A/N: Thank you ice73 for pointing out the errors. At least I'm not as bad as I use to be, lol! Back in the day I was pretty bad, hehehe coughs ahem, and thank you Shizuka-naTenshi. I would love to answer your questions but I can't. I really wanna but, I mist resist! lol! Well, sit back and enjoy the chap!

Chapter 4: Help

Hikari's eyes slowly fluttered open as she regained consciousness. What happened? She asked herself after sitting upright. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes to clear his slightly blurred vision. Her eyes widened as she took in her surroundings. She found herself sitting in a vast field of some cop, which she could only guess was wheat.

Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. How did I end up here? She wondered. She glanced around once more and noticed something in the distance. She rose to her feet to get a better view. It looked to be a town or city of some sort. She took a few steps in its direction and looked in awe.

"Hey You!" A voice shouted. "Get outta me field!" She turned her head quickly and saw an older man with a pitchfork in hand, running towards her. She didn't think twice about running away.

Marla sat at her wooden vanity gazing at her reflection. She smiled sweetly and hummed a cheerful tune as she brushed her long locks of golden blonde hair, a feature she had most certainly received from her mother. She was almost seventeen and still unwed much to the surprise of most nobles within her country. Most girls her age were at least promised to another.

Times had changed and her mother was eager to make changes. She had married her betrothed as part of her duty to her country and father. She couldn't very well do the same to her own children. The man she truly loved, and still did, was out there but no longer in her reach.

Her bedroom door opened and closed quickly. She threw her head of her shoulder to see whom it was. Her violet eyes narrowed as they came to see her twin. "What the hell Cadel?" she shouted. "How many time do I have to kick you out!"

Her brother rushed over to her with a serious look on his face. "Keep it down." He said in a low whisper. Marla crossed her arms and observed his unusual attire.

"Why are you dressed like a commoner?" She asked, noting the lack of colour in his attire. He stood wearing a simple outfit of brown leather pants, a cotton blouse and a heavy leather jacket.

"I'm going out." He answered and made his way over to her balcony. She stood up and hurried to catch up. The layers of petticoats under her light blue gown made it somewhat difficult however.

"So you came to my room?" She raised a brow.

Cadel leaned over the stone rail and grinned when his deep green eyes landed on the small wooden boat sitting in the cannel below. "Well you see little sister-"

"By a few moments!" she added quickly. Cadel smiled and sat on the rail.

"Mother has posted extra guards around my living quarters so I needed a different way out." With that said, he slowly began to climb down the stonewall of the Asturian castle.

Marla leaned over the edge and watched him descend to the waiting boat. "Just remember, whatever whore you get pregnant will be hire to the throne!"

Cadel looked up from the boat and grinned. "That's why I always pull out!" he shouted back with a wink. Marla rolled her eyes and turned on her heel.

"Men…" she huffed and went back inside.

Hikari came to a stop once she had crossed a stone bridge leading into the city. She leaned against a stone pillar and tried to catch her breath. She hadn't run like that since she was in elementary school. Her mother had tried to get her to tryout of for her school's track team. Hikari did make the team much to her mother's delight. Once she entered middle school, things became more competitive. Also she didn't care for pleasing her mother anymore, she was too occupied with taking care of Ayumi.

She inhaled deeply and began to observe her surroundings. She felt as if she had walked into a storybook set in the middle ages. Small cramped homes lined the streets; A few wooden stands were set up selling a variety of goods; women and men walked the cobblestone streets in their drab attire, signifying they weren't as well off. Hikari could feel her jaw drop at the sight. It fell even further when her eyes came across a sort of animal being.

A hand came to rest of her shoulder, nearly causing her to jump out of her own skin. "So, how much fer ya?" the man slurred. She turned of her heel and was immediately disgusted at the sight. He was an older man, probably in his forties she guessed. His teeth were stained yellow and his thin hair looked like a ball of grease.

"W-what?" She managed to ask.

"Wha'd ya mean? Yu're'a whore! So how much fer yur services?" She nearly gagged at the smell of his foul breath.

"I'm not a prostitute!" She yelled and backed away. She bumped into another man who placed both his hands firmly on her shoulders.

"Really, eh?" he said while his hand traveled to her rear and cupped it. "You have us certainly fooled." Her eyes widened in fear as she noticed a few men began to make a circle around her. Her heart raced as she thought of the worst-case scenario, a gang bag. The man who was already beginning to grope her leaned his head over her shoulder to lick her cheek. His tongue never even got the chance to leave his mouth.

"Hey!" a younger male's voice called out. The men all turned their heads to see the male youth with his arms crossed.

"We found'er first!" one yelled.

"She belongs to me." He said, making his way over to Hikari. He grabbed her tightly by the wrist and pulled her free from the old man's grasp. When their eyes met, he gave her a wink. "isn't that right?" He asked Hikari. She nodded quickly and mumbled a yes. "Now why don't you bugger off and find yourselves a cheap whore. She's too expensive for you." The men all looked at each other, obviously not impressed.

"Boy! If ya know what's good fer ya, yu'll hand'er over." One warned as he crackled his knuckles. The youth grinned and unsheathed his sword.

"Oh really?" He challenged. The men stepped back. "That's what I thought. Now get lost!" When they were out of sight, he sheathed his sword and turned his attention to the beauty he had saved.

"Th-thank you." Hikari stuttered, her nerves still on edge from what had just happened,

"It's no problem. That's some interesting attire you've got there." He stated as he took notice of her rather short skirt. "Now what's a lovely woman like yourself doing in a place like this?" He asked.

"Um, well, I don't know…I was running then I ended up here…"

He smiled at her shyness and put an arm around her shoulders. "C'mon, let's get out of here." He said as he led the way to a less run down part of the city. He brought into a small tavern, one he frequented often. He took his usual table, located at the back away from the hustle and bustle. He pulled out a chair for Hikari and seated himself across the small wooden table from her. "So what might your name be?" He asked.

"Oh, um, Hikari." She answered, sitting stiffly in her seat.

"The name is Cadel." He said with a grin. "So Hikari eh? That's an unusual name. Whereabouts are you from?"

"Tokyo." She replied. Cadel raised a brow.

"To-kyo?" He repeated. "Where is that?"

Her eyes widened. How could he not have heard of Tokyo? Everyone on earth knew of the heavily populated city. "Uh, Japan…" maybe this is all one really weird dream….or maybe it's like a coma…yea…I probably got hit by lightening and now my body is laying in a hospital bed while I'm dreaming away this weird place.

Hitomi sighed heavily and flinched at the sound of the door slamming shut. What had happened to their once close bond? She could only wonder how different her life could have been if she had stayed on Gaea all those years ago. She did miss it and had wished many times that she hadn't been torn away from the world she was prepared to call home.

She eventually accepted her fate and moved on. She realized that holding onto the past wouldn't help her move forward in her life. She knew Van wouldn't want her to dwell on the past either. "Hitomi…" Seiya said, breaking the awful silence. "Should I-"

"Watch Taiki and Ayumi." She said interrupting him. "I'll go look for her. She couldn't have gotten far." He looked down at his wife with eyes full of concern. His mouth open to speak but no words would come out. "It's all right Seiya. She'll be fine and I'll be fine." She smiled gently at him and gave him a reassuring look before heading out the front door.

She walked around a few blocks before coming across a nearby park. Standing out in the small grassy field was Anzu, Hikari's closest friend. She walked over to her, hoping that perhaps she had come across Hikari. "Anzu!" She called.

Anzu didn't move, she was frozen in her place. What had just happened? She had asked herself. Her deep brown eyes stayed transfixed on the ground before her. "Anzu?" Hitomi said, placing a gentle hand on the teen's shoulder. "Have you seen Hikari?"

"She was here…standing right here…" she managed to say, pointing at the ground. "Then she was gone…"

Hitomi's eyes widened. "What happened Anzu?" She asked in a more serious tone and turned the teen to face her. "What happened to Hikari?"

"There was a bright light…a column…a pillar or bright light…it was all around her. Then she was gone!" She ran a hand through her hair, still in shock. "Oh my god!" She looked up at Hitomi with wide eyes. "I think she was abducted by aliens! Oh my god!" Hitomi remained silent. A pillar of light…Her eyes drifted skyward. She never thought it would happen. She wanted to at least tell Hikari about Gaea first, to prepare her if it would ever happen.

"It's okay Anzu, Hikari will be fine…" She pulled the girl into a light embrace to calm her. "She wasn't abducted by aliens…"