Well, here's the next part, ready for people to read! I hope you all like it!

Part Eight :: My Son; Our Son



Hitomi sighed to herself as she wandered towards the busy baazar of Palas. The first time she had come here she had ended up saving Van from Dilandau's crima claw. Her heart raced as she focused on those memories, both in fear and excitement. There was an undeniable rush, a thrill, flowing in her blood. That day, looking back now, she had seen love in his eyes. It had been too short a moment for her to recognize it then, but his face and expression had burned into her mind.

Was it really just now, in this past week, now that Ahiru has surfaced, she could freely, openly, understand his feelings for her; understanding her own emotions as she watched him, knowing that once it had all been all right.

Ahiru had fallen silent and out of sight, back to her dark corner deep down inside of their body. Hitomi could tell that her thoughts remained solely on Kaiou and Van. It made her want to cry, knowing that a few bitter emotions could separate two people who once loved each other so much. Maybe that was why Van seemed so afraid to fully admit that her loved her. He did not want something like that to happen again.

"Ahiru, I know you can hear me... Just show Kaiou to Van. It was our body that gave him life... so let's give our child his father,' she silently pleaded.

She was responded with an unusual silence. Normally she, Ahiru, would have something to say.

"I don't know where to look for them," she mumbled, taking a look around, "so why don't you give me a hint?"

~ He likes sweets. So does miko. Try some food stands.

Hitomi sighed at the flat, empty tone Ahiru spoke with. She could almost picture the stony expression and eyes that glittered with unshed tears. A thought crossed Hitomi's mind: when was the last time she had cried? There was anger and pain, but no release.

"Ahiru," she called softly, "I want to know if you would be okay with me showing Van his son."

~ Speaking to me like that only makes people think that your insane.

"Fine," she snapped, 'I'll talk like this then, and I still want to know your answer. Van deserves to see Kaiou; Kaiou deserves a chance to meet his father.'

There was an unnerving moment of silence before Ahiru finally replied,

~ Fine, but I'm not making an appearance.

"Not a problem."

-- * --

"She's where?!"

Merle shrunk away from Allen and towards Van, where she hooked herself to his arm. Worried for Hitomi she returned to the castle after after observing her for a short while to report back what she had found out.

"She was in the meadows when I saw her. Hitomi was acting funny, like she was talking to someone but no one was there," Merle said in a small voice.

"Damnit!"

He kicked the table which stood near him before knocking it over; both Van and Merle flinched at his outburst. He let out a string of inaudable curses, paced around the room for a moment, then walked up to Merle.

"Do you know if she's still there?" Allen asked impatiently. "Tell me. Did she say anything that might tell me why she's being so disobedient?"

"I don't... really know if anything I said would be of help," Merle whispered, cowering against a now unflinching Van, "but I think I heard her say she was going to the baazar to see someone named Kaiou."

Allen nodded thoughtfully then turned to look out of the window.

"I see..."

There was a soft knock at the door before a female servant peeked inside.

"Uh... Please excuse me," she began with a slight bow, "but the Lady Hitomi has requested to speak with the King of Fanelia."

She was a short woman with a soft voice. Her fair hair was pulled back into a bun and she had warm blue eyes. She wore a plain brown dress with an apron overtop.

"Oh... okay," Van agreed with a quick nod.

"I'm going too," Allen declared.

"No," Van said, "she wants to speak with me. I didn't hear your name mentioned."

"Well, she ismy woman."

"Well I ama king."

Allen looked away angrily with a growl. Status gave Van the right to deny him the right to see Hitomi.

-- * --

"Hey, Hitomi?" Van called out to her tentatively as he entered the room. "You called for me?"

She stood in the center of the room, her arms behind her back as though she was hiding something there. She wore a dress similar to the pink one that Millerna had given to her before only this one had green fabric instead of the girlish colour.

She looked beautiful.

"Yeah, Van," she replied, tucking a few locks of hair behind her ear, "I have something to talk to you about."

He studied her closely; memorizing every aspect of her face, body and voice. She was like Ahiru in every possible way, right down to the 'proper' tones she used to speak with. She looked and sounded as though she could pass for royalty. Somewhere inside of her just might have been Ahiru.

"What is it?" he asked curiously, closing the door behind him.

She took a deep breath. Whatever she was about to tell him seemed to scare her, or at least it was worrying her. She shifted from foot to foot as she carfully kept that something behind her. She glanced towards him every so often, but refused to look into his eyes even for a second.

"Van, I know you... You must have realized by now that... that Ahiru... and I..."

She bit her lip; her could feel his heart flutter nervously.

"Go ahead, Hitomi," he encouraged.

"Well, Ahiru is... She's a... a spirit, I guess, living in my body," she breathed, "Actually, she and I are the same, I suppose... we have always shared the same body, just had different raisings and should have just been different personalities, but... And I'm sure you've noticed changes in me and all, too..."

He nodded, unsure of how to respond. So Ahiru really did exist within Hitomi's body. Whatcould he say to that?

"Hito-"

"No, Van. Please don't say anything yet. There's one last thing I have to tell you," she interrupted him with her gentle plea. "You and Ahiru believed that you shared a bond beyond all else - that your love for one another could never be broken. At the time, both of you felt as though you had no one else, you'd both lost your parents... and, in the innocence of a child's mind, you both tried to make your futures definite. Out of that came something awful, but in the end something more precious than the entire world."

"Her... The heir to her throne?"

Hitomi nodded slowly.

"Van, his name is Kaiou."

She forced a smile as a small, black haired child peeked out from behind her. The kid reminded him of himself atthat age.

"He's my... my son?"

"If you'll let him be, Van, he could be our son. I don't know him very well, and neither do you, but I think, that, togetherwe could be wonderful parents for him," she said in a soft whisper. "So, please, Van. I want him to be raised by both of us, forever."



Was that a shocking ending?

Ja ne,
- Nekura