"Her lungs are feeling with fluid. There is nothing I can do." Ren put her hand to her mouth trying to keep herself from crying.
"We must summon Hitomi." Chid looked at her in agreement.
"I can't go. I have been away from the kingdom too much of late." His voice was full of regret.
"I'll get Dryden to go to Fanelia. I must stay here with Asago, so Ren, I think you'll have to be the one. I must warn you though, If you don't hurry she could-"
"I understand." Ren squared her shoulders.
"I'll call Dryden." Millerna hurried away. Chid reached out and put his hand on Ren's back.
"You can cry now, Ren." his voice was soft and felled with compassion. Ren almost let her hot tears flow. Then she stopped. Fate hadn't given her the time to morn yet.
"I'll have to take you up on that later. Now I have to pack and say Good-by to Asago."
Chid watched as she ran down the dark hallway. As Ren's footsteps echoed about the hall, Chid couldn't help but feel like some dark fate had just begun to play out.
~~~~~<@ @>~~~~~
Hitomi stared at herself in the floor to ceiling mirror. She was being fitted for the ball that was going to happen on the morrow's eve. It was Fanelian custom, the King and Queen were always presented to the people as officially wed after a months time. Hitomi looked again at the dress. It was pure silk, spun with the finest silver, and it fit her perfectly. Hitomi heard the door open and smiled, thinking it was Van, as he was the only one who had permission to enter her personal suit. Instead Ren stood before her, looking exhausted and ready to pass out.
"Ren!! What's happened?" Almost at the moment the words came out of her mouth Hitomi saw a vision....
-~-~-~-~-~-
Millerna looked down at a while sheet enshrouded body. Tears flowed out of her eyes in bright purple streams. Chid was there too, along with Ren and the others. Hitomi heard them, "It only Hitomi had been here, Asago wouldn't have died." These words echoed louder and louder in her ears as she was drawn toward the cloth-covered bed. Hitomi gently drew the cover back and saw that Asago was dead. She just stood there looking down when Asago's head turned, her mouth formed words but no sound came out.
"You must come, all fate is in a balance, all is at stake because of Destiny's Way. You must brake the cycle and remove the age-old curse. Do it for your child." Then Asago's eyes turned ash grey and she was gone. Hitomi felt herself falling toward the floor as a scream ripped out of her throat. Ren hurried to her side as the doors to the room swung open. Van charged in. He saw Hitomi on the floor and s stranger dressed in black.
"What have you done to the Queen?" He demanded as he pulled Hitomi away from Ren.
"I have done nothing! I've come to take her with me. Asago is dying! We must go now." Ren motioned toward the door. Hitomi tried to get out of Van's arms but he held tight.
"She can't leave until the morning after tomorrow. That?s the earliest time I can get away." Van thought Ren wouldn't argue, but he was wrong.
"Lady Asago is dying. Whatever it is can wait." Then Ren addressed the Queen.
"Dryden is waiting outside at the port. We must hurry. Change into some thing suitable." Then she brought out the sward Hitomi had used when she fought with the Freedom warriors.
"Put this on. We may need it." Ren ran from the room to get one of the servants to pack Hitomi's clothing for the trip. Hitomi began to undress quickly.
"Hitomi you can't go. The ball is tomorrow and then I promise-"
"No, Van, I have to go. I saw another Vision." She began to button her tunic with hurried fingers.
"I order you not to go." Van's voice was deadly calm. Hitomi looked up, "You order me?" her question too was spoken quietly.
"I am your husband, and as such I say you can not leave without my protection!"
"I.CAN.PROTECT.MYSELF!" Hitomi strapped her sword around her waist in practiced ease.
"You have no right to order me to come and go. I am your wife not your slave."
"Does your Vow to serve your Kingdom and your husband mean nothing to you?" Van hurled this at her a she pulled on a pair of boots.
"I am upholding my vow. If I don't go all peace could be destroyed!" Hitomi stood and began to plead with Van.
"I'm coming back. I just have to go right now. The people will understand."
"No, I won't let you." Van almost yelled. He couldn't let her go. What if he lost her? Hitomi's head jerked back.
"I am only held in this place, in this world by my vow of Lov-"
"If a vow is all that holds you then GO! But if you do, if you leave this room, know that you can NEVER come back!?" Van turned away from her then, and even though she called his name and pleaded, he wouldn?t turn back to her.
Ren raced to the door calling
"Hitomi! We must go now!" Come on." Hitomi looked at Van.
"Make your choice Hitomi." he said in a dead voice. Hitomi bit her lip. She looked at Ren's impatient face, to her husbands rigid back," Van, what I do now is for all of Gaea." Then she walked out of the room.
~~~~~<@ @>~~~~~
Van heard her whispered words, and then the door shut. Something in him broke lose and he sent his fist through the fragile glass in the window.
"Hitomi!" his words came out in a long moan of anger and pain as his wings shot violently out. Van reached up to tear his tattered shirt from his body when his hand caught on Hitomi's pendent. He snatched it off his neck and held it up to the moonlight. For one moment he stared at it, transfixed, then with an angry growl he threw it violently to the floor. The wine colored gem shattered on contact with the grey stone, and Van fell to his knees grasping his chest.
~~~~~<@ @>~~~~~
Hitomi was almost up the docking bay when pain like she had never felt before shot through her heart. She fell to her knees and grabbed her chest. Her pendent glowed brightly then suddenly stopped. Hitomi could feel the bond she has always had with Van suddenly cut off. A long low scream came out of her lips as the pain continued to get worse. Ren tried to lift her, but she didn't have the strength. Dryden heard the screams and ran outside. He saw Hitomi bent over, screaming in pain and he hurried to pick her up.
Hitomi felt like her heart was braking, and she was only partly a where of being carried inside the air ship. She looked down at her pendent and watched as it turned dark red to dark purple, almost black. When its transformation was over, the pain stopped. Hitomi cried great tears, for now she only had half her heart and soul....
~~~~~<@ @>~~~~~
Van felt the pain ease up and he moved to sit upright from where he lay fallen among the shattered glass. To his surprise it had turned black and glittered ominously in the light from the Mystic Moon. He picked up a sharp piece and blood immedently came to his fingertips. Tears began to pour from his eyes and one drop of blood fell to the floor.
~~~~~<@ @>~~~~~
Merle hurried toward the ramp. She was almost there. She climbed at a quick pace until she got to the top. Merle had to see Hitomi before they left. Without ever saying anything to Ren of Dryden she hurried to Hitomi's room. She found her friend weeping on the bed.
"A servant told me you had gotten on a ship screaming in pain. What?s the matter?!" Hitomi looked up.
"Asago's dying. I had a vision and I knew I had to go. Van told me if I did go I could never come back. I left anyway. He must have broken the pendent.... Merle I felt such pain...Now I don't feel anything." Hitomi's voice was dead. Merle was shocked. She was about to say something when Ren interrupted.
"Lady Merle if your not going you should get off. The ship is leaving now." Merle looked at Hitomi then at Ren. She walked out saying, "Ren contact me when you get there. Oh, and here, this should make your trip safer." She pulled off her ambassador?s signet ring.
"It?ll get you past the border guards. I don't think Hitomi brought her's." Then with one last glace back she was gone and Dryden pulled away. Hitomi looked toward the palace and brokenly whispered, "Van...."
End of chapter
A.N
Well, don?t hate me for making Van into a Jerk...the purpose of this story is to show that while Van and Hitomi loved each other, they didn?t know each other very well. Oh and please don?t mind the general horribleness of this fic. I wrote it over a year ago...
and Now I'll answer some questions...The Wedding was something I jsut made up...I guess I'm just creative sometimes
and..ummm don't worry this is a VanXHitomi fic!!! 