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"Our story begins in a world similar to this..." the woman began, as she shuffled her tarot cards. She pulled her shoulder length hair behind her ears as she began her tale, a now famous tale, to a rather special audience. "A world full of normal people like you and I...""Except for one, right?"The woman nodded, shuffling and reshuffling. "Hai, except for one young lady. Who had a gift to foresee the future." She pulled out a card, Il Papessa, and showed it to her audience."Ooh," some of them said.For the next hour the young woman, Hitomi Kanzaki, enthralled her audience, which consisted of her two best friends, Yukari and Amano, and their three children. Hitomi, now 31, was a world-renowned author. Her adventures with the dragon King, Van Fanel, have become a well-known tale amongst many.She never thought herself as a writer. However, even after participating in the Olympics, running and long jumping did not make her happy anymore. So, surprisingly enough, she turned to journaling, not wanting to forget Van, Allen, Milerna, Meruru, and the others. And only after various naggings from Yukari, she published her writings.Though her books became famous, and the fans wanting, she could never write anything beyond the last time she saw Van. It just wouldn't seem right, it wouldn't be true."And so Aoi returned home, to the 'Illusionary Moon,' where she waited patiently for the day when she could return to her love and live happily ever after." Hitomi pulled one more tarot card to show, La Forza, and reshuffled her deck. She noticed, happily, the moon wasshining brightly through the curtains of the living room windows.The children sighed happily. "Oh that was a lovely story aunt Hitomi! But so sad!" they then cried. The youngest, Hitomi's namesake, sighed happily, again, and snuggled herself into the blanket that was around all three children. It was a perfect night for a story, and itwas only when the moon was shining that their aunt would give in.The lady bard smiled. She leaned back into her chair and eyed the children playfully, "If it's so sad, why do you always beg me to tell you when I visit?""Because it's a lovely story, Hitomi," Amano commented. Hitomi blushed slightly and stared at her deck. "You tell it with such conviction, it's as we're hearing it for the first time."Yukari and her children nodded in agreement.Hitomi smiled, "Arigatou..." She enjoyed telling the story. It was the only time in which she could reminisce without feeling sorrow. She noticed, however, that the oldest daughter, now 13, looked puzzled.Hitomi cocked her head, "Did you not like my story Celia?""Oh yes, Aunt Hitomi! It's... It's just that..." Celia trailed off, slightly embarrassed at her thought."Hmm?" Hitomi gently coaxed."Well, what I don't understand is... Did Aoi and the dragon King ever kiss?"Hitomi smiled softly and clutched her deck tightly, "No. . . We -er they never did.""But why?" quipped little Allen, only nine, "Didn't they love each other?""Of course they loved each other!" Yukari blurted. Hitomi chuckled at her sudden outburst. Yukari looked at Hitomi seriously, "They had always loved each other.""Then why?" the three unisoned."Didn't they want to?"Hitomi chuckled, "Of course! But they both knew that they couldn't stay together. At least not then. They both had duties. Arcadia needed their king. And Aoi's family needed her. It was not meant to be for her to stay with him.""So why not a kiss to remember each other by if Aoi couldn't stay?"Hitomi's bright eyes faded for a second. She turned away and sighed softly. "Because in the long run..." She paused and stared at her tarot deck. "The kiss would have been like a death sentence.""Nani?""Naze?"'Oh Van. . .' Hitomi instinctively placed her hand over her heart. "To have known his kiss would have killed her. Because then all poor Aoi would have thought about would be the kiss. It would have driven her insane, being teased with only one kiss and nothing more." Hitomi, blushed again, licking her lips slightly. Yukari & Amano looked at each other happily and chuckled.. "Because then...if they had kissed, they would have never let go, and she would have stayed." Hitomi noticed the children's and Yukari's sad expressions."She had loved and lost and she was fine with that. But to have tasted love once and never again... Would have been too much to bear. For either of them.""Will they...ever see each other again?"Hitomi's eyes began sparkling again. She felt the moon's glow and smiled. "Oh yes.""Will they finally kiss?"She smiled brighter, "Oh yes."The children beamed."Will they finally be together?""Oh yes," Hitomi breathed.Yukari spoke with hesitation in her voice, "And how does Hitomi know this?""I thought you'd never ask," Hitomi grinned. She shuffled the deck one last time, her fingers trembling.Her mystic eyes sparkling, "Because..."She felt him calling for her, finally, as she pulled a random tarot card. 'I'm coming Van...'"It's in the cards."Alas, Hitomi told her last fortune. The warm bright light enveloped her as she pulled out L'Amore..~Owari~.