Return to Gaea from the Mystic Moon Chapter 20, an escaflowne fanfic

CHAPTER TWENTY

When Hitomi woke up, she woke up to the all too familiar unwanted feeling of uneasy-ness in her stomach and made her way to the bathroom, being careful not to disturb Van who was sleeping peacefully. "I don't think I can keep this up for another six months!" Hitomi groaned as she sat on the bathroom floor. For some odd reason however, she couldn't get her mind off of what happened last night, Celena, Dilandu, which one was Allen's sister? Hitomi knew that Dilandu had been created from Celena by Zaibach's sorcerers and for the past two and a half years Celena had been stabled as Celena up until now. So why was it when she saw Allen and Van fighting last night that Dilandu had suddenly emerged? She would have to think about it later, she started to feel sick again.

When she came out, Van was dressed and waiting for her, however, Hitomi was still in her nightgown and just faintly smiled at Van. "Good morning Van." Hitomi said and blushed slightly as Van smiled back, he always seemed to know her weak points.

"Morning, are you feeling better? Not only just now but last night as well." Van asked and Hitomi nodded. "Yes, I'm fine, I'll explain it to you after I get dressed." Hitomi promised as she grabbed hold of the dress that Van asked her to bring which made her blush even more as she grabbed a change of under cloths to go with it.

Van wondered when Chid would call him, it was still early in the morning, but knowing how it was with royal duties, Chid would be up early, and at the crack of dawn most likely since that's how it was for him. Then again, Fried's traditions where different from Fanelia's so Van never knew. Van sighed and walked to the balcony that was connected to the room, opened it up, and walked out. "I'm dressed Van, what do you think?" Van suddenly heard Hitomi's voice and turned around.

"Beautiful." Van said blushing as he stared at Hitomi and could hear Hitomi laugh.

"Thanks Van, maybe I should wear something with it, a choker or something?" Hitomi asked.

"No, you look nice the way you are." Van said smiling. "Shall we go to breakfast?" Van asked.

"But I promised that I would…" Hitomi started to say but was silenced once she now felt Van's fingers on her lips.

"Food first, I don't want you starving yourself, you are eating for two now, Hitomi." Van said playfully.

"Ah! Geeze, you find out for one day and you start to go crazy!" Hitomi said pouting.

"I just worry about you, that's all." Van said sighing.

"Sometimes you worry a little too much, alright, alright, let's go eat and then I'll tell you. I think it's important since some strange things have been happening ever since well you know, actually you don't know so umm…. Yeah…" Hitomi said somewhat embarrassed and Van laughed.

"Let's go, I want to eat myself." Van said and Hitomi shook her head. "If you wanted to eat, why didn't you just say so? Men!" She said playfully which made Van grin and with that the two walked down to breakfast.

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Van and Hitomi seemed to forget about Hitomi having to explain to him what happened last night and just seemed to enjoy the spare time that they where allowed to have here in Fried. Knowing Van's work load, it was just pilling up for each day as Van spent here, but this was the last day that they where staying and where leaving this evening after sunset. A man dressed in the royalty stile of Fried came up to them and bowed. "Fanelia, I have word from Duke Fried for you to come see him now."

Van looked at Hitomi who nodded. "It's alright your highness, I will be fine by myself." Hitomi said and Van kissed her on the forehead. "Remember what I told you." Van whispered in her ear as he followed the man.

Hitomi found Millerna now just getting ready to go out which was perfect since Hitomi was about to do that. "Hi Millerna." Hitomi said and the youngest Asturian princess looked at her.

"Hey, Hitomi, I'm going out, you want to come?" Millerna asked.

"The funny thing is is that I was going to ask you the same thing." Hitomi said and laughed.

"Well it seems like great minds think alike." Millerna said and Hitomi had to keep herself from making a weird face. "Umm… sure, come on let's go!"

"Hitomi, this would really suit you." Millerna said as she looked at some jewelry on one of the stands and held up an emerald green necklace. "Matches your eyes and dress."

"Maybe not." Hitomi said not really caring at the moment. She blushed as she watched some children run by and thought about the child growing inside of her.

"Something wrong, Hitomi, you seem distracted." Millerna said with a puzzled face and Hitomi shook her head in reply. "No, nothing sorry."

Hitomi never really was the going out to do nothing but shop type of person but just liked to go out so she had a reason to get out. What she really wanted right now, was to run, ever since she had become Van's wife she really never got a chance to do that any more since it looked strange in public for her to just randomly run around Fanelia. Unless if she decided to dress up how she did two and a half years ago and cut her hair, most people would not mistake her for not being the Fanelian queen. That and plus now she was carrying hers and Van's child and she heard that people who where pregnant weren't really suppose to run for some odd reason she could never figure out.

"Are you sure that you're feeling alright, Hitomi? You really seem out of it, is it because of what happened last night?" Millerna asked.

"This isn't the place to talk about that." Hitomi said as she eyed around the crowd looking for any one who might try to overhear their conversation or anything else. She really needed to stop getting as paranoid as Van was.

"Alright, alright, you don't have to be so mean about it." Millerna said and walked to another store. Hitomi sighed, maybe she should pick Merle out something, after all Merle wanted to come but Van wouldn't let her and Merle was part of the family typically speaking even if not by blood or marriage. Hitomi was glad that it wasn't by marriage, she would have a word or two to say about that.

"I'm done." Millerna said to which felt like almost an hour later. "You didn't get anything." Millerna said. "Did Van say that you're not allowed to shop?"

Hitomi laughed. "No, I'm just not in the mood to shop today, I just came to walk around and see Fried."

"You're in a weird mood today." Millerna said as she shifted the bag on her shoulder.

Hitomi didn't really say anything. "Maybe we should get back to the palace." Millerna finally said.

"Yes, maybe, sorry Millerna, I'm not really in the mood today." The truth was, was that she just didn't care.

"Alright, let's go, we can catch a carriage." Millerna suggested.

"I'd rather walk, but if you say so, his highness orders where not to be caught alone." Hitomi whispered to Millerna. "Men are too over protective."

"With me it's the other way around." Millerna explained and Hitomi had to laugh at that.

"This is a problem." Chid said once Van had finished explaining the whole situation to him.

"Hitomi has never been wrong before, you know that from experience as well, am I right Duke Fried?" Van asked and Chid nodded.

"Yes, but that's what concerns me now." Chid said. "Why would Saiya try to pull something like this? Our countries are allies." Chid looked at Van. "Have you told any one about this?"

"No, not even Princess Millerna." Van replied. "I hope that Hitomi hasn't told her anything yet either."

"He did go to visit a sick relative on that day come to think of it." Chid said. "I'll have to have blacktooth come and investigate on this matter."

"But wasn't he…" Van started to ask.

"That one was yes, but there are more then one blacktooths." Chid answered as if reading Van's mind. "It is custom for my family to use him so we intend to have more then one trained."

"I leave Saiya in your hands, Duke Chid." Van said.

"I'll notify you once Its been done since I know that you have to get back to your own country." Chid said.

"Yes, I would like to stay if I could but I can't." Van said agreeing.

"If you'll excuse me I need to arrange for blacktooth to come and somehow throw Saiya in jail with out having any suspicions."

"I thank you Duke Fried, I would not want this incident to come between our friendship." Van said bowing.

"Yes." Chid said. "I hope that we can resolve this manner as quickly as possible before anything else happens."

"I thank you once again." Van said.

Hitomi was glad to be back at the palace and collapsed in to a chair in hers and Van's room. She was glad that Millerna decided not to go shopping all day, she didn't really care for it. She suddenly stood up. Fire, everything was burning, no not again! Dilandu, she saw Dilandu in her mind again, why? He was gone! No, last night he managed to come out. Why, why was this happening? The EscaFlowne? Why was that revived again? Why? Van had put it to sleep! She could then feel herself falling, falling in to the shadows. She could feel herself stretch out her wings to their full length and attempted to fly, but couldn't. Something was pulling her down. She could see Van again as he flew down to rescue her, his hand out stretched towards her, but she just couldn't reach him. She looked down and could see an all too familiar shadow that she couldn't tell who it was but seemed to know that stance from somewhere.

Van went to their room wondering if Hitomi had gone back yet and opened the door. "Hitomi." Van said happily as he entered the room and closed the door behind him. "What?"
He asked once Hitomi started to mutter something in a language he couldn't understand. "Hitomi?" Van asked and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Van?" Hitomi asked, breaking free of the vision. "When did you get back?" Hitomi asked trying not to worry him, not wanting to let him know about the vision yet.

"Just now, are you alright?" Van asked worried.

"I'm fine, I was just… spacing out, that's all." Hitomi lied. "How did the meeting go?"

"Fairly well." Van said still not too sure if his wife was well or not. "Though Duke Fried has a problem in dealing with Saiya, the man who tried to attack you, since he's one of his advisers."

"Oh, I hope that this doesn't cause problems for the duke." Hitomi said and suddenly felt Van's arms around her. "Van…"

"Shouldn't you be sitting down?" Van asked.

"Why?" Hitomi asked.

"You know, you're…"

"Come on Van, I'm barely two months! Calm down." Hitomi said blushing and turned around to face him. "Unless if you're going to order me to, I don't think so."

"But…" Van protested and Hitomi put two fingers to his lips. "You worry too much my king." Hitomi said mockingly but yet in a sweet tone. "I will be fine, many women on the Mystic Moon go to work and are pregnant and still are fine Van." Hitomi reassured her husband.

"But…"

"I am not as weak as I appear to be, Van Fanel." Hitomi said and raised her voice some. "Do I also have to remind you to whose fault it is partly that I am pregnant?" Hitomi asked and Van seemed to back down at that point. "This is because you seem to like sweets, your highness." Hitomi whispered in Van's ear which made him blush a very bright red.

"I don't want to hear you talking to me like that, my queen, outside of bed." Van whispered back in to Hitomi's ear who was the one now blushing. "Or I may just crave some of those…"

"Baka!" Hitomi growled and broke the hug. "You can't take a little bit of teasing can you?" Hitomi asked annoyed and made a note to herself never to talk to Van like that again.

Hitomi was glad once they where back in Fanelia again, she was glad to be home. Van still managed to keep his promise in not telling everyone about her being pregnant and she still needed to tell him of what happened the night that Chid was crowned Duke Fried. She sighed as Van walked her to their apartment and Van just stared at her. "Something wrong, Tomi?" Van asked once behind closed doors.

"Umm… about the night when Prince Chid was crowned duke…" Hitomi began to explain but Merle popped in at that moment which annoyed Hitomi some.

"Welcome home Van-Sama!" Merle said and of course literally jumped on him as she hugged him.

"Merle, it's nice to see you to." Van said and gave his childhood friend a brief hug.

"I missed you Van-Sama!" Merle said. "It was lonely here."

Hitomi almost didn't realize that she was clutching her fist now. 'Damn! Why the hell does she like to piss me off!'

Van looked at the girl and tried not to sigh. "Merle, can I hang out with you sometime tomorrow instead? Maybe breakfast or something, I'm tired."

"Oh, you sure didn't seem too tired when you came in." Merle spat.

"Sorry Merle." Hitomi apologized as she butted in. "You see, he's tired from having to take care of me, I caught a little something in Fried." Hitomi lied, but it was sort of the truth, she was sort of sick in the morning but Van never really could take care of her. "Van was kept up last night taking care of me."

"You seem fine now." Merle said.

"Yes, because Van took care of me." Hitomi said. "You see, I ate something that didn't really agree with me and well, I'm sure that you don't want to get in to the details. I'll let Van have lunch with you instead of me tomorrow, how about that?" Hitomi asked.

"Alright, I suppose…." Merle said somewhat suspicious. "I'm glad that you're back, Van-Sama, good night." Merle said and then kissed (licked) Van good night on the cheek and then left the room.

"Sorry about lieing to her, but it seemed like it was needed at the time." Hitomi apologized to Van once she thought that they where alone.

"No, that's fine, you where about to tell me something." Van said and sat on a chair.

"Hai." Hitomi said and then started to explain, once done, Van just stared at her, not knowing what to say.

"We should keep an eye out on things for now." Van said after a few moments of silence. "I think that it means that something is defiantly going to happen again." Van said not too happily and who could blame him?

"We can't act rasionally Van, after all you are king and you do have a country to run." Hitomi said. "Allen is our friend, and we don't want to betray his trust." Hitomi continued. "And Duke Fried promised he would look in to the problem with Saiya."

"Now I don't know if I want to sleep or not." Van said sighing.

"Sleep Van." Hitomi insisted. "You need it, tomorrow is you're first day back after you're little vacation."

"I guess like you're right." Van said and Hitomi smiled.

"Of course!" Hitomi said sarcastically. "Why wouldn't I be?"

After the two changed in to their night wear, they both bid one another good night, but once even though Hitomi had fallen asleep, Van couldn't help but to watch her in the darkness as her slow breathing moved up and down. 'I will always protect you.'