The Ties That Bind
By Siren
Konnichiwa, minna-san!!!! So, the last ep was kinda cute. And Merle's gotta a boyfriend!!!!!! ^_^ Anywho, this ep will focus mainly around Millerna/Allen, and Merle/Blake. This will also be written in third person, except for when some characters get their own POV shots. There will also be some appearances by Folken, Dilly, and Dornkirk. I'm still keeping the origional plot for the Escaflowne series, with the power of Atlantis. So......I hope everyone likes my series so far. ENJOY MINNA- SAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! P.S.- This story is rated PG-13, so there will be suggestive stuff, but nothing explicit! ^_^ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Torn
The sun was rising, but Merle had been awake for hours. She had met Blake, the nice stable boy. (Though she knew Van thought differently.) Van hadn't been too happy about her new friend, but Nikki braught him around. They can both be so stubborn sometimes. The young feline knew that Van cared about her, but if he didn't change his attitude he was going to lose her. Merle had caught the nice moment that Van shared with Nikki that night. The two were off in their own little world after she was kicked out of the dance. Merle's fur bristled at the memory. Some people can be so mean! Nikki had caught a nice moment of her own. She caught Blake give Merle a kiss. On the cheek though. A blush spread across Merle's cheeks. Blake was a nice, funny, and sarcastic boy. He was perfect.
But part of her still loved Van. She knew that she never had a chance, especially with the girl from the Mystic Moon here. But the feline had spent her childhood pining for the young king, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to give it all up. She sighed, and walked over to her door. She peeked into the hallway, seeing if anybody was awake. Sure enough, a red-head poked her head out of...Van's room?! Nikki had spent the night in his room?! They couldn't have...could they? No. No way. Van would never do that unless he was married. The red-head wasn't wearing her corset though, just the light cotten shirt. (A.N.-I still have the rest of my outfit on, though!) Just as she got a foot into the hallway, two hands snaked around her waist and pulled her back in.
Merle's ears twitched as she listened to the conversation.
"Van Fanel, are you TRYING to give me a heart attack?!" "It's too early to be up and about." "Hey, if the sun's up, so am I." "Must be some wierd Mystic Moon thing." "'Scuse me?" "Nevermind." "Whatever." "I'm goin' back to bed." "........Hey! Save me some covers!" "You hog the covers." "I do not!" "Do too." "Van Fanel, don't start with me today." "...." "...." "....do too." WHACK! "OW! Nikki, what was that for?!" "I warned you. ^_^" ".....females." ".....Kings."
Merle giggled. Tossing on her usual attire, the cat-girl scampered into the hallway and banged on Van's door. She was rewarded with two high pitched yelps.
"What the hell was that?!"
"How should I know? Give me some covers." "No! Mine!" "C'mon, it's too early. Don't you ever sleep?" "No." "Well...sleep." "Vaaaannnn! Get up and walk around or something!" "Too early." "....Please....?" "............." "......pretty please...?" ".......fine." "YAY! Let's go running!^_^" "0.0 Are you kidding me?" ".....please...?" "Oh no, not that again." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Millerna awoke to hear someone running around, and someone whining. Sighing, she sat up and stretched. Her guests seemed determined to make her sleep-deprived. Standing up, she made her way to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Ugh. Her blonde hair had lost its normal shimmer, and hung limply on her shoulders. "Completely unacceptable for a princess..." she muttered. With a snap of her fingers a maid arrived. "Fill the tub with warm water please, and bring me a fresh towel and my clothing." The maid nodded. "Would you like some assistance when you bathe?" Frowning, Millerna shook her head. "That won't be neccessary." The maid nodded. "Yes m'lady," she said and left.
The maid returned moments later, and filled the tub. With a curtsie, she left. Millerna closed the door, stripped herself of her clothing, and stepped into the water. With a sigh, she sat down. Ever since she noticed the way Allen admired the red-head, she decided to be become independant. She saw the way Allen liked strong, independant women. She smirked. "I never would've expected that..." Allen had always seemed to fancy the helpess maidens in distress. She flicked some water as she pondered. "That red-head's just something new. Maybe he'll get over this phase soon." She hoped. She didn't like this 'independant woman' thing. She was used to being pampered.
She smirked, recalling her first confrontation with the angry girl.
"Um, you. Carry Allen's bags, would you?" The red-head twitched, her eyes narrowed. "Um, princess, I'm not a maid and I'm not a servant. God gave you two arms, carry them yourself. I mean, you should be happy to, seeing as how you worship the ground he walks on anyway."
The princess stared at the girl as though she was an alien. No commoner or royalty had ever dared to talk to her in such a manner! Just who did she think she was?!
"For that rudeness you shall be punished." The red head stared at her, unfazed. "For your stupidity, no wonder you're single." Millerna's eyes widened at the insult. "Who do you think you are?!" The girl shrugged. "Smarter and more capable than you."
By now Allen's crew was staring at them in shock.
Enraged, the princess grabbed the girl's arm, feeling the red-head's muscles tense. "What is your name?" she demanded. "My name is Nicole, and if you EVER put your hands on me again, they'll be ripped from your arms, got it?" With that, Nicole tore her arm from Millerna's grasp, and walked away.
Millerna smiled. After that, she and Nicole had become friends. Somewhat, anyway. She assured her that she had no feelings other than friendship for Allen, much to Millerna's relief. Besides, Nicole had already snagged herself a King. Pretty good for a ruffian. With that, the hime took a bottle, and poured the substance into her hand. She lathered it into her hair, and rinsed. "This independant thing isn't so bad..." Taking another bottle, she squeezed the substance into her hand, and ran it over her skin. It smelled of lavender, like her hair usually smelled like.
Wait a minute.
If the lavender stuff was supposed to go on her hair, than what did she put in her hair? Eyes wide with panic, she got out of the tub, grabbed a towel, and looked in the mirror. Upon seeing her reflection, she screamed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nikki had just tackled Van to the ground with a giggle, when a scream echoed through the castle. The 'ruffian' sat up, and cocked an eyebrow. "What the hell was that?" Van sat up, and frowned. "I have no idea." With a shrug, Nikki hooked an arm around Van's neck, and rested her head on his shoulder. "Well, seeing as how we're the good guys, we should probably go see." Van nodded. "Right. We should." Nikki stood up and walked over to the door, smoothing her shirt. "We should...even though the guards could probably handle it." She felt Van's chin rest on her shoulder. "They probably could." With a mischevious smile, Nikki spun around and kissed him, closing the door behind them. "Then let them handle it," she said with a smile. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Merle was at the stable with Blake when she heard the scream. Her ears perked at the sound, as did Blake's. "What was that?" Blake shrugged. "Dunno. Wanna go check it out?" Merle smiled, and nodded. "Sure. Race ya," she said with a wink. Together, they bounded towards the castle, smiles plastered onto their faces. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nikki was busy nibbling on Van's ear when there was a knock at the door. Van groaned, and rolled his eyes. "No one's here!" Nikki smirked. "Tried that one. They come in anyway." With a sigh, Van stood up, and walked to the door with Nikki behind him, arms wrapped around his waist. He opened the door to find Allen staring at them in shock. "Uh, I, er," he stammered. Nikki peeked at Allen from behind Van and smiled. "Oh, hey Allen! Um, as you can see we're kinda busy." (A.N.-But still fully clothed!) Allen was speechless, causing Nikki to giggle. "Allen, you are the biggest play-boy on this planet. Don't look so shocked." Allen regained his composure, and nodded.
"Millerna has locked herself in the bathroom," he announced. Nikki and Van gave him blank looks. "Um, so what's the problem?" Allen sighed. "The problem is that she's in the bathroom and won't come out." Nikki frowned. "Oh. I thought she did that all the time." Van sighed and rubbed his forehead. "What do you want us to do about it?" Allen looked uncomfortable. "Well, I was hoping that Nicole could coax her to come out. Or at least get in there to see what happened." Nikki frowned. "You want me to have a girl-talk?" Allen nodded, causing her to groan. "I suck at girl talks! I'm better at sarcasm and insults! Can't someone else do it?" Allen shook his head. "No. Please talk to her." Nikki sighed and nodded. "Fine. But you guys owe me big if she starts crying on my shoulder." With that, the red-head reluctantly left Van's room to take care of the basket-case. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Millerna sniffled as she hugged the towel to her. She was a princess and she couldn't even bathe herself! Her hair was stringy and stiff. She couldn't leave the room looking like, like a ruffian! Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "Go away!" the princess shouted. She was rewarded with a sigh. "Millerna? Are you okay?" Millerna sniffed, and shook her head. "No." Nicole tried to open the door, only to find that it was indeed locked. "Millerna, open up. It's just me." Millerna frowned. "You'll just laugh." She could imagine the red head rolling her eyes in frustration. "Millerna, I won't laugh, okay? Besides, how're you gonna win Allen if you spend the rest of your life in the bathroom?"
Millerna perked up at this. "Fine. You can come in, but only you. And if you laugh, I'll have you hung." She unlocked the door, and Nicole opened it. She closed it behind her, and found Millerna sitting on the edge of the tub. Her face softened at the sight of the miserable hime. "I..I've always had a servant bathe me. I've never done it on my own. I don't know what I put in my hair, but it ruined it." Nicole shook her head and sat beside her. "No it isn't. You probably just put soap in your hair, and I used to do that when I was little." Millerna looked at her from under her hair. "Why would you do a thing like that?" Nicole shrugged. "I was little. Okay, so wanna fix your hair?"
Millerna nodded. "Okay, I'm going to need you to wet your hair again, and rinse all that soap out. Hmm...what does your shampoo usually smell like?" Millerna pointed to the bottle that smelled like lavender, and dunked her head under the water. Nicole smelled the substance and smiled. "Mmm, lavender. I love that smell. Okay, now that we're soap free, I'm gonna need you to put this stuff in your hair and lather it up. Than rinse." Millerna did as she was told. "Okay, now wring out your hair, and dry it with the towel." Millerna did so, pleased to find that her hair looked much better.
"Okay, now sit down infront of the mirror, and give me your hairbrush." Millerna handed her the silver grooming tool, and Nikki stared at it with wide eyes. "Silver? Whoa." She began to brush out the tangles in the young hime's hair, careful not to hurt her. Millerna sniffed, and smiled slightly. "Thanks," she said softly. Nikki smiled. "No problem. I probably wouldn't be able to take care of such long hair. Hence the shortness and messiness of mine." Millerna smiled. "You know, when I did your hair up in that bun, it looked really nice. Van's jaw practically hit the floor when he saw you. The look on his face was worth the bruises." Nikki cringed at the memory. "Sorry about that. But I warned ya."
Once Millerna's hair was brushed and back to its normal shimmer and glamour, she stood up. Nikki handed her the brush. "Now remember, lavender goes in your hair." Millerna laughed lightly. "I'll remember, thank you." Nikki smiled and moved to the door. "Later," she said as she left. Millerna smiled at her retreating form, than proceeded to get dressed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Merle tackled Nikki to the ground as she left Millerna's room. "So what was all the screaming about?" Nikki pushed the feline off and stood up. "Nothing important. She...had a nightmare." Blake pouted at the two women. "Merle never tackles me to the ground..." Merle's ears twitched as she turned around and pounced him. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" Blake smiled. "Uh, nothing." Merle's tail swished in the air. "I thought so." She was about to stand up when Blake hooked his arms around her and gave her a quick, sweet kiss. Merle stared at him, blushing furiously. Nikki hooted from behind them, and clapped. "Get a room you two! No PDA in the hall!" Merle stood up, still blushing. "PDA?" Nikki shook her head, smiling. "Never mind. I'll see you guys later. I have to let Van and Allen know that a crisis has been avoided." With that, the red head turned and walked away.
Merle touched her lips, the sensation he left her still there. "T- that was my first kiss..." Blake's eyes widened. "It was?" She turned around, smiling shyly, and nodded. "It wasn't bad, either," she admitted. Blake smiled proudly, and hooked an arm around her shoulder. "Let's go spy on the village people," he suggested. Merle smiled and wrapped an arm around his waist, laying her head on his shoulder. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The dragon and the source are becoming too close. We must seperate the elements before it's too late," Dornkirk wheezed. Folken nodded, his face nuetral. "Feh. Why don't we just kill the dragon? That would solve everything for us," the pyro grumbled. Folken looked in Dilandau's direction. "Wouldn't it be more simple to destroy the source? Than the dragon would be powerless." Dilandau paled a bit, but gained his composure. "No. The dragon is more of an enemy than that puny girl. Come on Dornkirk- sama, let me kill Van." Dornkirk shook his head. "With the source in the way, the dragon cannot be defeated. Folken is right, we must destroy the source."
Dilandau growled, and stepped foward. "Dornkirk-sama, just give me one more chance to destroy the dragon on my own. If I fail...than I will destroy the source myself." Dornkirk thought for a moment, and nodded. "Alright. But we shall make the task easier for you. Folken, do the sorcerers know of jealousy?" Folken nodded, and knew what the old man was going to suggest. "I'll get right on it sir. Come, Dilandau." Dornkirk smiled as they left. "Soon, the power of Atlantis shall be mine, and the world will fall to its knees in fear."
"You like her, don't you?" Dilandau froze at those words. "Feh. What nonsense are you spounting now, Folken?" The draconian turned to him, a faint smile touching his lips. "You defended her, practically begged for her to be spared. You like the source." Dilandau faught a blush, and looked away. "That has nothing to do with it. I just want to kill Van so we can obtain our ideal future. Besides, I hate the heroic crap that he pulls all the time." Folken chuckled, causing Dilandau to cock an eyebrow. "What's so funny?" he demanded. Folken stopped laughing, and gazed ahead of them. "You're a hypocrite. You say you hate heroics, and yet you're trying to save the source. Tell me Dilandau, why do you love her so much?"
Dilandau was at a loss. "I, I don't...I don't love her. She's just a nuisance, nothing more. I don't care if she lives or dies." Folken sighed, but nodded. "Whatever you say, Dilandau." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nikki crept onto the balcony when she felt a chill roll down her spine. 'I don't understand. It was so warm just a minute ago...' She gasped when she felt something heavy drape over her shoulders. Turning around, she saw Allen behind her, smiling. His coat was draped over her, providing her with warmth. "Um, thanks." Allen nodded, and stood next to her. Feeling a bit nervous, she found herself looking away. "Chilly night, ne?" Nikki nodded, refusing to look at him. She heard him smirk, and glanced his way. "You don't need to worry. I'm not going to try anything. I know that you're with Van."
Something about the mention of his name made her stomach clench. 'What is with me tonight? I've never felt like this before...so why am I feeling so nervous? I don't like Allen in that way, so what is it?' She shivered again, and clutched the coat around her. "Van is...a very complicated guy. Sometimes I don't even know why he likes me, or why I like him. But then..." she trailed off, and looked up at the Mystic Moon. Allen nodded in understanding. "I know what you mean." Removing the coat, she handed it to him. "Thanks," she said again, and left. Allen watched her leave, and smiled faintly. "I know what you mean." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Operation: Seperation is ready to commence!"
Folken nodded. "Folken-sama?" He turned to see Eria looking at him from underneathe her bangs. He smiled gently, and brushed the hair away from her eyes. "It's time," he announced. Holding a piece of Nicole's hair, as well as an unknown's strand of hair, he looked at the feline. "Remember, you are Nicole. You must direct her to Van's chambers, while I enter Van's dreams." Eria nodded, and held the strand of hair tightly.
Folken and Eria closed their eyes, while the machines hummed with energy. 'Hitomi.' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nicole walked down the hallways towards her room, when she felt something tugging at the back of her mind. Something...she couldn't understand. Suddenly, she heard a sweet, soft and sad melody coming from oe of the rooms. She frowned, her brow furrowed. "Van?" Turning around, she walked towards his chamber.
The melody got louder, stronger. 'It's so sad...like someone crying...' She stopped infront of his door, her hand reaching towards the knob. She opened the door, and the music stopped abruptly. "Van?" Stepping inside, she saw that there were no instruments in the room, and that Van was asleep. 'But...than where did the music come from?' Van mumbled something in his sleep, and turned onto his side. Smiling slightly, Nicole walked over to the side of the bed. 'He is so cute when he's sleeping. Wonder what he's dreaming about...' He mumbled it again, and she strained to hear. Than she heard it. It was soft and faint, but she heard it. She gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth, tears welling in her eyes. She felt her heart clench, and ran from the room. Van, oblivious to all that happened, murmered it again.
"...Hitomi..."
2 Be Continued...
By Siren
Konnichiwa, minna-san!!!! So, the last ep was kinda cute. And Merle's gotta a boyfriend!!!!!! ^_^ Anywho, this ep will focus mainly around Millerna/Allen, and Merle/Blake. This will also be written in third person, except for when some characters get their own POV shots. There will also be some appearances by Folken, Dilly, and Dornkirk. I'm still keeping the origional plot for the Escaflowne series, with the power of Atlantis. So......I hope everyone likes my series so far. ENJOY MINNA- SAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! P.S.- This story is rated PG-13, so there will be suggestive stuff, but nothing explicit! ^_^ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Torn
The sun was rising, but Merle had been awake for hours. She had met Blake, the nice stable boy. (Though she knew Van thought differently.) Van hadn't been too happy about her new friend, but Nikki braught him around. They can both be so stubborn sometimes. The young feline knew that Van cared about her, but if he didn't change his attitude he was going to lose her. Merle had caught the nice moment that Van shared with Nikki that night. The two were off in their own little world after she was kicked out of the dance. Merle's fur bristled at the memory. Some people can be so mean! Nikki had caught a nice moment of her own. She caught Blake give Merle a kiss. On the cheek though. A blush spread across Merle's cheeks. Blake was a nice, funny, and sarcastic boy. He was perfect.
But part of her still loved Van. She knew that she never had a chance, especially with the girl from the Mystic Moon here. But the feline had spent her childhood pining for the young king, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to give it all up. She sighed, and walked over to her door. She peeked into the hallway, seeing if anybody was awake. Sure enough, a red-head poked her head out of...Van's room?! Nikki had spent the night in his room?! They couldn't have...could they? No. No way. Van would never do that unless he was married. The red-head wasn't wearing her corset though, just the light cotten shirt. (A.N.-I still have the rest of my outfit on, though!) Just as she got a foot into the hallway, two hands snaked around her waist and pulled her back in.
Merle's ears twitched as she listened to the conversation.
"Van Fanel, are you TRYING to give me a heart attack?!" "It's too early to be up and about." "Hey, if the sun's up, so am I." "Must be some wierd Mystic Moon thing." "'Scuse me?" "Nevermind." "Whatever." "I'm goin' back to bed." "........Hey! Save me some covers!" "You hog the covers." "I do not!" "Do too." "Van Fanel, don't start with me today." "...." "...." "....do too." WHACK! "OW! Nikki, what was that for?!" "I warned you. ^_^" ".....females." ".....Kings."
Merle giggled. Tossing on her usual attire, the cat-girl scampered into the hallway and banged on Van's door. She was rewarded with two high pitched yelps.
"What the hell was that?!"
"How should I know? Give me some covers." "No! Mine!" "C'mon, it's too early. Don't you ever sleep?" "No." "Well...sleep." "Vaaaannnn! Get up and walk around or something!" "Too early." "....Please....?" "............." "......pretty please...?" ".......fine." "YAY! Let's go running!^_^" "0.0 Are you kidding me?" ".....please...?" "Oh no, not that again." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Millerna awoke to hear someone running around, and someone whining. Sighing, she sat up and stretched. Her guests seemed determined to make her sleep-deprived. Standing up, she made her way to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Ugh. Her blonde hair had lost its normal shimmer, and hung limply on her shoulders. "Completely unacceptable for a princess..." she muttered. With a snap of her fingers a maid arrived. "Fill the tub with warm water please, and bring me a fresh towel and my clothing." The maid nodded. "Would you like some assistance when you bathe?" Frowning, Millerna shook her head. "That won't be neccessary." The maid nodded. "Yes m'lady," she said and left.
The maid returned moments later, and filled the tub. With a curtsie, she left. Millerna closed the door, stripped herself of her clothing, and stepped into the water. With a sigh, she sat down. Ever since she noticed the way Allen admired the red-head, she decided to be become independant. She saw the way Allen liked strong, independant women. She smirked. "I never would've expected that..." Allen had always seemed to fancy the helpess maidens in distress. She flicked some water as she pondered. "That red-head's just something new. Maybe he'll get over this phase soon." She hoped. She didn't like this 'independant woman' thing. She was used to being pampered.
She smirked, recalling her first confrontation with the angry girl.
"Um, you. Carry Allen's bags, would you?" The red-head twitched, her eyes narrowed. "Um, princess, I'm not a maid and I'm not a servant. God gave you two arms, carry them yourself. I mean, you should be happy to, seeing as how you worship the ground he walks on anyway."
The princess stared at the girl as though she was an alien. No commoner or royalty had ever dared to talk to her in such a manner! Just who did she think she was?!
"For that rudeness you shall be punished." The red head stared at her, unfazed. "For your stupidity, no wonder you're single." Millerna's eyes widened at the insult. "Who do you think you are?!" The girl shrugged. "Smarter and more capable than you."
By now Allen's crew was staring at them in shock.
Enraged, the princess grabbed the girl's arm, feeling the red-head's muscles tense. "What is your name?" she demanded. "My name is Nicole, and if you EVER put your hands on me again, they'll be ripped from your arms, got it?" With that, Nicole tore her arm from Millerna's grasp, and walked away.
Millerna smiled. After that, she and Nicole had become friends. Somewhat, anyway. She assured her that she had no feelings other than friendship for Allen, much to Millerna's relief. Besides, Nicole had already snagged herself a King. Pretty good for a ruffian. With that, the hime took a bottle, and poured the substance into her hand. She lathered it into her hair, and rinsed. "This independant thing isn't so bad..." Taking another bottle, she squeezed the substance into her hand, and ran it over her skin. It smelled of lavender, like her hair usually smelled like.
Wait a minute.
If the lavender stuff was supposed to go on her hair, than what did she put in her hair? Eyes wide with panic, she got out of the tub, grabbed a towel, and looked in the mirror. Upon seeing her reflection, she screamed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nikki had just tackled Van to the ground with a giggle, when a scream echoed through the castle. The 'ruffian' sat up, and cocked an eyebrow. "What the hell was that?" Van sat up, and frowned. "I have no idea." With a shrug, Nikki hooked an arm around Van's neck, and rested her head on his shoulder. "Well, seeing as how we're the good guys, we should probably go see." Van nodded. "Right. We should." Nikki stood up and walked over to the door, smoothing her shirt. "We should...even though the guards could probably handle it." She felt Van's chin rest on her shoulder. "They probably could." With a mischevious smile, Nikki spun around and kissed him, closing the door behind them. "Then let them handle it," she said with a smile. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Merle was at the stable with Blake when she heard the scream. Her ears perked at the sound, as did Blake's. "What was that?" Blake shrugged. "Dunno. Wanna go check it out?" Merle smiled, and nodded. "Sure. Race ya," she said with a wink. Together, they bounded towards the castle, smiles plastered onto their faces. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nikki was busy nibbling on Van's ear when there was a knock at the door. Van groaned, and rolled his eyes. "No one's here!" Nikki smirked. "Tried that one. They come in anyway." With a sigh, Van stood up, and walked to the door with Nikki behind him, arms wrapped around his waist. He opened the door to find Allen staring at them in shock. "Uh, I, er," he stammered. Nikki peeked at Allen from behind Van and smiled. "Oh, hey Allen! Um, as you can see we're kinda busy." (A.N.-But still fully clothed!) Allen was speechless, causing Nikki to giggle. "Allen, you are the biggest play-boy on this planet. Don't look so shocked." Allen regained his composure, and nodded.
"Millerna has locked herself in the bathroom," he announced. Nikki and Van gave him blank looks. "Um, so what's the problem?" Allen sighed. "The problem is that she's in the bathroom and won't come out." Nikki frowned. "Oh. I thought she did that all the time." Van sighed and rubbed his forehead. "What do you want us to do about it?" Allen looked uncomfortable. "Well, I was hoping that Nicole could coax her to come out. Or at least get in there to see what happened." Nikki frowned. "You want me to have a girl-talk?" Allen nodded, causing her to groan. "I suck at girl talks! I'm better at sarcasm and insults! Can't someone else do it?" Allen shook his head. "No. Please talk to her." Nikki sighed and nodded. "Fine. But you guys owe me big if she starts crying on my shoulder." With that, the red-head reluctantly left Van's room to take care of the basket-case. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Millerna sniffled as she hugged the towel to her. She was a princess and she couldn't even bathe herself! Her hair was stringy and stiff. She couldn't leave the room looking like, like a ruffian! Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "Go away!" the princess shouted. She was rewarded with a sigh. "Millerna? Are you okay?" Millerna sniffed, and shook her head. "No." Nicole tried to open the door, only to find that it was indeed locked. "Millerna, open up. It's just me." Millerna frowned. "You'll just laugh." She could imagine the red head rolling her eyes in frustration. "Millerna, I won't laugh, okay? Besides, how're you gonna win Allen if you spend the rest of your life in the bathroom?"
Millerna perked up at this. "Fine. You can come in, but only you. And if you laugh, I'll have you hung." She unlocked the door, and Nicole opened it. She closed it behind her, and found Millerna sitting on the edge of the tub. Her face softened at the sight of the miserable hime. "I..I've always had a servant bathe me. I've never done it on my own. I don't know what I put in my hair, but it ruined it." Nicole shook her head and sat beside her. "No it isn't. You probably just put soap in your hair, and I used to do that when I was little." Millerna looked at her from under her hair. "Why would you do a thing like that?" Nicole shrugged. "I was little. Okay, so wanna fix your hair?"
Millerna nodded. "Okay, I'm going to need you to wet your hair again, and rinse all that soap out. Hmm...what does your shampoo usually smell like?" Millerna pointed to the bottle that smelled like lavender, and dunked her head under the water. Nicole smelled the substance and smiled. "Mmm, lavender. I love that smell. Okay, now that we're soap free, I'm gonna need you to put this stuff in your hair and lather it up. Than rinse." Millerna did as she was told. "Okay, now wring out your hair, and dry it with the towel." Millerna did so, pleased to find that her hair looked much better.
"Okay, now sit down infront of the mirror, and give me your hairbrush." Millerna handed her the silver grooming tool, and Nikki stared at it with wide eyes. "Silver? Whoa." She began to brush out the tangles in the young hime's hair, careful not to hurt her. Millerna sniffed, and smiled slightly. "Thanks," she said softly. Nikki smiled. "No problem. I probably wouldn't be able to take care of such long hair. Hence the shortness and messiness of mine." Millerna smiled. "You know, when I did your hair up in that bun, it looked really nice. Van's jaw practically hit the floor when he saw you. The look on his face was worth the bruises." Nikki cringed at the memory. "Sorry about that. But I warned ya."
Once Millerna's hair was brushed and back to its normal shimmer and glamour, she stood up. Nikki handed her the brush. "Now remember, lavender goes in your hair." Millerna laughed lightly. "I'll remember, thank you." Nikki smiled and moved to the door. "Later," she said as she left. Millerna smiled at her retreating form, than proceeded to get dressed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Merle tackled Nikki to the ground as she left Millerna's room. "So what was all the screaming about?" Nikki pushed the feline off and stood up. "Nothing important. She...had a nightmare." Blake pouted at the two women. "Merle never tackles me to the ground..." Merle's ears twitched as she turned around and pounced him. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" Blake smiled. "Uh, nothing." Merle's tail swished in the air. "I thought so." She was about to stand up when Blake hooked his arms around her and gave her a quick, sweet kiss. Merle stared at him, blushing furiously. Nikki hooted from behind them, and clapped. "Get a room you two! No PDA in the hall!" Merle stood up, still blushing. "PDA?" Nikki shook her head, smiling. "Never mind. I'll see you guys later. I have to let Van and Allen know that a crisis has been avoided." With that, the red head turned and walked away.
Merle touched her lips, the sensation he left her still there. "T- that was my first kiss..." Blake's eyes widened. "It was?" She turned around, smiling shyly, and nodded. "It wasn't bad, either," she admitted. Blake smiled proudly, and hooked an arm around her shoulder. "Let's go spy on the village people," he suggested. Merle smiled and wrapped an arm around his waist, laying her head on his shoulder. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The dragon and the source are becoming too close. We must seperate the elements before it's too late," Dornkirk wheezed. Folken nodded, his face nuetral. "Feh. Why don't we just kill the dragon? That would solve everything for us," the pyro grumbled. Folken looked in Dilandau's direction. "Wouldn't it be more simple to destroy the source? Than the dragon would be powerless." Dilandau paled a bit, but gained his composure. "No. The dragon is more of an enemy than that puny girl. Come on Dornkirk- sama, let me kill Van." Dornkirk shook his head. "With the source in the way, the dragon cannot be defeated. Folken is right, we must destroy the source."
Dilandau growled, and stepped foward. "Dornkirk-sama, just give me one more chance to destroy the dragon on my own. If I fail...than I will destroy the source myself." Dornkirk thought for a moment, and nodded. "Alright. But we shall make the task easier for you. Folken, do the sorcerers know of jealousy?" Folken nodded, and knew what the old man was going to suggest. "I'll get right on it sir. Come, Dilandau." Dornkirk smiled as they left. "Soon, the power of Atlantis shall be mine, and the world will fall to its knees in fear."
"You like her, don't you?" Dilandau froze at those words. "Feh. What nonsense are you spounting now, Folken?" The draconian turned to him, a faint smile touching his lips. "You defended her, practically begged for her to be spared. You like the source." Dilandau faught a blush, and looked away. "That has nothing to do with it. I just want to kill Van so we can obtain our ideal future. Besides, I hate the heroic crap that he pulls all the time." Folken chuckled, causing Dilandau to cock an eyebrow. "What's so funny?" he demanded. Folken stopped laughing, and gazed ahead of them. "You're a hypocrite. You say you hate heroics, and yet you're trying to save the source. Tell me Dilandau, why do you love her so much?"
Dilandau was at a loss. "I, I don't...I don't love her. She's just a nuisance, nothing more. I don't care if she lives or dies." Folken sighed, but nodded. "Whatever you say, Dilandau." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nikki crept onto the balcony when she felt a chill roll down her spine. 'I don't understand. It was so warm just a minute ago...' She gasped when she felt something heavy drape over her shoulders. Turning around, she saw Allen behind her, smiling. His coat was draped over her, providing her with warmth. "Um, thanks." Allen nodded, and stood next to her. Feeling a bit nervous, she found herself looking away. "Chilly night, ne?" Nikki nodded, refusing to look at him. She heard him smirk, and glanced his way. "You don't need to worry. I'm not going to try anything. I know that you're with Van."
Something about the mention of his name made her stomach clench. 'What is with me tonight? I've never felt like this before...so why am I feeling so nervous? I don't like Allen in that way, so what is it?' She shivered again, and clutched the coat around her. "Van is...a very complicated guy. Sometimes I don't even know why he likes me, or why I like him. But then..." she trailed off, and looked up at the Mystic Moon. Allen nodded in understanding. "I know what you mean." Removing the coat, she handed it to him. "Thanks," she said again, and left. Allen watched her leave, and smiled faintly. "I know what you mean." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Operation: Seperation is ready to commence!"
Folken nodded. "Folken-sama?" He turned to see Eria looking at him from underneathe her bangs. He smiled gently, and brushed the hair away from her eyes. "It's time," he announced. Holding a piece of Nicole's hair, as well as an unknown's strand of hair, he looked at the feline. "Remember, you are Nicole. You must direct her to Van's chambers, while I enter Van's dreams." Eria nodded, and held the strand of hair tightly.
Folken and Eria closed their eyes, while the machines hummed with energy. 'Hitomi.' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nicole walked down the hallways towards her room, when she felt something tugging at the back of her mind. Something...she couldn't understand. Suddenly, she heard a sweet, soft and sad melody coming from oe of the rooms. She frowned, her brow furrowed. "Van?" Turning around, she walked towards his chamber.
The melody got louder, stronger. 'It's so sad...like someone crying...' She stopped infront of his door, her hand reaching towards the knob. She opened the door, and the music stopped abruptly. "Van?" Stepping inside, she saw that there were no instruments in the room, and that Van was asleep. 'But...than where did the music come from?' Van mumbled something in his sleep, and turned onto his side. Smiling slightly, Nicole walked over to the side of the bed. 'He is so cute when he's sleeping. Wonder what he's dreaming about...' He mumbled it again, and she strained to hear. Than she heard it. It was soft and faint, but she heard it. She gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth, tears welling in her eyes. She felt her heart clench, and ran from the room. Van, oblivious to all that happened, murmered it again.
"...Hitomi..."
2 Be Continued...