Wow, I'm already at chapter 8, isn't that great? Again I apologize for all my spelling mistakes. I swear when I finish the story I will correct them all. All my love to all the persons who review, you keep me writing.

Disclaimers: The songs from below are from Enya and Bob Marley (Can't help falling in love with you)

And now, enjoy…

The pain of loving you

Nice to meet you

"With great powers come great responsibilities"

-Spiderman

"Oh my God, look at that!"

Van looked at Hitomi. He followed Hitomi's gaze but was unable to see anything. He could only see a lake, mountains, lots of flowers, and a lot of blue sky. There was nothing especial. He looked again. What was she so excited about? Why was she smiling so wide?

"I don't see anything"

She looked at him like he had gone crazy. Her head bent to one side as she inspected him intently. She got close to him, closer, closest. Van took a step back. Was it getting hot or what?

"Are you blind?" She asked him.

"What?"

"I said, are you blind?"

"No"

"Then how can you not see all this beauty?"

Van was frustrated, and he couldn't think straight with her so close. He didn't know what she did to him, but every time she was near his world seemed to go blurry. She made him doubt all he knew. His beliefs seemed nothing compared to hers. Every single thing he had done up till now was completely wrong. His world was all turned up since she had arrived into his life, and that scared him like nothing else had ever before. He didn't know anything anymore. He wasn't in control any more. He was lost, and it was all her fault. She had something that made her different from anyone else. Van couldn't identify what it was, but it attracted him like nothing else had ever before. He heard her say something to him.

"What?" He was trying to sound cold, but he wasn't able to. What was wrong with him?

"I said look"

"At what? I don't know what you want to look at" The exasperation in his voice was clear "I don't understand why you are always happy. I don't know what you see in this world that makes you laugh so much. I just don't get it. Why are you always cheery?"

He looked at her, and she looked at him. A small smile formed on her lips. She took his hand in hers and guided him to a spot that seemed to be in the middle of everything.

"I'll show you. Don't worry so much about small things" Van had no option but to go along with her. Since when, he wandered, had he listened to anyone but himself or Dornkirk?

"Look at the mountains. They are so big and look so powerful. I bet they've been there for centuries. It's like they take care of everything within their territory. They remind me of my father. He was always taking care of his people. I felt safe by his side. Look at the lake. Its waster is so peaceful. It never rushes, and it never trembles. It is always calm and peaceful. It gives serenity to this place. It reminds be a little of Yukari. She is a very dear friend of mine. It's been a long time since I last saw her. And look at all these flowers. They only exist to give happiness to whoever looks at them. They illuminate the place. It gives color to live. Just watching them makes me feel better. One can't only live with black and white. Life would be too sad. Everyone needs color. Oh, and the sky is so blue! Not a single cloud can be seen. I hadn't seen the sun in such a long time. It's been raining for days and days. I missed the sun's warm"

Van didn't know what to say. He had never looked at anything like that. He had never had time to stop and look around him. He had always been busy with his revenge. He had lived in the shadows, scared of the bright colors around him. He still was. He was going to say something when she watched Kansaki wipe a tear away.

"I'm not always happy" she whispered sadly "I too suffer"

"I know"

And he truly did know. It was the only thing they had in common. It was the one thing that had finally made them tolerate each other. Van knew that the smiles she had weren't always real. She faked most of the time, but he also knew she did it for other people. She didn't care about herself. If everyone else was happy, then she was happy. It was that simple. Van, on the other hand, had always tried to make everyone miserable. He had never cared about someone. The only thing that had been on his mind was revenge and killing. He envied her. Even if she had faked smiles, she still had the courage to do so He had always been too afraid to look beyond his pain and suffering. His hate had been so much that he never even questioned his acts. Hitomi's face went bright again, her sadness forgotten for the moment.

"Come on, let's go by the lake. I want to enjoy this day"

"We are delaying a lot"

"Not that much. There's always tomorrow"

Tomorrow

He had always dreaded tomorrow. Even someone as horrible as Dilandu had have plans for tomorrow. For him, only death was certain. Now, tomorrow didn't seem so bad. Since he had met her, nothing seemed too bad. Van followed her to the lake. He had to stop himself before it was too late. He couldn't, wouldn't allow himself to care for her. It was forbidden for him. He was a mercenary. Had always been a mercenary. Happiness was something he didn't now. Emotions something he couldn't experience. He couldn't let a small girl change him, make him weak. He had a whole kingdom to revenge and a world to safe. Silly things like enjoying a day didn't exist.

"We are going now. We have responsibilities" Finally, he had managed to sound cold. She turned to look at him. She nodded, but her smile was gone. She didn't argue.

"Yes, we have obligations. Let's go"

They turned from the sun and continued their journey in the shadows.

'This is the way it should be' Van told himself over and over 'I won't let her change me. I won't allow myself to feel'

And still, he hated himself for taking away her smile.

"Are you sure of what you just said?"

"Yes, sir, the Dragon has betrayed you. He is taking care of Hitomi Kansaki"

Dornkirk turned his back to Dilandu. So, his assumptions had been right. The only way in which his plan could fail was if Van betrayed him.

"Do you know why?"

"No, sir, I was getting the information from her, but he interfered before I was able to"

Dornkirk turned to look at Dilandu and raised an eyebrow.

"Interfered?"

"He killed three of my boys" His hand went to his face. He would get Van for doing this to him. He would hit him where it hurt him most. "If the others were to survive, I had to go. I had never seen him in action. It's as if killing was his only true nature, yet…"

For a mere second, Dilandu could have sworn the Dragon cared for that girl. He had lost concentration when she had groaned in pain, and that had enabled him to slice him. Of course, he had recovered quiet quickly and had almost won. The point was that the Dragon had saved her, had risked his life for her, and he was very curious to know why.

"You were saying?"

"Nothing, sir, what would you like me to do now?"

"I want that girl here in my hands. Van was my best man. Since he is gone, it's your turn to show me what you are made of"

Dilandu grinned. This was what he had been waiting for all his life.

"I will get that girl for you, milord" he hesitated, but then added "What would you like me to do with the Dragon?"

"Bring him to me. I want to know why he did it"

Dilandu's grin disappeared.
"Oh, don't worry, Dilandu. You can bring him in any condition, as long as he is alive, and after he answers my questions, you can kill him in the most painful way"

Van Fanel would pay for his betrayal. He would make him wish he had never survived his kingdom's massacre. Dilandu was about to leave when Dornkirk stopped him.

"One more thing, if I am right, Van and Kansaki are heading to Atlantis. I want you to meet them there"

Dornkirk would show Van that there were worst things than been alive. No one betrayed him without paying.

Hitomi knew they were lost. She didn't care how many times Fanel had told her they weren't, they were. She was sure of it. There was no way it could take them so long just to get to the first place they had to go. At this speed, they would find Atlantis the day Dornkirk signed a peace treaty with Allen and that was never. She looked at Van. He was looking all around him, obviously lost.

"We are lost. It's time you accept it"

She dismounted her horse and went to sit under a tree. It was good to enjoy a little bit of shadow. They had been traveling for 18 hours straight, and for the last 6 hours, the sun had been hitting them merciless.

"We are not lost. We are just a little bit disoriented, but I'm sure the place is somewhere around here"

Hitomi was sure she had never met someone as stubborn as Fanel.

"Fanel, it's okay. Let's rest for a little while. We can continue tomorrow"

"No"

She glared at him dangerously. He sighed.

"Fine, but we will continue as soon as the sun sets"

"Deal" She smiled openly and allowed herself to relax for a little while. Van sat under the tree that was besides her.

"Have you ever enjoyed a sunset?" she asked him.

"I never cared or had the time to"

She couldn't believe it. Never before had she met someone that had never taken the time to enjoy a sunset. To be sincere, she had never met someone like him. The first time she saw him she had tried to kidnap her. Then, he had happened to be Van Fanel, heir of Fanelia, which didn't exist anymore, and the Dragon, a cold mercenary. After that, he had ended up helping her find Atlantis and safe Fanelia. Finally, he had saved her from the other mercenary. She had no idea what to expect from him. He wasn't what she had thought he would be. She didn't feel what she was supposed to feel towards him. She should hate him and not be able no be anywhere close to him, but she didn't. She now knew she didn't hate him, probably never had. She didn't fear him as much as she used to, and she wanted to be close to him. She didn't know why, and that uneasy her. Why did she want to be near him? It made no sense. He was everything she stood against. He was everything she wasn't and didn't want to be. He was the last person Hitomi would have thought of becoming friends with, yet they had. It was a weird kind of friendship, and she didn't understand it very much, but that didn't change the fact that somewhere along the way they had become friends.

"As your friend, I can't let you not enjoy a sunset. They're beautiful. You'll like it"

He looked at her weirdly.

"How do you know I'll like it? I don't even know what I like"

She laughed. He was like a little boy. Everything was new to him. He was just starting to live.

"I know everything, and what I don't know, I find out. I'll help you find what you like"

"I don't need to know what I like. I don't need you or anyone else. I've never had"

She knew what he was trying to do. She had done it plenty of times. He was scared of depending on someone else. He didn't want to owe anything to anyone. He didn't want her in his life, but she wanted to be part of it, and she was not going to let him pull her away.

"I don't care. I'll be here, even if you don't want me to."

Somehow, she had started to care about him. It was not something she was happy about. It scared her a lot, to care for a mercenary. But as much as she had tried, she couldn't change what she was feeling. She was starting to care a lot for him, and it hurt every time he pulled away. It hurt to be nothing to him.

"Look, the sunset!"

As the sun started to set, something amazing happened. Hitomi stood up, mesmerized. This couldn't be! It was impossible! Right there, in front of them, was what they had been looking for, and it was magical.

"The Celtic Temple" she heard Fanel say.

Guymelefs were every where. The white guymelefs of Asturia fought against Zaibach's. They had been fighting the whole day, and it was obvious both parts were getting tired. Zaibach's troops started to retreat. Rather than feeling happy, Allen felt irritated.

"Gadess, tell the troops to back down. It's time for us to rest too"

He had known fighting against Zaibach was going to be difficult, but he never thought it would be almost impossible. Their troops seemed to never end, and they were so well organized, that it was difficult to break their lines and destroy more than ten per person. At this rate, their only hope of winning would be Hitomi and Fanel. He got out of his guymelef and was met by Orb, one of his spies.

"Milord, Freid has fallen under the power of Zaibach. King Dryden and Queen Millerna are safe and ask for permission to stay here with the few people that were able to escape with them"

The news hit Allen hard. Freid was the tenth kingdom they had lost in the last month. Asturia was the only one that was holding well. All the others were weak or tired to keep fighting for much longer.

"Tell them they are very welcomed here. Put their people with the other refuges and put their majesties in a room next to the others"

Freid was the sixth kingdom Asturia was helping. With them, he had twelve noble people on his castle.

"Yes, my king" Orb bowed and went to do as ordered.

"Sir, may I have a word?" Gadess had come back.

"What is it?"

"I… I don't want to be negative, but if this continues, we are going to lose. We cannot keep taking in people from other kingdoms. Our own people lack food and water. Our troops can barely protect them. We need support"

Allen sighed. They needed a better plan or a miracle. The possibility of losing this war was very clear in his head.

"Contact other kingdoms and the pirates if necessary. Contact anyone who can help us against Zaibach"

Allen's mind turned to Hitomi. He missed her badly, and new something was wrong. He had feared sending her off with Fanel. There was something about him that he didn't like. Perhaps it was the way Hitomi had looked at him at court. The moment their eyes had made contact, the world had disappeared for both of them. He would never be able to resist losing her because of him. Allen moved his head furiously. Now was no time to think about his love life. They had a mission that could probably send Gaea. He prayed for Boris to be right. He prayed for Hitomi and Fanel. If they failed, Gaea was lost forever to Dornkirk.

"I told you we were not lost"

That was the only thing Van was able to say after getting over the shock. No wonder they hadn't been able to find the Celtic Temple! It showed itself only under the sunsets light. He caught up with Kansaki, who was already at the door of the temple.

"Now what?" she asked him. Van had no idea.

"I don't know. Let's get in" She nodded her head and opened the door. Surprisingly, it opened up easily. They went in carefully. The place was like nothing Van had ever seen before. It seemed to be alive and at the same time death. It gave a promise of tomorrow and held on to the past. It had four fountains in each of the cardinal points, and one huge tree was in the middle. It was the most beautiful tree Van had ever seen. It wasn't green like a normal tree, but had a beautiful silver color. There were windows all around the place, and light crept through them, giving the place a touch of eternity. It was a place that demanded respect.

"I don't know what to do" Kansaki whispered behind him.

"What do you mean?"

"Boris said that it was up to me from here, but I don't know what to do"

Van turned to look at her. She looked frightened, and he couldn't stand that.

"You are a seer. Magic runs in your veins. Just feel it. Concentrate on it, make a connection between your magic and the magic of this place"

She took his hand and concentrated hard. Van blushed at the sudden action. He looked at her. She seemed to be lost in her own world.

Hitomi was perplexed. Never before had she seen something that held on to the past so much as the Celtic Temple. She could feel the magic of the place wrapping around her own. It was amazing. She concentrated hard on her task. She had to find out the next place where they should go. She had to become one with this place so it would tell her what she wanted to know. Hitomi started to feel something weird, and suddenly, images started to come to her mind.

Some sort of priest was kneeling down before an altar. Lost of priests that seemed to be of a lower range formed a semi circle around him.

Saol na saol,
Tús go deireadh.
Tá muid beo
Go deo.

Life of lives,
Beginning to the end.
We are alive
Forever.

She didn't know why she was able to understand their strange language.

"We are the protectors of the Heart of the Dragon. Hard times are to come, and it is our duty to protect and maintain life in Gaea. The prophecies talk about a man named Isaac that will destroy the world if his hands ever reach the Heart. We must, therefore, hide it form him. He can never own the power it holds, for it would bring damnation to this world"

'Sí an ghealach,
mall san oíche.
'Sí an ghrian.

Tabhair dom do neartsa

It is the Moon,
late in the night.
It is the Sun.

Give me your strength

"The Heart will go with the only race that will not wish for its power. The Draconians are the most powerful living beings in Gaea. They will be the protectors of the Heart. We will give the knowledge of how to use its power to the only other race that would be able to control them. The Seers are magical beings, and within its nobility lays a pure heart. She hasn't come to life yet, but when she does, the power of the Heart will belong to her. Together, a draconian and a seer will safe the world. For now, we, the Celts, use its power to protect Gaea and assure future generations. We die in this action and disappear from this planet. We can only hope we did the right thing"

Beo go deo

Alive forever

Marbh go deo

Dead forever

Hitomi saw them join hands and use their powers to protect Gaea. A blue light surrounded them and expanded slowly and slowly. It went beyond the temple and to Gaea. Everything was color blue. Hitomi saw the whole world surrounded by its light. Dead trees came to life. Sick humans became sane. All that was wrong became right. All that was lost became found. Every single evil thing died. She then saw how the Celtic leader went to visit the draconians and gave them a big pink stone. Then, they went to the seers and gave them a little pink teardrop… her teardrop….

In your hands lays our future…

In her mind, Hitomi saw her necklace. It was surrounded by darkness and was moving in circles. It was moving fast, faster, till it stopped abruptly. She now knew where to go.

A question was the last thing she thought.

Who was Isaac?

Van was very scared. It had been three hours since Hitomi had gone into the state she was now. Shi did not move or stir. He didn't answer when he called her. It was not till now that he had realized how used to her he was. He was used to her voice and laugh, to her easy ways and her loving smile. He was used to the way she lived and loved life to its fullest. He was used to been threaten like a normal person, like just him, Van. He had gotten used to her without realizing it.

Wise men say only fools rush in.
But I can't help falling in love with you.
Shall I stay? Would it be a sin?
If i, I can't help falling in love with you.
Like a river flows, surely to the sea,
Darling so it goes, some things are meant to be

He had fallen in the trap he had sworn not to fall into. He had promised himself not to care for her, but he did. He knew it now, and to tell himself otherwise was pointless. He truly cared for her. He didn't know how it had happened, but it had. She had managed to make it through his barrier without him noticing. Hate had turned to friendship, and he didn't know how. What did she have that made him want to be with her so much? What powers did she own that had managed to open him up to? He realized he had been so interested in her that he had even forgotten his revenge. He punched the ground. He had forgotten them, his family because of her. Why? Why had she changed him? A sudden need to kill came to him. He pushed it down. She hated mercenaries, so he didn't want to be one anymore. She loved live, and he brought dead. He had to change for her. He had to restrain his instincts. He didn't care how much he desired to kill. He wouldn't do it unless it was necessary. He wouldn't do it because he wanted her to smile because of him. It scared him to want to make her happy. Since when had he started warming up? Since when did he start caring? He didn't know when he had started to want the warm of the sun. Van turned his attention to her.

'Please wake up' he begged her. He was so afraid to lose her. He needed her to be there for him, with him. It was not a want. It was a need. He knew he would get lost in the darkness again if she wasn't there with him. He was just starting to feel the light, and he didn't want to go back to what he was. She was the only thing that kept him from been the Dragon. He was afraid to never see her beautiful green eyes again, to never be able to get lost in them.

'I'm just starting to feel, please wake up'

She opened her eyes suddenly. Relief washed over him. He rushed to her side, forgetting to be cold to her. She put her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"Are you ok?" She whispered a yes, and put her head on his shoulder. Tears were coming out of her eyes, and he didn't know what to do to erase them.

"I saw so many things… Fanel, the Celts gave their life to save Gaea. It was the only way to use the Heart. They had to sacrifice their lives to safe everyone else's."

It hurt to hear her call him Fanel. Van returned his attention to what she said, ignoring the pain. Their mission was to safe Gaea. They had to use the Heart if they were to safe everyone. He thought it cruel that just now, when he was starting to want to life, Fate had doomed him to death. Kansaki was tremnling in his arms.

"Why are you scared of dying?" he asked her.

"I'm not scared of dying" she looked into his eyes "I just don't want to"

He saw in her eyes what he feared. For they both knew that when the time came, she would sacrifice herself for Gaea. She would give her life for them, and they would smile and say thank you and forget about her, but he wouldn't be able to. He would remember her forever, no matter what. He hated destiny for that. Before her, life had been simple. The only thing he wanted was revenge and death. After her, life was complicated. He wanted so many things now. Things he thought he would never wish for. He wanted to protect her dreams, illusions and hopes because he knew that he would never have them. No matter how much time he spent at her side, he would never be able to be as innocent as her. He had already been in the dark side. His life was already taunted with evil. Hers wasn't. That's why he needed to protect her. It was not because of a promise or a debt. It was not because it was his duty. He would do it because without her everything good would die. He didn't know why he cared if everything good died, but he knew she would be unhappy if it did. She loved life. He wanted to be part of her life.

"My name is Van Fanel"

Her eyes went huge, her smile wide. He lent a hand for her to shake, ad she took it and shook it hard.

"My name is Hitomi Kansaki" she said "Nice to meet you. You can call me Hitomi"

Hitomi

He could call her Hitomi.

"You can call me Van"

Never again would he feel the hurt of hearing her call him by his last name. Last names were used when someone was a stranger. She wasn't a stranger anymore.

Take my hand, take my whole life too.
For i, I can't help falling in love with you.
Like a river flows, surely to the sea,
Darling so it goes, some things are meant to be.
Take my hand; take my whole life too.
For I, I can't help falling in love with you.
No I, I can't help falling in love with you.

Van took a deep breath and prepared himself for what was to come. Of all the persons he could start caring about, he had chosen the worst. Hitomi Kansaki would never be able to care for him. She had told him she hated him that she couldn't stand him. He was a mercenary, and she hated him for just that. The worst part was that, no matter how much it pained him, he wouldn't change that suffering for anything in the world. He wanted that pain because it was a bond to her. It kept her close to him. He hated himself for wanting that closeness

Far away from where Van and Hitomi stood, a pink light started to glow. It was not a bright glow, but it meant a lot. The heart of the keeper of the Heart of the Dragon had started to warm up. It was just a question of time till the keeper and the heart were together at last. Truths were to be told. Lies were to be made. Good and evil would fight again. A mistress was to be born. The enemy was coming closer. Fate had not and would notbe merciful with them.

Finally, I finished it. It's one of the longest chapters I've ever wrote, and I hope you love it. Van feels! He has finally opened up. Hitomi is scared of caring. It should be the other way, but if you think of it, it makes sense. Van has never felt before, so it's obvious he will feel faster than any other person. He has no way of protecting himself from sweet Hitomi. I know there haven't been a lot of dark chapters, but the next one will be. Our heroes will suffer a lot before been happy, and I think half of Gaea will be destroyed before it is saved.

Ok, since you waited a little longer for this chapter and I won't be able to write a lot for the next 3 weeks (Exams and lots of homework) I'll give you a taste of what's to come.

Something very bad will happen to Kansaki

Van and Hitomi will fight

Someone will be on the verge of dead

Hitomi and Van will be captured by…

That's all I'm saying. I don't think they will come in this order. Review and please tell me what you think. It interests me a lot.