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.

Chapter Twelve
There Were Times In The Beginning

Corey walked slowly through the town, forcing Yukari to constantly have to stop and wait for him to catch up. He wished she knew the way so he could have a moment alone to think. Something was bothering Merle, and he had a feeling it involved him. He frowned, rubbing at his forehead. He didn't like the thought that he'd done something to upset her without knowing it.

Shaking his head, he began walking faster, quickly passing the older girl. All he had to do was find out what he'd done, and fix it. Somehow.

With a panting Yukari straining to keep up with him, Corey heaved a sigh of relief when the townhouse came into view. Wanting to make sure Hitomi was settled in okay before he went to work on the Merle problem, he went right for the stairs. He knew that Van would take her to his room, though he wasn't exactly sure how he knew.

Shrugging it off, he knocked softly on the door. When there was no answer, he cautiously pushed it open. The sight before him brought a smile to his face, though he would have denied it had anyone called him on it. Hitomi lay on the bed, her tennis shoes in a careless heap at the foot. The young king of Fanelia knelt at the bedside, his head resting on their joined hands.

Not really knowing how to handle the situation, Corey opted for the back-away-and-let-someone-else-deal-with-it route, one he had much practice at. As he went through the doorway in reverse, he bumped not quite gently into something warm. Turning on his heel as quickly as he could, he caught Merle by the arms as she took a stumbling step away.

"Are you okay?" he asked, not releasing her. She blinked up at him, her bright blue eyes slightly unfocused. When she didn't respond, he asked her again, ducking his head to get a better look at her face in the dim light. He hadn't thought he'd hit her that hard . . .

Shaking her head and blinking rapidly, Merle snapped out of her daze. "What? Oh, I'm fine. Sorry about that."

"It was my fault for not watching where I was going." His earlier plan to see what he'd done flashed through his mind, and he decided to bite the bullet. "Look, about earlier, in the woods . . ."

Merle cut him off before he could finish. "Your friend's waiting downstairs in the parlor. I think she might want to know a little more about what's going on. And you'll want to get out of that," she gestured at the cloak he still wore. "While you're doing that, I'll get Lord Van and Hitomi settled in and see about some lunch." Giving him an overly bright smile and no time to reply, she ducked into the bedroom he'd just left. Corey turned, only to find himself face to face with a closed door.

"I'm never gonna figure her out," he muttered to himself as he went to the stairs. Surprisingly, the thought didn't leave him as depressed as it should have. He even found himself laughing a little as he looked for Yukari. At least this place couldn't be called boring.

Merle shook her head as she delivered a stinging self-directed tirade. "What do you think you're doing? He's just Hitomi's brother. There's no reason to feel strange around him," she muttered softly as she waited for the footsteps of the boy in question to recede.

When she was sure he was gone, she darted from the room, heading to her own. Once there, she quickly found a nightgown that would fit Hitomi and returned to Van's room. Neither of the two sleeping people had moved, and Merle silently plotted a course of action.

Moving to the trunk that sat at the foot of the bed, Merle pulled out a spare blanket. Closing the lid, she paused to scoop up the shoes that lay on the floor and set them on top. Kneeling, she gently shook Van's shoulder, jumping back quickly as he jerked awake. Dodging the arm that lashed out in a lopsided half circle, Merle waited for him to fully wake up.

He blinked a few times, then knuckled roughly at his eyes. Squinting mid-yawn, his gaze landed on the cat girl perched at the foot of the bed. "Merle?" he mumbled, looking confused. Suddenly, his eyes widened and all signs of sleepiness vanished from his face. Whipping his head around so quickly his neck cracked in protest, Van seemed to drink in the sight of Hitomi.

Merle watched as his face softened and the smallest hint of a smile curved his lips. He looked truly happy for the first time in a long time. She smiled as well, glad to see her old friend returning. A few minutes passed before she remembered that she was supposed to be getting lunch together.

Clearing her throat, she waited as Van reluctantly pulled his eyes from Hitomi's sleeping face. "Out," she ordered, pointing to the door. When he opened his mouth to protest, she held up the nightgown. "She's been outside all night in those clothes; I think she'd be more comfortable in this."

Van nodded, getting slowly to his feet. He plodded away, stopping every few steps to cast a glance back at the resting girl. Merle heaved an exaggerated sigh as she rolled her eyes. "You can come back in as soon as I'm done. Which will never happen if you don't leave to start with!" She made a shooing motion with her hands, struggling to contain a giggle. Van had been much too serious lately, always trying to be the perfect ruler. Seeing him now with the dejected look he wore making him appear several years younger, she felt a bubble of happiness rise within her.

Quickly trading Hitomi's rumpled outfit for the nightgown, Merle carefully put the older girl under the covers. For a long moment, she looked at her old friend's face, cataloguing all the changes, much the same way as Van had. She sighed, and then squared her shoulders. Hitomi was here, and whatever had made her get sick wouldn't stand a chance against all the friends who'd be fighting for her to get well. Merle nodded once, that plan firm in her mind.

She crossed to the door, pulling it open to reveal Van slumped against the other wall. When he looked up, she smiled at him. Motioning for him to precede her into the room, she followed as he went straight to the side of the bed.

"Lord Van," she said, forcing him to turn slightly. She tossed him the quilt he had retrieved earlier, watching as he looked at it, obviously confused. Seeing the weariness that even his exhilaration over Hitomi's return couldn't hide, Merle went right to the heart of the matter. "We both know that you don't intend to leave this room. We also know that you're about two minutes from dropping in your tracks. You'd probably be asleep before I left the room. So you're just going to lay down, and get some sleep."

She watched the expressions cross his face as he tried to choose between the need to be close to Hitomi and the propriety of the situation. Crossing her arms, she waited patiently for him to come to the decision that was practically inevitable. Sure enough, it was only a matter of moments before he was pulling the quilt around his shoulders and taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

She waited until he was comfortably settled, Hitomi's hand once more enclosed in his own before she quit the room. Since everyone knew the story between the two of them and what they'd put themselves through the past several months, there was no question of impropriety. She doubted either of them would be moving for a while.

As she passed the study, she heard the soft sounds of conversation. Apparently Corey had caught up that Yukari girl. Unconsciously lightening her steps, Merle crept to the kitchen. Though technically there was a cook employed fulltime, having her cook for two people who were rarely home seemed a bit wasteful. Add in the differences in the times they ate each night and it became downright extravagant. So most nights Merle would whip up something fast and easy for Van and herself. Only when there were meetings planned was the cook actually called in.

As she took a quick inventory of the available provisions, she gave silent thanks that the older woman still saw to stocking the pantry every few days. Goodness knew Merle had little time or inclination to do the shopping herself. Even though the Fanelian people were mostly occupied by rebuilding their businesses and lives, a few still found time to keep up the old intolerances. Forcing herself to let her anger at their narrow-mindedness go, she set about making a simple lunch for the three people still awake.

By the time she had a plateful of sandwiches and some quickly tossed together soup, she was almost in a good mood. Surveying the remains of the supplies, she pulled a face. It was clear that someone would need to make a trip to the market before breakfast the next morning if they wanted to feed the extra people. Knowing that Van would refuse to leave Hitomi, and that Corey and Yukari would be too conspicuous, she resigned herself to the dreaded task.

Setting the food onto a large tray with dishes and utensils, she carefully made her way through the hall. When she reached the study, there was silence from within. Hoping that she hadn't gone to the trouble of cooking for people who'd disappeared, she turned to push the door open with her shoulder. She found Yukari and Corey both slumped into chairs, staring at the cold remains of the previous night's fire.

Corey jumped to his feet at her entrance, and then set to work clearing a spot on the desk for her to set the tray. Merle avoided meeting his gaze, still bewildered over the feelings from earlier. There was just something about him that made her feel uncharacteristically self-conscious.

As the three teens took their food and found seats, a thick silence fell over the room. Judging by the amount of squirming and clearing of throats, no one was immune to its weighty presence. When Merle couldn't force herself to swallow another bite past the tight feeling in her throat, she broke the silence.

"So, the two of you had a long talk?"

Yukari nodded, evidently willing to say anything to keep the stifling quiet at bay. "Yeah. It's all really hard to believe. To think that there's this whole world so close, and almost no one knows about it. It would be front page news for weeks, not that anyone would believe a word of it if we tried to tell them."

Merle felt herself tense a little the implications of the red haired girl. Hitomi had understood that Gaea and the Mystic Moon wouldn't deal well with each other. They were too different; each world had its own beliefs and many people willing to destroy anything that tried to disprove those beliefs. Just the thought of what some Gaeans would do to the "evil" people of the other world sent a shiver down her spine. Never mind if it was the other way around.

Something, maybe the way he had spoken, or just how much he seemed to be like Hitomi made Merle think Corey would agree with his older sister. There would be no attempts at reconciling the two planets from his corner. She also had a feeling that Yukari was just voicing a thought out loud; she had no intentions of taking it further than that. Even so, Merle felt stressed. Trying to change the subject, she stood, brushing some crumbs from the front of her dress.

"Well, I've got some things to do before I call it an early night." She gathered the dirty dishes, stacking them back on the tray with efficient movements. There wasn't anything she really had to do, but anything was better than sitting here trying to make idle conversation. "I have to hit the market early tomorrow to get things for breakfast."

"Do want me to come along?" Corey asked. Merle quickly turned him down.

"No, no. I'll be fine. Someone will be by tomorrow afternoon with the regular delivery, so we don't actually need that much. I'll be there and back in no time. Plus someone has to keep an eye on Lord Van and Hitomi." Offering a small smile, she hefted the tray and headed out of the room. Pausing by the door, she added, "Yukari, you can take my room tonight; I'll find a spot to sleep. Corey, you can just use the guest room again." Without looking back, she left.

Van had closed his eyes to try and get to sleep, but his mind refused to let him forget that Hitomi lay inches away. Turning onto his side, he stopped fighting the urge to look at her. Whatever dreams had haunted her before seemed to be gone now, leaving her face calm. He held his breath as she shifted in her sleep, sending a lock of hair slipping across her forehead. Unable to resist, he reached out to brush it back into place.

He had just brushed the tress with the tips of his fingers when he saw a flash of green. He froze when he realized that Hitomi had opened her eyes and was looking at him. Dropping his hand, he felt himself redden at getting caught.

For a long moment, neither of them moved. They just lay there, looking at each other. Hitomi was the first to speak.

"Hi," she whispered in a voice rusty with disuse.

"Hi," Van managed. He relaxed slightly when she smiled at him. Before he knew she was moving, Hitomi had raised a hand to lay along the side of his face. Her thumb followed the line of his cheekbone, her touch the elusive brush of a butterfly's wing. "You should still be asleep," he told her in a thick voice.

"I wanted to make sure you were real." Her smile was soft and tinted with pain. "You don't know how many times I dreamed you were right next to me, only to have you be gone when I opened my eyes. I'm glad you're still here."

"Me, too." Before he could say anything, a yawn caught him off guard. Hitomi giggled.

"Tired?" He smiled sheepishly and nodded, unconsciously keeping the movement slight enough to avoid dislodging her hand. "You look it." Her finger moved to trace the bruised-looking skin under his eye. "Okay, let's go to sleep."

Van's eyes widened and he stiffened with surprise as she scooted closer to him on the bed, flipping onto her side facing him. Her hand left his cheek to slide over his shoulder and down his arm, coming to rest at his waist. Her other arm was bent, her hand pillowing her cheek.

Moving slowly, unsure of her reaction, Van shifted his hand to mirror her position. As it curved around her waist, she sighed in apparent pleasure, her eyes fluttering shut. A feeling of content crept over him as he heard her breathing deepen, felt her arm slacken against him. It wasn't too long before his own eyes began to close.

They slept.

After pointing out Merle's room to Yukari, Corey retired to his own room. Sprawling out on his back on the bed, he stared at the shadow-drenched ceiling. Merle's quick departure reeked of retreat. She had seemed kind of tense, too, like something was bothering her.

He sighed, flinging an arm up to cover his eyes. She just didn't seem to be acting like the Merle Hitomi had described to him. Brief flashes of that hyper, exasperating girl shone through from time to time, but she never stayed long. At least not when he was around to see.

Of all the people Hitomi had spoken of to him, she was the one he had wanted to meet the most. Not just because she was half cat; no, it was more than that. She had managed to annoy Hitomi beyond words, and yet still become very important to her. It was the contradictions of her personality that intrigued him.

When the vision had shown her in danger, he'd been more upset than reason said he should have been. So what if she was a friend of his sister's? So was Van, and he hadn't felt half so worried about him. There was just something . . .

Growling at himself, Corey rolled onto his stomach, burying his head in his pillow. This was crazy, staying up all night thinking about a girl who probably hadn't given him two thoughts since they met. But he couldn't help it. Coming to a decision, he gave the pillow a few good thumps. First thing in the morning, he was going to have a nice talk with a certain pink haired individual if he had to tie her to a chair to do it.

Next Chapter:When You Were There