Home? Who am I fooling . . . Home is where the heart is . . . and mine is in Gaea. Hitomi mused sadly to herself as she tightly clutched her duffel bag. Glancing out at the quiet field once more, she sighed. I've thought so many times about running down this track again! But I probably wouldn't be able to travel back . . .

The girl could feel her heart slamming against her chest as she thought of the prospect of returning to Gaea. Something beyond her urged her body to move down the track. Her movement was slow and awkward at first, but soon she was sprinting as fast as she could. Her heartbeat was all that could be heard in her ears.

I wish . . . I wish . . . I wish I could see Van again! Hitomi thought with fresh warm tears spilling down her cheeks. The girl shut her eyes tightly as she ran, not wanting to see the reality of the end of the track as it rapidly approached her.

Her body became light, but Hitomi dismissed it as the nausea she felt whenever she thought about her beloved in the far off land of Fanelia. The light feeling overwhemled her until she felt herself her entire body lurch forward and fall onto the . . . grass?

Had she made it onto the grass of the inner track? Hitomi opened her eyes and gasped at what she saw. Before her was a huge stretch of tall grass with trees on the outer fringes. I'm dreaming . . . She thought to herself. It just can't be!

Hitomi looked around in shock. It was just like the first time she had been transported to Gaea. It all looked the same. The girl gave herself a swift pinch on the arm when she doubted her eyes. "Ouch!" She exclaimed when the pain proved she was indeed awake.

With an unbelieving smile she remarked she must be near the village of Arzas due to her surroundings. "Van . . ." Hitomi whispered in happiness. Finally, after an entire year, she'd be able to see him.

Suddenly, the grass in front of her rustled. Alarmed, Hitomi jumped back. She silently watched as a silouetted pair of cat ears appeared. "Merle? Is that you, Merle?" Hitomi asked, approaching slowly.

Soshi jumped out of the grass.. "UMIYU?" she said puzzled.... "who are you?" soshi lept towards the girl.. she smelled of flowers..... "what strange cloths.. there is a legend about a girl with similar cloths ... she appearently came from the mystic moon..... did you see her.. are these her cloths?" 

Hitomi sighed, rather disheartened that the cat girl was not who she had first suspected her to be. "My name's Hitomi. Kanzaki Hitomi." She introduced as she pushed some errand strands of short hair behind her ear. "I came from the Mystic Moon. It was I who appeared here in Gaea a year ago."

Pausing, she sighed and remarked that, if her imagination wasn't playing tricks on her, the cat girl vaguely smelled of a field. Van's smell . . . Hitomi thought to herself.

"What's your name?" She asked the cat girl curiously. "Do you live near here?" Suddenly, a fresh thought crept into her mind. "Can you tell me if Fanelia is close by? Perhaps . . . perhaps you know the king of that land?" The girl stopped as she forced herself to gulp down a mouthful of air in anxiousness. "Do you know Van Fanel?"

Soshi looked at the girl.. "Van.. ya.. i know where he is.. he is at the castle tonight.. but will be leaving in the morning.. and the castle is about 6 hours by air.. .. we can possibly make it.. if you are fast enough.. but.. um.. well.. that might not work.. we cant fly! I can still take you if you want.. Van is one of my friends friends.... hey... it is Merle who you thought i was.... she's away right now.. but i can still get into the castle!" 

"Really?" Hitomi replied, trying to contain her joy as much as possible. She didn't want to seem overly excited. "I'd very much like to see Van. It wouldn't be too much trouble for you to take me there?"

The girl sighed and paused a moment. I hope we can make it in time. After a moment of silence, Hitomi smiled at the cat girl. "Shall we go? By the way, I didn't happen to catch your name."

Soshi laughed.. "sorry.. i'm usualluy quite loud.. I'MMMMM SOOOOSHIIIIII..." She mouthed.. "but you should not worry about taht right now... we have to get to the palace if you want to get there in time!... time's a waisting!" 
THey hurred to the main road.. making little conversation along the way.. but soshi realized that it was too far.. and that they would never be there on time at this rate... "we need a lift.. or something!" 

Hitomi shut her eyes tightly as she realized Fanelia still extremely far away. Soshi's right. We'll never make it in time to catch Van! If only there was a way . . . to make that pillar of light . . .

The girl laced her fingers together in front of her lips and focused her thoughts on him . . . on Van.

Onegai shimasu!* Take me to where Van is! ((onegai shimasu=please))

A blue light exploded suddenly from the dark night sky of Gaea, lifting Soshi and Hitomi off of the ground.

Instead of seeing the face of Van in her mind, another face smiled at her in the darkness created by Hitomi's closed eyelids. She knew that face! The girl's eyes snapped open. "Yukari . . ." She whispered before being propelled to the far off land of Fanelia.

Yukari opened her eyes "Hitomi?" she heared Hitomi's voice in her mind, "whats going on?" 'Hitomi where are you?' she thought, 'Have you left again,to where did you go?' Yukari closed her eyes to think more, not knowing whats happening around her, she saw Hitomi's face again "I wish i could be where you are Hitomi" Yukari fell into a deep sleep...

Hitomi gasped as she heard her friend's voice sound loudly in her mind. Her feet came to rest on the paved road just outside the castle of Fanelia. She didn't have to focus on Soshi to know the cat girl was regarding her with some curiosity.

"Yukari!"

"What's going on? Hitomi, where are you? Have you left again? To where did you go?"

"I'm in Gaea, Yukari! Back to where I disappeared to a year ago!" The girl exclaimed into the empty night, hoping Yukari could hear her.

"I wish I could be where you are, Hitomi . . ."

Hitomi closed her eyes tightly. There might be a way, Yukari. Focus . . . focus all your thoughts . . . all of your wishes . . . and focus only on me. If you wish with all your heart and focus everything foward, towards me . . . you'll find me. 

Yukari heard Hitomi's voice in her mind,

There might be a way, Yukari. Focus . . . focus all your thoughts . . . all of your wishes . . . and focus only on me. If you wish with all your heart and focus everything foward, towards me . . . you'll find me. 

So Yukari focused all her thoughts on her friend who was so far away, she wished with all her heart to be with her friend. Suddently a flash of white light circled her, Yukari new she was going to where Hitomi was.

Soshi becamed creaped... "what is this?" she backed away.. "who are you really.. how can you do that... thing with the light....." 

Allen was preparing for his departure with Van when he saw the unmistakeable white light pouring through the palace windows. Curious, he rushed to the front door and looked out.

Hitomi literally choked on her words. "Y-Y-Yukari?" She gulped as the blindingly bright light began to subside. Seeing her best friend's confused look, Hitomi leapt and hugged Yukari around the neck tightly. "Yukari . . . I don't believe it! You're here!"

She smiled and waited for Yukari to assault her with questions. But as she waited, Hitomi was compelled to look up to the front door of the palace which had been opened some time ago. There, a familar blond met her gaze. "Allen-san!" Hitomi called over Yukari's shoulder.

Allen was quite taken aback to see the three of them standing there.

"Hitomi? How did you get back and.... who are these two?"

"Allen-san! Am I glad to see you!" Hitomi exclaimed, smiling. She paused and folded her hands in front of her brown pleated skirt. "The truth is, I really don't know how I got here. I wished with all my heart and focused all of my thoughts . . . and I guess it must've worked because it brought my best friend Yukari here."

Hitomi smiled again as she motioned to her still very confused friend. "And this is Soshi." She said, indicating the cat girl. "She says she knows Van."

The girl stopped suddenly, forgetting all pleasantries and becoming full aware of the urgency of their quest. "Van hasn't left has he? Is he still here? Allen-san, can you take me to him? I need to see him!"

Soshi grinned.. "with that kind of an entrnase.. and so fast.. it's not a surprise that Van will still be in the castle"

" I am needed in the hanger, to prepare for departure. I beleive you can still find Van in the library."

Allen picked up the disc-like object he had been carrying and headed off to the hanger.

"Hitomi, who was that?" Yakuri said, "and what is this place?. Its beautiful." She stood and gave Hitomi a hug. "So this is where you've been hiding every time you disappear." She said with a little sarcasm. "Well are we just going to stand here?" Yakuri giggled, "lets go!"

"This is Gaea." Hitomi said as she smiled at her friend. In response to her friend's last exclaimation, she grabbed both Soshi and Yukari by the hand and began running, dragging them along whether they liked it or not.

As they reached the library, the girl could hardly contain her emotions. "Van! It's me, Hitomi! Van, I'm here!" She shouted, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

With his back turned to the library door, Van looked up in front of him, 'No way did I just hear Hitomi, Van you have to quit daydreaming!' he told himself.  But oh how he longed to hear her voice small and sweet, like her.  The way she would come bounding into a room and light it up with the smile on her face...

Suddenly he heard his name agian, spoken softly this time like whoever said it was in the room with him right now, and as he closed his eyes and wished hard he turned around...

"Hitomi!"  with utter surprise and excitment.  "What are you doing here?".  "Your timing is immpecable! I felt I needed your presence near me and you are here with me now!"

Soshi looked at the girl Yukari.. "ISNT IT SWEET" she said as she grabbed her and began to squeeze hug her.. "SOB! SOO CUTE!"

Hitomi was smiling yet she could feel warm tears running down her cheeks. "Van!" She exclaimed, unable to restrain her joy any longer. Running towards him, she extended her arms and when finally when at last she was close enough, Hitomi wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.

"I never thought I'd see you again." She cried into his familiar red shirt. "I missed you, Van."