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Fried and Asturia would soon know about Zaibach's intended attack. The last thing Van wanted was for Millerna and Chid to go home to the news of a comming fight. A war, if Zaibach had their way.
It had been a long day and Van was looking forward to a good night's sleep.
Van walked over to the bed quietly. He couldn't help but smile everytime he saw Hitomi. He had never been this happy in his entire life. Marrying Hitomi was amazing but now they were going to have a baby.
This was something entirely different.
Van gently brushed hair away from Hitomi's face. It was the first time she had slept for more than two hours in almost three days. She had been up sick off and on and unable to sleep because she felt horrible. The doctor on the Mystic Moon had told them that this would happen but Van still felt bad.
At least she wasn't throwing up at the moment.
Van walked over to his side of the bed and sat done slowly so as to not disturb his wife's nap. Pulling his boots and pants off Van couldn't help but wonder how Hitomi had managed to cope with being flung from one world to another four years ago. Van had been on the Mystic Moon a few times but never outside of the Kanzaki houshold. Once outside the door Van thought he was going to faint, as embarrassing as that was it was for him to admit to himself it was worse when he got his first sighting of a car.
Hitomi calmly took his arm and began explaining everything as they came to it. He was happy she had forced him to leave his sword behind or he would have made a fool of himself when they came across a person on a scooter. As it was he pulled Hitomi off to the side and well away from the moving machine.
Uchida smiled at him and said that it would be better if Hitomi went in to see Amano's father by herself. Dr. Sanji was the best baby doctor in area and the only one Hitomi even thought of trusting.
Before they left she had confided in Van that if for some odd reason something of the baby's Draconian bloodline showed up during the tests she wouldn't know what to do. It wasn't as if she could tell the doctor, no matter how much she trusted him, that she and Van were the last two of the ancient race from Atlantis? And that their baby would make them the last three?
Thankfully Amano was the first person they saw when the entered the Dr.'s office. He helped to calm Hitomi down. Promising that such things wouldn't be detectible for months. He knew that Hitomi was worried about his father seeing her baby's wings.
Amano happened to be inbetween jobs and was helping his father, who needed a secretary, out of a tight spot. He made sure they were seen at once and kept beaming at Van while Hitomi was being tested.
She had been so happy coming out of that room.
Van was the only one she was looking at as she said that they were two months pregnant and healthy as could be.
Van climbed slowly into bed and curled up to his wife. Gently sliding his arm beneath her's he placed a hand on her flat belly and smiled.
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Hitomi groaned before running for the wash room. At least this time she had been able to make it. It was questionable for a second or two as she felt her feet slide past the door, but she quickly hooked her fingers on the doorframe and launched herself forward towards the bassin.
Lately she had spent so much time in wash room that she could find her way in the dark.
Sitting on the floor Hitomi wondered how long she'd been sleeping. She knew Van had been wrapped around her when she woke up out of a deep sleep to puke.
"You have to let me rest sometime you know." Hitomi said to her stomack as she leaned her head back against the wall. Dr. Sanji had told her that she was very lucky she hadn't been sick yet. He had been more than right. She had been lucky.
"How you doing?" Van asked as he plopped down next to Hitomi on the floor.
"I've been better." she sighed, letting him pull her down untill her head was on his thigh.
"Just breathe and try to sleep." Van said as he ran his fingers through her hair and over her temples.
"In here?" Hitomi asked with a laugh, "You aren't serious."
"Yes, I am." Van's hand stopped and Hitomi felt something on her back, "I even brought a blanket and some pillows." he covered Hitomi up the best he could in the dark and handed her a pillow to snuggle.
"I don't deserve you." Hitomi sighed as Van's fingers made their way back into her hair.
"I know how you feel."
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Hitomi felt Van get up but didn't open her eyes. Who would have thought sleeping on the rug in the wash room could be so comfortable?
She was just drifting back to sleep when she felt Van's arms around her, lifting her off the floor.
"What's wrong." Hitomi asked sleepily.
"Nothing's wrong." Van said and kissed her temple as he cradled her.
Hitomi just closed her eyes, too tired and trusting to be worried about where she was being carried.
Van set Hitomi on the bed and slid her slipperd onto her feet and her heavier robe around her shoulders.
"Where are we going?" Hitomi asked, realizing that Van had his boots on and a heavy shirt.
"It's a surprise." Van grinned and then picked Hitomi up again, "Close your eyes."
"I can walk, you know." Hitomi mumbled into his shirt.
"I know, but I'd rather carry you if thats ok?"
"S'fine." Hitomi smiled with her eyes closed.
Van walked down the stairs carefully, trying not to bounce Hitomi around too much. Her hair was messy and she looked pale in the light cast by the few candles still burning in the hall. And he could hardly take his eyes off her. If he hadn't been afraid of tripping he porbably wouldn't have looked up from her face untill they reached the door.
Hitomi stiffened as cold air hit her and her eyes flew open.
"Surprise." Van whispered and helped Hitomi stand.
"Van, it's so beautiful." Hitomi looked up at the falling snow. Her feet were already frozen in the four or five inches that already blanketed the ground but she didn't care.
"Folken and I use to sneek out of bed to be the first people to put our foot prints on the pathways. We'd walk everywhere in the middle of the night just to be the ones who saw the snow first." Van smiled as he watched Hitomi as she took in the scene before her.
All of Fanelia lay stretched out at their feet covered in snow.
"It doesn't look real." Hitomi said as Van took her hand.
"We should go back inside. I don't want you or the baby getting sick." Van tugged on her hand, turning her to face him.
"I love you, Van Fanel." Hitomi smiled.
"I love you too, Hitomi Fanel." Van kissed Hitomi, making her knees go weak, "But now it's time to get out of the cold." he said as he pulled away.
"If you insist."
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Merle paced the hall. Something was up. She knew there was something she wasn't being told.
The dragon had been too smug the past week for her to just ignore it.
Van and Hitomi had been acting wierd as well and then Hitomi fell ill and had to spend days in bed. Merle and Tina had been instructed to leave Hitomi alone and not bother her.
Merle had gotten a bit offended when Tren passed this message onto her.
Her? A bother?
If Hitomi was very sick it might do her some good to see a friendly face aside from Van's.
Merle walked past the door three more times before making up her mind. She had been told to stay away but couldn't. So, she decided, if Hitomi was alseep when she went into the room she would just leave her to nap but if she was up Merle was going to ask a few questions about the dragon and his annoying behavior.
The door opened silently and Merle poked her head in to see Hitomi sleeping with the blankets pulled up to her chin. Creeping closer the cat saw that the Queen did look ill. She was pale and looked as though she had recently lost some wieght. In her opinion Hitomi was too skinny already and was the last person who needed to loose pounds.
A tap on her shoulder had Merle's fur standing on end and scream on her lips. Remembering the sleeping Queen Merle clamped her hands over her mouth and turned to glare at a grinning Van.
Van pointed at the door and Merle followed him out into the hall.
"I thought you had a meeting with Rori about his suggestions for council members!" Merle hissed.
"And I thought I told you to let Hitomi rest." Van raised an eye brow at his sister as she huffed and crossed her arms across her chest.
"Tar is driving me crazy! He's been lounging around with this smug little look on his stupid dragon face." Merle spat, "It's like he thinks he knows something the rest of us don't."
"Well, he does." Van said simply, shocking Merle speechless.
"What is it!" Merle asked, her eyes gone large and her body tense.
"Something that no one can know. Tar knows and the twins know. Can I realy trust you not to let it slip?" Van asked. He had planned on telling her and Tina together but this would have to do.
"If you can trust Tren and Kailas you can trust me." Merle felt hurt that Van didn't trust her.
"And you will tell Tina, of course." Van didn't have to ask, "Will she keep it a secret?"
"Of course, of course!" Merle was getting impatient with her brother.
Van leaned in close and whispered into Merles ear, "Hitomi's pregnant." Van pulled back quickly to place a hand over Merle's mouth.
His instincs had been correct and Merle's squeal was muffled by his hand. If he had been half a second later half the guards would have been running to see what had happened and who was being attacked.
"Realy!" Merle asked at a quieter level.
"Yes. We went to a doctor on the Mystic Moon and he confirmed it." Van smiled.
"I'm going to be an aunt!" Merle danced around Van, "I'm so happy. I have to tell Tina."
"And then no one else hears about this. Zaibach is going to attack because they've had word that there might be an heir on the way. Without the word being spread that Hitomi is indeed with child we are hoping to have more time to prepare." Van placed a hand on Merle's shoulder, "Tell no one other than Tina and make sure she knows how serious this is. I feel horrible that we haven't been able to tell Pennin and Rosie but they're under a lot of stress right now waiting for their baby. I don't want Rosie worrying about our baby as well."
"She would worry, wouldn't she?" Merle smirked. Rosie would be trying to help Hitomi even though she was on bed rest and not being able to help would stress Rosie out.
"No one knows and for now, even hurting the feelings of our friends by not telling them is better than word getting out. I'm trying to protect both my kingdom and my family." Van sighed, just talking about Zaibach and the coming problems was making him weary.
"You can trust me, Van. Tina too." Merle kissed Van's cheek and ran off to find her friend.
The cat had a lot she wanted to talk to Tina about. Yes, she wanted to tell her about Van and Hitomi's baby but also she wanted to discuss with Tina the possility that there was a spy in the palace or at least the kingdom. Van certainly seemed to think that there could be someone passing information onto Zaibach. He was being very carefull and Merle was determined to make sure no one cause her brother and his family any pain.
Zaibach was coming, that was certain but maybe- just maybe she could help come up with a way to fight them.
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A/N: Ok, I'm wicked tired. Christmas shopping is not for people who have anxiety problems. I couldn't get out of Walmart fast enough today. Blah, it was realy bad.
Anyways, Scott will be home on the 15th and my birthday is on the 12th. Two days away! I'm so excited. I can't wait to see Scott and I can't wait to go bowling (a birthday ritual for me). I love bowling even though I'm not that good at it. Scott's worse than me so at least I can beat someone.
Please review and send any ideas you may have my way. I already have things planned out about the baby and the confrontation with Zaibach but I need some filler stuff. Help me, please.