A/N: oh my god! I updated! and it's been less than a week! -dances- I felt absolutely terrible for putting this fic on such a long hiatus. Thank you to my lovely readers; Macky and Shizuka-naTenshi(I know they're meeting was a bit coldish, but things lighten up and you have to remember, they hadn't seen each other in 16 years. It's bee na long time and they both moved on). So here's the next chapter!

Chapter 8: Repeat that Please

Yukari fidgeted in her seat at the kitchen table. She tapped her fingers on the table and watched the seconds tick by on the clock. Seiya would be home any minute. All afternoon she thought long and hard about how she would break the news to him that his wife had gone off to find Hikari.

She read over the note Hitomi had quickly scribbled and left for him. She shook her head disappointedly. It was one the pathetic side. 'Dear Seiya, I've gone to find Hikari. I don't know when I'll be back. Hitomi.'

"Auntie Yukari…" Ayumi said and tugged on Yukari's sleeve. "When's my mommy comin home?"

She looked down at the young girl and patted her on the head. "I'm not sure. But your daddy will be home soon. Your mom, she had to go away for a bit. Work stuff." She smiled. As if on cue, Seiya walked through the front door. Ayumi smiled wide and ran down the hallway to hug her father.

"Daddy!" She squealed delightfully and hugged his leg. Seiya put down his brief case and picked up his daughter and swung her around.

"How my little girl?" he asked before putting back down.

"Auntie Kari picked us up from school today!" Ayumi said in her cheerful voice. "C'mon daddy!" She grabbed his hand and tried to pull him to the kitchen.

"Yu-Yukari?" Seiya said confused. "What are you…?"

Yukari knelt down to Ayumi's level and smiled, "Hey kiddo, why don't you go play with Taiki for a bit okay?" When Ayumi was out of sight, she looked to Seiya and told him to take a seat.

"Where's Hitomi?" Seiya asked.

"She got a little worried today about Hikari leaving. She was worried that she may not have found Van-"

"Van?" Seiya interrupted.

"Yes, Hikari's father." Yukari cocked her head to the side and looked at Seiya. "Hitomi never told you anything about him did she?" Seiya shook his head. "Wow…well, where to begin? Hitomi met Van when we were fifteen. He was rude and arrogant. Then got stuck together for a while and I guess she saw the real him." Yukari paused and tried to collect her thoughts. She couldn't very well tell Seiya the entire truth. It would take too much time to explain to him about Gaea. And like he would believe me…she told herself. "Any ways…they got separated for about a year, I think, and then their paths collided once again. Being more mature they uh…" she looked at Seiya and paused for am moment, "they expressed their love. They got separated afterwards. Van had important family-business-type-work-things to attend to. We tried for a long time to find him again. Hitomi called it quits after five years I think it was…and now she's happily married to you!"

"Van? Are you alright?" Hitomi asked. She noticed his face had paled a bit and he looked disoriented.

"I…" he leaned against his desk and ran a hand through his hair. It was a lot to grasp and accept.

Before either of them could say anything, the door flung open and a young girl ran in. She screamed and hid behind the large wooden desk. "Make him stop!" she cried. Van's brows knitted together and he knelt down to the girl's level.

"What did Edric do this time, Irisa?" Van asked. She peered up at him slowly with her big blue eyes, full of tears.

"he-he-he-…"tried to speak, but was obviously too upset to be able say anything. Van frowned and stood up. He could feel a headache coming on. It was always the same fight his children seemed to have. It would begin with Irisa following Edric around. Somehow it always ended with Edric saying Irisa wasn't their father's daughter. She had yet to sprout her wings.

"Edric!" he yelled. Hitomi watched the little blonde-haired child carefully. She must be Van's daughter, she assumed.

Irisa quickly ran from the desk to behind her father's legs. She clutched tightly onto his pant leg with one hand, while the other held onto the blue surcoat of her white, short sleeved, dress. Van crossed his arms. He wasn't in the mood to deal with his children's shenanigans.

A few short moments, a young boy appeared at the doorway. Hitomi felt her jaw fall open. This young boy was certainly the spiting image of Van. "She started it!" Edric shouted immediately and pointed at his younger sister.

"I don't care who started it. You know your sister is sensitive about them." Edric rolled his eyes. As he did, he noticed the unusually dressed woman.

"Who is she?" he asked.

"This is an old friend of mine, Hitomi." Van looked to Hitomi and forced a smile. "Hitomi, these are my children. Irisa and Edric. I'm sorry you had to see them behaving like this." Hitomi held back her laughter poorly.

"You don't have to apologize. I've had similar experiences with my own kids." She turned to Edric and smiled softly at him. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she said and bowed her head slightly. She turned to Irisa and did the same.

"Daddy…is she the girl you told me about in my bedtime stories?" Irisa asked.

Van rubbed his daughter's head and smiled, "Yes, this is her." Irisa's eyes brightened and she ran up to Hitomi.

"Wow!" Irisa exclaimed. "I gotta go tell mommy!" Before Van could even move to stop her, she was already gone. He would have preferred to tell his wife about their unexpected guest first.

Hikari laid back on the soft grass, beneath an old willow tree, in one of the more secluded courtyards. A smile graced her lips as she inhaled the crisp air. Her eyes fluttered open as she heard footsteps. She turned her head quickly and was relieved when it was only Cadel. "The coast is clear." He said and sat down beside her.

"I apologize for whatever tortures my sibling made you endure." Hikari chuckled at him. He had sounded so serious and official.

"I've been through much worse." She told him and glanced at him quickly. "You two seem to be very opposite of each other…" Hikari stated as her gaze drifted to the long, winding tree branches. "She's more of the typical royal princess and you're…"

"Not you're typical prince charming, riding a white horse and dressed in the most luxurious garments." Cadel finished with a chuckle.

"Yea…"

He sighed and leaned back against the trunk of the tree. "I never liked that lifestyle. My mother blames my father. He was a merchant in his younger days before he married my mother. He travelled the world numerous times." Hikari sat up and raised a brow.

"I thought royalty could only marry royalty?" She asked, "That's what I've read in books…"

"It was an arranged marriage. My father was the son of old King Aston's most trusted advisor. My parents were promised to each other when they were very young."

"Oh…So, have you been promised to anyone?" Cadel smiled and glanced at her.

"Nope. However, my parents have put restrictions on whom I can marry. She has to be of good lineage. Originally my mother wanted it to be of noble birth only but my father insisted otherwise."

"Well, on the bright side you have some freedom. You're not forced to marry someone you didn't pick." She laid back down, her smile no longer present on her lips. She didn't understand why she suddenly felt disappointed. But knowing that he was out of her reach saddened her. What am I thinking? She asked herself. I hardly know him! She took in a deep breath and tried to clear her mind.

Marla rushed down one of the castle corridors with a panicked look on her face. She had to find Hikari and fast. She couldn't have gotten too far…she told herself as she checked room after room. She twirled a lock of her hair around her finger, a nervous habit of hers.

"What's the rush?" Marla nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of her sister's voice.

"Don't ever do that again!" She yelled at Julianne, who brushed her sister's temper off as nothing.

"So? Why have you been running around like a crazy person?" she asked. "Don't tell me you lost our guest." Marla bit her lip before answering.

"I didn't lose her." She corrected quickly. "She slipped out of my room when Cadel showed up." Julianne shook her head and laughed. "What's so funny?" Marla demanded.

"Oh nothing…" she answered. "I just know where they are."

"They?" Marla questioned. "What do you mean they!"

Julianne looked up at her sister. "You really are that oblivious." She sighed before continuing. "Cadel acted as a distraction. Any sane girl would have taken the opportunity to escape. You get so easily distracted when you get into an argument-"

"I do not!" Marla shouted, interrupting Julianne.

"I was going to tell you were they were but I'd rather not now." Julianne said and turned to leave.

"Get back here!" Marla demanded.

Julianne looked over her shoulder and smiled smugly at her sister. "I'd love to help but I do believe I'm late for practice." She chuckled quietly to herself and made her way to the training complex within the castle.

Yukari sighed as she looked at a very confused Seiya. "Look, I know that you may be very confused about the whole thing but trust me, she'll come back. Now whether or not Hikari will be with her is another story…"

"You don't think she will come back?" Yukari shrugged her shoulders.

"She's a teen who never got to know her father. She may just stick around for a while." She looked down at her empty cup and hoped for the best. She tried not to think of the possibility of Hitomi not being able to return at all. It took nearly 20 years just for her to find a way there. What if…? She quickly shook the thought away. She will come back, Yukari told herself.

"What's the Mystic Moon like?" Cadel asked, breaking the painfully long silence.

Hikari sat up right and turned to face him. She bit her lip as she tried to think of where to begin. "Well…it's more…advanced."

"Advanced? In what sense?" Cadel questioned.

"Technologically definitely. Ummmm…I guess also in gender roles. Most places on Earth men and women are equal. There are the few exceptions."

"You don't think women are equal to men here?" Cadel asked, interrupting.

"N-no…I just got the feeling. I mean, Gaea, from what I've seen, is like Earth five hundred years ago. And from the way I was treated. I got the feeling women were seen as lesser beings." Hikari explained, careful to watch her words.

"You were wearing a rather short skirt." Cadel pointed out.

Hikari folder her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes, "On Earth that's the typical length of a girl's skirt! It wasn't even that short…" Cadel paid little attention to her rant, his attention was focus on the rustling bush nearby. He slowly stood up, his hand ready to grab at his sword. "What-?" He hushed her and slowly withdrew his sword from its sheath.

"Stay put," he whispered to Hikari. "Now, show yourself." He demanded. He waited a few moments, but when no one appeared he made a cautious approach towards it.