Author: Katma (kawaiikatma@hotmail.com)

Summary:  Hitomi's home, it's been eight years, but she still misses Van.  What happens now?

Rating: PG-13 (some violence and romance, but nothing graphic ;-) )

Disclaimer:  Hitomi and Van are not mine.  I only wish they were.  I'm only borrowing them so that I can mess with their lives.  Please don't sue me!!  I'm a college student (ie, NO money).

Haha, yet another author's note.  These things are addicting!  Ok, this chapter might seem very much like the original, if you read my original.  But I promise, I AM changing it.  The changes will start in the next chapter.  Something to look forward to, eh?  Oh, and I read in my reviews that my stories are coming out in one paragraph, which isn't what they're supposed to do.  I actually do know how to break things down into paragraphs, I promise!  Last time, I uploaded the chapter as a .doc file, but that obviously didn't work.  This time, I'm trying it as a .htm.  If it still doesn't work, let me know, ok?  And if you guys can think of some way to fix it, I would be EXTREMELY grateful.  Thanks for the reviews!

Kat

Chapter 2

Contact

            Van shifted unobtrusively in his throne.  Beautiful though it was, it was not made for long-term sitting, and he had been here for hours.  He tried to stifle a yawn and forced himself to pay attention.  This meeting was about the reconstruction of Zaibach, a very important topic, but it seemed that his counselors could not agree, and he was getting bored of their endless debates.

            Mirai Mirimoto, the youngest of his advisors, stood up and began to speak.

            "We must help rebuild Zaibach, especially now that they have asked for help.  It will be an act of goodwill on our part and will help mend the rift caused by the war.  Surely you all must see that."

            Yakami, another of his advisors, sniffed haughtily.

            "No, we don't all see that.  It would be foolish to help them.  They are still our enemies.  Why should we help them grow strong again?  They will only return to destroy us.  I say we stay out of it."

            Immediately the council room erupted into shouts and table pounding.  Van began to stand up, intent of calming down his advisors when suddenly…

            "Oh Van, I miss you so much," Hitomi called.  He then felt phantom lips brush his.  Van missed a step and tumbled to the ground.  Hitomi? he cried, but couldn't reach her.  He grasped for the pendant he normally wore only to remember he had taken it off for sparring practice.  Hitomi! he called one last time, futilely.  He sighed heavily and looked up.  What he saw startled him into jumping backward, his hand on his sword hilt.

            All his advisors had clustered around him, staring down with expressions ranging from confusion to concern to condescension.  Van stared at them for a few seconds, then removed his hand from the sword hilt and straightened from his fighting crouch.

            "Your majesty, are you all right?  You just fell and your eyes were so far away.  Is something wrong?" Mirai asked worriedly.

            "No, nothing's wrong," Van said, forcing himself to relax.  "I'm fine, really."

            "Van-sama!" cried a feminine voice from the doorway.  A beautiful woman, half-human, half-cat, walked gracefully into the room.  Her curly pink hair was artfully arranged, and she was dressed in a flowing white gown.  She was followed by two adorable cat-children.

            "Merle, I'm fine," Van said.  He smiled at her.  "Really.  I'm just tired.  That traveling must have taken a lot out of me."

            Merle reached his side, studied his face, and then nodded.  Her two children, Markei and Karmel, bounced over to Van and hugged him.  He hugged them both, then gently disentangled himself.

            "Now, gentlemen, I fear that I am too tired to continue this discussion at this time.  Let us reconvene tomorrow and we'll start where we left off.  If you will excuse me, gentlemen?"

            With that, Van strode from the room, Merle and her children behind him.  When they were out of earshot of the counselors, Van dropped the air of power that surrounded him like a cloak and groaned heavily.  He pushed back his hair and smiled at Merle's worried look.

            "Merle, I'm really fine.  It's just all that traveling I've been doing has worn me out, and I really wasn't in the mood to listen to their incessant arguing."

            "Fine, Van-sama.  Will you help me put the kids to bed?" she asked, although her tone and body language let Van know she wasn't going to let him go that easily.

            "Of course," he eagerly acquiesced.

            With that, he lifted Karmel on to his shoulders.  She let out a squeal of delight.  He then grabbed the much shyer Markei and the three of them took off down the hall amid shrieks and cheers of delight.  Merle followed, shaking her head ruefully.  Van was so good with children.  Too bad he didn't have any of his own.  Van deserved someone special and a family.  She sighed softly.  Van was still mired in the past, with Hitomi.

            As she entered the room, she noticed Van had already gotten her children into their nightclothes and was tucking them in.  He kissed them each gently on their foreheads.  Karmel hugged him tightly when he kissed her, and he returned the hug.  Merle stepped behind him and hugged and kissed her children.  Then, she ushered him out of the room.  She led him to the small sitting room that completed the suite she and Kenyu, her husband, shared.

            "When is Kenyu coming home, Merle?" Van asked.  "He was very vague about it in his letter he sent to the council."

            "He should be back sometime in the next week," Merle replied.  "Now, Van-sama, tell me what really happened in that room."

            "Merle, I told you before.  Nothing happened.  I just got…" the lie stuck in his throat when he met Merle's direct gaze.  He sighed.  "Hitomi contacted me."

            Merle looked very surprised.  "She did?  But hasn't it been almost a year since you two have talked?"

            "Yes," Van admitted.  "And we didn't even really have a conversation.  She broke contact quickly, and I wasn't wearing my pendant.  But she spoke to me again, Merle!"

            "Van…" Merle said, swallowing hard at the hope glistening in his eyes.  She had given up on Van a long time ago, but it still hurt a little to see him so excited over someone else.  Especially when that someone else didn't seem to feel the same.  "Van, it's been almost a year, and you two have been apart for over eight years.  How can you still love her?  Why don't you just find a nice Fanelian girl and settle down?  Raise a family!  Do something, instead of moping around, waiting for the 'girl from the Mystic Moon'!"

            "Merle, it's not that easy!" Van shouted, his anger startling her.  "I love her!  I've always loved her!

            "Do you think I haven't looked for someone else?  In every girl I meet, I search for something that will ignite that, that… resonance I felt with Hitomi, especially after we'd been apart for four years, and our connection was beginning to dim.  But none of them had it. Merle.  None of them.  And even though I can't see her here," he pointed at his head, "I can feel her here" he brought his fist to his heart.

            "I love her, Merle, even though I know it's hopeless," Van whispered, despair etched on his features.

            "Oh, Van-sama," Merle sighed, and hugged her friend, king, and former love tightly.