Promise: Chapter Five

She heard his weight shift and could see his posture in the reflection in the glass just barely. He was getting cocky and she couldn't help but smile. "Love me?" There was a scoff in Van's voice now. "Milady you've never met me. To love me you have to know me and pardon my rudeness you do not know the first thing about me." Those words made him sound so much like he had years ago.

"Don't be silly Van, I know you better than anyone." Hitomi instinctively bit her lip turning around slowly.

The calculating look in those garnet eye slowly began to fade as they stared into the emerald pools opposite. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears about to over flow with the look on Van's face. He was confused, hopeful and in sheer disbelief. "Hitomi?" His voice was only a whisper and it was all that was needed for the tears to brake the damn.

"Van." She nearly moaned. Reaching her hands out towards him, they landed on his forearms first touching him as if at any moment he could shatter like glass. His own grip with soft and hesitant.

"Is— is this real?" His brow was furrowed but his eyes shown with anxiety and longing. Then as if he couldn't stand it any longer he pulled her into a tight embrace. Pressing his face into her hair and inhaling her scent. "Tell me you're real." He kissed the side of her head pressing his face into her hair. "Please gods let this be real."

The broken sob that escaped Hitomi was apparently enough to reassure Van and he held her tighter than before whispering her name over and over again. "I never wanted." The words died in his throat while she cried into his shoulder.

He was holding onto her tightly not enough to hurt but enough to convey that he'd never wanted her to leave and he had no intentions on letting her go now. Her sobs had stopped and the tears came less, she wasn't sure how long they had stood there holding onto one another. Van smelled exactly like she remembered him like the fields and freedom; being pressed into his chest didn't hurt anything either.

Very slowly they pulled away from one another, the loss of heat causing Hitomi to shiver. Vans hand cupped her face and caressed her cheek, his eyes filled with love and admiration now. Wiping away a stray tear from her cheek and he smiled down at her. A genuine smile that had her gripping the edges of his shirt and pulling him down into a searing kiss. Her eyes were closed tightly but she felt Van chuckle slightly and gently begin returning the lip lock. Hitomi was in heaven. Sighing she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck while he lifted her from the floor, not breaking the kiss for a moment but deepening it instead.

Hitomi felt like she had been drowning and kissing him now was her cue to come back up for air. She giggled against his mouth when his hands wandered lower than her hip, propriety be damned. Breaking away from the heated kiss Van took a half step backwards, taking hold of her hands he slowly looked at her from head to toe and back again. She looked beautiful, she wasn't the small meek girl that had first come to Gaea now she was a woman. "Hitomi." He whispered, his hands slipping from her wrists to her waist once more. He pressed their foreheads together, gazing into those emerald green pools he could get lost in. "Are you here?"

"To stay?" She finished for him, a small smile of her own forming. "Of course Van."

"Hitomi." He breathed holding to her hand, his mouth grazed her knuckles. "Marry me, Hitomi. Will you stay by my side forever, as the queen that Fanalia deserves?"

She felt time itself stop. That was what this moment was, time had utterly stopped and they were the only two people in the entire world. Tears began to form in her eyes and when she looked back at Van he seemed slightly panicked. "Yes!" She squealed out throwing her arms around him in a tight hug once more, one that lifted her clear off the floor. "Yes Van! Yes I'll marry you!"

Laughing he wrapped his arms around her waist holding her tightly as if at any moment she would disappear into thin air. But she wouldn't because they were together again. Laughing the King of Fanalia began to swing her around in a circle. "Hitomi, my Hitomi." Van kissed her again and Hitomi sighed. This was real. No more illusion. No more longing.

Their love was real and this love was a promise.

In the not too distant future:

Van stared at her wide eyed. It had been nearly a year since they had wed and Hitomi hadn't adapted to the lifestyle all that well. Things hadn't gone horribly for the then to be queen but they were testing times. The lifestyle of being a noble wasn't anything that Hitomi had been prepared for, least that what Merle had told him during the preparations for the ceremonies. It wasn't long into their marriage that everyone in the castle had found out that their new Queen could very well do things on her own and enjoyed doing so.

That was all a year ago. Now here she was standing with him in his private study giving him the best news of his lifetime. "Are you sure?" He questioned standing and nearly knocking his chair over in the process.

She couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Of course I am." Van encircled her in one of the tightest hugs she'd ever been in. Lifting her out of the flat slippers she'd grown used to wearing in the castle he hoisted her into the air a mad grin on his face spinning her in a circle. His laughter echoed in the study around them and she couldn't help but join him. "My Hitomi!" He shouted, the laughter echoing in his voice the sheer joy of her news.

Moments later when he had asked if Merle knew he was throwing open the window to his study and shouting out the windows. "I'm going to be a father!" At the top of his lungs.

Hitomi laughed at him while he waved down at the few soldiers that littered the court yard who waved back at him shouting congratulations. Rushing back to his wife Van kissed her again, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her soft pink lips in rapid pecks.

Now this, was the start of their future.

Hello Kittens,

Here is the final installment of this story. I skipped a head to give a hint to what happened. I do not know if I will be doing anything else with this story but we will see. I do hope that everyone liked the new ending to this as I am quite pleased with it myself. I will be moving to London, England next week so if there is a sequel it might be a slow comer just as this one was.

Thank you guys for keeping up with it and reviewing. I do appreciate the feedback and the words of encouragement. As always, REVIEW!

See you on the flip side.

-BlackVelvet-smile