Love can Change You 18
AN: I'd like to dedicate this one to Kenju-Shin. Yes, I do remember our argument about the Escas. I hope you enjoy this!
Hitomi woke with a start. She sat up with a jerk, then hissed in pain and leaned back. The pain stopped and she sighed in relief. Looking around, she noticed that she was in a hospital room. Probably Asturian. The Zaibach hospitals were much more.metallic.
The sound of snoring drew Hitomi's attention to the corner of the room. She smiled as she saw Dilandau. The Dragonslayer was sleeping on a stool, his head resting on his chest. He was so cute when he slept!
Lying back, Hitomi tried to remember what had happened. 'How did I get so hurt?' She asked herself. 'Think back. Escaped from Allen, met up with Dilandau, ran into library, fought with Refina.Oh.' She smacked herself lightly on the forehead. She looked out the window.
Surprisingly, the Vione was floating in plain sight. Three Freid leva-ships hovered close by, as if they were honour guards. 'A lot must have happened while I was under'.
Hitomi was still staring out the window when a snort woke her up. Turning, she looked into Dilandau's gleaming eyes and smiled. "Hello handsome" She said weakly. "Did you miss me?"
Dilandau smiled a tender smile that only Hitomi would ever receive. "More then you know babe. More then you know." His smile crumbled and, as he took her into his arms, tears formed in the deepest parts of his eyes. "I thought I'd lost you. Again! And.well." He flustered. Hitomi smiled and kissed his cheek.
"I know lover. I know." Hitomi nearly laughed at Dilandau's look of relief.
Suddenly the door burst open and a familiar orange fur-ball catapulted into the room. Fortunately for all involved, it stopped just short of the bed. "Hitomi! You're alright!"
"Thanks for worrying Merle." Hitomi laughed. "And thanks for not tackling me. I'm not quite up to it today."
"Merle isn't the only one who's been worrying about you." Van said he entered the room followed by Millerna. "We've all been scared out of our minds."
Hitomi looked at Van, and suddenly, her scar began to hurt. No one spoke as she and Van watched each other from opposite ends of the room. Merle, subdued, fiddled with her tail, and Millerna ducked out again, muttering something about 'changing the bandages'.
Van sighed and broke the eye contact. I know what you're thinking Hitomi. I know how badly I hurt you. First there was that time on the balcony. Then I nearly killed you on the floating fortress. And even the time when I was at the ball with Refina. But I'm so sorry. About all of it!" He sighed and shook his head. He raised a hand, forestalling Hitomi's words. "Please let me get this out." Hitomi closed her mouth and he continued.
"I wasn't lying, you know. I don't love you; I never did. And I can see that you love another now." He glanced briefly at Dilandau. "But I never intended for all this to happen! For Allen to come after you, for you to be kidnapped, for you to be.hurt" Van choked on something, then regained control. "Even though I did all those things to you, hurt you in all those ways, I still hope that we can be friends."
Hitomi just looked at the young king, fingering her neck. The tension was so thick it could be could with a crima sword.
Suddenly Hitomi smiled. "I forgive you Van." The king looked up startled. "It wasn't your fault, you didn't do those things. And as for not loving me.well, I can get by." She gazed adoringly at her silver- haired boyfriend. "And I wouldn't want to lose a friend over something as stupid as this!"
"So you're not mad?" Van asked tentatively. Hitomi laughed.
"Hell no! If you did love me, I wouldn't know WHAT to do!"
The room erupted into laughter. It felt good to laugh again.
Millerna came in again. "No one was killed? Good. Now shoo! I need to change Hitomi's bandages again." She chased out the happy people, except for Dilandau who wouldn't move. "Fine!" The princess snapped. "You can be a sedative. The way she looks at you, I'm surprised she's not asleep already."
As Dilandau took her hand, Hitomi smiled up at him. Indeed, her eyes were glazed already. Millerna sighed and got to work.
***
"So let me get this straight: You were under a spell?" Miguel asked Van.
"Not really. Refina used some potion to mess around with my personality, making me a total bastard."
"That must not have taken much work." Dalet mumbled around a bite of food. Then he yelped as Hitomi and Millerna smacked him.
The Dragonslayers, Van, Hitomi, Millerna, Merle, the leopard twins, Duke Freid and Folken were all gathered in the castle's banquet hall. Palas may not have been at its best, but it could still dredge up a feast!
There had been a moment of tension when Van and Folken met, but the long lost brothers greeted each other like.long lost brothers. They were now sitting at the head of the table, with everyone else there too.
The table was laden with food. Roast dragon meat from the mountains sat side by side with delicately prepared dishes containing vegetables served in light sauces. The king of Asturia, however, was not there to enjoy the feast. Ashamed that Asturia was now occupied, he had retired to his rooms. Millerna was technically the highest-ranking official here, but in reality everyone was bellying up to the banquet table on even terms.
Hitomi eyed her food appreciatively, and dug in with the appetite of a hungry wolf. Fighting crazy bitches and living off hospital food for two days certainly made for one hungry soldier.
Talk jumped back and forth across the table as questions were answered, tales were told, and details were filled in.
Hitomi cast a preoccupied (she was still eating) glance at Naria and Gatti. 'Of course those two won't be talking much. Outside of each other's mouths at least.' Shaking her head, she went back to eating.
Indeed, Naria and Gatti seemed to be trying to re-enact Romeo. With the words edited out. The Leopard girl and the Dragonslayer made a cute couple. They had got together once the fighting was done and kissed in front of all the soldiers.
While she was eating, Hitomi heard the story of the Battle of Palas as people were already calling it. Folken was telling the story since most of the slayers were playing a huge game of poker. Judging by the number of chips in front of Chesta, he was winning. But Ryoun was hotly contesting for first place.
Merle seemed to be listening to some story Guimel was telling, and Millerna was either smacking Dalet, or thinking. Dilandau was enthusiastically engaged in a drinking contest with Van. Fortunately, Van suddenly weaved unsteadily, spilling his drink. Dilandau was annoyed at such an easy win.
"Oh come on! That's only your second glass! Don't tell me you're drunk already."
Millerna, who was sitting next to Van, leaned over and caught him before he could hit the floor. "It's just a dizzy spell. Probably aftermath from that stuff he was injected with. Just to be safe, I'll take him to his room."
Van shook his head. "I'm fine. Really! I'll be alright in a minute."
"Maybe" Millerna scolded, "But I'm not taking the chance. You're going to your room right now. Even if I have to knock you out first!"
"I'm inclined to agree with Millerna, Van." Folken said. "It's better to be safe then sorry. And I haven't dragged myself out of a ten year depression just to lose my brother!"
Everyone stared at Folken. Finally Van smiled. "You're such a big brother, you know?"
"Because I have ten years to catch up on". Folken smiled.
"Come on your highness. Off to bed with you" Millerna said. She supported Van as they made left the main hall.
The royal duo made their way through the long halls of the castle, her arms around his waist, supporting the tired king, his arm over her shoulder, grateful for the assistance.though he'd rather have his eyes sucked from their sockets than admit it.
After a while of silence, Van spoke. "So." That was all he could think of.
"Hmm?" Millerna responded, not really paying attention.
"What's it like being a princess?"
Millerna just gave him an 'Are you insane?' look. "I suppose it's not much different from being a king. With the exception of always having to be ladylike. And being forced to wear those damnable dresses nine tenths of the time. And having to sit inside some boring classroom listening to some mouldy old advisor ramble on and on about etiquette and protocol while everyone else is outside having fun in the sun. And to top it off, when you're a princess you have no real choice of who you marry. It's all decided by your father and rich snobs who care more about your looks then your brains." She glanced at Van. "Does that answer you question?"
"It sounds like my life. Except for the dresses part."
They walked along in silence for a few more minutes, when Van got sick of the silence.
"Do you really think I'm that sick, or is this just an excuse to be alone with me?"
"Wh-what?" THAT got her attention. Van grinned.
"I'm kidding! Relax." Van spent the next few minutes soothing Millerna's ruffled feathers. By that time, they made it to Van's room.
"Thanks for the help. I think I can take it from here."
"Are you sure?"
Van grinned. "Want to stay, do you? I didn't think I was THAT irresistable."
Millerna growled. "To some maybe. But not to me!" She turned to go but felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Millerna, I'm sorry if I've offended you. I'm just fooling around. Really!"
The princess turned. Van's eyes were sombre and serious. Millerna hesitated, but nodded reluctantly. "Alright" She said. "I forgive you. Just no more dumb jokes as long as we know each other, okay?"
Van groaned. "Alright. I'll go into withdrawal, but alright." He rolled his eyes. "The things I do for the ladies!" He shook it off with a smile. "Is there any other excruciatingly painful thing I can do to apologise for my rudeness?"
Millerna laughed. "Well, you can come down to the hospital tomorrow. I could always use another helper."
"Great! It's a date." Van leaned in and pecked her on the cheek. He then retreated into his room and closed the door.
Millerna stared, open-mouthed, at the closed door. She felt her cheek and blushed. In a half-trance, she turned and strolled back to her room. Maybe being a princess wasn't so bad after all!
***
Hitomi was no longer hungry. She lay back against her chair and sighed in contentment. Yawning, she eyed the room. Van, Millerna, and most of the Dragonslayers had headed off to bed, and those that were left were half-asleep. Folken and Duke Freid were still talking, but Dilandau had drunk too much wine again, and was snoring drunkenly.
Hitomi forced herself up and strolled over to Dilandau. "Hey, sleepyhead. Wake up."
Dilandau rolled over and fell off his chair. "Ow!"
Hitomi laughed. "Come on big guy. Let's get you to a room." With a small amount of help from her boyfriend, she dragged the red-eyed man up and through the doors.
Along the way, Dilandau must have sobered up, for he asked, "Do we even have rooms here?"
Hitomi paused. "Good point." She sighed. I guess we get my old room."
Dilandau's eyes suddenly widened. "You mean sleep in the same room???"
Hitomi nodded. "What's the big deal?" Then she saw it and smacked her head. "Oh crap." She sighed. "Ah well. We'll figure out what to do when we get there."
***
They got there all too soon. Problems were multiplied by the absence of a couch, bathtub, or anything where one of them could spend the night. Despite thorough searching and plans, their only option was to share the bed.
Each stared at the large mattress with trepidation. Finally, Dilandau sighed and flopped down onto it, drawing the covers over him. Hitomi slowly followed suit.
The bed was enormous. Even more so, since they had got out of their bulky armour and into night-clothes. Dilandau wore a violet undershirt and black boxers. Hitomi just wore a long, loose shirt and some shorts. Each rested their head against their respective pillow and tried to sleep. But neither managed it.
Fourty minutes passed before Hitomi sighed and turned to face Dilandau. The young man was staring at the ceiling with intensity. "What are you doing?" She asked.
"Counting the cracks in the ceiling. It might help me fall asleep".
"Does it work?"
"Not here. There are only six cracks".
"Oh" Hitomi sighed. "Dilandau? What are we going to do? I mean, we're both fighters, and we couldn't just stop fighting. It's what we do!"
Dilandau looked at Hitomi thoughtfully. "Folken and I were talking about that. I thought maybe we, us, the slayers and Folken, could start a mercenary unit." He waited as Hitomi thought about this. "We're not part of Zaibach, and we need SOMEONE to fight for. Van could probably hire us, or something."
Hitomi broke into a grin. She threw her arms around a startled Dilandau. "I never would have thought that you could be so insightful! I love it!"
"You do?" Dilandau easily wrapped his arms around her small body as she nodded.
"But not as much as I love you."
Dilandau gave a goofy grin. "Hey babe. I love you too."
They kissed a soft loving kiss. However, it soon turned slightly savage. When Dilandau slid his tongue into Hitomi's mouth, she moaned and clamped her lips on it, pulling him in closer. His hand tentatively slipped up under her night-shirt and, fearing a slap, lightly brushed against her breast.
Instead of slapping him, Hitomi nibbled at his neck. Dilandau whispered into her ear, "Are you sure about this?"
Hitomi just smiled lightly. "If I wasn't, I'd have broken your finger."
Dilandau laughed, as his lover pulled him in for another kiss.
***
"I guess I found out what you're like on the inside after all."
"You haven't seen anything yet, Buster!"
A/N: Ah, young love. Something that an old soul like me can no longer experience. I'm, what? 16? *shakes head* Ah well. One more chapter to go me buckos! One more to go. And always remember: Review, review, review!
AN: I'd like to dedicate this one to Kenju-Shin. Yes, I do remember our argument about the Escas. I hope you enjoy this!
Hitomi woke with a start. She sat up with a jerk, then hissed in pain and leaned back. The pain stopped and she sighed in relief. Looking around, she noticed that she was in a hospital room. Probably Asturian. The Zaibach hospitals were much more.metallic.
The sound of snoring drew Hitomi's attention to the corner of the room. She smiled as she saw Dilandau. The Dragonslayer was sleeping on a stool, his head resting on his chest. He was so cute when he slept!
Lying back, Hitomi tried to remember what had happened. 'How did I get so hurt?' She asked herself. 'Think back. Escaped from Allen, met up with Dilandau, ran into library, fought with Refina.Oh.' She smacked herself lightly on the forehead. She looked out the window.
Surprisingly, the Vione was floating in plain sight. Three Freid leva-ships hovered close by, as if they were honour guards. 'A lot must have happened while I was under'.
Hitomi was still staring out the window when a snort woke her up. Turning, she looked into Dilandau's gleaming eyes and smiled. "Hello handsome" She said weakly. "Did you miss me?"
Dilandau smiled a tender smile that only Hitomi would ever receive. "More then you know babe. More then you know." His smile crumbled and, as he took her into his arms, tears formed in the deepest parts of his eyes. "I thought I'd lost you. Again! And.well." He flustered. Hitomi smiled and kissed his cheek.
"I know lover. I know." Hitomi nearly laughed at Dilandau's look of relief.
Suddenly the door burst open and a familiar orange fur-ball catapulted into the room. Fortunately for all involved, it stopped just short of the bed. "Hitomi! You're alright!"
"Thanks for worrying Merle." Hitomi laughed. "And thanks for not tackling me. I'm not quite up to it today."
"Merle isn't the only one who's been worrying about you." Van said he entered the room followed by Millerna. "We've all been scared out of our minds."
Hitomi looked at Van, and suddenly, her scar began to hurt. No one spoke as she and Van watched each other from opposite ends of the room. Merle, subdued, fiddled with her tail, and Millerna ducked out again, muttering something about 'changing the bandages'.
Van sighed and broke the eye contact. I know what you're thinking Hitomi. I know how badly I hurt you. First there was that time on the balcony. Then I nearly killed you on the floating fortress. And even the time when I was at the ball with Refina. But I'm so sorry. About all of it!" He sighed and shook his head. He raised a hand, forestalling Hitomi's words. "Please let me get this out." Hitomi closed her mouth and he continued.
"I wasn't lying, you know. I don't love you; I never did. And I can see that you love another now." He glanced briefly at Dilandau. "But I never intended for all this to happen! For Allen to come after you, for you to be kidnapped, for you to be.hurt" Van choked on something, then regained control. "Even though I did all those things to you, hurt you in all those ways, I still hope that we can be friends."
Hitomi just looked at the young king, fingering her neck. The tension was so thick it could be could with a crima sword.
Suddenly Hitomi smiled. "I forgive you Van." The king looked up startled. "It wasn't your fault, you didn't do those things. And as for not loving me.well, I can get by." She gazed adoringly at her silver- haired boyfriend. "And I wouldn't want to lose a friend over something as stupid as this!"
"So you're not mad?" Van asked tentatively. Hitomi laughed.
"Hell no! If you did love me, I wouldn't know WHAT to do!"
The room erupted into laughter. It felt good to laugh again.
Millerna came in again. "No one was killed? Good. Now shoo! I need to change Hitomi's bandages again." She chased out the happy people, except for Dilandau who wouldn't move. "Fine!" The princess snapped. "You can be a sedative. The way she looks at you, I'm surprised she's not asleep already."
As Dilandau took her hand, Hitomi smiled up at him. Indeed, her eyes were glazed already. Millerna sighed and got to work.
***
"So let me get this straight: You were under a spell?" Miguel asked Van.
"Not really. Refina used some potion to mess around with my personality, making me a total bastard."
"That must not have taken much work." Dalet mumbled around a bite of food. Then he yelped as Hitomi and Millerna smacked him.
The Dragonslayers, Van, Hitomi, Millerna, Merle, the leopard twins, Duke Freid and Folken were all gathered in the castle's banquet hall. Palas may not have been at its best, but it could still dredge up a feast!
There had been a moment of tension when Van and Folken met, but the long lost brothers greeted each other like.long lost brothers. They were now sitting at the head of the table, with everyone else there too.
The table was laden with food. Roast dragon meat from the mountains sat side by side with delicately prepared dishes containing vegetables served in light sauces. The king of Asturia, however, was not there to enjoy the feast. Ashamed that Asturia was now occupied, he had retired to his rooms. Millerna was technically the highest-ranking official here, but in reality everyone was bellying up to the banquet table on even terms.
Hitomi eyed her food appreciatively, and dug in with the appetite of a hungry wolf. Fighting crazy bitches and living off hospital food for two days certainly made for one hungry soldier.
Talk jumped back and forth across the table as questions were answered, tales were told, and details were filled in.
Hitomi cast a preoccupied (she was still eating) glance at Naria and Gatti. 'Of course those two won't be talking much. Outside of each other's mouths at least.' Shaking her head, she went back to eating.
Indeed, Naria and Gatti seemed to be trying to re-enact Romeo. With the words edited out. The Leopard girl and the Dragonslayer made a cute couple. They had got together once the fighting was done and kissed in front of all the soldiers.
While she was eating, Hitomi heard the story of the Battle of Palas as people were already calling it. Folken was telling the story since most of the slayers were playing a huge game of poker. Judging by the number of chips in front of Chesta, he was winning. But Ryoun was hotly contesting for first place.
Merle seemed to be listening to some story Guimel was telling, and Millerna was either smacking Dalet, or thinking. Dilandau was enthusiastically engaged in a drinking contest with Van. Fortunately, Van suddenly weaved unsteadily, spilling his drink. Dilandau was annoyed at such an easy win.
"Oh come on! That's only your second glass! Don't tell me you're drunk already."
Millerna, who was sitting next to Van, leaned over and caught him before he could hit the floor. "It's just a dizzy spell. Probably aftermath from that stuff he was injected with. Just to be safe, I'll take him to his room."
Van shook his head. "I'm fine. Really! I'll be alright in a minute."
"Maybe" Millerna scolded, "But I'm not taking the chance. You're going to your room right now. Even if I have to knock you out first!"
"I'm inclined to agree with Millerna, Van." Folken said. "It's better to be safe then sorry. And I haven't dragged myself out of a ten year depression just to lose my brother!"
Everyone stared at Folken. Finally Van smiled. "You're such a big brother, you know?"
"Because I have ten years to catch up on". Folken smiled.
"Come on your highness. Off to bed with you" Millerna said. She supported Van as they made left the main hall.
The royal duo made their way through the long halls of the castle, her arms around his waist, supporting the tired king, his arm over her shoulder, grateful for the assistance.though he'd rather have his eyes sucked from their sockets than admit it.
After a while of silence, Van spoke. "So." That was all he could think of.
"Hmm?" Millerna responded, not really paying attention.
"What's it like being a princess?"
Millerna just gave him an 'Are you insane?' look. "I suppose it's not much different from being a king. With the exception of always having to be ladylike. And being forced to wear those damnable dresses nine tenths of the time. And having to sit inside some boring classroom listening to some mouldy old advisor ramble on and on about etiquette and protocol while everyone else is outside having fun in the sun. And to top it off, when you're a princess you have no real choice of who you marry. It's all decided by your father and rich snobs who care more about your looks then your brains." She glanced at Van. "Does that answer you question?"
"It sounds like my life. Except for the dresses part."
They walked along in silence for a few more minutes, when Van got sick of the silence.
"Do you really think I'm that sick, or is this just an excuse to be alone with me?"
"Wh-what?" THAT got her attention. Van grinned.
"I'm kidding! Relax." Van spent the next few minutes soothing Millerna's ruffled feathers. By that time, they made it to Van's room.
"Thanks for the help. I think I can take it from here."
"Are you sure?"
Van grinned. "Want to stay, do you? I didn't think I was THAT irresistable."
Millerna growled. "To some maybe. But not to me!" She turned to go but felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Millerna, I'm sorry if I've offended you. I'm just fooling around. Really!"
The princess turned. Van's eyes were sombre and serious. Millerna hesitated, but nodded reluctantly. "Alright" She said. "I forgive you. Just no more dumb jokes as long as we know each other, okay?"
Van groaned. "Alright. I'll go into withdrawal, but alright." He rolled his eyes. "The things I do for the ladies!" He shook it off with a smile. "Is there any other excruciatingly painful thing I can do to apologise for my rudeness?"
Millerna laughed. "Well, you can come down to the hospital tomorrow. I could always use another helper."
"Great! It's a date." Van leaned in and pecked her on the cheek. He then retreated into his room and closed the door.
Millerna stared, open-mouthed, at the closed door. She felt her cheek and blushed. In a half-trance, she turned and strolled back to her room. Maybe being a princess wasn't so bad after all!
***
Hitomi was no longer hungry. She lay back against her chair and sighed in contentment. Yawning, she eyed the room. Van, Millerna, and most of the Dragonslayers had headed off to bed, and those that were left were half-asleep. Folken and Duke Freid were still talking, but Dilandau had drunk too much wine again, and was snoring drunkenly.
Hitomi forced herself up and strolled over to Dilandau. "Hey, sleepyhead. Wake up."
Dilandau rolled over and fell off his chair. "Ow!"
Hitomi laughed. "Come on big guy. Let's get you to a room." With a small amount of help from her boyfriend, she dragged the red-eyed man up and through the doors.
Along the way, Dilandau must have sobered up, for he asked, "Do we even have rooms here?"
Hitomi paused. "Good point." She sighed. I guess we get my old room."
Dilandau's eyes suddenly widened. "You mean sleep in the same room???"
Hitomi nodded. "What's the big deal?" Then she saw it and smacked her head. "Oh crap." She sighed. "Ah well. We'll figure out what to do when we get there."
***
They got there all too soon. Problems were multiplied by the absence of a couch, bathtub, or anything where one of them could spend the night. Despite thorough searching and plans, their only option was to share the bed.
Each stared at the large mattress with trepidation. Finally, Dilandau sighed and flopped down onto it, drawing the covers over him. Hitomi slowly followed suit.
The bed was enormous. Even more so, since they had got out of their bulky armour and into night-clothes. Dilandau wore a violet undershirt and black boxers. Hitomi just wore a long, loose shirt and some shorts. Each rested their head against their respective pillow and tried to sleep. But neither managed it.
Fourty minutes passed before Hitomi sighed and turned to face Dilandau. The young man was staring at the ceiling with intensity. "What are you doing?" She asked.
"Counting the cracks in the ceiling. It might help me fall asleep".
"Does it work?"
"Not here. There are only six cracks".
"Oh" Hitomi sighed. "Dilandau? What are we going to do? I mean, we're both fighters, and we couldn't just stop fighting. It's what we do!"
Dilandau looked at Hitomi thoughtfully. "Folken and I were talking about that. I thought maybe we, us, the slayers and Folken, could start a mercenary unit." He waited as Hitomi thought about this. "We're not part of Zaibach, and we need SOMEONE to fight for. Van could probably hire us, or something."
Hitomi broke into a grin. She threw her arms around a startled Dilandau. "I never would have thought that you could be so insightful! I love it!"
"You do?" Dilandau easily wrapped his arms around her small body as she nodded.
"But not as much as I love you."
Dilandau gave a goofy grin. "Hey babe. I love you too."
They kissed a soft loving kiss. However, it soon turned slightly savage. When Dilandau slid his tongue into Hitomi's mouth, she moaned and clamped her lips on it, pulling him in closer. His hand tentatively slipped up under her night-shirt and, fearing a slap, lightly brushed against her breast.
Instead of slapping him, Hitomi nibbled at his neck. Dilandau whispered into her ear, "Are you sure about this?"
Hitomi just smiled lightly. "If I wasn't, I'd have broken your finger."
Dilandau laughed, as his lover pulled him in for another kiss.
***
"I guess I found out what you're like on the inside after all."
"You haven't seen anything yet, Buster!"
A/N: Ah, young love. Something that an old soul like me can no longer experience. I'm, what? 16? *shakes head* Ah well. One more chapter to go me buckos! One more to go. And always remember: Review, review, review!