Thanks once again for all of the reviews everyone. I do appreciate them even though I don't tell you individually. That just takes too much time. I hope that you're all enjoying the story so far. Well thanks again and here is the long awaited chapter.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Van and Hitomi landed back on Gaea moments later and Hitomi collapsed in to Van's and Van caught her quickly. He smiled down at Hitomi who had a peaceful look on her face. "Welcome back, Hitomi!" Van thought happily as he picked Hitomi up and carried her in to the castle.
When Hitomi woke up, she looked around and was unfamiliar with the settings at first. She had almost forgotten that she had come back to Gaea and she hit herself in the head for having had passed out as soon as she got here. She had waited so long to get here and then when she got her she passed out. What an idiot! She shouted in the depths of her mind. "HOW COULD I HAVE DONE THAT? YOU WANTED TO COME BACK SO BADLY AND YOU PASS OUT!"
She got up and put her shoes back on as soon as her feet touched the cold, hard wood floor. The castle seemed to be built back, she wondered what the rest of Fanelia looked like. She wondered if it looked like it did in her dream. Then again, how could she tell if this was a dream or not? She couldn't be sure since she thought that the dream was reality and that could this mean that this was a dream? Oh gods her head hurt thinking about it. Reluctantly she fell back on to the bed, kicking her shoes off as she did so, and closed her eyes and tried to fall back asleep hoping that she would wake up soon. She then heard the door open, and found opened an eye to see who it was, it was Merle. She should have figured that it would be the obnoxious annoying cat girl. Hesitantly she closed her eye, hoping that Merle wouldn't notice that she was awake.
SLAP SLAP!
Hitomi's cheek hurt and Hitomi shot up and was now sitting on the bed. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?" Hitomi shouted at her old friend.
Merle looked at Hitomi with her eyes narrowing on her. "I'm not blind stupid, I can see that you where awake."
"How the hell can I be sure that I'm still not asleep?" Hitomi asked Merle half shouting. "Would you like to tell me that much?"
SLAP SLAP! Hitomi was slapped again. "CUT THAT OUT!"
"You wouldn't be able to feel pain if you where asleep." Merle said slyly.
"That's not necessarily true." Hitomi corrected Merle.
"I forgot, you're an exemption to the case." Merle said coldly and Hitomi glared. "Thanks for welcoming me back!" Hitomi snapped as she threw her legs over to the side of the bed and picked up the shoes she had just tossed minutes ago.
"Whatever, you're weird." Merle said and licked her paw. "You better not get too close to him." Merle warned.
"Why not? We both know how we feel for one another. And since when did my love life get involved with you?" Hitomi asked with annoyance.
"Do not get too close to him if you don't plan on staying this time." Merle replied. "If you hurt him again, I will hurt you this time. I was lineate the last time you where here, however, if you leave him again, hurt and alone, I swear you will regret it if you decide to come back after that." Merle warned, her tail getting all straight and puffy like an angry cat warning its predator.
"I'll stay only if he wants me still." Hitomi said which made Merle look at her strangely, was it a look of shock? "He forced me to leave the last time." Hitomi corrected. "I know that you weren't there when I left, but I told him that I wanted to stay, or hinted at him and he sent me home."
"Hinted? WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU SAY SOMETHING?" Merle shouted. "I did love Van-Sama, but I knew that I was already out of the race when I saw the way that he looked at you." Merle said, her tail back to normal and she flopped it from side to side on the bed. "I will take you as my rival, but I must warn you, there are other women who have their eye on Van-Sama and I will NOT LOOSE TO SOME DAMN SPOILD PRINCESS!"
"What are you trying to say?" Hitomi asked, her breathing becoming heavier.
"Van is supposed to marry soon." Merle explained. "He had managed to put it off for five years, but now as he is becoming to the age of 20, he will be forced to marry soon if he wants to or not. Fanelia needs a queen and a heir. If Van does not choose his queen by the time he is 21, it will be chosen for him. It will most likely be some damn spoiled princess, it better be you at least."
"Van, where is he now?" Hitomi asked.
"In a meeting, he said that he would come see you when he was done." Merle explained. "You might want to take a bath before you see him." Merle suggested.
"Do I smell that bad? How bad can you smell just by sleeping?" Hitomi asked.
"It's just a suggestion. I'd figure you want one." Merle explained.
"Oh." Hitomi replied. "I guess like I will." She said giving in.
After the bath Hitomi changed back in to her cloths and dried her hair with the towel. She was glad that Merle had managed to get her hands on a new brush and Hitomi figured that Merle had got one in the city or something and got it. She brushed her hair and Merle was sitting on the bed watching her.
"You're just going to leave it down?" Merle asked.
"Why not?" Hitomi asked.
"You look weird with longer hair." Merle spat.
"Why because I actually look like a girl? Thanks for the brush by the way." Hitomi said.
"It was a new one that I hadn't use yet, I figured that you be kind of picky if I let you use my old one." Merle explained.
"Thanks." Hitomi said. Silence filled the room. "I want to see Fanelia." Hitomi suddenly said.
"You can see some of it from the balcony." A new voice said and Hitomi quickly put the brush down on the dresser and looked to see Van standing in the door.
"Van-Sama!" Merle said and walked over to Van and jumped on him and licked his cheek.
"Merle, cut that out." Van said somewhat embarrassed. He knew that Hitomi had seen Merle do this to him before but it felt strange.
"Van…" Was all that Hitomi could say as she stared at the man she had that strange dream about, she was even married to Van in her dream. The thought caused her to blush. An awkward silence filled the room and Merle finally let go of Van and started to head to the door. "Fine, I get it, I'll leave." Merle said reluctantly.
"Thanks Merle, I'll eat the evening meal with you later if you want." Van suggested not usually having time to.
"That's fine, eat it with Hitomi, you can make it up to me by the noon meal and the evening meal." Merle said and gave a strange look at Hitomi before she walked out and closed the door behind her.
Silence still filled the room even after Merle left. "So you want to see Fanelia? I figured that you would like something to eat first." Van suggested and Hitomi blushed as soon as her stomach growled then and she laughed nervously.
"Don't worry, you haven't eaten in a few days, it's to be expected. I haven't eaten the noon meal yet, would you like to join me?" Van asked and Hitomi blushed brightly.
"Yes, if you don't mind." Hitomi said bowing in apology.
"You don't have to bow, Hitomi." Van said. "And I don't mind, I insist. It's been too long."
Van obviously didn't understand the difference in their cultures so she let that one slide. She followed Van out of the room she was staying in, and walked next to him silently as she followed him to what she guessed was the dinning room.
She felt strange and out of place as they entered the eating area. It was for everyone and not just the king. She figured that Van didn't really care who ate there and wasn't like one of those king's who had to have the servants eat in a separate room. The person she assumed was the cook came out and bowed as soon as he saw Van.
"Who is your guest your highness?" The tall man asked Van.
"Lady Hitomi." Van replied and Hitomi glanced over at Van at the title.
"Welcome my lady." The cook said and bowed at her.
"Nice to meet you." Hitomi said.
"We're going to eat outside on the balcony." Van said and Hitomi just watched him from the corner of her eyes.
"Yes your highness. What will you like?" The man asked.
"Lady Hitomi isn't use to our foods here so is it alright if I choose for you?" Van asked Hitomi and Hitomi nodded dumbly. Van said some name of a strange sounding food and then said something for himself. He then lead Hitomi by the arm and headed to two double doors and opened one up to let Hitomi walk out first and followed himself. He sat Hitomi down and sat down in the chair across from her.
"Wow, you've really done a great job in rebuilding it in five years!" Hitomi said as she saw Fanelia, her green eyes wide.
Van chuckled. "Thanks, though it's not complete yet." Van said somewhat annoyed. "Building takes time and money."
"Yes." Hitomi said and looked back at Van. "I'm sure that you'll have it back to it's old ways and glory." Hitomi said and Van smiled.
"I'm glad that you like my country." Van said and paused. "However, I hope that's not all you want to talk about. We haven't seen one another in five years after all." Van said and Hitomi blushed.
"Yes, sorry." Hitomi apologized once again.
"No need to." Van said. "I'm just glad to see that you're finally awake, I was getting worried about you even though our best healer said that you would be fine."
"Sorry." Hitomi apologized.
"For what this time?" Van asked trying not to laugh.
"For making you worry." Hitomi replied and Van just smiled at Hitomi. "Don't worry about it. It's nothing." Van replied.
"I've missed you Van." Hitomi said finally, her face still bright red. Van sighed. "Was it relief?" Hitomi wondered and hoped that it was.
"I've missed you to, Hitomi." Van said, which made Hitomi relax now. "More then you can know." He said.
Hitomi blushed brightly as she heard these words. He missed me! Thank god he missed me! She thought as she stared at the young Fanelian king. He was so handsome and he no longer looked like a foolish boy like he had when she first met him. His raven black hair was still wild, and he was still the same. His eyes, those eyes of his could make her do almost anything he wanted her to, and all he would have to do was ask. Or at least that's how she felt at the moment. She wondered what was going through her mind and if she was the reason why Van had never gotten married? In their messages she told him that he shouldn't wait for her and that he could move on if he wanted to. He didn't want to, Hitomi knew that now.
"Hitomi." Van's voice suddenly cut through her mind.
"Yes?" Hitomi asked.
"I asked you how was it being back home these past five years." Van repeated. "Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing." Hitomi said blushing and scolding herself for being caught in not paying attention.
"Everything was fine!" Hitomi lied not wanting Van to worry about her more then he already had. "Everyone was glad when I finally came back home." She said and she saw the hard look on Van's face. "Is something wrong?" She asked him.
"You're lieing to me Hitomi." Van said, his tone unreadable. "I don't like being lied to."
Hitomi's hands gripped hold of her skirt. "My Otousan was angry with me when I came back home." She said. "Okaasan understood me since she knew the stories that my grandmother told her." Hitomi explained and looked down at the table. "Otousan still didn't believe Okaasan and well ever since then he's been avoiding me for some odd reason. The only two people who believed me besides Okaasan was Yukari and Amano (Is it Amano or Amando?) moved to another country and left me alone. Otousan still thinks to this day that I ran away." Hitomi finally said and when she looked up she no longer found Van in his chair. His arms suddenly wrapped around her and Hitomi looked up at him with shocked arms.
"I'm sorry." Van was the one who apologized this time. "Perhaps I should have let you stay back then." Van said and Hitomi just looked at him with shocked, wide green eyes. "Van…" Hitomi said and stood up for some odd reason and rested her head against his chest. Her arms slowly came up and hugged the young king somewhat hesitantly. She didn't know how he would react so she was unsure. It felt nice, being in his embrace, she missed this feeling. She knew that it was just a dream and that everything she had dreamt wasn't real, but this is how it felt. She remembered his sent, the way he moved, acted, everything. Why had she wanted to leave in the first place. She quickly let go which made Van stare at her.
"The cook's here." Hitomi explained not knowing how she knew that but just knew it and seconds later, the cook appeared to be having a hard time opening the door and Van went to the door and opened it and helped the cook with the trays.
"That boy, I told him to bring something to drink but he never listens!" The cook hissed as he saw that there where no drinks on the table.
"It's alright." Hitomi insisted and Van stayed silent. The meal was awkward almost and it took her almost the whole meal to finally ask the question. "Are you married Van?" Hitomi finally asked.
"What?" Van asked not having had been sure if he heard the question correctly.
"Are you married?" Hitomi asked again. "Or have some woman that you're engaged to or like?" She asked blushing brightly.
Laughter exploted from Van's side of the table which made Hitomi just stare at him. "No, of course not. The court's tried to get me married, and a few women have even tried to get me in to their bed so that we would have to get married, but I wouldn't fool for any of their tricks, Hitomi." Van replied which made Hitomi sigh in relief. "You are the only one I could keep in my mind for these past five years."
Wow, this is getting difficult to write now since well yeah. HAHA : cough coughs : I'm beginning to loose interest in this so I might not write for a while.Not to mention that exams are next week and well yeah. This should hold you over until I decide to write again.