I'm really, really, really, really …… gomen for not updating this story for a long time ago. I've been in school and work but I haven't had time to work on editing much. I've had this chapter ready since before I put chapter 19 in August. Again gomen for the wait and I hope that you enjoy the chapter.

if you have reviewed this chapter of the story or any chapters within the time of the chapter I will be sending you an e-mail since fanfic thinks that it is unnecessary to have us leave you messages in the story itself. I hope that this is corrected because it is most definitely a wrong decision.

Disclaimer: As we all know I do not own the original characters. I do however own the ones that I have made up.

Chapter 20

Van paced the floor endlessly in their room. This whole thing with Atlantis had him on edge. His son missing didn't help any; let alone the fact that someone was after Hitomi. It didn't help the fact that his protégé was injured and was just as stubborn as he. Van couldn't help but smile at that. That might be a good thing. His kingdom wasn't helping in matters. All the little details that were unimportant seemed to be hashed out to no end and but that was all that they really wanted to do.

Hitomi watched her husband making her dizzy with all his movement. "Will you stop it already!" Hitomi stomped out to the patio. She had learned how to get to the roof to try to do her thinking with her last time of staying here. He didn't always join her but more oft than not he would. Quite often it was silent out there. Facing the Mystic Moon used to always leave loneliness but in the time that she had been here this time she felt that it was no longer home.

Van watched her climb to the roof before he followed her. She pulled out a pen and paper supposing to write out some thoughts before he joined. "Will you go away? Why don't you go pace a whole in the floor?"

"Hitomi, what's wrong?" Van sat beside her.

"You! You've done naught but pace since we went to our room!"

"I'm worried!"

"About what!" She yelled in frustration. He wasn't the only one worried about what was going on.

"About everything! Why does my only son have to have my ability and yours? Why is Analous being attacked as much as you? Why are you being attacked? Why is Najeh missing?" He was now pacing the roof.

"You are so annoying Van!"

"How can I be annoying; when you can't even tell me fully what is going on with all of this?"

It doesn't work like that and you know that! You've known it for years." Hitomi threw back at him.

"When did you plan on telling me about Millerna's daughter?"

"It didn't concern you at the time!" Hitomi yelled back.

"It's in my kingdom. She's been kidnapped!"

"She's Millerna's daughter! I was trying to help her." Hitomi looked down at the roof.

"It's going to put you in danger."

"No it won't!" Hitomi's voice rose slightly once more.

"How do you know!" Van's voice matched hers.

"Only the people that possess the gift can detect me coming or on the way." Hitomi looked into the distance.

"Will you two stop the fighting already?" Merle said behind them.

"Sorry Merle, did we interrupt anything."

"Only the kittens sleeping." Merle muttered.

Van unfurled his wings. "Van what are you doing?" Hitomi asked.

"Getting away from here. Would you care to join me?" Van held out his hand to her.

"Van I…." Merle started but stopped.

"I hope you two have a relaxing time." She stepped away from the flap of his wings.

"We'll be fine." Van pulled her into his arms.

"Van this will not help to solve our problems." Hitomi said.

"It might not but it will be easier to talk."

"You might take into consideration that you have a kingdom to run. You know that there is danger coming."

"I know that!" He muttered.

They flew in silence until they landed on top of a hill overlooking Fanelia. "It's beautiful." Hitomi settled beside him.

"I know what's going on. I won't let anything happen to you." His fingers brushed her cheeks.

He caught a glimpse of their son in a sandy desolate area. There was a celebration going in the area. The black robed figures were around the edge of the crowd not participating much in the festivities. His vision zeroed in on Vanel who was giving some line to an unfamiliar girl. A few feet away stood another with her arms crossed and fuming to no end.

He's safe for now." Van whispered pulling Hitomi into his arms.

"I know." She whispered.

Hitomi awoke to find that her pillow moving slightly underneath her and cuddled up to a shirtless Van. She smiled as his arms tightened around her. The pillow moved again before she realized that it was his wings that were keeping her cocooned. "You awake, your majesty?" Van's sleepy voice rumbled in her ears.

She nodded her head. "Let's stay just like this." Her voice was sleepy and whimsical.

Van pulled her up so that he could see her sleepy burrowed face. "Morning beautiful." He murmured before he kissed her passionately. His wings had already started to go into his back.

"We must have fallen asleep." She was now fully awake. "Ouch." She muttered. Van had already put his shirt back on.

"Sore." He began to gently massage her stiff back.

"That feels great. Your wings aren't stiff, are they?"

He chuckled. "No, they are pretty flexible."

"That's good. At least you're not…" Her back stiffened.

'Black robes were in the woods making their way to the Fanelian hilltop. The staffs had a gold head on each of them. The movements were steady. In one sense they had a purpose but in another said that the perfect precision wasn't practiced. It just was. They arrived to the hilltop to find Van and Hitomi ready to fight them. There was more than Hitomi had seen the last few times. Attack was imminently upon them in seconds.'

"We have company coming. Be ready to fight." Hitomi warned him.

Van tossed her a dagger that she hooked to her skirt. Van unsheathed his sword now buckled around his waist. They took their fighting stances simultaneously. Van blocked a frontal assault. "It'll take more than that to take me down." He dodged and parried with the black robed person. There were some that were starting to surround both of them. One glance at Hitomi told him that she was holding her own for now.

Hitomi was doing a roundhouse kick taking out more than one of them. She was getting tired. They had been fighting for a few minutes now but the black robes kept coming out of the trees she couldn't take all of them. One knocked her down from behind and another was trying to attack her from the front. She locked his knees forward causing him to fall backward. She then kicked another in an attempt to get up.

Someone in a blue cloak held out a hand to her. "Thank you." Hitomi pulled her dagger for some use. Van was still fighting but was almost backed to her. The three of them stood back to back of each other ready to take on hopefully the last wave.

"You know how to use this?" A woman handed her a sword.

"Yes, thank you." Hitomi and Van were fighting with everything that they had and had taken down a few of these guys. The blue cloaked person had sent arrows to the other but stopped at the last two. "Stop!" Van and Hitomi ordered at the same time.

The cloak was no longer covering the woman's face. "What do you want to do with them, Majesties?" She kept her arrow trained on the two. Van nodded to Hitomi.

"Send one back with a message that if they attack again we show no mercy." Hitomi said.

Van nodded in agreement. "The second one comes with us." Van went to the man's hood.

"You mustn't take off the hood here." The mysterious woman suggested.

After they sent one of the off Hitomi studied the woman. There was something familiar about her. The almost white blond hair was tinged with silver complimenting her blue eyes. She was tall and it looked like she was slender underneath the cloak that covered her like a sheet. "It can't be, Celena?"

"Yes it's me, milady." Celena bowed to her.

"Please don't call me that." Hitomi requested.

"What happened to you?" Van asked before she gestured for them to lead the way to Fanelia.

"After my brother was killed Dilandau tried to make an appearance. I couldn't allow that to happen; so I took off. I had to find a way to get him out of me or under control."

Celena was in the back keeping him in line. "I walked the woods for months and my training as a soldier had begun to surface for survival. I was found by a High priestess when I had just about completely lost control.

She helped to get him back under control but she also taught me the ways of the priestess. I learned how to do archery. I now travel as much as I can so that I can help others in need, my gift and redemption." Celena stopped speaking.

"We looked for you for a long time after you left. Millerna's sister has felt bad ever since because she promised that she would care for Celena if anything were to happen to Alan." Van spoke after she finished her story.

"I know but I couldn't put anyone else in danger because of him." She addressed Hitomi. "I've been hearing rumors that you returned with an heir to the throne."

"Hai, but he has yet to decide if he wants to be king."

"No he hasn't, has he?"

"I guess you know more than you let on." Hitomi spoke out loud.

"Yes, I do." Celena whispered, however, no one heard her.

-Vanel and Loanna-

Loanna hadn't stopped glaring at his back since they arrived at their tent. Vanel could feel the glare through the tent flap but only chuckled. The camp had finally settled down and it was late. They would set out before sunrise but they would be wearing the black robes once again. He didn't know why but they seemed to not be feeling very well by the time night had come, at least the ones that had been wearing other things besides the robes.

Loanna hadn't and for that he was grateful. They were going to need and the time was most definitely drawing near. He could feel it in very soul.

'He's a flirt, nothing but a flirt. He plays the field with no consideration for any other woman.' Her brain muttered.

"Hey, he never said that he was yours.'

'No only laid claim on me for no uncertain amount of time.' She argued with the voice.

'Have you never considered that was his way of communicating?' A warm female voice said inside her head.

Loanna just shook her head. She hadn't considered that was his way communicating at all. He had connected to her but how many had he really allowed to see as he had her. She didn't really know who he was. Hai, he was arrogant, self assured, flirtatious, handsome, presumptuous, and dangerous as all would get out. He was even bossy, knowledgeable, with wisdom beyond his years, and a bit of the strong silent type but was hasty at times. His temper sometimes got the better of him but all of this is what made him human. How did all of that combined to make one man? She didn't know but if the situation were slightly different than she would try. They really didn't have much time left. Things were about to heat up fast but she didn't need him or the voice inside her head telling her this. She just knew. She also knew that someone had been watching them; maybe two or three people. At least one of these eyes weren't wanted in watching. The other one she knew had to have something to do with Vanel. She didn't know who his parents were but she would be really interested to find out who they were. She guessed that she would find out soon enough.

-Merle-

"Where are those two?" Merle paced the room. She was in the room when he took her out of the palace last night. She hadn't thought about them being out all night. It was almost dawn now.

"Mommy, we can't sleep, mew." They gave her the kitten eyes and started mewling, rubbing up against her, and cleaning themselves at the same time.

Merle smiled at her babies. They were a handful and she missed their daddy but she loved them to death. She wasn't about to let anything happen to them. Van loved them like they were his own children if he had had children. Well he does have a child but he didn't know about him until now. She swore they looked just alike. It had taken her back about twenty years when she saw him in the tan pants and red shirt. She didn't really know how to say anything to him. The babies might have been crawling on her but she had seen him. What did you do with a kid that looked like the identical twin of the father?

Merle took the kids out to play so that they wouldn't wake up the palace. They were play fighting, cuddling, chasing balls and so on. She smiled when she remembered what she, Van, and Folken used to play when they were kids. Folken had almost outgrown playing with them but he had continued. They were her own little family and she saw how they had all changed through the years. She remembered after Folken had vanished how devastated he had been. Merle didn't see him except sneaking into his room at night. He had begun training harder after that having less and less time to play with her. The younger version of herself rebelled against the lessons they wanted to give to make her a lady. They eventually got their way about those lessons after much cajoling and promise to free Van up a little. She had begun instilling some of the qualities into her babies already before she had to send them out into the world. Like her they didn't always take to the disciplining of what was going to happen. They would be great she already knew that. Their brothers and sisters before them had already begun to make their marks on this world as ambassadors, as leaders, as soldiers, and more. She smiled at the last litter that she would have. Their father had been killed a little after they were born and she wouldn't take anyone else.

Voices other than her children's broke her out of her reverie. Van and Hitomi were coming in the back way of the palace but there was one in a blue cloak that she didn't know with an arrow pointed at the back of a black robed figure. This was going to be interesting.

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I hope to have another chapter up soon. If I don't forgive me. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Arigato and ja ne!