Hello, hello. This is emily here, author of Chapter 4 of The Heart Never Forgets, which you will be reading shortly, and Traditions (heh, heh. Please check out my own story too). Thank you so much to all of those who have read and reviewed our story so far. We are very glad to see that you like the idea of 4 different authors working together on one story. So far it has been quite a fun experience. Please forgive the delay in updating this story. As most of you know, the new school year has started and Phantom Angel, Oki Miya, Marilyn N., and myself will be swamped with homework so we'll only be able to work on the story during what little free time we might have. However, please enjoy what we have so far. Sayonara, Emily ~_^
Chapter 4: Revelations
Hitomi's ear piercing scream rang through the air waking those in slumber and turning the heads of those still awake in search of the source. A loud commotion could be heard as people began running around to see what had happened.
Van's body surged with immense pain as he struggled to sit up. Pushing his navy blue sheets away, he sat on the edge of his bed holding his head; his fingers entangled in his unruly sweat drenched locks. A shiver went up his spine as a soft wind blew in from his balcony forming goose bumps over the damp skin of his bare shoulders. He closed his eyes trying to regain control of his senses when suddenly he saw the image of the Earth and the moon hanging in the velvet sky with rose petals raining down and felt the rush of air against his back as if he was falling. Standing up, Van grabbed his blue silk robe that was draped over a nearby chair and ran out of the room. He didn't know why he had to go outside, he just felt like he had to.
The long castle corridors were filled with curious onlookers as they tried to figure out what in all of Gaea was going on. Tiny groups of women huddled along the sides in their puffy terry towel robes and curlers in their hair murmuring about what they think had happened while the men talked calmly to the castle guards. Van paid no attention to the crowd as he quickly pushed his way through the hall and down the stairs. Morgan spotted her fiancé and called out to get his attention, but it was pointless. Van couldn't hear anything; he was entranced and focused fully on reaching his destination…the rose bed in the garden.
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Allen, who had been reading in front of the fireplace in his bedroom, jumped at the sound of Hitomi's scream. Knocking over the glass of red wine as he stood up, Allen dropped the book he was reading and rushed out the door. "Hitomi!!"
When Allen reached Hitomi's room, he was startled to see Celena already standing at the door wide open. She was wearing her satin bathrobe with her hair tied in a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck. On her face was blank and confused look. Running up to his sister, Allen began interrogating her.
"Celena!" he shouted as he grabbed her shoulders shaking her gently. Her cerulean blue eyes stared in shock at her brother as a few tendrils of golden hair fell to her cheek from the force of Allen's shaking. "Celena, what happened? What are you doing here?"
"I…I…I don't know," stuttered the frightened girl as she glanced into Hitomi's room where the balcony doors were wide open allowing the breeze to lift the royal blue curtains. Releasing his grip on Celena's shoulders, Allen left the bewildered girl and made his way towards the balcony. Upon reaching the railing, Allen could see Van outside walking towards the spot right below the balcony, his eyes glazed over. A nauseous feeling hit the pit of Allen's stomach; something told him that whatever Van was looking at wasn't anything good. Slowly, Allen stepped closer and closer to the edge until his eyes also glazed over with astonishment at the sight before him.
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After Philip had led Kael away, Merle decided some solitude was needed in order for her to figure a way to get Van and Hitomi back on the right track. Wandering the halls of the castle wasn't any good because people kept interrupting her with inane questions and comments about politics etc. She was about to walk down the main corridor for the eighth time when it dawned on her where the perfect place to go was…the rooftop.
It had been a few years since Merle had last ventured to the seclusion of the roof. Every since Van went "insane", as she preferred to think of it, Merle had stayed away from their spot. It just didn't feel right to go up there without the Van she knew. But things were different now that Hitomi had returned and she needed peace and quiet to think. 'I'm such a baka! Why didn't I think of this sooner?' she thought as she climbed her way though a narrow passage way and up onto the blue ceramic tiles that made up the roof.
"The nights are always so peaceful in Fanelia," sighed Merle as she inhaled a deep breath of the crisp night air. "Everything's still the same…except Lord Van. What happened to him? Why is he treating Hitomi so coldly?" she asked herself as she looked up at the Mystic Moon floating in space.
Her long cat ears twitched suddenly at the sound of hurried steps drew her attention downwards to Hitomi's balcony. Scurrying quickly to the edge, being careful not to go too far, Merle leaned over to see what Hitomi was doing. Merle's tail puffed in shock as she saw a pair of hands emerge from the shadows and pushed Hitomi off the ledge.
"Hitomi!!!" cried the feline as she leapt down to where Hitomi was falling.
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By now, a crowd had formed around the body that lay on the ground. A number of castle guards and servants, including Kael, had made their way out into the garden to find Hitomi. Her long sandy brown hair was strewn around her head in a mess of tangles with a few strands stuck to the tiny trickle of blood coming from her forehead. The once magnificent dress was now torn to shreds from the many thorns of the rose bush that Hitomi had fallen through sending up a rain of rose petals that now covered her limp body.
Van was the first to arrive at the scene. His eyes were wide with shock and concern. Frozen with fear, Van just stood there staring at the frail figure of his beloved Hitomi lying there, thoughts running a kilometer (Heh heh, we are Canadian) a minute through his head over and over again. 'Hitomi? Why? Why did you do this? Did you try to kill yourself?' Van was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice the arrival of Allen and Merle who both immediately ran over to Hitomi's body. He didn't even notice Morgan tugging at his sleeve trying to get his attention. She was trying to feign fear so that her fiancé would try to comfort her but it was to no avail, his attention was completely directed to the true love of his life.
"Van!" whined Morgan as she continued to pull at the silk of his robe. "What happened? I'm scared! Is there an assassin on the premises? Oh, Van, please hold me," she begged as she clung to his arm. Van had no reaction to any of it. 'Why is he so worried about this wench? It's not like he loves her. I hope she's dead.'
Allen was now kneeling down next to Hitomi's lifeless form with Merle standing close behind him. Ever so carefully, Allen brushed away a few locks of golden honey hair and placed his fingers gently on Hitomi's neck searching for a pulse. 'Please be alive. Don't die on us now. You're stronger than this, you would never commit suicide.' Allen's emotions were a mess but his training as a knight forced him to stay calm. Slowly, he felt around the curve of Hitomi's neck and was relieved to feel a very faint pulse. A calm spread over his face.
"She's alive," announced Allen as he stood to acknowledge the crowd. A relaxed sigh spread over the mass of people.
At the sound of Allen's words, Van sprang back to life. Pulling his arm out of the wrenches of Morgan's claws, he pushed his way through the crowd and knelt down next to his angel. Gently, he caressed Hitomi's face with the back of his hand careful not to aggravate the scratches that decorated her face.
"Hitomi," Van whispered into her ear as he scooped her up with the utmost care and began walking back into the castle.
"Let go of her!! You don't have to pretend to care about her!! She doesn't need you to cause her anymore pain!!" demanded Merle as she tried to pull Hitomi out of Van's arms. Merle had had it with Van's attitude and coldness towards Hitomi. He was the first one to find her yet he did nothing to help.
A pair of strong hands held Merle back as Van continued walking, ignoring her comments. Merle struggled and tried to pull away but her emotions weakened her. Turning around to see who was restraining her, Merle was shocked to see Kael. His deep blue eyes reflected nothing but warmth and comfort causing her to release her tears.
"It's OK. Shhh," comforted the swordsman as he pulled Merle close to him. Kael gently stroked Merle's pink hair to soothe her as she continued to bawl into his chest. Merle wanted to pull away but she felt so calm and relaxed in Kael's arms.
Meanwhile, Allen was busy pushing and politely asking people to step aside so that Van had room to carry Hitomi back into the safety of the palace. At first, he too objected to Van carrying Hitomi but after seeing Van's display of concern Allen decided that it was a good idea. Allen now had the pleasure of watching Morgan scowl as Van walked passed her without even a glance. 'I knew Van still cared about Hitomi. No, not just care, he still loves her,' thought the Knight of Caeli as he followed the King of Fanelia to Hitomi's bedchamber.
Upon reaching Hitomi's room, Allen was surprised to see Celena standing exactly where he had left her. As soon as she saw Hitomi in Van's arms she gasped and fainted. Allen ran up to his sister and caught her just before she hit the floor.
"The shock of seeing Hitomi like this must have been too much for her," said Allen as he stepped aside for Van to carry Hitomi in. "I'll call for a healer to come here after I take Celena to her room."
"Thank you, Allen," replied Van in a shaky voice.
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"Excellent…mwahahahahahahaha. I couldn't have done a better job myself BUT SHE ISN"T DEAD YET!!!! You insolent fool!! Did you really think that a tiny fall such as that would kill the bitch from the Mystic Moon?!" screamed an angry female voice from within the shadows.
"She would've died if you let me kill her my way! But no, you had to do it your way keeping me in that weak body. Give me control of the body and I'll rip that bitch and the King to shreds. Ha ha ha ha ha!" laughed a crazed maniac also within the darkness.
"No. The King has nothing to do with this. I cannot let you reveal yourself to anyone. That will ruin everything," said the female, as her glowing robed figure emerged from the shadows hovering in mid-air. Her hair was long and flowing, reaching all the way down and past her feet. "The only reason that I need your help is that I don't have a physical form in this dimension. This turn of events is just a minor set back. I'll just have to think of another way to rid the universe of that bitch. It's not the first time my plans have been foiled. But, for now, you should return before the girl wakes up. I'll need you to keep an eye on what's going on."
"But Kanshisha…"
"I SAID GO!!! Don't you ever forget who revived you! Now do as you're told," commanded Kanshisha as an evil grin crept across her face. "I have plans for you, Miss Hitomi Kanzaki and I will get my revenge. Ha ha ha ha."
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"She's suffered massive head trauma and is still unconscious but luckily she didn't suffer any broken bones or internal bleeding," informed the healer when he came out of Hitomi's room. A sigh of relief spread throughout the small group, consisting of Van, Allen, Merle, Kael, and Morgan, who were gathered outside. "I've cleaned and bandaged all of the wounds and I will come back again tomorrow afternoon to change them. It's hard to tell when she will awaken. It may be days, weeks, months…maybe never…"
"Don't say that!!" screeched Merle pulling away from the comfort of Kael's arms. He had brought her up after she had calmed down. "Hitomi is the strongest person I know and she would never give up. S…Sh…She would never give up," continued Merle, her voice shaky with emotion, as she began to cry. Again Kael pulled Merle close to him and gently stroked her back soothing her; Merle didn't pull away and just let her tears flow.
"Well, as I said, it's very difficult to tell when Lady Hitomi will reawaken," replied the healer, shocked at how emotional Merle had become. "But it would be better if someone stayed with Lady Hitomi tonight to make sure that she is comfortable and to alert us if anything should happen or should she awake."
Allen was going to take the job, when a voice came out from behind him.
"I'll do it," volunteered Van as he stepped towards Hitomi's room without any hesitation.
"But Van," began Morgan but was cut off by Van.
"Morgan, I'll see you tomorrow," said Van as he brushed his lips on her cheek (you know what mean, not an actual kiss, more like a formal thing that needs to be done). "Good night." And, with that, Van walked into Hitomi's bedchambers and closed the door behind him.
Morgan was shocked. Her fiancé had just given her the brush-off and was spending night with some strange girl from another world. She was enraged, furious, pissed off, you name it. Her face was red with fury to match her robe; steam coming out of her ears. What made it worse was the approval of everyone else around her? Do these people not have morals? The king was going to spend the night with some girl out of wedlock!! Angered at this display, Morgan stormed off to her room planning on waking up early just so that she could make sure that nothing happened during the night. 'Unconscious my ass. She better not wake up and if she does, I'll kill her with my bare hands!'
By this time, Merle had fallen asleep in Kael's arms and he had carried her to her room leaving Allen standing in the hall. He stared at the door completely not astonished by Van's actions. 'I knew you still loved Hitomi, Van. But you better not hurt her again or you'll have to deal with me,' Allen subconsciously told Van as a smile tugged as the corner of his lips and he strolled off to his room.
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Inside Hitomi's room, Van walked to the chair beside the bed and sat down, never once taking his eyes off the sleeping form of the girl from the Mystic Moon. She lay there motionless except for the soft motion of her chest breathing. Her hair was brushed out and cleaned and now rested gently on her shoulders. Bandages were covering most of her arms and her forehead was wrapped in gauze. Red marks scarred the ivory skin of her face, but to Van she was just as breathtaking as ever. He brushed away a few loose strands of sandy blonde hair from Hitomi's face and stared lovingly at her. 'Why is it that after all these years, after everything that I've done, I still can't get you out of my heart? Why are you doing this to me, Hitomi? Why are you playing with my emotions like this? I can't take it!!!' Van frowned. 'It pains me to see you lying here hurt and unconscious. I don't want to care about you but I can't help myself.' Van tenderly caressed Hitomi's cheek with the back of his hand like he had done before slowly lowering his hand to hold hers. Bringing her hand up ever so carefully, Van brushed his lips over Hitomi's fingers inhaling deeply to smell her scent, the smell of roses. He sighed as he was filled with a sense of warmth and comfort to hold Hitomi's hand and to have her so close to him. Laying his head next to Hitomi's, Van soon fell asleep holding his beloved's hand and listening to her breathe.
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Two spirits stood in the corner of Hitomi's bedroom watching over the two lovers as they slept soundly and peacefully.
"Do you think they will find their love again, Varie?" asked one of them.
"Your granddaughter and my son are both as stubborn as mules, but I know as well as you, their hearts are meant to be together," replied the raven-haired Draconian.
Hitomi's grandmother smiled. "I know, but I hope that the two of them figure that out before anything happens for their own good and for the good of the entire universe."
The two angelic beings looked at each other and then at the sleeping couple smiling with hope in their eyes and disappeared.
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Well, that's Chapter 4. I hope you all liked it.
