The day had passed slowly. She had been unable to focus in class, or even care when she missed homework assignments or completely failed to complete simple class work. Normally she would have been extremely upset, but today . . . today, she hardly even noticed.

In an attempt to sort out her feelings on the matter, and come to a conclusive plan of action, Hitomi headed for a local park instead of returning home after school. For what seemed like hours she paced the walkways, contemplating the future and the consequences of one little action taken on a different world. One thing was for certain, they wouldn't let her finish high school, not when they found out she was pregnant. She might be able to keep it secret untill after graduation, but it would be tricky, especially as she was on the track team. Track team? Crap, she'd have to quit, that could be real bad for the baby, or at least she thought it might be.

One of the most important things she had to do was see a doctor and find out from him what she was supposed to do and not do. But before she could tell a doctor, she had to tell her parents and she still didn't know how exactly she was going to do that. God she wished Van were here. How would he react to the news? Would he be shy? Would he be happy? Excited? Afraid? . . . Angry?

She tried to imagine him walking beside her. His soft, wind tousled hair being blown by the light breeze, his bearing light yet serious too, his hand resting casually on the hilt of his ever present sword. He would be smiling in the same way he was when they returned to rebuild Fanelia.

That day had been so wonderful, the war had finally ended and they found themselves back where it all began. The people had already been moving back into the ruins of the once grand capital city. Slowly they had begun to rebuild.

Hitomi and Van had brought with them much of what was needed to rebuild Fanelia, thanks to the generosity of Asturia and Princess Millerna, and the work progressed much more rapidly. Everyday they were up with the dawn, supervising, carrying, sometimes just holding things in place while others did the work. Very soon there was a roof over everyone's head and work had moved to rebuilding the shops and most importantly of all, the palace.

Working by his side daily had helped Hitomi love him even more. . . but she knew she could not stay. They had only been back a couple of weeks when word had arrived that some of the nobles who had fled the burning of Fanelia, would be returning within the next week to assist with the rebuilding of the city. Hitomi realized that she too needed to return home. She feared the return of her visions and more than anything else did not wish to endanger the Kingdom of Fanelia with her wishes.

So that night they said their farewells. It was never meant to lead to anything. They had planned on sitting together in one of the palace gardens that had escaped the ravagings of the fire that razed Fanelia. That night, they were to simply sit and watch the stars together, one last time. But one thing had led to another; the holding of hands, a comforting hug, a glance into each other's eyes that had turned into a stare neither could look away from. . . and Hitomi knew she couldn't leave without knowing him fully. She knew she'd never get another chance.

It had been amazing, though bittersweet. Wonderful in it's intensity, but tinged with the sorrows of goodbye. She had never regretted their actions that night, not even now as the consequences weighed upon her fully. No one could ever mean as much to her as Van did, and nothing would ever change that.

Hitomi smiled softly to herself. The one thing she regretted most, next to not being able to see Van and talk with him, sit with him, or spend time with him at all, was the fact that she couldn't talk with anyone about him. No one could really understand, no one would believe her. At best they'd think she dreamed him up, at worst, they'd send her to an insane asylum.

Even Yukari didn't believe the little bits she'd told her about Gaia, she was convinced it was just an elaborate story she had read or made up. She merely commented that she had really thought Hitomi would have ended up with Allen, not Van. You would have thought that that in and of itself would have proven to her that this had really happened, and yet Yukari simply did not see it that way.

Oh how she missed Van. If anyone had ever been there for her, it was him. He had always been there, even when he said the completely wrong thing, he was still there, waiting.

Hitomi smiled secretly to herself as she remembered a time, between battles, when she had been so sure he was going to ask her to be "more than friends". She had been ready for the question, a yes forming on her lips ready to issue forth, when instead he asked her to help him win the war. Despite the fact that he later found her wrapped in Allen's arms, he did everything in his power to make sure she was safe and happy.

Had he always been waiting for her? From the moment their lives had begun, were they destined to find and love one another? Was he waiting for her now?

Without warning or preamble, Hitomi suddenly felt a spark. It was as if someone had literally spoken right into her ear, "He can be." It was as if she were suddenly awake, awake with new knowledge: Gaia was formed of wishes, and those wishes sometimes reached all the way to the earth. If Hitomi wanted it, wished for it, desired it enough . . . it could happen.

He could be here, next to her. They could talk as they hadn't in the two months since she had been away. Oh how she missed him, she hadn't heard his voice in so long, hadn't caught a whiff of his smell, hadn't heard his laughter, or bore witness to his fears. Did she wish to see him again? Yes, more than anything in either world. She'd travel to hell just to spend one hour in his company. Oh yes, she wished it.

The path before her was straight, and looked to be level. She had always focused better when running. Taking a deep breath, Hitomi took the starting position, clearing her mind of anything but the sight, the smell, the very feel of Van. She imagined she heard the starting gun go off as she threw herself forward, her vision narrowed to the path before her as her skirt flapped against her legs. She pushed herself along the path running through the park ignoring everything but for her heart's desire. She could almost see him before her: his dark hair, those expressive eyes, the lanky figure that promised so much come later years and, mostly, she saw his smile. He had a smile that could pull her heart out of her very chest if he had wanted it to.

She tried to ignore the burning in her legs and sides and the shortness of breath. The only thing that mattered was getting to Van. But, she couldn't ignore the pain forever and it began to distract her from her goal. She began to fear it wouldn't be enough, she wouldn't be able to reach him. She couldn't continue much longer, but she had to. She had to see him again. She needed him. She needed him more than breath in her body, more than life itself.

Then the light stuck. It was the same as before giving no warning before it appeared, that loud crescendo of sound, the feeling that for just a moment, time itself had stopped. But, to her dismay, inside she didn't see Van. It was no matter, she would run straight into the light and go to him, all that mattered right now was that she saw him.

"Hitomi!" That voice! From above?

Looking up she saw his figure, wings stretched out, his figure diving towards her.

"Van!" Hitomi forgot the pain and, impossibly, ran even faster than before. She experienced such joy in merely hearing her name from his lips, joy such as she hadn't experienced since she had left Gaia.

She couldn't be sure if he landed before they met or if she leapt into his arms before he could touch the ground. What she could be sure of was the fact that neither of them ever wanted to let go ever again. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him to her as tightly as she could. His arms were around her waist clutching her so tightly she could feel every crease in his clothing, every ripple of muscle beneath his skin.

No words were spoken as their lips met and the world ceased to exist. She was vaguely aware of his wings wrapping around her, concealing her from the world. His kiss was everything she remembered and more. The touch of his lips sent electric shocks coursing through her veins. He reminded her that good things still happened, and he would make those good things happen for her.

Her hands tangled in his windswept hair, holding him against her as she returned his kiss with all the passion she held. Her body molding to his, even this close, felt too far away. She could spend the rest of her life right here and not feel as if she had missed anything at all.

"Hitomi?" Van and Hitomi both started guiltily and Van began to hastily retract his wings, but it was too late they had already been seen. Yukio stared at them from 15 feet away. "Hitomi? Who's he? What is he? Is he the Father?"

Hitomi was in the process of finding an answer to the first questions when the final one caused her to send a guilty glance towards Van. He looked as if a stranger had just come up and slapped him across the face. "Father?" was it just her, or did his voice squeak a little on that word.

"Uh, well that is to say . . . um . . ." This really hadn't been the way she had imagined telling him, having her little brother run in and spill the beans before she had prepared him for it.

"Hitomi?" Van's voice was stronger but there was still that note of surprise and uncertainty lingering within.

All his attention was focused on her. He could have been told the second war of Gaia was breaking out and she doubted he would have heard.

"I, uh. . ." Her brother had already told him, so why was this so difficult. "I'm pregnant." There it was it was out, she had said it.

His face was a study. She couldn't decide if it was fear she saw or awe, but his arms tightened around her and his head dipped to rest his forehead against hers. "A baby? You're pregnant with my child? . . . Oh my . . . wow."

"That's great and all," her brother said, distracting the couple once again, "but who are you and what are you?" Both of their heads turned in surprise, having forgotten once again that he was standing there.

Van glanced over at Hitomi and she took up the introductions. "Yukio this is Van, a very good friend and, as you guessed, the father. Van, this is my brother, Yukio." Van nodded his head and pulled a shirt out from where it had been looped in his belt.

"Good to meet you," he said as he pulled the shirt over his head and firmly into place.

"Van isn't from around here . . ." Hitomi trailed off, trying to figure out exactly what to tell him.

"Don't lie," Hitomi looked up at Yukio in surprise. "Oh you always make that face when you are about to tell a lie. I want the truth."

She hesitated only a moment before spilling the whole story. "There is a world where they see the earth and the moon in their sky, but we can't see them. It's called Gaia." Once Hitomi began to talk she found it hard to stop. She told her brother about Fanelia and the samurai, about levi stones and knights. She told him about all the different races she had seen on Gaia. Van jumped in occasionally to add more detail to various points. At the end of the telling her brother looked almost as shocked as Van had looked earlier.

"Now that your brother has been updated I think there are more important things to talk about, such as this whole you being pregnant thing."

Hitomi shook her head. "It's not important, lets just spend some time together before you have to go back. I've missed you so much."

"I'm not --"

"That's why you said you couldn't get a hold of him," her brother interrupted. "That's why he couldn't be here when you told Mom and Dad. But he's here now, you can tell them and he'll be there too."

"You haven't told them?" Van stared at her in surprise, and she found herself glaring back at him.

"I don't know how it is on Gaia, but here, it is not a good thing for an unmarried young woman to end up pregnant."

Van nodded, and his face seemed to set in an expression of determination.

"Yukio, lets go see your parents."

"Where exactly do you think you're going?" Called Hitomi as Van began walking towards Yukio.

"I must speak with your parents. This is definitely not something that you should have to deal with in your condition."

"My condition?!?" She asked incredulously, "I'm not exactly helpless here! I am perfectly capable of talking to my parents on this subject." God knew she loved him but sometimes she just wanted to beat him senseless.

"Its alright, I'll take care of it."

"Take care of it?!" She repeated once more, "I'll have you know, it takes two to tango, and if one of us is facing the music, it's going to be me."

Without responding he reached back and grabbed her hand pulling her along with him as he headed off to tell her parents the "good" news.

And honestly, she'd rather be back on Gaia fighting the war again.

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Thank you for all the reviews so far. I'd also like to extend a special thanks to ookami123 who has proved to be an amazing beta.

Sorry this is a little late, I meant to have it out on Tuesday but had an all day interview for a professional position. Wish me luck.