AN: I am sooo very sorry it took me so long to post this next chapter. I didn't mean to leave everyone hanging for so long. Really. I had planned to post this the very next day but I got a new computer, well it's actually an old computer but new compared to what I was using. Anyway, my son loaded the new OS on it and removed the ethernet card from my old computer and got my new one on line. That was great except I hadn't run backups to port my files over yet. And I didn't have time to do that till last night. But it's finally done and here is the continuation. I hope you like it. ^.^

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

Chapter 36

Third day at sea

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Without hesitation, Hitomi hit the deck running. She tossed the rope to Van and yelled, "Wait until the time is right then pull!" Not stopping to explain, she dove into the raging sea after her friend.

"HITOMI! NOOOOOO!!!" Van screamed as the rope landed at his feet and slowly uncoiled into the waters. He almost waited too long as the last of the rope began to slide away from him and over the side but he reached out and grabbed hold with all his might. The force of the strain on the rope and the lack of footing on the deck almost caused the young king to follow his love into the sea but he was held fast by the other seaman who rushed to his aid.

"Let us pull her back up Sire." One yelled out.

"Yes!" Van agreed when suddenly he heard the words Hitomi said just before she dove in. 'Wait until the time is right then pull!' "No wait." He instructed. "The time is not right."

"But your Majesty, Lady Hitomi will drown." Another seaman said in protest.

"No, she won't." He pulled out from under his shirt the red jewel she had given him and clasped it firmly in his hand. "I believe in her." He closed his eyes and cleared his mind of all things except Hitomi.

Under the waves, the teen from the Mystic Moon put her swimming skills to good use as she looked about while taking smooth long strokes to conserve energy and oxygen. She was sure she was going to have to return to the surface soon for more air when she spotted a faint orange figure thrashing about ahead of her and to her right. She swam toward the figure as it suddenly went still making it harder to see.

Reaching the point she was certain was where the figure had been, she looked about but saw no sign of it when suddenly air bubbles past by her. She looked down and saw Merle drifting further down. Quickly she swam downward to catch her before it was too late and just as she was about to reach the catgirl's hand. The rope stopped her progress.

'NOO!' She mentally screamed, as she watched her friend drift further away. Doing the only thing she knew she could do, she tried to pull the rope down past her hips but her skirt prevented that. Quickly, she ripped her skirt off and pulled the rope off, then dove further down for her friend. Now her lungs were screaming for air, but she fought the urge to inhale with all her might as she closed in on her friend. Reaching out once more she grabbed her by her wrist and pulled the catgirl up to her. Grabbing her around her waist, Hitomi turned and started to swim for the surface.

Aboard the Lady Vari, Van saw Hitomi close in on Merle when suddenly she stopped. "No! The rope is too short!" He screamed as he clutched the jewel tightly. After a moment he saw what was happening next. "No Hitomi. Don't take the rope off. No!" But it was too late, as his mind's eye saw the girl he loved swim further down into the sea, he could feel the rope being pulled away by the sea's heavy waves.

Deciding what to do in an instant, he quickly began to tie the end of the rope he held in his hand around his waist.

"What are you doing your Majesty?" Several of the seamen asked.

"Quickly, pull up the other end of the rope." He ordered.

To their surprise, the other end was no longer taut. Working as fast as they could, they gather up the rest of the rope.

Then the king explained. "Hitomi will be rising to the surface with Merle any moment. I will find her. When I pull on the rope hard, three times, pull us in. Do you understand?" He looked at the young lieutenant, the only officer among them.

"Yes Sire, three times hard, then pull you in. Understood." The young man said.

Van nodded, closed his eyes and clasped the jewel one more time for just a few seconds then released it and jumped overboard. As best he could, he swam in the direction he was certain Hitomi would be surfacing at, if she had not already.

Aboard the ship, the lieutenant ordered another rope be brought over. "We're not going to run out of line a second time." As one of the seamen skillfully tied the two ends together, the last of the first line got pulled into the water. Following the line in the storm was no easy task but they could tell it was going further behind and away from the ship.

Just as Van was closing in on the location he knew Hitomi should be, the young teen came jetting out of the water, gasping for air. Van was still about twenty feet away and approaching from behind so she was unable to see him. Struggling to remain above the waves while still holding onto Merle, the teen began pulling at her jacket, then her blouse. Freeing herself of the heavy, wet clothing and kicking off her shoes and socks, the lean girl continued to gasp for air while trying to hold Merle's head above water.

Suddenly she felt something grab her from behind. Screaming in shock, she spun around, finding herself face to face with the man she loved. "Oh Van!" She reached out for him with her free arm. Wrapping her arm behind his neck, she pressed her icy cold cheek to his. "Thank god Van. I knew you'd come for us. I just knew."

Wrapping one arm around Hitomi and the other around Merle, he replied. "I thank the gods. You're alive."

Looking up at him with all seriousness, "We've got to get back to the ship fast. Merle's not breathing. She'll die soon if we don't get the water out of her lungs."

"Understood," he nodded, as he released Hitomi for a moment and grabbed the rope that was tied to his waist. With all his might he gave three strong pulls then waited. After a few moments they started moving across the surface of the water at incredible speed. This was not necessarily a good thing since twenty to thirty foot waves continued to roll over and around them. As they were being pulled, they were being forced through some of the waves that were in their path. But in a matter of minutes they were next to the ship and were being hauled up.

Once on the deck, one of the seamen quickly cut Van free of the rope that was around him. Lifting Merle up in his arms he made his way to the hatch leading to the lower decks.

"We've got to get the water out of her lungs first." Hitomi insisted.

"We have to get out of this storm first, or we'll all still be in danger." Van countered.

"All right, my room's closer." She said as she ran off ahead. Van followed close behind, as did the seamen who marveled at the teen who was in just a bra and panties.

As she came to her quarters, she pulled the blanket off the bed and laid it on the floor. When Van came in, she told him. "Set her on the floor." Pointing at the blanket, "We need a solid surface." He did as she instructed. Then Hitomi knelt down beside the catgirl, tilted her head back and blew two breaths into her lungs. Then she positioned her hands over her chest and did 10 chest compressions. She then turned the girl on her side as water began to flow out of her mouth. Laying her on her back again she checked for a pulse and respiration. While the teen felt a faint pulse, the catgirl was still not breathing, so she gave her five more breaths and did 10 more chest compressions, turning her on her side once again as more water flowed out of her mouth. This time the catgirl began coughing and made a loud wheezing sound as she tried to suck in air. Slowly she began breathing on her own, though she was still unconscious.

During all this Van stayed kneeling next to Hitomi, ready to assist in any way. The seamen who helped pull them to safety stood outside the door watching when one of them commented. "My, she is a pretty little thing, isn't she?" Van turned at the comment and the men instantly scattered. He rose and walked over to the bed pulling off one of the sheets. He folded it in half and draped it over Hitomi's shoulders.

Having been engrossed in her effort to get Merle breathing again, she never heard the comment or even realized she was practically naked with her soaked underwear virtually transparent. She looked up at him and smiled. "She's going to be all right."

He smiled back and nodded. Then he walked over to the door and closed it. Coming back and kneeling next to the woman he loved once again, he asked. "What should we do now?"

"Well, we need to get her out of these wet clothes and under some warm dry blankets." She replied as she started to pull Merle's dress off her. Stopping, she turned to Van. "Why don't you start a fire to warm this place up?" She said smiling at him.

Van nodded, realizing she had more then one reason for him to start the fire.

With his back to her, she pulled the dress off her friend and used the blanket as a towel to dry her off as best she could. Then she covered her with the sheet Van had given her and went over to the chest of drawers and pulled out two nightgowns. She tossed one at the foot of the bed and placed the other one on her friend. "Van, can you help me get her in bed?" The teen asked.

Having started the fire, Van walked back over and picked the girl up. "I've got her." He assured Hitomi.

The teen pulled down the last two sheets as the king placed his childhood friend on the bed. Covering her with the sheets, Hitomi then went to the linen closet and pulled out another blanket to cover the girl with.

Van turned to Hitomi and placed his hands on her arms, near her shoulders. Only when his warm hands touched her cold skin did she finally realize what she was wearing. Her face instantly turned a deep red and the rest of her skin followed suit as she began feeling warm all over.

"Van, please don't look at me." She turned away as she tried to conceal her nakedness.

But Van turned her back to face him. "I'm looking right here." He gestured from his eyes to hers. "No where else." He assured her. "Hitomi, what you did… "

She smiled up at him.

"Was incredibly stupid and foolish."

Her smile vanished.

After staring sternly at her for a long moment, he continued. "Thank you for saving Merle's life." He pulled her into his embrace. 'I almost lost you today. Don't ever do that again. Not for anyone, not even for me.' He held his tongue, knowing to ask this girl not to risk her life for those she cared about was like asking the sun not to rise. Instead, he contented himself with the knowledge that she was alive and safe, and in his arms once again.

Hitomi dropped the blanket and returned his embrace. Forgetting about her appearance, she allowed the feelings of fear and doubt that she suppressed while attempting to rescue Merle to wash over her. Suddenly, she felt physically weak as her knees buckled and Van had to support her weight. Without thinking twice, he scooped her up in his arms and set her down on a small sofa. He went back and picked up the blanket. He opened it and covered her with it.

"That's for Merle." She protested softly.

"I'll get another one for her. You need this now." He retorted as he wrapped it around her carefully.

"I'm sorry Van." She looked up at him with eyes filled with sadness. "I almost killed all of us. I should have been able to stop Merle from reaching the deck. I put both of us in danger by diving in after her. And then when I removed the rope…"

"Shhh" He placed his finger of her lips. "That's enough. You saved Merle and you came back to me. That's all that matters." He reassured her as he caressed her cheek.

"But…"

"If you could have, would you have done anything differently?" He asked.

After thinking a moment the teen answered. "Yes, I would have knocked her unconscious when I had the chance." She replied with a faint smile.

Grinning back the king added. "Assuming Merle had gotten washed overboard anyway, would you have done anything differently?"

Without hesitation, she answered. "No, there was nothing else I could do. I couldn't let Merle die. Not when there was a chance I could save her."

"That's what I thought you'd say." He smiled at her. "Don't blame yourself Hitomi. If there is anyone to blame here, it is Merle and I. She knew she should stay below during the storm and I should have done more to reassure her that she still is an important part of my life so she wouldn't be feeling so insecure right now."

Hitomi smiled softly. "Thank you Van."

He smiled back. "Now get some rest. I'll be back in a minute after I change. Okay?"

She nodded in agreement and the king rose to his feet and walked out the door give a last glace first over to Merle then to Hitomi.

The teen watched as her love walked out the door. She then tried to settle back into the sofa and rest as he instructed but still feeling wet with her undergarments on so she quickly slipped them off under the blanket and tossed them on the floor. A moment later Van walked back in with another blanket, which we placed over Merle. Turning he gave Hitomi another smile when he noticed the garments on the floor next to the sofa. Immediately the teen began to blush. Not faltering a bit, he turned back to the bed and picked up the nightgown the teen had tossed there earlier.

Picking it up he walked over to her and laid it on top of the blanket. "You may want to put this on. I'm sure it will help you warm up faster." He said with no hint of teasing or lechery in his words or tone as he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. Reaching the door he smiled back at her warmly once again and was gone.

Hitomi smiled to herself. "God, I love him." Then looking at the nightgown laying on the blanket, she slowly slid one hand out and retrieved it. Pulling it under the blanket, she ducked under it as well and slipped the gown on. Poking her head out once again, she sighed at the comforting feeling the soft garment provided. Stealing one last look at her sleeping friend, she said softly. "I don't blame you for being jealous Merle. Van really is amazing. What's not to love about him?" Slowly her eyes drifted shut as she slept peacefully.

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AN: Sorry about the cliffhanger and about the Merle dying stuff. I really did consider killing her off but I had an epiphany as to Merle's roll in the grand scheme of things late last night. So Merle must live if I am to have her achieve her destiny. But that is for another time. I hope you liked this chapter. I was going to split it in two but I felt after the last chapter we all deserved a little tenderness as soon as possible.

As always, I think you for your comments and words of support. You readers of Escaflowne ff are much more forgiving than ff readers of some other series I've written for. I really do appreciate your generosity.

A. Amishi