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Beneath Two Moons
6. In The Tides
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By Jessica Lynn S. (escaflowne@opalwings.com)
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Spoilers: The entire Escaflowne series.
Warnings: Sensuality, shoujo-ai (romance between two female characters), and a bit of violence.
Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. No profit is being made from my silly fanfiction hobby. ^_^ I do, however, own this fic and the original characters in contains. Please do not post this story anywhere without asking first.
Summary: Hitomi finds temporary sanctuary with the Schezar family in Asturia. Allen wants to reach out to her but doesn't know how. Celena battles confusion over her emotions, and a day out is disrupted by a thieving dolphin-boy. Meanwhile, Van is left in Fanelia at the mercy of Halena.
Notes on the Revision: This was a really pathetic excuse for a chapter the first time it was posted. It was too short, and the content left something to be desired. I've tried to flesh it out some, by depicting some romantic angst on the Merle and Celena end of things and also a bit of what was happening back in Fanelia. It's still not the longest or best chapter - to be honest, it will never be - but it's a bit better than before, I think.
Van felt a bit queasy as he stared at the breakfast that Halena brought him. She raised an eyebrow at him as he rubbed his throbbing temples. "I have a headache." he explained rather lamely. Perceptive as she was, she saw right through it.
"Hangover?" she asked him. He didn't answer. "It's nothing to be ashamed of." the maid said. "I know a very good herbal remedy for it. It will perk you up like nothing else. Shall I fix some up for you?"
"I would appreciate that very much." said Van. He needed to be able to concentrate on the important tasks at hand, after all. Feeling nauseous and headachy wasn't conductive to progress.
Allen and Eries were the kind of couple that didn't speak very much to each other, but you got the impression that they knew each other so well they didn't have to. The fact that they loved each other went without saying, it was plain to see just in the smiles they exchanged. It was like all the important things had already been said between them, making way for a warm and comfortable silence. The two of them seemed at peace; untouchable. Watching them for too long served only to make Hitomi feel worse about her situation.
It was Eries that greeted Hitomi, Merle and Celena at the door. Allen was out on duty somewhere for the afternoon. Eries had a bright and welcoming smile on her face and baby Lynn in her arms. She immediately handed over Lynn to Celena, who showed her to Hitomi with a proud grin. The baby girl had an amazingly full head of wavy blonde hair and deep, azure-blue eyes that twinkled mischievously. "Baabaa!" she exclaimed gleefully, grabbing Hitomi's nose. Hitomi couldn't help but smile, despite the nagging ache in the back of her heart.
"Hitomi, is that you?" Eries asked, mildly surprised. Hitomi nodded. "Ah!" Eries said, "You so much more grown up! Welcome back to Gaea, and welcome to my home." Hitomi took notice that Eries looked different herself.
The second princess of Asturia was dressed in a long, pale lavender dress which draped gracefully and fluidly from her stately form without ruffles or frills of any sort. Her trademark earcuffs were gone; understandable, for they were an accident waiting to happen around a grabby infant who knew no better. Eries was stripped of the layers and adornments which had been her armor, and seemed none-the-worse for it. Her posture was relaxed and her expression tranquil. Perhaps this was the benefit of motherhood, or of being with Allen, or maybe just freedom from her old life at the palace.
"My apologies for the unexpected company." said Celena to Eries. "There were some...unexpected happenings in Fanelia. I should like to speak with you about them."
"Not a problem." said Eries, with an affectionate ruffle of her sister-in-law's hair. "You have a good sense of judgment, and knowing that, I am worried as to what exactly happened in Fanelia. I'll have Anna get Hitomi and Merle settled in, and we can talk about it upstairs."
Anna appeared in the foyer with a smile upon the mention of her name. She was a lively, raven-haired maid who was much older than Allen and Eries, and had probably been working at the Schezar estate since before they were born. She led Merle and Hitomi inside, making polite conversation about the weather and the gardens on the estate. She sat them down at a table with some hot tea and an ornate plate of fine Asturian pastries, then left them be.
Hitomi inspected a pastry that looked like a glazed donut - minus the hole - and took a tentative bite. It was very sweet and pleasant to the taste, but she wasn't very hungry. That wasn't a good sign, considering that she hadn't even had breakfast. She forced herself to take another bite. Merle, after eating everything else on the dish, leaned back and looked at Hitomi with concern. "Hey, you okay, kid?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm okay." Hitomi answered. "Why are you calling me kid when I'm two years your senior?" She raised her eyebrow.
"Sorry." Merle said, "That's always what Van says to me, so I suppose...oh." She saw Hitomi's face drop at the mention of Van, and smacked herself hard in the forehead. She looked over at Hitomi's donut. "You gonna eat that?" she asked.
"No, it's all yours." said Hitomi with a disinterested wave of her hand.
Merle did not speak anymore, for fear of putting her foot in her mouth again. Hitomi was staring around the room with wide eyes, taking in the decor. Finally, she commented. "Everything here is pastel, Merle."
"You're right." Merle nodded decidedly, noting the pale blue carpet, even paler blue walls, and curtains and tablecloth of the softest yellows. "They suit the family, with their fair coloring." It was then that Celena walked in to the room. She had changed out of her uniform in to a rich maroon-colored dress which offset the pastel atmosphere with a contrast as bold as flames. She leaned casually against the door frame, totally unaware of the disruption of balance that her attire caused.
"I explained the situation to Eries." she said with a cheery smile. "Everything is fine with the two of you staying here for a while."
"Are you sure we're not burdening her too much?" asked Hitomi, concerned.
"Ahh, I burden Eries all the time!" grinned Merle. "She takes it well."
"Of course, tomorrow I must report to the palace to see what services Millernia requires of me now that I've returned." she sighed, then smiled again. "I shouldn't complain about the responsibility. I was the one who wanted it, with all of my heart. But what shall we do with my one free day?"
"Hmm..." thought Merle, cocking her head. "We should go to the beach. We can take Lynn. I think she's old enough to enjoy it. What do you think, Hitomi?"
"Hmm," Hitomi said, "the ocean would be nice." She could sit in the sand and let the saltwater tides come up to her shoulders, washing away all her cares like she used to do on Earth.
"Then we can go to the marketplace!" added Celena, excitedly. "I can buy a nice big fish and cook it up for dinner. Don't look at me funny Merle, I may do a man's job, but that doesn't mean I can't cook! Anna has been teaching me." She stuck out her tongue.
"It's just you and me
On my island of hope
A breath between us could be miles
Let me surround you
A sea to your shore
Let me be the calm you seek"
***
Hitomi was wearing an Asturian-style swimming suit, borrowed from Celena. Like everything Asturian, it was just a bit fancier than need be; a checkered pattern of white and navy-blue with a white ruffled collar and skirt. She had a knit white blanket pulled over her shoulders to shield Lynn and herself from the rays of the sun, which was now hovering at the midpoint between it's noontime pinnacle in the atmosphere, and the horizon behind which would eventually sink.
Apparently "baa" was Lynn's favorite word. "Baabaa baabaabaa!" the bright-eyed infant exclaimed excitedly, beating her tiny fists violently against the wet sand as Hitomi held her in her lap. Hitomi laughed and stroked Lynn's feather-soft hair back behind her ears. Holding the baby in her arms kicked in her latent maternal instincts, and had a surprisingly calming effect on her mind.
"Lynn has all the coherency of her father." Celena joked. She and Hitomi were watching as Merle put the finishing touches on the sand castle she was building.
"It looks just like the one in Fanelia..." Hitomi said approvingly.
"You better watch out Merle," said Celena with a wry grin, "I just might burn it down!"
"You wouldn't, after all the time I spent on it!" Merle warned.
Celena took that as a challenge. "Wanna make a bet?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. She jumped to her feet and rushed the castle. "Moero, moero, hahaha!"
Merle tackled her to the ground. "I may not have a guymelef to protect it with, but you're not laying a hand my castle, Dilandu!" she retorted melodramatically, chomping down on Celena's shoulder.
"Ouch!" exclaimed Celena, momentarily loosing her Dilandu-esque facade, "that hurt!" The two of them rolled in the sand, vying for dominance. At one point they almost fell on Hitomi, making her very nervous for Lynn's well-being. She scooped up the baby and relocated herself at the very edge of the salty water, allowing Lynn to splash in it, which she did quite gleefully.
"Isn't this nice?" she asked the baby.
"Baaaaaaaaaa!" Lynn responded. Hitomi laughed. The afternoon was turning out to be a very welcome distraction, despite the new set of worries that being in Asturia presented for her. It had been years since she had declined Allen's engagement, but in the time since then, they spoke only briefly and in the company of others. He seemed happy with Eries, and if Eries had known about his past with Hitomi, it obviously didn't phase her. To accept Allen, after all, would be to accept his past with Marlene as well, which was far worse. He was very lucky to have such an understanding wife.
Still, it was anyone's guess what Allen and Eries truly thought of her. Perhaps they were just too polite to show their displeasure. Hitomi shook her head, banishing the thoughts. She'd been feeling as if she'd displeased a lot of people lately. She tried hard to remember the lesson she learned long ago that doubt only complicated matters.
She turned to look at Merle and Celena, who were still locked in the battle for the fate of the sand castle. In the end, it was Merle who kicked it over, accidentally, amidst the writhing and thrashing in the sand. Celena fell in to her arms in peels of laughter. "Not funny!" Merle insisted. "I worked hard on that."
"Silly girl." Celena said, propping herself up on her elbows and brushing sand from the tip of Merle's nose. "The tide would have washed it away anyway." Her long, ash-blonde hair formed a curtain around the collective of their faces. She gazed in to Merle's blue eyes with intent; almost as if she were searching for something there, something unnamed and unspoken. Hitomi suddenly felt as if she shouldn't be watching, and turned her attention back to the rolling waves in the distance.
"You know, it's almost frightening when you talk like Dilandu," Merle whispered, "because you can sound exactly like he did. I didn't see much of him during the war, if at all. But I did hear his voice on a few occasions. That voice - that high-pitched cackle - still sends chills up my spine."
Celena smiled antagonistically, leaning in just a bit closer. "Did you think he was sexy?" she asked Merle, once again taking on the tone of her no-longer-existent alter-ego.
Merle blinked as if she was totally taken aback by the question. Celena was only inches away from her, and her sapphire eyes were piercing and pensive all at once. The cat-girl shook her head no, her expression communicating confusion as to why Celena would ask such a question. Celena was her friend and she loved her dearly, but Dilandu had burnt down Fanelia. Her feelings toward him were quite different.
"So, you wouldn't want me if I were a man?" Celena asked, her breath warm and ragged on Merle's cheek.
"Celena, what kind of a question is that??" Merle demanded with wide eyes.
"I...don't know." said Celena. Her eyelids and the corners of her mouth drooped as her smirk faded almost instantly to a somber expression. She sat up, releasing Merle, and looked away. "Dilandu was a horrible person, and I don't know why I even brought him in to this conversation." She stared down at the palms of her hands as if they held all the secrets of the universe.
Merle tapped Celena on the shoulder. "What is it?" Celena asked softly.
"You think too much." Merle said, while simultaneously dropping a fistful of sand down the front of Celena's swimsuit.
"Hey, no fair!" said Celena, snapping out of her sudden moodiness. "I'll get you for that!"
Eries was rather glad that Celena and her guests had taken the baby with them for the afternoon. Since she had become a mother, free time was a rarity for her. She stood at the window, staring out at the garden. Large, fluffy pink blossoms dominated the scenery. Now that she had some free time, she didn't really know what to do with it. When she heard the door creak open, she assumed that it was just one of the maids, coming to dust the room. But in moments she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and soft breath on the back of her neck and decided otherwise. She did not even need to turn around to know. She reached up her hand and stroked the side of Allen's face, then rested it on his shoulder.
"Hello beautiful." he whispered, gently placing the palm of his hand over the back of hers. "Is our daughter sleeping?"
"Celena took her to the beach. Merle's there with her. So is Hitomi." Eries answered.
"Hitomi?" Allen asked, a hint of surprise in his voice. "Why isn't she in Fanelia?"
Eries sighed. "Apparently, Van was a bit out of sorts last night and was cruel to her. She's reconsidering their engagement."
Allen let go of Eries' hand and balled his own in to a fist. "He has no right to hurt Hitomi!" he growled under his breath.
"Easy Allen." Eries said, working her fingers in-between his to unfold his clasped hand. "It's between lovers, and it won't do any good if you interfere, no matter how good your intentions. Celena brought Hitomi here so she wouldn't make a rash decision to go back to her world. All we can do is make her comfortable and hope that they can work things out when she goes back. Just be Hitomi's friend, like you used to."
Allen sighed, temporarily defeated, resting his chin on the back of her shoulder. Eries was always the voice of reason. "Let's join them at the beach." he suggested. "I think both of us could use a nice outing."
She brought his fingers to her lips and kissed them. "I'd rather take advantage of the fact that we're alone for once." she whispered with a grin.
"Eries..." Allen mumbled softly in to the back of her neck, "I rather like that idea."
The sun was setting above the draping canopies of the marketplace and business was dwindling rapidly for the merchants. In hopes of liquidating their perishable goods before the day was entirely through, they engaged in loud shouting matches with one another, each boasting to have the better deal on any given item. Celena, having changed back in to her maroon dress, walked amongst the stands with her friends, inspecting the fish that were up for sale. After a bit of consideration, she settled on one that was no shorter than five feet long; sure to make a fine meal big enough to feed her family and guests. She produced several coins from the tote slung over her shoulder to pay.
The coastal community of Palas ate, drank, slept, dreamed and breathed seafood though Celena wasn't horribly fond of it herself. She figured that fish was an acquired taste, and having grown up away from Asturia, she hadn't acquired it. Merle, cat that she was, relished fish unabashedly. She realized, with slight guilt, that Merle was the one whom she was doing this for. She didn't even know of Hitomi liked fish...
No sooner had the merchant handed the fish over, though, than a young dolphin-boy came walking up to the group. He looked at Celena, cocked his head, and made a high-pitched chattering sound. Then, without warning, he took the fish - which was longer than he was tall - in his bill and began to run. Celena and Hitomi stared, dumbfounded. Merle, on the other hand, jumped to action. "Just where do you think you're going with our fish?!" she demanded loudly, taking off after him as fast as her feet could carry her. Celena shook her head at the sight. Hitomi suppressed a giggle.
"We better just wait here," Celena said. "Merle will find her way back here. Want to take bets on whether or not she manages to retrieve the fish?" Hitomi did let loose a small laugh, then shifted Lynn in her arms, sitting down on the sidewalk.
"It would be a pity if she didn't, considering what you paid for it." Hitomi said.
"It would be worth it for the sheer entertainment value." Celena insisted. Lynn suddenly broke in to a wailing cry.
"Oh my..." sighed Celena, reaching in to her tote to retrieve a bottle. "Mommy will feed you some real food when we get back, but this will have to do for now." She relieved Hitomi of her self-imposed baby-sitting duties and scooped up Lynn, rocking her back and forth in her arms. Hitomi thought briefly of Yukari, Amano, and their unborn child. She really missed them sometimes.
Further in to the marketplace, onlookers gawked at the sight of a cat-girl chasing a dolphin -boy through the streets, shouting curses at him at the top of her lungs. Many had to step quickly out of the way to avoid a collision, and a few weren't so lucky, toppled by the boy's gigantic fish. They blinked a few times, shrugged their shoulders and went about their business.
"And every time I'm close to you
There's too much I can't say
And you just walk away"
***
Allen looked up from the magazine he was reading to see his sister return carrying Lynn, followed by Hitomi, Merle and...a dolphin-boy? His eyes went wide.
"Hi Allen!" exclaimed Merle, gleefully. "This is Morris. I met him in the marketplace. He's an orphan, so I'm taking him back to Fanelia. I am going to find someone who will take him as an apprentice, so that he can learn a trade and make an honest living for himself. Then he won't have to steal peoples' fish anymore. In the meantime, I hope you don't mind if he stays here...he's a good boy. He'll be real quiet." Morris chirped gleefully at Allen.
Celena looked at her older brother very, very nervously. She had known it would have been impossible to talk Merle out of this whole dolphin idea, but obviously, once Merle left she'd be getting the flack for it. She sighed.
Allen turned to Eries and whispered, "Is this our retribution for one afternoon of passionate lovemaking?" Eries gave him and equally frustrated glance.
"I'll talk to Celena about it when they leave." she whispered.
Celena's frusturation increased over the course of the evening. It was the last night she'd get to spend with her family and friends before returning back to work. Work was usually welcome, but not when it kept her from the chance to spend time with Merle. Merle, however, did not seem to be quite as interested in spending time now as she had before. She had taken it upon herself to teach Morris to speak in their language rather than his native chirping and gibbering. She'd hold up an object, state its name, and encourage Morris to repeat it.
Celena could only sit back, watch and sigh. She hated playing second-fiddle to a fish - or rather, an aquatic mammal - though she could imagine that wasn't far from how Merle had felt when she decided to become a Caeli.
Friends grew apart all the time as they grew up, got jobs, and started families...didn't they? It was just the natural course of things. However, Celena remembered Merle's slumped shoulders and far-off expression as they sat on the rooftop of the caste in Fanelia. Though the cat-girl tried to hide it, she had been feeling genuinely sad, and perhaps even a bit hurt by the way things had turned out. It seemed as if things between the two of them had gone completely wrong.
It suddenly occured to Celena that back on the beach, instead of making references to Dilandu, she should have just leaned in and kissed Merle. Maybe that could have shown how genuinely sorry she was for the world that had come between them. Maybe it could have shown how she desperately desired to stay close to her best friend. Or maybe Hitomi's earlier speculations as to the nature of their relationship was messing with her mind. She didn't know.
The young Asturian woman knew nothing of romance, but she had a strange inkling that she was supposed to want to kiss boys, not girls. Then again, she had been a boy once, and not a particuarly innocent boy, at that. If Dilandu's experiences could be considered her own, then she could not be called a virgin. She mulled over that thought in her mind before remembering something she'd almost forgotten; Dilandu had liked boys.
If Dilandu had liked boys, then how could Celena like girls? It was horribly baffling, but she choose not to think on it any longer. She was fairly certain Merle did like boys, and thought of kissing them, among other activities. She was also fairly certain that the cat-girl would have no particular desire to kiss her. She sighed regretfully.
Celena retired early that evening, feeling that watching Merle enthusiastically attempt communication with the dolphin-boy wasn't going to help her mood any.
Hitomi had been in Asturia for three days, and she was quiet. As far as Allen was concerned, she was too quiet. He wondered exactly what Van had done to bring about this separation. Either Celena hadn't told Eries the full story, or Eries had just chosen not to tell him the full story. The later was likely, as Eries knew how angry he'd get. He had very strong protective tendencies toward all women, but especially those he cared about. Though he and Hitomi were no longer close - and though it was none of his business whatsoever - he still wanted to pin Van against a wall by his throat and threaten his reproductive future.
After dinner that evening, he found Hitomi alone by the fireplace in the den, wearing borrowed clothes and, staring in to the dancing flames. It was obvious in her expression that she wasn't aware of his presence, otherwise she would have quickly masked the sadness that was now shinning through clearly as day in her sea-green irises, painted in dusky red shadows by the fire. He wanted to say something to her - anything that might help even in the slightest to ease the pain and anxiety she was feeling - but he did not know what to say to her now. Things had been strained between them since abrupt end of their short-lived relationship back before he had fallen in love with Eries. Eries had told him he could help simply by being Hitomi's friend like he used to. He wasn't sure how to do that now.
Hitomi must have heard his sharp and nervous breath, as she turned her head to face him.
Her eyes glimmered in the firelight with the small remainders of what might have been tears. "Allen?"
"Hitomi." he said. He gracefully swung his legs over the arm of the couch she was sitting on and sat beside her, maintaining a respectful distance. "We haven't really talked in a long time, you know. But I don't want you to think that because of...what happened...that I don't consider you a friend anymore. I will always be grateful for how much you've helped me." Upon hearing those words, Hitomi swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. The corners of her mouth quivered slightly. "What is on your mind?" Allen asked.
She sighed, giving few words in response. "Fanelia. Van. The future."
He reached out an arm tentatively, offering her a hug. She accepted and collapsed against his shoulder. Though she had never loved - and would never love - Allen as she loved Van, she still found the same comfort in his embrace as she had when they first met. It took her mentally back to the time he had found her in the woods after she was separated from what little security Van offered; alone, confused and afraid on an unfamiliar planet. Though she was not in the woods and Gaea was no longer an unfamiliar world, she felt that same fear and confusion, and with his hand stroking her hair lightly she felt just a little bit of it abate. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes.
Hitomi awoke in the guest room she was using. She must have drifted off to sleep in Allen's arms, and he must have carried her to bed. That was so like him. Though they had barely spoken, she no longer felt strange about being near him. He was the same Allen he used to be before the proposal and her refusal, and she was thankful for his friendship. She was thankful that he hadn't made her talk about things as Merle had. He'd just offered her the comfort she so-desperately needed. Without thinking about it, she gently clutched her hand around the pendant that hung from her neck; the pendant Van had given back to her only weeks ago.
Suddenly, a familiar voice entered her mind. Hitomi? Hitomi, can you hear me? Does this really work? Hitomi, please...I've been wanting to talk to you. I miss you.
"Van?" she asked, surprised.
No, silly, it's only your long-lost best friend. Did you really forget me so quickly?
"Yukari??"
Yep.
"Don't say such a thing! I could never, ever, ever forget you." Hitomi frowned at the mere thought. Yukari seemed to sense her sadness.
Hitomi, are you all right?
"I'm not sure, Yukari." she whispered hesitantly. "I don't know what's happening anymore, but I may...I may come home."
Did you and Van have a fight?
"You could say that, Yukari."
Well, it's about damn time, really!
"What??"
You two are abnormal, you know. It's been four years, FOUR YEARS, and though you may have been uncertain sometimes, I never heard of you having an argument with him. Well, not since that first time you were on Gaea. I understand you guys fought a few times then... Amano and I started fighting around four months. Were you that afraid of loosing each other that you glossed over every last bit of negativity?
"I...I never stopped to think about it that way." said Hitomi. "But it wasn't really a regular argument. I found him drunk in his room. He told me to leave, then he started touching me, I asked him to stop and he asked me to leave again... Then he slammed me down on to the bed, like he was really angry, and I slapped him."
Amano was unfaithful to me.
"Whoa...what?"
When he started his new job. He wasn't totally and completely unfaithful to me, you know? But he went out drinking with some co-workers when he first started his new job, and one woman kissed him, and one thing led to another. She was in his lap, and had his hand in her shirt... The worst part about it was he never told me that it happened. I found out from a friend who had also been at the bar that night.
"What did you do?"
Well, I broke up with him. Our separation lasted about five days. You were away on holiday with your family at the time, and I didn't want to tell you when you got back, because I thought you'd be angry at me for taking him back after he did something so disgusting. Every single day he'd be at my doorstep with flowers, stammering apologies, and every day I'd slam the door shut in his face. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I let him in and I listened to what he had to say. I was the only girlfriend he'd ever had, and he was starting to wonder what he'd be missing if he spent his entire life with the same person. But he told me that when he was groping that woman, he looked up in to her eyes and thought "What the hell is wrong with me? This isn't Yukari, and I love Yukari!" And then he stopped.
After he told me this story, he pleaded with me not to leave him, not after he had finally realized how important I was to him. And he whipped out a ring and proposed to me.
"That's how you got engaged? I thought you got engaged at the winter festival."
No, I told him I wouldn't answer until he had proven that I could trust him again. After that, he got really serious. He never went near that co-worker again. He worked very hard at his job, and took me out at expensive restaurants where we'd never been before. He bought me flowers all the time. It was three months later at the winter festival, under a sky lit with fireworks that he proposed again, just like I had told you.
Hitomi was silent.
The point is, silly head, that people mess up sometimes, even if they really do love you. It doesn't mean that things have to be over forever. Don't get me wrong Hitomi. I love you, and I would love to have you back. It's just that I don't want to see you throw away something that has made you so incredibly happy without giving it at least one more chance. But if he does become a total ass, then you better get your ass back here, or I'll teleport to Gaea myself and kick it.
"You have a point. Yukari?"
Hmm?
"Thank you, very much."
Any time.
"How have you been?"
Good. I'm blowing up like a house though.
"I wish I could see." Hitomi giggled.
No, I assure you, you don't. You'd laugh at me too much.
After the telepathic conversation, Hitomi felt as if a giant weight were lifted from her shoulders. Yukari's insight in to her relationship with Van rang true. Back in the days of the war, arguments and sarcastic banter were common between the two of them. It was after Van proposed to her that they suddenly became to painfully careful with each other. It was almost like the dynamics of their relationship had been entirely reversed; from hiding their true romantic feelings while adamantly sharing their displeasure, to showing their love quite freely, but casting aside any unpleasantness.
Holding back any emotion too much was unhealthy. Now that they were - hopefully - to marry, they'd both have to learn a new concept known as totally honest communication.
Now Hitomi had a new resolve to go back to Fanelia and talk things over with Van, so much that it seemed almost urgent. He couldn't have acted the way he did for absolutely no reason. He must have been troubled by something, just as Amano had, and she needed to know what that was. She was sure that she could talk Merle in to going home the next morning. She was also sure that Eries and Allen wouldn't object. They had said it was no problem, but she had seen the looks in their eyes when Morris had broken one of their lamps by balancing a ball on the tip of his nose and bucking it in to the air in typical dolphin fashion. Celena might be disappointed, but she'd understand. She spent the majority of the past few days working anyway.
Van laid in bed beneath a crumpled blanket, beads of sweat running down his face as he shivered feverishly. To say that he was unwell was an understatement. It seemed as if illness had picked up where his hangover had left off the day Hitomi left for Asturia, and it was all downhill from there. At first he thought it was simply the pangs of guilt eating away at his insides, but he was soon confined to his room, throwing up on an hourly basis. Halena had personally seen to his care, bringing him more of her herbal remedies. He doubted they were really helping. Nothing was right in the world.
Sometime in mid-morning, he heard the knob of his door turn and its hinges creak. He lifted his head to see Hitomi standing hesitantly in the doorway. Despite the greasiness blurring his eyes and the heaviness of their lids, they still lit a few shades brighter upon seeing her again. "Hitomi..." he whispered, weakly yet desperately, "Thank god you're here. Thank god you're back. I'm so, so sorry for everything that happened. It's good you came, because...I think I'm dying." He felt his stomach retch, and leaned over the side of the bed to empty its contents in to the pan Halena had left there for him. Hitomi walked to his side, shaking her head with disappointment.
"Don't be silly Van, you're not dying." she said dismissively. She proceeded to search the immediate area for bottles of vino, but found none. She felt his forehead. This time, he actually did feel warm. Very warm. He was really sick this time, as opposed to drunk. A wave of panic surged through her, but she pushed it down as best she could. Halena walked in then. Hitomi turned to look at her.
"How long has he been like this?" she asked her handmaiden, trying to sound as calm as possible.
"Since...about a day after you left." Halena replied. "Van-sama," she said to the king, "I brought you some more tea."
"I don't think I can keep it down, Halena." Van said.
"Please, Van-sama..." Halena reasoned, "Drink the tea. It might not feel very good right now, but it will help in the long run." A light bulb switched on somewhere in the back of Hitomi's mind as she recalled Merle's words; I don't trust her, at all. "If he doesn't want the tea, Halena, I'll take it." she said. Halena handed over the cup with an unmistakably frightened look in her eyes. Hitomi took a sip. "This tastes a little funny," she said, glaring daggers at the maid. She took another small sip. "No, this isn't like the tea you've served me at all."
Van was listening to the conversation, but Hitomi's words weren't registering. He was horribly puzzled when, without warning, Hitomi threw the hot liquid in to the handmaiden's face. Halena screamed and turned tail to run from the room, but in an instant Hitomi had jumped on her, pinning her to the floor. Halena's face hit the hard stone with a loud smack.
"Just what the hell do you think you were doing?" Hitomi demanded. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" She yanked Halena's head up by her hair, and then smacked it hard in to the floor again. Halena was practically frozen with terror. Van vaguely wondered what was going on. His head hurt. His mind warped the sounds of the commotion around him, making it sound not unlike a flock of flapping and squaking chickens. Allen and Merle came running in to the room upon hearing the sounds of conflict. Allen had escorted Hitomi back to Fanelia in the Crusade, and they had been waiting just down the hallway to make sure that everything was okay.
"I poisoned him because I wanted vengeance." Halena whispered suddenly. "For my love, the man that Van killed in the garden." With that, her body went limp beneath Hitomi's weight, indicating her surrender.
AN: I am not entirely sure what posessed me to have the budding romantic interest between Merle and Celena in this fic. The only thing I'd ever seen featuring them as a couple before was a badly-written yuri lemon. In my fic "It's All to Make Us Shine" I decided to make them friends, and when I went deeper in to their friendship in "Fire and Feline", it suddenly occured to me that, hey the two of them as a couple might just be weird enough to work! I might be verging on the lemony side of things with Hitomi and Van (I just can't help myself!) but I'm not going to do that with M & C, in case anyone was worried that they'd be reading graphic descriptions of two girls getting it on in later chapters. I intend to keep things cute and PG-rated between the two of them. Mebbe PG-13 if anything.
By the way, special thanks to everyone who's supported this unconventional idea. I was a little worried that I'd be met with criticism when I unleashed it upon the world, but the reviews have been fantastic.
Song Quotes: Both are from "I Love You" by Sarah McLachlan.
Site Plug: http://www.opalwings.com/escaflowne