A/N: . . .I mean…I dunno where to start! Whether it be going over that last chapter, or explaining why I have yet to update in about 2 years! That's how long it's taken Hitomi to return to Gaea! lol. Sorry 'bout that, an' I know that last chappie left y'all w/ a lotta questions. Sigh, well, you've all waited long enough, so w/out further ado…here it is! Enjoy!…
Chapter 5 – "Hitomi, I Love Thee." (Warning - très longue!)
"Knock, knock, knock! Rise and shine my young prince! You have a busy day afoot! We must begin as soon as possible, you have many tasks at hand!" - Dobson stood outfront Van's door.
"…………" (complete silence)
"KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK! Sire!…I know you're awake in there! Oh --'…I do say, the least you could do is respond to my callings!" he shouted. "Sigh, well then, I guess I'm just going to have to read it from out here, thought Dobbs. "ahem LISTEN UP, MY YOUNG PRINCE, YOU'RE SCHEDULE FOR TODAY IS AS FOLLOWS…
First, you have a meeting with the chief council right after breakfast, so hurry up, next princess Reigomé has requested some personal time at 0900hours and…"
"cRAsH!"
"Gasp! What was that! Your highness, are you alright?" he asked. "Gasp! Wait a minute," started Dobbs. "Don't tell me he's…" Oh, not again! --' he thought. "Not this time," he said while reaching for the door handle. "…This time you won't escape!…" then he opened the door only to find Van trying to escape out the window! A vase on the side stand had fallen off and had shattered in to pieces after he tried to climb up on it to escape! "A-hem," Dobson cleared his throat signaling that he had caught him. "Sire?…" he started waiting for an explanation.
"Gasp! Oh! Dobbs!… hey! Aheh, heh!" started Van. "I was just… I was just, um…. uh…"
"… getting some fresh air?" Dobson finished.
"Yes! Fresh air! That's precisely what I was doing!" he lied. "A heh, heh, heh….heh…"
"….--'…."
"…a-hem….deep sigh " he steps back down as he realizes Dobbs isn't buying it.
"Hm, sire, need I remind you that…"
"Oh, here we go, ¬¬'' thought Van. Dobson continues to babble in the background while Van completely tunes him out and fiddles with his dagger. Dobson sees that he is not paying attention and confiscates it from him.
"Sire please! A prince with no manners is…"
" …a prince without class, gotcha, if you told me once, then you told a million times, Dobbs."¬¬ said Van sarcastically.
Dobson looks at Van in a concerned fashion. "I do say, is something troubling you, my lord?"
"Sigh, well, now that you mention it," he started. Van begins to pace back and forth. "…..Dobson! Have you ever been… you know…. in love?"
"!… Well, ahem…" he started. "This is quite a bit more serious then I had first predicted. "Sigh, --, but to answer your question… yes, I have! On a plethora of occasions, actually!"
"Really?" ºº;; said Van with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "You? And more than once, really?" Van couldn't believe it.
"But of course! What do you take me for, some stuck up right hand man who doesn't know the meaning of a good time?"
"Well…yeah!" Van replied.
"Par-don!" excalimed Dobbs.
"Uh! I mean! you?..Shh, of course not!" -' said Van trying to correct what he said. "That's absurd!"
"Hm…quite." --' he answered.
"So," Van started again. "You mind sharing?"
"Sigh, I guess not," Dobbs replied. "I'll even tell you my most heart-breaking story. If anyone has loved and lost, it is I,"
"huh?" Van was surprised to hear Dobson's softer side.
"Her name was Prusaeus, and I loved her so."
"wow, what happened," asked Van.
"Sigh, well, we had only spent a short amount of time together, but in that time we became good friends, best friends actually. I was a young lad, and my mother did not fancy all the time that I spent with Prusaeus because I had neglected to be-friend anyone else. So she did something that I have yet to forgive her for up to this day," he explained.
"…and what's that?"
"…She sent her away." He replied.
"She sent away your first love?" Van repeated. "Can she even do that!"
"Of course she can, Prusaeus was my kitty cat," he answered. "Oh how could you mumsy…how could you!" he clenches his fist in the air as tears begin to stream. "A haw..haw..hawwww…..sniffle… my poor Prusaeus, Dobsy still loves you!" . '''
Van: "……….--;;…uh…huh."
Ten minutes later, elsewhere in Finalia….
Van: "Allen, you've been in love right?" (lol).
"Aheh, - does this have something to do with Hitomi, Van." Allen asked.
"heh…yeah, I gues it does… " he said in a kind of embarrased fashion.
Allen put his hand on Van's shoulder. "Well my friend, you couldn't have come at a better time… Millerna and I are engaged." he explained.
"REALLY?" exclaimed Van. "Allen, that's great. I mean, I knew you guys had feelings for one another but…"
"… But you never expected it to go this far, I know." Allen interrupted.
"No, I don't mean it like that, it's just that…"
"…Heh, it's alright Van, really. We weren't sure how far we'd go either, but in the past while, things have changed between us, we've worked out all of our differences. We're happy, we're truly happy." he explained.
Van smiled. "…Well, I'm glad for you."
The two continued to speak and talk out all that needed to be said on the issue until Van felt comfortable about how he was feeling. Van thanked Allen for his advice and then left. Just as Van was leaving, he bumps in to someone.
"Ooof!" the two collide.
"Oh, Zygoul," said Van. "It's you."
"Prince Finel, my apologies." He says, his eyes not meeting Van's own as he was told not to do by the princess. The two share an awkward moment. Zygoul then turns his attention to a statue. "I was just on my way to tend to my lady, when I caught sight of this" he said while pointing at it. "Quite the peculiar sculpture, where hath thou received it."
"Huh? Gasp!" Van eyed it down. "I…I don't know!" He snapped "I mean, sigh, it was there before I was born, it… it belonged to my father." Van whispered looking him in the eyes.
"I have offended thee, my deepest regrets my young prince," replied Zygoul.
"Just forget it." said Van they exchange strange looks, "Well, I better be on my way," says Van .
"But of course my lord" replied Zygoul
"ZYGOUL!" yelled Reigomé from a distance. "LEAVE PRINCE VAN ALONE! HE HAS BUSINESS TO TEND TO!"
"YES MY LADY," he called back. "MY APOLOGIES," he said with a bow, and then scurried on over to her.
"Poor guy, Van thought. Reigomé has him under wraps!"
Just before Van is out of sight another presence lurks in the shadows behind the statue, he peeks out when Van is a good distance away "…Van." He whispers.
"…huh?" Van stops dead in his tracks, he turns around…slowly, but nothing is there. Chills roll down his spine as he feels a familiar presence flow through his body. He swallows lightly and continues walking, but slower this time, as if in shock, but also as if nothing had really happened. He convinces himself that it is all in his head, and goes on about his business.
Later…
Later Van meets up with Hitomi. He calls after her. "HITOMI! Wait!"
"Huh?" she turns around to see him, she grins. "Van,"
"Hitomi, I've been looking everywhere for you" he said while holding both her hands in his, I need to talk to you," he said between breaths.
"I'm…I'm listening." She said nervously.
"Look," he started. "I was going off to find Merle again, and when I couldn't find her, I realized that the people you care about might not always be around forever, so I have to do this before I go looking again, in case something happens." He explained.
When Hitomi heard him say that the people you care about are not always around forever, she grimaced and thought "How serious is what Van has to tell me?". She also thought of the vision again, and the fact that she would soon have to go back to her own home.
"I just wanted to say that, the time I spend with you are good memories that I cherish, always, I couldn't ask for a better friend… and…" Van was nervously beating around the bush.
"…Fr..friend?" when Hitomi heard that her heart sank.
"Look, I just wanted to say that I… I…."
"…Prince Van! Sorry to interrupt." Said one of his workers. "But there are some issues with the escaflowne that I think we need to discuss before we do any further work on it." He explained. "You should come examine it, see for yourself."
"Sigh," he let go of Hitomi's hands. "Can't it wait?" he asked.
"I'm afraid not sir, we really don't know where to go from this point."
"Euh…alright. I'll be right there." He replied.
The man bowed to Van. "My prince," he said. Then he turned and looked at Hitomi in a maniacle way, and bowed at her to saying, "Miss," his eyes still meeting hers. It kind of creeped Hitomi out. Then he left.
"There's something strange about that guy," started Hitomi. "He looks kind of… scary." She admitted.
"Who? Patricles? Aheh," Van chuckled. "Don't worry, he's about as dangerous as Dobson." He said sarcastically with a smile.
"Well, I hope you're right," she finished.
"Hitomi, I'm sorry, but we have to discuss this later."
"I understand." she said.
"Meet me later behind the court gates, and then we'll talk, just you and me, I promise."
"I'll hold you to that," she joked.
He smiled, and then left.
Meanwhile…
Meanwhile, during the same time Van and Hitomi were having there little talk. Trouble was afoot!.
"It's not working, he hasn't found her yet! We should just kill her!" said one of the kidnappers.
"No! Not yet, just give him a little more time, he'll find her!" said the other one.
"Err…moans…. Oh Van…" Merle struggles to say. She is tied up in a corner. "Please, hurry…"
hours later….
"…GASP! Merle!" Van wakes up leaned up against a tree and swears he heard Merle calling out his name. He is waiting for Hitomi, but Merle is constantly on his mind. "Don't worry, Merle, I swear I'll find you…I'm coming, just hang on!" he said aloud. There's just something I have to tell Hitomi first, old friend he thought to himself, preparing for the worst.
He stands up and starts pacing around back and forth on the grass until he bumps into princess Rei.
"Reigomé? What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I know Dobson told you of our scheduled time together today. I wish to have it now" she explained.
"I'm sorry, but I've already scheduled some personal time with Hitomi, she should be here any minute, so if it's alright…"
"…Oh! Hitomi," she interrupted. "I see."
Van felt guilty, "But we can do it tomorrow if that's…"
"T'is fine with me, I shall depart" she interrupted. "However before I go, I wish only to ask thee a question."
"Sigh… sure, what is it?" he asked.
"I shan't take much of your time, t'is only one simply question.
"I'm listening," he says giving her the ok.
"Well I was roaming through the castle when I found this!" she said while holding up Hitomi's school bag.
"That's Hitomi's" he said.
"Yes, well I searched it thoroughly, and…"
"…Sigh, princess…" Van started.
"…I know! It was not a very proper thing to do, scrummaging through lady Hitomi's possessions, but I was curious! I mean ti's not everyday one meets a girl from thee mystic moon, you know!" she explained. "But don't worry, twas all mainly rubbish, really!"
"…Uh --…"
"…That is, all except for this thing!" she shows van a crossword puzzle book. "It's quite amusing really, you just get one of thy interrupters to read these peculiar scripts and then fit the answer into…."
"…into those boxes to make patterns." he interrupted. "Hitomi sat down and explained it to me a couple years ago, she even taught me to read some of it…though I have to admit, I'm not that good." -' he finished.
"….Well. -- !" she started with a grimace. "This Hitomi sure has spent a lot of time with thee hasn't she," ''''!&#$ she grinned fakely.
"Heh, I guess you can say that, sure! A heh, heh"-! chuckled Van nervously.
"Has she also taught thee common mystic moon phrases as well." She continued to ask.
"Uh… not many, but, just a few, uh…yeah…. You know, just the basics!" ;;;;;;
he added trying to lighten the mood.
"Hm, really?" Reigomé looked at one on her page and smiled. "Can you help me with this one?" she asked pointing at a question. "Euphrates, thy best interpreter in all the land read it to me and said that it is a common mystic moon phrase. She simply had not given me an answer to thy question, it reads: Fill in the blank: "Miss me, miss me, now you… 'gotta'…..what?" she finished.
"….Heh, yes. That's an easy one, an old fable told even here in Gaea about that ever-known mystic moon phrase…. Kiss me!…"
Reigomé looked behind her as she heard someone coming through the bushes and headed their way. She quickly turned around, hooked her arms around Van's neck and smiled saying"…I'd love to!" she puckered up, giving him the longest, sweetest kiss one could imagine! And she enjoyed it all that much more when she knew who was standing behind her…. watching.
"…!…Am I interrupting something here?" Hitomi started. Van struggled to break loose, but then managed to. He gasped for air! (lol).
"HITOMI!" ''''''! he exclaimed. "..UH….HITOMI….YOU'RE HERE…TH-THAT'S GREAT!" he choked.
"So, THIS is what you called me to see… IS IT VAN?" Hitomi had fire in her eyes.
"NO, WAIT! HITOMI….. IT"S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE! JUST….JUST LET ME EXPLAIN, PLEASE!"
"SURE! You mean explain how your lips just SUDDENLY ended up TIGHTLY PRESSED against HERS!" she said sarcastically.
"Yes!..I mean ..NO!" Van stumbled across his words.
"GASP! WHO ARE YOU CALLING…HER?" replied the princess. "My name is PRINCESS Reigomé, and with that said… who CARES? Ti's merely a kiss, and one I shared with my prince-to-be, might I add. Ti'sn't like you haven't had many more with his royal highness already, and from a village girl? thou should be counting thy blessings!" she argued. "And besides… he wanted it! Didn't you?" she said while looking at Van. "I mean if thy memory serves the right, thou didist shout out… "Kiss me?… did you not?" she pursued.
"….What?" Hitomi looked at Van with crossed arms.
"REIGOMÉ!" he yelled. "No, Hitomi…sigh… look. She misunderstood what I meant!"
"KISS ME, hm, sounds pretty self-explanatory to me Van!" Hitomi shot back.
"Me too!" added Reigomé all innocently.
"Please Hitomi, just give a chance to explain," he started. "She was reading something to me, and she asked…"
"…You know what Van? Just save it!"
"…Hitomi! I…"
"..No!.. Van?…sigh. I don't wanna hear it… because, I'm sick and tired of listening to what everybody else has to say, so I think it's about time that I say something now." she interrupted. Van had a concerned look on his face. "Now for the past few days, all I've listened to were villagers servants, and many others who have never ceased to stop telling me what a perfect couple the two of you make. Not to mention the things they catch you guys doing together! But I didn't listen to them because I kept telling myself that I know you better than that, Van. But now…"
"Good! And you shouldn't listen to them either, Hitomi, because they're all lies! and…" Hitomi put her hand out signaling him to stop.
"But now," she continued. "The more I think about it, the more I realize that… that I can't trust you anymore." She said with a low voice and downcast eyes.
"….!…" Van paused. "Hitomi, … how could you even think that?… of COURSE you can trust me!" "How do I know you're the same Van I left here two years ago," she explained.
"I admit that a lot has changed since then, but not me!" he shot back. "Why would I?"
"Sigh…people change Van." "But my feelings for you have not!" he added. "I still care about you now, just as much as ever."
"But what does that mean, Van? You care about me, that's great, I care about you too, so what?… that's it, right? That's as far as it always goes between us! That can't save us this time! Not in THIS type of situation, it needs to be more than that, and you know it!"
"No, that's not true. Hitomi I…I…"
"Gasp!" Reigomé looked his direction. He wouldn't! she thought.
"...You...you what? Van?…" Hitomi anxiously waited to hear his response.
"I…er…hm." But he couldn't bring himself to say it. Hitomi closed her eyes in disappointment and hung her head low.
"It's alright Van, you shouldn't be wasting your time figuring out what to say to someone as insignificant as myself. You and I both know that I'm not as important as this." She said while swaying her hand indicating the whole kingdom.
"As what?" he asked. "I mean, what you have going here Van, I know you're priorities are important. You're people come first and I know that Reigomé is a big part of your future as well, and…"
"…Hitomi, don't talk like this!" Van interrupted. "You're my priority as well, you've always been and you always will be, you know that!"
"shheh….oh please! ¬-¬ thought Reigomé.
"Yes, you've always done a good job at taking care of me and Merle, but…"
"Hitomi look, I don't…"
"Er, Just Stop! Ok? Please. The both of us… we just have to stop doing this to ourselves!"she interrupted.
"…Stop What!" asked Van in a frustrated tone.
"THIS! This thing we do? This game we play! It's not healthy! It's not right Van! We both have to realize that it's not meant to be!" Van looked at her in the eyes.
"So that's it? You're through with me? What about us Hitomi, what about all the…"
"...THERE IS NO 'US' VAN! CAN'T YOU… sigh" Hitomi settled and shed a tear. "Can't you see? There CAN'T Be. Hitomi thought of the vision she had again. We'd only end up hurting each other… again… you… you know I can't stay here, ok?" She softened. With crossed arms, she sniffled and put on a weak grin. "Oh Van… it's been two years." Van paused a moment.
"… what are you saying." he asked gently.
"I refuse to be the one responsible for holding you back from your responsiblities anymore…It's…it's time we grow up, and move on." She struggled to say. She didn't dare look at him for fear of crying.
"Gasp!…yes!" Reigomé whispered under her breath. She put on a small grin. Van stepped back a couple steps, wide-eyed. He then hung his head down low and clenched his fits, saying in a small whisper,
"….what if… what if I don't want… to let go."
Hitomi turned away. "Then I'm sorry," she started. "but I can't help you." she said between tears. Then she walked away before she tore up anymore.
"Huh?" Van looked her direction to meet her back disappering into the distance, he couldn't believe what he had just heard. Van was frozen.
" Ahem Yo-hoo! Totally willing girl who is abosoultely ready to go through ANY and ALL emotional difficulties we may struggle through as a couple, (though I sincerely doubt it), and she is standing right over here! waved Reigomé as perkily as possible.
"…No." he started.
"What was that?" asked the princess.
"I said No. I refuse to lose her again… I'm going after her!" Van turned to run her direction when Reigomé grabbed hold of his hand.
"Oh! Can't you see she does not WANT to be followed? Stay here! With me! Please! I beg thee!" Van pulled away from her grip.
"This doesn't concern you, princess." he answered.
"Ugh! WHAT? Doesn't concern ME!" she yelled. "I am the PRINCESS! We are to be wed!… You are to marry me…ME!"
Van stoppped dead in his tracks. "You're right," he started, "This does concern you, I'm sorry."
"Hmph! Thank you!" she said confidently.
"Unfortunately, we'll have to discuss this later," he said as he continued to run off.
"WHAT!"
"I'm sorry princess, but I can't marry you!…I…I just can't! It wouldn't be fair to you! I hope you can understand. Talk to you later!…" he said as his voice trailed off into the distance.
"…WHOOOWHHAAAT!" exclaimed Reigomé. "Come back here! RIGHT NOWOWOOWWWW!" she slipped while chasing after him. "Oh BUCKETS! My new gown! It's RUINED!" she exclaimed while looking at the mud all over it. Oh! T'is all that raggedy-ann Hitomi girl's fault! That peasant! She'll pay for this! " she whined. "HELLLLP!" she cried. Awaiting someone to help her up. (rich snob! Lol) "SOMEBDOY HE…mwhewhwew" someone covered her mouth to stop the screaming. "Gasp!… You."
Van continued to chase after Hitomi. "HITOMIII!" he called "HITOMI WHERE ARE Y-… tWAp!" Van fell to the floor.
"Thanks for telling me where you were, lad!" someone said with a grin after knocking Van to the ground.
Van was begining to pass out, but just before he did, he managed to utter the words, "Hitomi... I… I love you."
--End--