OoooooooooooooooooooooooO
Hitomi opened her eyes and smiled. Van stood infront of the balcony doors wrapped in a blanket with Mai in his arms.
"Today is Harvest." Van was saying quietly, "The longest day of the year. It is also the mark of you being five months old."
Van turned as if sensing his wife's gaze and smiled brightly.
"G'morning." Hitomi mumbled as she stretched and then grabbed the blankets up around her, "It's so cold!"
"It's fall." Van laughed, "We'll soon be sleeping with the fires lit and many blankets piled on top of us."
"Can we start the many blanket thing tonight?" Hitomi asked, sitting up slowly as she wrapped a blanket around herself.
"Of course." Van leaned down and kissed Hitomi depply, "Though of course we could always keep warm doing other things."
"Van!" Hitomi reached up and covered Mai's ears, making the baby laugh.
"She has no idea what I'm talking about." he laughed and turned his daughter to look into her eyes, "You don't know what I meant by that do you?" he asked, giving her a little twirl, "See? She has no idea."
"Just wait." Hitomi grinned, "If she keeps picking things up as quickly as she is now then she'll be running Fanelia by the age of four."
"Then she would be the cutest Queen to ever be crowned." Van stated and kissed his wife again.
Happy and very comfortable to just sit and watch father and daughter in their own little world, Hitomi sat back against her pillows and smiled.
Everything was so perfect.
Things had been quiet and even playfull in Fanelia as the country got to know the new heir. Van had insisted that the relationship the kindom had with Mai should start as early as possible. The sooner people saw her out with her parents the sooner veryone would fall in love with her.
And they had.
Once a week Van and Hitomi, along with Christopher and Pennin would take Mai into the market where they would buy rolls and trinkets and just talk with the people. It was wonderfull but Hitomi still had trouble relaxing. She was always watching the people around them, afraid that somehow a Zaibach soldier would get too close.
Van told her to trust the guards but she couldn't shake the feeling that she had missed something important when they had locked up Karth and his evil daughter.
Today was the day they would go into the market again and Hitomi swore that she would enjoy herself this time.
Hitomi dressed in warm, simple wool gown before dressing mai in pale yellow jumper. It wasnt the warmest piece of clothing mai had but it seemed to be the infant's favorite. Even at such a tender age Mai had a way of letting her wants and opinions be known. She didn't cry or throw a fit, as most babies do when they are unhappy. No, she made a face. A face that Hitomi laughingly told Van reminded her very strongly of the face he made when saying something he didn't want to say.
"She does it a lot." Hitomi laughed, "Especialy when theres someone around that she doesn't like."
"Like who?" Van had asked.
"Like Tren." Hitomi grinned.
"She doesn't like Tren?" Van said in amazement. So far his daughter seemed to love everyone in the palace.
"He's not a baby person." Hitomi shrugged, "And she can tell."
With Mai finaly ready to go, wrapped up in her own little blanket, Hitomi slipped on her boots and followed Van down the stairs and out into the cool air.
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The planning had to be done carefully. No one could know what was going to happen. One chance was they were going to get.
Already things seemed to working well in their favor. Soon- very soon they would make a move.
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Hitomi laughed as Mai spit up on her father's shirt and took the baby to give Van the chance to clean up.
"I told you she had had enough." Hitomi wiped Mai's face and smiled down at her little girl, "He just doesn't listen, does he?"
"I was burping her." Van protested, "I didn't give her more."
"O dear." Hitomi said, "Then it was my fault."
Van thanked the bakery owner as the man handed Van another clean rag to get the rest of the baby puke off his shirt. Placing the baby bottle on the counter Van went to work on his shirt, a slight smile on his lips. Hitomi knew he wasn't upset. Nothing Mai did stressed him. Mai could stay up all night screaming and Van would rock her untill she finaly quieted down.
Baby puke, poop, or pee didn't bother him in the least. Hitomi was thankfull. Her mother had told her how bad Hitomi's own dad had been when Hitomi was born. Just the smell of a dirty diaper had him gagging.
"I made some pumpkin bread just for you, my Queen." The baker reddened, speaking to her seemed to make him very nervous, "I know it's your favorite."
Hitomi's face lit up. It was indeed her favorite, "A loaf?"
"Of course, my Queen." he relaxed, seeing her pleasure.
Hitomi retreaved a coin out of her pocket and placed it on the counter,"I'll take the whole thing."
"It's a gift, my Queen." he said, ignoring her coin and wrapping the breadup in cloth.
"If you keep giving me gifts," Hitomi laughed, "I will no longer fit through the palace doors and you will be a poor man. I won't take no for an answer." she pushed the coin forward, "The best Baker in Fanelia must always be in need of more flour?" Hitomi raised her eyebrow and the man smiled at her.
"Just don't make a habbit of it, my Queen. My ego just wouldn't stand for it." The baker laughed.
"Of course not." Hitomi handed the loaf to Pennin who was trying to hide his grin but was failing horribly.
"Onto the jeweler?" Van asked as he walked over, a white line still visible on his dark shirt front.
"If that's where you want to go." Hitomi smiled, "I know Mai enjoys all the shiney things to look at."
There were many people in the market. Most of them were there just to say hello to the King and Queen and the tiny princess.
Everyone smiled when they saw them coming, hoping they were going to their stalls or at least look at their wares. Hitomi tried to stop at different places everytime they went out but once again, Mai had her favorites. And the jewelers was one of them.
The tiny bell above the door announced them as they entered and the old man behind the counter smiled and bowed at once, "Good to see you, My King, My queen and of course it is good to see you, Princess."
Mai cooed and flailed. John Eveans was one of her favorite poeple to see. He had nothing but compliments for the baby girl and wasn't afraid to ask to hold her.
Hitomi handed Mai over as John beamed. John had been one of the first to return after Fanelia had burned those years ago and had even been the one to make Hitomi's engagement ring.
John walked over to the case he kept in the corner and began showing Mai all the bright and shiney objects he had been hard at work on. Mai cooed as though in apprieciation for each piece and had John laughing as he tried to explain how he had made each angled jewel shine as it did.
Hitomi looked around the small place, taking her time to examine each and every item. John was the most talented jeweler Hitomi had seen on Gaia. And that was saying something now that other countries were sending gifts in celebration of Mai being born.
"I have something for you." Van said quietly as he walked up and wrapped his arms around Hitomi's waist from behind.
"Oh yea?" she asked, leaning back against him, "It wouldn't be jewelry, would it?"
"Actualy no." she could hear the smile in Van's voice, "And in truth it's for you and Mai both."
"What is it?" Hitomi asked, curiousity getting the better of her.
"This." Van held a small metal box in front of Hitomi, "It's a music box. It plays the song my mother taught Folken and I when we were little."
"John is a very talented man." Hitomi said in awe, seeing the small crank on the side and the vine pattern across the shiney surface.
"He promises there is no way this will break unless we take a very heavy hammer to it." Van laughed and kissed Hitomi's neck just below her ear, "Do you like it?"
"Yes. It's beautiful."
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Already one of the men was bending. He stayed longer and longer each day. Maybe things would happen sooner than they thought.
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Mai was asleep before they made it back to the palace.
Van asked to have their dinner brought up to them in their room and then laid Mai down in her crib. He fussed for a minute, making sure the blanket was warm enough and that her feet were covered.
"Today was a god day." Hitomi said as she slipped her boots off.
"Yes it was." Van turned away from Mai and went over to Hitomi, "You seemed to enjoy it more than other days."
"I was relaxed today." she admitted, giving him a quick kiss.
"I liked you relaxed." Van grinned, "You smile more."
A light tap on the door announced their dinner.
"We were in the market for a long time today." Hitomi said, munching on a roll and looking out at the darkening sky.
"And everyone loved it." Van handed Hitomi a mug of soup and pulled a chair over for her.
"Especialy John." Hitomi smiled.
"Pennin was having fun too." Van sipped his soupd and checked on Mai, "She's completely gone." he laughed.
"She didn't take a nap today. There were too many things to look at." Hitomi sipped her soup and sighed. There was nothing better than soup on a cold day.
Van put his mug down, already finished, and walked over to rub his wife's neck, "You look tired. Have you been having dreams?"
"Yes but none I understand." she sighed, his fingers were working on a knotted muscle, "Just hands and a trembling building."
"Hands?" he asked.
"Hands." Hitomi nodded, "Sometimes it's a woman's hands and other times it's a man's." She shrugged, "I don't know what they want."
"They want something?" Van moved onto her shoulders.
"Yea. Somehow these hands are connected to the building." Hitomi shook her head, "but I don't want to think about it anymore."
Van grinned as he started trailing kisses along Hitomi's neck, "Then don't."
"Ok." Hitomi sighed and closed her eyes.
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A/N: OK, took me forever but here it is.