Bad Dreams
By angelwings1
Chapter 7
Hitomi was frantically rifling through her book as she waited for Merle and Van to appear. Van had immediately left in search of his sister at Hitomi's plea and as she waited the seer searched for any information regarding the Forbidden Spell. It appeared, from her notes, that she had done the spell perfectly, but she was unsure how. She couldn't deny that she was a novice seer and the Forbidden Spell was something only the best of seers should have been able to accomplish. There was so little known about the spell that she worried she would find nothing to calm her many fears.
'It shouldn't have been that easy,' she mused, 'or maybe it was.'
The Forbidden Spell was, after all, five centuries old. As far as her people knew, no one had ever dared to use it. Who could know what the affects were?
The thought unnerved Hitomi. 'What if it's not as dangerous as everyone thinks it is?'
She immediately stomped on the line of thought. It was dangerous to doubt the old teachings. The elders knew enough to be wary that should be enough for her. Unfortunately, curiosity was nibbling on her thoughts, like it had done so many times during her training in the temple. She wondered what exactly the elders knew.
A knock on the door broke through her pacing, and, without looking up from her book, the seer hastily answered, "Come in."
She heard the door creak, but she didn't look up as her eyes scanned a new page.
"What is it, Hitomi?"
The seer's eyes jumped up as Merle closed the door behind her and Van. The young king appeared half out of mind as he strode towards her; his eyes were frantically studying her face and he appeared ready to leap over the last few feet separating them. He looked foreign to her as he drew to her side. He was a king of calm countenance, even if he had an explosive temper, and at the present moment he was hardly calm.
Her eyes dropped under his stare as a thought crawled into her mind, unbidden. Did he need to know all that was happening?
It was a scary thought and she felt guilty even considering it. She wanted so desperately to confess everything to him, to finally have someone to lean on after weeks of back to back nightmares, but she couldn't She couldn't tell him about the cards, and there was no way to explain the random visions plaguing her in the last hours. She didn't even grasp what the visions were trying to tell her so what could she tell him?
The only thing she could possibly talk about was Dilandau.
But who was that man exactly? She knew she had never met him before, but she had already witnessed two visions of him. She might have been giving years of training to decipher her visions, but her mind was pulling a blank.
Visions came in two forms: symbolic and literal. Visions came with the same problem as dreams. Images were always a mixture of the two forms, blurring and melding into one big picture. It was hard to tell what was real and what was just symbolic.
The first vision of Dilandau had to be symbolic, but she couldn't make heads or tells of it. Why would a baby be born of fire? And who was the baby born of water?
The second vision was just as confusing. Would Fanelia really burn? Was the Treaty going to fall apart? Why? How?
She didn't understand. What was God trying to tell her with these visions?
"I-I'm not sure," Hitomi mumbled as she raked her fingers through her messy bangs. "Somehow D-Dilandau knows who I am."
"What?" Van gasped.
Merle rushed forward and grabbed the seer's arm, "What do you mean, Hitomi?"
"He knows," Hitomi incoherently mumbled, "I don't know how, but he knows."
"Are you sure? Maybe you're wrong," Van offered.
The seer shook her head as Merle added, "Yea. Maybe you're just stressed out. How could they know you're not a noble?"
"No!" Hitomi cried with a sob, breaking away from the pair, "He knows I'm a Mystic! I'm telling you he knows exactly who I am!"
They fell silent as the watched the seer slip into a panic. Hitomi's hand clapped over her wrist, the one that had been uncovered to the Zaibach captain's eyes.
"He didn't just see my tattoo, he revealed it to me!" she snapped, "He knew who I was the moment I walked through that door."
Van shook his head, "But that can't be possible. There is no way your presence or origin could have reach ears as far as Zaibach."
Hitomi sighed heavily and covered her eyes, "I'm telling you Van, he knows. I don't have any earthly idea how he knows, but he does and I'm going to take a wild guess he's ready to use the information any way he sees fit."
The king froze and the she-cat's tail dropped lifelessly to the floor. "What?"
Hitomi's hand dropped from her face, but the numb feeling in her heart stayed. "He knew the whole time I was playing noble, yet he never spoke a word. He didn't even try to say anything out loud after the meeting when there were fewer ears. He waited and gave me the only silent clue I needed to know he had discovered my secret. He wants something; why else keep his mouth shut?"
"I will not be toyed with by Zaibach," Van growled dangerously. His fingers clutched the hilt of sword as he struck a pace back and forth across the room. "I should have never agreed for Zaibach to be part of this treaty. Ten years didn't change them."
Merle shook her head, "You did it to help Fanelia's strength. You knew it would better to have them as an alliance than as an enemy."
"Yes, and now I've condemned Fanelia to Zaibach's trickery once again," he thundered loudly.
"Van!" Merle hissed, "Keep your voice down! We can't get the others in an uproar!"
"She's right," Hitomi jumped in, "Van I know you still hurt from Zaibach's past treachery towards your family and country, but you have to understand he knows he holds an important piece of knowledge. To fly against him might do a great deal of damage."
Van shook his head as he exhaled through clenched teeth, "Wh-hy—ack!"
Abruptly the young king crumbled to the floor, his hand clutching his forehead as he fell. Merle and Hitomi were instantly at his side as tremors overtook him. The seer hastily pushed his hand out of the way and pressed her palm over his forehead. Once she saw flames licking his mind, Hitomi began tugging violently at the visions.
"It's another episode," she mumbled as she closed her eyes. Merle tensed as she saw the seer involuntarily shuddered. "It's a bad one."
Van began to twist in her arms and slid down onto his side, "Hitomi…"
"I've got you," she whispered softly, "Don't worry. It'll pass."
At least she prayed it did. She had never encountered so strong a vision as this. How could his symptoms jump so dramatically? Her fingers tightened as a wave of heat swam over her. Sweat beaded at her brow as the reality of the dream hit scorching levels. Yanking hard, she suddenly felt the last of images slip from his head like water. Unfortunately, the subconscious jerk threw her off balance and she crashed to her side. She gasped as the wind was knocked out of her. Her surroundings were in flames again, and Hitomi realized the reoccurrences were a sign of definite destruction.
Fanelia was going to burn.
Hitomi stared up into the young king's worried eyes and knew she was convulsing. Loosing control of her limbs, she began to jerk wildly, her eyes rolling up into the back of her skull. He squeezed her to his chest as he desperately tried to keep her body from lurching out of his hold, "Hitomi? Hitomi?"
Random flashes raced violently through her head as she trembled. It was as if every vision she had encounter suddenly fell out of the black box in her mind and scattered. They came so fast that they violently shook her body and strain her powers to control them. She blinked rapidly, trying to see pass the images and find reality again.
The seer began to silently count backwards from ten as she slowed her breathing. Van and Merle hung over her, but Hitomi looked straight past their heads at the ceiling. This wasn't the first convulsion she had had in her life.
Once the shaking had stopped, Hitomi weakly said, "It's alright. I told you it would pass."
The king frowned, "How often does that happen?"
"Not a lot," she replied lifting herself into a seating position. Her body felt worn and sick, a common aftershock. She was so busy trying to suck in a weary breath that she didn't notice how his arms refused to let go of her. "Just every so often when my body becomes over stressed."
"Over stressed?" Merle asked.
Hitomi shrugged lightly as she began rubbing her pendant, "Stealing dreams and visions is hard on the body. It's not uncommon for seers to suffer… convulsions."
Van stared at the woman, noticing for the first time the circles under her eyes. Had he really been blind to this?
"Maybe it would be better for you to miss dinner," he spoke softly as he rubbed her back. "Your body needs to rest."
Hitomi shook her head viciously, "No. You just had a vision, and a strong one at that. If I'm not there and another happens, there's no telling what will happen."
"But Hitomi," Merle interrupted, "If you have another convulsion, won't that be just as bad?"
"Better it be a disconnected noble, than a king signing the treaty," she stated heavily. She looked to the young man and upon seeing his worry, covered one of his hands with hers. "It's alright. I'll be fine."
His frowned deepened as he carefully searched her emerald eyes. If he had found one ounce of doubt in her heart, he would have refused her. He would have locked in the dungeon if had to, but he would not have let her accompany him to the dinner. To his displeasure, he could find only the same determination he had seen in her before the meeting. This would be another time he would chalk up to her stubborn will.
Sighing he gave a small nod. How long before she buckled beneath the pressure? Surely, she would give out in short time.
"Besides, Van, if I go to the meeting perhaps I can gain Dilandau's attention, and in privacy with him can drag his secrets out."
888888
Two hours later, she smiled alongside Van as mild conversation passed between the delegates and their accompanying parties. Van sat at the head of the table, naturally, as host while Hitomi and Millerina took either side of him. Next to the blushing princess sat Dryden, flirting shamelessly with her for most of the evening meal. Allen, to the seer's surprise, did not join in the supper. Instead, he kept to the wall a second time behind the princess.
Hitomi shrugged at this, deciding it was the guard's duty after all to protect his princess. She was partly glad for his responsibility. It saved her the trouble of avoiding his casual complements.
Chid, followed by Voris, had the next seats alongside the merchant. Both of them seemed content to discuss matters of home. Every so often, however, Chid would enter into friendly conversation with her. She could see the slight admiration in the child's eyes and she guessed she had gained his favor. Hitomi ideally wondered if it was misplaced. She, after all, only spoke up during the meeting out of request. If Dilandau hadn't prodded her, she would have never said a word.
Inwardly, the seer sighed. Even if she told the boy to find a new mentor, he wouldn't listen. It was common for children to be stubborn about their heroes. Not that she was a hero. She was merely doing the duty she was meant to do.
Her eyes carefully dart to her right, pass Merle's seat next to her. Dilandau was busy tasting the pink wine, eyes closed as he relished the flavor. Merle had protectively taken the seat on the other side of Hitomi, forcing a wedge between her and the Zaibach captain. The three of them had earlier decided it was better to keep them separated. It would be too easy for the captain to lean over and expose her tattoos to the table. It was hardly a chance they wanted to risk.
Hitomi had scoffed at the whole idea, but she had agreed in the end. Although Dilandau intimidated her, Hitomi was hardly frightened of the man. She doubted with every ounce of her soul that his objective was to reveal her at the table. It would have been a foolish move to tell her he knew her secret, if it was his objective during the meal.
Even so, her eyes continued to glance at him when she thought no one was watching. Throughout the numerous conversations, he had been the most unresponsive individual at the table. He hadn't even given her as much as a glance since she had entered the room.
Hitomi forced her face from scowling, 'He's trying to bait me.'
Looking pointedly away, the seer decided it would be better to ignore him. If she frustrated him, maybe he would open an opportunity to her. Leaning her ear back into the conversation, Hitomi hurried to get involved.
"How long has it been since Fanelia's reopening, Lord Van?"
"Nearly ten years."
"Quite impressive."
"Thank you," Van nodded to the man, "I hear Lord Hitaruo has been blessed with a third son. Please offer him my congratulations."
Jorgus grinned broadly, "I thank you in his absence. Isn't it about time for you to take a queen, Lord Van?"
Hitomi froze at the innocent question, remembering what Merle had said about the touchy subject. To the seer's surprise, the king chuckled softly in response without the glimmer of pain, "Yes, yes. My advisors are most adamant about me taking a bride, but I have reminded them that my father chose his wife so I shall choose mine."
"I would have thought the last of the royal family would be worried about sustaining his kingdom," Dilandau abruptly spoke up. Hitomi stared at the captain and caught the dark glint locked on the king.
Van calmly turned to the captain, unflinching. "If there were reason for me to fear my death than perhaps I would be eagerly seeking her out. Yet, it is more important for me to establish alliances with countries than be wasting valuable energy on reading numerous letters from men (nobles and citizens) offering their daughters."
"I would have been eager to choose a woman if I had them lining up outside my door," Jorgus laughed loudly, downing another cup of wine.
Hesitantly, Van took his gaze away from the captain to the general. "It is normal for kings to take brides to secure their lineage, but my father believed in love, though greatly challenged by our advisors. There have been few instances in my life where I have witnessed such powerful devotion that matched my parents'. I honor their memory by shrewdly waiting for my wife to appear before me."
"I believe that is very honorable of you, Van," Millerina replied gently, "And very romantic."
Van smiled to her, "I understand you have given your consent to your father, Millerina. I give you my congratulations for your pending marriage to Dryden."
Two pair of eyes instantly turned on the nervous she-cat.
"You told him, Merle!" Millerina cried, ignoring the other occupants of the room.
'You said he was in love with her!' Hitomi glared at her.
Merle giggled as she anxiously looked between the two ladies, "He was going to find out sooner or later."
"Grrr! But I wanted to be the one to tell." the princess grumbled.
Hitomi quickly noticed the strange looks she was getting from Merle and hastily glanced to the young king. He was studying her, obviously confused by why she was suddenly angry at his sister. Hitomi's face became unbearably hot as she also saw Millerina narrowing her brilliant blue eyes on her. She hurried to shove food in her mouth to keep her from whimpering.
"I heard Austuria's is the strongest naval power in the eastern seas," replied a delegate.
Millerina smiled brightly, "Yes, we do have quite a fleet, but Austuria has been known for its power in the waters even in its early history."
When no one appeared eager to ask, Hitomi did, "Why is that?"
"Most of Austuria is built on a lengthy peninsula. There are many major channels that run directly through our cities and with spring floods, our forefathers built a city over water. We have major roads for horses and carriages, but boats are everyday life."
Millerina eyed the woman for a moment, "Have you ever seen the ocean, Hitomi?"
"Never," the seer replied softly, thinking about the high walls of her valley, "The largest body of water I've seen is a lake or a river."
"Than you must visit me once this is over," Millerina said with enthusiasm, "Our capital lies directly on the coast of the ocean. The water is the bluest I have ever seen."
A surge of sadness surfaced in the seer and she ducked her eyes away from the princess, "I am honored by your offer, princess. I would love to see your home."
'I would love to see your home.'
"But I never will," Hitomi mumbled to the sky. If she was blessed to see Van conqueror his illness there would be no reason to stay in Fanelia. She wondered if she would see beyond Fanelia's next year, or would she have departed by that time. With no home to return to she would be forced into solitude. Perhaps she would find the ocean. She would love to see water spread out as wide as the sky.
Hitomi's eyes began to itch and she quietly brushed the tears away. She never thought of living a life alone. She had always dreamed of her family, seeing her brother married and having her mother and father becoming grandparents. Yukari was betrothed to Amano for the spring. If she returned on the day of the ceremony would the village elders let her watch?
A sob broke from her, but she quickly shut her mouth to keep another from escaping. Her silent tears slipped down her face as she studied the cloudless night sky. The cold hard truth had finally hit her the moment Millerina had asked her to visit Austuria: she would never see her home ever again.
"Do you miss your home?"
Hitomi turned abruptly, her skirt twirling around her calves, as she met the captain entering the garden. His heavy boots clicked loudly against the stone paths. Leaning over casually, he pressed an innocent rose bud to his nose and inhaled deeply. His lips pulled into a smile as he stood. "It won't be long until the frost steals these beautiful flowers away. I guess they only have a week or two before they wilt."
Her eyes narrowed on him, unsure what his comment implied.
"Why did you ask to see me?" Hitomi said stonily.
Hitomi was immensely happy Van had been free of any episodes during the dinner. As the nobles had slowly filtered out of the dinning hall, Hitomi had stood ready to exit. There was little chance for anything to happen when there were only Millerina and Merle to stress the poor king out.
Leaving the room with a quiet comment about rest, Hitomi had unexpectedly found the captain's soldier waiting for her outside the door. The blonde soldier was barely a year or two younger than her and was dressed in blue armor and black vest similar to Dilandau's. He had bowed and politely spoke of his commander's request to see her.
Hitomi had accepted eagerly and was told to meet him in the gardens in a half hour. She had hoped this would happen after an unsuccessful dinner of gaining the man's attention.
Dilandau laughed at her, "I thought you wished to speak with me."
She scowled and he laughed again. "Weren't you trying to feebly catch my eye all evening?"
She ignored the prod at her pride, "Who are you?"
Moonlight reflected in his eyes as he smirked, "Don't you know my name? My name is Dilandau Albauto, Zaibach Captain of the Dragonslayers and representative of Emperor Dornkirk."
Hitomi's frowned deeper. He knew she didn't understand and he was content to play with her. "What do you know?"
"Ah, the right question," the man replied sweetly, making her stomach turn, "I wondered how long it would take you to ask."
He strode to her slowly, his cold eyes leveled on her. Hitomi tensed as he stood inches from her. His gaze slid down her figure, but his red eyes weren't filled with the expected lust. Instead, they were filled with intrigue.
"You hide yourself well," he commented lowly, "I would have never known you were a Mystic if I hadn't been told."
Hitomi jerked, "Who told you?"
"The Emperor's eyes reach far, my lady," he whispered, "He has known of you since you have stepped on Fanelian soil."
"I don't understand."
"You aren't meant to understand," he snapped softly, surprising her. "All you need to know is my lord is very interested in you, my lady."
Cold ice trailed down her backside.
"What does he want with me?"
Dilandau's grin twisted darkly, "Why are you here? Why have you come all this way to watch a treaty be sign?"
"If he knew when I stepped on Fanelia, than how does he not know my purpose here?" Hitomi replied, angrily glaring at the man. "Has his spies failed him?"
Dilandau chuckled. "It was no spy that saw you come here."
"Than what are you saying?" she exclaimed, exasperated.
He was enjoying this. Hitomi studied his profile as he looked at the roses again. Surrounded by flowers in the moonlight, she felt the setting was wrong for him. He appeared to be docile, studying the fragile bodies, but she knew he was dangerous. She wondered why his eyes had come to be so dangerous.
"Answer me, Mystic. Why are you here?"
Hitomi stared hard into his eyes and replied with finality, "I will not tell you."
"Come now. Are you to become an advisor of his? Are you his bride to be?"
She blushed lightly and she hoped the moonlight didn't reveal it to the man's eyes. "I will not say anything to you."
The captain's pale face dropped its haughtiness. "Then you shall be revealed to be what you are."
He stiffly whirled from her and headed for the door. Hitomi reacted exactly how he intended her to react: she panicked. "Wait!"
He stopped and she realized she didn't know what to say. She couldn't tell him why she was here. She didn't care if he was signing the treaty, her instincts were telling her to be cautious of this man born of fire. Awkwardly, she scrambled for something to say.
"Why is Dornkirk afraid of me?" she blurted out.
Dilandau frowned at her, "What?"
"If he wasn't afraid of me than why care about my purpose in Fanelia?" Hitomi replied more confidently. "What threat could I possibly pose to him?"
He walked towards her, brushing up close. "Join Dornkirk, my lady. He can offer you a great deal if you stand at his side."
"By you offering that, I can only assume I am a threat to him," she studied his hard eyes, "But why I am a threat I am unsure. Does he fear I will foresee his treachery?"
His gloved hand instantly grabbed her face, pressing his fingertips painfully through the temple and behind the ear. His thumb pushed under her eye, pulling slightly downwards to reveal the pink tissue on the inside of the bottom lid. Hitomi winced, but glared boldly into his darken eyes.
"Stupid woman," he hissed through gnashing teeth, "Get in the way and I shall expose you to the fear and reticule of the world!"
"I have seen my share of angry faces, Dilandau," she spoke darkly. "I've been struck down and endured a beating that has ended red."
He smirked, "But you have not endured me. I wonder if you can see visions once I've stab out your pretty little eyes."
Her chest felt empty, but she stubbornly growled, "You don't scare me."
His eyes narrowed and he watched her silently for long minutes, "Be terrified, little woman. Don't think I spare women. I haven't, and I won't."
"Am I interrupting?" a heavy voice growled.
The captain's hand dropped instantly as he whirled around and faced the speaker. Rubbing her sore face, Hitomi looked past Dilandau's shoulder to see a very angry Van glaring at the Zaibach captain.
Dilandau shook his head and grinned innocently to the king, "Not at all, Lord Van. I was actually done speaking with your cousin."
The stress on the last word was not overlooked by the royal or the seer, but it was quietly ignored. Van's fists tightened at his sides, "Then leave. I have to speak with her."
"Of course," Dilandau bowed dramatically to the king and turned a final time to the seer. Grabbing her wrist, he planted a rubbery kiss on her knuckles. Looking up through his slivery bangs he growled, "Step lightly, witch, or I might have to burn you at the stake."
Without giving her a chance to answer, he dropped her hand and marched out of the garden, never looking at the king. Hitomi felt the last ounce of energy drain from her body the moment the captain disappeared into the castle and her knees buckles under the strain of holding her up.
Van hastily caught her, "Hitomi!"
The seer wobbled in his grip, but gradually regained her feet. She stared mutely at her feet, taking in the last of day. There was so much to tell and yet, no where to start.
"Are you alright, Hitomi? Did he hurt you?"
She shook her head numbly, unwilling to push his searching hands away from her tender cheek that Dilandau had abused. Who was this Dornkirk exactly? How did he know about her without a spy?
Van softly turned her chin upwards and her eyes found his staring down at her in concern. "What is it, Hitomi? What happened?"
She sniffed lightly as she pulled his hand away, "It's alright. He just frightened me. That's all."
"Frightened you?" he asked, not pulling away from her even though his hands dropped. "How?"
"He threatened me," she replied honestly. He needed to know about Dilandau, else Fanelia could suffer. "He's a dangerous man, Van."
"I figured that by the way he was holding you," he commented dryly, sweeping his hand tenderly over her cheek again. "You sure you're not hurt?"
She chuckled lightly, "Hardly compared to the incident in the market."
His face became grim and she saddened to see it. She quietly squeezed his hand as she pulled it a second time off her face.
"He knows I'm a seer," she began softly, carefully checking to make sure no one was around. "I have no idea how, but his emperor knows and was the one who told him. Dilandau asked why I was here, but I didn't tell him. He also requested I joined Zaibach, but of course, I declined. Then he threatened me to stay out of his way."
Van frowned through the entire story, "They seem a little too concerned about your participation in this treaty, even if you are only here for my health."
Hitomi nodded weakly, thinking back to the cards and her month worth of visions.
"Something bad is going to happen soon, Van," she admitted in the still darkness, "I'm not exactly sure what it is, but its going to be big and during all these proceedings."
His eyes dropped in thought as she continued, "I know Zaibach was asked to join this alliance and I have no voice in these matters, but mark my advice when I tell you that this treaty will not stop Zaibach's forces."
"I know," he mumbled, sounding very lost. "But to dismiss Dilandau now would be asking for war."
"Call on the others," Hitomi urged, "Surely they will help. They are part of this alliance."
"Nothing has been signed yet," Van said softly. "There is nothing to bind them to me, and they will be less ready to sign if I tell them to would be agreeing to immediate war."
Hitomi blinked rapidly and pulled away in disbelief. "You're telling me you won't do anything."
Van glared angrily at the seer, "You think I'm not ready to charge back into that castle and kill that man along with all of Zaibach? It's been hard enough agreeing to this blasted alliance when it welcomed my parents' murderers!"
All at once, the anger in the seer disappeared and a tiny light flickered on in her head, "That's it."
Van's scowl slid from his face, "What?"
"That's why you have been suffering these nightmares, isn't it?" she insisted, studying his eyes. "You think you are dishonoring your family by allowing Zaibach to be part of this alliance. That's all you been thinking about for months, right?"
Shuffling awkwardly beneath her narrowed gaze, the king snapped, "Well, I was right!"
His eyes darted everywhere as he raked his wild hair, "Zaibach shouldn't be part of this alliance. They aren't to be trusted and are a violent threat to my people, to my friends, and even to you!"
"Van!" she exclaimed softly as she cupped his face in her hands to force his eyes on hers, "It was never your fault. You believed you were helping your people."
"They killed them," he hissed, shaking violently with rage and hurt, "They had fought for my kingdom and would have gotten it if my people hadn't had forced them back. Now they've grown to twice their power and are playing friends so they can sneak around in their treachery!"
"Van," she called to him as she noticed his eyes begin to glaze over.
"I should have argued with the others," he continued ranting, "I should have never even considered their ten years of silence as being worthy to enter this alliance."
"Van," she began to say louder, more urgent.
"It's my fault! Who else should know better than the king they had scarred?"
"Van!"
"They stole everything from me. Now they'll do it again."
"Van!" she began to see the garden wilt around them and flames leap up in a giant circle. He was beginning to slip into another vision. The physical evidence became apparent as he began to spasm under her hands.
"They'll kill everyone again," he seethed, "They'll take everyone dear and ripped them from me."
"Please, Van," she mumbled as she grappled with the images, desperately trying to fight them down. "Don't do this to yourself."
"I couldn't live with myself if something happen to them or to you."
"Don't worry, please, Van!" she sobbed, pain filling her head. The fire was closing in around them and she could hear the sound of soldier fighting in the background. "Don't worry. We'll stop them together!"
He blinked hazily through his dreaming.
"Together?" he mumbled, sounding oddly detached.
"Yes, together!" she repeated as a sharp pain stabbed into her temple.
"I've always been alone," he whispered, his voice slowly becoming coherent. "I've always done it alone."
"I'm here," she whimpered, hugging him fiercely to her, "I'll fight with you."
His arm twitched at his sides, but didn't move to return the hug. "You'll leave me, too."
Hitomi froze in his arms. The world slipped out from beneath her feet as horror gripped her soul. This was why he had been so determined to stand alone. It wasn't just Zaibach that had been tormenting his sleep. It was the unshaken belief that if he let himself lean against anyone they would disappear from his life.
She had been begging him for weeks to turn to her, to let her shoulder him through this. How foolish could she have been? How could she not realize the torment she had sent him through by offering him her shoulder when he knew she would one day leave Fanelia?
The tears poured over her cheeks as she felt a million bricks drop on her chest, "I'm so sorry, Van."
"They'll leave me…," he whispered darkly, his body convulsing again. She clutched him hard against her chest, trying to will back the shaking. The vision was beginning to pound in her ears like a thousand war drums, but she pressed harder to stop it.
"No, Van! You have Merle! You have Balgus!"
"They can't help me," he choked, "No one can. I'm going to die anyway."
She bit the inside of her cheek as she squeezed her eyes shut from the onslaught of pain exploding through her nerves. "No, I won't let you die!"
He blinked several times, light fluttering into his eyes again, unseen by the seer. "Why not die and end this? I think it would be peaceful in death."
"Van, stop it!" she whimpered, tears dripping all over his shirt.
"Wouldn't Fanelia be better without me?"
"They need you!" she cried louder, more desperate. He was slipping into the third stage. He was loosing all sense of hope and effort. If he bent to it, there would be little left to save him. Hitomi could vividly picture people, from back in the village, wither under the third stage. They had become walking zombies within the towns, doing barely anything to keep themselves alive. Their nightmares had stolen their last bit of reality and they had lived their final days welcoming death.
Her eyes blinked open and stared at his neck, feeling a different sense of loss than she had with the others. Somehow, he had become very important to her, and not just because it was her duty to protect him. She knew it more than ever as she stared into the darkest moment of his illness.
Her small hands twisted into his shirt and she turned her face upwards. A haze was fighting to cover his mahogany eyes, but she could tell he was refocusing his sight on her. New tears slipped from her as he grimaced.
"Van, please, don't think like that."
He shook his head, "Fanelia doesn't need me."
His bangs clung to his sweaty brow and she quietly pushed them back to see his face better. A new wave of sensation drilled into her skull and she hissed out an uneven breath. Her eyes screwed shut as she panted.
"You stubborn, stupid man," she hissed, grappling to keep from passing out from the pain. She felt him stiffen in her hold and she knew she had gotten through to him. "Do you think the only reason we care about you is because you're the king?"
She didn't hear him answer.
"We love you because you're Van," she growled against another onslaught of needles pricking her skull. "Noble blood or not, we love you for you."
"Can you?"
She went rigid, "W-What?"
"Can you love me for what I am?" he repeated softly, his breath ghosting against her ear. Somehow she knew the conversation had taken a shaky turn. She licked her dry lips, forgetting the raw pain raking through her skull.
"What are you talking about, Van?" she mumbled, uncertain.
His nose brushed her temples and she heard him inhaled deeply. "Never mind. It doesn't matter."
His voice sounded solid, a clear sign he had fought back the vision. Another piece of evidence was the pain slowly ebbing away in her head. She blinked her eyes opened and stared up into his red ones. He face was low and broken with only faint warmth glimmering in his eyes. He stared down into her face, searching for something she couldn't quite explain.
Slowly his eyelids squeezed close as if he had suddenly felt the same wave of pain she had experienced earlier. Without a word he slid out of her grip. Hitomi nearly cried out when his warmth quickly faded from her, but she forced her mouth to stay silent.
He studied her for a second time as he back away. With the moonlight reflecting off her brunette crown and the rose filling the background, she appeared like a princess. The dress swallowed her whole persona and left a strong woman who surely held noble blood. He knew it was a lie formed by the night's magical effects, but even still he was enchanted by its spell.
He blinked and soon became aware of the dark circles marring her pale face. Her hands were trembling, the after affects of dealing with his vision, but it was the confusion, doubt, and unknown emotion in her emerald eyes that got his heart pounding.
He opened his mouth, but couldn't find words to sooth her frazzled nerves. He couldn't even begin to explain how his heart was suddenly so desperate to cling to the moment they were sharing. It was something hot, whirling… frightening.
Hitomi watched the confusion consume the man. She felt small and unsure as she waited for his response. Thoughts of the treaty and Dilandau had long left her. She couldn't shake the words from her head.
'Could you love me for what I am?'
He couldn't possibly have meant what she foolishly had thought.
Van's eyes locked on hers for a hard minute before he stiffly turned away, stomping unconsciously on the woman's heart, and left the garden. Watching him pull open the large doors of the castle and duck inside, Hitomi experienced a deep hollowness in her chest that stretched down to the tip of her fingertips. Knees trembled as she began to silently cry in the middle of the flowers, but as to why she cried she didn't know.