Ok, on to chapter 2!
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The knocking receded and Van turned back to Hitomi with a small smile, "At least the maid gave up just short of cutting a new way in. Honestly, the woman must have knocked for nearly 10 minutes."
Hitomi laughed and hugged Van. Van pulled back to look at her, not realy beliving that she was there. Even after what she had told him about the changes and actualy being on Geae those nights he couldn't help but feel like he was dreaming.
"You're realy here?" Van managed after a moment or two of just looking at her.
"Yes." Hitomi laughed, "I'm realy here."
"Are you staying?" Van asked, suddenly interesting in something just beyond the window.
"Do you want me to?"Hitomi asked, watching Van's profile very carefully.
"I want you to want to stay. If you stayed just because of me I'd feel horrible." Van turned and looked right at her, "I want you to be happy."
Hitomi grinned, "I want to stay. Besides I feel like I'm suppose to be here."
"Yea, the whole new powers thing may be a clue." Van smiled and took Hitomi's hand, "At least now I know how I'll make it till the Conference of Trades."
Van went on to tell Hitomi about his 'guests' and the situation he was in.
"Do you think they will be mean about me being here?" Hitomi asked.
"About you?" Van thought, "You would be seen as compitition, so yes, they may be rude. Just remember to tell me all of it so I know what is happening in my own home."
"Oh, don't worry about that. I will tell you everything."
Van and Hitomi looked up from where they were seated on Van's bed as rapid knocking suddenly came from the other side of the door.
"Van Fanel, if you don't let me in right now I am going to claw my way in!"
Van smiled as he stood, "I was wondering how long it would be before the maid said something about the locked door." He looked back at Hitomi just before he reached the door, "The maids know everything."
Merle pushed right past Van once he opened the door and imediately began to lay into him for worrying her. He closed the door and listened to her list the complaints. His door is never locked during the day and when the maid couldn't get in she thought there was something wrong and went to get Lady Merle.
"I ran the whole way here thinking that maybe that horrible girl or her father managed to poison you already!" Merle was waving her arms about as she spoke and Van, very calmly reached out and took ahold of Merle's shoulders. He turned her, while she was still ranting untill her eyes fell on Hitomi.
"Holy Geae!" Merle launched herself at Hitomi who was standing before the bed smiling, "When did you get here-Are you staying- Where are you staying- How did you get here- Is everything ok-There isn't another war or anything coming is there?" All of these questions came one right after the other.
Hitomi laughed, hugging Merle tightly, "I have missed you so much Merle. I just got here about an hour ago. I'm staying, that is if you'll have me. I don't know where I'm staying and I picked up a few more talents while I was away. That's how I got here. Now, what was the last one-I was too bussy laughing."
"No war?" Merle asked in all seriousness.
"Not that I know of, no." Hitomi answered and Merle tackled her backwards onto the bed.
"You're back! I always knew you'd come back to Lord Van and me! I just knew it!"
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Kaitlyn left her rooms to snoop around the palace. It was easy to see that it was one of the last things that had been rebuilt after Fanelia had been burned to the ground.
Kaitlyn wrinkled her nose thinking about all of the dirty, boringly poor people who had touched the wood that now mad the walls and everything else. She would have to remember to wash her hands as often as she could.
Turning down another long hallway Kaitly was walking slowly, taking time to study each door. Surely she would find the King's rooms and make a commotion outside of it. She could pretend to trip or something and by knocking over one of the painfully simple vases of flowers that seemed to be everywhere to be sure that the King had heard her 'fall'. That should be enough to get him to run out to check on her. And maybe if she managed a few tears he would volunteer to help her get ice for her twisted ankle.
Kaitlyn could hear yelling not far up ahead and she sped up to look around the next corner before all the noise was gone. She had just caught a glimpse of the cat girl before a door was opened.
"You had me so worried Lord Van!" was all she heard before the door was closed.
So she had found his room easily enough. But she would have to wait for the right time to do her tripping act. She didn't want the cat girl there.
Kaitlyn straightened up when she heard a maid coming down the hall towards her.
"Tomorrow then." Kaitlyn turned and hurried back to her room.
A day wouldn't hurt. This way she could plan more ways to get the King to pay attention to her. When he had greeted them he had hardly looked at her. No compliment on how lovely she was. No staring, or even stuttering.
King Van didn't seem the least bit interested in her.
Well, she would just have to change that.
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Hitomi was still staring at the ceiling of her new bedroom long after the moons had climbed high into the dark sky.
Now that she was back on Geae her connection to Van seemed to have diminished. She could tell where he was but that was about it. Only now, she seemed to be connected to everything else. Hitomi knew how many people where in the palace, and how far away they where from her. If asked she could probably get it right down to how many meters. Van was asleep across the hall from her room and Merle was next door.
Wide awake Hitomi knew long before the shadow crossed in front of her door that someone was walking the palace in the dark.
"No." Hitomi wispered to herself, "Not in the dark. They're carrying a candle."
It was an odd feeling having all those facts just entering her mind. It was almost like listening to the radio and tv at once and realizing you knew exactly what was happening on both.
Hitomi finaly climbed out of bed and slipped on the robe Merle had given her before opening her door as quietly as she could. Back on earth when she couldn't sleep she would talk to Van, mind to mind. It always helped and he had promised everytime that he didn't mind the late night chats. She just hoped that he would still feel the same.
Her door opened silently and Hitomi crept down the hall to see the fading Candle glow down one of the the other hallways. Hitomi tip-toed back to Van's door and opened it slowly before slipping inside.
"Can't sleep?" Van asked in the dark.
"No. I can't." Hitomi walked over and sat on the end of Van's huge bed, "Did you know there is someone walking the halls?"
"Yes." Van sighed and Hitomi felt the bed shift as he stretched, "I woke as soon as they neared my door."
"I feel like I am loosing my mind." Hitomi said quietly as she crawled up to lay on the pillows next to Van, "I know everything there is to know about the palace make up. Every hallway. Every stair. I know where the floor rugs have worn thin and where the windows are and how to open them. I can feel the people around me. You more than the others and my mind won't shut down."
Van was silent for a moment before reaching out to light a candle.
"Don't bother." Hitomi sighed and without a match or any source the candle came to life, "That was one of the first things I learned I could do."
Van looked over at Hitomi as she laid on her stomack hugging a pillow with her eyes closed. Her hair was covering one of her eyes and the candle light played across her golden skin making her look like the Goddess the whole of Geae believed her to be.
"I love these pillows." Hitomi mumbled as she snuggled deeper into the over stuffed pillow.
"My mother use to have pillows just like these." Van said as he pulled the blanket over Hitomi, "I use to go in and hide beneath them when it was time for my lessons." Hitomi smiled into the pillow and relaxed more, "My brother would come, knowing full well where I was but he would make a show of looking for me. Then he would grab my ankles and pull me out of the pillows and swing me around in the air."
Van smiled. Hitomi was already asleep. Van didn't blame her, it was nearly 3 in the morning.
Van laid back and watched her sleep for awhile. Then after 30 minutes or so the King of Fanelia slipped silently out of bed and to the other side where he pulled the blanets back gently before taking the sleeping Goddess into his arms. Van walked slowly to the door with Hitomi curled against his chest. After a few fumbling tries he was able to get the door open and found that Hitomi hadn't latched her own door completely. He pushed the door open with his toe and placed Hitomi gently in her own bed.
Van left after making sure she was still asleep and returned to his room where his picked up one of the pillows and brought it back to Hitomi. He would make sure to tell the maids that the Lady Hitomi was fond of the pillows he liked, but for now he didn't mind giving up on of the 6 that were on his bed. He didn't use all the pillows and thought that maybe for a start he would just give Hitomi 2 of his own.
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A/N: Ok, i didn't put all that I wanted to in this chapter. I mean, god, this is already long enough. The next chapter will be the meeting of Hitomi and Kaitlyn. So, if you guys want more just tell me so! Review!