Transitional chapters... so much harder to write than originally thought. You set yourself up for a grand scheme of awesome and then sit down to write it and the prospect just looks... daunting. BUT! I have finally forced that out and have gotten the ball rolling once more. This chapter lacks a lot of action - I am a definite writer of action - but it hopefully makes up for it in some plot reveals and a little bit of a push in our favorite couple's relationship.

Okay, no more spoilers. Go ahead and check it out for yourself. :)

"If the world can be changed, conformed under one banner, one rule… if all wishes are able to be granted – including my own… maybe, just maybe… we can stop the fighting once and for all…"

The scene warped before her eyes.

The dark feathers littering the floor tossed upward and clouded the sight of the black-winged man from her eyes. She gasped as a deep heat began to ignite inside her chest. It came upon her so suddenly she had hardly started sweating before the fire raced up the back of her neck and slivered into her brain. With a hiss of pain, Hitomi closed her green eyes tightly against the spikes of agony that flickered across her skull and grabbed her short locks tightly with both hands. Voices, whispers, mumbles of distant conversations too quiet to comprehend whistled around her. Sharp tones raised, screams, shrieks of terror….

Then suddenly, all at once, the sound stopped - and the pain vanished…

"Wha… Where am I?"

She started at the sound of a strangely familiar voice. Opening her watering eyes, she gasped and stumbled backward, tripping over her feet.

A set of wide identical orbs stared directly at her. The same expression of disbelief, fear, and slight panic radiated between the twin faces.

A toss of light brown hair cropped short at her ears; pale features that showed every feeling and expression inside. Instead of the cream sweater and red tie, this version was dressed in a light blue sailor suit, complete with navy blue ribbon looped loosely at her chest. The easy smiles that usually came naturally to Hitomi's face were strangled in this version. Her back was straight, but her shoulders drooped forward as if carrying a heavy burden. As their green eyes continued to meet, Hitomi found herself taking a step closer.

The younger girl's mouth slid into a bitter scowl and her muscles tensed on her arms and legs.

"And who are you supposed to be? Me? I knew it. I'm going mad. I am so sick of these dreams! God, I just want to disappear already!"

Hitomi didn't respond –to be frightfully honest, she didn't really know how to respond. This was yet another vision of herself, but this one was talking to her. She could see her. Either Hitomi had completely lost her mind or this magic thing truly wanted to screw with her head.

"What? No reply?" The girl huffed, crossing her arms. She turned her green eyes to focus on dark ground and her sparkling orbs stirred with a sting of pain. "Not that anyone understands anyway. You're just another useless dream that keeps me wondering what the point in living here is. Everything is so hopeless in this world. I hate it and I want it to go away already! Not that I expect you to understand anything." The young girl looked up shortly, her lips still sporting the deep scowl. Reaching, she pinched the skin of her forearm tightly, her finger-tips turning white. "I'm ready to wake up, I'm ready to wake up, why is this not working!?"

"You… you can see me…" Hitomi murmured stupidly, her brain trying to switch from the shock of the winged Strategos to the undeniable insanity of talking to another version of herself. She took a hesitant step forward and her younger self backed away a few more steps with a gasp.

"Don't come closer! You're not real, right?"

"Of course, I'm real!" Hitomi answered impatiently. "What makes you think I'm not?"

"I am seeing myself. I see myself older! Why am I seeing myself so old?"

A flicker of irritation ran through her. "You think I know? This is just as insane as it is for me. And I am not that old! You gotta be - what, ten?"

"Fifteen," the girl replied hotly. "What are you, forty?"

"Twenty-five. Honestly, I do not look forty!" Hitomi growled back. "Why are you pinching yourself?"

The girl dropped her hand as if insulted. "Because it's the only method that works to get out of these stupid dreams!"

"But this isn't a dream!"

"Of course it is!"

"What am I doing here anyway?" Hitomi sighed under her breath. As if to answer her question, the blackness shifted behind the blue-suited girl. Hitomi flinched on reflex as a flash of silver streaked in the darkness over her younger self's head. The girl raised her eyebrows inquiringly and glanced behind her.

"What are you looking at?"

"There's… there's something…" It flashed again.

"What something?"

"Metal. It looked like a sword."

The girl looked behind her back once more and she turned to roll her eyes with annoyance. "Really, I've gone completely bonkers this time."

"You and me both," Hitomi smirked darkly, waiting for the flash to reappear. "Hold on. Maybe if I concentrate a bit-" Her words were cut off as a scene rapidly began to unfold behind the younger girl. The metal flashed once more, but began to lengthen into a sword. It followed down a tan, strong hand enfolded by steel-layered armor that covered part of a right arm and thin chest. The black inched further and further slowly revealing a face concentrated in a deep frown. Wild ebony hair covered long and low over his frothing mahogany eyes. He wasn't looking at either of them, but at something to the right. A ruthless strength radiated from his body as he crouched into an ancient fighting stance and his lips parted to show clenched, snarling teeth.

He was young, his shoulders not as broad, and his arms not as long. But…

Her throat thickened with sadness at the comparison to this Van and her own. Her eyes focused fully on his cold, stone-hard face.

The face of a killer…

For some reason, the words entered her mind and fell from her lips:

"La flama riposa…"

"What the hell are you-"

"There! Do you see him standing there?" She interrupted her younger self pointing at Van's shining armor. "He's right behind you! Do you see him?"

Her younger self looked quickly and turned back with an even deeper frown etched into her face, "See who?"

"Van Fanel!" Hitomi shook her hand fiercely at the young man with a trembling finger. "Van Slanzar de Fanel! Lost King of Fanelia? Sprouts wings? Temper the size of a Guymelef? Ring any bells?"

"The-what-what the hell is a Guymolouf!?"

That stopped her. Did her other self really not know?

"Mechanical warriors? Giant swords? Outlawed after the Battle of Four Rivers by the Treaty of Homshara? Ring any bells?"

"I have watched way too much anime lately…" the younger girl quirked an eyebrow, an expression that looked so much like her mother Hitomi was taken back a bit. Her attention was drawn to Van as he bent his knees slightly into a charging sprint, grasping his heavy sword over his left shoulder. The familiar blue pommeled blade pointed at some unseen enemy. A beautiful fur pelt was belted to his waist and fluttered as his body charged; flowing into a deadly dance. His sword flicked on command, swinging left and right, flowing smoothly from attack to defense to deadly strike. Though he was clearly moving swiftly wherever he was at, he remained behind her younger self's back running in place, fluidly slicing through sequence after sequence.

She watched his facial features carefully as he soundlessly roared a battle cry and sliced through another series of invisible enemies. That wild spark, the uncontrollable rage, his deep eyes glowing furiously…

"There's no one here but me and you!" The younger girl declared angrily. "Stop staring like that!" Hitomi ignored her and continued to watch Van almost entranced by his ferociousness. It was so weird. So incredibly weird to think of her and that snotty king existing in these alternate worlds. But here they were. Younger, but somehow going to meet once more…

A strange realization hit her.

"Maybe… maybe you haven't met him yet…" she turned her green eyes back on her adolescent self. "La flama riposa hasn't been ignited…" Shaking her head at the ridiculousness of her sentence, she chided herself, "I must be going nuts…"

"You're going nuts? Great, now even my own dream self thinks she's crazy." The blue-sailor girl let go of a quick breath and her fingers curled into knots at the side of her short skirt. "Why can't I stop having visions? I am so sick of this!"

"Visions?" Hitomi perked up. "You're having visions? What visions?"

"What do you mean, 'what visions'? It's all these stupid dreams. You're a dream right now!"

"For the last time, I am not a dream." She shook her head dismissively, "Never mind, we can deal with that later. What have you been dreaming?"

The other girl scoffed haughtily, but replied, "I don't know! I've always had weird dreams. I can't sleep because of it. It started when I was a kid. I saw a boy…" her forehead wrinkled with the memory. "He just looked at me. He was dressed in a really strange robe!" She glared at Hitomi. "This is stupid. Explaining myself to you. All I know is I hate it. I hate how these dreams and visions makes me feel inside. I'm so… I feel so…what is the word?"

Hitomi nodded a bit. "I know what you mean. I've felt that way, too. It's like you feel…"

"It's like I'm…"

"Lost."

They said the word together and they both froze, their eyes connecting.

At that moment, Van stopped his fighting with a startled look; his blade silently whisking down to his side. He straightened out of his stance glancing around him confused.

It was as if he heard the word as well.

"Why do you feel that way? Lost?" Hitomi asked with a bit more tenderness in her voice.

"I could ask the same thing to you," the younger girl shot back, her voice still tense, but dropping some of its bite. "Why are you lost? You're part of my dreams, right? Maybe you can help me figure it out."

"Actually… and don't freak out, but I am you."

There was a descent of silence – Van continued his fight, his face concentrated, but his eyes still holding a touch of bewilderment.

"So you really are me? Really?" The young Hitomi stared incredulously. "Does this mean I'm never getting boobs?"

"Afraid so, yes," A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "I know it sounds absolutely insane, but I am you. In another dimension. And I'm dealing with a lot of problems right now. I can't explain why or how, but here we are talking to each other. Two of the same person existing in different realities. It's crazy and I know I personally can't get my mind around it, but here you are. And here I am. And this isn't the first time this has happened to me. I've seen another one of… uhh, me and you. I mean, us… there are other versions of us. It's so perplexing to think about."

"You've see more of us?" Her young eyes swirled thoughts that brimmed with confusion.

Hitomi sighed and blew her bangs off of her forehead. Taking a brave step forward, she was pleased to see the girl didn't back away. "The only way I can explain it is we have some kind of connection. I'm dealing with a lot of insanity in my dimension? Reality? Whatever you wanna call it and you'll be dealing with some of your own, too. As to why we are talking and seeing each other, maybe I'm here to help you…? The other one of… us… I wasn't able to speak with her, but she did show me something. She showed me a side of someone I never thought existed. It… was peace. Kindness. Affection. Emotions that I had yet to see in my version of him. That's actually kind of sad now that I think about it."

"Someone? A guy?" the blue girl asked weakly. "I don't understand. Who is he? The Guymolof?"

Hitomi's green eyes slid from Van to her younger self and back again. "Let's just make this simple. You will meet someone soon and then, everything will fall completely apart in your life and you'll be so scared. And yet…" her smile grew a little as she thought of her own Van. "You know that lost feeling we were talking about before?

She nodded shortly.

"When you meet him, it's gone."

"Gone…"

"In my dimension, I have been trying to piece together a lost history. I was grasping at straws, running into walls everywhere I turned. Then, one day, I went on a trip and bam! I met him."

"The Guymolof?"

"Van Fanel," Hitomi had to chuckle a bit, "Together, he and I fight against insane odds. And… we might actually lose, too, considering how impossibly blind we are to what we are up against. But I… I trust him. And I am not alone anymore. With him and me, together as one, we will figure this out. I would have never said it days - maybe even hours ago - but now… I'm glad to have him. Lucky, really. He and I… we are-"

"What makes you think this will happen to me?" Her younger self interrupted with her scowl back on in full force. "I'm glad you – myself – me – whatever the hell you are – has found someone to help them, but I'm still alone…all alone…" she faltered. Lowering her eyes, she whispered, "I don't have any reason to exist. I can't sleep, I can barely eat anymore. I just want to stop existing most days."

"Remember when I said someone is standing behind you?" Hitomi pointed again at the Van behind her back. The blue girl turned once again to follow her finger, but she shook her head slowly; a swivel of sadness enveloping her green eyes. He was standing still now, the thick muscles in his legs flexed and ready, but his deep eyes focusing on something unseen. His black hair was blowing fiercely in a wind that was unfelt by either girl.

"He's there. I can see him."

"Why can't I?"

Hitomi's stomach swirled with pity. "Like I said, it's hard to comprehend why things are the way they are. You probably can't see him because it's not time yet. But you'll get it when it happens. And everything will somehow connect and make sense. You haven't met your flame igniting thingy…" she winced at her own words wishing Chordata could just appear randomly and explain. "You have a destiny waiting for you. Once you meet him, you'll be on the right path. And he will as well. He needs you just as much as you need him."

"Need? Destiny? Geez, are you in love with this guy or something?"

Her mouth fell open as the words caught in her throat and she stumbled unintelligently, "L-lov-love? N-No! Oh, no, no, not like that. Not like love or anything! That's absurd-"

"But you obviously need him-"

"Not that kind of need, honestly!" Her cheeks flushed red and she raised her head indignantly to hide her embarrassment. "We work together for a greater goal-"

Her younger self smirked. "I know that blush…"

"I'm not blushing!"

"Yes, you are! You like him, don't you!? Maybe I am here to help you figure out your feelings!" Her green eyes sparkled excitedly. "I kind of like this vision now."

"Oh, be quiet!" Hitomi growled, her face scorching a deeper crimson. "There's nothing going on between him and me! You'll understand when you meet him! He's a brat! He's so rude and mean and spiteful and constantly picks fights. And that sword of his! He's a raving lunatic half the time!"

"But he's part of your destiny…?" the girl chimed with mock innocence.

"It's unfortunate that he is! He acts like he's the most important person in the world and that the entire universe revolves around him… which, now that I think about it, it kind of does, but that's beside the point! He's the last person in Gaea that I'd… that you'd ever-"

"Oh, my God, your face is a tomato!" she laughed. "This is so funny!"

"It is not funny!"

Her peals of laughter rang for a little while longer. Meanwhile, the Van behind her was walking slowly, sheathing his sword into his belt, his face alight with interest. "Man, other me," she giggled wiping under her eye. "You've got to tell him how you feel. You have some serious issues."

"Oh, really? And when did you become so street smart when it comes to love? … Not that it is that anyway…" she added under her breath.

Suddenly, a feeling of white-hot heat raced up and down Hitomi's spine and both girls winced. The vision of Van disappeared in a wisp of smoke as whispers of voices crept over Hitomi's ears. The blackness around them wavered dangerously.

"Do you see that? Do you hear that?" the blue-suited girl whispered, the humor leaving her eyes. "What's happening?"

"I think we are going back to our separate worlds," Hitomi answered with touch of disappointment. The same feeling was reflected back to her as the smile completely faded off her young face. Taking a deep steady breath, Hitomi closed in the gap between them and put her arms around the small, thin, adolescent shoulders. Feeling her back tense for only a brief moment, small arms abruptly wrapped around her waist.

They stood there, their arms intertwined, for a brief moment in time. Two halves of the same person experiencing vastly different realities. Connecting at one point in this blink of space to comfort and help one another. Dropping her arms reluctantly and backing away, Hitomi smiled softly into her own sad green eyes. She felt like she was looking at a younger sister, in a way.

"Good luck. And don't give up. These visions are here to help you."

"Good luck to you. Grow a pair and tell him how you feel."

She scoffed. "I told you! I don't feel that way about-"

As those words twisted off her lips, the black swung forward to violently engulf her vision.

In a time greatly different, in a vastly different reality, a girl in Tokyo, Japan woke to see a shadow standing over her. Lying on the warmed concrete of her school's rooftop, she sighed to herself before sitting up reluctantly.

It was rare Hitomi got to sleep so deeply. She didn't even remember what she was dreaming about, but…

There was something about that dream though. For the first time in a long time, she felt a little better. Not completely normal, but there was a certain feeling that came over her as the dregs of the dream faded into obscurity.

Hope.

It was almost enough to make her regret writing that suicide note to Yukari…

Almost…

It had been about three hours since he'd left the library.

The shadows in the left side of the large, green and blue room were growing thicker as the afternoon increased over the huge kitchen widows. Lifting a hand clutching a black remote, the king sighed under his breath and clicked. A vivid commercial displaying something with peanuts tossed briskly over the screen. His mouth turned down with distaste.

Van had always prided himself on remaining completely composed in the numerous tense situations that had befallen throughout his tough life. He counted on it. Never did he allow himself to stray from cool collective reasoning. His rationality being: something bad happened because of a specific problematic variable. Fix the 'variable' and there should be no hardships.

And, if anything, Van Slanzar de Fanel was an expert for identifying threatening variables. His continual survival on this planet demanded he constantly be on top of whatever 'variables' might cropped up. Past, present, and future decisions, events, and predictable outcomes were easy to face when he knew what was coming.

But… ever since that one specific day, that one specific decision to finally visit his old Palace, his life had felt so full of unpredictable insanity; he hardly knew what to expect anymore. He would try to expel the questions with logic only to be thwarted with an onslaught of unknown problematic variables.

It was obvious who the source of most of it was.

Chordata had told him that Hitomi –problematic variable in the flesh – was up on the roof wanting to be alone with her thoughts. Obviously, it didn't take a genius to deduce that she was thinking of Thaioden's great reveal. Her father had been looking for him. Even before he had arrived in this timeline. How could that even be possible…?

But…

There was also something specific that had happened there. Something - now that he was alone - made his face grow strangely hot and his stomach twist in strangling patterns. Thaioden had pushed him into a corner without her even realizing it. Van knew he should be enraged for being used by the flamboyant, prissy man! He knew he should slice the man's thin throat for his insolence.

However, all he felt was utter confusion…

And even bizarrely enough, though he never wanted to admit to anyone ever: pride.

He was actually proud to have her look at him that way as he held the necklace for her answers. He was proud to sacrifice his secrets to help her. He was proud of the way her mouth fell open, her green eyes wide in surprise and shock. The way she focused only on him-

As the peanut commercial ended, Van's lips dipped into a frown to hide another squirm of nervousness and he reached up to tug his cap further on his forehead. His dark bangs smashed into his eyes. Pride or not, this feeling was irrational. Especially since she was his 'problematic variable'. The thought of seeing her made his hands feel twitchy. He felt a strange urge to practice his sword stances to distract himself.

No, no, no, he would be completely composed regardless. He didn't need to distract himself! He was the King of Fanelia! Not some incompetent ninny who fell apart at the whim of a smile from some woman who…

He sighed as her happy smile slipped into his mind and he unthinkingly straightened his back against the couch. Realizing his reaction, he immediately slouched and crossed his arms.

He needed to talk himself out of these weird feelings.

Just rationalize the situation, identify the reason behind these batty sensations and urges. Just ignore-

"-OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! WE HAVE TO GET OUT!"

Van started out of his self-absorbed thoughts with a jolt. His breath caught so sharply in his throat, he almost choked.

That voice… that scream…

The blood rushed to his ears and fiercely pump in his head; blistering his adrenaline and panic into overdrive. Unthinkingly, Van rapidly leapt over the couch like a lion and bounding to the inner hallway. The heavy wooden door burst open so hard it rebounded off the wall.

Halfway to the elevators, Hitomi laid still on her stomach, her arms stretched out in front of her, her green eyes barely open. Her short hair was spread on the carpet like a halo around her head.

Without a second thought, the king was on knees; picking up her trembling body in his arms. Pressing her feverishly-hot face to his chest with his hand, he felt her go limp.

"I'm… fading…Van…" Her face was pale as ash. Her eyes closed as her consciousness began to fall away.

He whispered her name as if trying to call her back.

"Hitomi?"

She twitched once, twice, let out a little groan, and then fell silent. Holding her tightly, his every composed thought, every rational ideal was gone. In replacement was the sight of the tears of pain that remained on her long eyelashes. Small hairs were sticking to her forehead with sweat. Her t-shirt was damp on his arms. His long fingers brushed against her soft cheeks, feeling the smooth skin.

"Master Fanel? What was-?" A small voice piped up from the stairway to the left of the elevator – Chordata. Her white head appeared and she gasped as she saw Hitomi crumbled in Van's arms.

"Lady Hitomi!"

The black-haired man glanced up fiercely through his cap and shook his head. She stopped mid-step and obeyed, her hands twitching at her sides and her amber eyes full of distress. Hitomi's body trembled suddenly. With a gasp her green eyes opened with foggy pupils. Van moved the hand that was cuddling her cheek to support the back of her head.

Magic…

"The Dragon is in danger. They are coming. I sense it. I do not have much time."

"Danger?" Van repeated bewildered. "Who is coming?"

"They have found you. You are no longer safe, Dragon. There is someone you must find before you leave this place. Someone that will take you to the last of the Third Generation. To the information you seek…"

"What information?" He asked narrowing his eyes.

"You must find him. A wish that was made continues to thrive. Through this desire your world has been poisoned. The last of the Third Generation. Find the writings. He has the answers. She has the answers. Destroy the device."

"But this is all cryptic nonsense-"

"The one who was two. Night and day. Male and female. And yet… one. There was someone with him." He felt her head roll slightly on his palm as she turned to stare at his face. "Someone who took care of her. The one with the knowledge is here. The canine can lead you to safety. And to the answer."

"There are countless people here," Van closed his eyes briefly with a mixture of frustration and annoyance. "How can we find any one specific person based on some undecipherable clue?"

"You are running out of time!" She shouted unexpectedly, causing Chordata to take several steps back in surprise. "Zaibach is too close for you to remain safe here, Dragon. You must leave now!"

"We just arrived in Joko and now you are stating Zaibach has found us? How-" Van stopped, letting out a long, low breath. Looking into her glassy eyes, his arms began to shake as a realization sank in. Zaibach was hunting for them… had found them… within the span of only a few hours. And who was the only other person in the world that knew they were headed to Mystess? His quick mind slipped back to the simple mousey girl – Hitomi's friend – her tears of confusion and fear streaming from her large brown eyes. They had left his last Zaibach uniform with her in Fanelia. The girl was an obvious fool, but she was hopefully intelligent enough to blend and escape like they told her to. Van had done such a thing numerous times throughout his life due to Zaibach's occupation of Fanelia.

But- what if she was caught…?

"She is dead." He said out-loud, trying to keep his voice calm. "Your friend is dead, Hitomi." Her blank eyes showed she didn't register his words.

"Wait, she mentioned a device, Master Fanel. What device?" Chordata asked tensely.

She heard Chordata's words. "A device that continues to grant a single wish. A poisonous desire. And now it is not only affecting this world, but others. Innumerable. Not only are you charged with saving your reality, Dragon, but you must save all others."

"I do not understand. All others?"

Magic fell silent for a brief moment as if gathering her strength. Hitomi's face paled further, her skin rapidly looking corpselike in the florescent hallway. Holding her secure with his left arm, he reached to touch her cheek and pulled back with a jolt.

Her skin was like ice!

"Chordata, go get a blanket!" Van roared and the white lady sprang into action down the hall and through the suite door. Gathering the girl closer in his arms to give body heat, he snarled at her face, "What are you doing to her? She is freezing!"

"Dragon, you are not listening to me-"

"You are killing her!" Turning back to the doorway, he yelled, "Chordata, hurry with that blanket!"

With a growl, Magic launched herself violently out of his arms and tackled him. He fell backwards, his back painfully hitting the wall and his baseball cap flying off his head. Her chilled hands reached and grasped the sides of his head roughly. Her legs moved to straddle his lap as she stared directly into his eyes. He felt transfixed, her ice cold fingers sucking out his heat and yet washing him with a completely different type of fire. Her face, her eyes, her mouth were very close now. He could see his wide-eyed features reflected in her fogged pupils and taste her panting breath. The image of her red bikini-cladded body raced through his mind and he glanced down at her loose t-shirt without thinking.

Another image, one where she was in the exact same position as she was right now – minus the loose t-shirt - made his hands tremble and his back rigid. The fierce desire to close the few inches between their lips was immense.

"You must LISTEN to me!" she shouted, her fingers digging into the long hair behind his ears. "There have been many forms of us! We are showered across the countless dimensions! Versions of you as a warrior or a king or a servant or a priest. And there are versions of me: a fighter or a general or a queen or a pilot. There are places where Fanelia doesn't exist, the world is called Earth, where Guymelefs are not extinct, but roam the world like wild, ravaging, mechanical beasts. Where the Escaflowne is an actual dragon and manifestation of fire. There are worlds upon worlds where you have yet to meet me – There are worlds where we are fighting together- There are ones where we have completed our goals and the future is saved. But now… through this timeline, a poison will spread through a simple wish. Heed my words: as long as the wish remains granted, as long as the device is still active, not only our existence will fall into chaos, but the myriad of other dimensions will soon follow suit. This is not just about your past, Dragon. It is now about the very fabric of time itself." She let out a small groan; her hands slipped from his face and fell over his shoulders. Her head bent forward so that her forehead leaned to press into his chest. "The device is too strong for me to continue… I will not be back."

Van's breath was just as hollow as hers. "W-what device is this? Just tell me where it is and I will destroy it myself."

"I… wish… I wish I knew… I can only see the path…" Her cold hands wrapped around his shoulders in a weak hug. "Your powers work in mysterious ways, Dragon. Never forget who is on your side. You have more allies than you realize."

"When… when will it make sense…?" Van whispered through a thick throat. "I only wanted to know why I was brought here. Why me? Why now?"

She didn't answer, but fell completely limp; her entire frame falling forward on his body with her hands still draped uncomfortably around his neck and shoulders. Van sat frozen, his heart racing and his body heavily into the moment. Glancing down at the pale comatose face that had slid down to his waist, he released a slow breath as he saw her cheeks began flushing with color. He raised his arms and pulled her up by her armpits. Settling her against his body, he wrapped his arms around her back.

"Many forms of us… We have existed in other realities…" Glancing at her still face that was now lying on his shoulder, he started rubbing light circles on her back with his hand – to create circulation, of course. "How is this conceivable? What will-?" He stopped with a short sigh.

His mind asked the question his mouth could not word: What will come of the world – the universe - if we fail?

Suddenly, the front door burst open and a white lady ran out.

"Master Fanel! I have the-"

Van jumped in surprise.

A small mew escaped her throat and the cat lady's amber eyes went wide in their sockets. Every muscle in his body tensed. Hitomi's face was resting on the side of his neck, her entire body pressed against his. Chordata's fangs were visible through her hanging mouth. The humiliated man balanced Hitomi against his chest and reached out for the green blanket to cover her shoulders. Shifting the girl away from his body and wrapping the blanket around her, Van avoided Chordata's eyes as he laid her gently back on the floor. Seconds slipped by he finally looked up to see his cat's lips had closed to slip into a tiny smirk.

Feeling exposed without his baseball cap, Van narrowed his mahogany eyes sharply to hide his mortification. "I forbid you to give me that look, Chordata. She fell and I was being courteous to pick her back up."

"Oh, she fell," she smiled furtively. "But Lady Hitomi was lying on the ground a minute ago."

"There were circumstances! She-"

"Fell upward, yes that must have been what happened. Gravity works in mysterious-"

"Chordata, I order you to-!"

"I agreed with you, Master Fanel," She nodded innocently as she took steps closer. Noticing her fluffy tail doing a large tell-tale pendulum swing, he almost growled with frustration – and panic.

"Just to be clear, she jumped me- again - for the second time in less than two days," Van stated lowly, forbidding his emotions to get the better of him. He snatching his fallen hat from the floor and put it on delicately to cover his head. "I had nothing to do with this -" the king felt his anger rise as Chordata let out an undignified snort of laughter.

"There is nothing humorous, Chordata."

"Nothing, Master?" Chordata blinked into his face, completely unfazed by his anger and still holding a large smile on her furry face. "My, my, your pupils are quite large..."

Immediately ducking his head away from the observant woman, Van growled through a blushing face, "Preposterous! Now is not the time for your trivial witticisms. We have more important issues on hand-"

"Yes," A small voice piped from the floor beside them. Hitomi's green eyes cracked open and she groaned.

"Yes… we definitely do."

Though she tried to sit up, the white cat-lady had rushed forward to stop her. Her beautiful pointed ears standing assertively on her head, her sharp amber eyes stabbed on Van. There was apparently a fierce conversation between the two of them just from looks and body language that was lost on Hitomi because – within the span of three seconds, Van sighed and moved closer to her. Wrapping his arms unexpectedly around her back and under her legs, he ducked his head further under his hat so she couldn't see his eyes.

On reflex, her weak hands laced behind his warm neck as he stood up smoothly. Her heart thumped wildly, her face grew red, and she tried not to groan as her weak muscles cramped. His mahogany eyes glanced at her and she turned away to hide her crimson cheeks.

"I can walk just fine…" she mumbled.

"How are you feeling?" he asked his low voice drumming in her ear. "Cold? Feverish?"

"I'm- I'm good. Just a little bit tired." Hating herself for sounding like a fool, she cleared her throat and said, "Can you take me to my room, please?"

He swallowed strangely and grunted. Chordata rushed forward to open the door, but stayed behind as he walked through the threshold.

It was only about a minute walk to her room, but there was something in that minute. As Van gently walked down the hallway, cradling her body to his chest, she found it surprising that she wasn't looking forward to her room. Almost unbelievably, she realized didn't want to be put down. His body heat, his smell, even the odd way his hand twitched on her back made her feel both calm and nervous. A part of her seemed right, whole, no longer scared.

The other – more annoying part, was repeating what her younger self had taunted in the vision:

"I know that blush…"

The short-haired girl swallowed and pushed away the voice.

What did that little brat know anyway?

Well… she was kind of another version of herself… but that wasn't the point! She was fifteen and a silly, excitable little girl! And that's that!

"Sit and rest," His voice startled her out of confusing thoughts and she gave him a strangled smile as he set her down on the bedspread. His eyes narrowed under his hat.

"Are you sure you are alright?"

"Do I not look alright?"

"You look confused."

"I am not confused, I'm just tired, and that's all. Just really, really, really tired."

Judging from his expression, she probably said one too many 'reallys'.

"I have to speak to that guy," she had been around Van long enough to translate the snarl in his upper lip. That guy obviously meant Thaioden. "I will be back in a few minutes if you need anything."

"I'm really alright! You don't need to check on me." She tried to reassure him. He still didn't look convinced, so she waved her hand to shoo him away. "Go find Thaioden and figure out what's going on. You're good at this kind of stuff, remember? Zaibach is on their way!"

Finally turning away, his silhouette disappeared down the hallway and her hot forehead fell into her hands.

Her stomach churned.

Her heart raced.

"Geez, are you in love with this guy or something?"

"Hell no," Hitomi breathed, pressing her palms into her eyes and seeing stars. His concerned face flittered beneath her eyelids and she shook her head.

"Never. Never ever, ever, ever…"

"-Ever, No, no, NO! I will destroy you!"

"Now be reasonable, sugarcane. This is only temporary!"

"I refuse!"

"Do you want a clean getaway or not? Zaibach has already been spotted surrounding the building. This is the only way to get to Bakura's- "

"Clean? Clean? How dare you venture to use the word clean when referring to something as unhygienic and degrading as-"

"Oh, stop being so melodramatic!"

"I cannot! I will not! I will destroy every Zaibach soldier that gets in my way before I wear – what does this even constitute as?"

"Ass-less chaps! And look! It comes with a thong!"

The chorus of yells and crashes between Van and Thaioden could be easily heard from across the large suite. The ruckus was so thundering, Hitomi was surprised Zaibach hadn't found them already.

Meanwhile, in her own room, Hitomi was staring at her unexpected surprise with soulful appreciations.

"I totes thought green would work this time! When that dog-man, Bakura, came up and asked me to fix you again, I just couldn't refuse! I totes made you into a goddess last time, am I right? The canine even mentioned a possible pro-mo with this. O.M.G we are going to make you a beam of green light! The crowd is going to go absolutely batty for you. Not that they weren't last time. Red was totes your color, but with green and red mixed together–EEEK! You are going to be totes ADORBS!"

"Pricilla," Hitomi uttered weakly as she took in the squealing girl prancing at her open doorway. The light blue tassel pasties latched onto her boobs were proving to be a disturbing distraction. "It is good to see you again, but I thought you weren't going to be a Customer Receiver anymore."

"What gave you that idea, silly?" The blond blinked sweetly.

"The whole riot and almost dying and… stuff?"

"Ha! Half-ton shit riots like that happens every other day! If you don't grow a thick pair for that kind of crap then go home! Speaking of home, Bakura told me we are taking you to his Grandma's house? We gotta sneak you out the back, right?" Hitomi tried to speak up, but the girl cut her off with a hand in the air, "Look, that dog-man said it was a no questions job with time and a half tacked onto my paycheck tonight, plus that promised pro-mo, I am all mouth closed. I just gotta make you look totes… not like you do right now!" She smiled strangely as her large eyes raked Hitomi's body back and forth. "By the way, your friend is putting up quite a stink about the whole thing, isn't he? That is, if he is just your friend, right?" The blond's smile was suddenly sparked with a feral look. She clicked in her light blue heels to the vanity and dropped a huge purse on the floor with a ferocious THONK. "He's gonna have to do what Tristian wants because Tristian totes always gets what he wants. And besides, I bet he has a bodacious bod underneath those clothes. I wouldn't mind a little sneak peek through the keyhole." To Hitomi's alarm, the girl made a move to the hallway.

"Pricilla! No!" She gasped horrified. "He'll kill you!"

Tossing her blond short curls – which Hitomi knew now to be fake – out of her sparking light blue eyes – which were also fake contact lenses – and gave a short laugh. "No probs, Tristian totes doesn't care, Tomi. We Customer Receivers peep at each other all the time!"

"I wasn't talking about Thai-Tristian. It's the… uh… Sharpened… Sugarcane …you need to worry about." She said the words slowly, a small smile creeping up on her lips despite the warning she was trying to convey. "He won't think twice before running you through with his sword if you get anywhere near him."

"Ooooo, sounds kinky. I do like a long, hard sword…"

Hitomi snorted with disbelief and blushed at the sexual reference, "Trust me, it's not what you think."

Just to prove her point, an audible crash was heard, followed by a "Catch him, Bakura! Don't let him jump out the window!"

"Just… just focus on glamming me up. Don't worry about him. He's not really your type probably… definitely… just… stay away from him."

"A bit protective of him, huh?" the blond smirked and cocked her naked hip to the side. The tassels swung back and forth.

"No! Why would you say that? Of course, I don't… I mean, I'm not protective of him!" the short-haired girl responded tensely. The memory of her own smug face popped in her mind and her anger irrationally rose. "That didn't mean anything at all! It just was meant for your protection! He's a lunatic and you probably will get hurt just by being near him!"

Pricilla sighed and rolled her eyes dramatically. "Fine, but that won't stop me from looking from afar." Clicking back to the dropped bag, she fished out two long boxes just like before.

Hitomi swallowed thickly and glimpsed a curly red wig inside.

Here we go again…

And here we go to introduce a new character, a hilariously ridiculous situation, and more clues as to what is going on. I have some very fun ideas I've set myself up with. As you can see, this is now referring to different realities... I wonder if another Hitomi in a different reality will speak to her-hmmm? :D Maybe one that's fighting a war as a Pilot...

But this is all speculation, right? ;) Honestly, I changed the outline recently and now I've got to fix all the pieces of this story. I never expect my stories to get so full sometimes. This was supposed to be a short-little thing like Racing, but noooooo... what chapter am I even on right now? And I still have so much more to give to this story! SO MUCH MOOOORE!

To update: Rutilus has been typed on and I will strive to have that up and running soon. Be on the lookout for that. Thank you always and every day for sticking with me and continuing to read my silly work. I appreciate every single one of you! I also have been working on another story - because it's me - but don't expect to see that until Valentines because SURPRISE! I'm going to try and give you guys a nice little gift.

Love to each and every one of you!

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