CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Van went back to work once the week was over and this left Hitomi alone for most of the time. She missed having him around all the time, but knew that she had to get over it. Since she didn't have school or anything else to keep herself busy, she tried to find something to keep herself busy. Merle was sent away on a trip, being a spokeswoman of Fanellia to a near by cat village. The seamstress woman had already started to construct Hitomi's new dress, but it was going to take a while since she had never seen such a style before. It would look pretty cool actually and even a few girls back at home would most likely want something like it for a dress to wear to a dance or something formal. She couldn't wait until Van took her out flying again, it was fun, and something she had never experienced before in her life. Back on Earth, she had always wondered what it would be like to be able to fly freely like a bird, and she had gotten that wish, even though it was a way that she didn't want to.

She sighed since she now had nothing to do and didn't exactly know what it was that she was suppose to do as Van's queen since there really wasn't any one to tell her what to do. She didn't have any friends other then Merle and Hinata here in Fanelia and she wondered what it was that every one back on Earth was doing right now. She was happy to be back here in Fanelia with Van, but she missed her old life from time to time as well. She wanted to go running, but that would make people look at her strangely since she was Van's queen. Tonight was the night that Naomi was going to be killed, she found that out because she over heard some of the maids talking among themselves but quickly hushed themselves once they had seen her. She made her way down the castle halls and out of the castle, being rather surprised that she wasn't stopped by any of the guards or soldiers along the castle gates. She walked down the streets of Fanelia and people seemed to give her strange glances from time to time when she looked up at them. A small group of children ran past by her playing and laughing with one another. She had to smile as she watched them played, wouldn't it be nice to be carefree again? No, she had answered her own question. No because she wouldn't be able to be with Van.

The sun was warm, but the wind brought a nice breeze to cover some of the sun's heat. The last time that she was able to go in to the city, was the day that she was wounded by Naomi, and her priestess arrow. Van had been so worried about her on that day, and still was a little too over protective, sometimes it was really annoying. She suddenly felt something bump in to her really hard and then she watched a kid grin at her and she realized that he had taken her purse since he held it up and grinned. "Hey, give that back!" Hitomi said to the kid who only stuck out his tongue.

"You'll never get this back!" The kid said as he now stuck out his tongue and started to run.

"Hey, you!" Hitomi shouted after the kid. She didn't really need the money inside of the purse, but she wasn't letting a kid get away with robbing her. He started to run, and Hitomi chased after him.

"Shit!" The boy cursed as Hitomi started to catch up with him. "Old lady give it up already!"

"Old lady? What are you talking about you little brat! I'll show you old! NEVER DISCRASE MY RUNNING ABILITY!" She shouted at the boy and started to run faster. It was hard to run in the long dress, and would have caught the kid already if it wasn't for the dress. She grabbed hold of his shirt. "Got you, whose the old lady now?" She asked. "Well in this case old man I'd say." Hitomi said smiling.

"Damn let me go, let me go!" The kid shouted over and over again.

"Hold on, do you seriously think that I'm just going to let you go after you robbed me?" Hitomi said. "I could turn you in to the samurai." Hitomi threathened. "I'm sure that they would love to hear your explanation on why you robbed me."

"Let me go!"

"Now listen to me, you can't just go robbing people, I'm sure that your mother would be sad if she found out that you where doing this." Hitomi said.

"I don't have a mother, now let me go!"

Hitomi stared at the young kid. He looked to be about her brother's age. "You can keep it." Hitomi said and the kid stopped fighting at her and stared at her strangely. "I don't really need it as much as you obviously do so keep it. Just don't go robbing people again or I will turn you in to the samurai the next time that I do catch you robbing people." She blinked as he shoved it back in to her hands.

"I don't want charity." The boy said and he scrambled off.

"What a weird kid." Hitomi thought and shook her head as she made her way back to the main street. "Queen Hitomi!" She heard someone yell from somewhere in the crowd which made her turn around quickly. "Queen Hitomi!" It was a samurai, she blinked at him questionably.

"What?" She asked the young man.

"Why are you out here by yourself?" The man asked. "If the king knew…."

"His highness doesn't need someone to watch my back every second of the day you know. He already knows that I like to come out by myself. I know that you mean well Sir Sati, but I can take care of myself. Do you not remember that I was with two guards the last time I came out and got hit?" Hitomi asked.

"Yes but…"

"I'll be fine, relax." Hitomi reassured the man.

"Alright, alright. Just keep in sight of the samurai who are out on patrol at least, Queen Hitomi." Sati said concerned.

"I'll try but I'm not promising any thing." She said and gave the man a wink which made him blink confused.

"I hope you don't mind me saying this, but I think that the king has chosen someone very confusing to be his wife."

"I'll take that as a complement. Excuse me." Hitomi said smiling since Van had said something similar to her the other day. She had ended up back in the castle before noon since she ended up getting bored. The garden was peaceful and quiet, and was sad as well. EscaFlowne, the guymelof that Van had once used to bring victory to Fanelia was sleeping here, and Folken's grave was here as well. "I'll try not to make him sad." She promised her brother in law as she placed some fresh flowers on his grave. "Thank you once again for what you did back then." She thought to herself as she stood up and moved away from the grave. This was the place to where Van had sent her back home two years ago. In this garden, to where Folken spent his eternal rest and the EscaFlowne as well. She hopped that there was no need for war any more after that last Great War. She didn't want to see it again, to see Fanelia burn, Fried burn, or any thing else that had to do with war.

"Huh?" She asked as she suddenly felt someone's warm hands on her shoulders.

"Something wrong, Hitomi?" Van's voice asked.

"No, nothing. I just thought that it's been a while since I visited Folken so…"

"Yes, I know what you mean. I haven't been here in a while either." Van said smiling at Hitomi. "I still hate myself now from time to time for hating him after we met again, when I found out that he was working for Zaibach. I never realized that even though he was working with the enemy, he still cared for me."

"Yes, but you shouldn't hate yourself for that. The times back then where difficult." Hitomi said as she tried to reassure her husband. "We had no way of knowing to what Folken meant to do back then." She said as she now turned around and hugged him. "Come on, let's go back inside."

"Hai." Van said as he wrapped an arm around Hitomi's waist and walked her in to the castle.

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Van finally told Hitomi that tonight was going to be the night to when Naomi was going to pay for her crimes. Hitomi wished that Van wouldn't have to kill Naomi, but Hitomi knew that Van had to, to show that he wouldn't take any threats from anyone, neighboring countries who tried to start war again, priestess, or priests. Then again, anything that had to do with war was destroyed all but swords, since swords where only allowed to be carried as a symbol of authority. Arrows weren't suppose to be used but they where still around. Van ordered the guards to keep Hitomi away from the place to where they would kill Naomi but Hitomi could see it any way, she could hear Van's voice clearly in her mind.

"You dared to kill Queen Hitomi of Fanelia while you where in her chambers?" Van asked.

"Yes." Naomi replied showing no emotion.

"Why?" Van asked.

"She does not deserve to be your wife, the gods have shown me that she will destroy us."

"Another seer told me differently, Naomi." Van said. "Is it true that you where/are in love with me and wanted to kill Queen Hitomi so that you would have a chance to make me your husband and so that you would not be only the High Priestess of Fanelia, but also the Queen of Fanelia as well?" Van asked.

"Yes." Naomi answered coldly. "Though now I resent even laying eyes on you that way you damned cursed…"

"Under Fanelia's rule, any attempt to kill one of the royal family, or any one else for that matter other in times of war will be punished to death." A woman's voice spoke, she wore priestess cloths similar to what Naomi was wearing. Instead of the normal white and red priestess gown that most miko's on Earth war in Japan, hers was blue and green. "I , the new high priestess of Fanelia, here by decree that on this night, that Naomi is sentenced to death for being a traitor to Fanelia and false predictions to what the gods have said to her. Her own selfish reasons are what brought her here." The older woman said as she spoke out to the people. Her medium length black hair blew in front of her face as Gaea's breeze blew it there and she held some strange sword to a man covered in black. "Let all those be warned, any one who tries to betray those who have once saved us from Zaibach's rule will be punished harshly."

Van moved off of the platform as well as the woman who had introduced herself as the high priestess and Naomi stood there in the middle of the platform, alone besides the man with the sword. Instead of using the sword, he took a near by torch and placed the torch on to the hey to which Naomi was being imprisoned to on the pole that was surrounded by the hey. The hey automatically burst in to flame and Naomi stood there grinning at those who could see her.

"You can all go to hell." Was the last thing that Hitomi heard her say since the world went dark after that. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

When Hitomi woke up she found herself in her and Van's bed with Van sitting next to her, carelessly stroking her hair. "Van…" Hitomi whispered.

"What happened?" Van asked with worried eyes.

"Nothing, I just saw it, Naomi being burned…" Hitomi replied. "Did she really have to die? I know that she tried to kill me but…"

"Yes, I'm afraid that she did. The law is the law, and these laws have been passed down from king to king before my father's time."

He was wearing her pendant, she noticed that now for the first time. "I understand, but even when a person was put to death on the Mystic Moon, I never seen it in a vision before." Hitomi said. "I know that I should be use to it by now because of all of the horrible visions that I had during the great war but…"

"Yes, I know, hush it's alright." Van said as he kissed her forehead. "You can rest now, I'll be right here if you want me to."

"Don't you have any other more important things for you to do?" Hitomi asked.

"Only to be here with you and well we both haven't eaten since lunch so we can have some dinner as well." Van said trying to make the room a little more cheerful and could see that Hitomi actually laughed at that.

"Hai, I agree to that." Hitomi said smiling. "Though I know that this isn't the time to talk about it, but do you ever want to have kids?"

"Yes." Van replied with out any hesitation at all in his voice. "Of course, not because I need a heir, but because it would be nice to have our own family. But for right now I just want to spend time with you."