Disclaimer: If only, but alas, I don't own Esca...
A/N: I'm depressed, school starts tomorrow for me, but oh well, at least ff.net is up now!!!!!!!!!! YAY! To celebrate I'm adding a bunch of chapters tonight! R&R! Thanks! ^_^
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Flashback Chapter 2(23): The Source of Blind Devotion
* 'It's hot, so very hot...' Hitomi thought as she clung to sleep, sweat trickling down her face. 'I... I... smell smoke...' She shot up out of bed and noticed smoke pouring into the room. 'Oh no, not now, not now...' She pleaded. But she knew it was too late... *
"Meru! Meru!" She screamed.
"H-Hitomi..." Came a voice, choked with smoke as an ash covered catgirl emerged from a room. Hitomi took her hand and they ran out of the house.
Hitomi saw that the whole village was in the same state. 'Where are Toku and Vaona?' She wondered, trying to keep her ill thoughts from reaching her common sense.
"MOMMY! DADDY! BROTHER! SISTER! Mommy, Daddy, Where are you?" Was little Meru's desperate plea as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Well, look what we've got here." A drunken brute said, noticing Hitomi.
"You're pretty girl, how bout coming with us?" He asked, pointing at Hitomi as he waved his empty bottle of whiskey around.
Hitomi slapped him hard across the face, pulling Meru behind her.
"I like woman who play hard to get!" He muttered in a drunken stupor.
The other men started to surround Meru muttering things like.
"She's the last one."
"If we kill her we'll be rid of those beast people!"
"Revenge!"
'NOOOOOOOO!' Hitomi's mind screamed as she protected the small catgirl.
Then, a small boy stepped out of the bushes. He looked oddly familiar. He swung his sword at the men, who just laughed and mocked the boy. Hitomi went over and shielded the other boy next to Meru. The boy started telling the men to stop, Hitomi ignored his speech until the men started screaming and running away. She was surprised to see Balgus emerge from the clearing, sword in hand. The boy seemed disappointed at the failure. Hitomi hid in an abandoned hut, not wanting to be seen, she tried to pull the catgirl with her, but she was too frightened and shivered as she collapsed on the ground. A look of horror etched in her features. Hitomi noticed that the boy had raven hair, and hypnotizing eyes, that seemed to stare into the depths of your soul. 'It's Van!'
Chibi Van knelt down and picked Meru up, cradling the small girl in his arms.
"Thank you, oh thank you Lord Van..." She muttered before drifting into unconsciousness.
As the prince, the sword master, and the catgirl rode away, Hitomi thought, 'So that's what happened.' She had always wondered about Merle's blind devotion for Van. She had known that Merle had been an orphan and had come to stay with the Fanels, but that was pretty much it. 'Poor Merle.' *
Merle awoke with a start when she heard Hitomi coughing.
"OH HITOMI! WE THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO DIE!" Merle happily proclaimed.
"Glad to see you too Merle." Hitomi sarcastically replied.
"I'm glad you're better." Merle said, giving her a hug.
"Oh Merle, I'm so sorry..." Hitomi said, embracing the thirteen-year-old catgirl as tears welled up in her eyes.
"For what?" Merle asked. Maybe Hitomi had finally lost it.
"For all you've suffered, I wish I could have done something to help!" Hitomi whimpered, sobbing into her bedcovers.
"Stop crying Hitomi, it's not good for you, I have no idea what you're talking about!" Merle exclaimed.
"I'm just sorry." Hitomi whispered.
"Whatever." Merle replied, looking at her friend and doubting her current sanity.
"Lady Hitomi." A female healer came up to Hitomi.
"Is this a bad time?"
"Oh no." Hitomi replied, drying her tears.
"Please go on."
So the healer continued, "We got some 'interesting' test results milady. Do you want to hear them?"
"Why would she care about some stupid test results?" The flustered Merle protested.
"She might want to know these." The healer said, smiling.
"WELL SPIT IT OUT THEN!" The catgirl screamed.
"Gosh, no need to yell." The healer said.
"Well... Congratulations Lady Hitomi!" She beamed at the queen.
"Congratulations for what?" Hitomi asked in a confused tone.
"ISN'T IT OBVIOUS?" Merle asked, bouncing up and down with excitement.
"YOU AND LORD VAN ARE GOING TO HAVE A BABY!" And she meowed joyfully.
"W-What?" Hitomi backed against the headboard, a bewildered expression on her face.
"Yep, that's right, Lady Merle." The healer said, continuing to smile at Hitomi.
Hitomi seemed to be in shock. Her mouth hung wide open and Merle giggled.
"I'm sorry." Hitomi said.
"I just... wasn't expecting this right now..."
"We understand..." The healer said.
"Wow Hitomi! You're going to be a mom!" Merle exclaimed as she starting jumping up and down on the bed.
"We noticed it when scanning your stomach for something that you ate that might have made you faint like that." The healer continued.
"We conclude that it was a reaction of your pregnancy, the baby should arrive in about 5 months."
"Should I send a message to Lord Van?" Merle asked.
"No, I want to surprise him..." Hitomi said a radiating smile plastered on her face.
Merle and Hitomi walked down the hallway.
"So Merle, are you worried about Rune?"
"Yes." She admitted.
"He's only been gone a few months, but I miss him so much." She said a tear descending down her cheek.
"It's OK Merle, I'm sure Rune and Van are fine." Hitomi comforted her.
"Hitomi, I don't know what to do..."
"About what?"
"Before Rune left, he asked me... to marry him..." She admitted.
"Merle, that's great!" Said Hitomi in an excited manner
"I just don't know. I love Rune, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to get married yet..."
"Well, don't if you're not sure Merle, but if you really love him, I think you should. You never know what could happen. You should never take a person's love for granted, because you never know what will happen..."
"I'm turning fourteen in a few weeks, so technically, I'm old enough... And you're right, I do love Rune..." She sighed, gazing out the window at the horizon.
"I wish you the very best of luck Merle," Hitomi said, smiling, "And all the happiness in the world..."
A/N: Final flashback chapter coming up next... Arigatou and Sionara! ^_^
~Trunks Gal~
A/N: I'm depressed, school starts tomorrow for me, but oh well, at least ff.net is up now!!!!!!!!!! YAY! To celebrate I'm adding a bunch of chapters tonight! R&R! Thanks! ^_^
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Flashback Chapter 2(23): The Source of Blind Devotion
* 'It's hot, so very hot...' Hitomi thought as she clung to sleep, sweat trickling down her face. 'I... I... smell smoke...' She shot up out of bed and noticed smoke pouring into the room. 'Oh no, not now, not now...' She pleaded. But she knew it was too late... *
"Meru! Meru!" She screamed.
"H-Hitomi..." Came a voice, choked with smoke as an ash covered catgirl emerged from a room. Hitomi took her hand and they ran out of the house.
Hitomi saw that the whole village was in the same state. 'Where are Toku and Vaona?' She wondered, trying to keep her ill thoughts from reaching her common sense.
"MOMMY! DADDY! BROTHER! SISTER! Mommy, Daddy, Where are you?" Was little Meru's desperate plea as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Well, look what we've got here." A drunken brute said, noticing Hitomi.
"You're pretty girl, how bout coming with us?" He asked, pointing at Hitomi as he waved his empty bottle of whiskey around.
Hitomi slapped him hard across the face, pulling Meru behind her.
"I like woman who play hard to get!" He muttered in a drunken stupor.
The other men started to surround Meru muttering things like.
"She's the last one."
"If we kill her we'll be rid of those beast people!"
"Revenge!"
'NOOOOOOOO!' Hitomi's mind screamed as she protected the small catgirl.
Then, a small boy stepped out of the bushes. He looked oddly familiar. He swung his sword at the men, who just laughed and mocked the boy. Hitomi went over and shielded the other boy next to Meru. The boy started telling the men to stop, Hitomi ignored his speech until the men started screaming and running away. She was surprised to see Balgus emerge from the clearing, sword in hand. The boy seemed disappointed at the failure. Hitomi hid in an abandoned hut, not wanting to be seen, she tried to pull the catgirl with her, but she was too frightened and shivered as she collapsed on the ground. A look of horror etched in her features. Hitomi noticed that the boy had raven hair, and hypnotizing eyes, that seemed to stare into the depths of your soul. 'It's Van!'
Chibi Van knelt down and picked Meru up, cradling the small girl in his arms.
"Thank you, oh thank you Lord Van..." She muttered before drifting into unconsciousness.
As the prince, the sword master, and the catgirl rode away, Hitomi thought, 'So that's what happened.' She had always wondered about Merle's blind devotion for Van. She had known that Merle had been an orphan and had come to stay with the Fanels, but that was pretty much it. 'Poor Merle.' *
Merle awoke with a start when she heard Hitomi coughing.
"OH HITOMI! WE THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO DIE!" Merle happily proclaimed.
"Glad to see you too Merle." Hitomi sarcastically replied.
"I'm glad you're better." Merle said, giving her a hug.
"Oh Merle, I'm so sorry..." Hitomi said, embracing the thirteen-year-old catgirl as tears welled up in her eyes.
"For what?" Merle asked. Maybe Hitomi had finally lost it.
"For all you've suffered, I wish I could have done something to help!" Hitomi whimpered, sobbing into her bedcovers.
"Stop crying Hitomi, it's not good for you, I have no idea what you're talking about!" Merle exclaimed.
"I'm just sorry." Hitomi whispered.
"Whatever." Merle replied, looking at her friend and doubting her current sanity.
"Lady Hitomi." A female healer came up to Hitomi.
"Is this a bad time?"
"Oh no." Hitomi replied, drying her tears.
"Please go on."
So the healer continued, "We got some 'interesting' test results milady. Do you want to hear them?"
"Why would she care about some stupid test results?" The flustered Merle protested.
"She might want to know these." The healer said, smiling.
"WELL SPIT IT OUT THEN!" The catgirl screamed.
"Gosh, no need to yell." The healer said.
"Well... Congratulations Lady Hitomi!" She beamed at the queen.
"Congratulations for what?" Hitomi asked in a confused tone.
"ISN'T IT OBVIOUS?" Merle asked, bouncing up and down with excitement.
"YOU AND LORD VAN ARE GOING TO HAVE A BABY!" And she meowed joyfully.
"W-What?" Hitomi backed against the headboard, a bewildered expression on her face.
"Yep, that's right, Lady Merle." The healer said, continuing to smile at Hitomi.
Hitomi seemed to be in shock. Her mouth hung wide open and Merle giggled.
"I'm sorry." Hitomi said.
"I just... wasn't expecting this right now..."
"We understand..." The healer said.
"Wow Hitomi! You're going to be a mom!" Merle exclaimed as she starting jumping up and down on the bed.
"We noticed it when scanning your stomach for something that you ate that might have made you faint like that." The healer continued.
"We conclude that it was a reaction of your pregnancy, the baby should arrive in about 5 months."
"Should I send a message to Lord Van?" Merle asked.
"No, I want to surprise him..." Hitomi said a radiating smile plastered on her face.
Merle and Hitomi walked down the hallway.
"So Merle, are you worried about Rune?"
"Yes." She admitted.
"He's only been gone a few months, but I miss him so much." She said a tear descending down her cheek.
"It's OK Merle, I'm sure Rune and Van are fine." Hitomi comforted her.
"Hitomi, I don't know what to do..."
"About what?"
"Before Rune left, he asked me... to marry him..." She admitted.
"Merle, that's great!" Said Hitomi in an excited manner
"I just don't know. I love Rune, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to get married yet..."
"Well, don't if you're not sure Merle, but if you really love him, I think you should. You never know what could happen. You should never take a person's love for granted, because you never know what will happen..."
"I'm turning fourteen in a few weeks, so technically, I'm old enough... And you're right, I do love Rune..." She sighed, gazing out the window at the horizon.
"I wish you the very best of luck Merle," Hitomi said, smiling, "And all the happiness in the world..."
A/N: Final flashback chapter coming up next... Arigatou and Sionara! ^_^
~Trunks Gal~