Chapter 15:
Shopping and Realizations
Early the next morning, Celena rose from her bed
in the small residence that she and Allen had called "home" since they
were little. Slowly, she opened the windows, expecting sunlight to come
streaming in, but instead, dark threatening clouds disapointed the young
woman and she closed the shutters. She shivered and pulled on some pants
and a sweater-like top. Her brother would probably frown down on this,
insisting that if she was a true lady then she should start dressing like
one. But what did he know? Skirts were cold and breezy attire, but
pants were warm. The old "lady killer" was most likely just frettish about
his sister taking on boyish habits.
"Don't worry, dear brother." she whispered to
the sleeping figure as she by his room. "Dilandau is gone."
That's what you think. a harsh
voice in her head rasped. You know that you're beginning to lose
your grip.
"Just shut up!" Snarled Celena. Then, in a low
whisper, "I'm in control." That being said, she made her way over to the
kitchen.
It wasn't long before she felt the strong hand
on her shoulder. "Celena." said the man behind her. He bent over and planted
a kiss on her head, making her smile.
"Good morning, brother." she said warmly as he
moved over to the stove, setting out a frying pan and grabbing some eggs.
"You're up early." Allen commented mildly, cracking
the eggs over the frying pan.
"I was hoping to go for a walk." Celena shrugged,
biting into a piece of fruit. She knew what he was about to say next so
she beat him to it. "And I don't intend to change my clothes. It's cold
today, and a dress is simply not suitable for the weather."
He glanced at her seeming somewhat defeated.
"Dilandau is not coming back." she said tersely,
finding herself growing frustrated with his exaggerated concern. "And if
he was to come back, it would be because of some catastrophical
higher power, not because I choose to wear pants on a cold day."
"Are you still going for a walk?" he quickly
changed the subject.
"Yes. I was hoping to go over the castle to see
Hitomi. I really don't know her that well, and I thought it would be fun
to spend some time before she leaves for the Mystic Moon."
He nodded in approval. "I may join you later
on. I would like to see Hitomi one last time."
His sister eyed him in suspicion. She knew that
the blond had once cared for Hitomi, but told her that he was no longer
in love with the sandy-haired girl. Could he have been lying? She didn't
stay to find out. Giving the 21 year-old a peck on the cheek, she made
her way over to the castle.
Hitomi had barely slept a wink. She had lain in her bed last night, tossing and turning as the plan to get Van "out of his shell" ran through her mind countless times. She was so completely convinced that it would work, but when she opened her eyes to the gloomy morning, she took it as somewhat of a bad omen and began to doubt the plan's worth. She moaned, still tired from the late night. She quickly slammed the pillow over her head.
"Excuse me." Celena stopped a maid in the hallway
of the Asturian castle. "Do you know where miss Hitomi is staying? In which
room?"
The maid motioned down the corridor but added
that the girl from the Mystic Moon was still sleeping, and that perhaps
Celena should check back in an hour.
"Alright. Thank you." the sister to a knight
Caeli smiled and decided that she didn't want to walk back home. She chose
instead to go to the roof. She had heard Allen speak of the beautiful sight
from the top of the castle. She had never seen it, though, and now should
be a perfect time for it.
She walked slowly up the curving staircase, running
her hand along the stone wall for support.
Celena arrived at the top of the stairs, moving
over to the ledge. Immediately, she was taken aback by the stunning sight.
Sure, the clouds took away some of the effect, but it was still an amazing
view. She could see the sea, stretching out for miles and disappearing
into the horizon. Celena could have stayed, lingering by the ledge as she
watched the country below her. But a soft groan interrupted that.
"Huh?" she spun to her right, startled to see
a raven-haired man leaning weakly against one of the pillars. She recognized
him immediately. "Van!" she exclaimed, rushing to his side.
He blinked rapidly, trying to gain focus. He
saw a face in front of him, with silvery-blonde hair. But, in his haze,
her features were contorted so he couldn't really make out who it was.
"Hitomi?" he asked.
"Van, what happened?" Celena asked. She
saw the large bags under his eyes and was very worried. What had happened?
What was he doing on the roof?
Van's vision clarified and he was able to recognize
the woman. "Celena?"
"Shh, it's okay. You look like you've had a bad
night. Come, let's get you out of here." She moved his arm over her shoulders
so that she could support him. He managed to stand and whispered a hoarse
"thank you". She slipped her arm around his waist and helped him down the
stairs. Slowly but surely, they were heading towards his guest room.
At long last, they were there. Celena helped
Van onto his bed and as he lay there, she asked if there was anything she
could do.
Yeah, turn back into Dilandau and torch
Allen and Hitomi's wedding. Van thought bitterly. "No." he said
instead.
She sat down on the bed next to him. "Van, tell
me, what were you doing on the roof?"
"Nothing." he said curtly. "I just wanted to
see the view."
"Really? Funny. It's hard to see off the roof
when you're sitting down against a pillar, looking like you've just experienced
the beating of a lifetime."
You have no idea.
She lightly patted his foot sympathetically (she
was too far to pat his hand) and found herself blushing. Van was watching
her curiously. "I... I have to go." she said, hastily getting off the bed.
"I'll check on you later."
"Okay, Miss Sunshine, time to get up." Celena promptly walked into
Hitomi's room, opening up the windows. She walked over to the girl whose
head was covered by a pillow and yanked the fluffy item away.
"Hey..." Hitomi's sleepy voice protested. "Just
10 more minutes."
"No way." the silvery-blonde pulled off the covers.
"It's your last day on Gaia and you're going to spend it sleeping?? Sorry,
my friend. You and I are going to the market to buy you a dress for tonight."
"Huh?" Hitomi asked groggily. "Why, what's happening
tonight?"
Celena rolled her eyes. "A special dinner in
your honor, of course."
Hitomi smirked at how much Celena reminded her
of Merle. "Great." she muttered. "Another dinner for me. So, has Dryden
fixed the fate generator?"
"The last I heard he's still working on it. Now
come on, get dressed. We have much to do today."
Hitomi slowly got dressed, reluctant to leave
the warmth of the bed. "Let's go." she said, when she was ready.
The streets were quite filled, like a mall at
8:40pm on Christmas Eve.
"It's always busy on this day of the week." Celena
explained, dragging Hitomi along. After a long period of dodging people,
they arrived at a calmer street.
"There's a wonderful dressmaker down this street."
Allen's sister informed Hitomi. We should be there in about 5 minutes if
we keep up at this pace."
Hitomi smiled, pleased that Celena had made such
an effort towards her.
But neither of them were really saying anything.
At last, the blonde broke the silence. "Hey,
Hitomi. Do you know what the matter is with Van?"
"What? What happened?" Hitomi grew frantic. "Is
everything okay?"
"I don't know." Celena looked at her feet. "I
found him this morning, on the roof. He looked like something had just
happened to him.... something really painful."
"Oh no, Van..." Hitomi's hand flew to her mouth.
"We can check on him when we get back to the
castle. I'm sure he'll be fine."
And that was the end of that conversation,
because they had arrived at the dressmaker.
"Van Fanel, get off your ass." Van told himself
gruffly. "Stop this foolish self-pity. A king of Fanelia doesn't lie in
bed all day, sulking over some woman." he got up off his bed, as he had
instructed himself. He decided that he would go check up on Dryden, to
see if the reparations were coming along. Van didn't quite understand why
Dryden was still pecking away at it, why no one had stopped him. After
all, wasn't Hitomi staying on Gaia with her fiancé? Perhaps the
fate generator was being fixed so that Hitomi would be able to go home,
say goodbye to her family and friends, perhaps invite them to the cermony.
Maybe checking the merchant prince's progress
would not be wise. Nevertheless, Van wanted to go out. So, he pulled open
to door to his room... and came face to face with Allen.
"Goodness gracious!" A tall woman with blonde
hair tied back in a bun, with long strands out in front ran towards the
two women that had just entered her shop.
"Hi Qui." Celena greeted casually.
"What happened to your friend, Celena? Was she
robbed?"
Allen's sister looked from Qui to Hitomi with
a puzzling gaze. "What do you mean?"
"Her clothes... was that all you could find for
her to wear? She was obviously robbed of her original clothing if she's
wearing those rags." she pointed to Hitomi's attire, her school uniform.
Hitomi was turning red in anger.
"Qui!" Celena snapped. "These are her
real clothes. My friend Hitomi here just so happens to be... not from around
these parts." she was reluctant to say "the Mystic Moon" because the people
of Asturia generally believed that the inhabitants of Earth were cursed.
"Forgive my abrasiveness." Qui bowed low. "I
had no idea."
"It's okay." Hitomi said, allowing the anger
to fade.
"Now, what can I do for you ladies today?"
"Hitomi needs a nice dress for tonight." the
silvery-blonde woman explained. "It's her last night in Asturia so we're
sort of having a special dinner for her. And," she added quietly, "There
is a certain man who will be there whom Hitomi... would like to put a good
impression on."
"Ah." the 18 year-old nodded in comprehension.
"Right this way. I think I have the perfect thing for you."
"A-Allen." Van stuttered, taking a step back
into the room. He hadn't been expecting the knight Caeli, but had a good
idea why his 'friend' was here. Evidently he was going to tell Van about
his second proposal to Hitomi. But what could Van do? He hadn't prepared
himself for a confrontation such as this, and was afraid that he would
falter.
"Good morning, Van." he greeted with a smile.
"I see you're all ready to go, then."
"Go where?" Van looked confused.
"Shopping!" Allen exclaimed, and his eyes sparked
with a passion that scared the boy-king. "I thought Celena told you? I
came over so that we could get you a suit for tonight."
Again, the blond was given a puzzled expression.
"Don't you remember? It's Hitomi's last night
here. We're throwing her a special dinner... I'm surprised that you, of
all people, were not informed."
"Well, I guess a lot of things are kept from
me, aren't they." Van muttered under his breath. "I don't need a suit."
he answered louder.
"Allen fixed his eyes on the teenager in front
of him. "Van Fanel, you'd better get used to wearing something other than
that red top every day. As a king, believe me, you will be forced to wear
proper ceremonial clothes. This can act as a sample of what will come."
Before the Fanelian could produce another word, Allen was shoving him out
of the room.
Qui finished the tightening of an amazing teal
dress that she had selected for the girl with the funny clothes.
"Your boyfriend will love this on you." Qui had
said, her mouth full of adjusting pins.
"He's not my boyfriend." Hitomi had replied instantly.
If he was, he would not be acting like such a cad.
"There you are, Hitomi." the dressmaker stepped
back, giving Hitomi full view of the 3 mirrors. She gasped in amazement.
"Celena! Come see her."
Celena moved over and gasped as well. "Hitomi!
You look great!" she spun around to face Quistis. "We'll take it."
Van groaned.
"Sir, please stop fidgeting." the man with the
very shiny head said. "I can't work if you insist on constant movement."
"Trying on a suit really isn't that big a deal,
Van." Allen stood behind him. "Don't you want to look good for Hitomi?"
A small grunt was all he got as a reply, but
at least the teenager no longer persisted with movement.
At last, the suit was done.
"Van, my friend. You look magnificent!" Allen
grinned. "Hitomi will love it!"
For a short moment, Van's wall slipped away and
anxiety sparked in his eyes. "Really?" he asked. But then, the barrier
drew itself up again. "So?"
Allen frowned as they made their way out of the
store after purchasing the ensemble. "Must you persist to deny your feelings
for her?"
"What does it matter?" Van shot back. He glared
at the older man. How could he pretend that nothing was going on between
him and Hitomi? "I know what's going on, you know." he said in a low voice.
He tried to walk faster, not wanting to hear the words from Allen's mouth,
but the black-haired boy was stopped in his tracks--literally-- when he
accidentally crashed into a fellow pedestrian, sending them both sailing
to the ground.
"I'm so sorry!" she apologized profusely, gathering
the large package that she had dropped before reaching over to help him
with his. "Are you al--" she gasped. "Van!"
He looked up and saw the woman's emerald eyes
staring down at him in concern. "Hitomi?" he said, and felt himself being
tugged back into a standing position by his blond comrade.
"Van, are you alright? Celena told me that you
didn't look so good this morning and I was worried."
He shook his head, regaining his train of thought.
"I'm fine." he snapped. He excused himself and stormed off to the castle.
"What happened?" Celena came rushing up behind
Hitomi. She was looking in the direction that Van had left.
"I don't know," Hitomi bit her lip. She turned
to Allen. "I hope your plan works."
"Exquisite." Celena murmured, watching Hitomi
twirl her teal dress around. "You look great."
"So do you!" Hitomi replied, motioning to the
baby blue dress that Celena was wearing. "That dress really brings out
your eyes."
Celena smiled. "Your last night here." she said.
"Are you going to be happy to be back home?"
"Happy... but sad at the same time. Gaia is my
home as much as Earth is. I have so many friends here... I'll be sad to
leave all you guys behind."
"I'm sure you'll return someday... for Van. He
will be needing a queen eventually, you know."
"Celena!" Hitomi's giddish look changed into
one of unhappiness. "Besides, he's extremely upset with me for some reason...
I don't know what it is, but he won't let me find out."
"I'm sure it will all work out. My brother told
me of the plan he mustered up. I think it will work, I really do. But speaking
of the little devil, I better go check on him. My brother should be here
shortly to escort you down to dinner." she grinned and left.
"Damn tie!" Van spat, throwing the cloth to the
floor.
"Van? Is everything alright? Can I come in?"
"Yes." he grumbled to the person on the other
side of his door.
Celena poked her head through. "Are you ready
to go? Everyone is waiting." She drew in a sharp breath, taken aback by
how handsome Van was in a suit. She blushed faintly.
"I can't get this damn thing tied." he muttered,
picking up the cloth.
"Let me help you." she offered. "I'm experienced
at this; I've done it many times before."
"Experienced? I didn't know Dilandau attended
special dinners." he growled under his breath.
She froze with the tie in her hands, wrapped
around Van's neck and looked into his eyes, hurt. "Does it bother you that
I was once Dilandau? Are you so afraid that I might suddenly revert back
into him, that monster?"
He has reason to fear you. the
nasty little voice in her head said viciously.
Suddenly, Celena's eyes flickered from blue to
red and she began to tighten Van's tie... to the point where his face was
turning pink.
"Are you afraid, Van??" she laughed maliciously
in a voice that was both hers and a teenage boy's.
"Dilandau..." Van croaked, barely able to speak.
"Stop it!!" Celena screamed, and her eyes returned
to their usual color as she released the tie. She looked up at Van, who
was rubbing at his neck. "I'm sorry.." she squeaked, and burst from the
room.
The king of Fanelia was startled by the assault,
to say the least, but he decided to act as though nothing had happened.
He went down to the dining hall.
A few moments later there was a knock at Hitomi's
door.
"You look absolutely stunning." Allen
breathed when she answered his knock. "I feel too humble to escort you
to dinner, to walk beside you when you're this radiant."
"Never a loss for words, huh Mr. Schezar?" she
winked as she linked arms with him.
"I don't believe so." he shot back with a grin.
Slowly, they walked down the steps to the awaiting food.
Van stood behind his chair, impatient. He tried
to tell himself that he was impatient because his stomach demanded nourishing,
but he knew that he was lying. He was impatient to see Hitomi, on her last
night on Gaia.
And then, there she was, a vision in that teal
dress. She was breathtakingly beautiful and he couldn't tear away his gaze.
He felt his knees fail him, but luckily he managed to regain his composure.
Then he noticed Hitomi's escort.
"Please, you didn't have to wait for me," Hitomi
bowed her head sheepishly as she released her grip on Allen's arm. She
pulled out a chair across from Van.
"Well then, I suppose that's our cue to dig in!"
Dryden said with enthusiasm. He promptly sat down in his chair and the
others followed his lead.
The dinner was going fairly well. Everyone was
dressed in their finest, even Mr. Mole, who had snuck in for the 3rd time.
They were discussing this and that in a cheerful manner. It wasn't long
before a quartet of musicians strolled in and began to play a slow but
upbeat song on their stringed instruments. Allen stole a glimpse of Van,
calmly eating his food, and then glanced at Hitomi, who had set her eyes
upon the young king. She shook her head at Allen, mouthing the words "not
yet".
The special supper continued nicely. The servants
would tour the table every now and then, refilling wine glasses and replacing
empty dishes with new ones. There were a lot of people attending the special
dinner, so the servers were never out of work.
The musicians played on.
Hitomi giggled at a joke that Celena made. She
had seated herself at the table, ignoring the incident that had taken place
earlier in Van's room.
Allen and Gadus had engaged in an argument about
fighting techniques. Millerna was speaking with Mr. Mole, asking him how
he was these days, and he answered her politely. Dryden took a gulp of
his fourth glass of wine and bragged to Reeden about his previous life
accomplishments. Van sat, silently eating his supper, careful not to gain
eye contact with anyone.
The musicians played on.
All seemed normal, calm, serene, right
even. But then something happened to change all that.
Dryden downed his fourth glass and was now quite
tipsy. "To Hitomi!" he shouted loudly, raising the empty glass and standing
up. "For her departure tomorrow!"
Everyone smiled (save Van, of course) and raised
their glasses. "To Hitomi!" they chorused, and the guest of honor smiled
politely.
The glasses were lowered, but Dryden was still
standing in front of his seat, next to Van.
"But honestly, your highness," he said, pouring
himself another glass. "What took you and Hitomi so long to get to Asturia?
I returned from Daeledus over a month ago and have been sitting here in
Asturia ever since, wonderin' when the hell you were gonna show up!" he
laughed, finding what he just said to be extremely funny.
The room went deadly quiet, to the point where
a dropped pin would have made a loud echo in everyone's ears. The moleman
stopped talking. Gadus and Allen stopped arguing. Millerna stopped giggled.
Celena froze. The Crew members stopped goofing around. The musicians stopped
playing. All eyes were fixated on Hitomi, waiting for her reaction.
Her mouth hang slightly open and her eyes were
filled with pain. "But... that letter... it was fake?" she looked at the
raven-haired teen sitting across from her. "Is this true, Van?"
Van jerked his head to the side, away from her
interrogating gaze.
"You lied to me?" she asked weakly, in
disbelief.
He didn't say anything.
A single tear rolled down Hitomi's face. She
blinked rapidly, staring at the plate in front of her. "Excuse me." she
said quietly, and walked quickly out of the room. Her stiffled sob echoed
through the dining hall.
The eyes that had been on Hitomi were now on
Van, waiting for his reaction.
Allen glowered at the young king and he stood
up abruptly, slamming his hands on the table. "Van Fanel!" he yelled. "What
is wrong with you??"
No answer. Van just kept his head to the side.
"Answer me, you poor excuse for a man!"
At the insult, Van turned his head, glaring at
Allen. He got to his own feet, facing the blond.
By this point, everyone could sense that there
was trouble brewing. The servants had scattered and the musicians were
dismissed. Millerna excused herself, saying that she was going to check
on the chef. Moleman ate the rest of his meal, thanked everyone, and dashed
out as fast as his stubby legs could carry him. All the crew members appeared
to develop a sudden urge to use the facilities. Celena carefully made her
way towards the exit.
Dryden was soon the only spectator left. "Oh
great, a fight!" he grinned lopsidedly.
"Come on, Lord Dryden." Celena came back and
dragged the drunk man out of the room.
"What the hell is wrong with you??" Allen repeated
his question. "The woman you love has run off, in pain because you lied
to her, and now you won't even go up and try to comfort her??"
"'Poor excuse for a man'." Van echoed, shaking
his head. "You're one to talk, Allen Schezar! Do you think I enjoy this?
Watching the way you are with Hitomi? You know how I feel about her, yet
you persist. Not only that, but you pretend as though nothing is going
on!!"
Allen's eyes narrowed. "'Going on'? What are
you talking about?"
"Tell me, when's the wedding? We can go out and
get another suit like this one so I can attend in proper attire!" he said
vehemously.
"'Wedding'? Van, what are you talking about?"
"Stop pretending, Allen! I know you and Hitomi
are getting married. I heard it last night. "
"I did not ask Hitomi to marry me."
"Stop lying!!" he shrieked. "Just come out and
say it! I'm tired of all these lies! I know it was you, who tampered with
the fate generator so that you could spend one more day with Hitomi, so
you could ask her to be your wife! I saw her give you her pendant, I saw
the way you were looking at each other tonight at dinner, I... I read her
diary by accident, okay? Though some of the words were botched up, I could
make out enough to know that she confessed her feelings for you on the
day we arrived and I know I did not dream up your proposal to Hitomi. 'Oh,
it's perfect, but do you think Van will understand?'"
Allen was chuckling softly.
"What's so funny??" Van demanded angrily.
"Van, my friend." the knight answered in a calm
voice. "You have a knack for bad timing."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I never asked Hitomi to marry me. It's true,
that I did, but that was months ago, and she declined my proposal because
she was in love with you. You must have listened in at the end of the conversation
on the roof because what we were discussing was a plan to make you stop
acting like such an ass. Afterwards, Hitomi asked if I thought you would
be okay, because the plan involved you and Hitomi dancing to a romantic
tune; that's why the musicians were here. As for the diary notes, I never
read her diary, but from what you tell me the words must have been conveniently
'botched up', because the topic of conversation between Hitomi and I was
me wondering when you two would finally admit the feelings you share for
each other. Hitomi gave me her pendant to hold for about one minute because
it has a remarkable ability to keep time and she wanted me to use it to
time her speed. And lastly, I had nothing to do with the malfunctioning
of the fate generator, but I know that your dear Hitomi does. I've been
trying to find out, with no luck."
Van was speechless. Images of past events that
led him to believe there was something between Hitomi and Allen flew through
his mind, and then he saw them for what they really were: misinterpretations.
"Allen." he said softly. "I'm so sorry... I had
no idea."
"You're forgiven. When a man is jealous, he is
blinded, so his perspective is altered drastically... for the worse."
"You think I was jealous of you?" Van
sneered good-naturedly.
"Of course you were." Allen returned with a devilish
gleam in his eye. "Not only was I seen multiple times with the woman you
adore, but I also have grace, style, and looks that you could only dream
of having."
"Really." Van glanced at a piece of meat on one
of the plates. He picked it up and launched it at Allen's head. It contacted
with a wet smack before slipping off Allen's face, leaving a red,
greasy mess. "Oh yes indeed, Allen, I long for your looks!" Van
said in a mocking voice. "A bloody, oily face really causes female heads
to turn."
"Arrogant king!"Allen snarled, picking up an
item from one of the nearby plates and throwing it at Van. He ducked.
"You have quite the bad ai--" a piece of chicken
smacked him in the face, shutting him up.
A minor food fight continued until Van halted
and said, "Wait! I have to go apologize to Hitomi!"
Allen dropped the carrot that was in his hand.
"Hmm.... wait, my friend. I have a better, more romantic way of making
things up to her." he spoke softly, and with each word, Van's smile broadened.
"Thank you." he said when the older man had finished.
"I think I'm going to call it a night now. But wait... shouldn't we clean
up first?" he motioned to the food that was scattered all around the room.
"I'll just tell Millerna that the argument got
a little out of hand." the blond offered.
"Alright. I'll see you in the morning, Allen.
And again, thank you."
That night, after Van had cleaned himself of
the ckicken grease, potatoes, vegetables, and wine, he silently crept over
to Hitomi's room. He made his way over to the sleeping figure, whose cheeks
were tearstained.
"Oh Hitomi..." he whispered, tentatively brushing
away the hair that had matted itself to her forehead. She didn't wake up,
and he was glad. That would spoil everything. Carefully, he put a little
piece of paper on his sleeping beauty and made his way back to his own
quarters, a smile on his face.
07.15.01