Draconian Chronicles 2: Epilogue
The End To One Journey...
The Beginning Of Another?
The city of Petite Beau was lively like never before. The roads were filled with people celebrating and dancing with the departure of the Ziaboch Empire. Reeko's grandmother and parents, along with all the other residents were now free, and celebrated with the heroes for whom had saved them.
Reeko put one arm around Merle, making her smile, as they chatted with the mayor of the city. He congratulated them and thanked them for saving the city. Reeko was eating it up.
"Well, I taught myself some basic moves that showed up those slimy soldiers." He replied.
The mayor opened his mouth in shock, accepting everything he heard from the back alley youth. "Weren't you scared!?" He asked in amazement.
Reeko stood tall. "Not for one minute."
Merle snorted and pocked him in the ribs, making him squirm. "You liar! You were probably so scared you wet your shorts!" She teased.
Reeko smiled. "Only when I thought I was loosing you."
Merle blushed and he leaned in to kiss her cheek. The mayor smiled. "You two really do make a cute couple."
At this Reeko blushed too. Merle just giggled and tickled him again, making him laugh. Something big caught Merle's eye and she turned her attention from Reeko, only to see Escaflowne coming in from the edge of the city. "Lord Van!" She grabbed Reeko's hand and bowed to the mayor. "Please excuse us." Then she dragged off Reeko, heading for Escaflowne.
In the mighty Escaflowne, Van walked slowly to the city's border, Hitomi riding on the shoulder. She had changed into a nice set of shorts and shirt, which a merchant in Petite Beau practically through at her, as a gift. She wanted to refuse, but knew they needed supplies, clothes being on of them. They still had a long journey ahead of them, one that couldn't stop here.
Hitomi sighed sadly. "Do we have to do this?" She asked her love.
Van stopped Escaflowne at the edge of the city, and opened up the chest, to let Hitomi down besides him. "We have to. We have to give her the choice."
Hitomi nodded and the two held hands as they walked down Escaflowne to the ground, where a crowd of people had gathered. Merle and Reeko ran through the crowd, the people automatically clearing the way for the two cat teenagers.
"Lord Van!" Merle greeted running up. "Reeko got the medal of honor from the Mayor!" She said, giving Reeko a noogie. He squinted and blushed.
Van smiled, but then grew serious. "Merle…" He said. "We can't stay."
Merle turned sad immediately, and looked to Hitomi, who sadly nodded. Merle looked back to Reeko. "But…"
"Look, you can stay here if you want. You can have a nice life here." He told her. "One where your life wouldn't be put on the line. Fanelia will always be open to you, when we finish what we set out to do."
Merle didn't respond for a while. She wasn't sure what she wanted. She loved Reeko, and wanted to stay with him, but she was a part of the team. She couldn't just leave Van and Hitomi to face the Ziaboch Empire alone. Fanelia was her home too, and she had to fight for it.
Merle nodded to Van and slowly turned to Reeko. "Reeko…"
"Don't say anything." He cut her off. "I know you have to go." He looked down at the ground. "You have your own destiny. You've saved my home, and for that I will be eternally grateful." He looked up at her, seeing her eyes brim with unshed tears. Which made what he had to say next a lot harder. "Go." He said. "Go with them. You have to."
She nodded and threw her arms around Reeko, hugging him for what might be the last time. He hugged her back, and breathed in her scent, the one he had smelled the first day he met her. They broke apart and kissed, before Merle turned her back, and joined Van and Hitomi, as they left the city.
She and
Hitomi got on Escaflowne, as Van made ready to leave town. The people waved goodbye, but Reeko only
watched in sadness, as the love of his life, rode out of his sight. He sighed and stayed there watching it
leave, as the crowd dispersed, and only he was left standing there. I lost her.
"Reeko." A voice came form behind. Reeko turned to see his grandmother, walking slowly on all four up to him. "What are you doing?"
He frowned. "What could I do? She had to go." He said.
Hishona laughed. "And that's going to stop you? The Reeko I knew, my grandson, would never let something like that stop him from getting what he wants."
He frowned. "She's gone already."
Hishona came up and looked him right in the eye. "Go after her."
Reeko gasped. "But mom, dad…the rest of the villagers…" He paused. "You…I can't leave all this behind."
"People move on all their lives. You can't stay sheltered forever. You have to go out and explore the world. This is the way the fates made it. She is something very special, Reeko. You will not find another girl like her anywhere else."
Reeko looked at his grandmother in shock, then back at the fading Escaflowne in the sunset, then to his grandmother once again. "I'm going to miss you." He said.
She hugged him. "At least I know you'll be in good hands."
"What about mom and…" He questioned.
"I'll tell them, you just run along." She said, breaking the hug, and giving him a good shove in the right direction.
He smiled. "Thanks, grandma. I love you." Then with that he ran off to the love of his life.
Hishona smiled. "And I will always love you, grandson."
Merle sat on Escaflowne, sat and forlorn. She missed Reeko already and she had been gone for what…a few minutes? She didn't know how she could survive without him by her side. She sighed. "Oh, Reeko…"
"Merle!!!" Someone shouted.
Van immediately stopped upon hearing the voice, and Merle turned around to see who had called her. It was none other than… "Reeko!" She exclaimed and jumped off Escaflowne, easily landing on her feet. After all, she was part cat.
Merle ran to the cat boy with blue hair and blue eyes running her way. Hitomi stood up to watch, and Van joined her, having gotten out of Escaflowne.
The two cats met in the middle and embraced tightly as if they hadn't seen each other in years. "What are you doing here!?" Merle asked.
"I can't leave you!" He said, kissing her passionately on the lips.
She broke the kiss. "But your home…your family!" She was shocked to say the least.
"You are far more important, Merle." He said calmly.
She smiled and looked back to Van, asking for silent approval. Hitomi smiled and commented. "We could always use the help."
Van smiled and nodded to Merle, then watched the cat girl jump for joy, clobbering Reeko with another hug.
Hitomi was so caught up in the moment, that she didn't even notice Van taking out an object from his pocket. "Hitomi?"
Hitomi turned and gasped as she saw Van holding a small black box. "I know this isn't the best of times…and I don't have much to offer right now, but I would be the happiest man alive, if you would…" He opened the bow to reveal a sapphire ring, the jewel of Fanelia. "…agree to be my queen?"
Hitomi looked at him in shock. How did you…? Considering they had no money she didn't know where on Gaia Van had been able to purchase the ring.
"Actually I was looking for one while you all celebrated, and when I got there, the man who sold them was so happy that Ziaboch was gone, he gave it to me." He looked up at Hitomi. "And I can't think of anyone else who deserves it more."
Hitomi was speechless.
Van got down on one knee, right there on Escaflowne, before Hitomi and held up the ring. "Will you marry me?"
Hitomi felt tears of joy fall from her cheeks, as she nodded and he slipped the ring on her finger. Vans smiled and hugged Hitomi, giving her a loving kiss on the lips. Merle and Reeko just stayed silent and watched the whole thing.
The future may be hard, but now that the four of them were together, they could face anything. Love…would be their binding power, and the power with which they would be able to bring back Fanelia and destroy the Ziaboch Empire.
A/N: Okay…that's the end of Draconian Chronicles 2! Thank you everyone who read it, I had a lot of fun writing it. I do have an idea for Draconian Chronicles 3…but you probably don't want that. If you do, say so in your review, and I'll get to work on it and soon as I can. I also have fics in the Digimon and Card Captor Sakura sections of FFN, so check them out!