from Van, both Millerna and her started noticing how the small little hands were rooting around, looking for food. Van had no idea why both of the women were laughing, so he just sat there confused as he helped Hitomi hold up their little boy in her right arm.

"I think, Millerna, that maybe you should show me how to feed these two," Hitomi announced when they started getting more upset. Van's eyes widened when he finally understood what was going on, and even more so when Millerna handed him the tiny bundle of the little girl and started helping Hitomi unbutton her nightgown. When Hitomi was quite bare in her upper workings, Van, still shocked, handed Millerna the little girl to give to Hitomi.

Millerna aided the tiny little mouth of the girl to Hitomi's breast, and she immediately latched onto her nipple. Hitomi smiled at the odd feeling and watched her suck as vigorously as she could. Millerna adjusted the little boy into a more comfortable position for both of them and did the same with him. When both of them were feeding, sucking rather ravenously, Hitomi let herself marvel at it all. At the look on Van's face, she smiled, not believing that he had sired these two little precious bundles that she herself was feeding. So much had happened, and all in a year. She felt tears come to her eyes, but blinked them back, not wanting Van to get upset when he looked so happy. Now all they needed to do was catch Dilandau and Seibu, get Dilandau turned back into Celena, Seibu somehow eliminated, and Gaea saved.

That is too much to ask for, Hitomi thought. She would just have to be happy with what she had now. They needed time for saving Gaea, they needed more time than a year. She stopped her thinking about Gaea, realizing that she had been on this planet for a year. She couldn’t get over how much had happened. Even now, she already had a family, a loving husband, wonderful friends, and she was a queen. She grinned. It was way beyond anything she had ever thought she would have.

She turned her thoughts outward and looked around. Millerna was smiling her face off, Van was staring in wonder, and the little girl was falling asleep while the little boy got as much as he could. She yawned and sighed. She was getting more exhausted by the second. She could tell Millerna noticed this and took the little girl from her, who was almost asleep. She put her into Van's arms, and proceeded to show him how to burp her by rubbing her back very gently up and down. He tried it, and got a surprised smile on his face when she let out a small wet burp.

Van handed the little thing back to Millerna, and promptly freaked when Hitomi's head fell back against the pillows. Millerna shushed him loudly, telling him that she was just sleeping. He sagged in relief and kissed her smooth pale cheek, taking the now asleep little boy out of her arms.

Millerna went to the door and handed the little baby girl to one of the waiting women and closed the door again. She turned back to fix Hitomi's nightgown and cover her, and saw Van rubbing the little boy's back, his face full of concentration. She smiled and went over to the bed, re-buttoning Hitomi's nightgown, pushing her down, flattening the pillows, and covering her. She got a good look at Van after he handed her the little boy. He looked more tired than he had yesterday, when he had been awake for three days. She couldn’t believe the endurance the boy had.

"Van, why don’t you get some rest? If the babies need fed, I'll bring them back up so Hitomi can nurse them. Don’t worry, I won't be leaving until Nara gets back. In a few days, right?"

Van didn’t know which one to answer to, so he just nodded. She smiled and left the room, leaving Van by himself. He didn’t know if he should stay or go back to her room. He decided he would stay, just in case she woke up and needed something, and just because he wanted to.

He got under the blankets with her, but stayed far enough from her so he didn’t feel her warmth. He didn’t want any temptation, not one. Not even a kiss. He had to promise to himself that he wouldn’t touch her, or at least in any way that would entice him to do more. As he closed his eyes and curled up on his side away from her, he wondered what Hitomi would do once she found out. Would she flip out on him for his declaration?