Disclaimer: Escaflowne doesn't belong to me, Harumi, Nikki, Mia, Tatiana and Kyle do.
Chapter Six
Chid and Harumi returned to find Van, Hitomi, Merle, Celena, Millerna and Eries all yelling at Allen. However, they stopped as soon as they saw them.
"Allen," Chid began. "Can I talk to you?"
He gave the others a look that said 'I told you so,' before saying, "Sure, Chid."
"We'll be outside if you need us," Hitomi said. She and the others stared to walk out.
"No, that's all right. I want you guys to stay."
They didn't need any coaxing. They grabbed whatever space they could and sat down eagerly. Harumi let go of his hand and sat between Hitomi and Merle.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have been so angry at you. I know you really didn't mean to hurt me."
Allen nodded slightly. "I'm sorry, too. Will you give me a second chance?"
Chid paused. "Yeah," he said finally.
Celena cheered and hugged the both of them. The young girls rushed in.
"What happened?" Tatiana asked worriedly. Then she saw them hugging and let out a cheer of her own.
"We have a lot to catch up on," Allen said. "All three of us." Celena grinned at him.
"Actually all, um…" Millerna did a head count. "Well, all of us."
Merle shook her head. "Not now."
"Why not?" Van asked.
"Because," Hitomi replied, "we have a wedding to plan."
"Did someone say wedding?" They looked up. Dryden was standing in the doorway.
"Daddy!" Tatiana ran to him.
"Hey, sweetheart!" He picked her up.
A cat-man, who was the same colors as Merle and Mia, came up behind him.
Merle went over and kissed him. "Hitomi, this is my husband Kyle."
"Nice to meet you," he said. "Merle and Van have told me so much about you. Well, Merle did anyway."
"Oh, dear." He chuckled. Hitomi sized him up. He was tall, much taller than Van, and very good looking. Merle was gazing at him lovingly, but not obsessively, Hitomi noted. She appeared very secure in their relationship, not jealous at all. He didn't give off any vibes of wanting to leave her either. Mia clutched his leg. They looked like one happy family.
"So," Dryden said, "what's this about a wedding? Finally decided to tie the knot, huh? Took you long enough."
Hitomi laughed. "Yeah, and it'll take even longer if we don't start now. Van's given an impossible deadline."
"It's not impossible," he said defensively. "It doesn't have to be anything too big and fancy."
The girls stared at him. "It doesn't?" They exchanged a look.
"I think we'll leave Van out of most of the wedding plans," Merle said. "Clearly, he does not share the same train of thought as the rest of us."
"We should have specific people in charge of everything," Tatiana suggested, "so everything goes smoothly." They nodded in agreement. "Most of the servants will do the work, but we have to supervise."
"I'll oversee the music," said Harumi. "Maybe I'll teach them to play something decent, earth-wise."
"Okay," Hitomi agreed, "but make sure it's decent for the rest of us."
She grinned. "Why would I do otherwise?" Hitomi made a face at her. She wasn't sure she could trust her mixed taste in music. One moment she would be listening to Mozart, the next, heavy metal. There was no telling what she might decide on.
"I'll help," Chid volunteered. Allen raised his eyebrow at him, but then he saw how he was looking at Harumi. He chuckled to himself. He should have known. It was probably something he would do.
"I'll take care of the food," Eries said.
"I'll help you with that," he said quickly.
Millerna shook her head. "No, you're going to need to work on your speech."
"Why's that?" he asked.
"Well, you are the best man, right?" Hitomi said. Van nodded.
"Oh, I am?" He was surprised, but pleased, that Van had chosen him, especially since he almost kept them apart. But he did know him longer than any of the other guys.
"We'll help you find a dress," merle said, speaking for herself and Millerna.
"What can I do?" Nikki asked.
"You can come with me when I make the announcement this afternoon," Van replied.
"Me, too," Mia said.
"Sure…" he started to say, but Kyle shook his head.
"I'm going to need your help unloading all this stuff I brought back in about an hour or so. Right now, I want to spend some time with your mother."
Let's go for a walk. We'll be right back." She took his hand and they walked out into the gardens.
Mia pouted and glared at Nikki. She didn't want her to be with Van when she wasn't there. But she did want to be with her father too. Torn and angry, she stomped out of the room.
Nikki watched her go, frowning slightly. She thought the situation was just as unfair as Mia did, but for a different reason. Mia had a choice; she had her father too. And yet she was trying to prevent Nikki from having someone. She envied her immensely and found her selfish for thinking she had gotten the raw end of the deal. She would have loved to trade places with her. A tear rolled down her cheek.
"You okay?" Van asked her.
Nikki tried to smile. "Yeah, I'm all right." She took Van's hand.
Hitomi patted her shoulder. "You two go ahead and do what you have to," she said, shooing them out. She and Van exchanged a sad smile over her head. She was glad that they were getting along. Nikki needed someone like him, not just as a father figure, but because he understood what she was going through. That was why Hitomi had her live with herself and Harumi, instead of her parents, like they wanted. She always encouraged them to spend time with each other. It was something Hitomi couldn't sympathize with, but they could. She felt somewhat guilty about making her niece stay her, but now she knew it was best for all of them. They would be happy, everyone. Finally.
* * * * * *
"Hmm, let's see," Kyle appeared to be studying the contents of his ship very carefully. "I wonder who this could be fore," he said, picking up a large box.
Mia jumped up and down. "What'd you bring me?"
He laughed and gave it to her. "I can't fool you, can I?"
"Nope," Mia replied, grinning up at him. She set the box on the ground.
He picked her up and sat her on his knee. "Your mother was telling about your behavior towards Nikki this morning," he said nonchalantly.
Mia jumped up and began to protest. "I haven't done anything to her."
"I didn't say you did," he said, a little wearily. "But from what your mother told me, you haven't been very friendly."
"I don't like her," she said stubbornly.
"Whyever not? She seems like a nice girl to me." He looked at her seriously. "I thought you wanted a new playmate."
Mia snorted. "Not her. She's been here for only a couple of days and it feels like she's taking over. Lord Van never plays with me anymore, but he's with her now."
Kyle shook his head. "I don't think she's the reason Lord Van's been so busy. But I understand why you don't like her."
"Good. Then I don't have to be nice to her."
"Uh, no. I want you to be nice to her. Come here." He put her back on his lap. "Nikki's probably feeling a little unwelcome. This is a strange world to her. She doesn't have a father of her own to make her feel better, and she needs someone like it. You have a father. Not letting her have someone remotely close to that is selfish."
"But I rarely get to see you," Mia protested sadly.
"I know. But think about it if you wouldn't see me at all. You wouldn't like that, would you?"
"No," she admitted.
"Well, then you see how she feels. You'll still be special to Van; Nikki can't replace you. But he has enough room in his heart for both of you and he needs to give her the love she needs as much as she need to get it. Understand?"
Mia nodded. "I'll be nice to her now, I promise."
"Good." He tousled her hair. "Besides, I don't want you to be spending all that time with Van anymore."
"Why not?" She asked, snuggling up to his chest.
"Because, then you'll never have time for me."
Her eyes grew wide. "You mean you're staying?"
He nodded. "Yep. I'm going to run a trading post here in Fanelia so I won't have to travel anymore."
"Yea!" She threw her arms around his neck and squeezed tightly.
"Ouch," watch those claws," he laughed. "You and your mother need to start using that nail file of hers again."
* * * * * *
Later that day, Mia was looking for Van at a request from her mother. She found him in his room with Nikki. Van was holding up different shirts while she gave her approval. Mia stifled a giggle. Her orders were to prevent him from doing this, at least not without Merle having the final decision. She rapped on the open door.
"Oh, hey. You can help us. Which do you think I should wear for the wedding?"
She shrugged. "Mommy wants to see you. She says that you have to let her know what you're wearing."
"Uh oh. I'm in trouble. But it's better than letting someone else pick who can't make up her mind." He tweaked Nikki's nose and set out with his shirts to find Merle.
The two girls looked at each other warily. Nikki's eyes darted towards the door, hoping to make a quick escape. Mia drew in her breath to prepare herself. She was never any good at this sort of thing.
"Um…" she paused. Nikki backed away, afraid. Mia felt even worse for her than she did before and extremely guilty for causing her fear. But she wanted to make it up to her. "Wanna come play with Tatiana and me?"
Nikki's eyes lit up. "You mean it? Can I?"
Mia nodded. "Sure. After all, we're going to be living together, so we might as well hang out. We can be like sisters."
"Really? I've always wanted a sister," she said shyly.
Mia put her arm around her. "Well, now you have one. Come on, let's go play."
Nikki nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "Llet's go see Harumi. She said she'd teach us a song." The girls skipped out the door, nearly bumping into Van and Hitomi, and Merle and Kyle. Both couples were smiling at them.
Hitomi cheered inwardly. Things couldn't get any better than this.
* * * * * *
The fortress was wedged between two sharp cliffs. All the levistones had eroded away after fifteen years. Inside, it was as quiet as a tomb. Shards of broken glass lay on the floor; the remains of Dornkirk's failed creation, the Fate Redirector. No one had set foot here in fifteen years. Some were too afraid; others couldn't be bother. But today, that was going to change.
A tall, shadowy figure stepped onto it for the first time. Were anyone able to see his face, they would say there was nothing but hatred on it. This man was angry, insanely angry. For fifteen years he had been waiting, searching for what he needed to carry out his mission: his revenge on those who had destroyed Dornkirk and his work. The man who killed him was dead, but those he cared about, who had destroyed Dornkirk's masterpiece, they still existed. He made a disgusted face. While they had been living happy lives, Dornkirk was a rotting corpse, a ghost doomed forever. And he, he was forced to hide and plan. It had been hard, but he had finally found all he needed to finish Dornkirk's work. He snorted. Let them be happy now. Their happiness wouldn't last much longer, he would see to that. He would make them pay.
To be continued…