Rowanne: Thank you for your reviews. :)
mysisterisasquijum: Yea, stress sucks. I have anxiety on top of the stress so to me everything has been alot worse than it needs to be.I really like Taridian and you will too, I'm sure. He's not in this one alot but hopefully things will start to pick up again.
QueenTatooine: Sorry the chapters have been short. Tar is the perfect size to just carry around. he'll prove to be very usefull.
van-pan-ali-weasleyluvr: I'm happy you like it. :) Tar will be helpfull eventually.
blackstarryday: Hitomi as a pirate?- yea I can see it now. lol. Tar would probably make a great parrot because he loves to talk. Thanks for the review.
Macky: Thank ya much. :)
maeko14: Thank you, thank you. :)
kogaijilynz: Thanks:) Don't feel bad. I'm just happy you reviewed at all.
Jenbo: Thank you.
Shadow Glider: I really do love you. lol. Thanks for the great review.
Inda:) :) :) :)
pure hope: I'm proud to have you as a reviewer.
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Hitomi sat staring at the table between her and her mother. Anger and confusion fought for control of Hitomi's voice.
Finaly Hitomi was able to whisper out, "He thinks I'm crazy? Both of them?"
Hitomi's mum threw her hands in the air, "He thinks I'm going along with you just to keep you from shutting me out. No matter what I say he just says 'yes, of course' in that tone he has."
"Has he talked to Yukari?" Hitomi asked, "I mean, she was always the one to get into debates with him. If anyone, she should have been able to convince him that I wasn't crazy. She and Amano both saw me leave four years ago. They were right there."
"Amano doesn't seem to know what he believes about that night anymore and Yukari has left here in a rage more than once thanks to your father's thick head."
"Ok, then. We'll just have to come over for tea and dinner today. I'm just going to appeare in the living room so they can't say we snuck in. Have them all there. Dad, Chiro, Yukari and Amano." Hitomi hugged her mum and tried to hold back her tears untill she was safely back in her room with Van waiting for her on the bed.
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Van had always wanted to meet Hitomi's father but after seeing how heart broken his wife was after her morning visit with her mother he wondered what type of man he would be dining with.
Hitomi's tears had been more out of frustration than anything but Van could tell that she was hurt by her father's disbelief. To distract herself Hitomi had spent the rest of their time before tea telling Van about some of the things he would see on Earth. tar piped up every now and then with helpfull tid bits for Van.
"Your sword must stay here. People don't carry weapon's openly on Earth. Carry a dagger in your boot if you have to have something sharp and pointy." The golden dragon smiled at the King from the open balcony doors. Tar was sunning himself in the bright fall sun.
"And we'll be walking to dinner because I'm not sure how you'll feel about cars." Hitomi said, crawling onto the bed to kneel behind her husband and run her fingers through his hair, "Mum said we may end up ordering food in because she's afraid my father would might get a bit loud when we tell him about my wings."
Van nodded, "Sounds reasonable." He didn't know what 'ordering in' ment but suspected it ment the same as 'dining in'.
"Just remember not to loose your temper. We have to explain everything for them. I don't know what I'll do if they still don't believe me." Hitomi sighed and walked over to the closet where her sneakers sat waiting for her, "I guess we should be going."
Van stood and waited for Hitomi to finish tying her shoes. Once she joined him he pulled her pendant out from beneath his shirt and held it tightly in one hand while Hitomi held the other. It had been awhile since he had last done this.
"I love you." Van whispered as the room faded around them.
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Van stumbled as he felt the ground suddenly come up to meet his feet. Strong hands grasped his shoulders and held him up as he waited for his head to stop spinning.
"Thank you." Van said as he looked up at brunnett Allen.
"Your welcome." Amano smiled at him.
"HITOMI!" Van turned to see red hair fly past him and tackle his wife.
Both females fell onto the couch laughing.
"Yukari, I can't breathe!" Hitomi pushed at her friend, laughing at the hold Yukari had on her.
"Ah, so they've arrived have they?" Van looked up from Hitomi's laughing face to see the man he knew was her father.''
"It's pleasure to finaly meet you, sir." Van bowed, "I am Van Fanel, King of all Fanelia."
"So you're the man who married my daughter." It wasn't a question.
"Yes, sir." Van straightened up, he an inch or two taller than Hitomi's dad.
"Hello, dad, Chiro." Hitomi stood next to Van and pointed out a teenager behind her father, "Van, this is Chiro my younger brother."
Chiro just stood there staring, his mouth open a bit as he took in the sight of Van, "Dad, are sure he's not from another planet?" he asked after a moment.
"We know that there's no life on other planets, Chiro. You've been taught as much in school." Hitomi's father said with a smile.
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Things weren't going so well. Everytime Yukari asked Hitomi a question about Fanelia Hitomi's father would get annoyed and tell everyone that too much talk over tea would give them an upset stomack.
"Can I see you rings?" Yukari asked, unable to help herself after being quiet for ten minutes.
Both Van and Hitomi smiled and held out their hands. Van wedding band was thick gold with the Fanelian crest in blue. Hitomi's was a pale gold with the same blue crest only the entire ring was more female. It was thinner and designed to compliment her engagement ring. The shiny diamond seemed to catch everyone's attention at the same time.
Hitomi father's whistled, "By God, that thing could buy this street and all the houses on it."
"The jeweler wanted to give me deal on it but seeing as though he spent a month on it I gave him what I thought was fair without insulting him by giving too much." Van said, embarrassed.
"So you are a King?" Hitomi's father sat back and looked Van over, "Let's just say I'm willing to believe that but then where do you rule and none of this other planet stuff."
Van shrugged, "If I'm not permitted to tell you the truth what then should I tell you? I know very little about this world so even if I decided to lie I couldn't name a place on the other side of the world." Van thought for a moment and then said slowly, "I believe Hitomi said this was called Japan."
"Such an act." Hitomi's father said into his tea cup as he took a sip.
"Yes, it is." Amano smiled, rushing past the last comment, "But from what Hitomi told us years ago Fanelia sounds much lovelier than here. Have you rebuilt it?"
"Of course." Van smiled, relaxing a bit with a new friend sitting across from him, "It didn't take that long to rebuild the town. The hard part was convincing every one that it was safe to return."
Hitomi beamed, watching her husband light up as he spoke about the people he ruled. He really was a very kind King.
"What about your being a Draconian?" Yukari asked, surprising Van, "I thought that Draconians were feared."
"It's all just old tales. We're nothing to fear." Van said quickly, seeing Hitomi's mum, Uchida shoot a warning glance at her husband.
"And just what are Draconians?" Hitomi's dad asked and Hitomi went pale.
They had planned on bringing up Draconians at the end of the visit. This was too early but Van couldn't just ignore the man.
"Draconian's are the race of Atlantis." Van said smoothly, "My mother was full draconian and my father was a true Gaian born King."
"Atlantis?" Chiro asked, raises an eyebrow, "Isn't that the city that was swallowed by the sea? Are you talking about that one?"
"In a way, yes." Van said, his eyes still on Hitomi's father.
"Impossible." he grunted.
The room fell silent.
"We're not here to discuss whether things are possible or not, dad." Hitomi said shortly, clipping her words tightly as she spoke, "I can see you still think that we're rtying to pull one over on you but believe me when I say that we're not. When I first saw Gaia and the distruction of Fanelia I wished for it all to have been a dream. It wasn't. I was far from home in the middle of a world I didn't know with Van as the only person I could trust. Whatever you think of our sanities doesn't matter. I'll visit mum and let you go on believing that your daughter lost her mind and ran away." Hitomi pushed away from the table and walked into the living room.
"Hitomi." Van was right behind her, "It wasn't going that bad."
"What was I thinking!" Hitomi asked, pacing, "He told me when I was four that there was no Santa. Why did I think we could convince him that we live on another world where you are King and I am Queen!"
"Calm down Hitomi." Van said, stopping her movements witha gentle hand on her shoulder, "I love you. You are a brilliant woman. Your father's disbelief has nothing to do with you or what you've said. Some people just don't want to accept that there is more than just the world they see around them."
"Good thing we didn't bring Tar then, huh?" Hitomi smiled.
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They gave it another go. Dinner was now out of the question so Hitomi just told her story straight out, ignoring her father's interruptions and her brother's laugh of disbelief.
Uchida was so happy for her daughter, "My baby has wings." she said quietly as Chiro and her husband started shouting.
"And she's learning how to fly." Van said with a smile as he placed his hand over Uchida's.
Hitomi stood to leave, hugging Yukari and Amano as her dad and brother were still trying to shout questions at her.
"Take care of her for me." Uchida whispered to Van.
"Always." Van squeezed her hand and walked over to his wife's side as she stood by the couch.
"Goodbye." Hitomi said and waved to her friends and her mum before they faded before them, leaving behind only a pale blue glow.
The last thing Hitomi saw were the faces of her brother and Dad as they came into the living room just in time to see them vanish. Their mouths were hanging open and Hitomi had a feeling that Chiro was about to faint.
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Rosie smiled at Hitomi as she collasped onto the bed.
"Rough day?" she asked, placing clean sheets on the chair of Hitomi's vanity set.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Hitomi laughed.
"Ok then." Rosie pushed her dark curls away from her face and smiled at her Queen, "Would you like to hear the news I have then?"
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"Really?" Van laughed, "That's great, my friend."
"I have no idea what I'm going to do." Penning said, looking pale and Van laughed and nearly tipped the poor guy over by slapping him on the back.
"What do you mean?" Van asked, "You'll stay here. Both of you and raise your child. Do have any idea how happy Hitomi will be?"
"But Rosie won't be able to work much when she gets along." Pennin said, looking at his friend, "What'll we do then?"
"She can keep Hitomi company, become one of her Ladies of Court. Rosie always does seem to know alot more than most of us when it comes to the going ons of the palace." Van smiled, trying to calm his panicked looking friend, "A child around here would be very nice. We all could use some innocence in our day."
"You really think Hitomi will make Rosie a Lady?" Pennin asked, sinking into the first chair he came across in the huge library.
"Of course. I'd be surprised if she hasn't done so already." Van pulled a chair up next to Pennin's.
"So when will you two have children?" Pennin asked.
"When ever the time is right." Van didn't even flinch, "I'd rather it be after Zaibach has pulled it's soldiers from my home."
"That reminds me." Pennin said, sitting up and looking more like himself, "Aidren had news of four men rooming in the Red Tusk Tavern. They haven't spoken much to anyone. The only thing he was able to find out was that they have recieved letters there once a week for as long as they've been staying at the tavern."
"Well, now we have a place to start." Van nodded to his friend, "It would all be much easier if I didn't have to worry about the fiends now living under my roof."
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Dilandau tossed in his sleep.
It was sunset. Just like many he had seen before and yet it was different. It took him a while to realize that it wasn't the sun causing the world around him to glow but a wild fire. The falmes licked at his feet making him run for the only clear spot he could see, the forrest.
Everyone knows that trees burn but it was his only way out.
Less than 20 yards into the trees' safety Dilandau was grabbed. Strong hands cut into his arms, leaving his hands numb and useless. He struggled but it did him no good.
"Dilandau, we meet again." the voice was a stingy sweet and the blonde jerked away from the sound of it.
"You're dead!" Dilandau screamed, kicking out, trying to find anything he could hit. Just hanging there a foot off the ground flailing like a caught fish wasn't his style.
"That's just it." Folken said, his face suddenly appearing inches from Dilandau's nose, "I am dead. But I am still here." he let one of the albino's arms go and tapped his forehead, "No amount of magic will ever help you be rid of me. Just when you think you're alone- the victor, I'll be waiting to remind you just what you are." Folken stared into Dilandau's eyes for a painfully long time, "You, Dilandau, are nothing."
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A/N: Sorry these haven't been all that long. I've been way busy but thanks to Shadow Glider's ever complimenting reviews and emails :) I got to work on this as soon as I had a free moment. I hope you all enjoyed it. Please Review.
And now Scott and I are off to a family reunion. :)