All I have to say is, here's the next chapter.
Enjoy
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A full moon hung in the night sky, its soft glow partially illuminating the catlike form crouched atop a stone balcony overlooking the Fanelian Palace Garden. Merle had seen Scherazade explode through the stone barrier of the garden and now she watched in dismay as Van and Millerna rushed with worry towards the large machine to try and save its pilot. She doubted very much that Van would have done the same for her, at least not anymore. He had basically told her that much earlier in the evening, right before the ball.
Merle had been sitting in the very same place she was now. She liked coming up to this balcony to think or just hang out while Van was attending to important matters; in other words, when Van was too busy to make time for her.
~~~Flashback~~~
"I figured you'd be here."
Merle turned to face the familiar voice.
"Lord Van!"
The cat girl sprang up and dashed towards the young king, ready to throw her arms around him in her usual greeting. Van aggressively caught her wrists and, using the momentum of her jump, he swung her harshly to the ground. Merle stared up at the raven haired boy as shocked tears invaded her ocean blue orbs.
"There will be no more of that Merle." He looked sternly at the cat girl. "You're too old to be throwing yourself on me all the time. It was cute when you were young, but now...it's just plain irritating."
Merle peered through glazed eyes at Van, who returned her gaze with contempt.
"L-lord V-van?"
"Lord Van." The young king huffed. "Lord Van. Always with the formalities aren't we Merle?" He began to pace. "I have known you longer than I have known anyone else and yet you have never once referred to me as Van, just plain Van. I am always Lord Van to you Merle."
He stopped pacing and crouched beside the whimpering cat girl. Their eyes met as he scooped her chin in his hand.
"I thought you were my oldest and dearest friend Merle...but it seems to me now that I was never more than just your king." Van said ruefully.
The cat girl stared ahead in protest but the raven haired boy merely shook his head.
"Gods Merle, how could I have been so blind? How could I have possibly believed that I was truly your friend?"
"N-no Lord Van, I-I mean...Van. That isn't true, I am your friend, I-"
"Ssh." The young king silenced her by placing his finger over her lips. "It's alright. I know the truth now. You don't need to pretend any longer. We are not friends. I am your king and nothing more...and you are nothing to me."
Merle watched Van get up and begin to walk away from her.
"Van!" She called after him desperately.
He whirled around, eyes blazing. "Lord Van. I am Lord Van to you now...and next time you see me you will bow."
~~~End of Flashback~~~
Merle hadn't budged from the balcony since her encounter with Van. She badly wanted to believe that she had dreamed up the whole incident but she knew better. Van hated her and that's all there was to it. He didn't care about her, what happened to her and he probably wouldn't notice if she was...gone.
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"Careful." Velannaf grabbed Dilandau's wrist as he reached for the iron door's handle. "I am giving the girl to you but only on two conditions."
The ashen haired boy wrenched back his wrist and glared at Velannaf. Why were there so many stupid rules to his game?
"One, I get to say goodbye to the girl."
Dilandau shrugged his shoulders. He really didn't give a damn what Velannaf wanted to do to Hitomi as long as he got to exact his revenge.
"Two." He counted the provisions on his fingers. "You can do to her anything your psychotic little mind desires...but you can't kill her..."
Dilandau's devious smile faded.
"...until I give the word."
The white haired demon cackled wickedly as Velannaf entered the cell, closing the iron door behind him. Soon, very soon, he would make that bitch from the mystic moon pay.
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Hitomi cowered farther into the corner as the shadowy figure approached her, holding a torch that illuminated the cell but cast its eyes in shadow.
"Hello Hitomi." The figure spoke, placing the torch in a slot on the wall. He then motioned for the girl to have a seat on the bed but she did not move.
"You would be more comfortable on the bed."
"H-how do you know who I am?" The frightened girl asked, paying no attention to the shadow's courteous gesture.
The shadow laughed cruelly. "I know who you are because you told me."
Hitomi sat in puzzled silence. As far as she could recall she had never met this cloaked man.
"You don't talk very much." The man interrupted her thoughts. "It's strange, I remember you being quite talkative on your last visit to Gaea."
"My last visit?" The girl from the mystic moon was still perplexed. "Who are you?"
The shadow smiled. "I was wondering when you'd ask. I am Lord Velannaf but you know me by another name."
He moved towards Hitomi. Reaching into his cloak, he palmed something in his hand. Hitomi gasped as she felt something smooth and cold touch her palm as the figure gently helped her to her feet. She looked down at the object she was now holding and stared in disbelief. It was her pendant, the one she had given to a young boy named Van three years earlier when she returned to the mystic moon.
"My pendant, but how?"
Her words were interrupted by a pair of soft lips pressing against her own. Her body was seized about the waist, pulling her tightly against the strong body of the cloaked man. Hitomi struggled at first against the muscular form, but soon relaxed. Something about the shadowy figure was so familiar, so right, that she lost herself in the passionate embrace. Before she knew it, the kiss had ended.
"Goodbye Hitomi." The shadow whispered softly pulling his head back and releasing his hold on the girl. He walked towards the door.
"Van!" She ran up to him, touching his shoulder lightly as he made to open the door. "Van, don't leave me, please." She said through teary eyes.
The cloaked man responded without even making eye contact. "You already left me...I'm just returning the favor."
The door was closed behind him as he left Hitomi. He turned to Dilandau. "She's all yours."
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Not a very happy chapter was it? It's too bad that things are only about to get worse.
I hope you guys all know who Velannaf is now, it's pretty damn obvious.
Anyway, stay tuned for the final installments.
****BTW: I now accept anonymous reviews.****
Enjoy
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A full moon hung in the night sky, its soft glow partially illuminating the catlike form crouched atop a stone balcony overlooking the Fanelian Palace Garden. Merle had seen Scherazade explode through the stone barrier of the garden and now she watched in dismay as Van and Millerna rushed with worry towards the large machine to try and save its pilot. She doubted very much that Van would have done the same for her, at least not anymore. He had basically told her that much earlier in the evening, right before the ball.
Merle had been sitting in the very same place she was now. She liked coming up to this balcony to think or just hang out while Van was attending to important matters; in other words, when Van was too busy to make time for her.
~~~Flashback~~~
"I figured you'd be here."
Merle turned to face the familiar voice.
"Lord Van!"
The cat girl sprang up and dashed towards the young king, ready to throw her arms around him in her usual greeting. Van aggressively caught her wrists and, using the momentum of her jump, he swung her harshly to the ground. Merle stared up at the raven haired boy as shocked tears invaded her ocean blue orbs.
"There will be no more of that Merle." He looked sternly at the cat girl. "You're too old to be throwing yourself on me all the time. It was cute when you were young, but now...it's just plain irritating."
Merle peered through glazed eyes at Van, who returned her gaze with contempt.
"L-lord V-van?"
"Lord Van." The young king huffed. "Lord Van. Always with the formalities aren't we Merle?" He began to pace. "I have known you longer than I have known anyone else and yet you have never once referred to me as Van, just plain Van. I am always Lord Van to you Merle."
He stopped pacing and crouched beside the whimpering cat girl. Their eyes met as he scooped her chin in his hand.
"I thought you were my oldest and dearest friend Merle...but it seems to me now that I was never more than just your king." Van said ruefully.
The cat girl stared ahead in protest but the raven haired boy merely shook his head.
"Gods Merle, how could I have been so blind? How could I have possibly believed that I was truly your friend?"
"N-no Lord Van, I-I mean...Van. That isn't true, I am your friend, I-"
"Ssh." The young king silenced her by placing his finger over her lips. "It's alright. I know the truth now. You don't need to pretend any longer. We are not friends. I am your king and nothing more...and you are nothing to me."
Merle watched Van get up and begin to walk away from her.
"Van!" She called after him desperately.
He whirled around, eyes blazing. "Lord Van. I am Lord Van to you now...and next time you see me you will bow."
~~~End of Flashback~~~
Merle hadn't budged from the balcony since her encounter with Van. She badly wanted to believe that she had dreamed up the whole incident but she knew better. Van hated her and that's all there was to it. He didn't care about her, what happened to her and he probably wouldn't notice if she was...gone.
&%&%&
"Careful." Velannaf grabbed Dilandau's wrist as he reached for the iron door's handle. "I am giving the girl to you but only on two conditions."
The ashen haired boy wrenched back his wrist and glared at Velannaf. Why were there so many stupid rules to his game?
"One, I get to say goodbye to the girl."
Dilandau shrugged his shoulders. He really didn't give a damn what Velannaf wanted to do to Hitomi as long as he got to exact his revenge.
"Two." He counted the provisions on his fingers. "You can do to her anything your psychotic little mind desires...but you can't kill her..."
Dilandau's devious smile faded.
"...until I give the word."
The white haired demon cackled wickedly as Velannaf entered the cell, closing the iron door behind him. Soon, very soon, he would make that bitch from the mystic moon pay.
&%&%&
Hitomi cowered farther into the corner as the shadowy figure approached her, holding a torch that illuminated the cell but cast its eyes in shadow.
"Hello Hitomi." The figure spoke, placing the torch in a slot on the wall. He then motioned for the girl to have a seat on the bed but she did not move.
"You would be more comfortable on the bed."
"H-how do you know who I am?" The frightened girl asked, paying no attention to the shadow's courteous gesture.
The shadow laughed cruelly. "I know who you are because you told me."
Hitomi sat in puzzled silence. As far as she could recall she had never met this cloaked man.
"You don't talk very much." The man interrupted her thoughts. "It's strange, I remember you being quite talkative on your last visit to Gaea."
"My last visit?" The girl from the mystic moon was still perplexed. "Who are you?"
The shadow smiled. "I was wondering when you'd ask. I am Lord Velannaf but you know me by another name."
He moved towards Hitomi. Reaching into his cloak, he palmed something in his hand. Hitomi gasped as she felt something smooth and cold touch her palm as the figure gently helped her to her feet. She looked down at the object she was now holding and stared in disbelief. It was her pendant, the one she had given to a young boy named Van three years earlier when she returned to the mystic moon.
"My pendant, but how?"
Her words were interrupted by a pair of soft lips pressing against her own. Her body was seized about the waist, pulling her tightly against the strong body of the cloaked man. Hitomi struggled at first against the muscular form, but soon relaxed. Something about the shadowy figure was so familiar, so right, that she lost herself in the passionate embrace. Before she knew it, the kiss had ended.
"Goodbye Hitomi." The shadow whispered softly pulling his head back and releasing his hold on the girl. He walked towards the door.
"Van!" She ran up to him, touching his shoulder lightly as he made to open the door. "Van, don't leave me, please." She said through teary eyes.
The cloaked man responded without even making eye contact. "You already left me...I'm just returning the favor."
The door was closed behind him as he left Hitomi. He turned to Dilandau. "She's all yours."
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Not a very happy chapter was it? It's too bad that things are only about to get worse.
I hope you guys all know who Velannaf is now, it's pretty damn obvious.
Anyway, stay tuned for the final installments.
****BTW: I now accept anonymous reviews.****