With a heavy thud, a young girl came sprawling through the air as a thick beam of light tapered into a pinprick. There she was left lying on the grass in the moonlight. Stirring herself she sat up and was aware she was no longer in the bedroom she previously had been. Hitomi looked around her: trees and fields in the darkness. A feeling of excitement and relief welled up inside her as she lay back down and began to giggle. She was free; she was away from all her troubles. She wouldn't have to worry about getting her degrees and she wouldn't have to work in a sushi bar and hopefully she wouldn't have to be alone. Tears of happiness welled up over her cheeks as she laughed loudly, forgetting where she was for a moment just staring at that cold blue-green orb in the sky. Van, Van where was he now and what was he doing. More to the point, where was she?
Her ecstatic laughter stopped as Hitomi realised she didn't know whereabouts on Gaea she had been dropped. Getting wearily to her knees she stood up and tried to get her bearing. To her left, which would be north, or south, or east, or even west, was a small herd of cow like creatures. To her right, which was equally as confusing, was a small cattle barn. Perhaps there could be someone near by who could direct her to Fanelia. What if no one had heard of it? What if she was half way across the globe from Van? Life couldn't be that cruel, could it? Stumbling forward, Hitomi painfully realised that she didn't have anything on her feet. But nevertheless she continued to saunter quietly across the rough uneven ground. Funny sort of place to graze cattle, her subconscious mind whispered to itself. However Hitomi was in no mood to think of such trivial things, she needed sleep. Reaching the small wooden structure, the young girl pulled the rusty old door open to find it absolutely empty with no signs of human or humanoid life whatsoever. Fatigue was overpowering her and she couldn't see any other structures for miles, so instead of arguing about it, she found a nice pile of hay and lay down. Pulling her arms inside the sleeves of her top she kept herself warm, heating her heart with images of her reunion with Van. It would be the end of a sad tale.
The young Fanelian Prince stood staring out of his large bedroom window. His hair blew slightly in the breeze of the witching hour. His face had elongated just the way Folken's had, although his maroon eyes remained wide and innocent. The dainty childish nose and thin wavering eyebrows had grown into strong thick features achieving a regal face. With another five years beneath his belt, Van's body had changed somewhat too. He was still rather short, being just above average height, but his body had broadened and hardened to create a sturdy swordsman, a great warrior and King. However the one thing which hadn't changed over the five years, was his love for Hitomi. Standing there watching the Mystic Moon and it's pearly partner, he had a sudden feeling that something had changed, Hitomi no longer felt like she was on the far away place called earth, but closer. But how could that be? If she had come back to Gaea wouldn't she have been brought to the castle by the beam of light? Maybe it was only wishful thinking. After all Hitomi had too many things bolting her down to her own existence and it was impossible that she could be here on Gaea, never mind Fanelia. Van sighed and pulled himself away from the clear starry night sky. He had a big day ahead tomorrow and standing staring out of a window wasn't going to help his tiredness any! But he knew with a sudden cold chill, that sleep would probably be as illusive tonight as it had been for a long while. It was beginning to show in circles under his eyes, how much that that dream was haunting him. The only one who knew of his feverish nightmares was Meryl. Bless her soul, she came and comforted him when her woke and never spoke a word to another being about it. Van knew that he couldn't simply face the horrors he'd experienced and then shake them off after the war. The terrors of night, weren't vampires or werewolves, they were the souls of the dead whose lives Van had taken. The blood and destruction he'd been a part of. It came to him every night and stopped his breathing, drained his energy and ruined his health. The only comforting thought which quelled the torrents of destruction, was the vision of her. Hitomi; the green-eyed, fragile bloom.
He stepped back feeling suddenly breathless. His room was lit by a few candles making the huge expanse very welcoming and soft, but as he looked around his eyebrows creased. He wanted Hitomi to see this with him and feel the cosy intimacy of it all. Van sighed gently. The smell of herbs and oils reached his nostrils and temped his mind to shut down. Merle stuck her head around the door to his personal bathroom. "Lord Van…your bath's ready" She smiled hopping back inside. A small smirk dimpled the edges of his mouth. Merle always did know how to make him feel better. Arriving at the doorway he spread his frame out against it.
"Merle, you didn't have to bother, I'm alright. He said seeing the large enamel tub filled to the brim with foam and bubbles. The young cat girl skitted about placing a towel over a rack by the fire. "Oh don't be silly Lord Van, when was the last time you relaxed?" She asked facing him with a balled fist on her hip. Van's shoulders sagged and he shrugged her shirt off his shoulders revealing two yoke bearing eaves. Scratching his toned stomach he yawned lazily. Merle huffed motheringly and helped him off with his trousers. Stepping into the seething warmth of the bath Van let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. His catty adopted sister stood looking dubiously at his discarded clothing as she picked them up "Aww Van didn't you even change your clothes while you were away?" The young Fanelian King opened an eye with all the enthusiasm of a sloth. He observed her with an air of dumb bewilderment. Merle sighed exasperatedly and left him to soak luxuriously and forget the strains that his body endured night after night.
The soft silence of the night engulfed him accompanied only by the friendly murmurings of the fire. The steaming water reddened his skin and soothed a burning craving inside him. Oh Lord how he wanted Hitomi there. Not as the young girl who'd left to go home but as a woman to assuage his most deeply felt needs. Sinking down into the heaven of the bubbles he pushed his hair back flat against his head and closed his eyes. Hitomi…Hitomi.
The young girl jerked awake. Something warm and wet was assaulting her face. Sitting up abruptly she pushed the eager and curious face of a large cow away from her. It batted its long feminine eyelashes at her and resumed chewing the cud. Hitomi angrily wiped her face of the sticky saliva with the sleeve of her jumper. Great wake up call a slobbery cow giving you a kiss, just what she wanted. Succeeding in ridding herself of the gooey mess she took a moment to get her bearings. Then it all flooded back to her. She had come back to Gaia. She had come back to Van. Her heart thudded in her chest. Now all she had to do was find him.
Standing on shaky legs, the young woman dusted the hay from her woollen pullover and edged past the giant beast still blocking the door of the small shack. Her stomach growled as the bright morning light attacked her eyes. She needed breakfast, but the dry field looked bitter and greedy, keeping all its goodness to itself. A sigh escaped her lips. It was a happy sigh; she was right where she wanted to be, even if she was a little hungry and dirty. Well almost, she thought with a dreamy smile. Right now she had to find out where she was and how far away Van was. Looking around about she spotted something glittering in the distance a little beyond the edge of the field. It looked like white canvas blowing in the wind. Finding her feet Hitomi jogged towards it. Getting nearer she realised there was a road and the canvas was used to shield a small wagon from the sun. She kept walking with a steady airy pace. Nothing could keep her down now. Her heart was racing and she felt like a child on Christmas morning. As she approached the cart her heart dipped a little…it seemed to be deserted. Hitomi visibly drooped.
"Hello?" She called quietly, her voice still shaky from sleep. Walking around the side of the wooden structure she found a young beast man tying up a cotton bag. He turned with amber eyes and looked her up and down. "Can I help you?" he asked regarding her attire with some puzzlement. She smiled breathlessly. "Hi, can you tell me how far it to Fanelia?" The man continued to look at her with an air of confusion but at the length he straightened up till he was towering above her and called inside the tent of the wagon. "Father…there's a traveller here wanting to know how far away Fanelia is" After a few moments during which the creature's eyes never left her, a slightly older face popped through the material to stare at a very unnerved Hitomi. But she recognised that face, however animalistic it was. "Rhum?" She asked. The older man's eyes brightened and he smiled with familiarity. "Lady Hitomi! From the mystic moon" She grinned widely, relieved to be in the company of friends.
"So you've returned? Are you planning to stay?" He asked jumping out from the raised carriage. The young girl nodded eagerly "…That is…if Van …will have me?" Rhum smiled, "Oh Lady Kanzaki, King Van has been very patient for your return…but I fear something's amiss in that palace. You've come just in time." Her green eyes clouded with confusion and a little fear "What do you mean? Is Van all right?" The elderly beats man glanced at his son who was slightly bewildered and shook his head "I dare not speak about it miss," he suddenly brightened eager to change the subject. "We're heading back to the city in a little while, once we sheer the brallons…we'll take you back then." The young woman sighed in relief. She would sort this out when she arrived.
After a few hours inside the cool shade of the wagon, they were finally ready to go. Rhum's son, Gar, watched Hitomi with some revelation. He was no older than she was and must have been curious about the fact that she was from the mystic moon. She smiled kindly at him, but couldn't contain the burning excitement inside her to see Van again. The journey itself was not unpleasant and made her first day back on Gaia an experience very unlike her previous visit. Rhum and his son sang local shanties and taught Hitomi some of the lyrics in their native tongue. Finally Rhum leant back into the covered carriage and shook the young girl awake, as she had taken a short nap. "Miss Hitomi, we're here" She leapt up and scrambled into the seat beside Rhum. True enough, there she sat; the strong sturdy walls of Fanelia. Banners with the Royal colours waved majestically in the summer breezes. And carts rumbled in and out of the city like ants to and from their nest. Hitomi's senses were assaulted from all sides. The gentle babble of the ordinary folk going about their business, the awesome enormity of the gates as she passed through them and the grandeur of Van's castle perched squarely in the centre took her breath away and brought tears to her eyes. Rhum looked at her sidelong.
"Miss Hitomi? Are you alright?" Young Kanzaki nodded slowly overwhelmed by the intensity of emotion she was feeling at that moment.
Rhum snapped his reigns lightly and the oxen at the front mooed low before stopping. Gar jumped out of the back of the cart and helped Hitomi down from the height. She thanked him and looked up at Emerald city. Nothing made her heart pound more than to know that her one true love, the man for whom she'd pined, her soul mate was inside right now, unaware. Oh, how he'd be surprised. The look on his face when she walked in would be priceless. What would she say? What would she do? What would he look like? Questions flapped around in her head like butterflies flitting in all directions. Rhum had wandered off leaving a Hitomi and his son to simply be a spectacle to curious passers-by. Now he returned and called to them
"Lady Hitomi, the King is out in the fields helping with the harvest, come I'll take you there" her eyes shone with excitement. Finally she'd see him again. She couldn't bear having to wait any longer! Piling back in, Rhum Flicked the reigns and the oxen took off at a greater speed through the gates and veering off to the high ground above the castle. In a matter of minutes they had reached a wide-open pasture on the other side of the ridge. Fields of wheat and barley swayed in the gentle gusts of wind, striking yellows and golds against the stark clarity of the blue skies. Small dots appeared on the horizon as the bend figures of workers and the fields changed into rows of large vines growing grapes. People shielded their eyes and they looked up to investigate the visitor. Hitomi sat forward, almost unable to contain her excitement. Rhum picked up speed. Filed after field passed by. In the nest enclosure there was potatoes and some sort of marrow, a tail sticking up from behind a large pumpkin-type-plant caught Hitomi's eye. "Meryl!" The cat-girl straightened up and gazed over her shoulder. "Hitomi?" In an instant she had passed, but Hitomi giggled in delight. She was so overjoyed she couldn't believe this was happening. The last field was where they stopped. It seemed that some sort of hugely mutant crop was growing that required the strongest men to haul them from the ground. With large blue leaves they were very unusual to the earth girl's unaccustomed eyes. Rhum jumped from his eat and began calling.
"King van! Where is his majesty?" Many big burly men straightened up from their crouched positions. Hitomi's eyes flickered over each face trying to find those familiar maroon eyes, that wild, untamed and earthy hair and that face so innocent but strong.
"What is it Rhum?" The voice came as a dark haired young man stood up and vainly wiped his soil-encrusted hands on his tunic. He froze in mid-action and simply stared dumbfounded at the figure atop the cart. She was so beautiful. Her brown hair tempted her shoulders and her figure was now that of a woman's. Her mouth was parted in anticipation and those eyes. Ye Gods! Eyes to drown in, stared at him with a fire and a passion he knew only too well. Splitting the now all-encompassing silence they launched simultaneously from the spots where they had previously occupied. Both lovers bounded over the field, stopping short as they stood in front of one another, eyes and mouths wide in shock, marvel, ecstasy, and something of disbelief.
Van was trying to find words for something, but the utter sensation of realisation overwhelmed him. "Hit…you're here…you…Hitomi? …You're here!" He took her face in his hands as though to confirm she was really real. His eyes; older than their years were now wide in childlike wonder. He quickly removed his hands and laughed nervously at their filthy condition. Hitomi laughed with him. A laugh of relief, happiness, sadness and above all else fulfilment. Van picked her up and swung her around, laughing all the while. She was home, there safe in his arms, happy and …she was home.
