Sorry, I was sooo lazy I didn't want to do anything yesterday. Plus my internet's on the edge again. Ooooo. It hurts.

Thank you once again Magicman and esca chic for reviewing YET AGAIN!

And Magicman, No, I don't believe that hits anywhere near. Or wait, it could.

I'm gonna give you a summary of this chapter, just cause I feel like it. It's about how one day at the market can cause HAVOC on Van and Hitomi's relationship, but for the better or worse?

OH my. The last was one or was it the one before that?

Chapter 10? --it's really bad when you can't remember your own chapters. Hehe

(I think I'll call this one) The Mean Men at Marketplaces.

(Nah, doesn't fit right) The Bad Men at Marketplaces.

(I'll go with the first) The Mean Men at Marketplaces.

Over the next week Amano, Yukari and I spent time looking at Gaean customs. We all had decided to stay here on Gaea. We begged Merle to teach us everything about Gaea. When she finally gave in, the first thing she taught us was how to read and write and let me tell you. There are some Funky symbols in that language. After we finished that, Merle went onto teaching us the months, years and days. It was roughly the same as our own, but they had three extra months in there and thirty-five days in a month {so I was only 15!}. They also different names of course. She also taught us about the religion, positions, money and anything else we really wanted to know about. (a/n: she should be fifteen, and if not, guess what SHE IS!)

Amano got Van to teach him how to fight with swords. Most of the guards at the palace, city actually, thought that it was hilarious. They'd never seen a grown man not know how to sword fight before. Van started out with him and most everyone was there to see Amano's first lesson. He was good, from what I could tell. The guards were astounded. I overheard one of them say: "It took me three days to get that down!" It must come with the looks.

Poor Van, I think between Merle, Yukari and I, Fanelia went broke. Everyday in the morning before it got too hot, we would be out in the market street buying one thing or another. (a/n: doesn't that sound like girls?) One particular day, we went shopping all day long. In the late afternoon before we left, we went into a clothing shop and they found this velvet material that was the same color of my eyes. Merle and Yukari wanted to make it into a dress so bad for me to wear. For what occasion I didn't ask. I told them no. I like wearing red better than green myself. Although I was sorely tempted. The seam mistress took our measurements and told us she'd keep them for further use. I have a feeling something is going that I didn't know about.

When we came out of that store, Merle started leading the way to a jewelry store she knew of and then we were going home to the palace. Along the way, I spotted a bookstore that had a neat book sitting in the window. I went in and bought it once I decided I liked the book. I came out of the bookstore and looked around for Merle and Yukari. "Oh, no! They're gone!" I groaned.

"Who are pretty lady?" a male voice behind me said.

I turned around and a man about a year a year or two older than me was standing behind me. "My two friends I was shopping with." (a/n: stupid Hitomi, never give out any extra info!)

"Oh! I think I know whom you're talking about! A cat-girl and a woman?"

Had I not been so occupied over the day's events so far, I most likely would have come to the conclusion that he was following me. But I was too busy to even thing that thought. "Yes! Can you tell me where they went?" I asked, more like begged.

"My lady! I will do better, I'll take you to them myself!" he replied. He gently took my hand and started leading me toward what I had earlier dubbed the slums. I knew Merle and Yukari would never go there without some sort of escort and began to get worried. I started to struggle and his grip tightened. I was glad my sprained wrist was healed; men on Gaea have really strong grips.

He kept leading me through alleyways until we came across a pub. It didn't look that bad, from the outside. It was dusk outside so people were coming in from work. The place was pretty much packed, but my kidnapper didn't stop at the bar. He went right into the back of the bar into a small stairway. Then led me up to the second and top floor of the building. I was scared. For my life.

He managed to pull me into a room that was deserted except for a bed. It was dark in that room, and my state of mind was in no shape to help either. He roughly shoved me on the bed. He started to remove his clothes first. When he was just starting to take off his pants, I couldn't hear anything. All the conversation in the room below us just seemed to stop. I blacked out.

POOR HITOMI!!

What will happen to her?

Will I let him go through with it?

Let's see

*Normal POV* (She's unconscious, come on)

Van walked in the door. All conversation stopped in the room of the pub. The king in this part of town wasn't seen everyday. Not to mention he looked fit to kill. And he was.

Through the pendant, he had seen a man grab Hitomi. He saw it only for a second and as soon as it was gone, Merle and Yukari had raced up to him and said that Hitomi was gone. Van had immediately used the pendant to find Hitomi. He had seen this pub as the destination. There was no hesitating that this wasn't it.

By the time he'd gotten there, he had been scared he was too late. But he could feel Hitomi's fear, not pain and that told him she was okay for the moment. Then he couldn't feel her at all. Van walked purposely through the crowd to the stairway to the second floor. He passed by the doors to rooms where he didn't even want to know what was going on. He passed one room, and then doubled back. Hitomi was in that room. He tried the door, but like any room that was occupied, it was locked. He braced his shoulder and went through the door. He saw figures barely through the darkness. One was almost undressed, only in pants. Another was on the bed, Hitomi unconscious. "Hey!" Van yelled.

The man turned around to face Van. He saw whom it was and took on a look of shock. Van walked slowly up to the man. Once he was an arms length away, Van punched him. The rapist (A/n: he IS a rapist) fell to the ground knocked out. "Amano, drag him to the palace, I'll carry Hitomi," Van said over his shoulder where he knew Amano was. With that he went over to the bed and picked Hitomi up. Once he got her in his arms she woke up.

*Hitomi's POV* (Ya know, this is the Normal POV, oh well

I could feel all my clothes on so figured I hadn't been out very long. I suddenly felt like a man holding me. So I opened my eyes to see were his face was. And gave him right hook. The man stumbled but managed to hold onto me. "Hitomi! It's me!" the man tried to get her to recognize him.

I blinked and suddenly wrapped my arms around his neck. "Van! I was so scared!" I cried into his shoulder. He turned to the door and walked over a man's body, down the stairs and out the pub. A looked up after a while and noticed Merle, Yukari and Amano following us. I thought I saw Amano dragging someone. Van didn't stop until we reached the palace. Van told one of the guards to take the man Amano was carrying to the prison. The guard obeyed. Van kept going. Once outside my room he told the others to go eat since it was past suppertime. They went away.

Van opened the door and took us inside. He set me down on the bed. I suddenly noticed I still had the bag that had my book from the shop. The book that started this whole ordeal. I could have laughed. I managed to hold onto the DAMN book! I finally decided to say something since Van was just staring at me. "You know I could have walked."

"Yeah, you could have. Only to get kidnapped again," he accused.

"It wasn't my fault. I thought he was just going to help me," I said.

"Well, obviously he wasn't," Van mocked.

I growled in annoyance. He was making fun of me because I didn't know that people were like that here. So I told him so. "I didn't know people in Fanelia were like that okay! Everyone I've met has been really nice; I thought he was too! I wasn't thinking! I was scared! We were in a part of the City I'd never been before! It wasn't my fault!" I yelled, my voice cracking under the emotions I was feeling. Once again I found myself crying.

I felt two arms encircle me. "I'm sorry," Van whispered. "I was just so scared. I didn't know if you were okay or what. I am sorry." I cried on his shoulder. He pulled me away, just enough so he could see my face. He took his hand and wiped my tears away. "Come on, let's go eat." I nodded my head. I was hungry.