Aren't you proud? I figured out how to use italics and whatnot. Took me a little too long, don't you think? I'd been trying to use /i when all I needed was just the i. Damn my slowness. Okay, so ya'll are going to kill me, but I think you'll like the last half of the story. I mean, ya'll will i like it. I know I do. *sigh* where's my own little dark- haired Draconian???

Oh well. Hey! Good News! I'm working on a new story. It's going to be a musical-like thing, revolving around high school bands, and an Escaflowne fic. It's all music, and it's already fun to write. I'm working on chapter one, and I hope that everyone who reads my other fics will like this newer one. Anyways...reviews!

I'm going to start answering reviews that have questions and stuff, or that send me a really long review and I just want to give them gratitude. Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing so far, it means so much to me! It's like the air I breathe, water I drink, the food I eat. Well, you get the idea . . .

u: OH! Don't worry! She hasn't died . . . yet (mwuhahaha) just kidding. Do you really think I'd kill off my most beloved character?

uAvelyn Laurenu: Yeah, I do it a lot. ^_^ I guess you could say they're reaching out to him, that makes sense. Although, honestly, I wasn't looking at it like that at all! Weird! I guess that's not saying much about me, eh? *meep*

u: Well, not exactly. You'll understand what that last half of chapter six is all about in the next few chapters.

Anyway, on with the show!

Disclaimer: See Chap. 1

***

Sing a Lullaby

By Cev

Chapter Seven: The Lonely Sky

***

And the dark and lonely sky. . .

***

Hitomi looked blankly at her friend across the dining room table, idly prodding the ice in her water glass with a straw. Her wry grin was shielded by a hand, just in case Yukari's frustration would be taken out on her. She and Yukari were waiting impatiently for Hitomi's mother to take Hitomi to her first official 'appointment', and Mrs. Kanzaki was running late. Yukari's over-protectiveness was beginning to make the red head become like a second mother, and her actions were so serious that Hitomi couldn't help but laugh: the situation was really quite funny when she thought about it.

If she didn't think of it in a funny way, how could she survive it, anyway?

Yukari had been begging Hitomi to plan out a future, to look ahead. Hitomi listening with faint interest- she had no clue about what she would do, and nothing Yukari said seemed to work out right in her mind. It was as if Hitomi would not agree to anything that was unfamiliar.

America . . . Hitomi had listened when Yukari brought that up, but after she thought about it, she just shook her head and disagreed. The place would be just as hard to live in with a newborn as Japan, and she would be far from friends and family, and would most likely end up being on the streets. For now the discussion of Hitomi's future would be on hold until other issues, like her upcoming doctor's appointment, were taken care of. Yukari still was uneasy, though, and Hitomi couldn't convey her emotions to Yukari in a way to make sense.

At the moment, Hitomi's mind was wandering to other things that didn't make sense, like a recurring dream she kept having. In the last three months that they had returned- Hitomi's dreams had been haunted by a nightmare in which she would witness the same scene of her death – or someone's death – from watching by the sidelines as a despairing Van reached out too late, and the other perspective where she became the person falling from the roof and dying.

The dream bothered her, and the intensity seemed to grow as her pregnancy progressed. Was it a vision? Or just a dream? Yukari had thought that perhaps it was because of all the tensions she was bearing, but Hitomi wasn't so sure, even though it was true that she was stressed. She had become a home-schooled student, and her interactions with people were extremely limited. Hitomi was embarrassed, and Yukari could tell the circumstances this mess had created were taking a toll on her. She was pale because she never went out, but even through her exhausting tears at night and sudden wailing, emotional outbursts, Hitomi was sure to at least eat right. If not for her own sake- but for the baby's.

Hitomi took a drink of water; a wedge of lemon squeezed and swirled into the cooled liquid. She was grateful for her family, and that was all she needed right now.

"Yukari," Hitomi began softly, getting the direct attention of the red- haired girl, "I don't think I thank you enough. You've done a lot for me, when many other friends have just walked away. I . . . I don't know what I'd do without you."

Yukari's stern expression softened, and she smiled warmly at the blond. "Hitomi, there's no need to thank me. I know you'd do the same for me. And besides, I need your haggard little self as much as you need me."

Hitomi laughed, and just when the girls were comfortably settled, a familiar honk sounded in the driveway. The two made their way outside, locking the door behind them. Yukari took Hitomi by the arms and led her to the car.

Hitomi jerked away, "What are you doing?" She asked haughtily.

"Helping a pregnant mess!" Yukari said with a wry grin.

Hitomi glared at her friend with good humor behind her eyes, "Yukari Uchida, I am b an invalid!"

"Could have fooled me . . ."

As Hitomi's mother gave her a warm embrace, Hitomi was led to the backseat while Yukari rode in the front, making conversation with Mrs. Kanzaki.

For the life of her, Hitomi couldn't give a reason as to why the situation reminded her of Merle. She pictured Van's adopted sister in her mind, with the cat girl's bright pink hair bouncing every time she moved. A bright orange dress, and the long nail file hanging from her neck. Her strong, tiny limbs, and the ease at which they moved. The thought of her made Hitomi smile, and a memory of her antics made her laugh a little. Yukari and Mrs. Kanzaki paused to look at Hitomi after she laughed, since it was so unlike her those days, but when Hitomi just continued to stare off into space, they both returned to their conversation of schoolwork.

Hitomi's thoughts drifted to the castle where Merle would always be inconspicuously bouncing around, annoying her to no end. Eventually, though she was trying very hard not to, Hitomi was thinking of Van. She saw him in her mind, his deeper than night hair, shading almost red eyes. His stance, always confident, hiding his true attentions, always on guard, except when he was with her or Merle. She could see his sword clipped to his left side, almost like it was an extension of himself, an extra limb he was accustomed to. He's probably getting better everyday, she thought, always training to be better. I wonder how Fanelia is doing, if my choice was right. Was it right? Did she do the right thing by backing down? Has Van moved on now or is he sad, like me? 'No,' Hitomi thought bitterly, remembering their last moment together, 'no, he's probably better off without me. I've always been baggage, always been a burden to him. If it weren't for him, I'd be dead by now.'

A dark expression lingered on Hitomi's face as she went into the hospital, wedged between her mother and Yukari. The stark white hospital was clothed in the smell of iodine, faint scents of blood, and the clean, despicable smell of bleach. Hitomi was getting nervous. She adverted her eyes from anyone coming near. Everyone seemed as if they were about to jump out and accuse her. 'Wench!' 'Whore!' Repeated in Hitomi's head, and she felt slightly dizzy as they neared the elevator. Hitomi grasped the rail lining the confined space, and Yukari gave Hitomi a worried look, her brows furrowed together. A few people in the elevator were staring with judging eyes at Hitomi's bulging stomach. Hitomi felt like she was going to hurl, but she felt a strong arm encircle her shoulders, and she looked up to see her mother smiling down on her. Hitomi felt her mom's love and managed to weakly smile back up at her robust mother.

Yukari smiled reassuredly, and quietly Hitomi thanked them with all the love in her heart. They reached the fifth floor and Hitomi walked with a reenergized step, and soon the three women were waiting for the pediatrician to arrive while Hitomi changed into a gown.

***

"Miss Kanzaki, I fear there will probably severe problems with your child." The doctor said after Hitomi had changed. He was showing her pictures of the baby inside her womb, but Hitomi couldn't see anything.

Hitomi felt her stomach clench tightly and looked up at her pediatrician with fear, "What do you mean, 'i'?!" She asked with an excited voice.

Aya put a hand on her daughter's shoulder, and looked at the woman in the eye, "Please, ma'am, what's wrong with the baby?"

The brown-haired doctor looked at the older woman with sympathy in her eyes, and she picked up one of the pictures. Hitomi was looking over the tiny head and the trace outline to the form, but the doctor was pointing to two white bumps along the baby's back, "This is where the shoulder blades are, and everything else it fine," She began slowly, "But these two white bumps appear to be a bone deformity along the baby's spine and shoulder blades. If they continue to grow with the baby, the birth will be very hard for you, Miss Kanzaki," The doctor looked into the young girl's eyes seriously, "You might not even make it. I don't even think a sea section will help. . ."

Aya clenched her hands together, and Yukari's mouth dropped. Hitomi's face was frustrated and her eyes were angry. She didn't talk at all, and seemed to be thinking very hard.

"There's nothing we can do about it right now," The doctor said, "But I want you to come back and see me in three weeks. If there's any unnatural pain I want you to come see me before then, okay, Hitomi?"

The young girl nodded dumbly, and Mrs. Kanzaki thanked the doctor quietly, and before long, the three women were back in the car, heading back towards the Kanzaki residence.

Yukari watched her friend's pained expression, and sighed, almost on the verge of tears herself. She swallowed back a lump, and silently watched the road.

The houses they passed became familiar again, and Hitomi folded her arms protectively over her swelling belly. She leaned over, closing her eyes in pain. If only Van was here, she thought miserably, he'd know what to do. Millerna would help me; she's such a good doctor. I wonder how's she doing, and how Austria is. Has Dryden married her yet? What is Van going to do with his country? She missed him so much. Was she really going to lose this baby? Could she possibly- no, no, she didn't even want to think about it. But now a dark seed had planted itself in her heart and Hitomi began to feel it weighing down on her. Teen pregnancy was almost like a taboo, but strangely the green-eyed Seer didn't feel so bad about it. The thought of a life being produced from she and Van was something like the rainbow in the clouds, a cure for leukemia, or peace on earth. It was nothing short of a miracle. Wasn't that life? This unborn child was her love, her connection; it was flesh of her flesh. Hitomi looked up into an unyielding sky and closed her eyes again, dosing off into a dreamless sleep.

'Why. . .??'

***

"I think Van has his mind set on Hitomi, not the crowd at the moment," Gadess commented, receiving a loud uproar of laughter from around the bonfire.

Hitomi flushed red, and looked into the flames to distract her eyes. Van had caught her staring at him so much recently, that it was becoming a game of who could catch who staring at the other. Van shifted, embarrassed. It seemed Gadess had a knack for picking on the young couple, and even though it WAS Van's celebration, he and Hitomi had born the back end of various jokes.

The young King moved closer to the girl from the Mystic Moon, and smiled at her warmly. Hitomi flushed an even brighter shade of red, and Van couldn't help but chuckle at the young girl's actions. It was one of many minor reasons among others of why he loved her, anyway.

Food was being set out, and after the King and his closest friends had picked through the dishes to fill their appetites, soon everyone was eating and joining in on the teasing and joking. Even Merle had become a subject and cause of many laughs.

A young Fanelian girl sitting near Van and Hitomi was curious about the Seer and her homeland, and got the chance to ask the shy girl questions after Hitomi and Van had sat down from a dance. "Lady Hitomi, why do you keep your hair so short? It's not very normal for ladies on Gaea to have short hair. In fact, all women have long hair!"

"Is that why you keep your hair so long, Sir Allen?" Van commented with a grin. His statement was appreciated by another outburst of laughter.

Allen glared at the Fanelian King with humor behind his cerulean eyes. "Ah, but I see you're ever careful to preserve that mop of some animal on top of your head," He retorted with a smirk.

Van grinned at the quip, as many others joined in on the laughter. Hitomi smiled, glad the attention was off her. She intertwined her fingers with Van, and smiled at him with a silent thank you.

Van leaned down to her ear, and whispered, "You look very beautiful tonight, Hitomi."

Hitomi blushed prettily, and Van grinned, pleased he could always get a response from the young woman. She was, indeed, very pretty. Her hair was pulled out of her face with light green clips that sparkled slightly in the light of the fire, and her eyes were clear and shined like the green under a dewdrop, accented by her healthy tan she had built up throughout her track practices. She dressed simply in a summer dress that came just below her knee, a cream yellow color that was lined with a dark and light green stripe at the bottom seam, and cross-strapped in the back, revealing the upper half of her back, still slightly warm from her summer tan that slightly burnt her. Her feet were clean and looked taken care of, but were the result of a recent pedicure before she had revisited for Van's sixteenth birthday. They were loosely strapped with light tan sandals that were intricately tied at mid-calf.

Van was looking over her for the umpteenth time that night, and Hitomi could feel a rush of response from under his loving gaze, settling into havoc in her stomach. She looked natural and beautiful, without makeup or uncomfortable clothing. To Van, she seemed to fit in perfectly for him, although many of the other women were dressed in slightly more 'sophisticated' grab that night. No doubt more expensive, Van thought. But Hitomi was pleased with what she had, and that simple characteristic struck a warm place in the young King's heart. It was amazing how well the girl from the Mystic Moon had so quickly stolen his heart, one that seemed so impenetrable before.

Hitomi was watching Van watching her, their competitive game gone. He had ditched his regular red smock for a fitted, short-sleeved red tunic, turned up at the collar and bearing the green royal emblem of the Fanel house on his left side of his upper chest. It was hemmed with yellow thread at the collar, and almost looked gold. He had developed especially lately, and his clothes looked bigger, more filled out to Hitomi. 'Ahh, of course you would notice THAT,' she berated to herself. But she had to admit, the once lanky boy she had first met was becoming a man, something she was trying difficultly to grasp. He had always been handsome. From the minute she had caught his mahogany gaze, she knew he was handsome. But now, it seemed like he was getting more so every day. He, of course, had attached his family sword to his side, a branch of his human body. His deerskin colored pants looked new and clean, tucked into knee-high brown boots. She looked over the angular features of his face again, imprinting another memory into her brain. 'Already so many are trying to vie for his attention,' but Hitomi smiled confidently as she looked into her love's eyes, 'but I'll never have to worry about that.'

Van grinned slyly and pecked her cheek. Many people were finished appeasing their stomachs and thirsts, and were sleeping in tents positioned around the bonfire. A few groggy men were to look after the fire during the night, as the celebration neared the end. They were positioned in the garden outside the castle, just a few yards from comfortable beds and pillows, but many were reluctant to walk all the way back into the guest wing, especially with so many drunk people. The tents served a good purpose.

Hitomi too noticed that many were leaving, and soon it just remained she and Van, along with a few others that eventually dragged off into the night.

"Umm . . ." Van began nervously, chewing on a piece of grass, "Do you want me to take you back inside?"

"No," Hitomi said after looking at the tents, "I'd rather stay out here, the weather's so nice, and it won't stay that way for long."

"Do you . . ."

"Where's your tent?" The honey-haired girl asked expectantly, but flushed afterwards.

Van smiled lightly, and stood, pulling her up with him, "Come on, there's something I need to give to you."

Hitomi looked at him quizzically, but when he pulled back the flap to his canvas tent and they were alone in the dark, she was confused. How was he supposed to show her anything with hardly any light?

Van sat near a soft blanket, and Hitomi joined him. He was fingering something at his side, and Hitomi waited.

"Hitomi," Van began, unsure, "You've been really . . .great lately. You help out with everyone, and we visit each other a lot. I've come to really know your family well, and everyone in Fanelia loves you."

Hitomi laughed uneasily, unsure what to say after receiving such a compliment, "Yeah, I was pretty surprised when my dad took so well to you. Mamoru likes you a lot, you know."

"Yeah, he's a good kid. He's lucky to have such a wonderful sister," Van looked at Hitomi with a soft expression.

The young woman was flabbergasted. Van was loving, yes, but he usually wasn't so frank with his emotions. She knew he wanted to tell her something important. Perhaps he's just drunk, she thought after a while. But then, with a blush, she realized she had been with him the whole night and they had only drunk water and a cool fruit tea.

Van took Hitomi's left hand and kissed her knuckles. She was blushing again, but Van noticed the color rising to her cheeks through the shadowed evening, even though she was trying to hide it.

"Jeeze, Hitomi, you've been blushing all night," He said with his infamous wry grin, "I wonder what's going through your mind?"

Hitomi slapped him playfully, but they laughed together. Van was looking down, still holding her hand lightly, his expression becoming somber again.

"Hitomi, I love you." Van said suddenly, breaking the silence after a while, the girl next to him looking at him intently. A rush of a strong emotion swelled in the young King as he looked back into her green depths fervently. "I think you already know that, but it takes more than words to say something like that to you. It's weird, I guess, because I was so . . . rude to you when we first met. I'd never thought I'd fall in love. It seems impossible, but we're special, because we're here together, tonight, and you've given so much to me. Hitomi, I'm so thankful for you, and for my life as it is now. If it weren't for you, I'd probably be dead by now. And not just physically. . ."

Hitomi was fighting back tears, but couldn't help repeating everything he said in her brain. He was looking at her with such intensity and deep, almost needy emotion that her stomach was quivering.

"Every time you're around, there's this pain in my chest," He continued, "Hitomi," he smiled, "I love you so much it hurts. But it's a good pain, and I don't ever want it to go away. That's why I want you to have this," He pulled out the ring he had been fiddling with, holding it near enough that she could see it, "And I wanted to know, if you'd marry me."

Hitomi looked down, shocked. Van had switched his position so that he was kneeling on his left knee, looking at her with a hopeful expression. He was so . . . outright at the moment that it was hard to keep her mind focused. She opened her mouth to speak, but when nothing came out from her shock she smiled and laughed a little. Van was still looking straight at her, his dark mahogany eyes filled with such emotion and soul that she wasn't sure if she would be able to talk.

"Would you wait for me?" She asked with a watery smile.

"I'd wait a lifetime for you, honey." He said.

"Van . . ." Hitomi smiled wider, knocking the young King down from the force of her hug, and she lay on top of him, covering his mouth was a passionate kiss. He pulled her head in and wrapped her close, trying to gather as much as he could from her in one moment. When Hitomi licked the edge of his mouth, Van could go no further with a simple kiss.

"I guess then, that's a yes?" He asked with a smirk, kissing her nose, and keeping her close to his body. His voice was low and husky, and sent chills and shivers across Hitomi's skin. He stomach twitched with involuntary muscle twitches, her skin excited.

"You dimwit, of course!" Hitomi answered. Van's smiled widened as he rolled over on top of her, propped up on his elbows. He slid the intricately made ring onto her ring finger of her left hand, and looked at her hand, kissing her fingertips.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" Van asked, his eyes now a dark, rich wine.

Hitomi looked up at him thoughtfully, and asked, "Is the flap tied down?"

"Yes. . ." He replied.

She looked up at him, and grinned playfully, "On one condition."

"Oh?" Van said, his eyes shining with humor.

"Only if I can see your wings."

Van laughed and gathered Hitomi up in her arms, feeling his love for her intensify. "I'll never understand why you love my wings so much," He said, undoing his shirt.

"Probably because I love you so much," She said tenderly, looking up at him with affection.

He locked gazes with her and removed his shirt. She couldn't help but think of just all of him, and how perfect and imperfect they were. She felt a need drive her, and she wanted to just melt into the young King. Was it possible on earth to love one person so much? Maybe not, she thought with a look of adoration up at the Draconian's beautifully handsome face, but it's possible here on Gaea, with Van.

"Hitomi, Hitomi. . ." Van whispered huskily, pulling them down, and a white cloud enveloped them both.

***

Okay, so, that didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would. And yes, the last half of the story WAS a flashback, if you remember I wrote earlier that Van and Hitomi had copulated to form that little life inside her at his sixteenth birthday, so yes, if you're quick, you'll catch on. *grin* But I didn't want to go into detail, so there's not going to be any lemons here. I've made that decision because I wanted to keep this story clean and beautiful the way it was *hey, that phrase sounds familiar . . . * So, anyway, I hope ya'll enjoyed it, and keep those reviews a-coming, ya hear?

Move 'em on, Head 'em up! Head 'em up, Move 'em on! Move 'em on, Head 'em up, Rawhide!

Cut 'em out, Ride 'em in! Ride 'em in, Cut 'em out! Cut 'em out, Ride 'em in, Raaaawwwhiiide!!

Yah! *crack*

RAWHIDE! b