Hi everyone! Ok… now for the last chapter. Thanks for all my loyal readers. Thanks G! for always reviewing. Thanks Obi Hoang Kinobe for actually reading this, considering you've never seen the series. Anyways, on with the fic.
Just a few reminders
'---' means thoughts (since ff.net
won't grant me my italics, this will have to do)
*~* means breaks
Hitomi stared at the distance the light had created between. 'Not again' she thought. The light distorted how she saw her Van. He was blue, different; he looked older than he should have been; than she remembered.
Van was staring wide eye at the distance the light created between them. He couldn't get his brain to work, to get it to register to say something or stop Hitomi from going into the light as she did last time. To his horror she step towards the light as he had seen in so many nightmares of Hitomi leaving him forever.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!" Hitomi screamed as she ran across the blue light and into Van's arms holding him tight as if her life depended on it. Van brain finally registered that he had a pretty blonde girl in his arms. He put his arms about her and stroked her hair trying to soothe a crying Hitomi.
Not use to emotional outburst, Hitomi couldn't help herself this time.
"I can't stand it if I left you again. I can't stand it if I knew I never would see you again. I need you, to hold you, to love you. I can't stand it if we separated again. That fate would be too cruel. I've already been down that road, I don't need to go back."
"Hitomi…" whispered Van as he lifted up Hitomi's chin with his finger and bent his head down.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Don't do it Hitomi!!" came two screaming voices breaking the couple from their near kiss. Hitomi and Van turned to see Merle and Allen crashing through the woods.
"Stay with us!" they yelled in unison. As they came to the clearing they saw that Hitomi was safely in Van's arms.
"Um…." Merle was the first to speak, " we would have said those things if you really were going to leave. Yes.. eh… hehehe…. I think I'll head back now. Good bye you two!" With that, Merle ran back to the castle leaving Allen behind quite looking out of place.
"Uh…. I'm just going to get back to the Crusade now. See you later you two." Allen turned to go and turned slightly at the last moment. "Glad you're staying with us Hitomi." With that he disappeared into the shadows of the woods.
Hitomi turned back to Van and rested her head against his shoulders. "I guess it's time we started heading back."
"Yeah. You know, " Van had a mischievous grin on his face, "I've never kissed you before."
"That's right, you never did," with that, Hitomi turned and walked away and called over her shoulder. "The right moment just never happened did it now."
"Now wait a sec!" called Van as he was catching up with Hitomi and held her hand as they walked through the woods. "We've had our moments… just those moment have been interrupted."
"Then those aren't really moments are they," Hitomi said with a smile.
"Should I list them? Well there was that time I visited you and then this weird noise, something about dogs, interrupted it."
"Ok! That was a moment, but those moments have passed. What about now?"
"Exactly, what about now?" Van pulled Hitomi into him; held her and stared into her eyes. "This is the lake where I found you." Van leaned in real close to Hitomi and whispered in her ear, "Can I keep you?"
"Forever."
Van leaned down and gently kissed Hitomi for the first time.
*~*
5 CYCLES LATER
*~*
"Amano, can you please hand me that drink?"
"Sure Yukari," Amano grabbed a bottle and handed it to his wife but not without stealing a kiss from her. The beach was so beautiful that day as Yukari watched her son and daughter play in the sand.
"Hitomi! Don't go out so far in the water."
"Hai mama!"
"Iori! Watch your sister more carefully please," came Amano's deep voice.
"Hai!!! Now Hitomi, stay by my side."
"Hai onisama!" came her happy reply.
Yukari watched her children and found herself lost in thought.
"Penny for your thoughts love."
"I was just wondering something."
"About what?"
"If Hitomi is happy or not."
"I'm sure if she wasn't, she'd be here with us right now." Amano placed a comforting arm around his wife and she learned her head into his shoulders.
Hitomi awoke from her dream. She had fallen asleep by the window waiting to see Van come back from his trade negotiations with Zaibach. Against her request, he wouldn't let her go so here she was. Sitting by the window impatiently. However, she smiled as she remembered her dream. 'They are doing great. I'm glad."
"Momma?"
"Yes"
"Is papa home?"
"I don't think he's home yet Sakura. Just be a bit more patient." Suddenly Van burst through the doors surprising his wife and child. Sakura ran into his arms and embraced him in a very large bear hug.
"I missed you papa!"
"I missed you too Sakura." Van put his daughter down and went into his wife's waiting arms.
"How did it go Van?"
"Well enough, we are on good terms at least."
"I wish you let me come with you."
"Not in your 'condition.'"
"Moi! I'm just pregnant."
"Just?!?!?! You're so close already. I didn't want our baby being a Zaibach citizen."
"Oh fine!" Van kissed his wife and turned back to Sakura. At that moment, two cat children burst into the room giggling, which then caused Sakura to go join them.
Merle poked her head in and yelled, "Kireko! Koneko! No! How many times did I tell you not to barge into other people's rooms."
"It's ok Merle, really it's ok," Hitomi said in the hopes of sparing the cat children from a time out. Both the cat children ran out of the room to escape their mother who was now close on their tails. Sakura ran out too not wanting to miss out on the fun.
Van turned to his wife and smiled as he placed a hand on her stomach just in time to feel the baby kick.
Ok…that's the end of this fic for me. I'm going to start a new one on an AU Card Captors fic. I'll probably call it Duty Dignity Honor Love. Yeah I know that title sucks but I'm not very imaginative with titles. Someone tell me a good title then. The story focuses on those four concepts in that order or importance. Duty being first, then Love. Don't worry, I won't marry Li off to Meiling if that's what you are thinking about that Duty part, but it's not a happy ending story. But I think it's a powerful story still. Much better story line than this story in my opinion. I'll get started on that after a small break. This fic took longer than expected to finish. So sorry to make you guys wait so. Anyways… please r/r, it is my last chapter.
