(Disclaimer: Zoids Chaotic Century was authored by Michiro Ueyama. I merely borrowed his characters. And please forgive me, Van Freiheit fans. His disposition would partially become like that of Mikagami from Flame of Recca in the following chapter/s.)
Chapter 3: Hishou Ai wo Edo no Sora (Soaring Love in the Sky of Edo)
A few days later, Fiona was walking alone in the meadows. As usual, she had slipped past Moonbay's eyes. She then suddenly heard a strange sound from behind.
"Anata wa nani?" the princess yelled.
"Hime, you don't need to shout like that. It's just me, Van." The chuunin replied to her.
"Sumimasen. I thought you're another mountain lion like the one that had attacked me on my birthday." she responded to him.
"So what are you doing here, your highness?" Van asked her.
"Well, I'm just taking a walk for myself." Fiona answered to her ninja. "How about you?" she added.
"Huh, well, I was about to go to the stream to catch some catfish for our lunch when I heard your yell." the shinobi retorted.
"Sorry for disturbing you." the princess mentioned to him.
"No, no, no, no. You're not disturbing me. Anyway, it's just seven thirty in the morning. I still have a lot of time to catch lunch. Want to see me capture a fish?" the young ninja said to her.
"Hai!" Fiona responded.
Van and Fiona then walked together towards the stream and after a few minutes, the two of them arrived at the nearby stream.
"This should be easy." Van thought as he prepared to grab the fish in the shallows. But then his target had slipped from his hand.
"Van, I thought that you wouldn't have any effort in catching that fish?" the princess said.
"Hime, just wait and see how I'm going to capture that." The chuunin replied to her.
A few minutes later…
"Hime, look! I got a bigger fish than the one that had slipped past me." Van said to Fiona. "Do you want me to cook this fish for you?" he asked her.
"What about your obligation of catching lunch for your family?" she questioned to him.
"Don't worry. It's way too early to catch lunch for them. Besides, I haven't eaten breakfast yet." the ninja responded to her. "How about you? Have you eaten your breakfast?" he asked her in return.
"Not yet. Okay, you could cook that fish for me. But we must share that together. I can't eat all of that fish by myself." the princess replied to him.
"Hai." Van retorted to her.
"Say, Van. Do you always go fishing every morning?" the princess asked him.
"No. Just when I wanted to go fishing or when my grandpa wants to eat catfish." the chuunin replied to her.
"Arigato Gozai Mazu, Van!" Fiona said to him.
"For what?" the young ninja asked in response.
"For being my ninja." she retorted.
"Hime, you don't have to thank me for that. My father served Atsushi-sama as his ninja because he is his friend, so I shall also serve you because you're also my friend." Van replied.
When the princess heard what her ninja had said, she sighed and lost her appetite. She thought that Van would view her as more than as a friend.
"I wish Van-kun would at least mention that he has a crush on me." Fiona thought.
Van noticed Fiona's reaction when she heard what he had mentioned. That was something that he had not meant to say to her.
"Maybe I should have told her she is more than just a friend to me." Van reflected. "Ah, Hime, would you want to go out with me to join the kite flying festival on Saturday?" he asked her.
"Huh, well, yes. I will, Van." she replied to him.
After the two of them finished their breakfast, Van took a little nap under a willow tree while Fiona went to the brook to bathe. There, the young princess cried as she thought about what her chuunin had accidentally said.
"I was thinking that Van-kun have feelings for me. I guess I was wrong." Fiona cried.
A while later, Van woke up from his nap. He immediately noticed that Fiona was not there.
"Where did Hime go?" Van wondered. "I wish I had been braver about my self at that time. I should have had told her that I like her." Van reasoned to himself.
"Hime, Hime, where are you?" Van yelled.
The young ninja soon found out where his princess was. He heard Fiona's cries as he came near the brook. Fiona also noticed the movement in the bush and she turned around, she and Van saw each other. The young lady then screamed when her ninja had seen her naked.
"Hime, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I was just searching for you when you saw me and screamed!" Van said as he turned his head away from her and covered his eyes.
"You don't have to apologize for me. I should have let you know that I am here." Fiona relied as she put her clothes on.
After Fiona fixed herself, Van took her back to Moonbay and her other companions.
"Moonbay-san, I'm sorry if I didn't tell you that Fiona-Hime came with me earlier this morning." Van apologized to the princess's servant.
"That's fine, Freiheit-kun. We know you're a very reliable person." Moonbay answered.
"Hey, didn't I told you not to call me Freiheit-kun, just Van." the young ninja said to her.
"Alright, Van, if that's what you want." Moonbay replied to him.
"Hey, Moonbay, did you already find my sister?" Hotaro yelled as he approached her.
"No, Hotaro-sama. But Van took her back to us." the servant said to her master.
"Van, you mean the son of my father's best friend?" the prince asked her.
"Hai." Moonbay replied to him.
"Arigato Gozai Mazu, Van-san for taking my sister back to us." Hotaro said as he turned to the young ninja.
"Hotaro-sama, you don't need to thank me for that. I'm just doing my duty as your sister's ninja." Van replied to him.
"Hotaro nii-sama, Van is a very good person. In fact, he prepared a breakfast for me earlier." the princess said to her older sibling.
"Well, I should also thank you for that Van-san." Hotaro said to him.
"Don't mention it." the chuunin replied to the prince.
"Van, we have to leave now. Our parents might be worried about us at this moment." Fiona said to Van as she went inside her carriage.
"So long, Hime. I'll be waiting for you at the city's park on Saturday morning at nine, Okay?" he replied to her.
"Hai." she said.
"Maybe I should tell Fiona-Hime about my feelings for her." Van reflected as he went back to his routine.
After five days, at the Lynette Family's palace…
"Fiona, you look excited today. Tell me why, sweetie?" Atsushi asked his daughter.
"Well dad, Van and I are going out to the town square to watch the kite flying festival today." the princess responded to her father.
"Hey, I heard you and Rhys talking to each other several days ago. When she asked you if you like Freiheit-san, you answered yes, isn't it." Hotaro mentioned to his youngest sister.
"Yeah. Don't deny it, Fiona." Rhys complemented their brother.
"Nii-sama, nee-san, please don't say that." she retorted to her older siblings.
"Fiona, it's alright for me and your father if you have a crush on Freiheit-kun. We had noticed it when you were having a conversation in the balcony. Besides, the two of us like him because he is a very good person, so there is nothing wrong with that." Isami said to her daughter.
"So when are the two of you going to meet?" the daimyo asked her.
"Hmm, about nine this morning at the central park." Fiona replied.
"Then better get ready. It's already eight quarter." Isami told her daughter.
"Hai." the princess answered.
Meanwhile, at the Byakutaka Tribe's village, the Freiheit family was doing their usual routines. The only thing unusual that morning was that Van was doing things in a very hurried manner.
"Van, are going somewhere?" Dan questioned to his son.
"Hai. Me and Fiona-Hime are going to join in the kite flying festival this morning." the chuunin replied to his father.
"Well, son, you better get going." he mentioned in return.
"But how about nee-san? She asked me to help her train in sword fighting." Van said to his father.
"I'll be the one to teach her. After all, I'm the one who taught you everything you know about fighting with swords." Dan replied to his son.
"Okay. It's time to go. Just tell Mom, nee-san and grandpa that I have left." the chuunin said to him as he picked up his kite.
"Take care of yourself, son. Be careful." the jonin riposted to him.
"It seems my son is now a lover boy." Dan muttered to himself.
After a few minutes, Van and Fiona met at the feudal palace's gates.
"I'm sorry for being late, Hime." Van said to her in apology.
"No, Van. It's perfectly fine. I only finished dressing up just before you came in here." the young lady replied.
"So are you ready to go now?" the chuunin asked her.
"Hai." she retorted.
"Let's go, Hime." Van said to her.
"Dad, Mom, I'm going to leave now." Fiona said to her parents.
"Alright. Take care of yourself. Don't go out of Van-kun's sight." Atsushi and Isami responded.
"Isami, our daughter is growing lovelier and more womanly everyday." the daimyo said to his wife.
"I noticed that too. What's more, I noticed that she and Van-kun is getting closer every time they meet." she replied to Atsushi.
At the park…
"Van, you didn't tell me you're going to bring your own kite here." Fiona said to Van.
"Sorry about that. I thought that you would love my surprise." he retorted.
"Van, let me fly that kite." the princess demanded from her ninja.
"Sure. But you have to fly this kite with my help." the young ninja replied.
Fiona then held the kite at the top of an earthen mound while Van ran down the mound and pulled the kite by the rope, setting it airborne. the princess then went to her shinobi's side and held their kite's rope with him.
"Van, I didn't expect this to be this difficult." she said to him.
"See. If you had not accepted my aid, you would have easily set this kite crashing down." he replied to her.
"Kawaii!" Fiona said as she marveled at the kite's beauty.
"Kirei!" Van muttered as he stared upon Fiona.
"Did you said something, Van?" the young lady asked him.
"No, no. But I want to tell you about something." the young ninja replied.
"What?" she pressed him.
"Well, come with me over there." he responded.
Van and Fiona then went up the mound again and had their kite's rope tied up into a nearby willow tree.
"Hime, you see these jasmine flowers?" Van asked her.
"Hai." Fiona answered.
"They're cute aren't they?" he said.
"Hai. I absolutely love jasmine flowers." she retorted to him.
"Have you ever wondered how it feels to be unable to tell someone that you like him or her more than they think or apologize to that person for the words that you didn't mean to say to him or her?" the shinobi asked her.
"Well, I had experienced that before. It was very disappointing and heartbreaking to be not able to tell someone how you really feel about him. What's even more disappointing is that person only sees me as a friend and nothing more than that." the princess replied as her eyes got watery.
"You know Hime, people are just like these flowers. If you can't keep these flowers, don't pick them." he mentioned to her.
"Hime, I know that the person you're referring to is me, isn't it?" Van said to her.
"No, you're just mistaken!" the princess responded.
"Don't deny it. I know you're disappointed about me because you expect me to see you more than just a friend." he said to her. "I don't know how to say this but let me show to you what I want to tell you." the shinobi said to her.
Van than held Fiona's face and kissed her lips with his full passion. Fiona was quite shocked by what her ninja has done. But the warmth of his lips, along with the sensation of his tongue rubbing against her tongue made her submit to him. After a few moments, the two of them broke the kiss to grasp some air.
"Hime, sorry for not saying to you what I feel about you. You see, I'm just a ninja serving under your family and that you're a royal blooded person reserved for a royal blooded man." Van said to her.
"So that means…" Fiona asked him.
"Hai. I love you, Fiona-Hime. That is the reason I asked you to go out with me this morning." the ninja said to her.
"Van, I love you too." she responded to him.
"Van, why are you looking depressed?" Fiona asked him.
"It's just that like I said before, the two of us are of different social status. You came from a noble family while I am just a servant that would never be able to have someone like you." Van said in a sad tone.
"Van, you're wrong! My parents like you for me because of your character." the princess countered to him.
"They do?" the chuunin asked.
"Hai. Even Hotaro nii-sama and Rhys nee-san approves you for Me." the young lady retorted.
Van was surprised at what Fiona told him. He hadn't expected his masters to favor him for their daughter. A few minutes later, the two of them went to the nearby stalls for a snack.
"Van, you want some sushi?" the princess questioned to him.
"Sure, why not." he replied as he took a bite.
"Van-san, I didn't expect to find you here." a black haired boy said to him.
"Raven-san, what are you doing here?" the young chuunin asked him.
"You could say that I'm tracking you down as my rival ever since the day we became chuunins. But you should always remember I won't let you defeat me next time we have a battle!" Raven answered to him. "For the mean time, I'm going to enjoy myself here." he added before he went his own way.
"Van, you know him?" the princess asked Van.
"Yeah. Raven-san was my opponent in the final part of the chuunin test." the young ninja replied to her.
"Hmmm. I think Raven-san is a good ninja just like you." she mentioned to her shinobi.
"He really is. In fact, he could have defeated me if he was just slightly more careful." Van retorted to her.
"But Van, you're still the number one ninja for me." Fiona responded.
"Arigato, Hime." he answered to her.
While Van and Fiona were enjoying their little meal, a lady with a white hawk approached the two of them. She had long, black hair and a red mark on her right cheek.
"Konichiwa, Van. I thought I would not be able to catch up with the festival here in the park." the woman said to him.
"Nee-san, you're already finished training?" the young ninja said to her.
"Hai. Good thing I always watch you whenever you and dad are having swords fighting drill." she answered to her younger brother.
"Van, do you know her?" Fiona questioned to him.
"Hai. She is my older sister, Maria nee-san. She is considered to be the most elite kunoichi in our tribe." Van replied.
"Oh, I'm sorry for not bowing before you first, Fiona-Hime." Maria said as she paid her respect for the princess.
"Maria-san, please don't that while were here outside." Fiona riposted to the kunoichi as she stopped her from bowing down.
"Arigato, Hime." Maria said in gratitude.
"Van, I thought that you're going to fly your kite here." Maria asked her brother.
"We would resume it after our snack." he responded.
After the meal, Van and Fiona went back to the crowd and flew their kite together. Maria then went to other stalls to purchase some items to take home.
"Van, higher." the young lady urged to Van.
"I'll try." the ninja replied to her.
"Van, I want you to take me out again here next year." the princess told Van.
"Hime, I'll do as you say." Van answered.
"Arigato, Van. That's the reason I fell for you." Fiona said.
Van then wrapped his right arm around Fiona's back.
After four hours, the judgement for the best kite in the festival was announced. Even though Van and Fiona's kite was not among the best, they certainly enjoyed their bonding moment. A few minutes later, the two of them met with Maria again.
"Van, I think you should take Fiona-Hime back to the feudal palace before Atsushi-sama and Isami-sama worry about her." the kunoichi mentioned to her brother. "Well then, see you back home." she added.
"I think you're right. It's getting late." he answered.
"Let's go, Hime!" the chuunin said to Fiona.
"Hai." she answered.
Van and Fiona then left the central park and headed toward the direction of the feudal palace. Van was looking at the sky while they were walking.
"Van, what are you looking at?" Fiona questioned to Van.
"Hime, Isn't the setting of the sun beautiful?" Van asked the princess as the two of them crossed the moat in front of the palace's gates.
Fiona nodded in reply to Van's question.
"Van, I wish we have more times like this." the young lady mentioned to her shinobi.
"I also want to do this more often." Van retorted to her. "Well, here we are. Until we meet again next time." he said as they reached the end of palace's bridge.
"Hime, I love you!" the ninja told her.
"Van, I love you!" the princess whispered to Van's ear in response.
"Sayonara, Hime!" he mentioned as he went his own way.
"Sayonara, Van." Fiona riposted.
When Van returned to home, his parents were awaiting his return from the festival.
"So how did your date with Fiona-Hime went?" Dan asked his son.
"Well the two of us enjoyed the flying our kite amongst the crowd." he replied to his father.
"Really? I'm sure the two of you did something more than that." Karen said to Van.
"Whatever that is, it's my secret." Van replied in a polite way to his mother.
"Karen, if our son doesn't want to tell us what he had mentioned or done to my best friend's child, then leave it that way. He will tell us sooner or later." Dan said to his wife.
"Son, it seems your boy have a very similar atitude to you." Van's grandfather had mentioned to Dan.
"Mochiron, otoh-san." Dan had respectfully responded to his father.
At the balcony of the palace, Fiona and Rhys were talking about what had happened earlier that day.
"So did you tell Freiheit-kun about your feelings for him?" Rhys asked her younger sibling.
"Hai. I told him that I like him very much." Fiona replied to her sister.
"So how did he respond to what you mentioned to him?" Rhys questioned.
"Van-kun confessed to me that he also like me very much!" the younger lady riposted.
Finally, I havefinished my fanfic's third chapter. I hope you like it. Arigato Gozai Mazu (-)! Just post your suggestions and/or comments in your reviews. I would appreciate it very much whether they are good or bad.
