Hitomi stared at her boullabaisse and forked it absentmindedly.
How long has it been really? 3 years...? 4...?
She couldn't really recall...
The pain had been unnerving for a year but the emptiness that followed suite was worst.
They'd talk every now and then and he'd share the progress his kingdom was making. It was fascinating for a moment, seeing his passionate eyes light up like that and seeing his face... The smile he wore only for her... The pink pendant he wore... HER necklace...
And then seeing a glimpse of Fanelia again had been... phenomenal. There was a bittersweet, sentimental feeling, seeing Gaea again... The lush greens, the high mountains, the buildings... Gaea was nothing like Earth. She was a mysterious woman who cloaked a tremendous power within her, wrapped in a serene facade. She remembered all too well the feeling she had when she stayed in Gaea. It was a feeling both of peace and an inner stirring, as if her soul was being uplifted and called to something.
At that time, she was being called. To save a world threatened to extinction. The burden was heavy on her shoulders but she had friends to back her up. After that escapade, nothing else seemed to be as pressing and as difficult as her adventure in Gaea.
And then she'd share what she'd been up to... College wasn't as interesting as building a kingdom but he seemed just as interested. Exams... Guys who occassionally streaked the halls (although Van was quite jealous and enraged when he heard this, much to Hitomi's laughter)... Research papers... Then to her track team... Her meets... Her record run.
Definitely nothing as difficult as that time in Gaea.
And then the talks were less frequent. He was too busy attending meetings... Too busy forming alliances... Too busy living his life... A life that she sought so desperately to be a part of but was so shunned by the difficulty of the situation.
She became busy too. She had papers to make. Interviews to do. Track meets to practice for. But, one word from Van and she would have left them for another day. Nothing was as important as speaking with Van. Absolutely nothing.
The months became lonelier and lonelier.
She would dream of Gaea... Of the ebony haired boy. And she would wake up to the reality that they were far, far away, beyond her reach.
And then something happened. A man from her class had asked her out.
It was an invitation to accept change and to go with the wind.
He was a charming man - 5'9", tan, long chestnut hair tied in a ponytail, gentle brown eyes. When he laughed, it was like 2 champagne glasses tinkling from a toast on a Wedding Day - blissful and relaxing.
He was perfect, they said. But he was not Van, she thought.
She did not want to gaze into a mellow pool of brown. She wanted to be engulfed by a fiery russet brown - Van's eyes... Lost in his passion. He had a temper, yes, but it came from a deep desire to save his country, his loved ones... To forge a better path in Destiny's lair.
He raised his eyebrow at Hitomi, teasingly.
"You haven't been listening to a word I said, haven't you?"
Hitomi's face turned a tomato shade. What was the last word she had caught...? Was it "romantic"...? Or "pragmatic"? She couldn't recall.
"Your head lost in space again?"
Hitomi bowed her head, "Im so sorry. I was daydreaming again."
He winked. How the heck could he be so calm and cool about her daydreaming? And a frequent daydreaming at that? He was always so forgiving... So patient. Did she even deserve him?
"You know, Hitomi. There's really something odd about you. Like you spend half of your time in another world or something."
In another world was right.
"But for some reason, it doesn't phase or anger me. You turning a deep shade of red is always quite a sight to see."
She didn't know there could be a deeper shade of red on her cheeks.
He chuckled, and went back to his panfried sea bass.
She went back to Gaea.
Lunch ended with Hitomi's boullabaisse untouched.
