Chapter 4: Splash!
Van leaned back against the ballroom wall, resting his eyes for a moment before he was to begin preparations for this evening's party. It was some royal function to honour the near-complete reconstruction. A day earlier, Allen Schezar had arrived in Fanelia on a short trip. Van had welcomed him, grateful for a visit from his friend since he thought it would provide a distraction from pining for Hitomi. Instead, it just brought back more memories, including some painful ones of a rainy day in Asturia. It still stung him a little to think about it, because although Van knew Hitomi now returned his love, he wished he could have been the one to give her that kiss. But he tried not to let it bug him- he wanted Allen's visit to be enjoyable, and it was. Besides, Allen had gotten over Hitomi a long time ago. Van just hoped his wistful dreams of him and Hitomi being together in Fanelia would stop soon, because they brought feelings of regret. The raven-haired king straightened up, deciding he should get to work. He might as well make this ball fun for everyone, and the knight would only be staying for two more days.
On the Mystic Moon, Hitomi sat at one of the long lunch tables, chewing glumly on a sandwich. Her dreams about Van were becoming more real than ever; it was as if she was living them, but she wasn't really there. It was like seeing herself and Van from the point of view of someone else. They were usually good dreams, but when she woke up she just felt worse, thinking that they were just wishful thinking, and Van had probably already moved on.
~*~*~*~
"Merle, we've been walking for hours," Hitomi halted and folded her arms across her chest in protest. The pink-haired catgirl continued to claw through the gnarled, fallen branches of dead trees. To Hitomi, it seemed as if they were going in circles, because everything looked the same in this long, maze-like area of the woods. "I've already figured out you're taking me to that wildflower field- that's no big secret. But I didn't think it would take this long!"
"Well, how was I supposed to know that this part of the forest is completely destroyed? Before, it was a shortcut!" Now, it was one never-ending mess of tangled limbs, practically knotted together, making it nearly impossible to walk through. It must have been one of the results of Dilandau's rampage. Another problem that made it difficult to navigate was the amount of light: there was none! The trees that hadn't yet collapsed remained densely cramped together, blocking out any sunlight that hoped to shine through. Huffing and puffing as she frantically dug through the bushes while dodging snapping twigs, Merle called, "And besides," huff, "I think we're" huff, "……..almost there!" she cried triumphantly. Hitomi glanced over hopefully as she stepped past a pile of ashes and a few crusty leaves. Merle had pulled back the last of the cracked branches to reveal the comparatively clear path ahead. Both hikers grinned, newly motivated to finish their journey. Hitomi walked briskly, eager to reach their destination she wanted so much to see. Merle fell behind a little, stopping occasionally to pounce on unsuspecting insects and mice.
"C'mon, Merle, we must be almost there by now!" Hitomi said merrily. When there was no reply, the sandy-haired girl turned around. "Merle?" she said uncertainly. There was no sign of the striped cat with the hard-to-miss pink hair and large ears. The woods were completely deserted. Where did that sly little kitty run off to? she thought. "Merle!" she called loudly. Still no answer. In fact, no sound could be heard except for the gentle gurgling of a distant brook. Ignoring her common sense which told her to stay where she was and wait for Merle to return, Hitomi advanced in the direction of the water noise. Maybe the catgirl had decided to try and catch some fish. She walked on for a few minutes and noticed the trees becoming denser. It was once again getting dark, and the tall trees' shadows loomed menacingly over her.
Suddenly, Hitomi took a step and felt nothing underneath her feet. She fell about two meters, landing on her side, sprawled out over soft green grass. Nothing hurt, except for the side of her stomach near her ribs, which she landed on. Pulling herself up into a sitting position, Hitomi rubbed the painful area which would probably form a bruise soon. As she did so, she noticed for the first time her surroundings.
There weren't as many trees here, allowing just the right amount of light to pass through, casting a demure glow over the steady flowing of a clear cerulean stream. At the far end of the brook, there was a quiet roaring as a small waterfall crashed down upon the rocks. This place that Hitomi had stumbled into was like a treasure hidden in the forest: it was so beautiful and so serene, but encased in an ugly surrounding of snarled dead trees. Hitomi slowly stood up and dusted herself off. She wandered around the brook, in awe of the beauty of this small ravine- she had completely forgotten about Merle.
Allowing a gentle breeze to ruffle her sandy-coloured locks, Hitomi tilted her head upwards, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath of fresh air. Slowly, she exhaled, lowering her head and focusing her gaze on a lone tree on the other side of the water. Its outstretched branches showed off emerald leaves that glinted gold under the sunlight pouring down from the azure sky. They shook in the wind and began to flutter down upon a figure leaning against the trunk. Although she couldn't see anything but his silhouette, she could recognize that figure anywhere.
Hitomi's mouth went dry. Had it been Merle's idea to bring them both here, with the idea of setting them up in mind? Or had it been all Van's doing? Either way, she was happy to find he was here instead of off working again today. But it still didn't make up for what he had said at dinner yesterday.
Van had walked away from the tree towards Hitomi, and he was now facing her across the brook. It was too wide to simply jump across, but he didn't want to try flying over until he was sure she wasn't still angry with him. "Hitomi?" he asked cautiously.
"What are you doing here?"
"I need to apologize for what I said yesterday…it was a mistake." He went slightly red. "The truth is, Hitomi-"
"Van, wait. I'm sorry too! It's more important for you to help with the reconstruction of your country than to go on some walk with me. I shouldn't have been angry with you in the first place," she said earnestly. By now, Hitomi had realized how selfish she had acted. It should be Van that was annoyed with her, not the other way around.
"No, you had reason to be. Hitomi, I wanted to spend time with you." Van went red again. "And now that I'm here, maybe I can?"
Hitomi couldn't suppress a smile. "Of course, Van. This place is really gorgeous, you know," she remarked.
"Yeah…" Van's dark brown eyes never strayed from Hitomi's.
"It's funny," she said abruptly, tearing away from his intense gaze, "After Merle and I were separated I guess she expected me to find this valley… well, to find you. But up over there," she pointed to a path leading away from where she had fallen. "There's another path I could have taken. I wonder if it leads to another pretty place like this one?" In her curiosity, Hitomi strolled over to get a better look at the other walkway.
"Well," Van started to inform her, "I think there might be something over there you'd like to-" He took a step forward, intending to follow Hitomi. There came a tremendous splash as the king took a nosedive into the brook at his feet. In his infatuation with the girl's every move and word, he had completely forgotten it was there! Hitomi spun around to face a soaking-wet Van Fanel. After her initial surprise wore off, she immediately burst out laughing.
Van looked indignant. "Hey, stop laughing so much! It's just a little water," he muttered. Hitomi's giggling didn't die down. He ran his hand through his dripping raven hair and removed his red shirt in order to ring it out. As he gripped the shirt tightly a torrent of water was released. He tossed the shirt onto the riverbank carelessly and then glanced up at Hitomi. She was standing over him, smiling in an amused sort of way. Needless to say, Van had no idea that what was going through her mind at that moment had more to do with how amazing he looked than how dumb he looked standing there helplessly. This is so demeaning, he thought. He reached up and firmly grabbed Hitomi's hand, pulling her into the brook alongside him. She let out a yelp as she crashed into the cool water.
"Van!" she protested, smoothing back her now drenched hair. He just smirked. That was it. With a devilish gleam in her eye, she whipped her fingers through the disrupted surface of the water, soaking him once again. His eyes widened, then his face was set to a "you wanna go?" look.
Hitomi scoffed. "Bring it on."
He succeeded in spraying her with a strong slap of the water. She retaliated, and they continued their water war for the next few minutes. After one especially strong splash from Hitomi, Van turned around for a minute to recover.
"Uh.. Van?" Hitomi said uncertainly. He faced her with a hurt expression. "Hitomi…" he said. He began to walk towards her. When he was a mere 3 inches away from her face, he stopped and looked directly into her eyes. They just stood there for a minute, almost nose to nose. Then Van bent down slightly, bringing his face closer to Hitomi's. Her heart was pounding. She closed her eyes, and waited. Suddenly, she felt a smack of frigid water splash all over her. Her eyes blinked, and she stood with her mouth hanging open in shock. Van was grinning, satisfied with his revenge. Hitomi just gaped at him. After a moment, Van was laughing at the sight of her, and Hitomi decided it was time to get even, once and for all. "That's it, Van Fanel," she shouted. "You asked for it!" With that, she sent a tidal wave in his direction. Their fight carried on until they were both worn out. After about ten minutes Hitomi collapsed on the grassy edge of the brook. Van did the same. The two teens lay there for a while, letting the sun dry them off. Hitomi spoke first.
"I'm guessing Merle is back at the castle?"
"Yeah, she's probably there by now. Hitomi, I'm sorry we didn't tell you where she was taking you, but I knew if you found out you wouldn't come."
Hitomi smiled. "Well, that's probably true. But I'm glad I did."
Van stood up. Their clothes were dry by now, and Hitomi presumed Van was getting ready to leave. She got to her feet, but to her surprise, Van didn't make any move back towards the forest. Instead, he brought his shoulders back a little, and suddenly, two majestic white wings burst out from his back, sending sparkling feathers spiralling to the ground. Hitomi was just as entranced by the wings as she had been the first time she saw them. Her green eyes were filled with admiration as she walked toward her angel, completely enthralled. Hitomi stood very close to Van, facing him as she brought her hand up to caress the velvety feathers. She closed her eyes, enjoying the moment. Suddenly, she felt Van's strong arms wrap around her waist, pulling her closer to him. He rested his head on her shoulder, closing his eyes as well.
Hitomi lost all sense of time. She had no idea how long they were standing wrapped in each other's arms before she felt herself slowly rising, higher and higher up toward the clouds. She tightened her hold around Van's neck. He brought one arm under her legs to support her as they soared through the sky. She felt the gusts of wind rushing past her face, and decided she wouldn't dare miss this experience by keeping her face buried in Van's chest. Hesitantly, she lifted her head and opened her eyes. Her radiant green orbs were met with a breathtaking sight. The fluffy clouds parted as the couple flew through them, but shielded their eyes from the bright sun. When they emerged from the snow-white haze, all Hitomi could see was never-ending celestial blue. She smiled dreamily, surrendering herself to this exhilerating ride.
Van was overcome with happiness that Hitomi seemed to be enjoying herself. He was almost as lost in the thrill of the romantic moment as she was, but he was also keeping an eye on where they were headed. He almost wanted to blow off his whole plan and just hover in the air, holding the girl he loved so much. Unfortunately, his wings only lasted for so long, and floating in one spot for a long period of time would wreak havoc on them. Still, he was thrilled inside and almost started laughing out loud in his euphoria.
After a few more blissful minutes, Van began to lower himself and Hitomi to the ground. He flew down far enough so they were just a few meters above the colourful wildflowers and tall grasses. Hitomi had closed her eyes again at the beginning of the descent, and was still pressed up comfortably against his chest and shoulders. Gently, he placed her on the ground. The grasses towered over her body as she lay down, so Hitomi was surrounded by it and an array of gorgeous flowers. Van sat down only about a foot away from her, but was still out of her sight. After retracting his wings, he sank back down into the grass, and the two both remained motionless for a while, watching the sun sink into the horizon.
A/N: Yay, fluffiness! This chapter was supposed to be longer, but I decided to divide it. I've already written chapter 5, so I'll post it really soon… oh! I just wanna say that I did not steal anyone's idea for the water thing! I had already written it, then I read two other fics with a similar scene. Oh well. Anyway… I really don't want people to be so confused about this fic that they stop reading it, sooo.. just remember for chap.5: Hitomi and Van are together in the field still, and also Van is in the ballroom for the party, and Hitomi is at school. That's kinda important for the next chap, where it'll switch scenes a lot and some stuff is revealed ;) ~Starry Eyes