Of Cat and Boy

By Lady of the Ink
Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, but you knew that. At least, I hope you knew that. But I do own this story, and all the twists and turns it takes.

Recap: Merle snickered at being on the receiving end of a full-blown puppy-dog-eyes-and-pouting-lip attack, and then reluctantly gave in. Daphne was the first person to do something nice for her here, and if all she was asking in return was for her to take a bath, she could live with it. But what had she meant about the first step of a bigger process?

Chapter Nine

A New Danger


To hunt, or not to hunt.

That was the question. If she did start a pursuit, Merle was sure she could catch something to eat in no time. But on the other hand, did she really want to fill up on mice when there was the chance for some more of the things she had had the night before? Just remembering them made her mouth water.

Okay, on one hand, it was her job to hunt mice. But nowhere in anything anyone had told her said she had to eat them. This whole visiting thing Van was doing might not continue, so she should enjoy it, and its advantages, as much as she could while they lasted.

That decision made, Merle forced herself to remain still, finding that the usually simple task was now close to impossible. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to thank Van when she saw him, or just throttle him. Her opinion was split right down the middle, and both sides had some good reasons behind them.

Sighing a little, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She really hated waiting. It was one of the worst things that a person could be subjected to, in her opinion. It either stood between you and something you wanted, or you and something you didn't. In the first case, it was far too long, and in the second, it never seemed long enough.

She found herself wishing that Daphne could have stuck around a bit longer. Even after everything the older girl had put her through that afternoon, it still would have been a relief to have someone to talk to, to help keep her mind off being nervous. But Daphne had had to be home before dark, and Merle didn't want to risk getting her into trouble. She had already done more for her than anyone else ever had.

With one exception, of course.

That thought brought Merle back to the present. By her best guess, everyone in the castle had turned in quite some time ago. Had Van fallen asleep? Grinding her teeth, she stomped one foot. After doing what he had done, the stupid boy was going to sleep right through seeing the results. Of all the nerve. If she dared, she would go right back to his room and let him know what she thought about his high-handed, over-bearing, meddling . . .

"Hey, Merle."

"Ah!" Jumping a distance that was good for her back but bad for her dignity, Merle whipped around to see a grinning Van leaning against the doorway. She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts of retribution that she hadn't even heard his approach. Silently scolding herself, she struggled to at least seem calm. Not for the world would she let him know that her heart was beating a mile a minute.

A silent moment stretched out between them as Van looked her over from head to toe. If he hadn't known better, he would swear she was a different person entirely. Well, except for the same old scowl that was rapidly spreading across her face.

The knotty pink hair that had previously swung halfway down her back was gone. In its place was a shining cap that stopped sharply at her chin. And that was just the first of the changes he noted. She had obviously undergone a thorough bath; a small smirk pulled at one corner of his mouth as he thought of how that must have gone over. In addition to that, her old dress had been replaced by another, newer one.

As he continued cataloging the changes, she huffed a sigh, angrily crossing her arms over her chest. One toe set to tapping against the floor as he finally looked back at her face.

"You look like an entirely different person," he told her. "Who would have thought a bath, haircut, and some new clothes would make this much difference?"

"Van Fanel, who do you think you are? Did I ask for your help? Did I ask you to do anything for me? No!" she fairly shouted, not giving him a chance to answer her questions. Van swallowed, wondering if she could really be that angry over having to have a bath. Sure, he hated them with a passion, and he figured it would be even worse for a cat girl. But it wasn't worth fighting someone over.

Was it?

He took a small step backward, hoping it would go unnoticed by the still spluttering Merle. Those hopes were dashed when she took an even bigger stride forward. "And did you even bother thinking about what would have happened if Daphne had gotten caught in here with me? We both would have been in a whole lot of trouble, you know!" She was now poking him in the chest with a finger with each sentence. "You just went ahead and did something just because you wanted to, not because anybody else wanted you to.

"I've only got one thing left to say to you." Van felt a wave of sadness wash over him at the finality in her voice, only to have it completely vanish with her next words. Tilting her head to the side, she kept her eyes locked on the floor, uncertainty plain to see in her posture. She hunched her shoulders a bit, and then spoke softly.

"Thank you."


Merle giggled as Van collapsed in a heap on the floor. One leg was bent awkwardly under the weight of his body while the other jutted out to the side. Using both arms, he maneuvered himself back into a sitting position, wincing in the process. Rubbing at a bruise already forming on his elbow, he groaned.

"I told you that you wouldn't be able to do it," Merle announced, still breathless from her earlier laughter. "I don't think that your body was meant to bend that way. You should stop trying before you really hurt yourself."

"I can do it. I almost had it that time," Van said, feeling slight miffed that she thought otherwise.

"Sure you can."

"I can!" Eager to prove his claim, he again copied the moves he had seen Merle use earlier that night. Squatting with both hands flat on the floor, he twisted one leg to the side, and then managed to lift it several inches off the ground. However, it came nowhere close to the target of the back of his neck before his balance shifted and he found himself face down on the floor. Again.

"Humans just weren't meant to scratch their necks with their feet, I guess," came a voice from his left. Cracking open one eye, he saw a grinning Merle standing over him. Silently admitting defeat, he let his eye close.

The past few weeks had passed with nights like this. Van would trek down to the kitchens as soon as he felt it was safe to do so. Merle would be waiting, and they'd talk, fight, and challenge each other in those ways that only close friends could do. Whether it was building traps or just goofing off, they always had a good time when they were together. It was because of this that they both left their former loneliness behind, feeling more at peace than either had in a long while.

Merle had explained to Van all about meeting Balgus in the woods, and the confusing conversation with the tutor that had followed. Picking it apart, they had both come to the same conclusion. Having her work in the kitchen was not what the older man had had in mind when he brought her to the castle.

This fact became even more certain when Van admitted to telling Balgus about his longing for a real friend. He felt sure that, going by what he had said to Master Josias, Balgus had intended for Merle to become that friend. What he didn't understand was his tutor's actions against the swordsman's wishes. There was something behind that disobedience, and Van intended to find out what it was.

He had never liked the man, and this latest development clinched it. Why did he think he had the right to mess with people's lives? Merle, for all her big words and tough attitude, was still younger than him. He knew he still had a lot to learn before he could stand on his own, so what did that mean for her, when she didn't even have someone waiting to teach her? He had Balgus and a tutor (albeit an unpleasant one) to help him learn the things he needed to know. She had no one.

Till now. He had long since decided to be there for her from now on. All that remained before his plan, which had started with enlisting Daphne's help, was completed was having a talk with his mother. This had been the hardest part, since she had taken to vanishing for weeks on end with no word to anyone on where she had gone or when she'd return.

She had finally come back from her latest trip that very afternoon. When he'd met her in the garden, she had asked for time to rest, but promised she'd speak with him after breakfast the next morning. He was pretty sure that she wouldn't have a problem granting his request, which meant it would be no time at all before Merle was out of the kitchens and into a room of her own.

The one time he had brought his idea up with her, he had been quite nervous. For a little girl, she had a lot of pride. Van wasn't sure whether she would accept his offer or refuse it right off the bat. To his surprise, she had taken it seriously.

"I don't want pity," was the only thing she would say at first.

"It wouldn't be pity. You'd still be doing stuff."

"Like what?"

"Like having to sit through lessons and helping to keep me out of trouble. That's a big one." He was encouraged by the small laugh he heard from her when he said that. They both knew that he'd be getting in more trouble, not less, if she were around.

"Maybe you're right. I would be earning my keep." Van had been a little wary of the sly note that had entered her voice. A side-glance at her face had revealed a look that could only be called wicked. "After all, anyone who has to put up with you as much as I will deserves a room of their own, at the very least!"

"Hey!"


Merle slowly made her way to her bed, a smile still on her face as she remembered Van's continued attempts at mimicking her. Even when he knew it was next to impossible, he refused to stop trying. All night, he just kept trying one angle after another, hoping that one would work where the others had failed. He had to be one of the most stubborn people she had ever run across. It was one of the things she liked most about him.

Reaching out, she pulled back her blanket and prepared for bed. Before she could lie down, however, a hand was slapped roughly over her mouth as an equally forceful arm locked around her waist. She couldn't even scream as she was dragged from the room.


A/N: One bruised Van. One captured Merle. One chapter to go.