Konnichiwa, minna-san! ; Gomen ne…I haven't been writing in at least…two to three months? Or has it been longer? I'm not sure…but I know that I haven't been posting in a while. And I do have an urge to finish this story...no matter the lack of reviewers I get. ; I've actually been setting up my laptop that my dad gave me. I don't get a lot of time on my normal computer…which is actually…cough faster cough so I've been using that…fastness to do other things. Plus, when my dad came back from Oklahoma, he forgot to bring Microsoft office along with him, since he had forgotten to install it, so I had to wait until he came back to install it. And yeah, I know, I could've been typing meanwhile then, but..hehe..; Writer's block. And an addiction to Tanemura Arina-sensei's work :3 Ah! My dear Ta-kun!
So much love to all my reviewers. I hope you are all still alive out there. Enjoy this chapter…I hope it seems good to all of you. I'll have more time to update now that I snuck my laptop to my room, and I can type when my mom's not looking xD the advantages of having a near-silent laptop…and the SLOW disadvantages..-.-;;
All righty then. :3 Here it is. Don't fall asleep on me, ya'hear! XD
Chapter Seven
"Shit, it's morning, already."
These were the first few thoughts that Van has as he blinked, his vision clearing slowly. It took him a few moments to register that yes, he was in his room, but obviously he had been asleep for several days. He knew it was at least well past twelve already. Van frowned. What about his duties? What had happened there?
He tried to lift his arm, but to his surprised, there was a resistance when he tried. He looked, and smiled gently. Hitomi was sleeping on his arm, and from the looks of it, quite exhausted. He quietly slipped his arm out from under her folded arms, and crept out of bed. Van then pulled the blankets over her shoulders, and after a moment's consideration, kissed Hitomi gently on the forehead. His footsteps still felt a little wobbly, and he felt aching pains from cramped and injured muscles. No doubt some physical training would be in order. Van grabbed a walking stick by the door, and hobbled his way out.
He first made his way out of the hospital wing to his bedroom. There, he changed into his usual clothes. As he stepped out of the room, however, a surprised maid carrying a rather precarious stack of folded blankets nearly crashed into him. He reached out a hand to quickly steady the tipping stack. When it stopped swaying, they both gave a sigh of relief, and laughed.
"You're finally out of bed then!" The maid commented. "It's good to see you back on your feet, sir!" Then she saw the walking stick. "Well, sort of…How is Lady Hitomi, by the way? Has she risen?"
Van shook his head. "No, she's still sleeping in the hospital ward. I didn't have the heart to wake her; She looked so exhausted."
The maid looked confused. "Of course she is! She's been by your side for two week straight, tending to you. Don't you remember?"
Van blinked. "I was unconscious." He said flatly.
"Oh! No! I didn't mean it that way! No, I meant, well, I mean, if she was there for two whole weeks, and OH! I'm sorry, your Majesty!" The maid bowed quickly and scurried off, flustered.
Van chuckled. Such lively staff. He headed straight for the training grounds. No doubt his duties would have to wait until he was in good physical condition. And, yes, some catching up would have to do, as well. He needed to be not only in good mental condition, but in good physical condition as well. Otherwise, he believed, he could not run a country without such strength. A strong country needed a strong leader, and that was that.
Van reached the training grounds. There was no one in sight, not even Allen. Strange…Shaking his head, and clearing his thoughts, he unsheathed his sword and positioned it in front of him. A mannequin, beat up from various rounds of physical sparring, stared right back at him defiantly. Not for long.
Van steadied himself, and with a cry, lunged himself forward.
Hitomi blinked slowly, and sat up slowly, stretching out he arms behind her head. The blanket feel off he shoulders as she realized that it was already late afternoon. She looked towards the bed routinely to check up on Van, but to her surprise, he eyes were met with a rumpled, but empty bed. Hitomi was alarmed. Was he already awake? And she hadn't realized it?
Hitomi promptly jumped up, knocking over the chair, and ran out the door. She had to know for sure. She ran past his bedroom, his study, and the throne room. Not there. As she walked down the hall and past the laundry room, a flustered maid was depositing a rather large stack of blankets in a cart.
"Honestly," the maid was muttering, "That Van Fanel! I swear, that is one of the most infuriating kings in Fanelian history! He's just lucky I actually get paid enough, or I'd ditch this-"
Hitomi coughed lightly, and the maid jumped, realizing that she'd been overheard. "Lady Hitomi! I didn't mean that! I mean, well…" The maid blushed. That was already twice in one day she'd been caught off guard.
"Don't worry about it." Hitomi reassured her. "Do you know where Van is?" The maid thought for a minute before answering.
"He was heading towards the South Wing of the palace. That's all I remember when I bumped into him earlier." She answered. Hitomi thanked her, and ran towards the Southern end of the palace, all the while mentally ticking off a list of places that Van could be. The orchard? No, Van only did inspection once a month, and it wasn't time yet. The stables? Van was in no condition to ride. The hot springs? A warm blush crept across Hitomi's cheeks as unwanted images of Van crept into her mind. "NO! OF COURSE NOT!" She said aloud, laughing rather brazenly to shake off the thoughts.
Hitomi neared the Southern Wing when she remembered. That's it! He must in the Training Grounds! She picked up her speed, and flung open the door. A lone figure was hacking away at a mannequin in the center of the room. Hitomi watched, entranced. His fighting style had become increasingly efficient; yet elegant from the last time she had seen him.
"Van!" She yelled, and ran towards him. Van barely had enough time to looked up and throw aside his sword before he was knocked to the ground by the force of Hitomi's hug. He winced slightly, but smiled.
"Hey…" He said. Hitomi, lost for words, simply buried her face in the crook of his neck. "I'm so sorry" She whispered. "I've always wanted to say that."
Van felt a little dejected, but he still smiled, and stroked her hair. "It's alright. As long as you're safe."
"Hey, Van?" Hitomi blushed slightly, her face still hidden in his neck. Her warm breath tickled his skin, and he felt small, yet delightful shivers go up his spine.
"Hmm?" He answered.
It was barely audible, but it reached him. "Van, I love you." Hitomi whispered. "I'm sorry I didn't realize it before. I – I wasn't sure if you still felt the same…" She sat up, and looked down timidly, adverting her eyes from his face.
Van sat up, tilted her head up with one hand, and kissed her. Her hand slowly came up to loop around his neck, and she responded by slowly kissing him back. Van deepened the kiss, and ran his tongue along her lips, asking her permission. She granted him entrance, and he slowly explored her mouth, their tongues entwining every now and then.
He broke the kiss, pushed her onto her back, and started kissing her neck. Hitomi let out a small moan, but it was cut off by a choke from the doorway.
They both looked up, blushing, to see a mortified Allen, a half eaten sandwich halfway up to his mouth, and his eyes wide.
"This place has been defiled!" Allen cried, dropping his sandwich, and running off to retrieve a bottle of holy water.
Van stood up, offering his hand to Hitomi, who took it, and brushed herself off. "I supposed we should get back before he returns with that holy water…" Van muttered. And so, hand-in-hand, they left for dinner.
Within a few days, Van was able to get up and conduct business as usual, but not without the aid of crutches. Hitomi had ordered the woodworkers in the city square to construct them from designs she sketched. Some mystical contraption from the Mystic Moon…it sure looked stranger, but it worked surprisingly well. Allen, who was substituting for Van while Van was resting, gratefully gave up his position when he heard that Van was well enough to work again.
Van walked into the room to see a surprised Allen jump up from his chair, and head hurriedly towards the door, relief written all over his face. Van sidestepped to block his way, and cocked an eyebrow at Allen.
"Why were in you in my study…?" Van asked hesitantly to the impatient Allen. Allen gave him an exasperated look.
"You were half dead and bleeding back in the hospital ward, so I figured that someone had to take over – at least for a little while. Besides…" Allen gave Van a little wink, "Better me than your matchmaking advisors."
Van chuckled slightly, nodding. "So why the hurry out the door? I'm surprised, old friend. I'd have thought that you'd be one to beg to keep the position a little longer, having power over all of Fanelia and all."
Allen rolled his eyes. "Please. Do you know how annoying it is to have to deal with all those complaining people all day? Just complaining complaining complaining about how their crops died, and how their husband was killed by so-and-so, and how they should deal with a philandering son or daughter…Seriously, how can you put up with that every single day? I couldn't find any free time at all to do all the things you usually do, like horseback riding, hunting, and fencing."
"Years of practice." Van replied with mock superiority, pretending to polish his nails on his shirt. Allen scowled and smacking him playfully on the shoulder. Van let out a gasp, and stumbled slightly. Allen caught him, and pulled him upright.
"Sorry." Allen said, with a rueful smile. "Forgot about the injuries." He peered at the crutches that supported Van and blinked a few times. "Interesting. Another yet innovative design from the Mystic Moon, brought from the brilliant Hitomi? Hm…sometimes I wonder if we'd even be alive if it weren't for her presence among us during the War…"
Van just smiled slightly. "Yeah…"
Allen, sensing the change of tone in Van's voice, took the opportunity to change the subject. "Well, I'd better be going now. Merle hasn't seen me around in a few days – I bet she's lonely without my company."
"Heh, you wish, blondie." Van laughed. Allen rolled his eyes, and strolled out the door. And resonating "MEEEERLEEEE" could be heard echoing around the castle, along with his triumphant laughter. A sharp yowl, a scream of frustration and running footsteps could be heard shortly after that.
Van started towards his study, and frowned. A rather large stack of paperwork had collected upon his desk, and it would take a whole day, and maybe an all-nighter to finish it. Allen may have said that he did his work - on the throne. But that was only the easy part. There were also the incoming treaties (or declarations of war), as well as lawsuits, complaints, and the many offers from far-away kings to marry off their daughter to them. He immediately started by addressing rejection letters to offers of betrothal, as he always did first. That quickly cleared a substantial amount of the paper work, leaving half of the original amount. Van stared at the pile for a while, debating whether to sit down, and slowly read the letters out, and create formal replies, OR to toss all the letters in the fireplace, watch them burn while he spent the rest of the day with Hitomi.
The latter sounded much better, he knew instantly. But…there were some duties that even he could not abandon. So, he sat down, stretched, took a deep breath, and started on the seemingly endless paperwork.
Hitomi woke up, blinking blearily, and rubbing the last of sleep from her eyes. She slumped, almost wishing that it wasn't morning already. She had missed having a nice bed for two weeks, having to sleep by Van's bedside. Now that he was better, she almost missed having him by her side. However, there were some perks about having a nice feather bed that couldn't be forgotten.
She got up, changed, and washed her face in the basin in the bathroom. She peered into the mirror and sighed. There was nothing much to do today. Van has his duties to catch up on, and Allen was busy chasing Merle (he never tired of it), leaving Hitomi all alone to pursue her interests. Whatever those may be.
After brushing her teeth and straightening herself up, she started towards the door, but before she got very far, she heard a sharp shout, and Merle tumbled onto her, knocking her to the ground.
"Quick! Hide me!" Merle whispered, and ducked into Van's room. A few moments later, Allen came running down the hall, and looked around confused.
"Have you seen Merle anywhere?" He asked Hitomi, who was about to close the door behind her. The door clicked shut, and she shook her head, smiling.
"Though, I think that she may have gone that way." Hitomi said, pointing down the rest of the hall. Allen blinked a few times, and stared at Hitomi, trying to figure out if she was lying or not. Hitomi glared back, staring him down, and finally, he shrugged, and ran down the hall, calling out Merle's name in an innocent tone.
Merle cracked open the door behind Hitomi, and whispered, "Is he gone?"
Hitomi nodded. "What was that all about?"
"We can't talk here." Merle whispered. "Follow me." And she hurried down the way Allen had just come. Hitomi followed her, and they both quickly made their way down the winding stone staircases and through several secret passages, finally leading to the prison cells.
They walked past the empty cells, listening to the slow dripping of water, and feeling the damp coldness of the air around them. Hitomi shivered, and rubbed her arms to get rid of the goose bumps she was getting.
"Why here?" Hitomi's voice wavered in the silence.
"Because." Merle stopped, and sat down on a bench halfway down the row. "This is the last place Allen would think to look. He's been trailing me all day – I swear, it's so annoying, and extremely childish, coming from a supposedly chivalrous knight like him." She made a face, and her tail bristled visibly. "And I finally thought that I had peace, when he stopped bothering me for a few weeks. If I had known he was going to come back, I would have made more use of that time!"
"I hope you know how to get out of this place…" Hitomi muttered, eyeing the long row of prison cells that lined the hall, still rubbing her arms.
"And he won't give me a moment's worth of peace! I was sleeping under a tree in the south garden, and he has the gall to climb up into the tree, and cut off fruits so that they fell on my head quite painfully. And mind you, pears are not soft fruits…"
"Are these prison cells empty?"
"After that, he chased me halfway around the castle, and I've wasted a while day hiding from him, and running. You try running that much, and see if you don't get annoyed!"
"What if we get killed by an escaped convict?"
"And that arrogant jerk seems to think that this is all funny! The nerve of him!"
"Do you have a death wish…?"
"HITOMI ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME!"
Hitomi blinked, and looked over at Merle. "Of course. But haven't you ever thought of what would happen if he did catch you?"
Merle scowled. "If someone were chasing after you, would you let them catch you?"
"Well…no…"
"I rest my case."
"But that's besides the point! You're a neko! You should have some ability to stand up to him? What could he possibly do that could really get you?"
Merle blushed slightly. "Well…um…uh…I…that is…um…you see…there's a perfectly good explanation for that too!" Merle glared at Hitomi defiantly.
Hitomi grinned. "Well, it seems like we've settle this. Now, why don't you show me the way out? This place is starting to creep me out…"
Merle sighed, and admittingly smiled. "Yeah…I don't think I'm going to come down here anytime soon…"
"And I'm sure you won't." A deep voice growled from the darkness.
Merle and Hitomi yelped, and jumped back. "I thought you said these jail cells were empty!" Hitomi stuttered.
"I thought so too!" Merle answered, her eyes shifting back and forth, frightened.
Another deep voice male whispered, "We should get rid of them. After all…these jail cells are our homes now. And we certainly can't tolerate trespassers. I'm sure we would be doing the king and that blonde loser a favor by getting rid of you all."
Merle paused. Then laughed. "Allen, I know it's you. Stop playing games, and come out and face me!"
"Oh?" The other male voice said. "Would your precious Allen do this?" An object whizzed past Hitomi, and a small dagger embedded itself into the wall by Merle's head. "Next time, I won't miss." The voice growled.
Merle gasped, and tried to pull the dagger out of the wall in a panic. It was no use – the dagger wouldn't budge. "No," Merle gasped. "I can't die here." She turned suddenly to the darkness. "You're locked in cells. You can't get out. All we have to do is run out of here, and we'd be safe!" She turned, and started to run, pulling Hitomi along. They hadn't gotten more than three feet when they stopped in horror. The creaking of an opening prison cell echoed loudly behind them.
"Now," The other voice sneered. "Won't you come closer? We've been so lonely here, all by ourselves…" Hitomi gripped the bars of the cells next to her, shaken with fright. Her knuckles were white, and she subconsciously began to back away.
"Not so fast." The second voice spoke again, hissing. Another object whizzed by her head, and she quickly pulled her hand away from the cell. A razor sharp blade flew into the very spot her hand was a moment ago.
Hitomi let in a sharp intake of breath, as her mind suddenly processed what was really going on. Her mind had been blank and fuzzy, but suddenly she realized that she was going to die. "No…" She gasped.
Merle, tail bristling and eyes shinning with a fierce defiance, glared into the darkness. "I refuse to die here." She declared. "Stop hiding in the dark, you cowards, and come into the light!"
"And what makes you think that we wish to fight?" The two voices said in unison. Hitomi paled, and shivered, as her imagination took over. She knew very well what they could do to her. "Van…he won't be able to hear us…Van…where is he…?" She whispered.
The second voice laughed. "You're certainly correct, little miss. We're so deep underground that no one can here any noise produced in these chambers. Not even the loudest screams of pain can reach the surface. Oh, the screams of torture you should have heard! Such was music to my ears. A pity you couldn't stay…"
Hitomi steadied herself, and took a deep breath. "I refuse to give myself up to you two bastards." She growled, hoping in the back of her mind that she really could get away.
"Talk is cheap." A voice said. "It's time, now. Good-bye."
Before the two girls could react, they were whisked away in opposite directions, one taking hold of Hitomi, and the other taking hold of Merle. Neither had time to scream.
Hitomi felt herself being pulled along the hallways of the castle. The damp air that had been rushing past her slowly dissipated to the clean air she was used to in the castle. She began to try and fight her way out of his grasp, but his grip on her was too strong. Suddenly, they stopped in a dark room, and he left her side.
"What do you want with me?" She stuttered, quickly turning this way and that, praying that he would not jump out at the wrong corner and kill her then and there. "Please, don't hurt me. I haven't done anything to cause you any harm. So why are you…?"
She stopped short when she felt arms encircle her waist from behind and a pair of warm lips brush across her cheek. "I could never hurt you." The voice assured her, but this time his tome changed. Her eyes widened, and she turned around.
"Uso…" She stammered. "It can't be…"
Merle was being dragged along the second hallway in a very uncomfortable manner. Her captor was apparently humming as he skipped down the hallways, and into dark winding passageways. Her tempered flared as she realized that he was probably smiling gleefully as well. She bit down on his arm, and his grip loosened slightly, as he yelped from the pain. She took that opportunity to kick him swiftly in the nuts, and to run, following Hitomi's scent, and praying that she was not too late, leaving the poor guy to clutch himself and groan.
Hitomi's bewilderment soon turned to anger. She promptly slapped him across the face as hard as she could. He winced.
"I suppose I deserved that." He said, with a guilty grin on his face.
"Of course! What in God's name were you thinking, scaring us like that," She glared at him, "Van…"
"Well…it was Allen's stupid idea." He tried to look innocent. "He has some sort of obsession with chasing Merle around the castle…and I was getting bored with paperwork."
Hitomi didn't buy it. "And that was your reason for almost chopping my hand off? You know, that dagger could've killed us, and you were willing to take that chance? You scared me shitless. I honestly thought I was going to die!"
Van's brow furrowed. He hated being yelled at. "First of all, I didn't throw it. I would never have gone so far as to put you in danger. I had no idea that Allen would go that far. I can assure you that I was extremely displeased with him for throwing the first one, and even more so for throwing the second one. Second, I have to admit that Allen had many years of study of swordsmanship. He would never forgive himself if he ever hurt you Hitomi. And Third…"
He nudged her backwards, and she backed up into a wall. He put hand by her head as he leaned over her, and whispered next to her ear. "I really wanted to spend some more time with you."
Hitomi almost kicked herself. It was too hard to stay mad at Van for so long, even for something so ridiculous. "Van…" She started to say, but he cut her off by kissing her gently. Her mind went blank, and she sunk into the kiss, sighing softly. Her hands moved to encircle the back of his neck, while his right hand moved to her waist, and his left hand moved to support her cheek.
They finally broke apart from lack of air, and he leaned his forehead against hers gently, his chest heaving slightly. "I'm sorry…" He whispered, taking her hands into his. She nodded and embraced him, a sign that she accepted his apology.
"So…" Hitomi pulled back and looked at the ground shyly. "What would this make us?"
Van hesitated. "Um…well…I was thinking that maybe…" His words were cut off by a sudden loud crack. A few seconds later, the door burst open, and Merle burst in.
"What the hell…"
This chapter is longer than usual…; hehehe….sorry for the super long delay :x I guess I can't really promise much then. But I can say that I do still have a lot of homework. I'm just sorry that I haven't been taking advantage of my time to finish the story . I still have my deviantART site to update, my xanga needs a new layout, I need to find patterns to help me on my cosplay outfit which I haven't had time to even start, I have Gundam Seed Destiny and KKJ to finish watching to I can rent them to my friends, and arghhh seriously 24 hours in a day isn't enough. I can barely function in the daytime because of lack of sleep, and I end up dozing off by accident in class, and I miss some important stuff. ARGHHH MY LIFE SUCKS!
On a happier note, I'm going to sleep right now. Good night!
Until the next chapter!
Kyoko
PS. I just skimmed over the chapter right now, in preview. Oh my goodness this chapter is so corny >. forgive me.