Hitomi entered the palace of Asturia and stared in awe at it's
beauty. She remembered the palace from her last visit, but it wasn't quite
as beautiful as the one she stood in. 'They must have rebuilt it,' Hitomi
thought. She walked alongside Van, with Allen and Millerna leading the way.
While Hitomi walked she remembered why she was brought here and still
couldn't believe that it was happening again.
Hitomi looked into Allen's serious eyes and asked, "How did you find this out?" "We went to the palace and from Prince Chid, we learned that Zaibach was slowly gaining back it's political power as well as it's military," Allen responded. "Hitomi? When we spoke with each other, you mentioned that you felt someone was calling you here, right?" Millerna questioned. Hitomi looked back at her and gave a slight nod. "Maybe it's possible that this someone was Van," Millerna finished. "No," Hitomi said shaking her head, "I don't think it was Van. He didn't know that Zaibach was being reborn." Again an image of Van with broken wings flashed through Hitomi's mind and again Hitomi chased it away. "Then maybe Escaflowne summoned you again knowing the danger that was to come," Van said quietly. All of them looked at Van and thought about the possibility. 'It wasn't Escaflowne either. Something else called me . . . something more powerful,' Hitomi thought to herself. Then Allen broke the silence. "There is no time. We have to go to the palace," Allen said seriously. Van nodded and helped Millerna off of her horse. Millerna rode with Allen and Hitomi rode with Van. The horses raced to the palace quickly trying to spare some time in between.
Hitomi gave a quick sigh and continued to walk on with the others. Prince Chid was sitting on the throne and got up to welcome them when they walked in. He gave them his boyish smile as they stopped in front of him. Hitomi stared at Prince Chid and saw that he had grown since the last time she saw him. He still had his little boy figure but it looked as if he had become smarter. Hitomi gave him a big, warm smile as he walked over to her.
"Hitomi! It's been a while since the last time we met," Prince Chid said.
"Yes. I see that your kingdom is doing very well all in cause of your wisdom," she complimented. Prince Chid gave a slight blush. The greeting between them was shortly ended as Van spoke up. "Prince Chid. Tell us of this new leader, that is if you have any knowledge of him," Van said with a serious look. Prince Chid turned around as his smile had faded. He gave a quick sigh before he responded to Van's question. "I know nothing of this new leader. The only thing I learned from the scouts was that Zaibach was rebuilding itself and slowly gaining back it's political power," Prince Chid explained to Van.
"With Zaibach rebuilding itself to the once former glory that they had, the kingdoms will be unbalanced," Allen said.
"Yes but that is only if they have the same ideas as they had last time," Millerna said. All became silent and thought over of what the possibilities might be when Zaibach rises again. Everyone was deep in thought and concentrated really hard on the matter. Van looked over at Hitomi who seemed very deep in thought. He gave a slight tap onto Hitomi's arm. Hitomi snapped back to reality and looked at her side staring into the serious yet soft eyes of Van.
"What are you thinking about?" Van asked. Hitomi gave him a soft and reassuring smile. "I'm just thinking about what the consequences will be if Zaibach returns," she said with a worried tone in her voice.
"Don't be. This time there will be no war and I swear I will do anything to make this happen."
"Van. I don't want another war to erupt as much as you do, but maybe possibly I. . ."
"What?" Another image of Van flashed through her mind. Again Hitomi chased it away fearing that this time the image would go even farther. She turned away from Van and stared at the ground. 'I don't understand? Why are all these visions coming to me? is something going to happen to Van?' Hitomi thought to herself.
"Hitomi?" Van said with a slight tone of worry in his voice. Hitomi still did not look into his eyes, so he gently tapped her on the shoulder. She looked at Van and the others. They all stared at her with a blank expression in their faces. Suddenly a high pitched screaming kind of voice broke the silence as a small cat girl in a pink dress ran towards the prince of Fanelia. "VAN!!" the cat girl cried. Van turned and recognized the girl immediately. He outstretched his arms to receive the cat girl. She jumped into his arms and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Van lifted her up and held her tight. Seeing all of this happen, Hitomi remembered how close Van and the cat girl were. "Merle! I've missed you," Van said with joy. Hitomi smiled at the way Merle and Van were being so affectionate to one another. Finally letting go of Merle, Van put her down onto the hard cold stone floor of the Asturian palace. Merle searched the different faces and finally found the one she wanted to find. "It's you again," she said, "I heard that you were hear."
"Yes well, it seems as though someone called me here, so naturally I was forced to come here. . .again," Hitomi said sarcastically. Merle was offended by what Hitomi had said and she gave Hitomi a nasty look. Looking away, Hitomi decided to face Van. Then Merle went towards Hitomi and wrapped her small arms around her waist. Hitomi jumped a little at the greeting that the cat girl was giving her. Hitomi bent down and received the hug and returned it by wrapping her arms around the small furry body in the pink dress on the cat girl. "I'm glad you're back because now Van will be happy," Merle whispered into her ear. The fuzzy sensation of Merle's fur gave a tingling feeling in Hitomi's ear. Just as quickly as the hug started, Hitomi and Merle broke it off. "Merle! You walk too fast even if it is to greet a long gone Prince," a girl said out of breath. The girl had long brown hair that was tied back into a nice ponytail and she wore a white loose dress with a satin pink sash around her waist. She had beautiful green eyes that resembled a pair of emeralds, rosy pink lips, and soft but beautiful pale skin. The group looked at her as if a goddess had just entered the room filling it with her magic. She walked towards Merle and laid a hand on her shoulder indicating that she shared a strong bond with her. She gave Merle a big smile and then looked towards the group, whom were still staring in awe. Merle smiled, turned to the group and said, "This is Yuna. I met her while in Fanelia. When I came here to see you Van, she wanted to come along." Allen, Van and Prince Chid gave a bow to her and smiled. It was Allen who went even further. After his bow, he took her hand and kissed it as all chivalrous knights were to do when in the presence of a lady. Millerna and Hitomi gave a friendly smile to Yuna. "Welcome to Asturia," Millerna said to her with a friendly gesture.
"Thank you. Asturia is a lovely place," she said with one of her soft and lovely smiles.
"This is Lord Van, Allen, Prince Chid, Millerna, and the Mystic Moon girl," Merle said as she pointed to each of them.
"I'm not "The Mystic Moon Girl". I have a name and it happens to be Hitomi," she said with a slight sense of annoyance.
"Whatever," Merle responded with a roll of her eyes.
"It's almost sundown. Why don't all of you rest in the palace and then we'll discuss the matters of Zaibach tomorrow," Prince Chid said. Everyone nodded and started walking to the guests quarters. Yuna walked along with Merle, taking each step with such grace and elegance. Hitomi walked at the back of the group and she walked alone. Turning around to try and find Hitomi, Van looked back at Hitomi whose face was looking at the ground as she walked. Van stopped, waiting patiently for her to catch up to him. She lifted her head as soon as she saw that Van was looking at her. "Why are you looking at the ground and walking in the back?" Van questioned.
"I just feel like it Van," she answered with a slight tone of melancholy. He could sense the sadness in her voice but he knew that she didn't like talking about her feelings, so he didn't push her. Putting his arm around her shoulders, he whispered into her ear that everything was going to be okay. It ended up that all the girls would stay in one room while the guys would stay in another. Ending up getting the bigger room, the girls settled in comfortably. The four beds were each in a separate room and each girl claimed theirs. The room had a parlor with a fireplace and some couches to sit on. Hitomi was just about to enter a room when Millerna caught her by the arm. Hitomi turned around and looked at Millerna.
"Is something wrong?" Hitomi asked.
"No nothing. I just wanted to say that I think you need some clothes," Millerna said with an innocent smile.
"What's wrong with the clothes I'm wearing?" Hitomi asked while looking down at her gym shorts and tank top.
"Nothing. It's just that since you're back in Gaia again I just thought that you should wear something appropriate," Millerna explained. Hitomi remembered the last time she wore a dress in Gaia. A lovely pink one that ended up being torn and thrown away. Hitomi gave a smile and nodded her head.
"I think we can work something out," she said. Yuna and Merle looked at Hitomi approvingly as if she had just made the biggest decision in her life. Millerna took Hitomi by the hand and walked out the door. While passing through the hallway they passed by Van and Allen's quarters. Just as they were walking down Van had come out of the room. He looked at them skeptically.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"We're going to buy something appropriate for Hitomi to wear," Millerna explained.
"Why? She looks perfect to me," Van said with a little smile. Hitomi blushed a little and looked down at the ground.
"All right then. I'll let you two get going," Van said as he headed for the opposite way.
"Where are you going?" Hitomi asked.
"Sparring. . . .with Allen," he said and with that answer he walked the other way. Hitomi and Millerna passed through the hallways and finally reached the courtyard. From there they walked toward the front gates and passed through. Millerna let go of Hitomi's hand and sighed. Hitomi looked at Millerna and then followed her to the town. The town bustled with all the citizens of Asturia. Women walking here and there, children running around, and men walking town to the nearest tavern to have a drink. Life was peaceful and the Asturians had no worries. Hitomi looked at the people and saw their smiling faces as if they had no worries at all. 'If only it could be like this all the time,' Hitomi thought. Millerna and Hitomi found a shop full of dresses and they both walked in. Millerna looked around and Hitomi stood there. She didn't want to wear so fanciful of dresses. Millerna picked an outfit out and gave it to Hitomi.
"Go try it on. I'll be waiting here," she said. Hitomi went into the dressing room and conveniately put on the outfit and looked at herself quickly in the mirror. 'It's looks okay. Although I would prefer my track outfit,' she thought. She walked out as gracefully as she could so that she can appear beautiful to Millerna and then they could go back to the palace. Millerna looked at her and gave a small sigh. "Hitomi. You look beautiful," Millerna said. "Really?" Hitomi asked blushing slightly. The dress was an emerald green color that matched her eyes. The dress wasn't spread out, but it was not too tight either. It had just enough space for her to be able to move around yet also to look beautiful in. Hitomi looked at herself in the mirror and thought again about the dress. She looked at herself up and down and then stared into her reflection.
She didn't have time to think after she jumped. She only thought of Van and what was to become of her now. She didn't even scream as she fell. She closed her eyes and wanted to dream but she couldn't. 'Van if only you were here to catch me,' Hitomi thought. As if her wish was heard, she suddenly felt firm hands catch her out of the air. The hands were firm and gentle and pulled her very close to him. Hitomi opened her eyes and looked at the face. 'Van?' Hitomi whispered. Then she looked away and looked at the wings. The wings were beautiful and feathers came falling out of them. The wings were. . . . . .
"Hitomi?" Millerna asked as she was waving her hand in her face. Hitomi re-focused and she stopped staring at herself in the mirror.
"What?" Hitomi said.
"You were just staring at yourself in the mirror and you looked as if you were daydreaming," Millerna said.
"Oh. I'm sorry. I just don't know what's wrong with me these days," Hitomi said as she put her hand on her face. Millerna smiled and told Hitomi to change back into her own clothes and then re-wear the dress when they got back to the palace. Hitomi nodded and did as she was told.
PALACE:
Van and Allen got their swords and faced each other. They got their stances up and prepared to spar. Van made the first move, like usual. Allen dodged the attack that Van had set for him. Allen took a swift strike while Van had his back towards him. Turning around quickly, Van had managed to block Allen's attack. The feet and hands were one in motion. They were balanced with one another. The attacks and defenses were smooth and together. Neither was winning nor losing. Both were very skilled with a sword. While Van was fierce and fast, Allen was graceful and agile. Both blocking and attacking. Van was taking the lead, but just as he was about to strike Allen with his sword point facing towards his face, Allen gracefully twisted his sword around Van's sword and knocked it out of his hand causing Van to be swordless and losing the match. Van was kneeling down on his knees speechless. Pointing his sword directly at Van's face, Allen smiled. Putting away his sword back into its sheath, Allen stretched out a hand to help Van up. Still allowing his pride to come first, Van got up himself and didn't take Allen's hand. Retracting his hand, Allen smiled while looking at Van's face. "Your prides till exists even if this was a practice," Allen remarked.
"Yes, it does still exist but I'm glad we had this match," Van said as he smiled slightly. Van stretched out his hand toward Allen. Allen took the hand and they shook. "Well, looks like you two are finally getting along," Millerna said with a smile. Hitomi looked at the hands that were still clasped as if they had become the best of friends. 'They aren't embarrassed,' Hitomi thought to herself as she smiled to herself. Then the two let go of each other and faced the girls. Van picked up his sword and sheathed it, then he went towards Hitomi. "Did you find what you were looking for?" he asked.
"Yes. You have to thank Millerna because she is the one that picked it out for me," Hitomi responded. Allen walked towards the three of them gracefully as if he wasn't tired at all from the sparring match. Looking towards the sky, Allen said, "It's time to go to the banquet. It's sundown." All three of them turned and looked at the sky and saw that the sun was going down and the moon was about to rise in place of it. Millerna handed Hitomi the dress and told her to go put it on so that she can look her best at the banquet. Then Allen took Millerna's hand and walked away towards the courtyard. Van silently stood next to Hitomi still looking up at the sky. "Do you miss it?" he asked.
"Miss what?" Hitomi asked looking at him with curiosity.
"The mystic moon," he said as he looked at her with a soft glow in his eyes.
"The earth. Sometimes, but why should I think about my life there when everything I've always wanted was here, in Gaia," Hitomi said as she leaned her head on Van's firm shoulder. Van smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "Hitomi, I now something is wrong and I want you to know that I'm here to listen," Van whispered softly in her ear. Hitomi closed her eyes and went into a state of deep-thinking for what Van had just said to her.
A table of food and plenty was spread out before her and the others at the feast. Everyone laughed and smiled. A servant boy entered the courtyard and was followed by a dark figure in a black cloak. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at the mysterious figure. The servant boy ran towards Prince Chid and whispered something in his ear. Prince Chid became alarmed and shouted to the guards. Smiling with a cold cruel smile, the figure pulled out his sword killing the first two guards that reached him. Signaling to the darkness behind him, foreign soldiers came out and attacked. The table dripped with the blood of the dead people. The dark figure advanced on Hitomi, as she raised her arms to defend herself. Just as the soldiers had appeared, everything vanished into thin air. It was as if nothing had happened. Looking at the new setting before her, Hitomi could see that she was on a battlefield. Two figures stood in the middle. Hitomi looked towards both of them. Both outstretched their arms to Hitomi, each showing arms full of love and care. Hitomi ran towards them. Getting closer, she could see that both were the men she loved. She stopped and remembered that the one on the right was the one that she had loved unconditionally, and yet the one on the left was the one that had stolen her heart. Tears streaming down her cheeks, she ran towards one of the men without even knowing why. The other man's eyes were saddened as he turned from her and walked through a black cloud of darkness. She looked up, with love and affection, at the man who was holding her dearly in his arms. Leaning her head against his chest, she whispered his name, "Allen. . ."
Opening her eyes, Hitomi pushed herself out of Van's arms. Looking at his face with confusion, she started to shake her head from side to side. "No, it can't be. . .," she said as she ran away from Van with tears streaming down her cheeks. Van looked at her with the same amount of confusion and watched as she ran away. She ran past Yuna and Merle who were walking towards Van. Stopping and staring at Hitomi as she ran, Yuna turned to look at Van. Merle turned and looked at Hitomi and then turned back to look at Van. "Lord Van?" Merle said quietly as she walked slowly towards him. Eyes filled with mixed emotions, Van looked down at Merle. "What's wrong?" she asked worried that Hitomi had said or done something to hurt Van.
"I don't know. Hitomi just ran off crying. I don't know what to think. Confusion and sadness are running through me at the same time," he explained.
"Don't mind her. She'll be fine. Let's just go to the banquet and have a good time," Merle said as she tugged at his arm.
"I can't go. Not until I know that she will be okay," Van said. Merle pouted and became sad. She let go of his arm and took two steps back. Van looked into her sad eyes and felt hurt. Giving her a small smile, he took her hand. "All right. Let's go," he said. A smile appeared on Merle's small and fuzzy face. They walked passed Yuna hand in hand. Yuna looked at them walking and then turned to look at the sunset. She smiled and reached into her shirt and pulled out a necklace. The pendant on the necklace was a black dragon with ruby red eyes. Holding the pendant firmly within her grasp, she whispered something to herself. She turned around, tucked the necklace back into her shirt and walked after Van and Merle.
A/N: hey. . .so what did you think? please tell me in your review and if you want me to change something or correct something in my story then please tell me! oh and is that his name the kid prince of Asturia or whatever. . .even though he was a minor character, i still need to know his name and stuff so if you could tell me in your review then i'd be thankful. . .and if you see anything that i could change in my style of writing or something then please tell me! i cna't believe i would write that Hitomi would want Allen. . .*shudders*. . .she belongs with Van. . .as you can tell i was very troubled when i wrote that vision. . .but doesn't it make you curious?? why did she dream of Allen. . .being held in his arms instead of Van's??? keep up with my story and maybe you'll find out! oh and i might be a little slow in the updating process but hey school. . .moving houses. . .friends. . .etc. all that stuff. . .it gets in the way of my totally messed up life hehe so anyway. . .i think i should stop writing. . .but. . .*the spirit of the wolf growls at me and threatens to bite my hand off if i touch the keyboard one more time*. . .geez. . . -.-'. . .
Hitomi looked into Allen's serious eyes and asked, "How did you find this out?" "We went to the palace and from Prince Chid, we learned that Zaibach was slowly gaining back it's political power as well as it's military," Allen responded. "Hitomi? When we spoke with each other, you mentioned that you felt someone was calling you here, right?" Millerna questioned. Hitomi looked back at her and gave a slight nod. "Maybe it's possible that this someone was Van," Millerna finished. "No," Hitomi said shaking her head, "I don't think it was Van. He didn't know that Zaibach was being reborn." Again an image of Van with broken wings flashed through Hitomi's mind and again Hitomi chased it away. "Then maybe Escaflowne summoned you again knowing the danger that was to come," Van said quietly. All of them looked at Van and thought about the possibility. 'It wasn't Escaflowne either. Something else called me . . . something more powerful,' Hitomi thought to herself. Then Allen broke the silence. "There is no time. We have to go to the palace," Allen said seriously. Van nodded and helped Millerna off of her horse. Millerna rode with Allen and Hitomi rode with Van. The horses raced to the palace quickly trying to spare some time in between.
Hitomi gave a quick sigh and continued to walk on with the others. Prince Chid was sitting on the throne and got up to welcome them when they walked in. He gave them his boyish smile as they stopped in front of him. Hitomi stared at Prince Chid and saw that he had grown since the last time she saw him. He still had his little boy figure but it looked as if he had become smarter. Hitomi gave him a big, warm smile as he walked over to her.
"Hitomi! It's been a while since the last time we met," Prince Chid said.
"Yes. I see that your kingdom is doing very well all in cause of your wisdom," she complimented. Prince Chid gave a slight blush. The greeting between them was shortly ended as Van spoke up. "Prince Chid. Tell us of this new leader, that is if you have any knowledge of him," Van said with a serious look. Prince Chid turned around as his smile had faded. He gave a quick sigh before he responded to Van's question. "I know nothing of this new leader. The only thing I learned from the scouts was that Zaibach was rebuilding itself and slowly gaining back it's political power," Prince Chid explained to Van.
"With Zaibach rebuilding itself to the once former glory that they had, the kingdoms will be unbalanced," Allen said.
"Yes but that is only if they have the same ideas as they had last time," Millerna said. All became silent and thought over of what the possibilities might be when Zaibach rises again. Everyone was deep in thought and concentrated really hard on the matter. Van looked over at Hitomi who seemed very deep in thought. He gave a slight tap onto Hitomi's arm. Hitomi snapped back to reality and looked at her side staring into the serious yet soft eyes of Van.
"What are you thinking about?" Van asked. Hitomi gave him a soft and reassuring smile. "I'm just thinking about what the consequences will be if Zaibach returns," she said with a worried tone in her voice.
"Don't be. This time there will be no war and I swear I will do anything to make this happen."
"Van. I don't want another war to erupt as much as you do, but maybe possibly I. . ."
"What?" Another image of Van flashed through her mind. Again Hitomi chased it away fearing that this time the image would go even farther. She turned away from Van and stared at the ground. 'I don't understand? Why are all these visions coming to me? is something going to happen to Van?' Hitomi thought to herself.
"Hitomi?" Van said with a slight tone of worry in his voice. Hitomi still did not look into his eyes, so he gently tapped her on the shoulder. She looked at Van and the others. They all stared at her with a blank expression in their faces. Suddenly a high pitched screaming kind of voice broke the silence as a small cat girl in a pink dress ran towards the prince of Fanelia. "VAN!!" the cat girl cried. Van turned and recognized the girl immediately. He outstretched his arms to receive the cat girl. She jumped into his arms and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Van lifted her up and held her tight. Seeing all of this happen, Hitomi remembered how close Van and the cat girl were. "Merle! I've missed you," Van said with joy. Hitomi smiled at the way Merle and Van were being so affectionate to one another. Finally letting go of Merle, Van put her down onto the hard cold stone floor of the Asturian palace. Merle searched the different faces and finally found the one she wanted to find. "It's you again," she said, "I heard that you were hear."
"Yes well, it seems as though someone called me here, so naturally I was forced to come here. . .again," Hitomi said sarcastically. Merle was offended by what Hitomi had said and she gave Hitomi a nasty look. Looking away, Hitomi decided to face Van. Then Merle went towards Hitomi and wrapped her small arms around her waist. Hitomi jumped a little at the greeting that the cat girl was giving her. Hitomi bent down and received the hug and returned it by wrapping her arms around the small furry body in the pink dress on the cat girl. "I'm glad you're back because now Van will be happy," Merle whispered into her ear. The fuzzy sensation of Merle's fur gave a tingling feeling in Hitomi's ear. Just as quickly as the hug started, Hitomi and Merle broke it off. "Merle! You walk too fast even if it is to greet a long gone Prince," a girl said out of breath. The girl had long brown hair that was tied back into a nice ponytail and she wore a white loose dress with a satin pink sash around her waist. She had beautiful green eyes that resembled a pair of emeralds, rosy pink lips, and soft but beautiful pale skin. The group looked at her as if a goddess had just entered the room filling it with her magic. She walked towards Merle and laid a hand on her shoulder indicating that she shared a strong bond with her. She gave Merle a big smile and then looked towards the group, whom were still staring in awe. Merle smiled, turned to the group and said, "This is Yuna. I met her while in Fanelia. When I came here to see you Van, she wanted to come along." Allen, Van and Prince Chid gave a bow to her and smiled. It was Allen who went even further. After his bow, he took her hand and kissed it as all chivalrous knights were to do when in the presence of a lady. Millerna and Hitomi gave a friendly smile to Yuna. "Welcome to Asturia," Millerna said to her with a friendly gesture.
"Thank you. Asturia is a lovely place," she said with one of her soft and lovely smiles.
"This is Lord Van, Allen, Prince Chid, Millerna, and the Mystic Moon girl," Merle said as she pointed to each of them.
"I'm not "The Mystic Moon Girl". I have a name and it happens to be Hitomi," she said with a slight sense of annoyance.
"Whatever," Merle responded with a roll of her eyes.
"It's almost sundown. Why don't all of you rest in the palace and then we'll discuss the matters of Zaibach tomorrow," Prince Chid said. Everyone nodded and started walking to the guests quarters. Yuna walked along with Merle, taking each step with such grace and elegance. Hitomi walked at the back of the group and she walked alone. Turning around to try and find Hitomi, Van looked back at Hitomi whose face was looking at the ground as she walked. Van stopped, waiting patiently for her to catch up to him. She lifted her head as soon as she saw that Van was looking at her. "Why are you looking at the ground and walking in the back?" Van questioned.
"I just feel like it Van," she answered with a slight tone of melancholy. He could sense the sadness in her voice but he knew that she didn't like talking about her feelings, so he didn't push her. Putting his arm around her shoulders, he whispered into her ear that everything was going to be okay. It ended up that all the girls would stay in one room while the guys would stay in another. Ending up getting the bigger room, the girls settled in comfortably. The four beds were each in a separate room and each girl claimed theirs. The room had a parlor with a fireplace and some couches to sit on. Hitomi was just about to enter a room when Millerna caught her by the arm. Hitomi turned around and looked at Millerna.
"Is something wrong?" Hitomi asked.
"No nothing. I just wanted to say that I think you need some clothes," Millerna said with an innocent smile.
"What's wrong with the clothes I'm wearing?" Hitomi asked while looking down at her gym shorts and tank top.
"Nothing. It's just that since you're back in Gaia again I just thought that you should wear something appropriate," Millerna explained. Hitomi remembered the last time she wore a dress in Gaia. A lovely pink one that ended up being torn and thrown away. Hitomi gave a smile and nodded her head.
"I think we can work something out," she said. Yuna and Merle looked at Hitomi approvingly as if she had just made the biggest decision in her life. Millerna took Hitomi by the hand and walked out the door. While passing through the hallway they passed by Van and Allen's quarters. Just as they were walking down Van had come out of the room. He looked at them skeptically.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"We're going to buy something appropriate for Hitomi to wear," Millerna explained.
"Why? She looks perfect to me," Van said with a little smile. Hitomi blushed a little and looked down at the ground.
"All right then. I'll let you two get going," Van said as he headed for the opposite way.
"Where are you going?" Hitomi asked.
"Sparring. . . .with Allen," he said and with that answer he walked the other way. Hitomi and Millerna passed through the hallways and finally reached the courtyard. From there they walked toward the front gates and passed through. Millerna let go of Hitomi's hand and sighed. Hitomi looked at Millerna and then followed her to the town. The town bustled with all the citizens of Asturia. Women walking here and there, children running around, and men walking town to the nearest tavern to have a drink. Life was peaceful and the Asturians had no worries. Hitomi looked at the people and saw their smiling faces as if they had no worries at all. 'If only it could be like this all the time,' Hitomi thought. Millerna and Hitomi found a shop full of dresses and they both walked in. Millerna looked around and Hitomi stood there. She didn't want to wear so fanciful of dresses. Millerna picked an outfit out and gave it to Hitomi.
"Go try it on. I'll be waiting here," she said. Hitomi went into the dressing room and conveniately put on the outfit and looked at herself quickly in the mirror. 'It's looks okay. Although I would prefer my track outfit,' she thought. She walked out as gracefully as she could so that she can appear beautiful to Millerna and then they could go back to the palace. Millerna looked at her and gave a small sigh. "Hitomi. You look beautiful," Millerna said. "Really?" Hitomi asked blushing slightly. The dress was an emerald green color that matched her eyes. The dress wasn't spread out, but it was not too tight either. It had just enough space for her to be able to move around yet also to look beautiful in. Hitomi looked at herself in the mirror and thought again about the dress. She looked at herself up and down and then stared into her reflection.
She didn't have time to think after she jumped. She only thought of Van and what was to become of her now. She didn't even scream as she fell. She closed her eyes and wanted to dream but she couldn't. 'Van if only you were here to catch me,' Hitomi thought. As if her wish was heard, she suddenly felt firm hands catch her out of the air. The hands were firm and gentle and pulled her very close to him. Hitomi opened her eyes and looked at the face. 'Van?' Hitomi whispered. Then she looked away and looked at the wings. The wings were beautiful and feathers came falling out of them. The wings were. . . . . .
"Hitomi?" Millerna asked as she was waving her hand in her face. Hitomi re-focused and she stopped staring at herself in the mirror.
"What?" Hitomi said.
"You were just staring at yourself in the mirror and you looked as if you were daydreaming," Millerna said.
"Oh. I'm sorry. I just don't know what's wrong with me these days," Hitomi said as she put her hand on her face. Millerna smiled and told Hitomi to change back into her own clothes and then re-wear the dress when they got back to the palace. Hitomi nodded and did as she was told.
PALACE:
Van and Allen got their swords and faced each other. They got their stances up and prepared to spar. Van made the first move, like usual. Allen dodged the attack that Van had set for him. Allen took a swift strike while Van had his back towards him. Turning around quickly, Van had managed to block Allen's attack. The feet and hands were one in motion. They were balanced with one another. The attacks and defenses were smooth and together. Neither was winning nor losing. Both were very skilled with a sword. While Van was fierce and fast, Allen was graceful and agile. Both blocking and attacking. Van was taking the lead, but just as he was about to strike Allen with his sword point facing towards his face, Allen gracefully twisted his sword around Van's sword and knocked it out of his hand causing Van to be swordless and losing the match. Van was kneeling down on his knees speechless. Pointing his sword directly at Van's face, Allen smiled. Putting away his sword back into its sheath, Allen stretched out a hand to help Van up. Still allowing his pride to come first, Van got up himself and didn't take Allen's hand. Retracting his hand, Allen smiled while looking at Van's face. "Your prides till exists even if this was a practice," Allen remarked.
"Yes, it does still exist but I'm glad we had this match," Van said as he smiled slightly. Van stretched out his hand toward Allen. Allen took the hand and they shook. "Well, looks like you two are finally getting along," Millerna said with a smile. Hitomi looked at the hands that were still clasped as if they had become the best of friends. 'They aren't embarrassed,' Hitomi thought to herself as she smiled to herself. Then the two let go of each other and faced the girls. Van picked up his sword and sheathed it, then he went towards Hitomi. "Did you find what you were looking for?" he asked.
"Yes. You have to thank Millerna because she is the one that picked it out for me," Hitomi responded. Allen walked towards the three of them gracefully as if he wasn't tired at all from the sparring match. Looking towards the sky, Allen said, "It's time to go to the banquet. It's sundown." All three of them turned and looked at the sky and saw that the sun was going down and the moon was about to rise in place of it. Millerna handed Hitomi the dress and told her to go put it on so that she can look her best at the banquet. Then Allen took Millerna's hand and walked away towards the courtyard. Van silently stood next to Hitomi still looking up at the sky. "Do you miss it?" he asked.
"Miss what?" Hitomi asked looking at him with curiosity.
"The mystic moon," he said as he looked at her with a soft glow in his eyes.
"The earth. Sometimes, but why should I think about my life there when everything I've always wanted was here, in Gaia," Hitomi said as she leaned her head on Van's firm shoulder. Van smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "Hitomi, I now something is wrong and I want you to know that I'm here to listen," Van whispered softly in her ear. Hitomi closed her eyes and went into a state of deep-thinking for what Van had just said to her.
A table of food and plenty was spread out before her and the others at the feast. Everyone laughed and smiled. A servant boy entered the courtyard and was followed by a dark figure in a black cloak. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at the mysterious figure. The servant boy ran towards Prince Chid and whispered something in his ear. Prince Chid became alarmed and shouted to the guards. Smiling with a cold cruel smile, the figure pulled out his sword killing the first two guards that reached him. Signaling to the darkness behind him, foreign soldiers came out and attacked. The table dripped with the blood of the dead people. The dark figure advanced on Hitomi, as she raised her arms to defend herself. Just as the soldiers had appeared, everything vanished into thin air. It was as if nothing had happened. Looking at the new setting before her, Hitomi could see that she was on a battlefield. Two figures stood in the middle. Hitomi looked towards both of them. Both outstretched their arms to Hitomi, each showing arms full of love and care. Hitomi ran towards them. Getting closer, she could see that both were the men she loved. She stopped and remembered that the one on the right was the one that she had loved unconditionally, and yet the one on the left was the one that had stolen her heart. Tears streaming down her cheeks, she ran towards one of the men without even knowing why. The other man's eyes were saddened as he turned from her and walked through a black cloud of darkness. She looked up, with love and affection, at the man who was holding her dearly in his arms. Leaning her head against his chest, she whispered his name, "Allen. . ."
Opening her eyes, Hitomi pushed herself out of Van's arms. Looking at his face with confusion, she started to shake her head from side to side. "No, it can't be. . .," she said as she ran away from Van with tears streaming down her cheeks. Van looked at her with the same amount of confusion and watched as she ran away. She ran past Yuna and Merle who were walking towards Van. Stopping and staring at Hitomi as she ran, Yuna turned to look at Van. Merle turned and looked at Hitomi and then turned back to look at Van. "Lord Van?" Merle said quietly as she walked slowly towards him. Eyes filled with mixed emotions, Van looked down at Merle. "What's wrong?" she asked worried that Hitomi had said or done something to hurt Van.
"I don't know. Hitomi just ran off crying. I don't know what to think. Confusion and sadness are running through me at the same time," he explained.
"Don't mind her. She'll be fine. Let's just go to the banquet and have a good time," Merle said as she tugged at his arm.
"I can't go. Not until I know that she will be okay," Van said. Merle pouted and became sad. She let go of his arm and took two steps back. Van looked into her sad eyes and felt hurt. Giving her a small smile, he took her hand. "All right. Let's go," he said. A smile appeared on Merle's small and fuzzy face. They walked passed Yuna hand in hand. Yuna looked at them walking and then turned to look at the sunset. She smiled and reached into her shirt and pulled out a necklace. The pendant on the necklace was a black dragon with ruby red eyes. Holding the pendant firmly within her grasp, she whispered something to herself. She turned around, tucked the necklace back into her shirt and walked after Van and Merle.
A/N: hey. . .so what did you think? please tell me in your review and if you want me to change something or correct something in my story then please tell me! oh and is that his name the kid prince of Asturia or whatever. . .even though he was a minor character, i still need to know his name and stuff so if you could tell me in your review then i'd be thankful. . .and if you see anything that i could change in my style of writing or something then please tell me! i cna't believe i would write that Hitomi would want Allen. . .*shudders*. . .she belongs with Van. . .as you can tell i was very troubled when i wrote that vision. . .but doesn't it make you curious?? why did she dream of Allen. . .being held in his arms instead of Van's??? keep up with my story and maybe you'll find out! oh and i might be a little slow in the updating process but hey school. . .moving houses. . .friends. . .etc. all that stuff. . .it gets in the way of my totally messed up life hehe so anyway. . .i think i should stop writing. . .but. . .*the spirit of the wolf growls at me and threatens to bite my hand off if i touch the keyboard one more time*. . .geez. . . -.-'. . .