Disclaimer: I don't own the original story or characters.
I should warn you that the following one-shot has absolutely no plot whatsoever. It's just an experiment with dialog that got way, WAY out of hand! Lol So don't expect anything great. I had a lot of fun writing it however, so hopefully you'll enjoy reading it too and if not the whole thing, at least parts of it.
What do you need to know? This takes place about three and a half years after the end of the Destiny War. Van and Hitomi have maintained a secret relationship since then and this depicts what happened in one of their many secret rendezvous in the outskirts of Fanelia's capital city. The rest sort of explains itself, I guess.
A Moment in Time
A cool breeze shook away the last remnants of sleep from her, gradually awakening her dormant senses to the surrounding ambiance. Though still refusing to open her eyes, she slowly became aware of the multitude of nature's sounds all around her, of the smell of dozens of flowery fragrances, of the soft and fresh feel of the green 'mattress' under her bare arms and legs.
After allowing herself a few more instants of serene indulgence she finally opened them, only to be unmercifully invaded by a sea of blinding light. The offending brightness made her groan quietly and she fleetly buried her face back on the hard white cushion her head had laid resting upon.
The added pressure caused it to stir slightly though, and she looked up instinctively.
He lay peacefully over the cushiony grass; eyes closed, features perfectly relaxed. His white sleeveless shirt was unbuttoned, allowing the bright sunlight to glisten over his tanned torso; giving him a flawless statue-like appearance. Only the shallow breathing movements of his chest gave away that he was in fact human and not some gifted sculpture's masterpiece.
Her heart skipped a beat as she struggled with her numbed arms to sit up, putting some distance between them. She secretly whished she didn't feel so awed by him sometimes, like some schoolgirl pinning over her idol crush, but she couldn't help it. She just couldn't get used to him. Even after being together for so long. His beauty had become almost inhuman.
She knew his heritage was to blame for that, of course. Draconians were supposed to be amongst the most beautiful people in the planet, but even so, the remarkable transformation he had gone through in the past few years from the awkward slim boy she'd met to the full grown man oozing magnetism beside her was a little disconcerting. It almost made her feel self-conscious about her own appearance.
Taking advantage of his sleep state she nonetheless let herself study him more intently. In a way she was glad he wasn't aware of her. She would be mortified if he'd caught her staring at him like that.
The afternoon breeze kept playing havoc with his already dishevelled hair, tossing his raven locks all over his face. Her hand reached out automatically to tuck some of them behind his ear. It was clear she was happy to have an innocent excuse to touch him, but her delicate fingers weren't able to stop their assault on him just yet. Carefully, not to wake him, she trailed them down in a feathery-like touch, over the soft skin of his forehead, the bridge of his nose, finally tracing the outline of his slightly parted lips.
His breath tickled the tips of her fingers; its warmth so enticing it sent shivers up her arm.
It hadn't been her intention, she was sure of it, but the truth was she found herself leaning gently towards him, eyes fixed on his perfectly shaped lips. And as she got closer and closer to him, her lids shut gradually, failing miserably to notice the grin that suddenly appeared on his lips, before he spoke out loud, startling her.
"I didn't know you talked in your sleep." There was amusement in his voice. That much was obvious.
"W-What??" Her surprised, mortified reply only succeeded in widening his grin.
Of course she knew she talked in her sleep. She had been humiliated enough in the past by her parents and annoying little brother on account of her nightly monologues. But he didn't know that! He didn't need to know that!
Blood was rapidly rising to her cheeks. She could feel it. "What...did...I...say?" Her brain fought hard to retrieve some of the stored information from her subconsciousness, secretly pleading that she had not blurted out something way to private.
Upon hearing the dread in her voice he finally turned his head slightly to the side and peaked at her through half-open lids. "Don't worry! You didn't say much!"
Somehow he could tell she wasn't convinced.
"Really! You just said my name a few times." The grin was back. And this time it reached way up to his eyes.
She grimaced. "How much is a few times to you exactly?
He didn't say anything, just stared at her for a few moments. The same smile gracing his handsome features.
"Oh no!" She quickly covered her face with her hands in a pitiful attempt to hide her embarrassment.
She sensed movement beside her and in the next second he was already sitting up, one arm curving along her waist, cradling her small frame to his side, his intoxicating summery scent finally hitting her; momentarily clouding her thoughts.
"Don't do that! I liked it!" He was whispering softly in her ear now, though she still refused to move from her mortified stance. "It's nice to know you dream about me."
She heard his chuckle at the same time a small gush of breath tickled her neck, before he buried his face in her hair taking in its sweet flowery scent.
A few moments of silence went by. "Are you sure that was all I said?" He lifted his head from the soft cushion. Emerald orbs stared anxiously at his burgundy ones.
His face was suddenly serious; eyes narrowing an inch so he could study her expression more intently. "Well, you did say you wanted to tie me to a bed and cover me in honey."
Her eyes widened as she gasped in horror.
"I'm kidding! I'm kidding!"
It took a second for his joke to register. "You-"
He caught her hand just before it painfully connected to his right cheek, but her appalled expression was enough to drive him over the edge, and he burst into a fit of laughter.
"That wasn't funny!" She said, unsuccessfully trying to free herself from his soft but steady grasp.
"Yes it was." His eyes had grown incredibly soft as the last waves of laughter washed over his body. He placed a chaste kiss on the palm of her entrapped hand before letting it go completely.
The curiosity her eyes displayed as she stared at him was evident.
"What's the matter?" He was laying on the cool grass again, its softness caressing the back of his arms and neck.
"Nothing…It's just…" She struggled for the right words for a moment, not wanting to disturb his rarely seen good humour.
"Well… You don't usually play with stuff like that. It almost doesn't sound like you."
He eyed her for a moment; left eyebrow slightly raised and then shrugged casually.
"Aren't you the one always saying I should lighten up? That I'm too serious for my own good?" He asked; that irresistible smirk lighting up his face again. "Besides, it was worth the look on your face!"
A muffled "Hmpf!" while rolling her eyes at him was her only reply.
For the next few minutes she contented herself with fully taking in their surroundings: the warm sun, the soft grass, the colourful delicate alien flowers, the tall and empowering unknown trees; at least to her.
A flurry of life abounded on the meadow around them and yet she really had been playing little attention to it for a far breathtaking sight beside her paled everything she was seeing in comparison.
She returned her gaze to the object of her affection, already missing everything about him, but what she saw brought concern to her eyes.
There were no more traces of good humour left in him. Instead, a wistful expression clouded his face; his eyes gazing unseeingly into the clear blue sky above him. It was a look she knew all to well. No one needed to tell her something was upsetting his mind.
Cautiously, she reached out her hand to brush a strand of hair from his face. "Though week?"
Her melodic voice was enough to spring him out of his quiet reverie, bringing a small smile to his lips as he turned to meet her gaze. "The usual."
"You work too much, you know?" He chuckled again and that low and unbelievably sensual sound made her heart bounce uncontrollably against her chest bone.
"I believe you've phrased that before, yes!"
A silent grumble escaped her lips. "And you obviously didn't decide to act on it, did you?" She slumped to her side next to him, clearly miffed by his amused tone. "Honestly, I leave you for a month and you turn into a walking zombie." She tried to convey a stern expression as she traced her thumb over the dark bruises below his eyes. It came out more concerned than anything else.
He sighed. "I'm alright. Things around here have just been a little bit hectic that's all." He took on her incredulous expression and emended. "Fine! More hectic than usual!... But look on the bright side; I could turn out to be your first patient."
There was an undeniable hint of sarcasm in her voice as she answered him back. "Very funny! Keep depriving yourself of sleep and you will."
"It would be an honour, Dr. Kanzaki."
He brought his hand up to slowly brush her cheek; the warm sensation left by his long fingers making her skin prickle with delight.
An apologetic smile forced her lips slightly upwards as she tried to avoid losing herself in the dept of his eyes. "I'm sorry!"
His eyebrows arched in confusion. "Whatever for?"
"For being away for so long. I wanted so bad to come back sooner, but…argh…the load of work the past couple of weeks was just impossible to bear." She was staring vacantly at the greenery past him now. He could only guess where her thoughts were driving her mind. "I swear sometimes I think the teachers want to drive us insane!" Her eyes were serious when she turned her attention back to him. "Yukari nearly had a meltdown this week!"
He gave her an encouraging smile. This was a little rant he'd grown accustomed to in the last few months. "College isn't as much fun as you thought, mm?" She sighed discontently before she accepted the silent invitation of his stretched arms and slowly laid her head on his shoulder, draping one arm leisurely over his firm chest.
"It's alright Hitomi. You have your own life. I understand that." His hand travelled up and down her small back for added reassurance. "I don't want you to give up on your education. I know how important it is to you to become a good physician."
"Even so, I should have come back sooner. Even if only to force you to sleep!"
A devilish grin spread over his features. "Oh, I hardly think I could fall asleep with you around here!" A painful smack on a particularly sensitive part of his ribs was her swift reply.
Ouch! She was a lot stronger than her small frame would make one think. "At least Johan stopped analyzing my every move during your absence."
At the mention of her least favourite person in both their worlds she couldn't help but cringe.
"Johan? Why?"
"I apparently develop somewhat of an uncharacteristic giddy attitude after every time I'm with you." He smiled down at her. This time it was her turn to be confused. "He picked up on that awhile ago and was starting to get suspicious I was doing something the council wouldn't approve of."
Confusion turned to anger in half-a-second. "That man is a humongous jerk!"
"Hitomi!" He replied sternly. Van didn't really approve of her general dislike towards his most trustworthy advisors. Although he had to admit, half of the times she had been right to call their sanity into question.
"Do you think they suspect something?" She asked.
It took him a moment to realize what she was talking about. Her face was now supported by her free hand, allowing the numbness on his shoulder to subside a little; her pink lips mere inches from his own. "About us?" He finally managed to blurt out.
She nodded.
"I don't think so." He answered truthfully. "I mean, we're very careful. Besides, Merle does a good job sidetracking them whenever she thinks it convenient."
Letting Merle in on their little secret had turned out to be a great help, even if initially he had been apprehensive of her reaction. A truly unfounded worry, he now knew. Merle had been positively delighted on first hearing about their secret encounters. It was then that he came to realise that she had definitely grown out of the girlish crush she had bestowed on him for so many years.
In truth, it was a relief to him. Very much so! He knew he could never be able to harbour any sort of romantic feelings towards her. To him, she had always been and would always remain the sister he never had.
"What do you mean? What does she do exactly?" Hitomi asked with curiosity.
"Oh, she occasionally tends to prattle about my new fond interest in some unknown foreign princess. She is my closest friend so they don't see any reason why they should doubt her words." He paused for a moment, averting his gaze to the afternoon sky; absent thoughts playing in front of his eyes. "It does serve another purpose too. They do tend to get off the marriage agenda if they are convinced I'm already searching for a bride."
That little 'm' word was all it took to bring back an all too familiar knot to her stomach. She tried to push it away by lightening the mood of their conversation.
"A foreign princess! Really?" She tried to sound amused.
It worked. A smile was playing in his eyes as he turned back to her. "Really."
"Should I have reasons to worry then, your highness?" The playfulness in her voice was real, though also was the sudden churn in her heart to which she refused to attribute a reason to.
"No, Lady Hitomi. I'm only interested in you. I'm afraid you'll just have to learn to live with that!"
"Oh well! There are worse pains to bear, I suppose!" She was able to sustain her mocking demeanour for only a few seconds though. One look at his fake pout and they both surrender to an enjoyable quiet laughter.
A familiar name he heard her say earlier finally pushed itself to the front of his thoughts.
"By the way, how is Yukari faring these days? Work meltdowns aside." He asked after their laughter had subsided; the tree leaves swaying in the wind now the only audible background noise. "You seemed concerned with her the last time we spoke."
"Oh! She is OK… Now. I mean…she still cries every time a couple walks by her holding hands, but she'll pull trough!"
"And Amano?" Red-wine orbs studied her expression carefully. "Have you spoken to him as of late?"
"Yeah, we had lunch yesterday actually." A strange fuzzy-looking animal rambling a few feet in front of her had caught her attention, so she wasn't the least bit aware of the scrutiny he got her under at that moment.
"I guess being friends with both of them kind of puts me in an awkward position." Was it some sort of rabbit? No. The tail was too long. It really looked more like a giant squirrel. Maybe it was a mixture of both! "Yukari comes first obviously, but I can't just pretend I don't know Amano! I do want the three of us to remain good friends, even if things are a little shaky between the two of them now." As she was about to sit up to further investigate her little zoological discovery, the rabbit/squirrel creature suddenly vanished trough the trunk indentation of a nearby tree.
"Shoot!"
He didn't seem to pay any attention to her little outburst. "So you have been seeing him…A lot?"
It was more the underlying stiff tone of his voice than the question itself that caught her attention. She turned to face him, cautiously.
An undeniable suspicion was playing in her eyes as she took in his tense features. "Not a lot…What?"
Sensing the scrutiny in her apparently innocent question, he quickly averted his gaze from her; afraid his eyes would betray him. He didn't have to though. His puckered brows and slightly twisted lips were already doing an impeccable job at giving him away.
"What, what?" His short reply was casual. Way too casual.
"What's with the face?"
"Nothing!" He was still refusing to look at her as he made a mental note to later remind himself of the necessity of learning how to lie more convincingly.
Hitomi stared at him for a few moments until realisation downed on her as two names connected in her mind.
She felt like hitting him. "You are unbelievable, Van!"
"What??"
"Again with the 'Allen-complex'?"
"…"
She groaned. Audibly! "Just because they kind oflook-a-like, doesn't mean Amano is going to try to jump on me at the first given opportunity, you know?
He still wasn't looking at her; still had the same tense expression on his face, though it was obvious she had hit a nerve. "I don't trust him!" His words came out flatly.
She stared at him incredulously for a few seconds. "Him?! You don't trust any male over sixteen that comes five feet from me!"
This was all it took for him to jump to a sitting position; eyes levelled with hers; disbelief momentarily flashing in them.
"I most certainly do. You're being absurd, Hitomi!"
She cringed despite herself. His voice sounded uncharacteristically hard and cold. But in no way was she letting him have the last word. Their little argument was way overdue in time.
"Am I?" she finally asked; her voice coming out more bitter than she would have liked. "You mean to tell me you don't have any problems with me being around my male friends?" He opened his mouth to protest, but she was quicker. "That you're not infinitely more relaxed every time I tell you that they are in happy relationships with their respective girlfriends? For crying out loud, you even sighed in relief when I told you Kira got engaged! Like my own cousin would ever hit on me!"
There was no point in denying her statements. As much as he hated to admit his jealous thoughts, he knew she was absolutely right. But it was not like he didn't have any valid reasons to feel the way he did sometimes.
"How am I not supposed to have concerns, then? After the stories you tell me! Men in your planet seem to lack the minimal sense of decorum around women, not to mention decency in courtship! They seem more interested in exhibiting them like war trophies than treating them with the respect they are entitled to… Not that many women seem to bother anyway!"
She silently cursed the day she explained to him the dynamics of 'modern-day relationships' on Earth. It had been clearly obvious to her that he found the whole dating-more-than-one-person-in-a-lifetime-concept highly reprehendable. Curse his little pigheaded medieval mind!
"I know how a male mind works, Hitomi. Sorry if I wish to protect you!"
"Protect me?" She was getting more aggravated by the minute. "I'll have you know, your highness, I'm not some insecure flimsy idiot that can't resist a man's advance move!"
They stared at each other for a long time, both serious, before she unexpectedly snickered. "Besides, I should be the one fretting…about you!"
He was completely caught of guard by her statement. "Me? What on Gaea for?" His confusion was genuine.
This time it was her who refused to meet his gaze. Instead she seized the opportunity to scan the meadow for any signs of her fuzzy friend. "Oh come on!" Her voice was low again, with a hint of something else he couldn't quite pinpoint. "Like you haven't noticed how half the women in this country look at you!"
He blinked at her, still confused.
His lack of response was what made her turn back to him. "Are you kidding me, Van Fanel? Women around here practically undress you with their eyes. Specially the ones over at the palace!" The memory of a particular brunette room-maid eyeing her boyfriend with a not so candid amount of lust when she thought no one was looking made her fingers tingle with fury. "I'm surprised none of them has ever tried to drug you and drag you to bed!"
Seconds went by in astonished silence, until a surprising light chuckle cut through the air.
She promptly ignored it. "You know what? Gaea women are not as half as good behaved as they claim to be!"
His grin increased despite himself. "I'm sure they can't help themselves. All those poor women!" His voice now husky and intentionally seductive close to her ear. "After all I am, as someone has stated, extremely easy on the eyes!"
"…and conceited! Didn't I also mention you were extremely conceited?"
Quiet chuckle was replaced by open laughter.
"Oh, what now?"
"Nothing! I just never thought I would see you, off all people, succumbing to jealousy!"
She answered him wryly. "You're not the only one entitled to feel it!" And she was back to scanning the meadow again. At least that was her official excuse. She really just didn't want him to notice the boiling annoyance surfacing in her countenance.
He did, nonetheless, and decided to act fast. Taking advantage of her momentary distraction, Van fleetly closed the gap between them, enveloping his tanned arms around her stomach, pulling her back to his muscled chest, his nose resting on the top of her sandy-blond hair.
"Come on Hitomi! Let's not quarrel… Not today!" His last words were delivered with an odd hint of melancholy.
She tried to free herself from his grasp. "Let's. I want to be finished with this subject once and for all!"
Her hair stirred slightly as he sighed in discontentment. "You are so stubborn!"
She mumbled some incoherent words which to him suspiciously sounded like something on the grounds of 'Look who's talking!'
His grip on her tightened then, his chin coming to rest on her right shoulder, voice suddenly deep and urgent. "You are the only one I care for, Hitomi! You shouldn't feel threatened by any other woman on Gaea."
Her right hand came up to bury itself in his dishevelled hair, stroking it gently. "And you shouldn't feel threatened by any other man on Earth. You're the only one I love!"
"I know." His lids closed by their own accord allowing him to bask in the astonishing feel of her fingers cruising through his bangs. "I just…worry. I go so long sometimes without hearing from you…I just…I guess…get sca…concerned you'll grow tired of all this interplanetary travelling…and just meet someone and move on…and…leave me!"
His voice was so quiet by the end, she wasn't really sure his last words were intended for her to hear them.
An upset grin pursed her lips. "Well, that does say tons about the kind of faith you think I put into our relationship! Thank you very much!"
She felt him stiffen behind her, his hands momentarily unclenching her sides. "Damn it Hitomi! Enough is enough! I'm not questioning your faith in us. Now could you please stop arguing? This is a conversation I'd really rather not be having today."
She eyed him from the corner of her eye. "Maybe I shouldn't have come here to bother you then. Part of your mind is obviously somewhere else."
"If that's what you wish." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.
"Fine then!"
She was standing up the very next second, a mixture of anger and hurt plainly visible on her features. Her feet turned automatically away from him, but she was unable to take more than five steps before a pair of strong hands held on firmly to the back of her light summer dress, preventing her from going any further.
"Don't go! Please! I didn't mean to say that. I'm sorry!"
"What's wrong, Van?" She asked quietly, without turning to face him.
A gloomy chuckle reached her ears. "Is it that obvious that something's wrong?"
Noticing the sadness carried in his voice she was quick to spin around in his arms. "I know you Van. I can tell when something's troubling you. Your mind has been distant all afternoon. What's going on?"
He didn't say anything; instead choosing to twirl a lock of her shoulder length hair between his fingers.
"Van…Don't shut me out!"
Her heartfelt plea made him look her straight in the eyes. "I don't want you to become upset." He said firmly, as if that was more than enough reason to justify his silence.
"I won't!" Somehow her voice didn't come out as steady as she'd intended. "Is it the crops?" She asked after a moment of deliberation. "Weren't you able to store enough food for the winter?"
Again, silence.
"Is it the peace conference, then? Are any countries refusing to send delegates to come and attend it? Everyone knows how important these meetings will be for the future of Gaea, I'm sure no one would-"
"Everything's fine with the conference. I've told you before not to worry about that." He then paused for a second; clearly debating with himself how much information he was willingly going to give her.
"It's Egzardia, Hitomi." He finally answered with a tired sigh. "I've received notice from king Ulrich himself early this morning… It appears he has finally decided to claim interests on the loans he gave for Fanelia's reconstruction. He's arriving next week, to personally attend the conference and to discuss with me the terms of Fanelia's debt to his country."
Hitomi's eyes widened in understanding. "Oh!... So you think you won't be able to repay him?"
Van snickered. "No, that I will be able to do…Just not in the way I think he would prefer."
She gave him a puzzled look.
"In his letter, king Ulrich also stated his concern on the state of Fanelia's economy and his fervent wish that if not with money, the debt could be repaid through other…more pleasant arrangements."
"I… don't follow you."
Van looked at her, discernibly reticent to proceed; his eyes flashed down to the floor and then quickly back at her. "Well… King Ulrich also mentioned that he'll be bringing his beautiful youngest daughter with him to the peace conference."
The familiar painful knot in Hitomi's stomach suddenly came back in full force. "O-Oh!" Was all she managed to say from the shock of the sudden realisation. She was quick to recompose herself though.
"Everything will be alright, Van. It's not like we've never been through this before! Besides, he can't force his daughter on you." She added.
Van shook his head in agreement. "No. And for once not even my council would be happy if he did so. It is obvious Ulrich would enjoy nothing more than to turn Fanelia into one of Egzerdia's prefectures! A political union through marriage would give him the leverage to attempt just that."
"See, there's no reason to worry then!" She tried very hard to sound uplifting; for his sake and maybe even more for her own.
He looked at her with a sad smile. "It's not even that Hitomi. I'm just…I'm tired. I'm tired of having women shoved at me by every excuse of a ruler who thinks he can take over my country by dictating how I'm expected to run my own life. Damn them all! I'm with you! I want to be with you for the rest of my life. And it kills me that I just can't shout it out loud so that all of them hear…that you are Fanelia's Queen, and if not by law then by its king's heart.
Hitomi was too shocked by his words to move; was too shocked to even breathe. It was not every day that her stubborn, withdrawn boyfriend spilled his guts in front of her like that; with words that held such force and sincerity, she found her eyes stinging from withheld tears.
It took every ounce of strength in her to not just give into those dreaded girly instincts of hers and throw her arms around his neck and kiss the life out of him.
Van, however, seemed to read right through her; his strong arms were snacking around her waist a moment later. "This whole situation is not fair to you Hitomi. It's not fair to us. We shouldn't be forced to meet in secrecy like this, as if we're engaging in something shameful. I shouldn't be forced to sneak you into the palace through some backdoor so no one sees us together. You don't deserve this kind of treatment."
"I don't mind, love!" She was very aware that that was the price to pay for not being born a princess, or the daughter of a wealthy and influential merchant, heck, for not even being born Gaean.
"But I do! You don't know how guilty and ashamed I feel for putting you through this, when all I feel like is taking you in my arms right there, in front of everybody, and end this stupid secrecy for good."
"No! You mustn't do that." She said urgently. "It would be the end of us! You know what would happen if you're advisors were to find out we're together." She couldn't hold the tears back anymore; they rolled freely down her cheeks. "They would never approve. They would never approve me!" She buried her face in his shirt; her tears damping the thin fabric.
"I'm pathetic! I govern thousands of lives, yet I can't govern my own."
"Don't say that. You'd have to risk war."
"I would go to war for you in a heartbeat."
"You can't be serious!"
Apparently he was, dead serious indeed, if his narrowed eyes and firm expression were any indication of it.
"You wouldn't risk your country's safety for me?"
Silence, yet again.
Her eyes widened. "But-"
"Hitomi, as much as I love my country and my people I would rather let Fanelia burn to the ground a thousand times than ever be faced with the possibility of loosing you."
"No! That's… wrong! I…I don't want you to!"
He shrugged. "It's not your choice, it's mine."
"I'm sure your advisors would love to hear you say that." She said sarcastically.
He sighed. "They're really not bad people, Hitomi."
"No. They just hate me."
He took her face in his hands, forcing her to look up at him.
"They. Do. Not .Hate.You, Hitomi Kanzaki." He said slowly. "They are actually very fond of you. They wouldn't have a king to boss around if it wasn't for you." He added with a smirk.
"They obviously aren't that fond of me, if they think I'm not good enough for you." She felt her eyes sting again and averted her gaze back to the ground so she could hide her weakness. She hated crying in front of him.
He noticed however, and tenderly traced the back of his hand down her cheek, using his thumb to lift her chin so he could look straight into her eyes "Shhh." He whispered soothingly to her and then leaned forward slowly, slightly parting his lips; his eyes darting to her own as she tiptoed to meet him halfway.
"Your Highness?"
The familiar voice that suddenly disturbed their peace, accompanied by the sound of approaching footsteps in the pathway near them, immediately triggered Hitomi's spite. "You have got to be kidding me!" She said not-so-quietly.
The distinct sound of a human voice in turn made Johan stop halfway down the path and look around quizzically. "Your Highness? He asked again. "Are you there?"
Hitomi growled under her breath. "That's it! I'm killing that man!" And if Van hadn't quickly held the back of her dress again, preventing her from leaving his side, she might just have stormed out their little hideout and attacked the poor old man.
"Hitomi!" Van whispered to her half-in-amusement. Her hatred for his advisor was indeed reaching dangerous levels.
"Sir, you're needed in the meeting room. Are you there?" The thick shrubbery surrounding the couple, prevented them from being easily spotted from the pathway, but judging by the clear sound of Johan's voice it was obvious that Van's chief advisor was getting too close to them.
Hitomi looked pleadingly at her boyfriend, trying to convey as much hope and desire in her eyes that he would decide to just ignore the awful man and stay with her.
Which only made Van feel even more guilt about what he was about to say. "I'll be right with you!" He said out-loud so that Johan could hear him.
He then kissed her forehead lovingly. "I'm sorry! It's about the peace conference. I have to go." He whispered apologetically to her.
She didn't even try to hide her disappointment but ended up giving him a little resigned nod.
"Go then, and save your advisor's life from my wrath."
He smiled at her comment. "Will I see you next week?"
"You bet!" She said, happy for being able to brighten his day with her answer. "I wouldn't miss the opportunity to see you kick King Ulrich's butt for the world!" She added devilishly.
"Hitomi!"
"Sir, are you in need of assistance?" Johan seemed to be right on the other side of the bush they were leaning against, which caused them both a moment of panic.
"I'll go." Hitomi said quickly. And after a quick but strong embrace, one she hoped would convey all the strength of her feelings towards him she reluctantly freed herself from Van's arms and started to move away from him.
That is, until she stopped and turned around to face him again.
"No... Not enough." She was shaking her head; staring straight at the dept of his burgundy eyes.
Van looked at her confused. "What?"
She had her arms around his neck the very next second; crushing her body to his with such force he almost lost his balance. Despite the shock of her action, his body immediately responded to hers, hands grasping her sides fiercely. He pulled her up, from the waist, so that their faces were levelled; her feet temporarily leaving the floor. And without so much as a word, their lips met, warm, hard and demanding against each other, sending shivers down his spine and a flurry of butterflies to her stomach.
"Bye." She whispered softly against his lips.
And then it was over. She was on the ground again, leading quickly away from him.
"Van?" She whispered before turning around the corner, away from his view.
"Yes?" He whispered back, upset with himself that he had no choice but to let her leave.
"Everything's going to be fine… We'll find a way!"
He mouthed a soundless 'I love you' to her at the same time he heard a few branches crack behind him and his chief advisor suddenly appeared by his side.
"Ah! Sir, you scared me!" Johan said bringing a hand to his chest, clearly startled by Van unexpectedly coming right into view.
The young king looked at him, and then quickly back to where Hitomi had been standing, but she was nowhere to be seen.
Van gave a small sigh of relief. "Well then Johan," He turned to his old advisor trying to act as natural as possible. "what impending disaster am I called upon to prevent this time?"
"Huh, not too… grave disaster I hope, sir. There are still a few projects for you to approve for the upcoming conference and then there is the subject of Zaibach's delegation arriving earlier… at your highness's request… to discuss… the terms of the… peace treaty…"
"Is something wrong, Johan?"
"Sir?"
"You're eyeing me funny!"
Johan immediately shook his head to dismiss the idea. "Oh no Sir, nothing's wrong! It's just that…your highness is…"
"I'm…?"
"Smiling, sir. You're…smiling." Johan said with a mix of suspicion and surprise.
Van couldn't contain a laugh. "Yes, how odd of me!"
Johan eyed him even more suspiciously, a dozen conjectures forming themselves immediately in his mind and he was about to inquire over the reasons of his king's strange disappearance from the royal grounds that afternoon when a pillar of bright light elevated itself from the forest's ground a mile or so from where they were standing, aiming itself at the Mystic Moon above them.
Johan's eyes instantly went wide. "What on Gaea? Another one? Sir, it is the second pillar of light to be seen today!" He told Van quite agitated.
"Is it?" Van asked innocently.
Johan looked at him in disapproval. For some reason he could never get his king to pay much attention to them. "I must urge your highness againto investigate these strange occurrences. They must mean something! And yes," He continued before Van had a chance to cut in. "they have been frequent in recent years and no harm apparently has been done, but who knows? Someone could be planning an attack on the country as we speak, sir! They could be using the Atlantean technology to spy on us and prepare for it. Oh, the horrid implications! We must strengthen our defenses at once, sir!"
"Johan, I really don't think-"
"Or maybe the lights are a sign of the gods!" The old man said, even more aggravated. "Maybe they are displeased with us. Maybe the lights are a warning of bad times to come."
Van was trying very hard not to burst out laughing again. He didn't know whether to be happy that Johan was never able to relate his inexplainable accesses of good-humour to the apparitions of the 'strange' pillars of light that thankfully no one had yet been able to attribute a cause to, or to be seriously concerned that his chief advisor had a serious tendency to view everything out of the ordinary that occurred in Fanelia as a sign of catastrophe or demise to the country's welfare. He frowned for a moment. Maybe Hitomi wasn't that far off on her judgement of Johan, after all.
And as the old man continued his grave speech on Fanelia's safety vs. strange and unknown forces, Van found himself looking at the Mystic Moon and smiling again. It was a strange feeling, that of missing someone. And as ridiculous as it might seem, he felt he already missed Hitomi, even thought her sweet scent was still around him; embedded in his clothes and in his skin. He longed to be always at her side; to count the time they spent together by weeks, months, years and not by hours or fleeting minutes instead, though he still felt incredibly blessed for those short moments in time that he shared with her. He knew that they were what gave him hope for a future where there would be no need for sudden goodbyes.
And he didn't care who he would have to face or how long he would have to wait for her to be his for good, because deep down he knew she was right. They would find a way. He was sure of it. The power of their love would find a way in the end.
"Sir? Are you listening?... Sir?"
"You know what, Johan?" Van said suddenly, turning his attention back to his advisor. "We work too much."
"S-Sir?"
"How about we take tomorrow morning off and go fishing in the lake. I heard you're a great fishermen." He said in high spirits.
Johan looked like someone had just told him the world was about to end. It was very clear by the expression in the old man's face that the concept of time-off was almost offensive to him. He stared at his king as if he'd gone mad.
He had to press his lips together very firmly not to laugh at Johan's face. "Glad you approve! It's settled then." He said not able to conceal his amusement very well. "Well, come on!" He told him as he walked past him. "Those documents won't sign themselves!"
Poor Johan was left gaping at Van's back, as the young king made his way back to the pathway while whistling some foreign tune.
The old advisor looked straight to where the pillar of light had ascended just a few minutes ago and grimaced. "Strange indeed!"
The End (sort of)
AN (November 08):Thank you so much for the reviews and favs that this little drabble has received. I've been re-reading my stories (trying to correct grammar mistakes and such) and noticed that some lines were missing from this one (have no idea why!), so I uploaded it again. Also (and in case your a new reader) I ended up writing a sequeal to this story called 'Beyond Dawn'. Feel free to check it out! (Although if you're a big VxH fan you might not like it at first... lol)