Yes, I know. This chapter is a bit short. I told you that my chapters are mysteriously getting shorter… and shorter…

Sorry if I took a while with this, but I finally finished this! Here it is, chapter ten, time to celebrate!

Chapter Ten: Sealed with a Kiss

Van alighted on the ground. They were back in Fanelia. He stole a glance at Hitomi. She seemed to have fallen asleep. With what she's been through, she deserves the rest. The minute Van set foot on land again, he felt as if he was going to collapse. He took so much energy flying and rescuing Hitomi that he forgot to think about himself.

He staggered into the castle, where he was immediately noticed by Millerna, who at the minute she saw Van, she rushed over to him. "Van! You're back, what happened to you? You have Hitomi… Allen!"

Allen came into the room, panting as if he rushed over in a hurry. "What happened…? Van… what happened to you?"

Allen ran over to Millerna and Van, who had Hitomi in his arms. "Van, you're in no condition to be carrying a person! You need—"

"Allen," Van said weakly. "Take Hitomi, she's sleeping, she's had a long day."

Allen took Hitomi from his arms. "But Van, you need to rest as well." Van began to weakly walk towards the stairs. "I'll get to my room by myself, I'll be just fine."

Hitomi found herself on bed. She nearly couldn't remember what happened. She even forgot where she was. But in a few minutes time, she suddenly sat up, remembering everything, and exclaimed "Van!"

She remembered suddenly closing her eyes and immediately opening them. She didn't want to sleep then; it would cause more problems for Van if she did. But she felt her eyes slowly closing and before she knew it…

She lost to the sandman.

She immediately got out of bed and ran outside. And Celena, who was passing, turned and looked at her. Then she smiled and said, "Hitomi, you're up."

"Where's Van's room?" Hitomi asked.

Celena pointed to a room. "There, but are you sure that—"

It was too late, Hitomi already ran there and opened the door. "I'm sorry for…" but she stopped because she saw that Van was fast asleep. The curtains were drawn and the only light in the room was the little that came through the small spaces that the curtain didn't cover. "He's asleep, I better leave."

Hitomi turned around, ready to leave when she heard 'Hitomi? Is that you?'

She looked over her shoulder then turned around completely. Van was propped up on his elbow, his hair was messy from sleeping and his eyes were only opened halfway. And there was one more thing that Hitomi noticed. There were bandages on his arms and around his body. "Van! What happened to you?"

"Ah, this?" He touched the bandages. "I just have a few injuries, nothing fatal."

"I knew I shouldn't have fallen asleep halfway," Hitomi said.

"You don't need to blame yourself, it isn't your fault," Van said as he sat up.

"Do you need me to do anything for you?" Hitomi asked, the worried look not leaving her face.

"Yeah," Van said. "Just one thing."

Later that afternoon, Hitomi was on the balcony of the castle, looking out. The sun was about to set.

"Can you meet me on the balcony by sunset? I have something to ask you."

She's here already and the sun was already setting. She leaned by the railings and looked out. But immediately turned around the minute she heard the door open. "Van… is there something wrong?" His expression wasn't exactly of a happy person.

"We'll have to go into war soon; we have to make sure Fanelia won't be taken. But I have a question for you before I leave… for battle I mean," he said.

"Question?" Hitomi repeated.

"Hitomi, his may sound selfish of me because if you say yes you may not be able to go back to the Mystic Moon, so if the answer is no, I'll understand," Van said.

"What does that mean?" Hitomi asked.

"And I also understand if I asked this too soon, so if it'll take you a while, I don't mind either."

To Hitomi, Van was speaking in riddles. What did all this mean? Before Hitomi could ask anything, Van took a deep breath and asked: "Hitomi, will you be my queen?"

That came unexpected to her. She was speechless. But she knew what to say, what she wanted to say. "Yes, Van. I will."

Then before she knew it, their lips came closer and closer and finally, the space between them disappeared. That moment, their love and the possible future were sealed with a kiss.

Thank you everyone for your support in writing this chapter. Please review, I would like to know what you think about it.

And that's how kings propose, right? (points to story). I guess so...