Chapter 6: Run Runaway
"Let me shout like flames."
-"Like Flames," MindaRyn
Much like the previous day, Van woke before Hitomi and found himself in a tangle of limbs. They had shifted in the night, and Hitomi's head rested on his chest again. His arms were wrapped around her in a protective embrace. She was pressed tightly against his side, and her arm was draped over his abdomen. He sighed contentedly, wondering how many more minutes they would have before they were woken for the day's activities. He knew he was not doing her virtue any favours by sleeping in the same bed, but he didn't care. Hitomi had mentioned that they had promised to stay for the festival the previous evening, but that was it. He'd lose her again in three days, so he was going to drink her in as much as possible until that deadline. Instinctively, his arms tightened around her, and she nuzzled deeper into his chest. Van had worked hard to keep her arrival on Gaea a secret, but with the extended timeline and Merle discovering her, that was no longer an option. He suspected that her presence would start garnering attention sooner rather than later, which worried him.
Hitomi stirred gently and opened her eyes. She was delighted to see that Van was still there. She had been worried that he would have taken off in the night. This was a big development; he was so shy and gentle with her but had stayed because he knew she needed the comfort while she slept. Hitomi was enjoying getting to know him again. Their conversation last night reminded her of the boy king she had known during the war. She had missed his sass and dry wit. Van had matured but was still himself, which was such a relief. She feared that he had changed too much for them to connect. Ten years was a very long time to be apart, but she was both relieved and worried that they were fitting back together like two pieces of a puzzle. At the end of the festival, she and her friends were going home. Hitomi was terrified that she would miss him. Her initial return from Gaea had been isolating, and she had missed him so much it had been difficult to breathe. She didn't think that she could go through that again. She also knew she couldn't stay in Fanelia and did not know if he wanted her to stay. Her whole life was on the Earth. It troubled her that the question of staying was even bubbling in her mind, and it had only been two days. At the same time, staying away from Van was not an option that Hitomi even wanted to consider.
"Good morning," She smiled up at him. The bridge of her nose crinkled with her smile, and her eyes danced in the morning light.
"Good morning," He replied. He looked intently at her and memorized the exact curvature of her face. He wanted to remember this moment. He also made no moves to disentangle them or get out of bed. Staring at her perfect mouth, Van slowly worked up the courage to kiss her when suddenly the door opened.
Anna breezed into the room, closely followed by Amano. Both were dressed in the clothes they had been wearing the day before. Like Hitomi, they surrendered their Earth clothes to be washed, and the clothes had yet to be returned. Hitomi was beginning to worry that they would never be given back.
"Don't you knock?" Hitomi grumbled as she rolled out of Van's embrace and sat on the edge of the bed.
"No, were you doing something that would have required me to knock?" Anna asked, smiling wickedly at the two before moving to Hitomi's clothes from the day before. "It's time to get moving; Merle's waiting for us. She is going to take us to the festival. I told Fiadh that I'd help you get dressed."
Van awkwardly got up and made his way to the door. He was about to slip past Amano and Anna when Hitomi called to him.
"Van, are you able to attend the festival with us? I know you are probably busy, but it would be nice." Hitomi finished lamely, and she averted her eyes from the embarrassment of the situation.
"Today is a free day for the delegates to enjoy the festival. I'll likely need to socialize with them, but I would be honoured to accompany you." Van smiled and bowed slightly. He took secret pleasure in the colour that rose to her cheeks in reaction to his response.
"Fabulous, Hitomi needs to get dressed, so the men need to get out," Anna responded on the group's behalf. Shooing Van and Amano out of the room and into the hallway. Anna turned and rounded on Hitomi, looking at her expectantly. "Well? What happened between you and His Highness?"
"Nothing," Hitomi muttered, gasping inward with the vigour that Anna used to tighten the laces on Hitomi's stays. "Easy!"
"Something must have happened. You look like you're moping." Anna said as she finished lacing up the stays. She handed Hitomi her bodice and sat on the bed, looking at her.
"Nothing happened. He's been nothing but kind and a gentleman. It's just that we are going home soon. I'm worried that he is being too perfect. I might be in trouble, which is crazy because it has only been two days. Who falls in love in two days?" Hitomi lamented, fiddling with the strings on her bodice.
"You are falling back in love, picking up where you left off. I think it's insanely romantic." Anna said breathily. She loved romance novels and romantic comedies. Watching Hitomi and Van interact was beating all her favourite movies.
"I think it's insane." Hitomi deadpanned in reply. She finished lacing her bodice and was quickly running a brush through her hair. She did not have the patience to try and braid it.
Van and Amano politely ignored each other, leaning up against the wall next to Hitomi's room, when the door opened, and Anna and Hitomi exited. Anna laughed at the matching looks on Van and Amano's faces. They were both staring at her with a stunned and delighted expression. Hitomi was in trouble, all right. She had two men falling over themselves for her.
They started to make their way towards the front foyer where Merle was waiting for them, but Amano lightly grabbed Hitomi's arm. "Hitomi, can I talk to you privately before we go?" Amano asked, gently leading her back to her room.
"Sure," Hitomi replied, uncertain about what was happening. She gave Van and Anna a lopsided grin, "We'll be right back. Amano needs to ask me something."
After they had left, Anna gave Van a shrewd look. "Just so you know, they aren't together, but he's in love with her. So, if you are going to make a move, you'd better do it. Amano's not used to losing."
Van's eyes widened slightly in shock. He did not think that his actions had been so transparent. He was relieved to finally have the confirmation that Hitomi and Amano were not attached. He did not believe they were based on Hitomi's willingness to crawl into bed with him, but a small part of his mind had been concerned. He grunted slightly in response before adding firmly, "Neither am I."
Back in her room, Amano took her hand and led her to sit with him on the bed. "Look, I know that you have a history with Van. I also know that I'm your best friend, and what I'm about to say will complicate things. But I also know I would regret it if I didn't say anything, so here's the thing. I think you are incredible, and I love you. You don't have to say anything. I know I sprung this on you, but I want you to know that if there is a ring, I'm throwing my hat in it."
Hitomi's eyes widened. She had not expected this kind of declaration from him, ever. Not to say that she had never thought about being with him. He was a handsome man and was the most supportive presence in her life. The issue had never come to anything other than the odd fleeting fantasy. She and Amano had always been so firmly in the friend zone that her mind broke a little with his declaration. All she could manage was a gasp and a breathless mouthing of his name, "Amano."
"Look, I'm not expecting an answer right now. I know this is a lot for you to process, but I needed you to know. Think it over and know I'll still be there for you no matter your decision." He held her hand tenderly before gently gripping the back of her head and pulling her to him in a kiss.
Hitomi sat very still in shock. Her brain was running a mile a minute, and she could not understand why when his lips brushed hers, all she could think of was Van's face the day she had kissed Allen on the bridge during the war. She had kissed boys before without that blast from the past, and yet all she could think of was Van and his face, hair drenched from the rain.
Misunderstanding her silence, Amano grabbed her hand and pulled her up. Keeping a tight grip on her hand, he led her back to Anna and Van, who were waiting quietly. Hitomi stared at the floor with surprising guilt over what had just occurred. She gently freed her hand from Amano's and linked arms with Anna. Her lips still burned with the memory of Amano kissing her, but that was more than she could handle now. The group went through the halls to find Merle, who had been waiting for them for too long.
Merle saw them and squealed excitedly when she realized Van was coming with them. She had not seen him for an extended period in several days. He'd been incredibly busy with the delegates. Despite her closeness to Van, she did not attend political events. The world was still incredibly condescending towards beast people. It was generally easier if she kept away. Not that she minded; she found politics mind-numbingly dull. No one ever said what they were thinking, and it took so long to get to the damn point.
"LORD VAN!" Merle called out before hurling herself into his arms. He caught her with ease and smiled at his little sister. She had grown up so much in the past ten years, but some things never changed. Merle only reached Van's shoulder and was built very similarly to Anna. Both women had voluptuous figures for their limited height. Merle's face had aged in the last ten years, and a quiet dignity about it masked the mischief that hid beneath the surface. Her candy-pink hair had grown and was braided neatly in a similar style to what Hitomi and Anna had worn the day before. Over the years, Merle had adopted a more human style of dressing; she had forsaken the short orange pinafore of the war period for longer skirts and dresses that were popular amongst Fanelia's upper classes. However, she did favour earthy tones, unlike the jewel tones preferred by Fanelia's elite. The dress that Anna had borrowed was from Merle's collection.
"I will be joining you today," Van said simply before offering his arm to Merle. He looked back to Hitomi and offered his other arm to her, which she gladly accepted. With Amano's confession moments before, Hitomi needed space from her friend.
Leading the way to the fairground, Van pointed out changes made to the city since the war. His chest swelled with pride as he walked Hitomi through the restoration process. Hearing her approval and encouragement was a validation he didn't know he needed. Merle grew bored with the slow pace that they were walking and separated from Van and Hitomi to walk ahead to the festival. Van did not mind Merle's departure and enjoyed the comfortable weight of Hitomi leaning against his arm. He particularly appreciated how her grip would tighten slightly when she saw something she wanted him to tell her about. Lost in their own little world, Hitomi and Van did not notice when Anna and Amano moved past them and followed Merle's quicker lead. They also did not notice the amount of attention that they were generating. It was unusual for Fanelians to see their king in the sole presence of a woman, let alone one that he seemed to find thoroughly fascinating. Whispers and murmurs followed Hitomi and Van as they walked. Van's worry about her drawing attention was becoming more real.
Reaching the festival ground, Anna approached the couple with pastries she and Hitomi had been eyeing the day before. "Merle is so nice; she got these for us! Would you like one too, Van?"
What followed could only be described as a tornado of activity as the Mystic Moonlings explored the festival. There seemed to be something new to marvel at around every single corner. Van could not help but admire Hitomi's joyful appreciation of everything around her. Most women Van spent time around were royalty or aristocracy and were more reserved than Hitomi and Anna. Hitomi clapped loudly and cheered at the street performers and magicians. People around them stared, but Hitomi was either unbothered or oblivious to the attention. Anna and Amano were equally exuberant, and food was frequently passed between the three of them, with each exclaiming, 'You've got to try this.'
"Lord Van!" came a call and wave from a group of delegates and dignitaries, including Queen Millerna of Asturia, her husband, King Dryden, King Edmaris of Egzardia with his daughters, Elise and Coralie, and Allen Schezar. Van grimaced internally; his adventure through the festival must end. He had been enjoying himself but knew he needed to show his royal guests a pleasant time.
Hitomi looked at the group calling and immediately recognized Millerna and Dryden. Giving a slight squeal, she ran forward and gave them both a hug. Millerna and Dryden had heard rumours that the girl from the Mystic Moon had returned but had not yet seen her or received formal confirmation from Van.
"Millerna and Dryden! I am so happy to see you both!" Hitomi hugged the two bewildered royals. Stepping back, Hitomi looked at them with tears of joy. She had missed her friends. Both looked surprisingly like their younger selves. Dryden still favoured long hair tied back in a ponytail and brown robes. He still looked like more of a merchant than the king that Hitomi suspected he was. Millerna was no less beautiful than she had been at fifteen. She still favoured pink, and her dress had beautiful lace and jewel adornment. Unlike her husband, Millerna looked like royalty with long blonde hair and lavender-blue eyes.
"Hitomi?" Millerna questioned, looking critically at the girl in front of her. "Is that you?"
"Yes, and I brought friends with me! Millerna and Dryden, I am pleased to introduce you to Susumu Amano and Anna Walsh. They are also from the Mystic Moon." Hitomi quickly turned and gestured for her friends to join her. Millerna and Dryden stared intently between Amano and Allen, unable to believe the similarities or the absolute bizarreness of meeting multiple people from the Mystic Moon in one day.
"Pleasure to meet you. I am Queen Millerna of Asturia, and this is my husband, Dryden." Millerna smiled kindly at Hitomi's friends. "We knew Hitomi during her last visit to Gaea."
"You got back together!" Hitomi beamed.
"Yes, she couldn't resist me." Dryden teased his wife gently.
"When you are right, you are right, my love." Millerna smiled back and linked arms with her husband, leaning into him gently.
"Lord Van, who is this young Lady and your companions?" King Edmaris asked. He was an older gentleman with a salt-and-pepper beard. His clothes were considered very fashionable by Gaean standards. Hitomi could tell from the fabrics that they were richly made. He reminded her of pictures she had seen in museums of royalty from 17th-century France. The two young women with him appeared to be in their early twenties and were dressed equally royally. They were stunning creatures with brown hair piled high on their heads in intricate updos. Their dresses were matching in royal purple and maroon. Hitomi could not help but feel homely by comparison.
"Yes, Lord Van, who are your new companions?" The one in purple asked coquettishly.
"Edmaris, this is Hitomi Kanzaki of the Mystic Moon. Her companions, Anna Walsh and Susumu Amano are also from the Mystic Moon. You, of course, know my sister Merle." Van introduced them cautiously. He hesitated to make a fuss about Hitomi's return as it could bring unwanted attention from the wrong people. "This is King Edmaris of Egzardia and his daughters, Princess Elise and Princess Coralie."
"Are you really from that accursed place?" The one in purple, Elise asked. Her face was the perfect expression of amusement and shock.
"Excuse me? Accursed?" Hitomi asked quizzically, raising an eyebrow. She was mentally daring the girl to continue.
"Yes, everyone knows that the Mystic Moon is cursed, and anyone from there is a bearer of misfortune." Coralie continued before stifling a giggle.
"I'm sure you are lovely, dear." Elise continued in an overly exaggerated manner that implied the exact opposite.
"Oh, are we just being rude now?" Hitomi asked rhetorically. Her eyes were bright and angry. She was about to continue but felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked over, and Amano was shaking his head gently.
"Easy tiger, they aren't worth it." He gently whispered in his ear before raising his voice. "I think we will take our leave. I promised these ladies the opportunity to go dancing."
Hitomi looked over to Van, expecting him to say something. She hoped he would stand up for them, but his face was perfectly neutral, and he stayed silent. He barely flicked her a glance. Inside, Hitomi blistered. She would never let anyone talk that way about people she cared about. Yet here Van was, letting them be nasty and catty. Van turned as if he was about to follow them, but Elise called out.
"Lord Van, we are going to watch the Guymelef match. Will you join us?" Elise asked demurely before extending her hand to him.
"I'll keep an eye on them." Allen offered, walking over to Hitomi. Merle had somehow disappeared during the conflict and was nowhere to be seen. Van glanced at Hitomi before extending his arm to Elise and leaving with the Egzardians and Asturians. As they disappeared into the crowd, Millerna turned her head and mouthed 'I'm sorry' to Hitomi.
"Well, we should get moving. You mentioned something about dancing?" Allen cleared his throat and offered Anna his arm. Anna flushed but took his arm, and the group headed toward a field that was converted into a dance floor for the festival.
The music reminded Hitomi of folk music that was common in Nova Scotia. The songs held beats similar to waltzes, jigs and reels. People around them sang along to the lyrics, and while the Mystic Moonlings did not know the words, that did not stop them from trying. Allen gallantly tried to teach Hitomi the steps to some of the more common dances but quickly gave up. He let Hitomi and Amano waltz and swing around the field, laughing and joking. Anna was a much better student, and the two discovered that they enjoyed each other's company. He learned that her older brother was very overprotective, and her description of their dynamic reminded him of himself and Celena. He told her about his transition from a Knight of Caeli to Brigadier General of the Fanelian Samurai. Allen liked Anna's direct nature, and she appreciated that he didn't make her feel like she was tagging along.
Hitomi looked at Anna and Allen and nudged Amano to look at them. "They look very cozy if you ask me." She crowed, looking very smug at her two friends.
"They do. I still think it's weird that he has my face." Amano responded, "I wonder what Ben would think?"
"Allen is older than you, so I think that means that you have his face." Hitomi teased, "Ben would be losing his mind right about now if he were here." Hitomi laughed again, thinking about her friend and his reaction to his sister dancing with the older man. Amano took the opportunity to swing Hitomi into a big spin. Caught slightly off guard, Hitomi caught her foot in the uneven footing of the field and tumbled backwards. Landing on the ground, Hitomi laughed even harder and felt only slightly guilty when Allen and Anna came over to check on her. As Amano and Allen helped her to her feet, she looked across the field and saw Van standing on the sidelines, staring at her with a stern look in his eyes. Shrugging, she turned her attention back to her friends on the dance floor and assured them that she was fine and just mildly clumsy.
Van had been wholly unimpressed with Elise and Coralie's behaviour earlier in the day. It had taken extraordinary self-restraint not to rebuke them in front of everyone the second a disparaging comment about Hitomi and her friends was made. He knew both women well by that point and knew that had he said anything, their attention would have been focused on Hitomi for the remainder of their stay. He had hoped the Guymelef match would distract them from the novelty of the Mystic Moonlings, but he ended up having to listen to them opine on the topic throughout. After the third match, he finally disentangled himself from their company and escaped towards the field where the dancing was being held. He knew that Hitomi had been insulted by their comments, and he hoped to smooth things over with her. Van knew better than anyone the bigotry that existed in Gaea. While Van was not particularly fond of dancing, the idea of dancing with Hitomi appealed to him.
Van could hear Hitomi laughing before he saw them. A crowd had gathered, which had Van worried, and he was disappointed but not surprised to see a spectacle being made. Hitomi and Amano were spinning around and dancing too closely for what was appropriate for Gaea. Allen was not remotely helping by being half a field away from her and dancing with Anna. He had let Hitomi go because Allen had promised to keep an eye on her. Van knew that he would need to have a word with Allen and ensure that in the future, if Allen pledged to keep an eye on Hitomi, he'd keep an eye on her. Hitomi spun wildly before tripping and falling. Van started to go towards her but kept his distance when Allen and Amano got to her first. She was not keeping a low profile, and this worried him. He'd heard rumours of extremists causing trouble, and Hitomi would be a prime target. The girl had no common sense, and he gave her a look, trying to communicate with her to tone down her behaviour.
He would not talk to her again until later that evening when he approached her bedroom door. Unlike the previous nights, he could hear Hitomi and her friends laughing loudly as he approached. Van had hoped to catch her on her own, but he was quickly learning that Hitomi was never alone. This was a dramatic change from her teenage self, who enjoyed solitude and time alone. Van was not in the mood to entertain the overly giddy persona that took over Hitomi when she was around her friends. He preferred the woman he got to spend the previous evenings with. She was much calmer on her own. He wanted to square away her behaviour earlier in the day and her experiences with the Egzardian royal family. He did not want to apologize so much as talk through what had happened; he knew she had hurt his feelings. Through the door, he could hear them talking about the Mystic Moon and speculating how their other friends would have reacted to the day. Bracing himself for the noise, Van knocked on the door.
Amano was the one who answered the door. Looking at Van, he grunted and turned back towards Hitomi and Anna, who were cuddled on the bed. "Hitomi, someone is here to see you."
Hitomi crawled out of the bed and made her way to the door. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?"
"Hitomi, may I speak with you privately?" Van asked; he ignored the slight narrowing of her eyes when she saw him.
She softly huffed, "Amano, Anna, can you give us a minute alone?"
"Whatever you need, Hitomi, we'll go to my room if you need us," Anna answered, pulling Amano out of the room by the arm.
After they left, Hitomi made her way to the middle of the room before rounding on Van. "I'm mad at you." She said matter-of-factly, daring him to ask her why.
"Hitomi," Van sucked in his breath a little. He was not used to her being so direct. In their younger days, she would have slapped him and stormed off.
"How could you let them say such shitty things?" Hitomi continued; she was not about to let him off the hook for what happened earlier that day.
"You mean the Egzardians?" Van asked. He was still confused by her anger at him. He hadn't said anything that should have incurred her wrath. It wasn't like he had agreed with them.
"Yes, the Egzardians. Why didn't you say anything? Why did you stay silent?" Hitomi challenged back.
"There is a lot of bigotry on Gaea. The legends of the Mystic Moon say that it is cursed. Nothing I could have said would have changed their thoughts on the matter." Van responded, trying to keep his voice level and calm.
"I know you couldn't have changed their minds, but I never would have let anyone treat you that shitty." Hitomi raged back in return. "I would never let someone I care about be treated like that for no reason."
"It wasn't like it was for no reason," Van muttered. He hated feeling like this and wanted to lash out.
"What do you mean by that?" Her voice was steely and dangerous.
"You make a spectacle of yourself." Van regretted the words as soon as they left his lips.
"Excuse me? I make a spectacle of myself. Is this from when I was dancing?" She countered. Her eyes were bright with righteous anger.
"Yes, Amano's hands were all over your body. You both looked ridiculous." Van felt like he was having an out-of-body experience where he could see himself talking to her, but none of the words were coming out right.
"We were having fun. You know, fun, that thing you have when you enjoy yourself. You might try it sometime." Hitomi responded with a cold glint in her eye.
"A Fanelian lady would never behave that way. You looked like a common whore." Van paled as soon as the words left his lips.
"Fuck you. It is a good thing that I am not a Fanelian lady. You are not my king and do not get to decide how I behave." Hitomi retorted before wrenching open the door.
"Hitomi," Van entreated; he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. None of this was going how he had planned or intended.
"Van, here is the door. You may use it." She gestured at the door and gave him a deathly glare.
Van felt terrible for what he had said, which was not what he had intended. He had come to her room to make peace but had somehow made things a hundred times worse. Afraid of angering her further or saying something worse than calling her a whore, he left the room, and his shoulders sagged in defeat. Hitomi had shut the door forcefully after he had left, and he could hear sobs coming from the other side. He wanted to return and comfort her, but he also knew it was not him she wanted to see right now. He made his way toward the room where Anna was staying. The kindest thing he could do for Hitomi was to stay away and get her friends.
After Van left, Hitomi flung herself onto the bed and started sobbing. He had called her a whore. She could not believe that he would ever think such a thing of her, and it broke her heart that he both said and thought it. No one had the right to mistreat her. Perhaps this was her sign that she should be going home. The last two days with Van were a fluke. He did not think very highly of her. She was hurt and angry. She wanted Anna and Amano to comfort her. Although, if she had been completely honest, she wanted Van to come back and apologize.
Hitomi was so consumed with her emotions that she did not hear the click of her window opening or the curtains rustling. There was movement in the room, and she felt a scaly hand cover her mouth. Before she knew what was happening, she was bound and gagged, surrounded by four geckos who were forcing her into a bag. Hitomi grimaced at her lack of awareness. She felt the world start to go black around her as she began to pass out from fear. Her last thought centred on the fact that, for the second time, Geckos had kidnapped her. Anger, anxiety and frustration hit their peaks, and Hitomi blacked out as she was carried out the window and into the darkness of the night.