A/N: Yes kiddies, this is where it gets different

Lost and Found

By: rainjewel

A/N: Yes kiddies, this is where it gets different. Bout time, eh? Not a heck of a lot changes in the first*counts on fingers*8 chapters? If you've already read those chapters in the original, kudos to you! I just thought that it worked out better if you read the first half of the story along with the new stuff. But I will shut up now and let you continue in the little saga of Migel and Hitomi! Oh, and one more thing: Allen is out of character a littlehe's a bit more *coughlethalcough* in my story. Chivalry is overrated! And PS~ I know that Migel was the one who put Hitomi and the gang in jail in the anime, but we're going to overlook that fact for the sake of the story!

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Hitomi

Well, this certainly has been a very long (not to mention bad) day.

I returned from my little late night/early morning romp with Ryan (ah, sweet RyanI can't get him out of my head) only to be placed in a damp and dreary cell that's not very different from the one Ryan was in earlier. However, this time I'm on the other side of the bars.

Van, Merle, Allen are in the cell are with me. Merle's curled up on Van's lap (who fell asleep first despite his promises to stay awake and protect us). Allen was trying to be all chivalrous and let me sleep on his shoulder but now he's fallen asleep on mine. I half want to wake him up just to see the expression on his face. That would most certainly be a Kodak® moment. As for me I think I've slept most of the day away, it's probably night by now.

There's a scratching noise at the the front of the cell. Oh no.

Someone wake up. I don't want to wake up someone up and look really wimpy. Just, someoneVan, Allen, hell I'll even take Merle!

All I can hear is the scratching and the snoring of my comrades. Except Allen; he doesn't snore of course.

"Hitomi!" whispers a voice fiercely. A British voice. Warning bells go off in my head, but I shush them so as not to get my hopes crushed. I know that he had to go back to Zaibach. He's not going to be here.

This coming from the same person who was convinced he was on Earth. Shut up.

Gently I lift Allen off my shoulder and put his head on Van's shoulder. That will be interesting to see when they wake up. Quickly I scamper to the front of the cell. A tall brown-haired figure stands at the barred gate.

Ryan Ryan Ryan Ryan Ryan!

"Ryan?" I ask tentatively. The boy looks up and flashes me a pearly smile. Oh yeah, it's Ryan. He places a finger to his lips.

"So this is what happens when I leave you alone for a few hours?" Ryan whispers as he jiggles the lock off the gate. I stick my tongue out at him, but then wince when the gate opens with an unceremonious shriek.

Behind me I hear Allen and Van rising to their feet with what sounds like alarming speed. Before I realize what's happening around me, I'm suddenly thrust out the door with Allen, Van, and Merle. Ryan stands goggle-eyed in front of our little group, seemingly stunned by the sudden burst of movement.

For a second everyone stands about still as stone, probably thinking over the situation. I notice that Allen and Van are both a brilliant shades of red, probably due to my little "shoulder-swapping" act. Quickly, however, the moment leaves and Van is the one who breaks it.

"You! I recognize you!" Van whispers fiercely at Ryan. In a flash he unsheathes his sword and runs at the chestnut-haired boy. Ryan barely has enough time to unsheathe his own blade before blocking Van's assault.

"Van! Stop!" I cry out. I move towards the two fighting boys, but suddenly someone grabs my arm. I turn and see Allen there.

"Let them be! Fighting is no place for a lady," Allen says with a highly paternal tone. Usually I love it when he speaks to me, when he looks at me so kindly. Now it just seems annoying. I'm fast coming to the conclusion that he isn't all he's cracked up to be.

"Let me go!" I say. I stomp on his foot and wrench my arm out of his grasp. Abruptly I stumble forward, somewhat surprised that I actually managed to escape. I'm sure it's do to Allen's shock that I would actually be—gasp!—violent.

Yes, I am a violent little fem-Nazi. Now get out of my way!

Quickly I dart behind Van and stick my foot in between his legs. Consequently he falls flat on his face, and his sword goes skittering across the floor to some dark corner. Ryan flashes me an astonished smile that rapidly changes into a frown. With a flash of gold Allen is past me and knocks Ryan's sword out of his grasp with a prompt flick of his wrist. In a second, Ryan is pinned in Allen's hands.

"Come to kill us, I suppose?" Allen asks. He takes his sword and places it to Ryan's neck. Ryan's eyes bug out slightly, then become narrow and frustrated.

"What's you're name, Zaibach soldier?" Allen asks. Ryan rolls his eyes and then throws me a short grin despite his situation.

"Ryan Labariel. Ryan Michael Labariel," Ryan says with a melodious British accent.

"Well, I'll make sure to put that on your tombstone," Allen replies.

"Allen! Don't!" I scream loudly at him, running up and attaching myself to his arm. If the tough-girl act doesn't help, there's always this role.

"Hitomi, please don't intervene, this is no place for a lady," Allen says quietly, looking down into my eyes with that annoying paternal condescension again.

"But Allen, he has information on Zaibach! He can help us!" I plead to Allen, clutching his sleeve like a frightened child. Ryan sends me a look that clearly states: "What-in-the-hell-do-you-think-you're-doing?" I return his look with one that says: "Saving-your-ass," and then return to Allen's "Look-at-me-I'm-so-sweet-and-need-your-manly-protection" act. Ryan catches my plan and winks at me ever so slightly.

"It's true," Ryan says softly, mindful of the blade against his throat. "Zaibach will be attacking Freid in a few days. They want apower spot I think it was."

"And why should we trust you?" Van asks, standing up and brushing himself off. He's been sitting on his butt watching all of this in a state that is likened to disbelief.

"Because I trust him, and I know he's telling the truth," I reply for Ryan, who's beginning to look a little pale.

"How do you know he's telling the truth?" Van asks skeptically. There's a small frown upon his face.

"Because he's my friend!" I say exasperatedly. Van and Allen's faces fault, and so I fall into a short abridged versio of Ryan's and my story. When I finish, Van and Allen are looking at me with the blankest looks on their faces that I almost crack up.

"And if you can't accept that, then I'll vouche for him," I say, placing my hands on my hips.

"Or you could just kill me and gain nothing, save bloodshed and the death of an unarmed man," Ryan adds. It's all I can do to keep from kicking him for being such an ass. Smooth Ryan, real smooth.

"You," Allen says, directing his words at Ryan, "Have quite a mouth on you." With that he removes his sword and steps back from Ryan a few paces. Ryan grins at me and takes a few steps in my direction. I'm about to do the same, but Van steps in front of me, cutting me off.

"Stay back Hitomi," Van says, brandishing his sword. Ryan eyes him quizzically and doesn't move.

I almost ask Van if he missed the entire past 10 minutes, but I don't. Van's not stupid, though he does come across as a simpleton occasionally. What in the hell he's doing now is beyond me.

"Oh for god's sake," I mutter. Quickly I step around Van and run towards Ryan. He grins at me and I fling my arms around him, holding him tightly across his back.

"Why hello there," Ryan whispers into my ear. He smells of apples and wood. An interesting combination, but a good one.

"Hello to you too," I reply, not really knowing what else to say.

"Are you okay?" Ryan asks, his voice taking on a deeper, more serious note.

I wasn't the one who was an inch away from death, mister.

"Yes," I reply instead, "How far did you get?"

"Outskirts of Freid, I—"

"HELLO?" cries a loud annoying voice, cutting off Ryan's sentence. Reluctantly I break the embrace and turn to look at its owner, Merle.

"Jeez, Hitomi. When you go out and meet people, you really go all out!" Merle says.

"Bite me fuzzbutt," I reply, deadpan. Merle growls and turns around, throwing herself into Van's arms. He catches her with a disconnected ease, like it's an old habit he hasn't yet broken. His eyes are on me, and they hold a look of silent pain.

Van thinks I've betrayed him, just like Folken has. He thinks I've cast all his feelings aside. I'm sorry Van, but I didn't love you. I didn't love Allen either, I loveRyan.

My body stiffens with this new revelation. Ryan subtly places an arm around my waist and I can't help but feelabout being so close to him. Here it comes, swoon time. Ryan, I just fell for you bad, and you better catch me.

"Hitomi and I have some talking to do," Ryan says, nodding very faintly towards the door. For a second Allen looks like he's about to object, but suddenly his eyes soften and his look changes to one of understanding—Marlene?—and he nods.

"I'll go take care of things with Chid," Allen says softly. He turns on his heel and reaches out, grabbing Van by the arm. Van looks at him harshly for a moment, but then turns and walks away, his back as stiff as a board. Merle jumps out from his arms but he doesn't seem to notice. The orange catgirl runs up to where Ryan and I stand. With a swift flick of her paw she slices a small scratch on Ryan's leg, growls towards me, then runs off in the direction of her beloved Fanelian king.1

"Merle!" I yell at her retreating back. Ryan leans over and looks towards his scratched calf evaluating the damage.

"It's fine," Ryan says simply.

"Well that's good," I reply. Ryan smiles by way of response and takes my hand. Gently he leads me across the room, through the door. Slowly we walk into the garden that still lies within the palace walls. I get the feeling he doesn't want to deal the guards again.

For awhile we walk around aimlessly, not really saying anything except for randomly naming of all the colorful flowers (even though we can't see anything in the dark, but that's irrelevant).

Say it. Just say it Hitomi. Tell him that you love him.

"So," I begin instead, "why did you come back?"

Ryan looks at me with amusement dancing in his silver eyes.

"I knew you were going to ask that," Ryan says. He runs his left hand through his hair briefly. "I was out in the middle of the forest and I came across a dead Zaibach soldier. Not a Dragon Slayer, mind you,"—he says, catching my wide-eyed look—"But a Zaibach soldier nonetheless."

Ryan pauses by the fountain and sits down, staring into the water. I sit down beside him but not close as I'd like too. I can't seem to get the words out, and I don't want him to know before I want him too.

"Anyway when I saw that man, that poor soldier, I realized that I'm not immortal. I know, I know, I wasn't immortal in the first place. But you always think: It'll never happen to me,' and shit like that," Ryan says, skipping a rock across the fountain. "I know I've seen a lot of people die. Horrible, gruesome deaths. But this man was just lying there! Left unsepulchered in the rain, his only tribute to the world was the his eternal look of sorrow on his face and his blood he'd spilled on the ground. I don't want to end up like that."

Ryan chucks another stone. It skips perfectly across the diamond surface, but he doesn't seem to see it. "If I died, Dornkirk wouldn't care. I'm just a pawn in his big psychotic scheme. Folken wouldn't care, Dilandau might care, hell I can't tell. The only people I know that would care would be some of the Dragon Slayers: Chesta, Gatti, Viole. But I'm getting off topic."

"What I truly realized," Ryan says, turning to me and grasping my hands (I gasp a little at this, but it's most definitely out of pleasure), "was that I had to figure out what mattered most. I'm going to die someday, and I better have my priorities straight so that I don't end up like him. I need to let people know that I love them in order to do that. Which is why I came back, you see. I figured out what was most important to me. It wasn't this war, it wasn't Zaibach, not even Dilandauit was you Hitomi."

Does this meanI hope this means

"I love you Hitomi. I always have, and I always will," Ryan says, his storm-colored eyes deep and serious. Gently he leans in and kisses me lightly on the mouth. Instinctively I kiss him back, which makes him stay there for a second longer. This is wrong, I shouldn't be doing this, this isn't rightthis is nice.

Suddenly Ryan pulls away like something's shot him. He mutters something indicernible (but it sounds like "I'm sorry"). Quickly he looks to his boots, his face a bright red. I'm sitting here bug-eyed with my mouth hanging slightly open in surprise at Ryan's abrupt departure.

You know, he's really cute when he's blushing.

I feel electric and totally alive. I study Ryan's face quickly, knowing the moment is passing. He's features are painted with the shame he feels. His lips (ah, those are some nice lips) are mumbling to themselves, obviously chastising their owner. Involuntarily Ryan scratches his head, his signature signal of confusion and worry. That does it.

"Ryan?" I ask gently. He turns his head to mine, revealing his deep eyes of tarnished silver and his silky mahogany hair thatkind of does whatever it feels like.

"What?" he whispers softly.

And with that I wrap my arm around his neck and pull his lips towards mine, locking him into a kiss. For a second he's rigid with shock, and then giggles a little into my mouth and relaxes into the embrace.

I'd say my bad day is getting better.

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