Once back to the castle, Van let Caleb and Hitomi have it. "Didn't I tell
you to stay here?" Van asked.
"I'm not some little child that you can boss around!" Hitomi yelled.
"And Caleb, I thought I told you to take her back to the castle?" Van asked totally ignoring Hitomi's coment.
"Yukari met up with us and we started talking. Hitomi ran off. I couldn't catch up with her," Caleb said.
"Don't hand me that! You could have caught up with her" Van told him.
Hitomi couldn't take it anymore. She ran off. Van ran after her. "Hitomi stop" Van said.
If anything Hitomi ran faster. Van caught up with Hitomi and grabbed her arm. "Let me go!" Hitomi yelled.
But Van wouldn't budge. Van made Hitomi stop running but still held her arm. "Look at me" Van said calmly.
"Why so you can yell at me more?" Hitomi demanded.
"I never intended to yell. I just didn't want you to be in the middle of the battlefield," Van said.
"Why?" Hitomi looked in Van's ember eyes.
Van saw fear and confusion in Hitomi verdant eyes. "Because I was afraid that you would get hurt. I don't want you to get hurt," Van said.
"I was on the front line all through the Great War and I didn't get hurt. What make you think that I was going to get hurt in a little Guymelef brawl?" Hitomi demanded.
"Things have changed. The Zaibach Rebels are be coming more and more desperate and determined. They'll use any means necessary to do damage" Van said.
"I'm not afraid to get hurt," Hitomi said.
"I know that, but I'm afraid that you'll get hurt" Van said.
Tears came to Hitomi's eyes. "I'm sorry," Hitomi said.
"It isn't your fault" Van said.
"I just wanted to help" Hitomi said.
"And you did, but I don't think it was best for you to be on the front line" Van said.
"It happened though," Hitomi said.
"I know it did. The bad thing is that Adelphus knows that you're back," Van said.
"I'm not afraid of him," Hitomi said.
"I don't believe you. He survived the war. We both thought he had died. Which means he tougher than he looks" Van said.
"How is it that you can read me like an open book?" Hitomi smiled.
"Because I know you" Van brought her closer to him.
Hitomi put her arms around Van's neck and hugged him tightly. "What do you say we go back to the castle?" Van asked.
"Okay" whispered Hitomi.
The walked back to the castle hand-in-hand. Neither Van nor Hitomi said a word on the way back. "It's about time you two got back. We thought you had gotten lost" Yukari said.
"I see you've made up" Caleb observed.
"How'd you guess?" Hitomi asked.
"I kinda got the feeling that neither of you were coming back until you settled your argument" Caleb said.
Hitomi smiled. Well, he is Van's cousin. "When's dinner?" Amano asked.
"It should be in about an hour," Van said.
"I'm starved" Amano said.
"Yukari, you're going to need one good paying job after you two get married" Hitomi said.
"What for?" Yukari's sarcasm made Hitomi laugh.
"For the expensive grocery bill that's going to feed Amano" Hitomi played along.
"No, see I worked that out. I do the grocery shopping and he doesn't come at all. That way I get what we need and I don't spend a fortune" Yukari said.
"You'll starve me!" Amano complained.
"Good you need to lose some wait," Yukari said.
Amano scoffed. Hitomi rolled her eyes at her best friends. "And they're getting married?" Van asked in Hitomi's ear.
"Yep" Hitomi whispered.
"I don't know who to pity more. Yukari or Amano" Van said.
"They always do this. It gets annoying after a while" Hitomi said.
"I can see why" Van said.
Merle skipped up to the group. "The guests have arrived Lord Van" Merle said.
"What guests?" Hitomi asked.
"You'll see. Come with me" Van led her to the front of the castle.
Two carriages were sitting in the front. The first one opened and a tall woman stepped out. She had long blond hair. "Just gorgeous" She said.
"I do have to agree" A man followed her.
He was tall also and had tanned skin. His medium light hair was tied back and his glasses sat at the end of his nose. "Is that Millerna and Dryden?" Hitomi asked.
"You guessed it" Van said.
The other carriage door opened and a young boy stepped out. He was around the age of ten and had short blond hair. His blue eyes held joy and happiness. "That couldn't be Chid. There's no way," Hitomi said.
"But it is love" Van said.
"Van there you are" Millerna said.
"Hello Millerna. How are you?" Van asked.
"I'm fine and you?" Millerna asked.
"Wonderful. Hello Dryden" Van said.
"Hello" Dryden replied simply.
"Chid how are you?" Van asked.
"Thrilled. I get to take a vacation from all of the hard work in Fried" Chid replied.
"This may come as a shocker, but I think you already know Hitomi Kanzaki" van said.
"It couldn't be" Millerna said.
"It is. Hello Princess Millerna" Hitomi said.
"Just Millerna. We're friends, besides I'm now Queen of Asturia" Millerna said.
"Congratulations" Hitomi said.
"Thank you. How have you been?" Millerna asked.
"Pretty good" answered Hitomi.
"Hitomi" Chid said, running up to his friend and throwing his arms around her waste.
"Hello. You have grown since the last time I saw you. How have you been?" Hitomi asked.
"Lets just say my life has been boring" Chid replied.
"It can't be that boring" Hitomi said. "How much do you wanna bet?" Chid asked.
Hitomi smiled. Chid released his friend and stood over next to his aunt. "Come, lets go in and relax" Van said.
Hitomi turned to Van, walked over to his side, and the pair started to walk off. Millerna, Dryden and Chid followed. Amano, Yukari and Caleb were already sitting in the Dining Hall when the rest of the group entered. They sat down and talked before dinner was served. Hitomi introduced Yukari and Amano to her other Gaean friends. "You know Amano, you look a lot like Sir Allen Schezar, Knight of Caeli, who is also my father" Chid said.
Hitomi almost choked on her sip of Vino. Fanelia imports it from Asturia according to Van. "Hitomi are you okay?" Millerna asked.
"Just fine" Hitomi replied.
Hitomi gulped the rest of her glass. Her glass was filled again by a maid. "Better watch it Hitomi. You know what happened in Asturia the last time you did that" Merle said.
She was standing in the doorway. "I very well know what happened; however, it won't happen again" Hitomi said.
"What happened?" Yukari asked.
"So she didn't tell you?" Merle asked. A mischievous grin appeared on her face.
"No, I didn't" Hitomi said.
"What happened?" Yukari asked again.
"I just got a bit tipsy the last time I gulped it" Hitomi said.
"You were on the verge of getting drunk. Another glass and you would have been drunk" Merle said.
"No I wasn't" Hitomi defensively said.
"I have to agree with Merle. Allen had to carry you to bed" Van said.
His voice hinted a bit of jealously. "Was it my fault that the Vino hit me hard?" Hitomi asked, gulping another glass down. It was filled once again.
"If you wake up with a hangover tomorrow, don't be begging me for some Advil for that headache of yours" Amano said.
"I won't need to ask you. I have some of my own in my bag" Hitomi said.
"By the way, what do you have in that thing? It was in my way earlier and I wanted to move it. It weighs too much" Merle asked.
"I only have a few things. My school books; a few library books; first aid kit; medical book; notebooks; pen; pencils; laptop; CDs; floppy disks; my Walkman; extra laptop battery; and a few journals" Hitomi named.
"I never knew you lived in that bag," Yukari said.
"Ha ha," Hitomi said. "I don't; unless I'm away from earth" Hitomi joked.
"Looks like you'll be living in that bag" Amano said.
Hitomi stuck her tongue out at her friend. "How mature" Yukari said.
"Yukari's right" Dryden said.
"They always do that," Yukari said.
"Are you serious?" Millerna asked.
"We've been best friends for years. We always joke around and goof off" Hitomi admitted.
"If you did that in front of the advisers, they'd have your heads" Merle said.
"Who said I was going to make faces in front of the advisers?" Hitomi asked.
"You never know. I've caught Merle doing quite a few things she shouldn't be doing in front of the advisers," Van said.
"Like what? I've known cats to be prissy, as well as sly and mean at times, but she's part human" Yukari said.
"True, I am part human. But I have mostly cat instincts as well as the attitude" Merle said.
They continued talking throughout the night. By the time they got to bed, it was well past midnight. Hitomi got to the bed and fell face forward on the pillow. By morning Hitomi was still sleeping. "Hitomi wake up!" Merle hissed.
"Go away" Hitomi threw a pillow at the cat.
"Fine, but it's almost ten in the morning. Lord Van wanted me to wake you up. Yukari and Amano have been up for a couple hours now" Merle said.
"Good for them. I'm tried Merle. This past night is the first night in months I've been able to sleep throughout the night without a nightmare or dream" Hitomi said.
"That isn't my fault. Fine I'll go tell Lord Van that you refuse to get out of bed. I wonder what he'll do?" Merle asked.
She walked out of the room. I wonder what he will do? Hitomi asked herself. She pushed those thoughts out of her mind and rolled over on her side. A few minutes later she heard the door quietly open and close. "Hitomi, you have to get up" Van's warm voice ran through her ears.
"Why?" Hitomi asked.
He stifled a chuckle. "It's time to wake up. It's past ten in the morning," Van said.
"So. Like I told Merle, last night was the only night in months that I've been able to sleep throughout the night without a nightmare or a dream" Immediately afterwards she regretting telling Van that.
"What kind of dreams have you been having?" Van asked.
"I don't want to talk about it" Hitomi said.
"This isn't Merle, or Amano, or Yukari. This is me. Van. You used to me able to tell me anything" Van pleaded with her.
Tears filled the corner of Hitomi's eyes. Van's pleads made her want to cry. "It's personal" Hitomi responded.
"So was everything that you and I told eachother during the Great War" Van shot back.
Hitomi cringed. I knew that was coming. Hitomi thought. "They were visions mostly. Full of blood and death. With most of them, I was standing in a dark room. There were screams coming from other rooms. They were ear piercing. The door opened and someone came in. He was followed by a few guards. The guards were carrying you. You were on the verge of death. He commander wanted to know something. Something about the black dragon. I told him I didn't know what he was talking about and I didn't. The guards threw you into my arms. They left. That's when I always woke up" Hitomi explained. Hitomi's voice cracked, and she was on the verge of tears.
Van's face knotted with concern. "How many times have you had this dream?" Van asked.
"I don't know. Too many time to count" Hitomi replied.
Van pulled her into his arms and cradled her. He rocked her back and forth in his arms. "Everything will be fine," Van said.
"You don't know that. Every one of my visions has come true, which means." Hitomi stopped in mid-sentence. Oh my God! The vision that I had of Van being killed by a dragon. Sooner or later that's going to come true as well.
"Hitomi?" Van's voice brought her back to reality. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing" Hitomi replied.
"After everything we've been through, you still build walls around yourself. Don't do that! I'm here to help. No matter what, I'll always be here for you" Van said.
"I'm afraid" Hitomi stated.
"I know you are. So am I. I don't want to lose you. And I know that you don't want to lose me; however, I'm not going anywhere" Van said.
"I don't know that and neither do you!" Hitomi shouted.
"Yes, I do. After everything we've been through, you still think that you're going to lose me. That's never going to happen" Van told her.
Van's voice wiped away most of her doubts. The lingering ones still bothered her. Losing Van would destroy her. "Come on. We have to get a move on. Wipe away those tears. You don't need tear streaks staining that beautiful face," Van said.
"What happened to that boy that I knew that was always at a loss of words?" Hitomi asked.
"I'm no longer that 'boy that you knew.' The past five years have taught me that time is too precious and that you can't take anything for granted. If you have something to say, you need to say it in that moment, or you could lose everything." Van said.
"I'd like to know how you became so wise" Hitomi laughed.
"The advisors don't give me much of a choice in that matter" Van's smile made Hitomi feel so safe.
"Why don't you get dressed. I'll wait for you. There should be some dresses in your closet" Van stood up and walked out of the room.
Though kind of annoyed that Van had left, she got out of bed and got into a scarlet dress. It was light and comfortable. She slipped on a pair of black flats and walked out of the room. "It's about time you got up," Merle said.
"If I wasn't wearing a dress I'd chase you" Hitomi said.
"You couldn't catch me if your life depended on it" Merle said.
"I wouldn't say that. Her speed has increased in that past five years," Yukari said.
"And I still can't beat Amano" Hitomi complained.
"And you never will" Amano said.
"She might surprise you one day. I never knew anyone could jump across a fissure eight meters long" Merle said.
"Really who did that?" Yukari asked.
"Hitomi did. Saving me from Zaibach" Van said.
"You're best jump was six meters" Amano said.
"Change the charts. To be honest I don't know how I did it. I think most of it was luck," Hitomi said.
"How about a late breakfast?" Amano asked. Hitomi shook her head in amusement. They walked down to breakfast, and ate quickly. Van and Hitomi walked around the castle. They caught up on the past five years. It was a lot, and there was still much to say by dinnertime. Van hadn't met with his advisors all day, but he knew that Caleb could take care of any sudden problem that rose up. Van and Hitomi had a private dinner in the gardens. The cooks were happy to provide a picnic dinner for the young couple; they had never seen their king so happy. His advisors were the only ones not happy about the seer's appearance. The last think their king needed was some girl to take his away from his work; or so they thought.
As the week past, Van was able to get more things done. Though he made sure he made plenty of time for Hitomi and her friends, all of his work got finished faster. The advisors couldn't understand what had happened to the young king. Caleb was the only one that actually had a clue. Van loved Hitomi with all of his heart. Getting him to admit it to anyone was another story.
One night after dinner, Hitomi made her way up to her room. She took out her cards and did a reading on herself. She wanted to know the outcome of her wedding, though Van hadn't asked her. The vision she had before she arrived on Gaea still plagued her mind. As she flipped the last card, her faced showed extreme amounts of fear. "The Death Card" Hitomi said.
She didn't know how to make sure that her vision didn't come true, but the outcome would still hurt many people. The next day, Fanelia was having their annual carnival. Merle had been scheming about a way to get Van and Hitomi alone that night. She had talked with Amano and Yukari as well as Caleb. They had all come up with a way to get them together. By the time the carnival opened, Merle's master plan had already taken affect. She went with Hitomi earlier that day and they both went shopping. Hitomi wanted Yukari to come, but Yukari didn't want to go. Merle went to the local tailor and looked through the dresses. Hitomi had insisted that they didn't have to buy anything, but Merle was as stubborn as ever. Hitomi finally agreed on a forest green dress. It was light and comfortable, nothing like the ball gowns. It had a scoop neck and had long sleeves. It was formfitting and very long. The tailor had to hem it up a few inches. Merle got the dress into the castle without Van noticing anything. Hitomi knew her feline friend was up to something, but decided not to put too much thought into it. The carnival had started right after the sunset, and Hitomi was in a frenzy to get ready. Merle was no help at all with her screaming. Though Merle was screaming at Hitomi to calm down, it didn't help the situation. Yukari was the only calm one in the room. As Hitomi was finishing up, there was a light knock on the door. Hitomi jumped into the air, while Yukari answered the door. It was Van and Amano. Yukari looked back toward Hitomi, who was still running around the room. Yukari let the men in and Hitomi shot a look to her best friend. Van was speechless when he was Hitomi in her new dress. "Do you like it?" Hitomi asked.
"I love it. You look gorgeous," Van said.
Hitomi smiled. He liked it! Van offered his arm and Hitomi gladly took it. The five walked out of the room and outside.
"I'm not some little child that you can boss around!" Hitomi yelled.
"And Caleb, I thought I told you to take her back to the castle?" Van asked totally ignoring Hitomi's coment.
"Yukari met up with us and we started talking. Hitomi ran off. I couldn't catch up with her," Caleb said.
"Don't hand me that! You could have caught up with her" Van told him.
Hitomi couldn't take it anymore. She ran off. Van ran after her. "Hitomi stop" Van said.
If anything Hitomi ran faster. Van caught up with Hitomi and grabbed her arm. "Let me go!" Hitomi yelled.
But Van wouldn't budge. Van made Hitomi stop running but still held her arm. "Look at me" Van said calmly.
"Why so you can yell at me more?" Hitomi demanded.
"I never intended to yell. I just didn't want you to be in the middle of the battlefield," Van said.
"Why?" Hitomi looked in Van's ember eyes.
Van saw fear and confusion in Hitomi verdant eyes. "Because I was afraid that you would get hurt. I don't want you to get hurt," Van said.
"I was on the front line all through the Great War and I didn't get hurt. What make you think that I was going to get hurt in a little Guymelef brawl?" Hitomi demanded.
"Things have changed. The Zaibach Rebels are be coming more and more desperate and determined. They'll use any means necessary to do damage" Van said.
"I'm not afraid to get hurt," Hitomi said.
"I know that, but I'm afraid that you'll get hurt" Van said.
Tears came to Hitomi's eyes. "I'm sorry," Hitomi said.
"It isn't your fault" Van said.
"I just wanted to help" Hitomi said.
"And you did, but I don't think it was best for you to be on the front line" Van said.
"It happened though," Hitomi said.
"I know it did. The bad thing is that Adelphus knows that you're back," Van said.
"I'm not afraid of him," Hitomi said.
"I don't believe you. He survived the war. We both thought he had died. Which means he tougher than he looks" Van said.
"How is it that you can read me like an open book?" Hitomi smiled.
"Because I know you" Van brought her closer to him.
Hitomi put her arms around Van's neck and hugged him tightly. "What do you say we go back to the castle?" Van asked.
"Okay" whispered Hitomi.
The walked back to the castle hand-in-hand. Neither Van nor Hitomi said a word on the way back. "It's about time you two got back. We thought you had gotten lost" Yukari said.
"I see you've made up" Caleb observed.
"How'd you guess?" Hitomi asked.
"I kinda got the feeling that neither of you were coming back until you settled your argument" Caleb said.
Hitomi smiled. Well, he is Van's cousin. "When's dinner?" Amano asked.
"It should be in about an hour," Van said.
"I'm starved" Amano said.
"Yukari, you're going to need one good paying job after you two get married" Hitomi said.
"What for?" Yukari's sarcasm made Hitomi laugh.
"For the expensive grocery bill that's going to feed Amano" Hitomi played along.
"No, see I worked that out. I do the grocery shopping and he doesn't come at all. That way I get what we need and I don't spend a fortune" Yukari said.
"You'll starve me!" Amano complained.
"Good you need to lose some wait," Yukari said.
Amano scoffed. Hitomi rolled her eyes at her best friends. "And they're getting married?" Van asked in Hitomi's ear.
"Yep" Hitomi whispered.
"I don't know who to pity more. Yukari or Amano" Van said.
"They always do this. It gets annoying after a while" Hitomi said.
"I can see why" Van said.
Merle skipped up to the group. "The guests have arrived Lord Van" Merle said.
"What guests?" Hitomi asked.
"You'll see. Come with me" Van led her to the front of the castle.
Two carriages were sitting in the front. The first one opened and a tall woman stepped out. She had long blond hair. "Just gorgeous" She said.
"I do have to agree" A man followed her.
He was tall also and had tanned skin. His medium light hair was tied back and his glasses sat at the end of his nose. "Is that Millerna and Dryden?" Hitomi asked.
"You guessed it" Van said.
The other carriage door opened and a young boy stepped out. He was around the age of ten and had short blond hair. His blue eyes held joy and happiness. "That couldn't be Chid. There's no way," Hitomi said.
"But it is love" Van said.
"Van there you are" Millerna said.
"Hello Millerna. How are you?" Van asked.
"I'm fine and you?" Millerna asked.
"Wonderful. Hello Dryden" Van said.
"Hello" Dryden replied simply.
"Chid how are you?" Van asked.
"Thrilled. I get to take a vacation from all of the hard work in Fried" Chid replied.
"This may come as a shocker, but I think you already know Hitomi Kanzaki" van said.
"It couldn't be" Millerna said.
"It is. Hello Princess Millerna" Hitomi said.
"Just Millerna. We're friends, besides I'm now Queen of Asturia" Millerna said.
"Congratulations" Hitomi said.
"Thank you. How have you been?" Millerna asked.
"Pretty good" answered Hitomi.
"Hitomi" Chid said, running up to his friend and throwing his arms around her waste.
"Hello. You have grown since the last time I saw you. How have you been?" Hitomi asked.
"Lets just say my life has been boring" Chid replied.
"It can't be that boring" Hitomi said. "How much do you wanna bet?" Chid asked.
Hitomi smiled. Chid released his friend and stood over next to his aunt. "Come, lets go in and relax" Van said.
Hitomi turned to Van, walked over to his side, and the pair started to walk off. Millerna, Dryden and Chid followed. Amano, Yukari and Caleb were already sitting in the Dining Hall when the rest of the group entered. They sat down and talked before dinner was served. Hitomi introduced Yukari and Amano to her other Gaean friends. "You know Amano, you look a lot like Sir Allen Schezar, Knight of Caeli, who is also my father" Chid said.
Hitomi almost choked on her sip of Vino. Fanelia imports it from Asturia according to Van. "Hitomi are you okay?" Millerna asked.
"Just fine" Hitomi replied.
Hitomi gulped the rest of her glass. Her glass was filled again by a maid. "Better watch it Hitomi. You know what happened in Asturia the last time you did that" Merle said.
She was standing in the doorway. "I very well know what happened; however, it won't happen again" Hitomi said.
"What happened?" Yukari asked.
"So she didn't tell you?" Merle asked. A mischievous grin appeared on her face.
"No, I didn't" Hitomi said.
"What happened?" Yukari asked again.
"I just got a bit tipsy the last time I gulped it" Hitomi said.
"You were on the verge of getting drunk. Another glass and you would have been drunk" Merle said.
"No I wasn't" Hitomi defensively said.
"I have to agree with Merle. Allen had to carry you to bed" Van said.
His voice hinted a bit of jealously. "Was it my fault that the Vino hit me hard?" Hitomi asked, gulping another glass down. It was filled once again.
"If you wake up with a hangover tomorrow, don't be begging me for some Advil for that headache of yours" Amano said.
"I won't need to ask you. I have some of my own in my bag" Hitomi said.
"By the way, what do you have in that thing? It was in my way earlier and I wanted to move it. It weighs too much" Merle asked.
"I only have a few things. My school books; a few library books; first aid kit; medical book; notebooks; pen; pencils; laptop; CDs; floppy disks; my Walkman; extra laptop battery; and a few journals" Hitomi named.
"I never knew you lived in that bag," Yukari said.
"Ha ha," Hitomi said. "I don't; unless I'm away from earth" Hitomi joked.
"Looks like you'll be living in that bag" Amano said.
Hitomi stuck her tongue out at her friend. "How mature" Yukari said.
"Yukari's right" Dryden said.
"They always do that," Yukari said.
"Are you serious?" Millerna asked.
"We've been best friends for years. We always joke around and goof off" Hitomi admitted.
"If you did that in front of the advisers, they'd have your heads" Merle said.
"Who said I was going to make faces in front of the advisers?" Hitomi asked.
"You never know. I've caught Merle doing quite a few things she shouldn't be doing in front of the advisers," Van said.
"Like what? I've known cats to be prissy, as well as sly and mean at times, but she's part human" Yukari said.
"True, I am part human. But I have mostly cat instincts as well as the attitude" Merle said.
They continued talking throughout the night. By the time they got to bed, it was well past midnight. Hitomi got to the bed and fell face forward on the pillow. By morning Hitomi was still sleeping. "Hitomi wake up!" Merle hissed.
"Go away" Hitomi threw a pillow at the cat.
"Fine, but it's almost ten in the morning. Lord Van wanted me to wake you up. Yukari and Amano have been up for a couple hours now" Merle said.
"Good for them. I'm tried Merle. This past night is the first night in months I've been able to sleep throughout the night without a nightmare or dream" Hitomi said.
"That isn't my fault. Fine I'll go tell Lord Van that you refuse to get out of bed. I wonder what he'll do?" Merle asked.
She walked out of the room. I wonder what he will do? Hitomi asked herself. She pushed those thoughts out of her mind and rolled over on her side. A few minutes later she heard the door quietly open and close. "Hitomi, you have to get up" Van's warm voice ran through her ears.
"Why?" Hitomi asked.
He stifled a chuckle. "It's time to wake up. It's past ten in the morning," Van said.
"So. Like I told Merle, last night was the only night in months that I've been able to sleep throughout the night without a nightmare or a dream" Immediately afterwards she regretting telling Van that.
"What kind of dreams have you been having?" Van asked.
"I don't want to talk about it" Hitomi said.
"This isn't Merle, or Amano, or Yukari. This is me. Van. You used to me able to tell me anything" Van pleaded with her.
Tears filled the corner of Hitomi's eyes. Van's pleads made her want to cry. "It's personal" Hitomi responded.
"So was everything that you and I told eachother during the Great War" Van shot back.
Hitomi cringed. I knew that was coming. Hitomi thought. "They were visions mostly. Full of blood and death. With most of them, I was standing in a dark room. There were screams coming from other rooms. They were ear piercing. The door opened and someone came in. He was followed by a few guards. The guards were carrying you. You were on the verge of death. He commander wanted to know something. Something about the black dragon. I told him I didn't know what he was talking about and I didn't. The guards threw you into my arms. They left. That's when I always woke up" Hitomi explained. Hitomi's voice cracked, and she was on the verge of tears.
Van's face knotted with concern. "How many times have you had this dream?" Van asked.
"I don't know. Too many time to count" Hitomi replied.
Van pulled her into his arms and cradled her. He rocked her back and forth in his arms. "Everything will be fine," Van said.
"You don't know that. Every one of my visions has come true, which means." Hitomi stopped in mid-sentence. Oh my God! The vision that I had of Van being killed by a dragon. Sooner or later that's going to come true as well.
"Hitomi?" Van's voice brought her back to reality. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing" Hitomi replied.
"After everything we've been through, you still build walls around yourself. Don't do that! I'm here to help. No matter what, I'll always be here for you" Van said.
"I'm afraid" Hitomi stated.
"I know you are. So am I. I don't want to lose you. And I know that you don't want to lose me; however, I'm not going anywhere" Van said.
"I don't know that and neither do you!" Hitomi shouted.
"Yes, I do. After everything we've been through, you still think that you're going to lose me. That's never going to happen" Van told her.
Van's voice wiped away most of her doubts. The lingering ones still bothered her. Losing Van would destroy her. "Come on. We have to get a move on. Wipe away those tears. You don't need tear streaks staining that beautiful face," Van said.
"What happened to that boy that I knew that was always at a loss of words?" Hitomi asked.
"I'm no longer that 'boy that you knew.' The past five years have taught me that time is too precious and that you can't take anything for granted. If you have something to say, you need to say it in that moment, or you could lose everything." Van said.
"I'd like to know how you became so wise" Hitomi laughed.
"The advisors don't give me much of a choice in that matter" Van's smile made Hitomi feel so safe.
"Why don't you get dressed. I'll wait for you. There should be some dresses in your closet" Van stood up and walked out of the room.
Though kind of annoyed that Van had left, she got out of bed and got into a scarlet dress. It was light and comfortable. She slipped on a pair of black flats and walked out of the room. "It's about time you got up," Merle said.
"If I wasn't wearing a dress I'd chase you" Hitomi said.
"You couldn't catch me if your life depended on it" Merle said.
"I wouldn't say that. Her speed has increased in that past five years," Yukari said.
"And I still can't beat Amano" Hitomi complained.
"And you never will" Amano said.
"She might surprise you one day. I never knew anyone could jump across a fissure eight meters long" Merle said.
"Really who did that?" Yukari asked.
"Hitomi did. Saving me from Zaibach" Van said.
"You're best jump was six meters" Amano said.
"Change the charts. To be honest I don't know how I did it. I think most of it was luck," Hitomi said.
"How about a late breakfast?" Amano asked. Hitomi shook her head in amusement. They walked down to breakfast, and ate quickly. Van and Hitomi walked around the castle. They caught up on the past five years. It was a lot, and there was still much to say by dinnertime. Van hadn't met with his advisors all day, but he knew that Caleb could take care of any sudden problem that rose up. Van and Hitomi had a private dinner in the gardens. The cooks were happy to provide a picnic dinner for the young couple; they had never seen their king so happy. His advisors were the only ones not happy about the seer's appearance. The last think their king needed was some girl to take his away from his work; or so they thought.
As the week past, Van was able to get more things done. Though he made sure he made plenty of time for Hitomi and her friends, all of his work got finished faster. The advisors couldn't understand what had happened to the young king. Caleb was the only one that actually had a clue. Van loved Hitomi with all of his heart. Getting him to admit it to anyone was another story.
One night after dinner, Hitomi made her way up to her room. She took out her cards and did a reading on herself. She wanted to know the outcome of her wedding, though Van hadn't asked her. The vision she had before she arrived on Gaea still plagued her mind. As she flipped the last card, her faced showed extreme amounts of fear. "The Death Card" Hitomi said.
She didn't know how to make sure that her vision didn't come true, but the outcome would still hurt many people. The next day, Fanelia was having their annual carnival. Merle had been scheming about a way to get Van and Hitomi alone that night. She had talked with Amano and Yukari as well as Caleb. They had all come up with a way to get them together. By the time the carnival opened, Merle's master plan had already taken affect. She went with Hitomi earlier that day and they both went shopping. Hitomi wanted Yukari to come, but Yukari didn't want to go. Merle went to the local tailor and looked through the dresses. Hitomi had insisted that they didn't have to buy anything, but Merle was as stubborn as ever. Hitomi finally agreed on a forest green dress. It was light and comfortable, nothing like the ball gowns. It had a scoop neck and had long sleeves. It was formfitting and very long. The tailor had to hem it up a few inches. Merle got the dress into the castle without Van noticing anything. Hitomi knew her feline friend was up to something, but decided not to put too much thought into it. The carnival had started right after the sunset, and Hitomi was in a frenzy to get ready. Merle was no help at all with her screaming. Though Merle was screaming at Hitomi to calm down, it didn't help the situation. Yukari was the only calm one in the room. As Hitomi was finishing up, there was a light knock on the door. Hitomi jumped into the air, while Yukari answered the door. It was Van and Amano. Yukari looked back toward Hitomi, who was still running around the room. Yukari let the men in and Hitomi shot a look to her best friend. Van was speechless when he was Hitomi in her new dress. "Do you like it?" Hitomi asked.
"I love it. You look gorgeous," Van said.
Hitomi smiled. He liked it! Van offered his arm and Hitomi gladly took it. The five walked out of the room and outside.