Title: When I Talk To You
Author: Lady of the Ink
Pairing: V/H
Category: Suspense/Romance, with some good angst thrown in for flavor.
Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, but you knew that. I hope. But I do own this story and all the plot twists it contains.
Dedication: To all the reviewers who have taken the time to read this, and tell me what they thought.

Chapter Ten
Do You Know?

As the motley trio made their way through the forest, Corey found himself walking between the two girls. He wondered idly if it was a coincidence, or if one or both of them was deliberately keeping separated from the other. Yukari seemed vaguely unsettled by the cat girl, and Merle couldn't have helped but notice the sideways glances the dark haired girl kept giving her ears and tail. That was reason enough for Merle to keep her distance.

For his part, Corey had no complaints. He had finally managed to squash the urge to laugh, and it had been quiet ever since. The only sounds were their footsteps, the rustling of leaves, and the shuffling of unseen animals. As they left the trees behind and started following a rough path, the stillness began to grate on his nerves. He'd had more than enough silence in the past few months to last him a good long while.

"So, Merle, what exactly is it you do here in Fanelia? I know that you and Van are good friends. Do you work with him, or do you just do . . . whatever?" he asked with a gesture of his hands.

Merle thought for a moment, then, deciding there was no rancor in the question, tried to answer. "Well, when I first came to live with him, I was someone to keep him company. I mean, he had his older brother, but there was the whole king thing, and he didn't have much spare time. So we'd play together and get each other in trouble," she smiled affectionately at the memories. "Over time, we really did become friends. Then when everything happened with Folken and Lord Van's parents . . . Well, we were each pretty much all the other had left."

"Hitomi said you didn't like her much when she first came here." He paused as Merle laughed.

"I made it pretty rough on her. All I knew was that Lord Van liked her, and I wasn't going to let her take him away from me. It took awhile, but I finally realized I was gaining a new friend, not losing an old one. Of course, I didn't get a chance to really tell her that, since it was right before she left to go home."

Sensing more than seeing Merle's sudden insecurity, Corey nudged her shoulder gently with his own. "I wouldn't worry about it too much."

"And why not?" Her voice was faintly defensive; she wasn't used to anyone other than Van reading her moods so easily.

"For starters, I think she already knows. But if you still need to say it, I'm sure you'll get your chance." Without giving her time to respond to that sage bit of wisdom, he went on. "So first you were playmates, then friends. But you still didn't answer my question."

Sighing, she gave him a look that said she was going to let him change the subject this time, but not to expect it to happen again. "Since pretty much everything was destroyed, for a long time, there wasn't much to do besides rebuild. Now that things are finally beginning to take shape, the government is starting to reform. Lord Van has to officially appoint members to the different council seats and things like that, but everyone knows who he's going to pick. It's not like there were all that many to choose from.

"I'm mostly a run around kind of person; delivering orders to the workers, taking them lunch, letting people know when there is going to be a meeting, and things like that." She shrugged. "I also take care of the house, making sure the maid and cook know what to do, which is more work than you'd think. Since a meeting hall was not at the top of the priorities list, they meet at Lord Van's home. That's probably the only reason he let them build one for him in the first place. He'd have been content to sleep outside until everything else was finished."

"Sounds like a good kind of king, if he's willing to put his people before himself. Is he always like that, or only when he's acting in his official capacity?"

Merle tensed visibly and the fur on her tail fluffed out. Corey braced himself for some kind of retribution to an unintentional slight, but surprisingly, none came. She calmed down, then shot him a sly glance from the corner of her eye.

"He loves her, you know. He'd take good care of her."

Corey felt color suffuse his face as he got caught fishing for information. Served him right for trying to be sneaky instead of just asking outright. Merle didn't strike him as someone much got past. "I . . . I didn't mean . . ."

She laughed lightly. "That's okay. I think it's sweet, you looking out for Hitomi like that. After all, isn't that what brother's are supposed to do?" They smiled at each other, both thinking of their relationships with the members of their "families".

"Um, I hate to interrupt this touching moment, but there's something the two of you might want to see." Yukari's voice startled the pair, both having almost forgotten she was there. Turning almost guilty, they looked to where she was pointing.

There, at the bottom of a small rise, sat the young Fanelian king. He was hunched over something he held in his arms. He didn't seem to be moving.

A surge of fear shot through Corey as he caught a glimpse of a familiar brown haired head, barely visible over Van's shoulder. He was running forward before he knew it, Merle close at his side.

"Hitomi!" the cat girl cried, dropping to her knees at Van's side as Yukari moved to the front. Corey made his way to the other side, kneeling to get a look at his sister's face. She just had to be okay . . .

Before anyone could say another word, Van looked up. A tired smile creased his face as he looked at the new arrivals. When he opened his mouth, he only whispered three words. But those three words were spoken with such reverence, they could have been shouted for the impact they held.

"She woke up."

They had headed back to town almost immediately, Hitomi still cradled in Van's arms. He'd explained hearing her voice and following it to her.

"Not too long before you came, she opened her eyes. She seemed really dazed, but she recognized me. I mean, she said my name." He laughed, slightly embarrassed at the emotion they could all hear in his voice. "I just didn't want to move." He shrugged, knowing they would understand.

When they reached the outskirts of town, Merle dashed ahead to grab some supplies. As she had explained before leaving, "The last thing we need to so right now is attract a lot of attention. Three strangers in odd clothing, one of whom is obviously unconscious . . . Not really inconspicuous, if you ask me. Wait here, and I'll be back soon."

It was less than ten minutes later when she returned, three cloaks slung over her arm and a plan in mind. "We'll take turns heading into town. Lord Van and Hitomi will go first, then Yukari and Corey a little while later. I'll sneak back so that no one will see me. That way if anyone asks about Hitomi, you can say it's me, and that I twisted my ankle, or something. So long as you keep her face covered, no one should think anything different. Besides, you're the king. Why would you lie?"

She smirked at her oldest friend, silent testament to the many times she'd heard him do just that. He smiled back, looking more like his old self, before setting off, the now covered Hitomi supported once more against his chest. As she watched him move away, Merle smiled again. It looked like things were working out, after all.

As soon as the two were out of sight, Merle to turned to the remaining members of the group. Yukari had the cloak pulled around her as she held it shut with both hands. Corey was obviously trying to figure out the ties, and not having much luck. One was dangling behind him, just out of reach as he twisted to try and catch it. The other was looped over his ear.

Not even trying to hide her laughter, Merle moved to stand in front of him. Slapping his hands away, she straightened the cloak, lining it up the way it should have been. Retrieving the tie from his ear, she found herself looking up into his eyes. The green depths seemed to shift, the dark color reflecting her own image back at her.

Blinking sharply, she pulled away. Quickly securing the ties, she backed away a few more steps. "I think it's time for you guys to head into town," she told them brightly, hoping they couldn't hear the slight tremble in her voice.

"Merle . . ." Corey began, sounding concerned, but she cut him off.

"You'd better hurry. Van will be waiting for all of us." Turning on her heel, she started off. A few paces away, she threw them a look over her shoulder. Neither had moved. "If you keep that up, I'll beat you back, and I'm taking the long way!" That finally got them moving, but not before Corey's gaze locked with hers. Even across the distance, she could almost feel his unasked question. The first to look away, Merle rushed off in the opposite direction, leaving a bewildered Corey to drift slowly toward the town, Yukari by his side.

As Van made his way into his home, he could barely force himself to look away from Hitomi's face. Even the weight of her in his arms and the warm puffs of breath caressing his cheek weren't enough to assure him she was still there, still fine. Every few seconds he would glance back down, taking in the curve of her cheek, the line of her nose, the way her lashes fanned out beneath her closed eyes.

He walked slowly up the stairs, trying not to jostle her. She seemed to be sleeping soundly and comfortably, something that, if the circles beneath her eyes were any indication, hadn't happened enough recently. A slight frown tugged at his lips as he noticed other changes that had occurred during their time apart. She was thinner now, and her hair, longer now, seemed less vibrant and a few shades darker. From lack of time in the sun?

Van headed right to his own room, knowing the maid that came in daily would have changed the bedding and turned it down for tonight. Laying Hitomi on top of the coverlet, he pulled off her shoes. Merle and Yukari could do the rest when they returned. Until then, Van planned to stay as close as possible, just in case she woke again.

As she sighed in her sleep, then groaned, he took a closer look at her face. A frown hovered on her brow and pulled at her lips. He wondered what she was dreaming of that made her look so lost and unhappy. Van rubbed at his eyes, trying to clear them. Now that he was home and Hitomi was by his side, he felt so tired. It had been a long night, and an even longer couple of months.

Dropping to his knees beside the bed, he clasped her hand between both of his. A tired smile crossed his face as he felt her squeeze it slightly in her sleep. Letting his head fall forward, he rested it on their clasped hands. He'd just close his eyes until the others arrived . . .

Next Chapter: Maybe It Just Doesn't Matter

You can find this fic, and my other one, "Many Voices, All My Own" archived at a perfectly lovely Esca-Fanfic site run by one of my most loyal reviewers, StarSapphireZ. Check it out for a select group of great fics by wonderful authors, the webmistress' own works included.