Wufei: ::scoffs:: Like we really care what you think.
Hey, aren't you s'posed to be with Miss Chang Po?
Miss Chang Po: ::pops up:: That's right! C'mere, you! ::grabs him by his ponytail and drags him off::
Wufei: ::wincing in pain:: In...jus...tice.....
Tenkuu no Escaflowne
(Vision of Escaflowne)
"Coming Home"
*by Nataku-chan*
Hitomi gazed in wonder at the young man before her. His unruly black hair and deep brown eyes gave him an air of mystery she couldn't help find attractive. He wasn't very tall or muscular, but Hitomi knew first hand how strong he actuallywas. Aside from being a skillful swordsman and an excellent Guymelef pilot, she knew for a fact that Van Fanel was perhaps the strongest person she had ever met. However, what Hitomi didn't know, was that his strength came from her.
The young, Fanelian monarch in question had just hopped down from the now dormant Ispano Guymelef – Escaflowne– with its blood-red drag energist in hand.
"There's no need for Escaflowne now." he was telling her. "No more need for fighting. Now I'd like to see my brother's dream come true… a Fanelia – a Gaea truly at peace."
' 'Your family would be so happy to see what a great ruler you'll be forFanelia,' Hitomi thought, full of pride. 'If only I could stay here with you…' Her heart quickened a few paces when the young king walked over towards her. "I'd like to see it with you…" she spoke softly,
"If that's all right."
"It's fine with me." Van answered, a small smile adorning his handsome features. Hitomi swore her heart would burst with joy. "But, we can see each other anytime, right?"
Her hopes came crashing down upon her. 'He doesn't want me to stay…' Hitomi could feel an ice cold, weight fall upon her chest, crushing her heart. 'He wants me to go back to the Phantom Moon… where I belong…' Tears welled up in her eyes. "Van…"
"Hitomi…" The young girl from the Phantom Moon found herself in the half-draconian's arms. Oh, how she longed to stay there forever! However, before she knew what was happening, a familiar light surrounded the two, and Hitomi found herself slowly lifting up into the air.
"I'll never forget you!" Hitomicried as the ground got further and further away. Van smiled gently in response. The pain in his heart refrained him from speaking, but he could not tear his eyes away. As Hitomi climbed further up into the sky, she and Van could only watch as the one they loved must – whom would never know their feelings – disappeared from sight.
It was almost as if two hearts –fated to beat as one – had died that day.
~End of Prologue~
It had been five years, almost to the day, since the end of the Great War. Though the 'Girl from the Phantom Moon' had disappeared as mysteriously as she had come, life in Gaea went on. Many lives had been lost, and many towns and cities destroyed, but the people persevered, determined to rebuild what they had lost.
Though Fanelia had begun its reconstruction almost immediately after the war, progress was not going as quickly as many would have liked. When the Zaibach Empire had first attacked Fanelia, its people had fled for their lives, seeking safety in the hills. However, when the war was well under way, the Fanelian refugees split up, going wherever they felt was safe from further attack. News from the front had been slow to reach them, and it was quite some time until all of the survivors returned to their war-ravaged home.
The peopleof Fanelia were now very happy, living now in peaceful times. Many changes had been made to the kingdom in order to benefit the people, making it better than the Fanelia before it. The people were grateful for these changes –and it was all thanks to their new, young king. However, compared to many other kingdoms like Asturia or Freid, Fanelia was considered to be a bit 'backwards' – which was, unfortunately partially thanks to their new young king as well.
()~~[==============
Merle sat on her haunches with her back to the wall in the middle of a long corridor of the castle. She sat vigil, not too farfrom a large room with double doors – it was the king's room to be exact. Occasionally, she would glance at a large Grandfather clock – a gift from Asturia's princesses Eries and Millerna – that rested in the corner. She sighed, absently curling a lock of her bright pink hair, which was now slightly past her shoulders, in a combination of boredom, annoyance, and slight frustration.
At that moment, Merle's large cat ears perked up. The old gears within the clock silently creaked and turned, moving the large pendulum at the base of the clock. A quick little melody played for a few seconds before the clock chimedeleven times.
'It should be about now…" Merle thought, her expression turning very serious. The teenage cat girl turned her attention towards the large double doors. Almost as if she had been expecting it, the large doors suddenly creaked open and from them emerged Van in the traditional attire of a Fanelian monarch.
"Van-sama!"she exclaimed as towards him on all fours. She prepared to envelop him in a large hug, but stopped in her tracks,taking a good look at him. Van had matured much since the war. He had grown considerably taller and more muscular in build; no one would dare underestimate him in a fight anymore. His hair held the same unruliness as before, but was slightly longer. His brown eyes, which had once held so much fire and depth, looked tired – almost empty.
the king of Fanel, noticing the look of concern on his feline companion's face,gave her a small smile, tousling her hair gently. "Daijobu, Merle." he said softly. "I'm okay now." With that, he gave her a reassuring wink and walked off down the hall.
Merle watched his retreating form and huffed indignantly. 'Every year… it's alwaysthe same…' she thought to herself. 'Van-sama… can't you see what you're doing to yourself?'
Though itwas not always the same time every year, as Merle had put it, it was indeed always the same. Every year, when the anniversary of the Great War approached, Van, who always seemed to be very spirited, was not his usual self. At first he would become very snappy and unusually moody. Within a few days he would become very submissive – which always came as a shock to his court advisors – and unwilling to talk to anyone. Then he would shut himself up in his room for days – as Merle believed – without food or sleep. He would not speak to anyone outside his chamber doors, nor would he except any human or beast man contact. After a few days had passed, he would emerge again claiming everything was fine. He would resume his daily routine and duties as king, with all smiles, until the same time of year approached again.
Once Van was out of sight, Merle hissed, the fur on her back and tip of her tailbristling. 'Kuso… Kuso… this is all her fault!' she thought angrily to herself. 'Damnit, Hitomi, why'd you have to leave?' Though she loved the girl from the Phantom Moon like a sister – though she wouldn't admit that to her –Merle was pissed to no end at how she was affecting Van. However, little did the cat girl know how much being separated from Van was affecting Hitomi as well.
~End of Chapter 1~
Author's Notes:
Nataku-chan - Kooooo-nichi-wa, minna-san!
Miss Chang Po - ::pops up behind her:: She means to say, 'Hello, everyone!'
Nataku-chan - That's what I said! . ::huffs::
Miss Chang Po - ::just smiles:: Of course.
Nataku-chan - Anyway, this was my first installment of my first fic on Fanfiction.net. I hope you like it so far.
Miss Chang Po - Of course they will! If they like my writing, they're gonna love yours!
Nataku-chan - ::looks all hopeful:: You really think so?
Miss Chang Po - With out a doubt!
Wufei - ::massaging his tugged-on ponytail:: Emotional onnas... ::eeps and scrambles off as Nataku-chan and Miss Chang Po chase after him, waving menacing-looking writing quills::
Nataku-chan - Ja matta ne, minna-san!
Miss Chang Po - She means to say, 'See you later, everyone!'
Nataku-chan - I said that! .