A few notes to reviewers- I love you all but I've been so tired (and a bit sick) lately so I'm not going to respond to every review this time.
First off, QueenTatooine- Selena is in charge. Not Dilandau. :)
Tsunami: Glad you're back.
Cev: It wasn't crap. :) You really are an incredible writer.
Shadow Glider: You needn't become my slave. I forgave you (and I love you too). lol
blackstarryday: I wish I could fly too. Badly. Oh, and SelenaIS evil.
Inda: This is the chapter where I borrow your name. :) I hope you like it.
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Van ran to Pennin's side and helped his freind to his feet, "Take Rosie and get Cailas. Tell no one about what you have seen or anything that has happened."
Pennin stood, rooted to the spot as Hitomi turned her green eyes his way.
Her wings were beautiful.
Van saw Rosie reaching for Pennin's arm and knew that she'd get the task done if her husband proved to be in shock.
"Hitomi." Van moved back to his wife as the door closed behind Pennin and Rosie, "Just relax and they'll go back in."
Hitomi brought her eyes up to meet his and Van felt the static in the air thicken. He'd be lucky if the entire palace wasn't feeling it.
"You have to relax." Van said quietly, watching a few tears escape from beneath her eye lashes.
"Van...I- this is so much." Hitomi blinked away more tears.
"Are you in pain?" Van asked moving to sit as close to her as he dared, the air was so thick around her.
"I was at first but that lasted only a second." Hitomi looked over her shoulder at her new wings and was quiet for a minute or two before turning back to Van with a slight blush, "I've always wanted wings."
Van laughed as he realized that her tears were tears of joy. As he closed his eyes in a silent 'thank you' to whatever Gods were listening he heard the air move and when he opened his eyes Hitomi's wings were gone. Only a few pure white feathers on the bed around her told van that this hadn't all been a dream.
"What do we do now?" Hitomi asked, picking up one of her fallen feathers.
"We call the council back in four days and before they return we talk to Dilandau about Zaibach's plans." Van couldn't help but smile as he spoke. Hitomi looked so healthy and happy. No worries shadowed her face.
"What about Selena?" she asked, pulling the blanket up to her chest as the tattered remains of her nightgown finaly fell away from her shoulders.
"Oh, I'm sure she'll be involved in it all. I highly doubt she'll let her twin out of her sight for the rest of their time here." Van grinned and Hitomi's eyes suddenly lit up.
"People. At the gates." She said, her smiled growing, "Millerna and Dryden have come to see us.
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Van wasn't surprised to see Dilandau and Selena in the recieving hall as he came jogging around the corner. He knew whatever their plans were more people would probably be the one thing to spoil them. After all they had taken their time to reach the palace just as the other guests were leaving for the Trade Conference.
Tina and Merle were out side waving and shouting as the carriage drew up close to the steps.
Van smiled at their antics despite himself and caught sight of Allen out of the corner of his eye. The Knight was also smiling but in a sad sort of way. Van could only think that Allen must be thinking about Selena and how she never really had the chance to act like a child or do things that younge ladies do.
Selena and Dilandau's hushed chatter was stopped abruptly and Van knew that Hitomi had come down the stairs and sure enough Van felt a warm hand slide down his forearm before taking his hand.
"They must have travled for days." Hitomi whispered in his ear, "I hope they're ok."
Before Van could respond the carriage door flew open and Dryden stepped out carry a small girl of two or three. Millerna stepped out with the aid of Dryden and smiled at the familliar faces before her.
"Oh Hitomi!" Millerna rushed forward, "When I heard that you were back I couldn't wait to come and see you but my Husband said we should wait for a wedding invatation." Millerna smirked, "But then not too long ago we got news that you two had secretly wed."
"You'll be getting an invite to the royal wedding that council has demanded." Hitomi smiled at Dryden and couldn't help but remember how uncomfortable he had made her at times and how much a good guy he really was, "So I see things worked out for you two after all."
"But of course." Dryden laughed, swinging his daughter down so that she was standing before Hitomi and Van, "This is her Highness, Princess Inda. She will be turning two in four months time."
Hitomi smiled at Van before kneeling down in front of Inda, "Hello Princess. My name is Hitomi and I'm happy you came to visit us."
Inda laughed, a musical sound and hid behind her father's legs.
"She's shy." Millerna laughed, "At least she pretends to be. In no time she'll be following you around wanting to be held all the time."
"I can't wait." Hitomi smiled and stood up.
"I must warn you to keep her close." Van said, his own smile fading as Merle turned to look inside at Dilandau and Selena who were far enough away not to hear them but close enough to see everything that was happening, "Dilandau has returned and Selena has joined Zaibach's forces. Selena hasn't given us much to worry about yet, besides being the reason that Dilandau is alive. I just wouldn't trust her if I were you."
Millerna stepped forward and scooped her daughter up with a glance at Allen who had stood to the side watching everything in silence.
"I am happy to see that you are both healthy and happy together." Allen bowed, hiding the expression that had come across his face.
"And I take it you are here to aid Van against Dilandau and your sister?" Millerna said a little sharply.
"She is no longer my sister." Allen said quietly, keeping his eyes on the stones by his feet.
"I hope you feel welcome in my home, despite the situation." Van smiled at his guests and Hitomi nudged him with her elbow, "OUR home. I ment to say that. I really did." Van said to Hitomi in a voice Dryden had never heard him use. It was tender and sweet. Very unlike the rash younge King Dryden remembered from 4 years ago.
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Tina and Merle sat in the hall outside of Merle's room talking quietly about Millerna and her family. Merle patiently told the whole story about how they had met the Queen of Asturia, who at the time was a confused Princess.
The two girls spent hours in the hall. It seemed to be the only safe place to have a conversation. The guards at either end of the hall always bowed and stepped to the side when Van or Hitomi would come down the hall and the noice they made when they moved gave the girls fair warning of when to hush up. And now Millerna and her family were staying in the rooms just 2 doors down from Merle's own room.
The salute from the guards warned them that someone was coming and Merle looked up in time to see Hitomi heading their way with Inda trailing behind, holding onto the hem of Hitomi's skirt.
"I promised Millerna that I would give her and Dryden some time to rest before dinner." Hitomi smiled.
Merle watched as Inda's bright eyes found Tina's pale hair. In an instant Inda wished to be held by Tina who happened to have the same color hair as Millerna.
Hitomi took a seat next to her Ladies of Court on the floor as Inda stood in Tina's lap, bending this way and that to look at everything in the hall all at once.
"Van told me I should tell you about today." Hitomi said, keeping her eyes on Inda's dark brown hair, so like Dryden's.
"Yea, well i was wondering when you and Van were gonna tell me the good stuff. So, how'd he heal you? Did you have a vision? Or was it poison that Varie gave you?" Merle asked quickly, as though she was afriad that Hitomi would change her mind and not tell them.
Merle prided herself on knowing everything that happened in the palace and Hitomi's sudden come back from such an illness was something she wasn't ready to be left out of.
"I seem to have been lost inside the Draconian blood Varie had given me. I could hear voices and feel things in the dark, powerfull things." Hitomi fell silent for a moment, lost in thought, "When Van managed to get through to me I thought my body was on fire. There was so much pain all at once and then suddenly it was gone and Pennin was standing there with Rosie staring at me. The pain had been my wings showing themselves for the first time."
"WINGS!" Merle jumped on Hitomi, "I knew it! I just knew that something like that was going to happen if I wasn't in the room!" Merle moved back as Hitomi made hushing motions, "I always miss the good parts." the cat girl pouted.
"At least you got to see their wedding." Tina said as a curious Inda began patting Tina's pale hair, "Help me." Tina laughed as Inda sunk her little hands into Tina's hair and began pulling.
It took both Merle and Hitomi to get Inda's hands to let go of something the little Princess wanted so badly.
Inda began to cry and Hitomi stood, swinging the todler into her arms.
"No tears. No tears." Hitomi sing-songed and spun Inda in the air, causing the little girl to forget that she was upset.
"You know this changes everything." Merle said, watching Hitomi closely.
Hitomi nodded and kept her eyes on the little girl in her arms, "Our children will be nearly pure Draconians. My powers have changed too. I can not only feel everyone in the palace- I now know who's who and what they're doing."
"But that's good, isn't it?" asked Tina from the floor, "I mean, you'll know where Dilandau and Selena are at all times."
"Yes, but it's not really something I want to know." Hitomi frowned, " I was fine with being able to tell where people were. I don't like having my thoughts interrupted by other thoughts, they're more like statements. Suddenly I'll just hear, 'Cailas is in the hall below you.' or 'Selena just entered the library.' "
"Where's dilandau?" Merle asked.
"He's in the hallway just far enough away so not to be seen by the guards." Hitomi tilted her head to the side and let her thoughts expand, "He wants to get me by myself."
"Guards!" Merle yelled, angry and ready charge after Dilandau herself. Merle pointed in the direction Hitomi had been staring and in seconds Dilandau's shouts of outrage could be heard.
"I didn't know I was a prisoner of my rooms!" he all but screeched, "I was just walking around. No harm in that!"
"He's getting sloppy." Hitomi said quietly, "His need to redeem himself with his twin is pushing him."
"She's creeping me out a bit." Tina whispered to Merle as Hitomi slowly came back to herself.
"Get use to it." Merle sighed.
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Hitomi knew Selena was coming to speak to her but she didn't want the conversation or confrontation, if things went badly, to be held in Van's library so she hurried down the stairs to catch the blonde on her way up.
"I see you're still toting that royal brat around." Selena sneered at Inda who was asleep on Hitomi's shoulder, "I had hoped to talk to you alone."
Hitomi had gotten so use to holding Inda that she had forgotten she was there.
"Yes, well if all you intend to do is talk then a sleeping toddler won't be in the way." Hitomi said calmly, feeling like a fool to have brought Inda along to a potentialy dangerous meeting.
"Well, I wanted to see how the gift from the Elders was treating you." Selena said slowly, her eyes on Inda.
"I must say that it's a bit itchy." Hitomi said, amused to see Selena's eyes snap up to her's in confusion.
" 'Itchy'!" Selena's features darkened, "Are you toying with me?"
"No." Hitomi smiled slightly, "I'm being honest. You know, wings take some getting use to."
Selena's schooled features told Hitomi that in a way Selena had know what the gift had been.
"So it's true." Selena said almost to herself.
Hitomi nodded, shifting Inda as she began to slide off her shoulder.
Selena moved quickly, her intentions not really known to Hitomi who didn't flinch. A shield apeared, golden and bright between the two woman and Selena jumped back from it as though she had been burned.
"You're a demon and no matter what you do or what this cursed Kingdom thinks, you, your husband and you're future brats will always be demons. The Flames below always welcome their own with open arms."
"Of all people you would be the one to know of Demons. Just look at your new twin." Hitomi stepped back, holding Inda a bit more firmly, "I don't know what you went through to become someone as evil as Dilandau but it's what you've become now that I pity."
"I don't need or want your pity." Selena growled.
"You're a pawn for Zaibach whether you know it or not." Hitomi turned, letting the shield fall and walked away.
Hitomi was shaking despite herself. The big surprise hadn't been Selena's lunge, Hitomi had been expecting something to happen. The surprise had been the bright, strong shield that had appeared in a heartbeat before her. Hitomi had registered the threat and had been ready to do the same thing she had done to Kaitlyn but the shield had appeared instead.
Hitomi nodded at Van as she walked into their room and placed Inda on the bed, "I told Selena."
"Good." Van whispered, "Now they won't think we're holding back."
Hitomi held out her arms and Van walked over and wrapped his own arms around her.
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A/N: Yay. It took me a while but I got this done. Review!