Disclaimer: Oooh! I have no money! Cannot sue because I don't own Escaflowne or the storyline in Suikoden 5 that I based this on!

New, new, new! I always want new!

Try this one, if you've read my other stories!

Please?

Complete Likeness

"Lord Van!"

Merle clung to the young man's arm, rubbing her cheek against the tanned tricep. Van accepted the contact easily, used to it by now.

"Hey, quit clinging to him cat girl!" Hitomi yelled, trying to yank the feline teenager off her boyfriend. "You know that Van and I are together!"

Merle shook her head. "No way! Lord Van doesn't care anyway, do you Lord Van?"

The dark-haired king shook his head. "You do it all the time, Merle."

The trio walked through the newly-repaired marketplace of Fanelia. Hitomi glared at the cat girl as they window-shopped, Merle cuddling Van, which made her mad. "You should care, Van," she grumbled.

Suddenly, a large group of royal guards from Asturia surrounded them. Van tensed, hand on his sword. "What is the meaning of this?!"

Allen rode up on a horse, drawing his sword. "Van Salazar de Fanel, king of Fanelia, you are hereby charged with the murder of King Aston and Princess Eries."

Hitomi shook her head. "Van would never do such a thing!"

"Lord Van isn't a murderer!" Merle agreed.

Van straightened, staring straight into the Caeli Knight's eyes. "What proof do you have that I was the one who did it, Allen? How do you know that I haven't been framed?!"

Allen stabbed his finger at the younger, dark-haired man. "Many people saw you do it, including Princess Millerna and myself! There was no mistake! It was you, and you killed both Asturia's king and princess with that sword!"

Merle shook her head in unison with Hitomi, both girls unwilling to accept this. The pink-haired neko spoke up first. "Lord Van hasn't used his sword since he came back to Fanelia save for sparring! He hasn't left Fanelia because he's been busy rebuilding!"

"It's true, Allen," Hitomi added, not seeing how Van had managed to slip away from the both of them to perform such an atrocious assassination. "We don't even know when this occurred. Care to tell us? Maybe Van might not be guilty."

"Exactly two weeks ago," Allen answered, not lowering his sword. "There is only one weapon with that crest that all of Gaea knows of. Fanelia's king. I saw with my own eyes. Princess Millerna would've come as well, but she's busy trying to rule the country that now has been placed on her shoulders, since she's the only heir left, with no king at her side. Because of you, Van!"

Van gritted his teeth, knowing that he had been taking some time to himself that date, though he wouldn't have had enough…unless he flew… He gripped his sword tighter. "Just because I was absent during that time doesn't mean that I would go to Asturia, Fanelia's ally, to kill royalty!"

"Unless you have proof of your innocence, you're sentenced by Asturian law to be executed as Princess Millerna sees fit!" Allen shouted, urging his steed forward so his weapon was just shy of stabbing Van between the eyes. "If you don't have a convincing alibi, then you'll have to surrender to me, Fanelia."

Hitomi shook her head, tears coming to her eyes in anger. "You and I both know that Van isn't a murderer, Allen! What does he have to gain with this act?"

Allen gazed at the girl from the Mystic Moon sadly. "I didn't believe it myself at first, but I wouldn't mistake that face for anyone else's. If you can prove his innocence before he's executed, then please, do it."

Shackles were slapped over Van's wrists, only for the brown-eyed king to kick his captor in the head, before running as fast as he could, his wings spreading as he took flight.

Merle cried as he disappeared, "Lord Van!"

The blonde knight crossed his arms and stared at the two pointedly. "If that doesn't prove he's guilty, what will? An honest man wouldn't run."

Hitomi shook her head. "Van wouldn't come quietly, even if he was innocent, you know that! If you gave him a chance to prove himself guiltless, then he wouldn't have run!"

"I'm sorry, Hitomi, but your words alone won't change his death sentence. He has a meeting with either an axe or noose in Asturia. You should use this time to try and find any evidence to prove against the charges. According to several witnesses, Van killed both my king and princess in cold blood, and as he ran out, sword covered in red, he yelled, 'Know now that Fanelia will rule all of Gaea!' and he laughed as if saying so was the greatest joy to him!"

"But Lord Van wouldn't do that!" Merle protested. "You have the wrong person!"

Allen shook his head. "It seems outrageous, but only Van would hold the royal sword of Fanelia! It was his face, his voice, his fighting style! Everything about him was Van, except his attitude. It seemed completely wrong, but no one else would say so, because no one knows what could've happened to him."

Hitomi nodded with finality. "Allen, trust me to find out what's happening. I have a feeling that it isn't Van who's done this, though who it could be, I'll uncover the truth."

"Hitomi, I have complete faith in you, but if I catch up to him first, then he'll die."

Merle hissed at him. "Hitomi won't fail! She'll prove Lord Van's innocence!"

Alrighty, a new plot begins to unfold!

Please review!