Get Ready, 'Cuz Here I Come

            Van had waited too long for this day to come. But it was here. And not one thing could go wrong. Or could it? Was Dilandau really gone like Alena had said? Or was he roaming around on Gaea? Why should he worry on the happiest day of his life?

He heard the breeze outside his window and then heard a familiar voice.

"Lord Van?"

Only one person would still call him that, even after becoming king.

Van turned to see an eighteen-year old catgirl sitting on his bed. She looked like Merle, but she seemed too physically mature, too beautiful to be Merle.

"Merle?"

"It's me, Van."

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to wish you and Hitomi the best of everything. I know I never talk much with her, so that's why I came to you."

"Thanks, Merle. I'm so sorry that I never—"
"What's past is past, Van. I understand that now."

"Merle, I just want you to know…"

Van just couldn't hide it. He had to cry. And he did.

"Van, don't cry, please. Van, if I kiss you on the cheek, will you stop crying?"

"Y-Yes," he said.

"Alright."

Van felt the cold lips of something dead on his cheek.

"I have to go now, Van. If I stick around too long, I may cry too. I just want you to know that I want you to be happy."

With that, the catgirl bounded out the window.

She wants me to be happy. Marrying Hitomi would make me happy.

Merle wants me to marry Hitomi!

Van cried tears of joy and secretly thanked the catgirl for her approval.

*   *   *

Hitomi stood still as the tailoresses tried to fit her wedding dress on so that it wouldn't fall off.

It was an extremely elegant dress, one that all the women would be talking about. It had been made out of silk, and her gloves were silk with lace trim. The arms were ruffled and extremely puffy, and the bottom part of the dress was going to make marching a living hell.

She had a hard time with the shoes. Hitomi was used to flat shoes, like her sneakers, but wearing shoes like that was unheard of at a Gaean wedding.

She really thought that Naria had lost it when she picked out the five pairs for Hitomi to choose from, seeing as though every single one of them had a really high heel on them. Hitomi sent her back shopping, and came back with a shorter, more manageable heel for Hitomi to use. Then Naria complained that Van wouldn't see her sexy calves, so Naria went back and got yet another one that was a great medium between their judgments.

Hitomi looked over at Alena, who was smiling, as well. Her dress was different. It had no sleeves on it, but her silk gloves went all the way up to her biceps.

The front of the dress had lace over a layer of cotton, and the length was about the same as Hitomi's. The dress went dangerously low in back because of Alena's wings.

Alena's shoes had been an open-toed high-heeled affair, due to her part leopard-person condition.

Alena had her hair straightened a bit, but it was still in the same hairstyle.

Hitomi, however, had her hair tied up, with two tresses of hair in front of her ears extending to her jaw. They both must've been made over four times each this morning, but they now looked perfect. If the guys didn't marry them now, they would drop dead from seeing such beauty.

It seemed perfect.

*   *   *

            "What do you think the girls are doing?" Van said.

"At this point Hitomi is running around screaming that she's having visions of you running away from the room," Allen laughed.

"And Alena's having delusions about transforming into a man and is refusing to marry you," Van joked.

"Van, that kind of lost it's edge after the first time."

"Sorry to sedate you with the classic Fanelian wit."

"Folken, how many people are here?"

"Too many if you ask me," he said. "Security must be as tight as anything."

"Did Beighn Doralford show up?" Allen asked.

"Yes. And he has a shit-eating grin on his face."

"I hope he doesn't try anything stupid," Allen said. "I wouldn't want to get his blood on Alena's nice dress."

"So, Kerakera, when are you going to get chained to Miss Silver-locks?"

"I'm taking it slow," he said. "There's no rush with her. I want to prove to her that I love her more than anything first."

"That's okay, I guess. Better safe than sorry, eh?"

"Yeah. Right."