The Ties That Bind
By Siren
Awwwww! That last chapter had some fluffiness at the end. This episode is basically gonna allow the characters to have a little down-time and relaxation. They've earned it, ne? Anywho, be sure for some more waffiness up ahead. Oh, and Merle's gonna meet the new character I have for her. So, be prepared for some Nikki/Van moments, and Merle/Mystery person moments. ENJOY MINNA-SAN!!!!!!!!!! P.S.- It occurs to me that I haven't done a disclaimer yet. Okay, I obviously don't own any of Escaflowne's characters, except for myself, and the mystery guy. Also, I don't own any of Avril Lavign's songs, or LeeAnne Rhymes'. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Day to Ourselves
(Nikki's POV)
Mmm...I open my eyes to find myself laying in Van's lap. Blushing, I look up at the young king. His eyes are closed, his breathing even. He fell asleep here? I smile, and take one of his hands. Holding it, I close my eyes once more.
(Van's POV)
I open my eyes, knowing it's morning. I'm about to get up, when I feel a certain weight on my lap. Blushing, I glance down, and see her asleep, holding my hand. I can't believe I fell asleep here. What if someone sees us? I swallow, and remove my hand from her's. Lifting her up, I gently lay her down next to me. I stand up, and stretch my sore muscles. Falling asleep like that is definetly not good for the back. "Van-sama!" I smile and turn around to find Merle flying into my arms. "Morning Merle." Merle smiles, and glances at the sleeping form. "How's she doing?" she asks. During her stay here, Nikki and Merle had become somewhat close.
"She'll be fine. I think she's exhausted form her little adventure." Hmph. The adventure that almost got her killed. I know my face has darkened, but I can't help it. Despite her explanation, I still have no idea what she was thinking. Females. The eternal mystery. Sighing, I shake my head. "She was so foolish, thinking she could stop Zaibach on her own." Merle punches my arm lightly. "She did it for you and for Gaea, Van-sama. Don't be so angry with her. After all, you went after Zaibach on your own, remember?" I flinch, remembering. "Yeah, well..." Merle smiles. "Hey, Van- sama?" "Hm?" Merle has that look on her face. The look that says 'I'm up to something'. "How about you take her out to the town. You two can relax for once. You know, show her the sights, explain a little about Gaea. Have a good time."
I have to smile at that. "Well, we don't want any spies from Zaibach to recognize her, so she'll have to wear a dress," I say, smirking at the thought. The girl absoultely HATED dresses. As though she heard me, she whimpers from the bed. "I'm going to go get breakfast and talk to Millerna about finding a dress." Merle nodds, and jumps onto the bed, curling up next to Nikki. Her breathing evens out, and a light purr is heard. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Back to MY POV ^_^)
I open my eyes again to find Van gone, and the cat-girl in his place. She looks so innocent when she's sleeping. Heh. Better wake her up before I forget her clepto problem. "Merle?" She doesn't stir. I smile mischeviously. I take the glass of water from my nightstand, and let a drop fall onto her nose. She mumbles something, but remains asleep. "That was your warning, Merle. Now for your wake up call." I pour the glass of water onto her face, and her eyes snap open. She thrashes about, and sends me tumbling off the bed in a fit of giggles.
"Y-you should've seen your f-face! HAHAHAHAHA!" I look up at the bed, and see a pair of narrowed eyes. "Grrrrr..." My smile disappears as she gets a menacing look in her eyes. "Come on! It was just a joke!" She ignores me...and pounces. I shriek, stand up, and run out of the room. It's hard to breathe, run, and laugh at the same time. I can hear Merle running on all fours. "No fair! I can't run on all fours!" I recieve a hiss in reply. I dark into the dining room, and get tackled to the ground. Merle's messing up my already ridiculous hair, and I burst into laughter. "Well, I see you're feeling better this morning." I look up, and see Van sitting in a chair. I nodd, and try to pry the cat off of me. "Van, call of your cat- girl!" Van's about to, but Merle steals my amber necklace. My face darkens, and I growl. "Wrong move, clepto." I lauch myself at the cat, her eyes wide.
Allen and Gaddess walk in, and smirk. "Twenty says the cat wins." Allen nods. "You're on." I have Merle in a choke hold when Van pulls us apart. Allen holds me back as I claw at the little thief. "Van, tell her to give me back my necklace!" Van cocks an eyebrow at her. "Merle, give her back her necklace." Merle smiles innocently, and hands it to me. Now Van looks at me somewhat nervously. "Um, well, I wanted to take you sight- seeing today..." I smile. "Really?! That'd be so cool!" Van pales at what he's about to say next. "The thing is, there might be Zaibach spies, so we'll have to disguise you..." Now it's my turn to pale. I look up at the blonde knight, who smiles. Not...a....dress.... I thrash in Allen's arms, and try to escape. "No! I would rather die than wear a dress!" Allen begins to drag me towards a smiling princess and her maid. My eyes widen, and I struggle harder. He pulls me out of the room, and Van's trying hard not to smile.
"YOU WON'T TAKE ME ALIVE!!!!!!!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They took me alive.
Ugh. I HATE dresses! But, I'm wearing one. Allen and Millerna are wearing a few bruises though. But here I am, wearing a dress. They said I could have my old clothing back at the end of the day. The dress they made me wear is white, with a plunging neckline.They somehow managed to pull my short hair into a bun, but let a few ringlets fall to the side of my face. Despite their arguments, I chose a pair of white boots to wear. You can't tell anyway, since the freakin' dress covers everything. The dress is light, but BINDING. I don't know how people are supposed to breathe in these contraptions. White gloves that reach my elbow cover my hands. Darn. And I was gonna use these hands to rip this dress to shreds.
I cross my arms over my chest, and walk back into the dining hall. Leaning against the wall, I frown. "Van Fanel, you will pay for this," I say. Van turns to me, and his eyes widen. Merle does the same, but smiles. I walk over to Van, and try my best not to trip. "Van Fanel, I haven't worn a dress in YEARS. Once this day is over, I'm gonna pound your face into a whole new shape." Despite my threats, Van smiles tenderly. Dammit. I hate it when he does that. How am I supposed to stay mad at him when he does that? I glance down at the dress uncomfortably. "I mean, a dress is so...girly. How am I supposed to run and fight in this?" Van puts his hands on my shoulders. "Ah, but that's the point. There will be no running or fighting today." I sigh. "Fine. But if anyone finds out that I wore this, than I'm gonna do something drastic." Merle giggles. "Don't worry. No one would recognize you. After all, you're the one that likes to wear men's clothing."
"If this dress wasn't so friggin' constricting, you'd be unconcious right now," I growl. Van wraps my hand in his, and leads me towards the door. Millerna smiles painfully, and touches one of the bruises on her face. I shrug. "Sorry 'bout the bruises, guys!" I giggle at Allen's messed up hair as I leave. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wow. This place is pretty, once ya get the chance to look at it. I stumble over the long dress, much to my embarrassment. Merle giggles behind me, and I glare at her. "Stupid cat," I mutter. I grab a fistfull of dress, and continue to walk. Van guides me to a building that resembles a stable, and dun dun dun...it is a stable! "Have you ever ridden before?" I nodd and smile brightly. "Are you kidding me?! I practically LIVE on horses!" (A.N- Hey Jenn, I go riding every thursday, but last week the horse stepped on my foot and broke 3 of my toes! Oh well. Only makes me love those horses even more! ^_^) Van leads out a horse, and I frown. Where's mine? Or his? Oh. We're riding together. I smile nervously. Okay, I hope he doesn't go too fast, 'cause I only cantered once.
Van gets on, and pulls me up. I wrap my arms around his waist, and I smile at Merle. She's talking to some cat-guy, and...Hey, a cat-GUY???? He's kinda cute, I suppose. He's got large, green eyes, ruffled blue hair, and a nice body. Huh? Is Merle blushing????? Awwwww!!! "Looks like Merle made a new friend," I say. Van looks at his feline companion, and narrows his eyes. "That's Blake. He's been somewhat of a troublemaker." I shrug. "I cause trouble and ya still like me." The horse starts walking, and I can see Van clenching the reins tightly. "But you're different," he argues. I cock an eyebrow. "How so?" Van looks frustrated. "You just are." I frown. "Okay, so you know the kid's name, and that he's caused some trouble. So, you just brand him the 'bad guy'?" Van huffs in aggrivation, but I don't care. "Listen, I wanted to take you out for a nice time today. Can you please not ruin it?" I flinch, and jerk backwards. EXCUSE ME? I snort in disgust, and hop off the horse. Not a smart move. The horse steps on my ridiculously long dress, and it rips, leaving my legs bare. Fine. All the better for me to stomp off.
"Nicole, where are you going?" I don't bother to turn around. "I'm going back to the castle, where people don't judge someone when they don't even know them." I can just imagine Van rolling his eyes at that. Merle's stopped talking to Blake, and looks at us, confused. "What's going on?" I jerk a thumb back at the angry Van. "Why don't you ask the 'I'm a hypocrite' King!" With that, I stomp off. I can hear Merle yelling at Van as I do. "What'd you do to her THIS time?!" "Nothing!" A huff from Merle. "Yeah, right! You were supposed to help her RELAX today!" "Oh, and you seem to be doing enough relaxing for the both of us!" A growl from Merle. Or is it Van? "And what is THAT supposed to mean?" A huff from Van. "Nevermind. If anybody asks, I'll be in town." Van stomps away. Fine. Whatever. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grr. I cannot believe that Van. 'Mr. High and Mighty.' Feh. 'Oh, if anybody asks, I'll be in town.' Yeah. Moping and scowling. Wait. I'm scowling. Okay, then he'll be moping. I stomp back into the castle, dress torn and ruined, my hair slipping out of its elegant bun and ringlets. Millerna looks at me with Allen, eyes wide. "Nicole, what are you doing back so soon?" I growl in response. "If anybody asks, tell them I'm not here." With that, I walk to my room, and slam the door.
Sniff. Oh great. I'm gonna cry. Just what I need. Ick. I absolutely despise crying. Even when no one's looking. Someone's knocking at my door. "Go away or face the curse of the Mystic Moon!" Heh. Sounds like something out of a Sailor Moon episode. I never did understand how Darien could put up with that ditzy little self-absorbed blonde. Hell, Reenie was more mature than her. "Chibi-Moon was cool," I mumble. "It's Allen." I snort. Great. Just who I wanted knocking at my door. I don't wanna talk to anyone. Okay, I do wanna talk to someone and vent about Van. "Fine. Come in, but you've been warned." The door opens, and Allen walks in. "I take it that this afternoon didn't go very well." Feh. Give the boy a prize.
"Gee, whatever gave you that idea?" Allen ignores my sarcasm and sits beside me on my bed. Allen looks at me. "What happened?" I snort. "You mean besides that arrogant, egotistical. self-centered, Mr. Macho attitude King ruining everything? Nothing." Allen smirks. "Isn't that a bit harsh?" I frown. Who's side is he on? "No. I mean, Van's a complete hypocrite. Okay, so Merle met this guy, Blake, and Van's all 'he's a troublemaker'. And I'm like, 'but so am I,' and he's all, 'but you're different'. God that guy just pisses me off sometimes!" Allen smiles slightly. "Van is very protective of Merle. Like a big brother. To him, no one's good enough for her." Hmph. "Whatever." I sigh, and bury my face against the pillow. Allen puts a sympathetic hand on my shoulder. "It takes a lot to tolerate Van, I suppose." "You have no idea," I groan. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's been a few hours since Allen left, and I'm sitting by the window. I frown. Van has managed to completely ruin my day. I need to blow off some steam. I walk over to my closet, take out my old attire, and put it on. There's a knock at my door. Again. I roll my eyes. "No one's here!" I shout, and realize how stupid that sounded. "It's Merle." My face softens, and I open the door. My eyes widen. Merle's dressed in a beautiful gold dress that brings out her eyes. "Merle, you look great!" She smiles, and curtsies. "Why aren't you dressed up?" I glance down at my leather pants, dagger, and shirt. Yeah, this definetly wasn't anything formal. I shrug. "Because I'm not going anywhere." Merle frowns. "But there's a ball tonight, and you have to come!" I shake my head, and loose strands of red hair fall infront of my eyes. "No thanks. I'm not feeling very...formal tonight. But have a good time with Blake," I wink. Merle blushes furiously.
"Please go! PLEASE!!!" She grabs my wrist tightly, her eyes pleading. I cave. "Fine. But I'm not changing. No more dresses." Merle jumps up and down, and nodds. "Okay. C'mon!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The ball is beautiful. Hell, everything and everybody is beautiful. I spot Millerna and Allen danving. Allen's in his normal attire, and Millerna's wearing a light, pink, silk dress. Her hair is gold and draped around her shoulders, making her look older. Merle runs off to find Blake, and I spot the two hugging. I smile at them, and wave. Merle waves back, but looks beyond me. Someone walks into the room, and I see that it's Van, dressed nicely. He's wearing black pants, and a black shirt with Fanalia's emblem on it. All in all, everybody looks fancy. 'Cept me. I'm...crappy looking. Maybe I should've worn a dress after all. Suddenly, I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn around to face a snobby-looking guy.
"No commoners are allowed to attend this royal function." I shrug his hand off. I glance over at Van, hurt. He didn't tell them about me? I lock eyes with Van for a moment. His eyes are cold, as usual. I turn back to the snobby guy and nod. "Sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt anything. I should know my place by now." I push past him, and hear him mutter 'troublemaker'. Yup, that's me. I so don't belong there. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I make my way to the courtyard. It's deserted. All of the important people are inside, having a good time. "Live it up," I mutter. I wrap my arms around myself, my cheeks burning with embarrassment and shame at being kicked out. I can't believe Merle convinced me to even peek at that stupid dance. I don't belong there. Everyone inside that place is royal and well mannered. They're nice, and proper. And they're rich and powerful. I'm not any of those. 'Cept nice. I can be nice.
I don't belong. I'll never belong. Stupid Van. He is such a jerk. How can he kiss me, and be so mean? "All of his friends stuck up there nose, and they had a problem with her baggy clothes..." Avril Lavign's Sk8er Boi. Ain't it the truth? I hear footsteps behind me, and snort in disgust. "Lemme guess: commoners aren't allowed in the courtyard either?" "Actually, that's not true." I flinch, and turn around. Van has some balls, talkin' to me after being such a jerk. I plaster on a cold face, mimicking his earlier one. "What do you want? I mean, shouldn't you be at the 'royal function', making disgusted looks at Blake? Or shouldn't you be ignoring me? Or I KNOW you should at least be glued onto that high horse of your's." Van takes a step toward me, and I take one back.
"Hello to you too," he says lamely. I frown. "You've got some nerve, talkin' to me." Van shrugs. "That's me. Nerve's of steel." I look away. "Heart of steel, too." Van flinches at that. I could care less. I turn away, and gaze at the empty streets. "You really hurt my feelings, you know." Van nodds. "I know." I turn around, hands crossed over my chest. "You're a hypocrite and a jerk." Van nodds. "You're right." I sigh, and move towards the fountain. I sit down at the edge of it, and stare at my feet. Sniff. I like these boots.
"I'm sorry for being such a jerk. It's just...Merle's so young, and I don't think I'm ready to see her courting men." Huh? Courting? Oh, he means 'dating'. "Was I invited to the dance?" I ask, my voice shaking. I hear Van sigh. "No." "You really are an ass." Van shrugs. "I know. But the dance wasn't fun anyway. It was too boring. The people were too...stuck-up. They aren't like you." I look up, and Van offers me a small smile. He extends his hand, and I stare at it blankly. "Um, Van? What are you doing?" His smile grows. "Dance with me." I look around. "But there's no music, and I'm not even wearing a dress." Van thinks for a moment. "Do your people wear dresses when they dance?" I shrug. "Sometimes. I don't, though." "Then dance with me." I smile slightly. "But still, there's no music." "We'll make up our own." I slip my hand into Van's, and stand up. I wrap my arms around Van's neck, and he wraps his around my waist.
I don't like to be alone every night. And I don't like to hear I'm wrong when I'm right. And I don't like to, have the rain on my shoes, But I do, love you. But I do love you.
I rest my head on his shoulder as we sway, and let out a sigh. I could get used to this. I close my eyes, and listen to Van's heartbeat. It's a slow, strong, steady rhythm.
I don't like to see the sky painted grey. And I don't like when nothin's goin' my way. And I don't like to be the one with the blues But I do love you. But I do love you.
Van kisses the top of my head lightly, and tightens his hold on me. I smile softly, loving this moment.
I love everything about the way you're lovin' me. The way you lay your head upon my shoulder when you sleep. And I love to kiss you in the rain. I love everything you do. Oh I do.
I open my eyes, and see Merle and Blake standing at the doorway. Merle waves, and gives me a thumbs-up. I smile, and wave. Blake hooks an arm around Merle's neck, and kisses her cheek. The cat-girl blushes, and scampers back inside.
And I don't like to turn the radio on, Just to find I missed my favorite song. And I don't like to be the last thing to lose, But I do love you. But I do love you.
I nuzzle Van's neck, and can tell he's blushing. I can feel Van's swaying begin to slow, and we stop moving completely. We just hold eachother. (A.N.-AWWWWW!!!!) "I don't know how you can breathe in all that leather," Van whispers into my ear, and I laugh. "Neither do I," I whisper back. I pull away slightly, and look up at the Mystic Moon. Wonder if the Esca-fans are angry that I don't have any Dilly moments in this ep. (A.N.- Don't worry! There will be in the next one!) "Do you miss your home?" I smile, and look at him. "Of course. But since I'm here, I'm gonna live it up." I give Van a light kiss, and rest my head on his shoulder again.
But I do love you. But I do love you...
2 Be Continued...
By Siren
Awwwww! That last chapter had some fluffiness at the end. This episode is basically gonna allow the characters to have a little down-time and relaxation. They've earned it, ne? Anywho, be sure for some more waffiness up ahead. Oh, and Merle's gonna meet the new character I have for her. So, be prepared for some Nikki/Van moments, and Merle/Mystery person moments. ENJOY MINNA-SAN!!!!!!!!!! P.S.- It occurs to me that I haven't done a disclaimer yet. Okay, I obviously don't own any of Escaflowne's characters, except for myself, and the mystery guy. Also, I don't own any of Avril Lavign's songs, or LeeAnne Rhymes'. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Day to Ourselves
(Nikki's POV)
Mmm...I open my eyes to find myself laying in Van's lap. Blushing, I look up at the young king. His eyes are closed, his breathing even. He fell asleep here? I smile, and take one of his hands. Holding it, I close my eyes once more.
(Van's POV)
I open my eyes, knowing it's morning. I'm about to get up, when I feel a certain weight on my lap. Blushing, I glance down, and see her asleep, holding my hand. I can't believe I fell asleep here. What if someone sees us? I swallow, and remove my hand from her's. Lifting her up, I gently lay her down next to me. I stand up, and stretch my sore muscles. Falling asleep like that is definetly not good for the back. "Van-sama!" I smile and turn around to find Merle flying into my arms. "Morning Merle." Merle smiles, and glances at the sleeping form. "How's she doing?" she asks. During her stay here, Nikki and Merle had become somewhat close.
"She'll be fine. I think she's exhausted form her little adventure." Hmph. The adventure that almost got her killed. I know my face has darkened, but I can't help it. Despite her explanation, I still have no idea what she was thinking. Females. The eternal mystery. Sighing, I shake my head. "She was so foolish, thinking she could stop Zaibach on her own." Merle punches my arm lightly. "She did it for you and for Gaea, Van-sama. Don't be so angry with her. After all, you went after Zaibach on your own, remember?" I flinch, remembering. "Yeah, well..." Merle smiles. "Hey, Van- sama?" "Hm?" Merle has that look on her face. The look that says 'I'm up to something'. "How about you take her out to the town. You two can relax for once. You know, show her the sights, explain a little about Gaea. Have a good time."
I have to smile at that. "Well, we don't want any spies from Zaibach to recognize her, so she'll have to wear a dress," I say, smirking at the thought. The girl absoultely HATED dresses. As though she heard me, she whimpers from the bed. "I'm going to go get breakfast and talk to Millerna about finding a dress." Merle nodds, and jumps onto the bed, curling up next to Nikki. Her breathing evens out, and a light purr is heard. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Back to MY POV ^_^)
I open my eyes again to find Van gone, and the cat-girl in his place. She looks so innocent when she's sleeping. Heh. Better wake her up before I forget her clepto problem. "Merle?" She doesn't stir. I smile mischeviously. I take the glass of water from my nightstand, and let a drop fall onto her nose. She mumbles something, but remains asleep. "That was your warning, Merle. Now for your wake up call." I pour the glass of water onto her face, and her eyes snap open. She thrashes about, and sends me tumbling off the bed in a fit of giggles.
"Y-you should've seen your f-face! HAHAHAHAHA!" I look up at the bed, and see a pair of narrowed eyes. "Grrrrr..." My smile disappears as she gets a menacing look in her eyes. "Come on! It was just a joke!" She ignores me...and pounces. I shriek, stand up, and run out of the room. It's hard to breathe, run, and laugh at the same time. I can hear Merle running on all fours. "No fair! I can't run on all fours!" I recieve a hiss in reply. I dark into the dining room, and get tackled to the ground. Merle's messing up my already ridiculous hair, and I burst into laughter. "Well, I see you're feeling better this morning." I look up, and see Van sitting in a chair. I nodd, and try to pry the cat off of me. "Van, call of your cat- girl!" Van's about to, but Merle steals my amber necklace. My face darkens, and I growl. "Wrong move, clepto." I lauch myself at the cat, her eyes wide.
Allen and Gaddess walk in, and smirk. "Twenty says the cat wins." Allen nods. "You're on." I have Merle in a choke hold when Van pulls us apart. Allen holds me back as I claw at the little thief. "Van, tell her to give me back my necklace!" Van cocks an eyebrow at her. "Merle, give her back her necklace." Merle smiles innocently, and hands it to me. Now Van looks at me somewhat nervously. "Um, well, I wanted to take you sight- seeing today..." I smile. "Really?! That'd be so cool!" Van pales at what he's about to say next. "The thing is, there might be Zaibach spies, so we'll have to disguise you..." Now it's my turn to pale. I look up at the blonde knight, who smiles. Not...a....dress.... I thrash in Allen's arms, and try to escape. "No! I would rather die than wear a dress!" Allen begins to drag me towards a smiling princess and her maid. My eyes widen, and I struggle harder. He pulls me out of the room, and Van's trying hard not to smile.
"YOU WON'T TAKE ME ALIVE!!!!!!!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They took me alive.
Ugh. I HATE dresses! But, I'm wearing one. Allen and Millerna are wearing a few bruises though. But here I am, wearing a dress. They said I could have my old clothing back at the end of the day. The dress they made me wear is white, with a plunging neckline.They somehow managed to pull my short hair into a bun, but let a few ringlets fall to the side of my face. Despite their arguments, I chose a pair of white boots to wear. You can't tell anyway, since the freakin' dress covers everything. The dress is light, but BINDING. I don't know how people are supposed to breathe in these contraptions. White gloves that reach my elbow cover my hands. Darn. And I was gonna use these hands to rip this dress to shreds.
I cross my arms over my chest, and walk back into the dining hall. Leaning against the wall, I frown. "Van Fanel, you will pay for this," I say. Van turns to me, and his eyes widen. Merle does the same, but smiles. I walk over to Van, and try my best not to trip. "Van Fanel, I haven't worn a dress in YEARS. Once this day is over, I'm gonna pound your face into a whole new shape." Despite my threats, Van smiles tenderly. Dammit. I hate it when he does that. How am I supposed to stay mad at him when he does that? I glance down at the dress uncomfortably. "I mean, a dress is so...girly. How am I supposed to run and fight in this?" Van puts his hands on my shoulders. "Ah, but that's the point. There will be no running or fighting today." I sigh. "Fine. But if anyone finds out that I wore this, than I'm gonna do something drastic." Merle giggles. "Don't worry. No one would recognize you. After all, you're the one that likes to wear men's clothing."
"If this dress wasn't so friggin' constricting, you'd be unconcious right now," I growl. Van wraps my hand in his, and leads me towards the door. Millerna smiles painfully, and touches one of the bruises on her face. I shrug. "Sorry 'bout the bruises, guys!" I giggle at Allen's messed up hair as I leave. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wow. This place is pretty, once ya get the chance to look at it. I stumble over the long dress, much to my embarrassment. Merle giggles behind me, and I glare at her. "Stupid cat," I mutter. I grab a fistfull of dress, and continue to walk. Van guides me to a building that resembles a stable, and dun dun dun...it is a stable! "Have you ever ridden before?" I nodd and smile brightly. "Are you kidding me?! I practically LIVE on horses!" (A.N- Hey Jenn, I go riding every thursday, but last week the horse stepped on my foot and broke 3 of my toes! Oh well. Only makes me love those horses even more! ^_^) Van leads out a horse, and I frown. Where's mine? Or his? Oh. We're riding together. I smile nervously. Okay, I hope he doesn't go too fast, 'cause I only cantered once.
Van gets on, and pulls me up. I wrap my arms around his waist, and I smile at Merle. She's talking to some cat-guy, and...Hey, a cat-GUY???? He's kinda cute, I suppose. He's got large, green eyes, ruffled blue hair, and a nice body. Huh? Is Merle blushing????? Awwwww!!! "Looks like Merle made a new friend," I say. Van looks at his feline companion, and narrows his eyes. "That's Blake. He's been somewhat of a troublemaker." I shrug. "I cause trouble and ya still like me." The horse starts walking, and I can see Van clenching the reins tightly. "But you're different," he argues. I cock an eyebrow. "How so?" Van looks frustrated. "You just are." I frown. "Okay, so you know the kid's name, and that he's caused some trouble. So, you just brand him the 'bad guy'?" Van huffs in aggrivation, but I don't care. "Listen, I wanted to take you out for a nice time today. Can you please not ruin it?" I flinch, and jerk backwards. EXCUSE ME? I snort in disgust, and hop off the horse. Not a smart move. The horse steps on my ridiculously long dress, and it rips, leaving my legs bare. Fine. All the better for me to stomp off.
"Nicole, where are you going?" I don't bother to turn around. "I'm going back to the castle, where people don't judge someone when they don't even know them." I can just imagine Van rolling his eyes at that. Merle's stopped talking to Blake, and looks at us, confused. "What's going on?" I jerk a thumb back at the angry Van. "Why don't you ask the 'I'm a hypocrite' King!" With that, I stomp off. I can hear Merle yelling at Van as I do. "What'd you do to her THIS time?!" "Nothing!" A huff from Merle. "Yeah, right! You were supposed to help her RELAX today!" "Oh, and you seem to be doing enough relaxing for the both of us!" A growl from Merle. Or is it Van? "And what is THAT supposed to mean?" A huff from Van. "Nevermind. If anybody asks, I'll be in town." Van stomps away. Fine. Whatever. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grr. I cannot believe that Van. 'Mr. High and Mighty.' Feh. 'Oh, if anybody asks, I'll be in town.' Yeah. Moping and scowling. Wait. I'm scowling. Okay, then he'll be moping. I stomp back into the castle, dress torn and ruined, my hair slipping out of its elegant bun and ringlets. Millerna looks at me with Allen, eyes wide. "Nicole, what are you doing back so soon?" I growl in response. "If anybody asks, tell them I'm not here." With that, I walk to my room, and slam the door.
Sniff. Oh great. I'm gonna cry. Just what I need. Ick. I absolutely despise crying. Even when no one's looking. Someone's knocking at my door. "Go away or face the curse of the Mystic Moon!" Heh. Sounds like something out of a Sailor Moon episode. I never did understand how Darien could put up with that ditzy little self-absorbed blonde. Hell, Reenie was more mature than her. "Chibi-Moon was cool," I mumble. "It's Allen." I snort. Great. Just who I wanted knocking at my door. I don't wanna talk to anyone. Okay, I do wanna talk to someone and vent about Van. "Fine. Come in, but you've been warned." The door opens, and Allen walks in. "I take it that this afternoon didn't go very well." Feh. Give the boy a prize.
"Gee, whatever gave you that idea?" Allen ignores my sarcasm and sits beside me on my bed. Allen looks at me. "What happened?" I snort. "You mean besides that arrogant, egotistical. self-centered, Mr. Macho attitude King ruining everything? Nothing." Allen smirks. "Isn't that a bit harsh?" I frown. Who's side is he on? "No. I mean, Van's a complete hypocrite. Okay, so Merle met this guy, Blake, and Van's all 'he's a troublemaker'. And I'm like, 'but so am I,' and he's all, 'but you're different'. God that guy just pisses me off sometimes!" Allen smiles slightly. "Van is very protective of Merle. Like a big brother. To him, no one's good enough for her." Hmph. "Whatever." I sigh, and bury my face against the pillow. Allen puts a sympathetic hand on my shoulder. "It takes a lot to tolerate Van, I suppose." "You have no idea," I groan. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's been a few hours since Allen left, and I'm sitting by the window. I frown. Van has managed to completely ruin my day. I need to blow off some steam. I walk over to my closet, take out my old attire, and put it on. There's a knock at my door. Again. I roll my eyes. "No one's here!" I shout, and realize how stupid that sounded. "It's Merle." My face softens, and I open the door. My eyes widen. Merle's dressed in a beautiful gold dress that brings out her eyes. "Merle, you look great!" She smiles, and curtsies. "Why aren't you dressed up?" I glance down at my leather pants, dagger, and shirt. Yeah, this definetly wasn't anything formal. I shrug. "Because I'm not going anywhere." Merle frowns. "But there's a ball tonight, and you have to come!" I shake my head, and loose strands of red hair fall infront of my eyes. "No thanks. I'm not feeling very...formal tonight. But have a good time with Blake," I wink. Merle blushes furiously.
"Please go! PLEASE!!!" She grabs my wrist tightly, her eyes pleading. I cave. "Fine. But I'm not changing. No more dresses." Merle jumps up and down, and nodds. "Okay. C'mon!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The ball is beautiful. Hell, everything and everybody is beautiful. I spot Millerna and Allen danving. Allen's in his normal attire, and Millerna's wearing a light, pink, silk dress. Her hair is gold and draped around her shoulders, making her look older. Merle runs off to find Blake, and I spot the two hugging. I smile at them, and wave. Merle waves back, but looks beyond me. Someone walks into the room, and I see that it's Van, dressed nicely. He's wearing black pants, and a black shirt with Fanalia's emblem on it. All in all, everybody looks fancy. 'Cept me. I'm...crappy looking. Maybe I should've worn a dress after all. Suddenly, I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn around to face a snobby-looking guy.
"No commoners are allowed to attend this royal function." I shrug his hand off. I glance over at Van, hurt. He didn't tell them about me? I lock eyes with Van for a moment. His eyes are cold, as usual. I turn back to the snobby guy and nod. "Sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt anything. I should know my place by now." I push past him, and hear him mutter 'troublemaker'. Yup, that's me. I so don't belong there. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I make my way to the courtyard. It's deserted. All of the important people are inside, having a good time. "Live it up," I mutter. I wrap my arms around myself, my cheeks burning with embarrassment and shame at being kicked out. I can't believe Merle convinced me to even peek at that stupid dance. I don't belong there. Everyone inside that place is royal and well mannered. They're nice, and proper. And they're rich and powerful. I'm not any of those. 'Cept nice. I can be nice.
I don't belong. I'll never belong. Stupid Van. He is such a jerk. How can he kiss me, and be so mean? "All of his friends stuck up there nose, and they had a problem with her baggy clothes..." Avril Lavign's Sk8er Boi. Ain't it the truth? I hear footsteps behind me, and snort in disgust. "Lemme guess: commoners aren't allowed in the courtyard either?" "Actually, that's not true." I flinch, and turn around. Van has some balls, talkin' to me after being such a jerk. I plaster on a cold face, mimicking his earlier one. "What do you want? I mean, shouldn't you be at the 'royal function', making disgusted looks at Blake? Or shouldn't you be ignoring me? Or I KNOW you should at least be glued onto that high horse of your's." Van takes a step toward me, and I take one back.
"Hello to you too," he says lamely. I frown. "You've got some nerve, talkin' to me." Van shrugs. "That's me. Nerve's of steel." I look away. "Heart of steel, too." Van flinches at that. I could care less. I turn away, and gaze at the empty streets. "You really hurt my feelings, you know." Van nodds. "I know." I turn around, hands crossed over my chest. "You're a hypocrite and a jerk." Van nodds. "You're right." I sigh, and move towards the fountain. I sit down at the edge of it, and stare at my feet. Sniff. I like these boots.
"I'm sorry for being such a jerk. It's just...Merle's so young, and I don't think I'm ready to see her courting men." Huh? Courting? Oh, he means 'dating'. "Was I invited to the dance?" I ask, my voice shaking. I hear Van sigh. "No." "You really are an ass." Van shrugs. "I know. But the dance wasn't fun anyway. It was too boring. The people were too...stuck-up. They aren't like you." I look up, and Van offers me a small smile. He extends his hand, and I stare at it blankly. "Um, Van? What are you doing?" His smile grows. "Dance with me." I look around. "But there's no music, and I'm not even wearing a dress." Van thinks for a moment. "Do your people wear dresses when they dance?" I shrug. "Sometimes. I don't, though." "Then dance with me." I smile slightly. "But still, there's no music." "We'll make up our own." I slip my hand into Van's, and stand up. I wrap my arms around Van's neck, and he wraps his around my waist.
I don't like to be alone every night. And I don't like to hear I'm wrong when I'm right. And I don't like to, have the rain on my shoes, But I do, love you. But I do love you.
I rest my head on his shoulder as we sway, and let out a sigh. I could get used to this. I close my eyes, and listen to Van's heartbeat. It's a slow, strong, steady rhythm.
I don't like to see the sky painted grey. And I don't like when nothin's goin' my way. And I don't like to be the one with the blues But I do love you. But I do love you.
Van kisses the top of my head lightly, and tightens his hold on me. I smile softly, loving this moment.
I love everything about the way you're lovin' me. The way you lay your head upon my shoulder when you sleep. And I love to kiss you in the rain. I love everything you do. Oh I do.
I open my eyes, and see Merle and Blake standing at the doorway. Merle waves, and gives me a thumbs-up. I smile, and wave. Blake hooks an arm around Merle's neck, and kisses her cheek. The cat-girl blushes, and scampers back inside.
And I don't like to turn the radio on, Just to find I missed my favorite song. And I don't like to be the last thing to lose, But I do love you. But I do love you.
I nuzzle Van's neck, and can tell he's blushing. I can feel Van's swaying begin to slow, and we stop moving completely. We just hold eachother. (A.N.-AWWWWW!!!!) "I don't know how you can breathe in all that leather," Van whispers into my ear, and I laugh. "Neither do I," I whisper back. I pull away slightly, and look up at the Mystic Moon. Wonder if the Esca-fans are angry that I don't have any Dilly moments in this ep. (A.N.- Don't worry! There will be in the next one!) "Do you miss your home?" I smile, and look at him. "Of course. But since I'm here, I'm gonna live it up." I give Van a light kiss, and rest my head on his shoulder again.
But I do love you. But I do love you...
2 Be Continued...