I Care

A/N: This tale takes place after Folken joins the good guys, but before Hitomi goes back to Earth. Someone once said that thus fic destroyed everything that was holy and sacred. Enjoy!

Hitomi shivered.

This castle was too draughty. Even here in the middle halls, the wind seeped through cracks and poured in with a vengeance.

'Where's Van got to now?' Hitomi thought to herself. 'He's going to get himself killed if he keeps disappearing like this!' She stopped a passing maid, asking "Excuse me, but do you know where Lord Van is?"

The maid nodded. "I saw him just a few minutes ago. He's on the roof."

Hitomi growled. That was just like Van! She had spent an hour looking for him, and it turns out that he was on the roof all this time! "Thanks." She said, then headed off, leaving the maid with her duties.

The way to the roof led up a staircase with no fewer then three hundred stairs. Hitomi was panting by the time she got to the top. Looking around, Hitomi shivered again. Couldn't he pick somewhere warm to hide?

The rooftop of the castle was a desolate place. A few stone benches dotted the area and a couple of trees were planted to keep the sun off any observers. But the sun was hidden by the velvet soft blanket of night, and the trees looked almost skeletal in the dark. The wind was fiercer heran ian inside and Hitomi just wanted to get to Van and bring him back quickly.

Suddenly, Hitomi was filled with a strange, irrational fear. Something bad was going to happen. Very soon! VAN!

Hitomi suddenly ran. Not knowing where to go she focussed her mind and followed the direction it showed. Her heart pounded. Her legs ached. But one thought whirled back and forth through her mind.

'Van's in trouble! I must save Van!'

Suddenly Hitomi blinked. Ahead was an old church, long since abandoned. Millerna had told her about it. She'd said that it was the church that the royalty of Asturia had always gone to, to pray for guidance. But no one had used it for a hundred years. Until now.

Hitomi ran toward the church, every ounce of her strength going into this last dash. She threw open the doors and lunged into the ancient building.

Stain glass windows depicting men and women of a time long past glittered moonlight onto the dusty wooden pews. But none of that mattered a whit to Hitomi. There, where the priest would have delivered his sermons, was Van. The king of Fanelia stood facing rea rear wall. His sword was drawn and the blade pressed against his neck.

"VAN!"

Van spun and saw the girl from the Mystic moon coming towards him at full speed. "Hitomi? What-"

Hitomi slapped hirossross the face so hard that Dilandau would have winced. Van's grip on his sword weakened and it flew across the ground.

"What the hell do you think you're DOING?!" Hitomi shouted.

"W-well" Van stuttered, alarmed at Hitomi's ferocity, "I was going to-"

"You were going to WHAT? Kill yourself?!"

"Well-"

SLAP! "You were, weren't you? You moron. You jackass. You complete and total IDIOT! Why the hell would you want to DO that?
S
Silence rang through the cathedral like a bell. Van didn't try to say anything. Hitomi just stood in front of him, face twisted with anger.

Finally, Van spoke. It was almost a whisper, and it was choked by grief, but Hitomi heard it loud and clear. "I'm so alone."

Shocked to the core of her being, Hitomi just looked at him. Finally, she said, "What?"

Van lowered his head. When he spoke again, he sounded on the verge of tears. "I'm alone."

Then the words spilled out. "For the past ten years, I've known that no one could love me, no one could care about me. I always knew that, and I thought I could handle it. I was wrong." " I was wrong." He repeated himself.

"What do you mean you're alone?" Hitomi asked softly. "You've got friends. There's Allen, Millerna, and Merle."

Van snorted. "Allen, my friend? Ha! Those words don't even belong in the same sentence! And Millerna sees me as a fellow ruler. Nothing more. And Merle" Van sighed. "Merle doesn't love me. At least not in that way. I'm her big brother and she knows it."

Hitomi was almost inaudible. "There's me." To her surprise, Van snorted.

"Right. You care about me." He said, his voice thick with sarca "I "I saw you on the bridge. I saw what you and Allen were doing!"

"Van! That doesn't mean I don't care about you! I don't even know why I did that!"

"I can think of a few reasons. He's handsome, he's a knight…and he's NOT a cursed demon!"

Suddenly Hitomi understood. "Your wrong Van. I don't care about Allen! And you're no demon."

Van laughed bitterly. "Wrong on both accounts. Why would you have kissed him if you didn't care about him? And if I'm not a demon, I wouldn't have driven you to him." He clenched his fist. "Ironic, isn't it? I spend all this time wanting to get close to you, to be with you, only to drive you away with what I am."

Hitomi went cold. Van wanted to be with her? "Van you didn't drive me to anyone! I thought Folken told you, the sorcerers in Zaibach did some magic…spell…thing. THAT was the only reason why I was with Allen then." She took his hand. "And what you are is too afraid to get close to someone. But I love you Van. You're not alone." She looked him in the eyes. "You're almost there Van. Don't live the rest of your life alone because you're too afraid."

For a second, Van's eyes softened. Then he looked away, his hand falling from hers.

"Well if you won't listen to me say I love you, then maybe you'll listen to this!" Hitomi cried. She seized his face in her hands and kissed him passionately.

Van was straight as a board in her arms. He didn't do anything for several seconds. Slowly, carefully, as if fearing rejection, he put his arms around Hitomi. His lips moved against hers as he began to kiss her back, and he loosened in her arms.

Their first kiss was clumsy, neither being experienced. But it didn't bother them. All the pent up emotions they had for each other made it special. One's first kiss is a unique experience, and neither wanted it to end too soon.

Eventually, they slowly and reluctantly broke apart. When Hitomi looked into Van's eyes, they no linger held that lost and alone look they had earlier. They shone with love, and Hitomi could read his feelings easily. His mouth was another problem.

"Hitomi? I…I…uh…well…you see-"

Hitomi put a finger to his lips. "I know Van. I know. I'm psychic, remember?"

Van smiled. Then he brought his mouth to hers for another kiss.

When their lips met again, Hitomlaxelaxed in his strong-arms, her eyes half closed. When Van licked her lips, Hitomi opened hers eagerly, and he slid his tongue in easily. She moaned into his mouth, as his strong, silky tongue explored the insides of her mouth. When it met her tongue, they twisted with each other in an unseen dance.

Hitomi buried her hands in his hair and pulled herself against Van, whose hands were wandering her body. But they stayed away from anything important. Too late. Van had awakened something urgent inside of Hitomi, as she had done to him. With a slight growl of desire, Hitomi took his hand a placed it under her shirt. Van didn't ask questions. He just gripped her shirt in both hands and, with one smooth motion, pulled it over her head.

Hitomi clawed frantically at Van's shirt, and soon it was thrown aside as carelessly as her own had been.

The two lovers now stood topless in the old cathedral. If the ghost of some priest wandered in he'd be in for the shock of his life.

Van clasped Hitomi's thin wais he he planted small kisses down her neck, each one stoking her inner fire. Van's gaze next went to her white-laced bra. He gave Hitomi a questioning gaze, as if to say 'Can I go farther?' Hitomi just smiled and reached behind her back to unhook the delicate piece of fabric.

Van's eyes lit as the bra fell, unheeded, to the floor. His hands went to Hitomi's breasts and massaged them. Hitomi moaned, louder. She screamed when Van's lips closed over her right nipple and began to suck gently. Clutching him about head, she lost her strength and fell. Van ceased his action in time to catch her. Carrying her to a long flat table that at one time was used for blessings, he laid her down carefully. Looking down into her eyes, he could now say what he couldn't before. "Hitomi, I love more then life itself."

Hitomi gazed adoringly at her angel. "I love you too." She whispered. That was all she got before Van started sucking on her breast again.

Hitomi leaned back, offering more of her breasts to him. Van gladly accepted, gently biting at her nipple. After a while, he moved to her left breast, his hand rubbing gently at the mound of flesh his lips had just left.

Hitomi could feel his arousal against her, and wondered if he could feel the fire in her, it was so hot. Desperately and with barely conscious movements, she somehow managed to tear his pants off without breaking skin contact. As Van pulled back from her erect nipple, Hitomi moved downward, pushing him onto his back. Van's eyes went from questioning to glazed with pleasure, as Hitomi grasped his cock in her hand.

Slowly at first, but ever faster and with a rhythmic motion, she pumped his erect member, harder, and harder. Van was moaning himself now. "Hitomi" He whispered. "Hitomi"

Hitomi suddenly stopped her pumping. Van looked at her in sexual agony. She merely grinned and kissed it. Van groaned harder, louder as she began to lick it. Finally, she looked him square in the eye, a look of mischief on her face. "Try this on for size Van!" Hitomi said. The she took his whole cock her her mouth and started sng. ng.

Van's eyes blasted open. So many new sensations assailed him from all sides, and he could barely keep from screaming.

Of course, Hitomi didn't help much. Her tongue teased the end of his penis before taking him deeper. She had actually swallowed and the the end of Van's sex down her throat. She was sucking on the rest as if trying to pull it down too. Her head bobbed up and down as her strong tongue muscle lathered and scrubbed the sides of his cock.

Then Van could feel it coming. He couldn't hold it! He was going to…

He came right into Hitomi's mouth. She just took it in stride, rolling it around in her mouth before swallowing. The she lay up against a gasping Van's chest. "How was THAT? Better or worse then a battle?"

"Yes." Van answered cryptically. "Let's see what you think when I'm done with you!" Without warning, he inserted two fingers inside of her. Hitomi's eyes dilated as she gasped. Then she moaned as Van thrust in and out, faster, harder, playfully pinching as he went.

"Van. Oh God! Van! Harder Van! HARDER!"

Hitomi's screams aroused Van, and his penis once more grew hard. He withdrew his fingers, only to place his head down there. He planted a small kiss before going right in. He gently pushed his tongue into the space between her legs and sucked up the juices as they came out. Most got on his face, but he didn't care. He moved his tongue around and earned a few more screams and a moan.

The table they lay upon was soaked in Hitomi's internal juices. They left little track marks in the dust long after Van pulled out his tongue. Hitomi moaned as he left her body, and looked adoringly at him out of half opened eyes. She leaned up and licked off the liquid from his face. "Ooh Van…" She murmured. "That was incredible…"

Van's erect cock grew even bigger if possible. "It's not over yet." Hitomi looked at it, mesmerised as it swayed and danced two and fro. Van saw her look. "If you're not sure, I'll stop right now."

"No Van" Hitomi reassured. "Don't stop. Not yet. Please, not now."

Van smiled at Hitomi's pleading. He positioned himself above her, and she eagerly spread her legs for him. "I love you Hitomi." He whispered. Then he gently lowered himself, slowly, knowing what he'd find.

The tip of his cock entered her, pulling another moan of pleasure. Then it ran up against a barrier.

Van sighed. It was as he'd thought. Hitomi was a virgin. This made things harder. He looked down into her dreamy face. "This is going to hurt. I'm sorry." He covered her mouth with a kiss as he crashed through the flimsy barrier with one swift stroke.

Hitomi's eyes opened wide, astonishment, pain, and wonder all evident at once. Tiny mewling sounds built up in her throat, releasing into Van's mouth. He waited for her to adjust to the new sensations before moving about in her.

Hitomi now moaned too loudly for Van's lips to hold. She broke free and threw her head back, blind with ecstasy. Van thrust into her, harder, and faster. Hitomi moved with him, their hips grating and grinding. In and out. In and out. In, out, in, out. Faster and faster. Harder! Their bodies writhed together in complete harmony as Hitomi's long legs wrapped around Van. As the apex of their pleasure was reached, she screamed, long and loud. Finally her breath rasped out, and she lay back gasping for breath. Van rolled off of her, lying on his back.

Neither spoke. Each just lay on their backs, looking up at the ceiling of the hundred-year-old church. Only the panting oe twe two lo bro broke the silence. One was a psychic track star from Japan. The other was the lonely child of a doomed race. Both had overcome obstacles to find love and comfort in each other's arms.

Hitomi looked over at the king of Fanelia. "So, do you still feel lonely?"

Van leaned over and kissed her gently. "Not anymore. And hopefully, not ever?"

It took a moment for Hitomi to understand what Van meant. When she did, she smiled gently. "Yes." She said. "I'll stay with you."

"Thank you." Van gently kissed the woman he loved. And when tongues became involved, he hardened almost instantly. Hitomi looked down and whistled.

"My, you recover fast." She grinned. "Do you want to go again?"

Van made a show of considering. "Alright. You've talked me into it." Hitomi laughed as he moved his head between her legs.