Alrighty! Another chapter! I tried to make this one longer, but it just wouldn't have worked. Plus, Arwyn thought I did a pretty good job. That's a mighty big compliment from a certified muse. Sage: yes, you get to read about Neicole and Balthazar in this chapter! I know, I know; you're like "finally!" Don't worry—you'll see a lot of those two in the next chapter especially. As always, thanks to all my reviewers for reviewing! Enjoy my latest chapter!
Ditto.
~*Chapter Twelve: I Will Always Love You*~
Van, with
Sachairi still in his arms, led Kaoru, Kenshin, and Sano with a still
unconscious Yahiko in his arms through the gates of Fanelia. Hardly anyone took any notice, seeing as how
there were products to be sold and houses still left to be built for the
continuous flow of native Fanelians returning from hideouts or shelters they
had taken refuge in during the Great War. It had only been six months since Fanelia had begun the rebuilding
process after all, and five months since the 'Seer from the Mystic Moon' left.
But there
would be at least two people who would take notice—of that Van was sure. First it'll be Merle, he surmised, imagining
the glimmer her eyes would give when she beheld her 'nephew' and then the
puffing of the fuzz on the end her tail when Van would give her the news of
Hitomi's capture. And then it'll be
the lovesick Duchess, he concluded with a slight grimace. How was he supposed to tell her that her
father, her own flesh and blood, had kidnapped the woman he loved? And to make matters worse, the Duchess was
heckbent on winning his affections. As
much as he found the girl annoying, he couldn't and wouldn't break her heart
like that. At least not
intentionally, he added, glancing down at Sachairi who, upon landing on
Gaea, had reabsorbed his little wings.
Van was
startled from his musings as a speeding blur of orange and white came rushing
towards him crying, "VAN-SAMAAAA!!!" However, before the blur—now identified to be Merle—could affectionately
glomp Van, it halted before him.
Merle's
curious blue gaze shifted from Van to the baby he held in his arms. She gave a little gasp, paying no attention
to the Earthlings standing behind him. Pointing to Sachairi, she asked, "Is that who I think it is?"
Before Van
could answer, Sano gave a little yelp. "It's a CAT!" he exclaimed. "It's a cat that TALKS!"
Merle's
tail puffed up, and her claws gleamed menacingly in the sunlight. She gave a slight hissing sound. "I'm Merle; and I am not a cat! I am a cat-GIRL!" Withdrawing her claws, she sighed. "He's from the Mystic Moon, isn't he?" she asked Van, pointing to
Sano.
Van
nodded. "They all are." With his free hand, he pointed, "That's
Sano, with an unconscious Yahiko in his arms. That's Kenshin. And that's
Kaoru."
Merle
nodded, taking it all in. At the
moment, it didn't even occur to her that Hitomi wasn't with the group. She was simply too excited that her Van-sama
was back.
Meanwhile,
Kenshin and Kaoru both gave soft a soft "Oro". It was uncharacteristic for Kaoru to say such a thing, but she had taken
a liking to Kenshin's phrase of startlement. Perhaps it was a subconscious way of expressing affection to the
red-haired, violet-eyed hitokiri-gone-rurouni [manslayer-gone-wanderer] who had
captured her heart.
Merle
suddenly remembered that Van had yet to introduce her to the gurgling bundle of
joy in his arms. She reiterated her
previous query, "Is that who I think it is?" Again, she asked while pointing.
Van
nodded. He knew it would be unwise to
simply blurt out 'yes, this is my son' in public. Fanelia was a small country still struggling to get its economy
back up on its feet, and a rumor about their King giving a non-royal woman a
child outside of wedlock would spread faster than a greased owl pellet shot
from a bb-gun. Definitely not the
desired reaction.
Merle's
smiled. "His name?"
"Sachairi
Wyn," Van answered as he too smiled. "You know the rest."
"Yeah. So, did Hito…" Merle paused, noticing for
the first time that Van's beloved wasn't at his side. She winced as a horrific thought came to her. "S-she didn't…die…, did she?" she asked
nervously.
"No," Van
answered, his eyes falling downcast—as did the eyes of Kenshin, Kaoru, and
Sano. "She was taken. We will discuss more of this inside where we
won't be disturbed."
Merle
nodded, understanding. "Let's go
then."
And with that, the entire group
began to weave their way through the marketplace to get to the castle.
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"What a
shame! There just isn't anymore
original jewelry," Neicole sighed with disdain.
Balthazar
made no response. He was battling
himself inside his mind; one side said that he should confess his true feelings
for Neicole to her before it was too late, while the other side lobbied that he
should stay quiet and let Neicole be happy with King Van. After all, there really was no reason why
King Van would not love her—she was of noble blood, she was beautiful, and she
was in her youth so she was sure to bring the King plenty of healthy
heirs. Balthazar growled at the thought
of another man touching his dear Neicole.
"Balthazar?"
Neicole questioned worriedly. "Are you
on this planet?" She frantically waved
her hands in front of his gaze.
Balthazar
shook his head, clearing his mind of his thoughts. "I'm sorry. What was it
that you were saying, my dear Neicole?"
Neicole
sighed, fingering a simple gold chain that was on display. "I was saying that there just isn't anymore
jewelry to be bought that I haven't something similar to."
Balthazar
nodded. "You do have quite an
impressive collection of jewelry."
Suddenly
Neicole squealed. She pointed her
finger happily towards Main Street, exclaimed in her shrillness, "Look! Look, Balthazar! It's King Van!"
Balthazar
followed her gaze. "Yes. It is King Van, my dear Neicole," he
affirmed.
Again
Neicole squealed. "Today is turning out
much better than I planned!"
Balthazar
blanched, already knowing the thoughts that were running rampant through her
mind. "Whatever do you mean, my dear
Neicole?"
"Today is
the day I take your advice, Balthazar! Today is the day that I tell King Van I love him!"
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Mahalia, in
Hitomi's body, stood. "I don't have too
long, my love. Please listen,
Neic. You must stop this fruitless
mission of yours. In the end, it will
only bring you pain."
Neicodemus
stared. Is this Mahalia? Is this the woman that I loved so deeply? He shut his eyes tightly. "You may sound like my wife, but there is no
way that you can be her. Stop trying to
stop me from completing my mission, you wench!"
A tear ran
down Mahalia's borrowed cheek. "Please,
my love. You must listen to me! This mission will only bring you pain! This mission will bring our daughter pain!"
"Lies!!"
Neicodemus spat. "This mission is to
serve Neicole! This mission is to
ensure that she marries King Van, just like Fate dictated!"
"Fate does
not exist, Neic. Lady Hitomi has made
that fact aware to you!" Mahalia countered.
Neicodemus
covered his ears with his hands, still scrunching his eyes shut. "Stop this! Stop impersonating someone who is dead! STOP TRYING TO CONFUSE ME!!"
The deep
chocolate brown eye-color of Mahalia's began to shift to the emerald green of
Hitomi's. "I will always love you,
Neic. Please heed my warnings. Goodbye…."
Neicodemus fell to his knees in hysterical sobs as a now unconscious Hitomi slumped into the water.