Lullaby

It was the stillness which kept her awake at night.

The peace. The quiet. The silence.

At home, the relentless buzzing of cars dawdling down her street until three in the morning had become almost... comforting, like the sound of heavy rain on a window. To her, their constant deepening hums formed the bare bones of a bizarre 21st century lullaby. Of course at the time she'd had no idea. But here, now...

Now it was all she could think about.

Now there was just... nothing. She could barely even hear the wind.

Running a hand down her face, she sat up, resisting the urge to groan at the thought of another sleepless night. She glanced down briefly at the slumbering form next to her, unable to hold back a smile at the sight of him, sprawled regally over half the mattress, his limbs poking out of the sheets and his eyes totally obscured by a stubborn flop of ebony hair.

"Oblivious." She muttered, shaking her head, openly jealous of his unconscious presence. His only reaction was to emit a light, satisfied snore. Hitomi rolled her eyes and took it as a cue to get out of bed.

She'd been having trouble sleeping ever since she'd returned to Gaea, over two months before. At first she'd put it down to being in a foreign country... or, you know... planet. But after a few weeks of tossing and turning, she had begun to wonder. And she hadn't been able to put her finger on it, until tonight. But now she knew. It was simply the stillness. That was it.

Scooping what must have been Van's discarded shirt from the floor, she padded over to the door leading to the room's adjoining study, donning the makeshift nightgown on the way. She winced as she turned the handle, hoping the hinges wouldn't creak and stutter. They didn't, and she slipped into the room, unheard.

There was something about Van's private study which always made her feel as if she were trespassing. From the first time she'd entered it, during a rather surreal tour of the palace (Van had insisted that he be her personal tour- guide) on the second day of her return, she had felt his presence so strongly in the room she'd almost walked straight out again. Of course he had told her she was being ridiculous, that she was welcome in there whenever she liked, but the fact was that she just didn't feel comfortable intruding. She didn't want to touch anything, didn't want to upset the atmosphere. And yet, at the same time, part of her longed to run her fingers over the back of his chair, read the books and notes on his desk, if only to feel nearer to him. Indeed, the opportunity to delve into Van's thoughts rarely occurred. He was passionate, yes, about his country, his people... about her. But he was not open, and at times she longed to read the darkness in his eyes, just for a moment.

He loved her, that much she knew, but sometimes, when he'd had a long day, when his councillors had aggravated him and his patience had been tried and tried... well, she felt as if she didn't know him at all. He would go into himself, stare at the wall or the ceiling, and just think. Sometimes he stared at her. Just... watched her. It didn't bother her, but it was in those moments, when she felt him watching, that she would have given anything to read his mind. It was in those moments that she felt the stirrings of an emotion she had banished so many years ago: doubt.

She walked over to the desk, peering at the letters and documents upon its surface. Her eyes scanned over various papers; something about piscus trade boundaries... the building plans for a new school in the town. She sighed, idly leaning on the edge of the table, and was about to return to the bedroom, when a part of the woodwork shifted beneath her hand. She moved back hastily, immediately viewing the damage and cursing her clumsiness. After a moment, she blinked. A section of the edging had clearly come loose from the desk's surface. Intrigued, she brought it away. Her eyes widened.

By an absolute stroke of luck she had somehow revealed what seemed to be a very narrow, very small compartment. And inside it, a piece of paper lay undisturbed. Her eyes darted to the open door. She wondered if she should read it. To be fair, she had only stumbled upon it by accident... it wasn't nosiness, it was just... curiosity.

Gently, quietly, she took the piece of parchment from its resting place, realising upon holding it that it was very rough, cheap stuff, torn from a notebook. Fascinated, she opened it and read.

I have been such a fool. Every day for the past month I have been a fool. A fool for not opening my eyes, for not understanding the meaning behind this pain, this unbearable weight in my heart. I didn't see it until today. I couldn't. But I saw them on the bridge and...

I love her.

I love her.

I can hardly believe the words, can hardly believe it is me who is writing them. But I must. I have to.

I love her.

And I will protect her, even if it costs me my heart. My kingdom.

My life.

Hitomi.

"Hitomi?"

His voice was barely enough to bring her out of the reverie she'd fallen into. Her eyes, wide and glazed, looked up at him, bare-chested and bed-tousled, over the paper she held in her fingertips.

His lips parted as he noted what it was she had found. Silence fell between them for a long moment.

"I—"

"Don't..." She interrupted, closing the distance between them. "Don't say anything."

She pressed her lips to his, shared his breath.

"I love you too."

She felt him smile.

"I know."

Word count: 1,000

A/N: CHEEEEEEEESE AHOY.

Oh well, I love cheese and so do you. Yea, you do, you're shaking your head but I know you do.

Thanks for readinggg, and thanks to Suils for organising this charming collaboration. I think we should give PRIZES...

Anyway.

Toodles!