(Hello! I'm back! I hope you enjoyed last chapter! I wish I had got more reviews, but oh well. Nothing I can do. I know last chapter wasn't very long, but I had to end it in a good place, and I thought that was as good as any. I hope you like this chapter because it's a little longer than the last one. Enjoy, and please review. I need the help. Don't forget this is my first fanfic, so I really would appreciate reviews, Thanks. I know it's been a while sense I last updated, but I don't want to get into the horrors of my life now, but I found the time to update now. I mean come on, I was extremely distracted for a while there, what with, sleeping, eating, and looking for a jobstill don't got one, oh, and Harry Potter coming outI'm what you could call obsessiveI really lost track of time. Sorry again. I WOULD LIKE MORE REVIEWS! I just might get the next chapter up much sooner if you would review. I think you will when you read this chapter. Read on and find out what I mean!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the demented thoughts in my head, the plot and a few faceless characters now and then. I don't own anything else. I wish I did, though...)

"I hope you have been enjoying your stay with us." Gothel said to the girls in front of him, a forced grin across his face.

Hitomi tried to remain calm, but seeing Gothel now was not what she needed.

I need to go…He isn't a good man. Why is this man here? He's why…I feel so helpless.

Hitomi suddenly felt ill, like all the air was sucked out of her lungs, and her vision blurred. She looked away from Gothel, trying to stay upright and not fall forward. She took in a deep breath.

"Do you know where sir Van might be? I have been unable to locate him or sir Allen all day. There is a pressing matter I need to inform them of." Gothel said quietly to her, the disdain in his voice unnerving.

"We haven't seen him." Yukari answered him forcibly, drawing his attention away from Hitomi.

"I thought he would be with you, but I suppose he had better… Er…other things to do." Gothel responded, chuckling softly. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, he bowed to them and said in a grotesquely sweet way, "Have a good night, Ladies." He turned and walked away, leaving Hitomi and Yukari in the hall, happy at his departure.

"What a creep!" Yukari said stamping her foot on the ground when Gothel was out of earshot. "He gets on my nerves. I wonder why Van would hire him." Hitomi herself was questioning Van's reasons for keeping such a man as an adviser, one whose presence, whose very speech and mannerisms disturbed her to the core.

Her sickness hadn't left her, in fact, seemed to gain in unforgiving strength as she tried unsuccessfully to block his sudden arrival from her troubled mind.

She had to find Van in the hope, through him she might find peace.

"We'd better get going." Yukari said suddenly, grabbing Hitomi's arm, shacking her thoughts for an all to quick moment. "I think Merle will know where Van is." She nodded, and they head off in the direction of the kitchens, Hitomi forcing herself forward, but as they neared their destination, Hitomi could feel a growing sense of dread in the pit of her stomach, as if something was about to happen, not now, but soon. It feared her, not knowing what it was, or what she could do to stop it.

XX

Dinner wasn't as grand as the night before. Today they were eating in a smaller room, with mostly benches and small tables, made of the most modest maple wood. They found Merle at one of the tables and sat down. Yukari immediately began to eat as soon as she could grab the food in front of her, but Hitomi merely took a piece of the meat presented to her and nibbled half-heartedly at it, her mind elsewhere. She didn't know what the meat was, but it tasted something like beef, but it was sweeter, almost like it had been roasted next to some sort of berry. It was tender and juicy, but much larger than any beef she had seen before. She used her teeth and hands to get through the chunk of meat on her plate, the light brown color of the food getting dangerously close to her uniform.

"This is good." she heard Yukari say, taking another bite of hers. "I wonder what it is." Hitomi nodded, but really didn't care.

All I know is it's good. That's all I need to know.

Her stomach quieted as she ate, but her mind did not as the night wore on, so she often looked around the room they were sitting in, wishing for Van to come in to stop her torment.

A few others were in the room with them, sitting sprawled out on various benches and tables; men and women laying back to relax after a hard days work. They all seemed so calm.

If only they knew.

Merle only stayed with them silently, also looking around the room, searching

for someone. From Hitomi's guess, it was probably the cat-boy Donte she was waiting for. After about half an hour of waiting however, Hitomi could tell Merle was getting impatient. Her tail was twitching slightly, and she jumped whenever Yukari spoke to her, as if she too was lost in her own thoughts.

I know how that feels.

Her thoughts strayed again to Van. How she wished he was holding her now, his broad shoulder against her cheek, his strong yet strangely soft arms wrapped around her body, the warmth of his hard, chiseled chest against hers. She had to know if she would ever see him, now or ever if what she now feared came to pass.

Maybe Merle knows where he is...

"Merle…"

Merle jumped, then turned back, frowning.

"Yes? What Hitomi?" she asked, the annoyance evident in her voice.

"Do you know were Van is? I haven't seen him all day." Hitomi continued, a slight tremor shook her as she spoke.

Merle scratched her head, looking confused. "I thought he was with you all day." She replied, the twitch growing in her tail. "I haven't seen him sense after the meeting this morning. He was in a hurry, so I didn't talk to him. I just assumed he was looking for you."

Yukari butted in now, swallowing the food in her mouth to speak, forgetting the sauce still on her face.

"I saw him today." She said loudly, waving her head slowly to get their attention.

The two girls both looked over, confusion etched on every part of their faces. "When?" They both said at the same time, both rather shrilly.

"You said that you hadn't seen him today!" Hitomi couldn't help feeling anger through the mix of new emotions she now felt.

"I was walking with Spark," she began, taking a sip of her drink, obviously unaware of the effects her words had on her companions. " When Van walked past us in a corridor. Spark bowed, but I asked how he was. He said he was alright, not in those words, but you know... he looked in a rush, he didn't say much. I kept following him, even though Spark wasn't... Anyway, he looked kind of worn out, but it was only the middle of the day, so I asked him, "Are you alright, Van?" He stopped walking and looked at me. He was wearing some old clothing, probably meant for training or something. I thought he had just gone to practice something and tired himself out. He said that he was going to leave, but he would be back later today, and not to worry about him. I nodded and motioned Spark to get up. By the time he did, Van had already walked down the hall and out of sight. I thought that maybe he was going to the woods to train some more. Spark told me Van liked to go there during the day to train, so I thought nothing of it, only that he looked so tired. Then Spark said something strange…" She paused, trying to remember.

"Why did he have the royal sword?" Spark said, dusting his pants off. "He never uses it for training anymore." I was confused, so I asked, "What do you mean?"

He answered, "He only uses his sword while traveling. Like identification on the road to let other nations know who he is. He never takes it with him to the woods." I was alarmed, but I thought, he said he'd be back soon…he said so." She stopped, reading the expressions on the listeners' faces. Both were of shock and fear.

"He didn't say where he was going?" Hitomi said trying to hold the desperation out of her voice. "He didn't tell you?" Merle said quietly, grabbing Yukari's arm.

"No. I'm sorry." Yukari lowered her head, no longer looking at them. "I should have told you sooner."

They were silent, not one of them able to say anything. Van's disappearance now was very unexpected, and unwelcome. Now the prospect of him actually being outside the castle was a horrible thing, that sent the sickness that had left her back in crushing fource. If he left, what would happen to her now?

"He might have gone to a neighboring country." Merle said quietly, breaking the silence. Arzas isn't very far. He probably needed to send word to them about what was discussed today in the meeting. I'm sure he'll be back later." She put a hand on Hitomi's shoulder, and gave her a reassuring smile.

When did she start comforting me? When did I get so childish? When did she grow up?

"Thanks Merle." Hitomi said quietly, smiling up at her.

"You know, I could tell you something that will make you feel better." Merle said suddenly, a devilish grin now spread across her face.

"What?" Hitomi replied, confused.

"When Van gets back, he usually likes to just go to bed, you know, skips the evening meeting and just goes off to sleep. He'll probably do that today." Hitomi wasn't following.

That means I won't see him at all today! That isn't comforting!

"Go on," she replied, a little more bitterly than she intended.

"Well, you could be the first person he sees when he gets back." She said, patting her playfully on the back.

"How?"

"You know that door in your room, the one on the far end? That leads directly to Van's room."

"WHAT!" Yukari yelled, drawing attention from passing servants.

"What do you mean?" Hitomi questioned, a blush forming on her cheeks.

"I made sure you got that room when Spark brought you there." Merle replied, laughing. "So you two could be closer."

Hitomi stood up, grabbed Merle by the shoulders and starting shaking her. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT SOONER!" She yelled, shaking more violently.

Merle started laughing again, "It slipped my mind!" she yelled back pushing Hitomi offher. "Sorry." she said smiling, laughing harder as she watched Hitomi run the length of the room and out the door, cursing not so quietly to herself as she went.

XX

It had been a long day. Van felt very tired.

To think I was happy this morning. I just want to get some rest…

His trip to the Arzas had taken all of his energy, and he felt totally worn out. He went straight to his room and closed his door, not bothering to light the candles.

He went over to his bed and lay down, closing his eyes. His tiredness overcame his sense of hunger; he hadn't eaten all day. As he lay there in the dark, his mind wandered to the events of the day that made him so tired…

The wolf tribe was very welcoming to him when he first got there earlier that day, but they all knew what he was going to ask them. Van asked for help with this possibility of war, this time from the elder himself, for anyone that could aid him as he would undoubtedly need the help. The elder had told him that he could not, and nor could anyone else of the village help.

"We are simple, quiet people," they had said, "and we wish to remain only simple merchants, selling to the weary traveler. We know little of conspiracy and war. I am sorry."

Van's uneasy mind shifted, this time thinking of the words that Allen had said before he left… "You and I both know that a traitor is the last thing we need now. We need to get this over with quickly, before it gets out of hand. I think they can't turn you down anymore…but if that does happen, know that they will never betray you."

Won't turn me down huh? Isn't that what they always do?

He rolled over, feeling groggy eyes open and his empty stomach contract when he put his weight on it.

I'm hungry…I should have gone down to get something to eat…At least I would have seen Hitomi…

He closed his heavy eyes again, turned on his side, and thought of her.

Hitomi.

He could see so clearly in his mind her face. Its smooth peachy, golden color, mixed with the pink of her cheeks under her startlingly green eyes... the smile that was wide and inviting, filling her face when she laughed, small and sweet when she was shy. He thought of her long slender body, the grace of her step everywhere she went. His cheeks burned as he pictured the soft but pronounced swell of her breasts and curve of her hips, and he suddenly felt an uncomfortable tightness he tried unsuccessfully to calm by rolling on his stomach again.

I have to sleep... and I can't if I keep on like this...

Van felt himself falling into sleep, Hitomi all his tired mind could think of, when he heard a soft knock on the door on the far right of the room.

He sat up, startled.

His drained brain couldn't register the sound of the knock for a moment, but through the sudden silence that followed in the darkness, something dawned on him.

Nobody's ever in that room…

He got up, just in time for another knock, this one a bit louder than before. Whoever this was, they seemed to want to wake him.

In his rush to get to bed, he hadn't bothered to remove his sword, which he unsheathed as he drew toward the door. He hesitated.

Should I ask who it is? It could just be Merle…

He could hear breathing on the other end of the door, soft and fast.

Probably Merle.

"Me-"

"Van? Are you in there?"

Van jumped back.

"Hitomi!" He lowered his sword and slowly answered back, trying to hide his surprise.

"Hitomi? I was just going to sleep…is…there something you w-wanted?"

Cursing himself for stuttering, he resolved to remain silent until Hitomi spoke again, but there was silence from the door. Van could no longer hear her breathing. For a moment it seemed eerily quiet, as if the room was shrinking in around him, then he heard her say, "I need to talk to you Van."

Van was getting confused at the tone of her voice, like it was almost pained, as if talking was the last thing she really wanted to do. His heartbeat quickened as he opened the door.

He could barely see her as she stepped in, but he could tell by her movement where she was. She was slowly making her way into the door, her soft steps making tapping noises on the wooden floors.

She brushed past him in her haste into the room, and Van had to move away from her so she couldn't see his face. "Do you want me to light a candle?" Van said, taking a step in the direction of the nearest one. A thought inside him said he really wanted to see her, but again he was surprised when she said in his direction, "No. I don't want any light." She paused, and added, "Lock the door."

Once again he was taken aback by the request, but he clumsily obeyed her, turning back to the door and turned the key protruding from under the knob, hearing the soft click of the door's lock as he turned it.

He turned his head around from the door and tried to make her out in the darkness. There where only shadows in the little light he had casting its way in from the curtained window by his bed. Why couldn't he see her?

"Is something wrong Hitomi?" He made his way to the window and stood beside it, waiting for her reply.

There was a silence, long and pronounced by the small quick breaths of Hitomi, somewhere near him.

She finally broke the stillness, "I saw something very bad today…and I thought I should tell you." She came into view right beside him and sat on the bed next to him, her face pointed down, looking away from him.

He stood where he was, oddly reluctant to sit beside her, like her body language told him not to. "What happened?" he asked calmly, placing his hand bashfully on her shoulder.

"Today I saw a woman…" Hitomi started, her body shaking slightly as she spoke. Van wished he could hold her but stayed where he was. Hitomi began to talk again, her gaze unchanging.

"She was Gothel's daughter…" Hitomi stopped again, her shaking growing worse.

"Why was Gothel's daughter here?" Van asked as calmly as he could. A siren was going off in his head. The appearance of Gothel's daughter was odd, and it worried him.

What could Gothel be planning that would effect even Hitomi?

"She was speaking with him in the courtyard today about something." Hitomi continued, her body trembling even worse, shaking Van slightly.

"What?"

She paused, a notable sound of fear in her voice as she answered.

"He wants to kill us Van. He wants to kill us both." A silence filled the room once more.

He didn't understand at first, but as the minutes of quiet passed around him, his groggy brain began to wake itself up again. Uncharted anger he hadn't known before began to grow inside him as he came to relize the true impact of Hitomi's stunning words.

How could I have been so blind? All the signs, the hints, the clues, and I was oblivious to them and now I might get Hitomi hurt because of it! I can't believe I could be such an Idiot!

Without realizing it, he stepped away from Hitomi and looked blankly out of the window, trying to comprehend all the information Hitomi had just divulged. Then he heard it.

The sweet, sad sound of Hitomi's tears falling onto the fabric of her clothes.

It tore at Van's heart to hear the sound. He wanted to do anything to stop her pain, to let her escape the fear and sadness inside her, to take all her suffering away. He turned back around.

Hitomi had raised her head now to reveal her emerald colored eyes, the steady flow of tears from them reflecting the swimming light from the window behind him. Van couldn't remember seeing anything so delicate or beautiful in his life.

Her shy voice spoke in a watery soft tone, coughing as she said, burying her face in her hands, "I'm scared Van! I don't want you to die…" Van bent beside her on the bed, wrapping his arms around her at long last. She sobbed onto his shoulder, the warm wetness slowly staining his shirt.

"I don't want you to cry Hitomi…Please don't cry…"

Hitomi lowered her hands and let them lay on Van's arms, and for a moment they just sat there.

After a few seconds of silence, Hitomi spoke quietly into Van's ear, her breath sending goosebumps down the length of his body, "I missed you, Van. I haven't seen you all day." Hitomi's shaking stopped, and she wrapped her arms around Van's chest, pulling herself closer to him. Her tears had seemed to stop flowing.

Van tightened his grip on Hitomi, feeling his heart quicken as she drew near. I missed you too."

The room grew darker as a cloud covered the moon for a moment, and that sudden darkness awoke something in Van. Time had stopped for them so that only the light from Hitomi's eyes could glow, the only thing he could make out in the darkness of the world.

She is the only thing I want…to protect her from everything in this world and anywhere. Her smile…her face…her eyes…her body…her warmth…nothing can take her from me…I have to protect her.

"Could I stay here for a while Van? I don't want to be alone."

Van felt heat rise to his face as soon as she spoke, but he answered calmly, "Alright Hitomi."

He let go of Hitomi and got up, making a move toward the candles again. He had to get a chair for himself if Hitomi planned to stay in his bed. It might not be in his best interests to sleep in a chair, but he had to be a gentleman.

"I'll sleep in this chair," he said as he lit a candle, getting the one by the far left of the room. He heard Hitomi move on the bed, obviously making herself more comfortable.

"Van…you don't need a chair. It's okay if we share. I would feel uncomfortable to sleep all alone on this big bed."

Van turned around the top of the chair in is right hand. His blush returned when he saw Hitomi on the right side of his bed, the other side vacant for him.

Hitomi was already covered up to her neck, but Van could see in the low candlelight a blush across her face. "Come on," she said, gesturing to the open spot on the bed.

Van put the chair he was holding down and walked as slowly as he could over to the bed, careful not to trip over his own feet as he did so. "Alright... Hitomi…"

He sat down on the side of the bed, putting the candle from his left hand on the small table beside him. He didn't think he could look at Hitomi right now, not with his face the color of his shirt. He removed his boots and sword, placing it right beside his table, in-between it and his bed.

"Van? Could you blow out the candle?"

Van looked back over his shoulder for a bit to look at Hitomi. His face got even redder as she tugged on his shirt, her eyes tired and almost closed. He turned around and bent to blow out the candle, then he laid down as quickly as he could.

He didn't know if he should get underneath the covers at first, but the sudden cold he felt as he reached his pillow made him change his mind. He slid slowly underneath the cover, instantly feeling the warmth from Hitomi's body close to his. His blush deepened, and his body felt tense.

He didn't know what to do.

He hurriedly turned his back away from Hitomi so she couldn't see his red face.

Hitomi reached around him and hugged him against her soft chest in the darkness, whispering quietly near his ear, "Thank you Van."

Her warmth engulfed him, relaxing him quickly as her steady heartbeat beat against his back. It didn't take long for him to turn and face her. He pulled her closer to him, so that her chest was against his. "Goodnight Hitomi."

He would have loved to stay awake, to watch her descend into sleep as he plotted to take his revenge against Gothel, but against his will he felt his body getting heavy, and the tiredness he held back for so long engulfed him, sending instantly to sleep.

XX

She didn't let it register at first. She was so comfortable, she couldn't imagine anything would happen to her that night.

She didn't want to wake up

The way he held her was so soothing, anything around her was nothing to her, blurry and faded.

In her dream she could see his face, his youthful smile drawing her close, the untamed black of his hair dancing on a slight breeze, brushing against her nose as they embraced. His strong arms entwined around her middle, his warmth filling her. She could feel his breathing on the back of her neck.

She opened her eyes.

The room was pitch black, only the light from the moons could be seen from the window nearby.

It must be night still…

She felt arms around her waist, Van's chest against her back and something uncomfortably stiff near her lower back. Her face grew hot as she pushed an uncomfortable image from her head and tried to think of other things, but mind lingered on her impure thoughts.

I can't believe I'm here! He's so bold! Maybe I should move and give him room...

She thought of this for a moment, but thought better of it. I might wake him…What am I afraid of? He won't do anything.

As she moved herself so that she was no longer uncomfortable, she felt him stir in his sleep, unconsciously pulling her closer to him.

The embrace startled her, but she felt to warm and protected in his arms, that her nervousness melted away as he held her.

She could hear the sound of his breathing against her neck. She felt good being near him, knowing she was here in his arms, away from the fears she had before he came into her life.

She had been so afraid. Afraid she would always be alone, her life short and meaningless. She felt like she would never find love.

Freshman year had been so different from junior high. She met so many great people, that the loneliness she felt younger had all but disappeared. She even thought she had found love.

Amano sempai had been so kind to her. Her first real guy friend. He listened to her when she spoke to him, let him know her problems. He was great. He was mature, tall and sweet. How could she not like him? She felt attracted to him because he would keep the emptiness inside her away. She was blind to the truth in front of her.

It wasn't real.

Her feelings for him weren't real. He was a kind face, a person who would never show his real self to her. False laughs and empty words. She didn't love him, and she never would.

Yukari's was real. She was person that truly loved him, and Hitomi had been blind to it. It took a long time to figure it out.

Even after leaving Earth, she didn't understand why she still felt empty.

Allen seemed to be different. He was the first kind face she saw on a strange world. The first to show real kindness to her after she came here. He was handsome, debonair and suave, much different from the boys back home. She thought he could be the answer to her emptiness and seemingly empty heart.

How could she not like him? He even looked like Amono, which reminded her of the things she left behind on Earth. Every time she saw him, she felt nostalgic.

She had shared her first kiss with him, a moment she would never forget. He seemed to be the thing she was searching for, right?

It just felt wrong.

Why didn't she feel right when he held her? It was as if her love was forced, made up in someone else's mind.

She was still empty. Still searching.

That night in the rain, after she kissed Allen, something happened. She looked away from him after their kiss, almost ashamed. She didn't feel right kissing him.

Then she saw him.

Van.

The rain had just stopped, but he was drenched, standing in a puddle on the street below watching them.

She suddenly felt a twinge of guilt mixed with surprise.

He must have been looking for her. She suddenly felt horrible when she saw the look on his face.

He looked heartbroken. Torn. His despair radiating from him, and she could feel it, under the chill of her clothes and cold skin. She felt his pain, like it had burrowed deep into her heart in that fragile moment.

She tried to call to him, but he ran away and disappeared down the empty road as quickly as he had come.

It felt empty again, standing on the bridge with Allen.

Why was her heart beating so quickly, yet so heavily against her chest? A deep pain filled the empty space within her. Why did she feel this way?

Reflecting on that time later, the day of Millerna's wedding, she blushed at the thought of Van standing below her, watching her, even as she watched Allen.

She didn't understand. It seemed that every time he held her, she felt safe, the thought of him giving her a strange feeling.

It was different with him, the others felt empty to her, but he... he filled her with a fierce passion and another, somehow quiet emotion. A confusing blend of feeling she couldn't explain away.

She almost lost him. She almost lost what she was searching for when she left. If he hadn't come for her, she didn't know if she could go on living. When he called to her, she felt happier than she ever had before.

He came for her even at the end, when she realized what she needed. He held her that day on the last battle and she felt her heart expand.

She knew then that she loved him.

Tonight, laying here in his arms, nothing else mattered. He was all she needed to be happy. She could never leave him. She wanted the moment to go on forever, suspended forever in the ecstasy that was his touch, his embrace... him. She held his arms, hugging them closer to herself and smiled.

"I love you Van." she whispered to the night.

She felt his arms tighten against her chest. "I'll take that as a ditto." She giggled to herself and soon dropped off to sleep again, returning to her sweet dreams of the man beside her.

(There. I finished the chapter! I hope you liked it! Oh, and I don't have the courage to write everything in my head down, so let me tell you that I could have steered in the completely opposite direction right now in this fic. I don't have a mind in the gutter, but rolling in it, so I am proud to say I have amazing self-control. I hope you read more. Next chapter: The attack of the evil clone monkey robots! R&r to find out!)