Never let it be said that Van Fanel didn't have guts.
Just let it be said that he was a complete idiot.
Hitomi drummed her fingers impatiently as she watched Van make a complete fool of himself. Well, at least in her eyes he was. It had been two days since they had left the Lake of Angels, and Hitomi was dead tired, cranky, and more than a little mad at her husband.
She wished she could strangle him.
They had looked all around the clearing where the lake was located and had found absolutely nothing. Looking over the map two more times, they felt that maybe the lake didn't have a very significant meaning to the journey to the Mystic Valley.
"It's probably just a starting point for the map," Van had said.
Hitomi agreed with him. That's when they decided that they would follow the map to wherever else it led them, just to see if the Mystic Valley was a myth or truth. They had set out on foot the very next morning and had been walking for two days straight. By chance when they had started walking again this morning the forest had ended and a very small town was what they stumbled upon. The town consisted of an inn, a bar, and a filthy shack that had a sign out front that said Between. She had no idea what that stood for, and wasn't interested in finding out.
Now Hitomi was standing in the shadows at the edge of the forest as she watched Van explain to the innkeeper that they needed a room to stay in for the night. Hitomi bit her lip. She could understand that the innkeeper was needed for the request of the room, but did the daughter have to be there too?
The innkeeper's daughter looked to be maybe two years older than Hitomi's sixteen years. She would be what some people would call beautiful, with her dark hair and blue eyes, but all Hitomi paid attention to was that the woman was flirting with Van, and he wasn't doing anything to discourage her. That alone made Hitomi fume. They were trying to get to the Mystic Valley, not trying to help some woman find a man. Van smiled at the woman and she immediately batted her eyelashes at him.
Why that little twit! Hitomi exhaled a heated breath and clenched her jaw to keep from screaming. That no-good, lying, sly, dirty, scheming... Just as soon as she finished with Van, she would think of some different names to call that woman, too.
She watched as Van finished talking to the man and shook his hand. The woman smiled flirtasously at Van and he smiled back. He walked started walking back to where Hitomi was. She gritted her teeth and stepped forward to meet him.
He took one look at her and raised his eyebrows. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Hitomi said abruptly, walking past him.
He shrugged and caught up with her. "Okay. I managed to get us a room. I told him that we're on our honeymoon, but were attacked by some bandits and they stole just about everything before we managed to run them off."
She stopped. "You told him we're married?" she asked quietly.
"We are married," he said, crossing his arms across his chest. "Why shouldn't I have told him that?"
She turned away and started walking at a faster pace toward the inn. That little, that woman knew the entire time that Van was married, but she just kept throwing herself on him. When Hitomi got a hold of that little witch, she was going to-
"Hold on a minute," Van said. He grabbed her arm and turned her toward him. "What is wrong with you? You act like you're trying to run away from something."
"I'm just going to run that little whore through," she mumbled.
"What?" Van asked. "I didn't hear you."
She sighed and said, "Nothing. Can we go in now? I want to rest my feet."
Van looked at her skeptically, but nodded. "All right, but stay close to me. The emperor's forces are everywhere, and we don't know who to trust just yet."
"Fine," Hitomi said.
Van grabbed hold of her hand tightly and wouldn't let go. He led them into the inn and Hitomi was immediately hit with the strong smell of ale and unwashed bodies. She tried to get closer to Van. He tightened his grip on her hand. The inside of the inn was dimly lit for it to be dusk. Small tables littered the floor and drunken laughter echoed in the air. Hitomi watched as one man started to stand up, then fell to the floor, unconscious. The other occupants laughed at him. The inn was only half full, but was slowly becoming crowded.
Van tried to hide Hitomi from view by placing her between the wall and his body as he led them up the stairs. The upstairs was deserted, but Van quickly led them to the end of the hall and opened their assigned room door. He pushed Hitomi inside and closed the door behind them.
The room was small; there was only one small bed, one window, one nightstand, and another door that led into an even smaller washroom. Van went into the washroom, checking it. Hitomi sat down on the bed and sighed. Her feet were killing her. She pulled her shoes off and stretched her feet, wiggling her toes. She groaned. Her feet were red, and very close to blistering. She yelped as Van suddenly grabbed her foot and looked over it. His thumbs were rubbing over her arch, making her foot tingle.
"Stay off of your feet for a few hours," he ordered, putting her foot down.
She scooted it closer to herself as if to make sure he wouldn't grab it again. "What are you going to do?" she asked.
"I'm going to look around," was all he said.
"With who?" she asked. She clamped her hand over her mouth. She had not meant to say that.
Van raised his eyebrows at her. "What do you mean 'with who'?" he inquired.
"Nothing," Hitomi said quickly.
He crossed his arms over his chest and spread his legs apart. It was apparent that he wasn't going to move until he had his answer.
Hitomi tried to ignore him by massaging her feet. After a few minutes of silence, she looked up and found him in the same position. "What?" she exclaimed. "What do you want?"
"Answer my question," Van ordered.
"What question?" she asked stubbornly.
"Don't play that," Van said. He moved closer to her until he was only an inch away from her. "You know what I'm talking about. And while we're having this little chat, you can tell me what was wrong with you when I went back to get you from the forest and brought you to the inn."
"I just thought maybe you we're going to go do whatever it is that you men do," Hitomi said. "You know, drink, and find someone to talk to, stuff like that."
Find someone to talk to? What in Gaea was she going on about? Van watched as her cheeks became a tinted red. She was fine this morning. But something had changed her mood while he had been talking to the innkeeper and his nosey daughter. Van suddenly grinned.
"You saw me talking to the innkeeper and his daughter didn't you?" he asked.
She kept her eyes on the floor, but her cheeks turned a darker red. "No," she lied.
Van's grin threatened to split his face in half. "You needn't be jealous, Hitomi. I'm married now. I have no time for flirty women who want a good time."
Hitomi's eyes snapped to his and he was more surprised than amused at the anger he found there. "I was not jealous!" she said hotly. "And just because you're married does not mean that I care about whether or not you have time for flirty women who want a good time!"
Van started walking toward the door, but turned back when his hand was on the knob. "You shouldn't get so worked up, sweetheart. You'll tire yourself out even more." He opened the door and walked out, his laughter trailing behind him.
Hitomi grabbed the nearest object she could find--an empty water basin--and threw it at the door. It hit with a loud thump and fell to the floor. With a huff that blew the hair out of her eyes, Hitomi glared at the door, willing Van to step back inside so that she could give him a piece of her mind. After a minute, when he didn't renter the room, Hitomi stood up slowly and made her way to the washroom. When she finished washing the dirt from her hair and body in the tubs cold water, she went back to the bedroom and flopped down on the bed. It wasn't the best bed in the world, but it would work for a few hours sleep.
The moon was already rising high in the sky and the stars were twinkling as if they didn't have a care in the world. Hitomi stared at them while she replayed the argument that she and Van had had only a while before. She couldn't be jealous. There was no way. You could only be jealous of someone if you felt something for them. And she did not feel anything for Van. After all, she had only met him about five days ago. Developing feelings for someone could not happen that fast. Could it?
She bit her lip in thought. Everyday she felt herself being pulled closer toward Van, but she just felt safe, right? Every time she got around him or when he touched her, especially when he touched her, she got this exceedingly warm feeling in the pit of her stomach that would spread throughout her entire body. She mentally shook her head. No, it wasn't possible. She was mistaking gratitude for something deeper. Satisfied with her newfound conclusion, she closed her eyes for some much needed sleep.
She dreamed of Van.
***
The moon was in its brightest hour when Hitomi awoke from her deep slumber. There was a blanket covering her and it had the faint scent of fresh fields. Her heart was warmed by Van's thoughtfulness. She threw the blanket to the side and stood up carefully. She shifted the weight from each foot to test them. They only gave off a dull throb.
Stretching lightly, she rolled her muscles and found herself to be well rested. Straightening her shirt and pants, she looked around and found a discarded cloak lying on the nightstand. Wrapping it around herself, she walked to the door and quietly opened it.
Poking her head out, she found the hallway to be empty. Stepping out, she shut the door behind her and cautiously walked down the hallway. Noise from downstairs was getting louder with each step she took. She walked down the stairs slowly, putting the cloaks hood around her head to hide herself from view.
The inn was crowded to its limit. It reeked of ale and a stench that Hitomi didn't even want to know about. Men sat huddled around the tables and bar, talking and laughing at one another drunkenly. Hitomi clutched the cloak even more tightly around herself in a protective gesture.
She was suddenly grabbed by the arm and yelped. "You shouldn't be down here," Van's voice grated against her ear. He held her close to his side and led her to a table in the back. Forcing her to sit in a chair by the wall, he took a seat next to her. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.
"I-I was looking for you," she confessed. Her stomach grumbled. "And I'm kind of hungry," she added quietly.
"You still shouldn't be down here," Van said quietly. He motioned for a waitress to come to the table.
"What can I get for ya, honey?" the woman asked.
Hitomi looked up and found out that the waitress was the innkeeper's daughter. Hitomi glared at her. The woman didn't pay her any attention, looking directly at Van. She pressed her breasts forward so that Van could see them clearly. Hitomi clenched her fists. That little whore! The woman licked her lips and leaned in toward Van a little. That was it.
"I'll have a steak and milk," she said, seething, "and do be sure that the waitress who serves it to me has clothes that fit properly."
The woman's gaze snapped to Hitomi's. The woman narrowed her eyes at her. Before the woman could open her mouth with a good reply, Hitomi grabbed Van's hand that was resting on the table and held it tightly in a possessive gesture.
"Now," Hitomi commanded.
The woman narrowed her eyes, then turned and stalked away. Hitomi watched her go and was satisfied to see that the woman's hips didn't sway as they usually did. She was so caught up in glaring at the woman's back that she didn't realize she was still squeezing Van's hand.
He leaned next to her ear. "You don't have to keep clutching my hand, you know," he said. "Your fingernails are cutting into my skin."
His breath seeped through the cloth onto her skin and she shivered involuntarily. Mortified, she released his hand and dropped her hands back onto her lap. She turned away from him, but his soft chuckle still managed to reach her ear. She thanked Jesa that he couldn't see through her cloak because she knew that she was as red as could be.
A minute later her food was served. A different waitress served the food and didn't even take the time to look at Van or Hitomi. Hitomi began to eat. She felt like she hadn't eaten in ages. She took a sip of the warm milk and closed her eyes. It tasted divine. She quickly finished all of the steak, then slowly drank the rest of her milk.
Van watched as Hitomi ate without restraint. He was surprised at how fast she finished the meat. She acted like she hadn't eaten in a long time. That had a little truth to it, he supposed. For the past two days, the only thing they had eaten was berries.
He had been even more surprised when she had grabbed his hand and chewed out the innkeeper's daughter. Hell, he had even been impressed. That was a rarity, indeed. He had learned to give his respect lightly, and she had managed to get a bit of it with that one act.
The door to the inn was thrown open but no one noticed except for Van. A man dressed in a uniform scanned the room, and Van tucked his head down, bringing Hitomi closer to his side.
When Hitomi turned to him, he pressed her head down and whispered, "Keep down and keep quiet."
There was confusion on her face, but she did as she was told, clutching her goblet of milk so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Van watched as the soldier and the innkeeper talked. The innkeeper motioned to where he and Hitomi were sitting and Van's grip around her waist tightened. The soldier turned toward them, nodded, then walked back outside.
Van immediately stood up, bringing Hitomi with him. He never let go of her waist and dragged her back to the stairs. They hurried up them.
"Van, what's—," She gasped as her eyes went blank and she was plunged into a vision.
*
The inn was burning. Soldiers bearing the emperor's colors ran around the village, slaughtering everyone. A woman's scream was cut short as her throat was slit.
During it all, Dilandau sat atop his horse, surveying the damage being done with a satisfied smirk. He ran his hand down the scar on his face and his smirk faded to a scowl of hatred.
"Time to pay, Dragon…"*
"Hitomi!" Van shook her.
She came out of her trance to find herself staring into Van's chocolate brown eyes. "Burning…" she whispered.
"Snap out of it, Hitomi!" Van demanded. When her vision hit, she had slumped to the floor in pain. Van was kneeling in the middle of the hallway, trying to get her to come out of her trance. Her face had turned pale white and her entire body had shaken with tremors.
Suddenly, her eyes seemed to clear and the agony he had seen there only a moment ago vanished. "He's coming," she whispered.
"Who?" Van asked.
"Dilandau."
Van lifted her and half drug, half carried her to their room at the end of the hallway. He shut the door behind them and quickly barricaded it with anything he could find. He went to the window and opened it. They were only up by about twelve feet. He stood up on the windowsill and jumped down.
"Jump down," Van called to Hitomi, who was staring at him with wide eyes from above.
She shook her head. There was no way she could jump like he just did.
"Don't worry," Van said. "I won't let you fall. Now jump."
There were footsteps coming from down the hall. Hitomi watched as the door moved as it was being pounded on. Without a second thought, she did as Van had. She stood on the windowsill and jumped. Van caught her and didn't even flinch under her weight.
He quickly sat her on her feet and they began running around to the back of the inn. Hitomi was suddenly grabbed by the wrist and turned around. She came face to face with a poorly dressed man that reeked of ale.
"'ow 'bout you an' me 'ave a tumble, love?" he slurred.
Hitomi tried to struggle out of his grasp, but before she could succeed, Van's fist connected with the man's jaw and he slumped to the ground. Van grabbed Hiotmi's hand and continued running around the inn. They peeked around the edge and saw that there were soldiers surrounding the place. The only place that they weren't around was the building that Hitomi had seen earlier called Between.
Van tightened his grip on Hitomi's hand and stealthily led them across the distance to the building. He opened the barely hinged door and shut it behind them. The inside was only rotted wood. It had stairs, but Van wouldn't trust them to hold the weight of a leaf, let alone him and Hitomi. They quietly walked through the building. Suddenly a long beam fell and crashed through the floor beside Hiotmi. She screamed and jumped back.
"Dragon," Dilandau's voice floated through the building. "I know you and your little bird are in there. I'm going to kill you very slowly until you scream for deliverance. Then I'm going to take you're little bird back to the emperor. He wants her back quite badly, and we wouldn't want to upset the emperor, would we?" His voice had taken on the singsong quality again. It was even more frightful than when he had first called out to them in hatred.
Hitomi stepped back. The floor rumbled under her weight, then suddenly collapsed with a loud crash. "Van!"
Without a second thought, Van dove in after her and his wings burst from his back. He flattened them to his sides as he dove down to reach her. He grabbed Hitomi's outstretched hand and pulled her to his chest as they continued floating down through the black hole.
Hitomi had a look on her face that Van couldn't describe. "Are you all right?" he whispered.
Hitomi smiled at him and reached up to caress his face. "My angel…"
Blackness engulfed her.
So?? What did ya think? Yeah, yeah, I know that it was a bit late coming out, but I've been totally swamped. I'll try to get to personal thank yous for reviews soon. I promise! Now please tell me what you thought about it!
Oh, and after the new year, I hope to maybe, maybe have some new stories coming out. One is a contemporary fic called Angel, V/H of course. Another will be called The Gift, and another will be called Love Forbidden. All are A/U's and all are V/H's. I'm trying to write them down in my notebook so I can have an idea as to how long they will be. I might even do two new digimon fics. I'm not sure about those yet, though.
Well, anyway, please tell me what you thought of this chapter by reviewing! Oh, and before I forget…Merry Christmas To All!!! ^_^
Love ya, Tevrah ^_^