AN: Haha, sorry for lack of updates, not very encouraged/inspired to write... Summer should have more updates :) Please review! They make me feel better and want to write n_n Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed *hugs* Will try to do review replies... Just...So...Lazy...... @.@
Of A Dream | Chapter 2
Suddenly feeling tense, Hitomi tried to breath in her tight corset, her grip on Van's arm subconsciously tightening as they descended the burnished marble stairs. She felt the sharp eyes of several guests on her, the assurance the beauty of her gown had given her dissipating. Swallowing the dryness in her throat, Hitomi kept her back tall as Van stretched on an indolent half smile for the twittering females. Secretly yearning for the collectiveness her escort had, Hitomi turned her full cherry lips into a doubtful smile, nodding her head, occasionally curtseying ineptly while Van lowered into a practiced bow.
"Hitomi," came a deep masculine voice, and gently turning Hitomi happily met the twinkling blue eyes of her knight in shining armour.
"Allen!" Hitomi exclaimed, stepping forward to hug him, then she remembered where she was. Sweeping into a curtsey, doing her best to keep her balance, Hitomi straightened up as Allen raised his head from his bow.
"You look devastating," Allen smiled, "Be careful, you'll have many men fighting over you tonight," he added with a wink. Hitomi bit on her lip to keep from screaming in delight.
"Thank you," she replied coolly. Van looked away in an almost uninterested fashion as the exchange continued. "You look quite handsome yourself tonight," she complimented, and Allen shook his head.
"Please, stop, you're making me go red," Allen laughed, "Oh, my appalling manners," he exclaimed, as a regal blonde who had her arm hooked possessively through his coughed. "This is Princess Millerna," he introduced with a pleased expression.
"Pleased to meet you, Lady Hitomi," Millerna said primly, curtseying as Hitomi did the same.
"Pleased to meet you…Too…" Hitomi replied after a moment, slightly thrown off, "Uh… I thought you were with Princess Eries?" Hitomi asked Allen, blushing at the rudeness of her question.
"She's dancing with Dryden," Allen nodded, "I was just about to escort Princess Millerna for a dance. You should go have a dance with… I'm sorry what's your name?" Allen asked, looking pointedly at Van as if suddenly noticing him. Van's maroon eyes flickered with annoyance as he turned to face the speaker.
"Van Fanel," Van replied curtly. The two men bowed politely, sizing each other up, while Millerna looked Hitomi up and down, then turned her head away unconcernedly.
"Very nice to meet you, Van," Allen said in a condescending tone, "Shall we all go?" he asked Millerna, who smiled.
"Alright," Hitomi agreed, aware of the slight strain in the air, "Uh, Van?"
"Will you grant me a dance?" Van asked formally, turning to face Hitomi completely, smiling lopsidedly at her. The sudden change in mood made Hitomi apprehensive.
"It'd be a pleasure," Hitomi replied uneasily, Van taking her gloved hand in his. As the music struck up, Van placed his left hand in Hitomi's right, his other hand resting on the small of her back as he pulled her in gently, leaving her plenty of time to resist. She wanted to at first, but relenting, she stopped when her body was close but not enough to touch his. He guided her effortlessly, Hitomi relaxing and tensing up slightly at the same time. So far she hadn't stepped on his feet, breaking her record. But it was lingering in the back of her mind, taunting her and teasing her to mess up.
As Van kept his eyes on Hitomi's forehead, his peripheral vision on her however, his usual stern and serious thoughts were tangling up. She was so familiar, or maybe it's just that he felt comfortable with her. He felt compassion towards her, something he rarely felt towards others. Her green eyes held such an abandoned expression, her body language unsure and forlorn. Lost in the rush of the world.
She didn't fit in the court, he reasoned pragmatically. She'd never be happy here.
But this wasn't what he was meant to feel. Van was supposed to be a lone soul, jaded, uncaring. He wasn't supposed to empathize people.
Clearing his throat, Van continued guiding Hitomi, who had started to like his scent; like summer rain in an open field, like rain drops on velvet soft petals. Feeling him physically stiffen, she worried that she had done something offensive again. Pretty soon her body become rigid as well, and she began to lose her poise, stepping on his toe, jerking back after realizing it.
"Sorry," she whispered, jolting her back straight, not able to meet his eye. She couldn't bear an angry and irritated look right now, her cheeks and eyes were already stinging from the snickers she could hear.
"Don't worry about it," Van replied simply, a violinist finishing her solo in the orchestra. The dance soon ended, and as Van escorted Hitomi off the dance floor, he grabbed two flutes of champagne from a passing waiter, nodding a thanks.
"Here," he offered, sipping the cold, sharp bubbly liquid, "You might relax a bit more. You look like a chandelier's about to crash on you," his tone serious. His mouth showed no inclination to smile comfortingly. Laughing nervously, Hitomi accepted the drink and knocked it back, the cold hurting her head slightly.
"Easy there," Van said, concerned as Hitomi flew a hand to her temple. "I think you drank it too quickly." Hitomi wanted to apologize again, but merely nodded as she didn't want to go through the whole evening saying sorry every five minutes. Van's eyes met Hitomi's green ones, the expression she read as degrading when in actual fact was concerned. She looked over at Princess Eries, now dancing with Allen, then to Dryden who was looking pensively at Princess Millerna as she stared at her shoe, trying to disregard him. A pang of pity hit Hitomi as Dryden's body language screamed longing. Dryden was a good teacher, and a good man. Why did he want someone like Princess Millerna?
But, perhaps he didn't like her. After all, Hitomi didn't have a good history of judgement. Possibly he was just worrying about her, like a friend? Sighing, Hitomi rested her back against the cool pillar, wishing the ball would end so she could relax in the welcoming comfort of her bed and not worry about anything. Turning to face Van, she realized he wasn't there, but instead in the arms of a brunette, who seemed ecstatic to dance with him. Hitomi frowned sullenly, and floating over to a lone arm chair by one of the bay windows, Hitomi leaned forward and stared at the sky. It was foggy, and there were no stars visible. Shame, she could have used one to wish on. Clasping her hands, Hitomi listened to the mix of people laughing, music, and the sound of leaves being rustled by the wind outside. She gently extended her slender fingers, touching the cold, slightly frosted glass, the moon casting an ethereal glow on her skin. There was a piercing howl of a wolf, followed soon after by several others, their silhouettes visible against the white yellow light in the sky. It was barely audible, since they were so far away and she was inside, but she strained to listen to their song.
Wolves always fascinated Hitomi. Dryden once told her that wolves howled when they were lonely, and that the other wolves would howl, so that the two would eventually cross.
So they'd always have someone there for them.
Humans didn't have that kind of system. Humans could be so very, very alone.
Sighing, Hitomi looked at the colourful swirling skirts, the music growing more jovial and exuberant as the minutes passed. Looking away from the window, Hitomi noticed Van standing by a pillar, his posture straight as he seemed to stand dead still among the buzzing life around him. And it was when he locked his maroon eyes with her, that it hit her.
He looked like a lone wolf.
* * *
Sinking into the softness of her bed, Hitomi inhaled the convivial fragrance of her perfume mixed with the scent of fresh laundry. Her mind was humming with energy, but her body was lagged, desperately seeking sleep. What to do, what to do. It was quiet, and Hitomi winced at the sharp rustle her sheets made as she tossed to and fro. Her shadows were reflected onto the walls from the moonlight, which warped and stretched out onto the floor as she could hear the small night noises in the distance. After a bit of deliberation, Hitomi swung her legs over the side of the bed and wrapped a silk robe around her slender body, pulling it tightly so it hugged her curves. Padding quietly down the halls, she opened the main doors gently, slipping out into the dead of the night. The normal pastel hues of the wild flowers were blackened by the sky, the white flowers turning an eerie azure tint. Her feet moved quickly over the church's cold floors, the moonlight filtering through the stained glass windows. The small flames of the floating candles flickered in welcome as she rushed past them, and Hitomi shivered slightly as she pushed the back doors open. Running across the grass like a little kid to the familiar statue of the warrior and maiden, Hitomi sank into the space between the two lovers, barely fitting in the gap as she had grown over the years.
Staring at the blackened sky, she curled her toes slightly as she relaxed herself, her gaze on the dark clouds, nearly camouflaged in the sky, then to the horizon, to the graves, to her feet. She replayed the ball's events in her head, feeling a wrenching feeling in her heart. Her cheeks burned slightly, her head buzzing as she bit her bottom lip, her green eyes widening, shiny from threatening tears.
Why did she live this life? Was she meant to thrive in this way of living? With the constant eyes of the court watching you, that searing pain of disgrace always hounding her? The cool night air calming the flushed heat of her skin, and rather then allow herself to start crying, Hitomi leaned back against the statue, the night soothing her with it's quiet embrace.
"I'll wait for you…"
A few petals flew by her as the grass bent to the breeze's will. Hitomi lifted her hand to run the tips of her fingers along the worn surface of the statue. She shut all thoughts of her life away, refusing to let them plague her at the moment. This was her moment.
"Let the stars be your guide, the Gods your protector, my love your hope."
Her hand was now flat against the leg of the warrior, the definition of the muscle still visible despite the effects of time.
"Don't forget me…"
A few clouds blocked the moon, the surroundings growing dark for a few moments. Hitomi wrapped her robe around her tighter, biting her lip. Perhaps she should head back soon.
"How could I?"
As Hitomi leaned back against the stone again, there was this sort of pulsing power coming from the statue. It was like Hitomi could sense it, washing over her like warm, therapeutic waters. Getting on her knees, Hitomi lowered her head so as not to bump it on the interlocked fingers of the lovers, and stood to examine it.
"Be mine till you leave?"
The expression in the eyes of the warrior was so determined, yet lost, and Hitomi wondered what the maiden had looked like. She'd never know, the features were crumbled beyond repair. The warrior's posture was lower, his back leaning back slightly, as if the maiden were trying to help him. Their body language… It was like they were the only people in the world, would help each other through any strife. Hitomi smiled sadly. She wished she had someone to help her through her plights.
"I will be yours forever."
Running her palm along the jaw line of the warrior, along his arm, then tracing the crumbled stone of the maiden, Hitomi felt her head pound slightly. Something… She was forgetting something. It's like a piece of her was missing. What was she trying to remember? Clutching her head, Hitomi sunk down to the ground as she winced, it was as if someone was trying to contract her head. What had she forgotten?
A few petals blew across the sober faces of the two, the sun light illuminating their profiles. Van played with a few strands of hair at the nape of Hitomi's neck, her curtain of golden brown hair falling over his arm. The air was sweet, the scene perfect enough to paint.
"Van, I'm afraid," Hitomi whispered, keeping her gaze stern at the horizon.
"Why?" he asked, stopping his play with her hair.
"I'm afraid I'll be alone again," she admitted, her heart tightening making it hard to breathe, "You're the only one I'm capable of loving," she added bashfully, trying to resist getting up and running off after that comment.
"You can love anyone," Van laughed gently, holding her tighter as if reading her mind, "Your heart's a beautiful thing, Hitomi. Don't waste it." Hitomi sat in silence, the sun warming her rosy cheeks as a wind swept by them. The sky was being highlighted hues of early morning; orange, light blue, and as a few birds hopped out, twittering, and Hitomi leaned back onto Van's chest.
"It belongs to you though," she replied, and Van flushed slightly before regaining his colour. Turning to face him, Hitomi placed a hand on Van's cheek, caressing it gently as he leaned his head forward. Fluttering her eyes shut, their lips met, Hitomi tilting her head to the side, her heart threatening to charge out of her ribcage. A wave of warmth rushed through her, goose bumps appearing on her slender arms as Van deepened the kiss, Hitomi conforming to the angle of his body. The kiss was passionate, yet soft, like ripples of crushed velvet, like the petals of a rose in full bloom. Like water falling on bright green grass, like a baby bird learning how to fly. It was Van.
On all fours, Hitomi coughed as her head spun, these thoughts so detailed and over whelming. Why couldn't she remember? It was eating at her mind, a pain piercing through, as if she didn't remember she'd explode. Pressure rang in her ears, cold invading her head as fire crept up her insides. Why….
Van held his sword at his side as he swung it through the air, holding still, then slashing it to the ground, the moonlight occasionally picking up the reflection on the blade. He liked to practice at night, where everything became one, a being of the darkness. It was the only thing he could rely on. As he was about to step back to strike the air, he heard a female crying, and Van snapped his head towards the direction of the noise. Silently sheathing his sword, Van then broke out into a sprint till he burst through some shrubbery into what looked like a graveyard. Panning his gaze across the horizon, he passed through stones and flowers, stopping at a tiny corner of blue sapphire satin that tumbled through an opening in a statue. Jogging to the other side of the statue, Van peered through the stone arms and recognized the girl after a confused moment.
"Hitomi?" Van questioned from above. When she didn't respond, he crouched down and hoisted her up into his arms and looked at her. "Hitomi??" he asked again, shaking her slightly in his strong arms.
She rocked back and forth, her features tensed up as she mouthed the word 'no', and Van began to run, sprinting through the church when suddenly she reached out to touch his face, stopping him.
"Van, I remember--" she cried out, her green eyes different, yet the same, but then it was like someone clamped her mouth shut. Relaxing, her head rested in the nook of his arm as she fell unconscious. Van looked at her troubled face, that was slowly blanking. What did she remember?
***
"What did you do to her?"
"Nothing!" Van retorted as Hitomi lay sleeping in bed, unaware of the arguing going on between the two men. Tempers were flaring like lightening, the volume increasing with each second like thunder.
"Would you two take this outside?" Merle hissed sharply, "She's sleeping! If she drops into a coma and I'm in dire need of something to wake her up I'll be sure to get you two! Now either pipe down or leave."
"Fine," Van replied darkly, whipping his head to cast one glance at Hitomi then storming out the room. Allen looked at Hitomi, then Merle. Bowing stiffly, as if to apologize for his behaviour, Allen straightened up and quietly shut the door behind him. Merle frowned slightly at the contrast between the two men's behaviour, and brushing a stray strand of golden hair away from Hitomi's face she bit her lip. What was wrong with that girl?
* * *
Waking up in a cocoon of warmth, Hitomi snuggled deeper into her clean sheets, wondering why Merle hadn't already screeched at her to wake up. Propping herself up on her elbows, she felt a hand stop her.
"You better stay in bed," came Merle's soft voice, and Hitomi squinted, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, a blur of pink and blue in her vision.
"Merle? What? Why?" Hitomi asked, mentally slapping herself. It was rare she got to sleep in, she shouldn't complain. The only times Merle had ever allowed her to was when she was sick—
Hitomi felt a slight churning in her stomach.
"Merle? What's wrong?" she asked, more like demanded, and Merle sat down in a chair.
"Nothing's wrong," Merle replied honestly, "Just you keep fainting every time you run off into the graveyard, I don't think it's healthy for you. It was lucky Van found you late at night," Merle added with a slight screeching tone, "I was so worried!"
"Sorry," Hitomi mumbled, "And it's not dangerous! I just had too much champagne," she furthered indignantly.
"It's your body, Lady Hitomi," Merle replied seriously, "Not mine. In the end it's your decision." Hitomi felt guilty at Merle's tone of voice, and began to squirm as she heard a cough outside the door. "And you have a guest," Merle added, "Van, you can come in." As the mahogany door swung open, Van stepped in, no longer wearing the jacket but wearing a red tunic and tan breeches.
"Hitomi," Van nodded, "Merle." Nodding back at Van, sending him a warning look along the lines of distress-her-in-any-way-and-I'll-kill-you. Hitomi could hear Van's boots clunking against the floor, his sword at his hip faithfully as sunlight poured into the room as he thrust the heavy curtains open. Shielding her eyes with her hand, Hitomi let out a groan as he turned to her, a lopsided grin just barely tugging at his lips as she hid beneath the covers.
"Are you alright, Lady Vampire?" he asked, his tone almost trained, and Hitomi nodded.
"Thank you," Hitomi smiled shyly, not before sticking out her tongue at him, the sun making Van's raven black hair shine. The room was no longer the epitome of solitude, what with him in it. It was so calm, his steady stance creating a still yet fluttering feeling. Brilliant rays of white yellow sun soaking up the tall fresco walls of the room, and Hitomi wondered why she didn't open her curtains more often. She felt peaceful, and allowed herself to rest her head on the large feather pillow below her once throbbing head. Van walked to the side of her bed, and gave Hitomi a studious look. Hitomi felt slightly microscopic under his gaze, and looked for something to concentrate on. Noticing a crest on his sword, Hitomi propped herself up on her elbows and tried to get a better look at it. It was red, gold and black, a sort of emblem engraved into it. It didn't look royal—what was it?
Van followed her line of gaze, and his red brown eyes flickered. "Forget it ever happened," Van stated, and walking out the room, Hitomi frowned in confusion. What this time?
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