A/N: I know I said I would never update here but I've calmed dow nadn figure I might as well give another shot. I have been an author here for...almost 5 years. So here it is, chapter 6. Enjoy!

Shizuka-naTenshi: I figured that if Hikari were to land in Fanelia the fic wouldn't last very long, hehe, by putting elsewhere it gives room for other things to happen coughs lol!

Chapter 6: Departure

Hitomi hugged Ayumi tightly before leaving her in the care of her teacher for the day. "Be good." She said with a smile. "I don't want to hear about you giving any of the boys trouble."

Ayumi giggled as her mother began to tickle her sides and stomach. "I'll be good!" She squealed before running to join her fellow classmates.

Hitomi stood for a few moments, watching her daughter play with the other children. It seemed like only yesterday that she was just dropping Hikari off on her first day of school. "Long time no see," Hitomi jumped at the sound of the familiar voice.

She turned around quickly and smiled with delight. "Yukari-chan!" They embraced each other tightly. It had been far too long since they had last seen each other. They did communicate on a weekly basis by phone or other means. "How are the twins? How's the business going? What brings you to Tokyo!"

"It's good to see you too Tomi-chan." Yukari said while wrapping her arm around her friend's shoulders. "Koji and Kenji are being the little devils they are. The business is going well. Amano had to go to America to help set up a few new locations. And I'm here for you." Hitomi raised a brow.

"For me?"

Yukari nodded. "Seiya called me. He's worried about you." Yukari looked at her friend slightly confused when she saw no reaction on her face. "So I hear Hikari went to find her father."

Hitomi remained silent for a moment. "Yes. I gave her the pendant. I didn't think…I didn't think it would…"

"We both knew this day would come eventually. At least she's not ten years old. She can look out for herself."

Hitomi sighed heavily as they walked. "I wanted to tell her about him, about Gaea but…how do you tell your child their father is a king from another planet?" She paused as she reached her home. "Do you want to come in for some tea?" she asked as she fished through her purse looking for her keys.

"Sure! We have a lot to talk about."

Hikari emerged from the bathing room wearing a soft, white robe. Two handmaidens stood by the large bed awaiting her. Millerna had laid out a few gowns for her to choose from.

"Do any catch yer fancy?" one of the maids asked.

"Um…" Her eyes skimmed over the gowns. Nothing really stood out.

The door swung open, bringing Hikari's attention away from the dresses. "You must be Hikari!" a delightful voice rang out. "I'm Marla and I'm here to rescue you." She shot a grin at the maids who quickly dismissed themselves. "My mother doesn't follow the fashion of today's youth so follow me." Marla linked arms with Hikari and led her out of the guestroom.

"Can't I just wear my own clothes?" Hikari asked, trying to keep up with the girl's quick pace.

"Absurd! They're dirty and from what my brother tells me, a little too revealing." She came to a halt as she reached her living quarters. She opened the large oak doors and walked in. "My closet is just around the corner." Before she closed the doors, she glanced down the hallway quickly. Good, she thought.

Hikari was blown away by the sheer size of the closet. It's like the size of my bedroom! "See anything you like?"

"Uh…um…" Marla grinned and grabbed a few outfits. She looked over at Hikari and tried to find her best features.

"I want to put you in green…but for some reason I have an urge to put you in red…" She browsed through some more gowns. "Okay!" She marched out of her closet with her arms full of outfit choices she had made. She laid them out on the bed for Hikari to see.

Cautiously Hikari approached. The choices were of a greater variety. There were a few that looked absolutely ridiculous, but there were some that she could actually see herself possibly wearing. The longer she looked, the more uncertain she felt. She didn't know what to pick. "I…really don't know what to wear." She said, forcing a slightly laugh.

Marla smiled delightfully. It was too perfect. She had purposely given her too many selections so it would overwhelm her. Now she could have the joy of dressing her up. It was something her younger sibling Julianne had grown to detest. She grabbed the deep crimson gown with long bell sleeves. It would hug Hikari's curves nicely and the colour alone would complement her brilliant green eyes.

Hikari didn't mind the dress all too much. The gold trim around the cuffs and neckline was a nice touch she thought. She especially liked the deep v-neck. Even though Marla had made her put on a dark blue chemise underneath, the deep v really put an emphasis on her chest.

When the water boiled, Hitomi poured Yukari and herself each a cup of tea. Yukari leaned back in her chair and held the hot cup with both hands. "Mmmm…this brings back memories…" Yukari said after taking a sip.

Hitomi stirred her tea before joining her friend at the rounded table. She sat in silence, thinking back to her early teen years; her life before Hikari and even before her whole Gaea experience. Life was simpler then.

"So what have you told everyone about Hikari?"
Hitomi straightened up and held her mug close to her lips, inhaling the sweet sent of the tea. "I told Seiya and her teachers that she's staying with her father. I had to explain to her friend Anzu the whole truth. She was with Hikari when it happened."

"Are you going to go after her?" Hitomi held back a laugh. "I wasn't joking. So are you?"

"Yukari, if I knew how to go back I would have sixteen years ago."
Yukari put her cup down and crossed her arms as she thought. "I wonder if we recreated the events of the first time you went-"

"It won't work." Hitomi interrupted.

"Hey! Hear me out at least!" Yukari protested.

"Hikari has the pendant remember." Yukari slouched back in her chair.

"Hmmm…what about your tarot cards. They played a role so maybe they might have the power to get you there or bring her back."

"I doubt it." Hitomi sighed.

"Well march your ass upstairs and bring them out!" Yukari stood up so that she towered over Hitomi. "You have to at least try. For Hikari's sake. She could be in serious trouble. Gaea, for all we know could have become this horrible war torn world!"

Marla sat Hikari down at her vanity and proceeded to comb the knots out of her hair. Hikari flinched at the pain. "I use to do this all the time with my sister Julianne. But she began to turn into a tomboy. She tried to disguise herself at a boy once so she could train with the knights of Cali." She giggled at the memory. "I'm afraid that Emily is heading down the same path. She's always getting herself dirty. Granted she's only five years old, but when I was her age I was never that messy."

Hikari sighed heavily. The princess was as boring as all the shallow girls from her school. Grade-A cheerleader material, she thought and rolled her eyes. "So…is Cadel your only brother?" Hikari asked. She had to say something to change the topic. She wasn't exactly one of those girls who liked to talk about make-up and dresses.

"I have one other brother, Trevor. He's going to be nine soon. So far Cadel hasn't had much of an influence on him yet." She put down the comb and picked up a brush. "How about you? Any siblings?"

"Just two. Taiki and Ayumi. Taiki is turning nine next month and Ayumi is five."

"That's quite the age gap you have."

Hikari tried to force a smile. "My mother had me when she was only seventeen. When she couldn't find my father she found someone else."

Marla's violet eyes brightened. "Oh intrigue!" She said with delight. "I rarely hear of stories about unwed mothers these days. Most of the women are of…" she paused to find the right words. "Low morality."

Hikari whipped her head around in disgust. "My mother is not a slut!" She shouted.

"I didn't mean your mother was!" Marla said slightly embarrassed. "Most, not all, women here who have children before they get married usually are the women who sell their bodies. I'm sorry if I offended you."

Yukari grinned as she followed Hitomi up the stairs and to the bedroom. Hitomi opened the closet and stood on her tiptoes. Her brows knitted together in frustration as she tried to find the box. "Ah-ha!" she exclaimed as her eyes landed on the small, faded red box. She grabbed the box with both hands and blew off the thick layer of dust that had collected over the years.

Hitomi carried the box over to the bed and set it down beside Yukari. She lifted the lid and smiled as memories of her youth flooded her mind. Inside the box had there were an assortment of memorabilia such as photographs, letters, old rings, a white feather and her tarot deck.

Yukari flipped through the photos and laughed like a hyena. "What the hell were we thinking?" Hitomi rolled her eyes but smiled. "Seriously! Our clothes! They were so ridiculous!"

Hitomi held her tarot cards in her hands. She could feel her body tremble slightly. Memories of the horrible visions they had given her sent a chill up her spine. All the deaths she had for seen and the tragedies she had witnessed made her stomach churn with unease. She took a deep breath to calm herself. She was no longer a young teenager. She was now a fully-grown woman who had endured many trials and tribulations and was not weak.

Quietly she began to shuffle the cards, putting her own energy into them. She took another deep breath before she drew the first card. Ten of serpents. A burden? She drew another card. Three of birds… she bit her lip, heart break… Again she drew a card, the star…chaos and hope… She continued in silence, drawing the cards and interpreting them.

"So how's it going?" Yukari asked, placing the old photographs back in the box.

"Because I neglected to tell Hikari of her roots…the past has caught up to us…she needs to learn…she's safe though. She's in good hands." Hitomi said, staring at the cards.

"So how do you get there?"

Cautiously she reached for the deck. Why is my hand trembling? She took a deep breath and drew a card. The…tower…images flooded her mind. She saw herself running around the track at her old high school. It was the day of that fateful night. All the students and teachers had headed home for the night. She wanted to see him again and wasn't going to stop running until she made it back. Yukari sat on the bleachers waiting for Hitomi to get whatever it was out of her system.

Then it happened. Hitomi couldn't help but grin like there was no tomorrow. Yukari jumped to her feet and ran down to the track. "Hitomi!" She yelled.

"Yukari! I'm going back!" Hitomi shouted, her voice full of joy.

"Hitomi?" She shook her head and stared at her cards with a blank face. "What? Did you have a-" Hitomi gathered her card up and tossed them into the box. She rushed down the stairs and to the kitchen. She grabbed a piece of paper and jotted a quick note to Seiya. "What the hell Hitomi!"

She hurried past Yukari and went through the front closet. "Where are they?" she grumbled while tossing pairs of shoes out. She grinned when she found her old runners. Her smile grew she slipped them on and they still fitted perfectly.

"Seriously, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to try. No one there knows about Hikari. Even though she's in safe hands I just…I need to tell her the truth…I need to tell them all." With that said, she ran out the front door. Yukari stood wide-eyed for a moment before slipping on her flats and running after her friend.

I need to get back…I have to get back! Hitomi thought with determination. Yukari struggled to keep up. Why did I have to wear a skirt today?

As Hitomi reached the park, she fell to her knees. She hadn't run that hard in years. When Yukari caught up, she leaned over gasping for air. "Warn…me…next…time!" she said between breaths. "What's the plan now?"

Hitomi stayed where she sat. She wished as hard as she could. She though of Gaea, the places she had been and the people she had met. She could almost smell the intoxicating scents of the strange world and she could feel the familiar warmth envelop her.

Yukari stepped backwards as she saw the brilliant white column of light descend and surround Hitomi. She smiled, happy for her friend. Then reality kicked in. She leapt into the light and grabbed Hitomi's hand. "Hitomi!"

"Tell Seiya I went to get Hikari!"

"What if you don't come back?"

"I'm sure I will! I love my children too much! I will come back!"

"Promise!" Hitomi smiled and mouthed the words 'I promise' before letting go of Yukari's hand.