Act 1, Chapter 2:

On this bright and pleasant summer day, Millerna was comfortably relaxing in her favorite lounge chair on the placid side of the grassy area near the lazy river. She was only skimming the high gloss magazine in her hand casually when an unusual couple passed her. One of them was a woman with practical, short, blonde hair while a rather grim looking guy with a slight limp walking with the assistance of a cane accompanied her.

They sure were an odd looking pair and something she didn't see here normally. Usually, only elderly people and parents with kids came to this particular public pool. Adults in their twenties were known to prefer the location on the other side of town which was famous for its waterslides. This indeed was a bit intriguing.

When they dropped their belongings not far from her, Millerna continued to watch as they shed the top layers of their clothing. The young woman was pulling an oversized T-shirt dress over her head which revealed a slender body with long legs. Millerna's eyes went wide behind the round lenses of her large sunglasses after the guy removed his red Henley.

She was only partially mesmerized by how his tan skin spanned across the muscles of his back and arms. What caught her attention the most was the large tattoo that covered almost his entire back, shoulders and most of the skin on the reverse side of his upper arms.

When she noticed his female companion staring openly at him while he had his back turned to her, Millerna decided that they most likely weren't a couple. Judging by the woman's reaction, it was the first time she was seeing this large piece of artwork too. When the guy turned slightly, she saw some more dark ink on the left side of his chest but couldn't make out what it was from a distance.

The blonde woman began to fidget with the front ties of her very modest bikini bottoms to keep herself from staring inappropriately. Millerna thought the whole situation was a bit comical until the mental smirk was wiped from her face when the guy took off his grey sweatpants. Almost his entire right leg was artificial.

The lose-fitting, short, black swim trunks he wore did nothing to take away from his fairly lean but nicely shaped physique. Despite the prosthetic and the intense frown behind his wild hair and beard, Millerna couldn't help but smile a bit now. The man was quite an eyeful after all. It would be interesting to see what they were up to. She'd keep observing them. Purely for informational purposes, of course.

Hitomi kept a calm smile on her face when they approached the lazy river. It was still early and the only people in there were an old couple, gently drifting about the stream in a set of wide, yellow tubes. They merely glanced at Van and her with a bit of a wondrous expression as they were floating past the steps.

The whole thing was set up as a loop, gently winding back and forth in alternating wide and narrow turns with boulders of various sizes to give the area a bit more flair. Van was fairly close to her and although she had no improper thoughts in mind whatsoever, Hitomi suddenly felt a bit nervous about the close proximity to a man merely clad in a pair of swim trunks.

Nonsense. She was a professional and this would only be awkward if she allowed it to get to her. Walking backward a few steps, the current began to tug and push her in the opposite direction immediately. Perfect. This would work great.

"What I want you to do now, is follow me. Simply walk against the current. That's all there is to it really. The force of the water pushing against you will require some work to overcome so it should be mildly strenuous, but being in the water keeps your full weight off your joints." She explained to him as she began walking in reverse while keeping a hand on the side of the wall to keep track of the way.

Van mumbled a quiet 'okay' and followed her directions. He kept his eyes trained on the water at first, determined to stay in his mind bubble of sorts. He watched the stream of water pass by in merry little swirls and splashes as they slowly progressed along the way with Hitomi giving cues on posture here and there.

It felt good to move and use his muscles more than usual again. He hadn't worked out his body well at all in the past year and was gradually beginning to lose mass and, inevitably, strength. His eating habits weren't the best either which was due to a lack of appetite. As a result, he had begun to become leaner and weaker which didn't help his mental state in the least.

"Watch out! Coming through!" A cheerful female voice called from not far away and the next thing he knew, Hitomi was face down in the water and about to drift back the way they came.

The older couple with their tubes had appeared from around one of the more narrow bends this time and caught Hitomi by surprise, bumping into her back and causing her to lose footing. She slipped momentarily and splashed a bit, hitting the surface unprepared and was pulled away by the moving water.

A second later she found herself being stopped by a long arm around her waist. Hitomi's hands found some real estate on a fairly firm chest and stomach while she anchored her feet against the floor again. Van had evidently reached into the water and fished her out of the current.

Hitomi's fingers clutched his warm skin briefly. The hand she had braced against his chest brushed a small, pink stone the shape of a teardrop attached to a thin chain around his neck she hadn't really noticed before. What a curious choice of jewelry for a guy like him. She found herself focusing on it, subconsciously attracted, and felt time come to a standstill for the fraction of a second.

The pink color of the stone shone brightly in her mind and her pupils were illuminated by its glow. She saw flashes of smoke, heard the groan of metal, and the overwhelming smell of iron filled her nostrils. The collective sensations were so overpowering that it caused her to jerk back immediately. What was that? Her mind seemed to be playing tricks on her in the cruelest of ways.

Van almost caught himself chuckling out loud when he reached for Hitomi's small form drifting past him. Despite his gradual loss of strength over the past months, she still felt light as a feather to him. Granted, the buoyancy of the water probably helped a lot too. He maneuvered her around and only briefly felt her hands on his upper body before she scurried way.

He had no time to tense up or feel uncomfortable this time because Hitomi's face was beet red in an instant and she began to apologize profusely. The old Van inside of him grinned at the sight in amusement. Her bright, green eyes were busy looking anywhere but his face when she backed up a bit further than before and continued to nervously check the area behind her every so often.

Hair wet and water dripping down her face, she looked quite flustered. It was like a breath of fresh air to see somebody caught up in a clumsy situation for a change. Normally people were either behaving in a forced professional or overbearing way around him, but not her. Everything about her was so genuine.

Hitomi seemed to always be herself, even around him; even when sullen emotions emanated from his every pore. She was an intriguing woman, he had to admit. Nothing about her seemed to purposely be done to attract attention. Not her behavior, not the length of her hair, or the way she dressed. Even today she wore a mismatched set of swim clothes that clearly underlined this.

The green spandex shorts covered her well and the red top was probably really a sports bra. Not that he had wanted to focus on those kind of details, but it was hard not to look given the place they were in and the fact that she had been right in his line of vision for the past twenty minutes.

The whole area was beginning to become busier now. A group of kids had started to play in the splash pad not too far away and their excited giggles carried well, causing the noise volume to rise considerably.

Around them, more elderly folks began to filter past them in the thick, yellow tubes or mimic their way of exercising. Hitomi knew that this was also a popular way for the older people to stay active. They continued to move around the loop one more time, her walking backward and Van following until she noticed his facial expression.

Hidden behind various layers of dark hair, he seemed to be a bit embarrassed to follow her around amongst this growing throng of old people. Although the cheerful bunch of grandmas and grandpas caused him no reason to complain otherwise, they did make Van and Hitomi look very out of place in there.

It had taken Hitomi quite a while to notice this since she was so used to working with older folks. The people around them, thankfully, had paid them little mind, going about their business and enjoying themselves.

"Okay, you've done this long enough for the time being." Hitomi wanted to give him a chance to restore his possibly slightly dented ego. "Swimming over in the regular pool would be good for you too. It works out the whole body."

Her grumpy patient seemed to like that idea because some tension left his face and he was already aiming towards the nearest set of stairs. Hitomi followed him out of the water and found herself staring a bit at the massive expanse of his wing tattoo again. Since they also extended onto the back of his upper arms, they almost seemed to flap lazily as he walked.

Hitomi stood by the edge of the large pool while he descended the ladder situated halfway down the length of the large tank. He stopped for a moment before moving away from it towards the middle.

"Are you coming?"

His direct question caused Hitomi to snap out of her thoughts. It had surprised her that he expected her to follow.

"I'm going to sit this one out." She said, encouraging him to go on without her. He seemed like a bit of a lone wolf by nature and would likely enjoy having his space for a while.

Hitomi sat on the warm stone ground near the edge and dangled her legs into the water. Van eyed her for a moment after she settled in that spot and then went on. She kept observing him as he walked more towards the deeper end, stretching his limbs while the water gradually engulfed his tan upper body.

Just then, the swarm of children who had been playing in the splash pad off to the side decided to take whatever game they were playing into the main pool. All of them seemed to be quite comfortable in the, for them, deep water as was evident by their enthusiastic cannonballs and back flips from the edge.

The boys and girls paid not much mind to most of the people around them. Not even when several women with elaborate hair desperately attempting to keep it as dry as possible waved their hands at them in rude gestures and looked around to see if any parents were going to care enough to tame the wild bunch.

In retrospect, Hitomi would scold herself later for not paying enough attention to Van's eyes narrowing immediately in response to such an outburst of energy near him. The kids dove and wormed around in the water before one of them resurfaced and pointed at Van.

The boy with bright red, curly hair, and no older than eight years at the most, demanded the attention of his friends with a loud statement. "Look at this guy! He has a fake leg! I saw it in the water!"

Several more curious faces appeared around him and the bunch shrieked in childish mirth. Some dove back under to see for themselves, only to appear back in the air again shortly after.

Hitomi's eyes narrowed when she heard more ignorant statements of pre-pubescent nature being thrown at Van. She quickly slid back into the water from where she was sitting at the edge of the pool, already preparing to swim over and shoo away the rascals.

"Look at all the dark marks on his back too," one of the very young girls wailed, "and his long beard. He is so scary!"

The boy with the red curls, obviously the ringleader, cockily laughed now. "What a freak." A devious grin spread across his pale, freckled face shortly after. "Watch this!" He announced before diving under again.

Van's shoulders were now moving rapidly under gradually escalating respiratory distress. His head went from side to side as some more kids joined the redhead under water. In an attempt to get away from them quickly, he was about to start swimming further into the deeper water.

Before he could brace himself to make the first stroke, one of the kids caught him off guard and swiped his legs from under him. Already in a state of mental disarray, he didn't have time to take a deep breath and it felt like his brain fried a circuit when his head went underwater before he was ready.

The momentary disorientation caused his heart to begin slamming against his chest uncontrollably. It suddenly felt like he was upside down, or sideways, like being in the dunk tank again. Several small, quick bodies wormed past him and sent vortices of water and streams of wild bubbles at him from all sides. This caused him to thrash about even more frantically.

Hitomi submerged as soon as she was close enough. Taking a deep breath, she went under and dove through the water towards him. Van's eyes were wide open, yet they seemed clouded with memories or some unseen threat that kept him thrashing about uncontrollably.

Black hair was waving back and forth as his head snapped from side to side, his limbs kicking and punching something only he could see. Hitomi's size and agility relative to his allowed her to get close enough to grab a hold of his shoulder without being harmed. Yet. She didn't know what she was expecting, probably for him to snap out of it. However, only a second later her own head was spinning as she was violently moved about.

She suddenly found herself being pushed to the very bottom of the deep end, facing up and only spotting little fragments of blue sky around Van's much larger body. He was gripping one of her wrists painfully tight, while the fingers of his other hand were beginning to wrap around her neck.

Panic instantly spread from her head to the tips of her toes as she realized her precarious position, but as quickly as the whole situation had escalated, as quickly it was over. A third person appeared beside them. The stranger came close fast and looped his arms through Van's armpits from behind which caused him to release Hitomi instantly.

Effectively holding Van locked against his chest, the man only caught her eyes with his for a second before propelling himself off the bottom and taking Van with him. Hitomi floated in the water for another moment until she, too, resurfaced. While she greedily gasped for air, the man was already towing Van to the edge of the pool and maneuvering him towards the stairs in the corner of the shallow end.

The few kids that had lingered throughout the whole ordeal followed them curiously and only scurried away after the stranger shot them a stern glance through his swimming goggles. "Skedaddle, critters! Fun's over." He announced and jerked his chin at them sharply.

Hitomi was not far behind and unbelievably grateful that the stranger had the foresight to bring Van, who was walking with one arm draped across the man's shoulder and leaning heavily on him, far away from the crowded area around the pool. When she was about to follow them onto the lawn, a woman with long, wavy blonde hair rushed up to her.

"Oh dear, are you alright?" The woman asked Hitomi and looked at her, concern evident even through the lenses of a pair of huge, round designer sunglasses.

"I am. Thank you. Sorry but I need to see to him…" Hitomi brushed past her, but the woman followed.

"The guy who pulled your friend out is my husband. Let me go with you. I'm a physician. Maybe I can help." The blonde woman offered.

"Okay, yes, please. Mr. Fanel is a patient of mine. I'm his physical therapist." Hitomi quickly told her as they rushed through the rows of wooden lounge chairs in the grass.

The woman's husband was helping Van sit on one of the lounge chairs in the furthest corner and Hitomi could still see his shoulders shake and his fingers grip fistfuls of black hair as he sat with his head hanging low.

"Just give me a minute alone with him." The woman instructed Hitomi.

Now it was the man's turn to step away from Van as his wife cautiously walked up to the lounge chair he occupied. Their savior joined Hitomi and motioned for her to walk a few steps away with him.

"You were lucky I saw you, young lady. Could have ended badly." He said. "Let's give them a few minutes."

Hitomi now finally had a chance to pore the guy over better. He was tall. Taller even than Van and fairly slim. Wet, curly, brown hair was pulled into a ponytail and his swim goggles were still in place over his eyes as he stood watching his wife talk to Van in a low voice and checking his pulse via his wrist.

Hitomi also noticed, with no small measure of unease, that the man was wearing neon green Speedos; the very tight and tiny kind which supposedly were all the rage on the beaches of Freid this season. Her eyes went big and a bit of a blush spread across her cheeks as she forced herself to look anywhere but towards the bright piece of fabric.

"I can't thank you enough…" Hitomi stammered when she realized she didn't know his name.

"Dryden," he supplied smoothly. "My name is Dryden Fassa and that brilliant woman over there is my wife Millerna."

"Well, thank you so much, Mr. Fassa. My name is Hitomi." She introduced herself. "Wait…Fassa? Dryden? As in Meiden's Dryden?" She was a bit taken aback at meeting the owner of Meiden's, one of the wealthiest businessmen of all Asturia, at a public pool of all places. Surely they had a mansion with their own water park or something.

"The very same," Dryden confirmed, with a winning smile. "I apologize about the goggles, by the way. Don't mean to be rude but I can't see a thing without glasses and these have prescription lenses."

"Not a problem," Hitomi said more absentmindedly again as she glanced towards Millerna who was rising from her kneeling position in front of Van.

Millerna seemed to have finished her assessment and evidently had instructed Van to lie back on the sun chair to calm down some more before she joined Hitomi and Dryden. Hitomi scanned the elegant woman approaching them now a bit more.

Her long, wavy, blonde hair fell almost all the way to her waist and perfectly underlined the graceful behavior she had so far exhibited. The white bikini she wore left little to the imagination, but she moved confidently and with a figure like hers, had every right to do so. Designer sunglasses now propped on top of her head revealed sparkling, periwinkle eyes.

"He's okay now. Just needs some time to rest." Millerna already had this piece of information ready before Hitomi could ask. "It was a panic attack. I didn't get much out of him but it seems like he is showing some signs of post traumatic stress disorder."

"No wonder, he was part of the Paragon squad." Dryden seemed to know more than them.

Hitomi turned her attention back to him. "What is that? Something like the allied Specials soldiers?"

"A cadre of elite soldiers in the Specials, to be a sliver more precise," Dryden explained while stroking the beard stubble on his chin casually. "These boys are so wrapped up in hush-hush I hardly know myself."

"How can you tell?" Millerna asked her husband, curious too. The plethora of random knowledge he had stored away never ceased to amaze her.

"He has one of their tattoos." Dryden motioned towards the general area of his chest. "It depicts the Fanelian military's crest. That's his allegiance, so probably where he is from originally. The dragon is his personal emblem, something like his persona pertinent to his specific role in a battle."

Millerna processed the information for a moment before asking. "Do the wings mean anything too?"

"Not sure." Dryden snickered a bit now. "You should see the look on your faces. It's not like he will spontaneously sprout real wings. He is still human. Else he wouldn't be so broken inside and out."

Hitomi shot another guilt laden glance in Van's direction. He had covered his face with one arm while the other rested on his stomach. His left leg was bent on the lounge chair while the artificial one, gleaming in the bright sunlight, was stretched out. It seemed like he was comfortable for the moment.

"Like I said, I don't know much about them, only that they get selected young. Guess it's easier to train kids for war and specialized tasks than adults. Fewer bad habits to overcome and they learn to obey commands better.

Millerna now piped up. "Regardless, he needs some peace and quiet. It would be better if he went home. Does he have an emergency contact?"

Hitomi reflexively gulped a bit at the thought of the feisty looking pink haired neko. "Yes. I'll look through his backpack and see if I can find her number to call. Considering the circumstances, I think its okay to go through his belongings."

Undetected by the group of conversing adults several feet away, a little boy with a mop of bright, blonde hair and clear, blue eyes made his way over to Van's side.

"Fanelia?" The little boy timidly asked.

Van slowly lifted the arm off his face, squinting when bright sunlight invaded his eyes again and stared at the little boy a bit taken aback. He didn't look much older than six. His body language emanated a calm confidence, but it was betrayed by a red tint on his cherub-like cheeks.

"I apologize for my friends." The little boy offered earnestly. "I won't play with them anymore. It was rude of them to insult you like that."

Perhaps the boy was older than he appeared? His choice of words was well placed for a child as young looking as him.

"How do you know…?" Was all Van asked before the boy smiled brightly.

"The tattoo." The boy proudly explained as he pointed one of his small fingers at Van's left pectoral. "My uncle knows a lot about other countries and teaches me. I know this is the crest of Fanelia and that the dragon is your symbol. Do they call you the Dragon?"

"They used to." Van numbly replied. The presence of this little boy somehow was softening his usual gruff demeanor enough to motivate a response.

"My name is Chid. I'm here with my Aunt Millerna and Uncle Dryden. They adopted me when I was a baby because my mom died when she had me. We live in this big house with a pool, but we come here so I can play with kids my age." He told Van happily, despite the tragic piece of information.

Van was a bit at a loss for what to respond, so he just nodded and forced a corner of his mouth up into an awkward half smile. Kids usually didn't talk to him, but this one seemed to have no reservations and for some reason, he was okay with it for the moment.

"If you don't mind me saying, I think you would look less scary without the dark beard. Maybe that would help you talk to people." Chid shrugged. "Unless you prefer to look a bit more devil-may-care."

This made Van furrow his brow a bit. Did he? It's true he wanted people to be discouraged from talking to him but did he want to appear foolhardy or dangerous?

"Chid!" Millerna finally noticed that her adoptive son had snuck over to the man's side. "Please leave Mr. Fanel alone. He needs some space."

Chid sheepishly waved goodbye to Van and obediently walked over to his aunt. "It was nice meeting you, Dragon of Fanelia!"

Van waved a hand in response and continued to mull the recent events over in his head while looking at the others from under his bangs. His therapist was now back in her oversized T-shirt dress and approaching Millerna and Dryden again, returning with both their backpacks. A pang of guilt struck him as their eyes met briefly.

Had he harmed her? He had snapped out of his mental state of confusion shortly after Dryden had taken him into a tight hold and remembered seeing her down in the water with him. This made him panic a bit again now.

'Stay calm', he thought sternly. He needed to keep himself from going supernova again. Hitomi was just ten feet away and she looked unharmed. The thoughts continued to bug him until she came over and kneeled next to him, kneading her fingers nervously.

"I'm so sorry about what happened. I…I didn't know. I apologize for bringing you into such a situation. I would never have…" She muttered quietly until Van interrupted her.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked, concern evident in his voice and eyes.

Hitomi finally raised her head to look at his face and shook her head eagerly. "No! You didn't. You just gave me a bit of a scare." She finally admitted, her hand flying up to her neck instinctively.

Scare? Scaring people was the last thing he wanted to do; especially not her. In the short time they knew each other, she had turned out to be one of the only people he could tolerate being around for a prolonged period of time.

Being responsible for injuring someone, another casualty, he wouldn't be able to cope with it. Even after the war, it seemed like being around him was unsafe for people. Why did he have to survive? It would have been easier, better, fairer, if he had died too.

He shouldn't have let Merle talk him into seeking help. It meant he would have to be around people and in his company, people died. He couldn't let that happen…again, Van decided as his focus alternated between Hitomi's green eyes and the hand she was still protectively holding against her neck.

Hitomi was about to say, "I called your…", when they already heard her. She must have driven faster than a cheetah could run to get here this quickly. Hearing the feline's erratic voice made her jump a bit.

"Van! Oh by the gods, what happened?!" Merle already exclaimed loudly as she rushed through the entrance close by and across the lawn to their side, causing several people to stare.

She took one of his hands in both of hers and was a bit relieved when she saw that her brother was physically unharmed. The skin under her fur was flushed as she had evidently been in a rush to get here. She must have left class because she was dressed in green scrubs with the institution's logo embroidered on the breast pocket.

Narrowing her eyes now, she glared at Hitomi. "What in the hell do you think you are doing! This is outside the scope of your responsibilities!" Turning to Van, she continued in a quieter but still accusing tone. "How did you get here? Please don't tell me you took the bus again."

Van clenched his eyes shut at the level of intensity in her voice but thankfully somebody else interrupted Merle.

"Now now Miss, please calm down." Millerna bade her. "The last thing he needs is getting worked up again. Dryden went to put on some clothes and when he gets back we will help you make sure your brother gets to your vehicle safely."

Merle glared a bit at Millerna too but couldn't find a reason to disagree and finally released Van's hand to begin digging through his backpack which Hitomi had deposited close to the lounge chair earlier. When she found his shirt and was about to help him into it, he snatched it out of her hands with a bit of an impassive expression. It would be a cold day in hell before he let his little sister dress him, no matter the occasion.

In the meantime, Chid was hanging back behind Millerna, still a bit scared after the neko woman's previous outburst.

When Dryden returned, now clad in a pair of brown shorts and a yellow polo shirt and sporting regular spectacles, he handed Millerna a lacy, white beach cover-up. They then made sure Van was able to walk out of the place undisturbed.

The small group kept some distance as Merle opened the car door and Van plopped onto the passenger seat. Hitomi finally approached her bravely, still feeling entirely terrible about the situation.

"I'm so sorry about this. I just want to help. I don't know much about your situation but are you the only one around who cares for him? Is any other family close…"

Merle turned her head towards Hitomi sharply, flattened her ears against the side of her head, and slammed the car door closed with such gusto it caused everyone else to wince collectively. She hissed angrily. "You want to know about our family? Our brother is dead. Our mother is dead. Our father is dead. They are all dead!"

Her tail was whipping from side to side in an agitated fashion. "I'm the only one he has!" She now almost yelled. "So just leave him alone or you'll make him worse again!"

Hitomi opened her mouth to say something but then decided to shut it in wise foresight as the feline's features were becoming visibly more intense. Instead of addressing Hitomi again she simply turned and stomped to the other side of the car to enter it. Everybody was left standing a bit befuddled, watching the car disappear in the distance.

Millerna, who had approached Hitomi slowly said. "You've got to understand her. If they are truly alone, then he is all she has left too, and he is just…so broken."

Hitomi sighed in defeat and nodded in agreement. Nothing Millerna had said was wrong. She should have stayed in her lane.

"So he is a veteran. Now I don't have any personal experience but from what I know, the royal government is currently overwhelmed. They simply can't care for them as well as they should. His prosthetic looks older and he seems to not have received the best psychological care either." Millerna summed up Van's situation including some new information better than Hitomi could have at this time.

"That's horrible," Hitomi said quietly as she still half glanced into the distance even though their car was long gone. "I wish I could help. I...want to help him. He deserves to heal inside and out."

Millerna now smiled at Hitomi a bit mischievously. "You seem to be just the right person for him. He needs support and some tender love wouldn't hurt either. That sister of his and her explosive catitude sure isn't helping him in a tough moment like the one earlier. He needs someone like you. A gentle soul. A giver!"

Hitomi's face had taken on a more and more prominent shade of red at the sound of each of Millerna's words. "Wha… wait… you are making it sound like…! It's not like that!" She insisted defensively.

An amused giggle escaped Millerna's mouth now. "Right. That's why you were looking at him like that earlier by the lazy river. I was watching you two already before the incident because he caught my eye. There is a very attractive man hiding under that beard and frown. I have a keen eye for such things."

Dryden cleared his throat noticeably behind them, reminding his wife of his presence. Millerna only winked at him lovingly.

Hitomi was still shaking her head and waving her hands in defense. "No, really. I'm just his therapist. I would never…"

Millerna put her sunglasses back in place, but a raised eyebrow was visible above the rim. "Oh, I know. I'm sure you're a professional but listen; you can't control who you meet in your life and where or when you meet them. If there is a connection of any kind, you won't be able to just will it away. It's kind of like fate."

Hitomi hung her head in defeat. The woman wasn't entirely wrong about her statement. She did treat him a bit differently than any other current patient, but she was firmly attributing it to his mental state and the overwhelming need to at least help one of the many soldiers who had fought in this recent war. He could, after all, have been one of those that prevented an attack on her family's village and, by extension, saved their lives.

"Tell you what." Millerna started again. "I'm not a psychologist but if you need anything in regards to helping him, give me a call. I can point you in the direction of where to find some good resources for most such topics. I'll give you my card before you leave."


Over the course of the next two weeks, Hitomi was becoming more and more worried by the day. Mondays and Fridays in particular, because those were the days where Van would normally come. Only he hadn't shown up for any of his appointments.

Never mind that she kept scheduling them anyway, even without receiving a confirmation from him. She would call and leave reminders, but not get any response. Normally, this would be the cue for her to stop and wait until the patient contacted her again, but Hitomi was hopeful. She couldn't help but be concerned.

One early Monday afternoon Hitomi was passing by the lobby, briefly stopping to look out the glass door in hopes of seeing a familiar couple of people cross the street, but no pink haired neko and no tall, grumpy looking man were anywhere to be seen.

She furrowed her brow and jumped a bit when Allen caught her deep in thought. "Hitomi, you should probably quit scheduling Mr. Fanel."

"I know…" Hitomi said quietly while continuing to stare out the door.

"You know I can't pay you if you don't actually see the patient," Allen said with an honest measure of regret in his voice.

"I know…" Hitomi answered again in much the same fashion as before. "I just…" She trailed off.

Allen quickly caught on to the young woman's monotone response and left her alone. There wasn't a point in keeping the discussion up at the moment. She was one of his best employees, but sometimes her idealistic self got in her own way.

It was a miracle that Allen hadn't fired her after he got word of the pool incident. Yukari had, of course, kept quiet about Hitomi's plans regarding that. As much of a loudmouth her best friend could be, she knew when something was serious enough to warrant silence.

It had been Van's sister who had called Allen after the weekend to complain about her. Evidently, the feline had been in the middle of a very frantic recount of what state she had found Van in when she arrived at the scene, but then the call mysteriously dropped and nobody answered when Allen called her back.

Whatever she had managed to tell Allen was still enough for him to see cause for a very stern talk with Hitomi regarding extracurricular activities involving patients. He had admitted that yes, the idea was good and her intentions were pure, but the practice could not afford the negative publicity such an incident would bring if word got out.

Friday afternoon. Hitomi had the cheerful greeting on the answering machine of the Fanel household memorized by now. Setting an appointment for Friday afternoon was the last time she would try, she promised herself when she left a reminder for the last time.

Van was in the living room, reaching for an open bottle of liquor when Hitomi's voice sounded through the air, slightly digitalized by the answering machine. He hadn't had a drink in months but today seemed appropriate. His mood was fouler than ever and he was still cross with Merle for being a tattle tale.

He had told her numerous times that Hitomi wasn't at fault for his brain snap and that she shouldn't have to suffer the negative repercussions of the incident. He had wrestled the phone's handset out of his sister's paw one day when he caught her in mid-conversation with the clinic manager.

Granted, not returning to his appointments had mainly been his own decision. He was hesitant to get caught up in another embarrassing situation again, especially when it potentially involved endangering others.

Van's slightly shaky hold on the glass caused the brown liquid to swirl around the bottom. It burned on his lips and all the way down his throat as he emptied it in one gulp. After the burning subsided, everything felt pleasantly numb, especially after the third glass.

Even Merle's voice in his ears was less harsh. Perhaps it was also because she was still tired from working the graveyard shift at the diner. She had just now woken up from the nap she had taken after returning from work. He had heard her but not listened to what she said. Probably 'good morning'.

Putting the glass down, he faced his sister. She was still clad in her pajama shorts and a T-shirt. Her ears were sagging a bit with residual sleep and her hair was still tousled.

"Let's go to the hospital," Van said quietly. "If you're not too tired."

Merle's eyes began to look more awake at his proposal. "Of course!" Her ears perked instantly. "Let me have some coffee first, but then we can go."

She was about to disappear into the kitchen before changing her mind and her head popped back around the corner. "You seem different, by the way. And I'm not just talking about your face." That said, she finally went to busy herself with the coffee machine.

Van raised a hand to his cheek. It still felt weird to be cleanly shaven. What the little boy told him had hit home. To others it would have seemed silly, the way he had stood in the bathroom a week ago with the electric shaver in his hand, hesitating for too long. It had taken him a while to trim the messy beard down enough before being able to wet shave the rest; and not without nicking himself a good half dozen times.

After he was done, a face he had been going great lengths to avoiding seeing for quite some time stared back out of the mirror. His eyes seemed to draw most of the attention now even though he hadn't trimmed his hair at all. At least the long, messy bangs would continue to provide him with a shield of sorts.

Running a hand through said bangs, he later followed Merle to the reception desk of Energist Central. They weren't even too far into the building yet and already the aroma of antiseptic mixed with hints of airborne pathogens was overwhelming.


When they exited the elevator on the appropriate floor, Dr. Yurizen was already waiting for them in the hallway, having been alerted by the receptionist downstairs.

Blue scrubs and a white lab coat paired with the long mustache he had acquired over the past year gave him a distinctly different look than during war times. His arms were crossed on his chest, still reminiscent of his high position as a general in the military.

A position in the allied military forces had been his chosen occupation for twenty years until he decided to retire and continue on his secondary career path in his late forties. Having already previously fulfilled his duties, he had been given a choice of whether to join again or remain at the hospital decades later when the Destiny War began. The choice had been an easy one; his country had needed him more than his patients.

"Sir." Van greeted him firmly, shoulders and jaw square.

The old man shook his head slightly. "It's about time you showed up, son. If she dies before you get the chance to talk to her, you won't ever be able to forgive yourself. And quit calling me 'sir'. The war is over." He said as he turned and motioned for them to follow.

"Yes, sir," Van responded automatically, staring at the man's grey hair from behind.

Merle, who had stayed behind Van until now, caught up with him and sneaked one of her arms around his in the ever so familiar tight grip he had become accustomed to. At this point, she was probably doing it out of habit and because the ward where they kept the post-surgery and intensive care patients was especially intimidating.

It didn't only smell like antiseptic and disease but like fear and rot additionally. Two stenches Van had become very familiar with during his own time here. This thick conglomerate of nauseating odors was the part he had hated the most. It was only because he had been forced to breathe it in for so long that he had slowly picked up on the various nuances and began to be able to differentiate them.

They entered the room near the nurses' office on that floor. The doors were completely made out of glass and there were windows on either side which normally would enable the staff on duty to keep a close eye on the patient inside. However, the blinds were closed tightly and the door was only cracked a bit. Since the room was located in the center of the building, there weren't any windows to the outside.

Even without any lights on, the many machines around the bed cast enough light onto the person to easily make out every detail on her face and the part of her arms and hands not covered by the white hospital gown and bedding.

Merle's hand flew up to her mouth and her eyes glazed over at the sight of Eriya. The once vibrant looking, beautiful neko was a mere shadow of her former self. It had been almost two years since she had last seen her and the change was devastating.

Her once golden hair was a mix of white and grey, not shiny and silver like her twin sister Naria's had been, but dull and lifeless. Her large ears were limp and shriveled against the striped bedspread. Deep wrinkles covered the skin of her face and the shape of her cheekbones was easily visible under a thinning layer of fur. Several tufts of lose hair were covering the blanket next to her frail looking arms which housed too many hoses and needles to count.

"The serum overdose is still keeping her alive. We don't know how much longer she has." Dr. Yurizen muttered quietly in Van's direction. "It could happen any day."

The only thing that remained unchanged about her, Van noticed immediately, was the intensity in her auburn eyes. When Eriya's lids snapped open, they immediately scrutinized him attentively. With more grace than he would have expected, Eriya reached up and pulled off the mask that was attached to a respirator supplying her with oxygen from a machine on the side.

"Well well. Look what the cat dragged in. The Dragon of Fanelia, looking suave as ever." She said with a voice which was hoarse from lack of use but full of amusement.

Van's nostrils flared as he drew in a sharp breath at the sound of her words. He inched a few steps closer to her, so she could see him better. It was now or never. She was one of the judges he had been so terror-stricken to face.

"I…" He started and then closed his mouth again, desperately trying to find the words he had prepared earlier, but they were nowhere to be found.

Eriya chuckled lightly at the sight of his struggle. "Shit, kid. Did you lose your famous attitude together with the leg?" She now raised one of her thin eyebrows, grinning.

Van mustered up some more courage to speak but it vanished before he could open his mouth. After several drinks, this had seemed like a good idea but the effect of it had worn off sometime between the drive and the first whiff of hospital air.

"I know what you think I want to hear from you, but it sure as hell isn't an apology," Eriya spoke in a less scratchy voice.

Van finally met her eyes again. Her words had shaken him up a bit. "Everything is my fault. I…" He glanced to the side, almost having forgotten about Merle. "…should have been better." He finished vaguely.

Eriya rolled her eyes at him. "Listen, cutie pie. I'm kind of on a tight schedule here, that's why I'm only going to say this once so you better listen."

Van perked up a bit more. The tone she was using certainly hadn't changed much at all from back in the day. On the inside, she was still alert. Her brain appeared to be functioning in the same way, but the serum was eating away at her frail shell of a body.

"We all knew there were risks from the moment we joined our militaries, to the day we accepted that mission. You are not to blame for how everything….went." She now also had to remind herself that Merle was with them and that, as far as the military was concerned, the details of the mission were still classified until further notice.

"You have to live for all of us! You being dead would do nobody any good. Go, get better and fucking live! It's what Folken would want. Hell, it's what all of us want for you." The volume of her voice had risen considerably and caused some of the lines on a nearby machine to spike.

Van's eyes darkened at the sound of his brother's name and Merle let out a small, strangled sob. Eriya had rendered him speechless again. Not that he had said anything of value to her since entering this room.

"Now get out of here before your horrid frown makes me expire prematurely. Leave me alone with the beauty over there so we can have a little heart to heart, neko to neko. And kindly take the geezer with you. He's been robbing me of my last nerve lately." She said with a smirk, visibly enjoying the fact that she was able to call a former commanding officer such a demeaning name without negative repercussions of any kind.

Dr. Yurizen shook his head in disapproval but said nothing. He was likely used to her attitude.

"Oh come on. We both know the only reason you're keeping me alive is because this is the perfect opportunity to study the long-term effects of the serum." Eriya groaned.

The only response this statement elicited from Dr. Yurizen was a more pronounced shake of his head as both men slowly left the room.

"Come closer, Merle." Van heard Eriya beckon Merle to her side before they walked too far away to catch the rest of their conversation.

They had been lovers; Eriya and Folken. Long before the war and since shortly after Van had graduated from the Specials school. Before the mission had split them up Folken had finally popped the question. They were going to get married after the war. That was the plan, but then Van had fucked that up for them, amongst other things.

As if reading his mind, Dr. Yurizen placed a hand on Van's shoulder and just looked at him for a few beats before saying. "You better do what she says. The serum is wearing off but it's still working. She has a way of feeling what's going on. We don't understand how that works, unfortunately. I bet she is coaxing the details out of your sister as we speak."

That caused Van to cover his eyes with a hand and knead the bridge of his nose. Dr. Yurizen released him and took a step back.

"I have to go see to my other patients. You remember the way out." He said before Van heard the squeaking noise of white rubber shoes disappear down the hallway. "If anything drastic happens, I'll call."

He stayed in the same area for a good ten minutes, leaning with his back against the wall and rotating his cane idly in one hand. The dark wood was beginning to look worn on the handle and it reminded him of elderly people. He wanted to be able to ditch it badly.

When Merle exited the room, she quietly closed the door until there was only a small crack left open. Her eyes were a bit red but Van could tell she had been fighting to keep the tears back. Eriya's blunt personality had probably done its part in preventing his little sister from crying too bad.

Merle smiled at him fondly when Van detached himself from the wall and followed her to the elevator. Her ears were upright and her tail was swinging back and forth calmly. She seemed strangely at ease from this perspective. He was intrigued, but he knew better than to ask. If she had something to share, she would do so in due time.

The air was a bit thick between them during the long elevator ride back down until…

"So…"

That didn't take long.

"Maybe…it would be good if you continued your therapy. It seemed to help." Merle said, looking straight ahead.

"You don't say…" Van replied dryly, accepting the fact that she was still refraining from directly meeting his gaze. He could only guess what Eriya and her had talked about and by the gods, he wasn't sure he really wanted to know.

It had been his decision to not go to therapy anymore, but it was Merle who blamed Hitomi for everything. What he was wondering about now was if her opinion about this had changed. But, most importantly, had he changed his mind?


He for sure wasn't coming. Hitomi finally accepted it when she passed through the lobby for the fourth time in ten minutes. Admitting defeat, she gripped Van's file in both hands and walked the few steps to Mr. Mole's office to ask him to archive it.

She stood in the doorway of the Molehill and was just about to hand the file over when the old man straightened his spectacles conspiratorially. "You know, if you are still curious about that patient's file…"

Hitomi tilted her head, curious at what he had to say.

He cleared his throat to be able to speak clearly but more quietly at the same time. "I can acquire it for you. I have certain skills when it comes to computers and…"

Hitomi's eyes went wide now and she clutched the paperwork protectively in both hands. "Are you offering to obtain information that we are not meant to have? To hack…" She was now shaking her head decisively. "Absolutely not. That wouldn't be right at all. Not to mention illegal."

Taking a step back, she was now standing in the hallway again. If her face hadn't already been an uncomfortable shade of red, it would have shortly been just so when she noticed who was standing in the lobby, obviously having overheard at least the last part of what she had said.

Garnet eyes observed Hitomi's face curiously from under the usual wild bangs. At first, the furious flush on Hitomi's face had been caused by the old man's preposterous proposition but it intensified when she noticed the patient who had been AWOL for so long was standing almost right next to her. Only he didn't look like his usual self at all.

The impact of Van's drastic change caused Hitomi's grip on the thick file to slacken enough for it to slip out of her hands. Papers exploded from between the worn, yellow casing like in slow motion upon impact and caused everything to sail around in a gravity defying paper tornado. Hitomi could only continue to stare at him standing rather casually across from her, staring right back as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

At that moment, Yukari appeared further down the hallway and almost dropped her own paperwork at the sight of Hitomi's patient, looking rugged no more. Van's face was freshly shaved and the change was so noticeable it caused her to utter a barely audible 'daaaamn' under her breath. Too caught up in the moment, Hitomi didn't even turn around to shoot her friend a scolding glance.

Hitomi's usually grumpy looking patient was, simply said, quite gorgeous without the thick facial hair. His features were elegant, but still held an aura of dark swag due to his skin tone and hair color. His deep red eyes now drew the attention of anyone looking his way, even from under the bangs which still hung low across most of his forehead.

It was only now that Yukari noticed the pink haired neko was there too. The feline bent down and began to pick up the loose pieces of paper, causing Hitomi to finally snap out of her stupor. She tore her eyes away from Van's and quickly started doing the same thing when he followed suit. Together, they compiled the mess into a single stack again and straightened themselves.

"Listen," Merle began addressing Hitomi in a rather apologetic tone, "I'm sorry if I've caused you trouble at work. It's just...Van is everything I got and I'm scared for him. He is my only family and I want him to get better, so I got a little carried away the other day…"

Hitomi couldn't believe her ears. Was she really apologizing? First, he had finally shown up again just when she had been ready to accept having lost a patient and potentially done more harm to him than good, and now his overprotective sister was apologizing to her. Of all the things she had expected for today, it surely wasn't this.

"There is no need to apologize. Honestly, it's not a problem. I was really just trying to help but should have continued to do so here at the clinic. I'm so relieved you came back." Hitomi said the last few words after shifting her eyes towards Van.

Merle continued. "He has been so grouchy the last few weeks, but he is fragile and …"

"I'm standing right here." Van reminded her with a blank stare.

"Right. Sorry. I should leave now." She quickly stopped. "Anyway. Thank you for caring... I'll be back later." That said as she gracefully sneaked out the door.

When Hitomi came into the break room later, Yukari began to talk so fast she almost choked on the food she had been chewing. "Hitomi! You have to tell me everything!"

Hitomi sucked in a breath and just shrugged her shoulders in response. "What do you mean?"

"Like why he is freaking gorgeous all of a sudden!" Yukari whispered, but quite loudly so.

Hitomi could only chuckle at her friend's remark, still not sure what she was expecting her to say.

"I mean. Too bad he is a patient, because…" Now she was interrupted by Hitomi's stern glance.

"Don't even finish that sentence," Hitomi said in a low voice.

Yukari's face fell apologetically. "I know…I know. Patient. But I mean, he's cute. You have to admit that at least."

Actually, she really didn't have to admit anything. First of all, her professionalism prohibited it. Second, there was nothing out of the ordinary to report to begin with.

And even if there was, she was determined to not let anybody get too close to her again.

Tbc…