"It's good of you to visit, Allen." Van de Fanel, King of Fanelia greeted his friend with a smile, "It's been a while."
"So it has." The knight returned the smile, "It's good to be back in Fanelia." He looked at the king, his face cracking into a grin, "You've grown again, Van. You're looking more like royalty every day." He gave a quick pat on the back.
Van laughed, shaking his head, "I hope not!" He replied quickly, "I don't want to lose my recklessness."
"Oh, Van, I don't think you'll ever lose that."
The two men joked with each other as they proceeded to the King's private chambers.
"Master Van!" The two stopped in mid step, the figure of a young woman came down the hallway. She was rather short but slender. Her form was that of a blossoming cat woman. Her fur was a deep orange with black stripes, and her long slender tail waved back and forth as she used it to balance herself. She was wearing a simple, one-piece robe. This allowed her to move freely, without excess material to trip her.
"Ah, Merle." Allen smirked, "It's nice to see you again."
"Hello, Allen." She greeted upon seeing him, "I didn't know that you were coming to Fanelia."
"I came with Serena and Princess Millerna on the Crusade, we're here to visit for a while." He grinned, "We'll probably stay for a few weeks before we head back to Asturia."
"Great!" Merle's ears perked up quickly, "Where are Serena and Millerna?"
"They're in the left wing, Merle." Van informed her, "They'll probably come for dinner. You could go and see them right now, if you wish."
Without any further invitation, Merle nodded and bounded down the nearest corridor. Van watched the cat girl turn the corner before he looked back to Allen, "It's almost like old times, isn't it?"
Allen nodded, "Yes, it is. And to think it was only three years ago when all this happened… Gaea has come a long way since then. It's almost as if we're holding a reunion." He sighed, looking out the window, "Only, it seems we're missing one of the original players…"
Van followed Allen's gaze and glanced out the window as well. He stared up at the sky, peering beyond the white, luminescent moon to the larger and fuller of Gaea's two satellites. He let out a small sigh, his fingers grasping for the small pendant he wore around his neck. "I think she's happy though." He finally said, looking at Allen. "She didn't regret going back to the Phantom Moon, we shouldn't regret it either."
Allen nodded, peering at his friend with a questioning gaze… "You have grown, Van." He quirked a small smile, "You're becoming more and more like Vargas and your brother every day."
Van looked into the knight's eyes, knowing that such a compliment didn't come from Allen very often.

Van… She looked out the window, focusing her concentration on him. She created an image of him in her mind, and nudged it slightly, trying to grab some attention.
There was a pause before the reply came; I'm here, Hitomi.
She smiled, her face upturned to the endless night sky. How are you? She slipped her mind into his comfortably, feeling his familiar warmth in her thoughts.
I'm fine. Came his reply, Allen, Serena, and Millerna came to visit today… along with the crew of Crusade.
Send them my love, Van. She said, picturing the people he mentioned as he thought their names.
I will. Van replied. She could feel his mind nudge hers a little, What about you? How are you doing?
She sighed, trying to keep the fatigue out of her next thought, I won my heat today. But now I'm exhausted, I think I might go to sleep soon.
I'm happy for you, Hitomi.
She smiled, imagining his arms holding tight around her, I miss you, Van… I miss you so much.
A muted surprise came from his thoughts, and he didn't reply for a long time. She waited, straining her thoughts to try and pick up what he was thinking.
I miss you too, Hitomi. We all do.

Van let go of the pendant once he felt her thoughts drift away from his. He kept his gaze up at the Phantom Moon, grateful for the silence of the evening. He had taken off all of his ceremonial gowns, and sat on the roof above his bedroom in his more comfortable attire. He was wearing brown pants, and a loose, sleeveless red shirt. She misses me. He thought to himself. Had she ever said that to him before? No, he shook his head, she hadn't. For three years, he had wondered if she were truly happy on Earth. And he had wondered if she would forget about him. But every night, they would talk to each other, sometimes only for a short period, but always long enough so that they could tell each other what was going on. Not once had she expressed any regret for going to Earth, it felt good to know that she was not completely without doubts. He got up slowly, his gaze moving from the sky to the next roof above his. Silhouetted against the night, he could see Allen's familiar figure standing in the sky. The knight's long, flowing blond hair was caught up by the wind as it fluttered with the wind. Van began to climb the roof, quietly approaching Allen.
"You're up late." He finally said, once he reached the knight.
The other man whirled around quickly, looking at Van in surprise. Finally he smiled, "I hadn't expected anyone else to be up here." He nodded, "I'm not an early sleeper." He glanced at the young king, "You're up pretty late too."
Van shrugged, turning to glance at the Phantom Moon, "I was just wishing Hitomi a good night."
Allen peered at him, "You talk to her?"
Van nodded, not taking his eyes off the orb, "I do, in my mind… I told her that you and the others had come to visit… she sends you her love."
Allen smiled, glancing at the moon as well, "Always so thoughtful, that Hitomi." His tone was tender, as a small smile crept up onto his face.
Van sighed, turning around. He watched his friend for a few minutes before finally asking, "Would you care to spar a little?"
Allen raised an eyebrow, and then began to unsheathe his sword; "It's been a long time since we've sparred… It'll be interesting to see how your swordsmanship has improved."
Van took his sword in his gloved hands, hefting it a few times to get a familiar grip, "We'll see…"
The two men's weapons clashed, creating a clear, crisp sound in the night. Back and forth they continued, neither one moving to score, and neither showing signs of giving up. Into the late hours of the night, they continued their game, silently thanking each other for the company.

"I'm going out to a movie, Mom!" Hitomi called down the hallway as she grabbed her purse, "Afterwards, Amano, Yukari, and I are going to catch a quick bite to eat too. So I want be home for dinner."
"All right, Hitomi." Her mother looked up from her book to acknowledge her daughter, "Have fun!"
Hitomi stepped out onto the sidewalk, her eyes searching the street for signs of her friends. A small blue sports car pulled up, and she waved quickly before hopping in.
"You ready to go?" Amano asked, glancing at her through the rear view mirror.
"Yep!" She settled herself in for the long ride to the cinema, letting her thoughts wander. From the front seat, she could hear Yukari talking with Amano affectionately. She allowed herself a smile; they were such a perfect couple. Watching as Yukari leaned her head onto Amano's shoulder, Hitomi felt a small twinge of longing. When will she ever be able to share a moment like that with someone? She sighed; she could never love anyone other than Van. She would never be able to get close to a guy from Earth. She smiled, but she always had someone to talk to when she needed to. Every night, before she went to bed, his thoughts would be the last things to lure her to sleep. She relaxed her shoulders back, letting out a deep breath; he would always be there for her.
"Are you looking forward to this movie, Hitomi?" Yukari poked at her friend for an answer, "I heard it was pretty good."
Hitomi shrugged, "I don't know, you picked it. I'm sure it'll be all right. Where do you guys want to go for dinner?"
"How about the café?" Amano suggested, "We haven't been there for a while."
"Yeah, that's good."

The afternoon light was lazy and bright as it shone in through the windows and onto the corridors. Van adjusted his cape, feeling its heavy weight flow to the ground. His advisors were meeting in the Council Chamber, and soon, he would have to join them. He always enjoyed coming out for a quick walk once in a while, just to get away from all of the politics, and all of the hectic business of being a king. It wasn't that he didn't want things to be going smoothly, but sometimes he wished that the war hadn't ended. Of course, he didn't really mean that. He just wished to still have the carefree-ness, it allowed him to go where he wanted to go, and do things that he wanted to do. He didn't have to follow rules, and be wary of trade embargos and alliances. He sighed; at eighteen, he was shouldering the responsibilities of a kingdom. He ran one hand through his bushy black hair, trying to shake himself awake. He continued his stroll along the corridor, admiring the tranquil scenery outside. By the time he heard the uneven footsteps behind him, and felt the hot breath, it was already too late. He whirled around to see who it was that followed him; his eyes met a hysterical golden gaze. Before he could even cry out, he felt the sword penetrate his robes and through his skin, into his side. The pain rushed from his wound into his head, and he was overwhelmed with a sea of agony. Silently, his knees buckled as he slumped to the ground.

Hitomi screamed, her pitch high and frightened.
Quickly she doubled over, her hands clutching at her right side. A shooting pain had started emanating there, and all she could think of was how much it hurt. She bit back another yelp of pain as she gasped for air. Then, as suddenly as it came, the pain disappeared, leaving Hitomi still gulping the oxygen.
"Hitomi!" Yukari's arm had shot out to support her friend as she slumped over in her chair, "Hitomi what happened?"
Amano had risen out of his seat as well and was kneeling next to her, "Kanzaki, are you all right? Why did you scream?"
Hitomi ignored their questions. She closed her eyes; she could still feel the stab of pain in her side, though it was nothing but a dull ache now. "Van…" She whispered his name, "Van… what's going on?" She knew that it had been his pain that she had felt, she knew that he had to be in trouble.
"Hitomi?" Yukari was now shaking the girl, "What did you say? I can't understand… you're talking too softly."
Van…She reached out with her mind, searching frantically for his familiar presence. Van…answer me… VAN!
"Kanzaki!" Amano's voice was loud as he tried to get her attention, "Come on, snap out of it!"
Answer me Van… please answer me…There was only silence. The place where his warmth had once been was now filled with emptiness.