AN: Been a while... Don't own Esca characters but the plot and extras. ***=scene changes
He didn't know how long he sat there, holding his beloved to him, taking comfort in the fact that she was there, in his arms. It wasn't until Merle cleared her throat that he came back to reality.
"Lord Van," She knelt next to them, "Is she alright?" He looks at her then shrugs, "Come, we must get her to a healer as soon as possible." He told her, standing up with her in his arms.
***

Moonlight filters through the balcony window were she land, sleeping soundly. The hearth crackled as the log fell in two with the fire consuming it slowly, feeding on the wood.
Letting out a sigh, he stood and walked quietly towards the bed. She was stunning, she always was, and angelic like, as if ...
Hitomi snuggled deeper into the warmth of the blankets and bedding, sighing contently in her sleep. His gloveless hand reached out, moving some of the stray hairs from her face. He wished she'd open her eyes and smile at him, like she used to.
He kneels down on the floor, folding his arms on the bed and resting his chin on them, staring at her. *How can anyone be this beautiful? * He wonders gazing at her, but as he watched her, he notices that something else is different about her appearance. She was far paler than the last time he remembered and her hair seemed a little dull. He also realized, with a start, that there were small dark circles under her eyes.
*How could I have missed it? * He stood up and leaned in closer, *She's thin.too thin and too pale too. * "Like she's been away from the sun for too long." He whispered, voicing his thoughts. He kisses her cheek, "What have they done too you, Hitomi? What happened there?" Sighing, knowing that his questions wouldn't be answered till the morning, he returns to his original spot; a chair near the hearth. "Well," He mutters, "this saves me, hopefully, from more proposals from those noble families."
***
Hitomi grumbles and rolls away as the morning sun made its way onto the bed. She opens her eyes, her senses felt muddled as she stretches. That's when she froze. Her emerald green eyes widen with surprise and shock as she saw where she was. The room was huge, bigger than her cell, with what one would have thought of as Western Victorian style furniture. Her bed was a huge king size four- poster bed with a canopy and curtains that were drawn back.
She moved the covers so that she could move. She got up on her feet, a bit unsteadily, and walking slowly towards the balcony window. The sight that greeted her took her breath away. It was a city, not the one she remembered from home, but the city that she remembers from Gaia.
The market was busy with its shops, buyers, merchants and travelers, what also made her gasp was the place that she was in was the only one that was a very tall building. A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts as it busts open and a brown- pink blur tackled her and started licking her face.
Too surprise to do much of anything, Hitomi just waited for the dizziness to stop before she looked upon the person that was on top of her. "Merle?!"
The one word that she only managed to get out before she hug the cat-woman to death. "Hitomi! How are you doing? Are you ok?" Merle asked rapidly, "Would you like to come to the market to get some clothe so we can-"
"Merle!"
Merle's eyes widen as she duck behind, a now standing, Hitomi. "Don't let her find me!" She pleaded. "Who?" Hitomi asked with confusion, "Who is it?"
Suddenly, a tall woman (5'8, hey, that's tall to me!) with long raven locks of hair put into a sideways ponytail and had violet eyes peeps into the room. She walks in looking around.
Hitomi noted her outfit; it was white. She fought hard not to show her hatred for white. 'And it's virgin white too! ' She thought disgusted. Over her time in the cell, she had learned to discern the difference between white, and the several of white. Virgin white, was.well, the original white. Then eggshell white, the color of some eggs and so on. She looked down at herself, disgruntled to find herself in, yet again, white, but she was oddly pleased at the grass stains and dirt spots that were in it.
"Oh, " The woman says, "I didn't know anyone was here." She ran a speculative gaze over Hitomi's figure. "Are you new here?"
Hitomi didn't reply, but allowed Merle to. "No, she's been here before." The cat-woman told her. "Princess Sheila, this is the Seeress from the Mystic Moon, Lady Hitomi." She looks at her friend, "Hitomi, this is the princess of Barsam, Princess Sheila Annasha."
"I'm please to met you, Lady Hitomi." The Princess curtsied a bit.
"Charmed, I'm sure," Hitomi replies, inclining her head a little.
The Princess looked like she wanted to say something, but thought better of it. "I will be taking my leave, Good morrow to you, Lady Hitomi." She then turns her attentions to Merle "Are you coming or not, Merle?"
Merle shook her head, "No, I'm going to wait for Hitomi," she all but batted her eyelashes at Sheila, "But you are more than welcome to visit the market yourself." 'In fact,' she thought, 'I encourage it.'
"Every well then." And without farther ado, she left, much to the relief of both women. "Come on." Merle smiles at her friend, "I'll send for the servants to draw the bath and get some clothes ready." Hitomi flashed her a bright smile, "That sounds great!"
*** A half hour found Hitomi staring at the one color she didn't like. On her bed was three white dresses. The first was a V cut with long sleeves and a slightly tight bodice. The dress would've flared out slightly, cling to her figure, if she'd worn it. The next dress was the clear blue-white. Meaning it was so light blue that it was white. It had more of a box cut with puffy sleeves and looked a little like something a little girl would wear. The last was a cream white color. It was short sleeved with a V cut and a somewhat loose bodice. She moved away from them, not wanting to see them, for they reminded her time on Earth, in that room, alone.
"Hitomi, are you-" Merle stopped when she saw her friend, looking so distantly at the clothes. "Hitomi?" She walks up to the woman and touches her arm, but the girl was still in a trance like state. "HITOMI!" She yells in her ear.
Hitomi snaps out of it and looks at Merle, who looked very worried, "Oh, uh, Merle." "Hitomi, are you ok?" Merle asked, worry and concern still written all over her face and in her eyes. "You looked so out of it." She pauses before asking, almost fearfully, "Was it a vision?"
Hitomi smiles sadly at the cat-woman, "No, not a vision Merle." She looks away, "I was...just remembering something...that's all."
Merle sighs, "Oh," Then looks a little angry and curious, "Then why aren't you dressed yet?!"
The side of Hitomi's mouth kicks up as a genuine smile appears, "It's nothing, but can you get me a different color than white?"
Merle blinks, surprised by the request. Usually Hitomi didn't really can what she wore, but now.... "Sure, any preference?" Hitomi shook her head, causing her washed and dried honey hair to shake as well, like a river down her back, "No, just as long as it's not white or any color that has white in it." She nodded, but still a bit confused at her friend's request, "Ok, just wait here."
AN: Ok, hopefully that was better. If it's hard to read, blame it on FF.Net's formation and all. R&R