Disclaimer: No Esca! No Claim! No Problem!

A/N: I deleted the whole betrothal chapter. It was just a pointless chapter filler and it was resolved way too quickly… I just realized that this thing will be 20 chapters long once I revise it! I'm hoping that by the time I'm done with it I'll have 100 reviews… That would be cool… (HINT HINT) Anyways, if you liked this fic, check out my tear-jerker, "Never Forget" and my newest story, surprisingly a F/H, "Tears of the Heart," I know you'll like them because they're much better written… (This was my first serious fic after all…) Oh yes, and look for "Blood of an Adonis" to reemerge sometime this fall… (My earlier readers may have a hint of a clue what I'm talking about…) And if you're new to the crowd, this fic has a sequel! You can check out "Winged Destinies" at http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=436449… Enjoy!

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Chapter 5: When Things Go Wrong

Hitomi's bags were packed; she sat on the edge of her bed, her feet dangling over the side.

Oh God, why did you bring me here? Was there a reason? Sobs racked her chest. Why hadn't she been on time for breakfast? Why did she have to eavesdrop on those council members? Why didn't she go away when she heard the council talking? If she had left, she never would have heard those horrible things…

** Flashback **

"HITOMI! WAKE UP!" Merle screeched as she ran into the room.

"AHHHHHH! WHAT TIME IS IT?!" Hitomi asked, springing out of bed.

"IT'S ALREADY 7, YOU SILLY GIRL! A WHOLE HOUR OF DAYLIGHT! WASTED!" The catgirl shrieked. She was then pelted by a rather large pillow and knocked over backwards.

"HEY! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" Her tail bristled in rage.

"FOR WAKING ME UP AT SEVEN FOR NO GOOD REASON!" Hitomi screamed, sinking back into her remaining pillow and engulfing herself in her coverlet.

"Stupid girl… 'Don't wake me up,' she says now, but you just wait, 2 hours later she'll be mad because I didn't wake her up… Honestly, maybe Lord Van should marry that girl from Bazram…" Merle muttered in disgust. Hitomi didn't hear her of course, as she dozed…

(A/N: If you've read farther into this fic, (which most of you have), you've come across Princess Siara Nania de Bazra, "Jewel" of Bazram… Well, the girl Merle is talking about is Princess Kawari Yaku de Bazra… She is the current princess of Bazram. Most of us know how Princess Siara becomes infatuated with not only Van's son, by Millerna's son, trying to come between the love already brewing, and of course, never succeeding… Well, our "dear" Princess Kawari, is actually the future mother of "dear" Siara… And you can guess what that means…)

A couple hours later, she sprang out of bed.

"Good grief! It's already 9! Why didn't Merle wake me up!" She threw on the closest piece of clothing she could get her hands on. It happened to be a pretty green dress, but she was in too big of a hurry to notice as she dashed out the door. She was passing by the council room and heard voices and couldn't help but listen.

"It's absurd! Lord Van is actually infatuated with that girl!" A man's angry voice penetrated the thick wooden door.

"I agree with you, Jakuu, something must be done…" A more rational voice consented.

"What are we to tell Princess Kawari! For God's sake man! He's to marry her next month! You know how Bazram feels about broken engagements… Surely the council still remember when Lord Gaou rejected Kawari's mother so he could marry that worthless demon, Varie…" Another council member spat the late-queen's name in disgust.

"THEY WOULDN'T EVEN SPEAK TO OUR REPRESENTATIVES IN BAZRAM FOR A YEAR! AN ENTIRE YEAR!"

"Relax Henken… We know what you're talking about… We agree with you and Jakuu. The high council has yet to decide. So men, what are possible plans to right this terrible wrong?"

"Well, I can think of three possibilities…" The man named Jakuu continued.

"One… We make him hate her…" Their were titters from that one.

"Two… We bump up the marriage to this week so he has no time to call it off…" There were claps for that one.

"Three… We kill her…" The council was silent.

"Jakuu… We all know that we have to fix this… But really? Killing the girl? Isn't that a little extreme? Why, not only is it against the laws set down by our forefathers, but it is against my very ethics as a decent human being…" One of the higher up councilmen reminded him in disbelief.

"Well, what do you propose to do, Rinri?" Jakuu asked in contempt. Rinri may die before the proceedings if Jakuu had anything to say about it.

"I… I don't know, Jakuu… You must remember. The High Council will make the decision. It is not for us to debate. Surely, they will choose to do what is best for Fanelia…"

"But what about Lord Van?" A more loyal council member asked hesitantly.

"Why, Chuunaru… I'm surprised at you… Surely you know that what we do is best for not only Fanelia, but as well for Lord Van…"

"I suppose…" Chuunaru said in annoyance, as if he didn't believe the information that Henken was trying to feed him.

"Then it's agreed… We will leave the decision to the High Council… But I must insist, that if they do not do something soon, I will take matters into my own hands…" Jakuu said, a threat masked in his voice.

"Agreed…" Rinri said hesitantly, afraid of what Jakuu would do.

Hitomi had then run away as fast as her legs could carry her. There were some advantages to being in track…

** Back Flash **

"Hitomi? Can I come in?" Asked a familiar voice. She then sighed, she remembered that they had planned on eating breakfast in the gardens together.

She then remembered what she'd overhead. Van was getting married. And he didn't even tell her. She was so enraged it was unbelievable."No you playboy, you can't come in!" Hitomi angrily replied."Hitomi! What are you talking about?" He asked in exasperation.

"Why don't you invite Kawari to the gardens… I'm sure she'd love to go!" Hitomi wanted to cry, but she knew she couldn't. She had to be brave. She couldn't let him know how much he'd hurt her.

"What? Hitomi! This is all one big mistake!"

"You're right, it was one big mistake! It was a mistake to come here, just to be rejected by you! It was a mistake to..." She was about to say, "start loving you." When she started to sob uncontrollably. Who cared about being brave? This hurt to much… And she was no longer afraid to show it…

Van knew he would never get in by being polite, so he broke down the door.

"Talk to me!" He said forcefully, grabbing her shoulders so she was looking him in the eyes.

"How could you?" She asked him sadly, tears running down her cheeks.

"Hitomi… I despise Kawari… She's five years older than me and I've hated her since I was a little kid… She was supposed to marry Folken after he became king, but then Folken disappeared… The council decreed that I had to take my brother's place… I was just informed a short while ago… I didn't tell you, because I was afraid you'd leave when you found out… I'm trying the best I can to break off the engagement, but so far I'm not having much luck… But I swear, I will, and when I do I can…" He choked back on that last thought. This was not the time to propose.

"You can do what, Van?" Hitomi asked in puzzlement.

"Never mind… It's not important… But tell me… How exactly did you find out?"

"I… That is to say… I…" She couldn't tell him she'd been spying on the council. No one, except the king and occassionally the queen, could listen in. It was a very strictly upheld law in Fanelia. She knew she could be beaten and forbidden to ever return if anyone found out. But she had to tell him. And should he banish her from Fanelia, so be it…

"I heard the council talking… They said there was no way you could back out of marrying the princess and they kept saying bad things about your mother and father and you and me and everyone… Van… One of them wanted to…"

"Wanted to what, Hitomi?" He asked gently, wiping away her tears.

"He wanted to kill me Van… So Kawari wouldn't have any competition…" She started sobbing into his chest and a look of fury crossed his features.

How dare they? How dare they scheme behind my back to kill her? I will make them pay… I will make them sorry they ever did this to you, Hitomi… He looked down at her, and was concerned.

"Hitomi… I will take care of them… Don't worry…" He tried to soothe her.

"Oh Van… Why does it hurt so much?"

"Why does what hurt so much?"

"Loving you… It hurts me…" She whispered sadly.

"Every time…"

"Hitomi…"

"Yes Van…"

"I love you too…"

"I know, Van… I'm glad…" She smiled at him. He turned to leave.

"No Van! Please… wait…" She whispered.

"Please, stay here tonight… I'm afraid of them…"

"Sure…" He replied good-naturedly. And so they spent the night. In the arms of the other. Neither knowing what fate held in store for the young lovers.

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Hitomi ran through the village marketplace with Merle panting to keep up. Van and Hitomi had been struggling to be rid of Kawari for over a month now. It seemed like every other minute they were getting a threat of war and annihilation and all that sort of thing. Van had fired all the council members except Chuunaru and Rinri, who were now on the high council. He had gotten men he actually could stand this time, not just the bunch of fools he'd had to keep around because they had served his father and his grandfather and so on and so on… They were really old…

She wanted to get Van something for all the hard work he was going through on her behalf. She stopped in front of an interesting looking stall. It was quite unusual. There were many gold statuettes of what she presumed to be Gaean gods. She blushed. All of the goddesses were either topless or completely nude. There were necklaces made of drag-energists and dolls that looked like catgirls. She also saw what suspiciously looked like a dragon egg and wondered if this shop sold illegal merchandice. Oh well. It wasn't her business.

Strange… She thought to herself, eyeing all the peculiar items for sale. What caught her eye was a model for decoration. It showed a girl kissing a boy, and when you pressed the red button, the boy sprouted wings and flew above the girl. It was like it was made for Van.

It's perfect… She decided. She walked up to the whale-faced cashier.

One thing I'll never get used to… She decided, as she purchased the model.

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Van excitedly paced outside the meeting room. The council was making their decision, and he couldn't stand still. This decision decided his very future. The new high council was to his liking, but they put the country's best interests before their own. He'd been working on them for a month, and everything came down to this. He was about to go crazy, when they emerged from the room with their decision.

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Hitomi returned from her shopping rendezvous, hours later and collapsed on her bed. She and Van were going to a festival that evening, and she needed to pick out an outfit. She decided to take a short nap, thinking it couldn't do her any harm. She instantly fell asleep.

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Van consulted one of his advisors, "Do I look OK?" He asked awkwardly. He wasn't used to this sort of thing.

"Stop worrying Milord, just have a good time with her." The royal advisor of the wardrobe replied.

Van stepped out in his usual attire, red shirt, tan pants, dragonhide gloves, sword tucked into his belt.

You can do this Fanel… He told himself as he walked towards the dining hall.

Tonight's the night… He then caught sight of the green-eyed girl and began to have second thoughts.

Then again… Maybe I can't…

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Hitomi stumbled down the hallway in her green skirt and top. She and Merle had spent hours fighting over what she should wear. Eventually, they had agreed on this particular outfit. She wore emerald earrings and an emerald pendant, with green sandals.

I feel like a leprecahn… She groaned inwardly.

I look too darn formal… She decided as she gazed at Van's ensemble.

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"You look great," Van politely told her, admiring her outfit.

"Shall we go?" He asked her formally.

"Sure!" She excitedly replied, grabbing his arm as they raced out the door. The couple quickly made their way to the fair grounds. It was like no festival Hitomi had ever seen before. There was a big clearing in the densely wooded area, lit by torches. There were all sorts of booths in a sort of semi-circle. A guymelef match was about to start, and Van dragged Hitomi over to the spectator's stands. Another inward groan. She should have known.

"Tonight! Today's match is Oparo, the legend himself, versus, the challenging guymelef from Irini, Pinpo! May the match commence!" The announcer cried out in excitement.

"Why is Oparo so 'legendary'?" Hitomi asked Van, hoping she could become interested in this weird sport.

"That guymelef and its pilot have never lost a match yet… They're undefeated… You see, Fanelia is divided into a Western and an Eastern district… The western district is where we are now. In the western district, Oparo is the champion. Pinpo is the champion of the eastern district. If Oparo beats Pinpo, he'll move onto the Asturian tournament!" Van seemed extremely excited. She just couldn't see the point of watching two oversized robots try to demolish each other. But, for Van's sake, she tried to become interested.

The two guymelefs walked around in circles, sizing each other up. The guymelefs then began beating at each other with swords and Hitomi just watched that go on for a few minutes. Then, Oparo swat a blow to Pinpo's torso, causing him to bend over, clutching his chest, an unearthly shriek coming from the guymelef's operator.

"And the winner is: Oparo!" The announcer was jumping up in down with excitement, as were all the men, including Van.

"Yes! Oparo's going to the finals!" Van said happily.

"I'll have to ask Dryden to save me a good seat. That's a tournement I don't plan on missing!"

"I don't know why I let you drag me to things like that." Hitomi replied, watching them cart off the bloody body of Pinpo's pilot. He was alive, but he wouldn't be jousting again anytime soon…

"It's disgusting…"

"Because I'm irresistible?" He said, grinning at her.

"Oh shut up." She playfully said, rolling her eyes.

Hitomi squealed excitedly, seeing the jewelry stands as she raced towards them, with Van struggling to keep up with her. She pored over the jewelry and whatever she admired, Van purchased for her.

After she had an armful of bracelets, earrings, and necklaces, she observed, "Van, you must have spent half of the royal treasury on these! If you're not careful, you'll spoil me!"

"Too late!" Van said as he grinned boyishly at her.

She gasped in surprise when she saw a pendant that looked just like hers.

"How did this get here?" She wondered aloud, and looked at Van who looked equally puzzled.

She read the inscription on the chain, "Va…"

She rubbed it with her shirt sleeve, "…Rie…"

"Varie…" She put the two syllables together.

She gasped, "But Van, isn't that your..." Van cut her off by immediately buying the pendant. She pondered the pendant's origin and Van looked slightly concerned as well, but they tried to let it ruin their fun. The mystery would be solved eventually.

They next went up to a jester who stood on his head while telling jokes. Some of the jokes were stupid, but others gave the couple a few good laughs. Van didn't laugh much, so Hitomi was delighted when he did.

There was a table of food and both of them started to load their plates.

"What's this Van?" Hitomi asked, holding up what looked like a brown donut.

"It's called a Yupin. It's a large bug that lives around here, they're really tasty." He replied, adding a couple them to his plate.

Hitomi gagged, but didn't want to hurt any Fanelian's feelings, so she picked up one and decided not to ask Van what anything else was. They talked between bites, admiring the beautiful scenery. She dreaded what half of the things she selected were, but overall they tasted good. She could throw up later. When finished, Hitomi gave Van the model she had bought earlier.

"Well this is different," He told her honestly, gazing at it.

"I want you to have this," He told her, handing her the pendant he had just purchased.

"But Van, it was your mother's..."

"I have your grandmother's pendant, and now you have my mother's. Now we're even. It's like we both have a piece of each other." He told her as she brushed a strand of raven hair from his face.

"Thank you Van," She told him, "I'll keep it always."

Van then led her off into a more secluded place. A moonlit clearing. They lay on their backs, looking at the stars, grateful to be alive.

"When my grandmother was alive, she told me that you can make your wishes come true. And I always believed her, until..." She shivered remembering all the horrible things her fortune telling and wishing had done to those who were dear to her.

"It wasn't your fault, you know…" He told her.

"What?"

"I still don't believe everything happened because of those Tarot cards and your wishes… Although I would like to believe all wishes came true… Life would be easier, I must admit…" He looked at her when he said that part, and she wondered if she had anything to do with his wishes.

"Oh, and you'll never guess. The council approved of our proposal. I won't be marrying Princess Kawari anytime soon…" A grin spread across his face.

"Oh Van! That's wondeful!" She threw her arms around his neck and he seemed to be enjoying it immensely, but he pulled away.

"Hitomi, I want to ask you something," he told her in a serious tone.

"What is it Van?" She asked.

"Hitomi... I want you to stay with me, from now on that is. I want… I want you to marry me, Hitomi…" He said her in a calm voice.

Hitomi seemed frozen for a minute, then she snapped back into reality.

"Oh Van... I love you, but I can't leave behind my mother and brother. They're probably very worried about me." She replied sadly.

"But..." Van knew he had lost, for the moment. But this was only a battle, he could still win the war… Without warning, Hitomi was enveloped in the bright light, and as she screamed, she was taken home to the mystic moon.

"HITOMI! HITOMI!" Van cried out to her.

Darn it! I let her go again!

And he muttered, "I'm alone, I'm all alone… Again…" And he stared regretfully at the stars he had just admired.

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Hitomi looked around her, expecting to see the familiar castle walls, instead she saw those of a white hospital room. The smell of antiseptic filled her nostrils. She didn't like it. She didn't like it one bit.

"Where am I?" She asked, with concern in her voice.

"Where's Van?""Good Sis, you've finally woken up." Her brother said. His eyes were red and puffy, and he looked twice his age.

"I found you lying in the front yard." He told her.

"I'm glad you're alive Hitomi… I thought you were a goner…"

"Where's mom?" She asked, as a sad look spread across her brother's youthful face.

"In the room next door." He calmly stated.

"Why?" She asked, in a worried tone.

"Mom has a brain tumor Hitomi." He said, shuffling his feet.

Hitomi fell back, flat on her bed in shock.

"Is she going to die?" Hitomi asked, sitting up and staring into Tomuru's eyes, hoping this was all just a bad dream and when she woke, she'd find herself back in Fanelia.

"The doctors aren't sure, she's going into surgery tonight." He said in an expressionless voice. He had probably heard this information so many times now he was beginning to get used to the idea, no matter how horrible it was.

I was having the time of my life on Gaea, while my mother was dying! She mentally kicked herself.

God, how could I have been so stupid?

"Can I talk to her?" She timidly asked.

"Yes. She's waiting for you Hitomi." Before she left, she hugged him tightly, letting him cry into her dress, he didn't ask her where she'd been or why she looked like someone out of his social studies textbook, for which she was grateful. He then seemed alright, so she left him to seek her mother.

Hitomi cautiously walked over to the room beside hers.

"Mother?" She quietly called into the room. She then noticed a frail woman attached to many tubes, as she barely clung to life.

"Oh mom, don't die! We need you!" She said, tears in her eyes as she kneeled by her mother's side.

"Hitomi... I must tell you..."

"No, save your strength."

"My life is quickly departing, I don't have much longer, but I must tell you."

"Tell me what?" Hitomi asked.

"Eighteen years ago, I met a young man at the beach. I was sitting in my sun chair when he walked up and introduced himself to me. He was handsome, funny, smart, and kind, everything a man should be. We got to talking and went on many dates after that we fell in love and eventually, he asked me to marry him. I, of course, accepted and we started planning. There were cherry blossoms…" She then went into her own thoughts.

"And?" Hitomi asked in interest.

"A couple years later we had you, you were so beautiful. Your father loved you so dearly. Then, a few years later we had your brother. We were happy…" She seemed to remember those times as her face lit up breifly.

"It didn't last though, did it?" Hitomi sadly stated, she knew that much of the story.

"No. It didn't." Her mother replied.

"He grew interested in his background, and decided to go off in search of his homeland.

He told me, "Uchida, I love you, but I must find my people, I have to, it's my destiny. When I've found them, I'll return to you and the children." I told him I couldn't bear to see him go, but he just kissed me and left. I got news years later, that he was found dead somewhere in China." She sadly said.

Suddenly, she went into shock, grabbing Hitomi's hand.

"Hitomi, y-your father was... You are..."

Then her soul departed from this life and Hitomi was left behind. In tears, she opened her hand to find a feather, as pearly white wings emerged from her back.

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A/N: I hope you liked the revised version! Review! Arigatou and Sayonara! ^_^

~Trunks Gal~