Chapter Sixteen

Author's Ramblings

I am so infinitely sorry for taking so long on this chapter! In any case, I really think that this was my worst chapter yet; I didn't have a whole lot of time to devote to writing it. But I did manage to put a tiny about of K+K stuff in here! As well as Merle+Chekov! Let me know what you think. Enjoy….

Disclaimer

Ditto. Torquil is mine.

~*Chapter Sixteen: Silver Inches*~

"Man…talk about a city made of gold!" Yahiko remarked as he and everyone else stood on the docking bay in Palas. A chorus of nods and various other similar comments from his fellow Earthlings agreed with him.

Van stepped forward with a stoic expression. "Well, come on. We need to find Allen."

Kenshin quickened his pace and soon walked parallel to Van. "Allen is your friend you told us about, that he is?"

Van nodded. "I don't know where he lives; all I know is that he lives here. We'll have to ask around for him."

"Ask around for whom?" asked a new voice from behind.

Van, Kenshin, Kaoru, Sano, and Yahiko turned around to face the speaker. Van showed no emotion as he answered, "You."

The speaker, now identified to be Allen, smirked. "I feel so honored." He paused, changing his tone to serious. "You don't look happy. Is something wrong?"

Before Van could answer, Kaoru bopped Allen on the head with her bamboo sword that materialized seemingly from thin air. "Of course something's wrong, you idiot! Why do you think Van is in such a bad mood?!"

While Allen stood with his mouth agape, Sano too the opportunity to speak. "Aw, Jou-chan [what he calls Kaoru]—don't you think 'idiot' is a bit harsh?" He paused for a dramatic effect. " 'Goldilocks' is more like it," he added as he snickered.

Kenshin's eyes narrowed. "You will stop insulting this man, that you will. We need his help to find and rescue Hitomi-dono, that we do."

Allen finally found his voice after he gave a sharp gasp. "Hitomi?! What about Hitomi?!" He turned to face Van. "What happened to Hitomi?!"

Van couldn't stand the look in Allen's eyes. It reminded him of everything he wanted to forget, but nevertheless he answered the Knight Caeli's questions. "She was taken." He paused, suddenly finding the cobblestones very interesting. "She volunteered to go after the man threatened to kill…her son."

Allen was very confused. "When did she have a baby? Who's the father? Who kidnapped her? Tell me, Van!"

"She gave birth three days ago," Kaoru answered for Van. "Merle is watching over him back in Fanelia."

Allen nodded, accepting that answer. "That answers one question. Now, tell me, who kidnapped her?"

"Duke Neicodemus of Longgalia," Van replied. "I swear that this is the truth."

Allen didn't reply for a while. "I should have known…" he trailed off. "There were rumors that he was on friendly terms with Dornkirk."

"Dornkirk?" Yahiko interrupted. "I know I've heard that somewhere before…."

Kaoru's eyes lit up. "Yeah! When that Duke guy came to our dojo, he told Hitomi that he was Dornkirk's son!"

Both Van and Allen gasped.

From behind a wall made of old crates, Neicole gasped. "Daddy…?" she questioned in a betrayed tone of voice. "Daddy took someone away?"

Balthazar made move to comfort her, but she simply waved his hands away. "Shh!" she hissed. "We need to listen to what they're talking about!"

Allen's eyes narrowed. "I see now. It's obvious Neicodemus wants to avenge Dornkirk's death."

"But who exactly was this Dornkirk guy?" Sano inquired. "And how did he know Hitomi-dono?" added Kenshin.

To answer their questions, both Van and Allen narrated the entire story of the Great War—starting from the moment Van met Hitomi as she was running on that track to the moment that he bid her farewell. They spoke of how she always saw the unseen and predicted the unknown—using her pendant and Tarot cards—and also how she sometimes received visions of either what had passed or what was to come. Yahiko interrupted only once by claiming that Kenshin had some of the same abilities, and in response the red-haired rurouni blushed and gave a little "Oro!"

Van and Allen also shed more light on the people that surrounded them during that time—Millerna, Chid, Dryden, Gaddes and the crew of the Crusade, and the MoleMan; as well as others such as Folken, Dilandau/Celena, Nariya, and Eriya. They also went into detail about the past as well, speaking about how Allen's father Leon Schezar had met Hitomi's grandmother when she was still young.

After the history lesson was given and the Earthlings had a few moments to ask other questions and clear up any misunderstandings, Allen turned to Van. "So, what is your plan? You do know that Neicodemus's security staff is composed of a former Zaibach sorcerer by the name of Torquil, don't you? He's bound to make things a mess for you."

"Aw, no sorcerer's going to defeat us!" Yahiko declared boldly.

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"So that's where they are…" mumbled Neicodemus. He stroked his mirror-globe affectionately, once again relishing in the slight nails-on-chalkboard sound that resulted from the friction between the leather of his gloves and the slick surface of the mirror-globe.

"Did you say something, my Duke?" asked waif-looking man with dark hair and eyes, yet extremely pale skin.

Neicodemus looked up, startled. "Ah, Torquil. Just the man I wanted to see." He rubbed his chin as if in deep thought. "King Van and his little group have gone to Palas. No doubt they are gathering allies to come to the wench's rescue," he continued as he gestured to Hitomi within her glass prison. He chuckled. "She's only got three feet left before she dies."

Torquil shifted his stance, obviously displaying his impatience. He knew his Duke should have entrusted the entire mission to him in the first place, but noooo—Neicodemus had to be picky and do the dirty work himself. So, to cut to the chase, Torquil asked, "What do you wish to be done, my Duke?"

Neicodemus smirked. "Always to the point; that's what I've always admired about you, Torquil." He set his mirror-globe carefully back in its stand. He cleared his throat, then answered, "I want you to stall their entrance into this room. I know for sure that they will come and try to free their little wench, but we must fend them off until we know for sure that Miss Kanzaki is deceased. Do you understand your objective, Torquil?"

Torquil knelt, clenching his fist near his heart. "Yes, my Duke."

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"WAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Merle sighed. Ever since Van had left, little Sachairi hadn't stopped wailing. She understood though; after all, she would be wailing too if she had the chance. She missed her Van-sama.

On a happier note, her current love interest had been helping her watch over the young prince. Chekov, her cat in fuzzy fur, had finally mustered the courage to approach her and asked if he could court her. Merle had been elated! She had originally thought that she would have to be the one to make the first move, but she had obviously been proven wrong. He's so dreamy…

The object of her affection came into her room. "I'm sorry that the Construction Council meeting ran so late," he apologized. "I should be here with you, helping you to take care of Sachairi."

Merle waved her hand idly as she rocked Sachairi in her arms. "Don't worry about it! I've got it all under con…"

"WAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"

Merle didn't even finish the rest of her sentence. She simply gazed into Chekov's rich black eyes. "Does this mean I'm not meant to have children?"

Chekov chuckled. "Here, let me help…."

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AN HOUR LATER

Van, Allen, Kenshin, Kaoru, Sano, and Yahiko were all gathered on the Crusade after it was decided that they should head to Longgalia as soon as possible. However, the sixsome was unaware of the man and girl lurking behind them in a storage room….

Balthazar groaned. "Why on Gaea did I let you talk me into this?" he whispered. "We could be severely punished for trespassing! This is a Knight Caeli's levi-ship!"

Neicole shushed him harshly. "Do you want them to hear you?!" She paused, hearing traces of voices. "They're talking!" she exclaimed quietly. "We have to listen to what they're saying!"

Kaoru sighed. "I'm really worried about Hitomi. It's been three days…. Do you think she's alright, Kenshin?"

Kenshin smiled warmly. "Hitomi-dono is a very strong-willed woman—much like you, Kaoru-dono. Sessha is sure that she is fine."

Kaoru smiled, despite her fear. Taking a quick gander around the room, she noticed that she and Kenshin were the only ones in the room. "Hey, where did everybody go?"

"Sanosuke and Yahiko went exploring, that they did. And Van and Allen are in the cockpit of this…" Kenshin paused, searching for the correct terminology, " 'levi-ship'."

Kaoru leaned to the side, letting her head rest on Kenshin's shoulder. She enjoyed watching the blush that crept up his face. "You know, I miss our little dojo." She paused. "It's hard to believe that we're on a completely different planet."

Neicole's eyes widened. "They must be from the Mystic Moon!"

Balthazar nodded, agreeing with her.

Suddenly Van and Allen re-entered the room, Allen obviously finishing off a sentence. "…north for a few more minutes." He paused as he closed the door behind him. He looked to Van who was joining Kaoru and Kenshin. "Hey, Van," he called out.

Van whipped his head around. "What?"

"You never did tell me who is the father of Hitomi's son that you mentioned…" Allen trailed off. Lifting his brows in curiosity, he asked, "So, who is the lucky dad?"

Van grimaced slightly, having conjured horrible mental images of what Allen's reaction would be. But he knew that the truth had to come out at some point, and he'd honestly rather that Allen know now rather than later. Van inhaled a large amount of air before he answered, and his hand instinctively clutched the pendant around his neck. "I am."

And from inside that tiny little closet, Neicole and Balthazar both gasped.