Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne or Rurouni Kenshin!

So, we're reaching a conclusion, soon enough.

Enjoy!

Van was thankful that Megumi had only mentioned the anklet without any greed in her tone. So the mermaid had been right when only men would covet her gift. The doctor was a good woman, concerned about where he'd gotten such scars. He remembered that very well, when he'd become one with his guymelef, Escaflowne. It had been damaged beyond what the Crusade's crew could repair, and he was bleeding from injuries that didn't seem to heal. Hitomi had figured out that he'd been connected with Escaflowne, and Dryden had called on the Ispano clan to repair it. With a large payment, it was repaired, but the painful scars had remained. That was why he wore his hair so shaggy and long, to hide the gruesome scar on his forehead, and the one on his chest was so large that it looked like new skin. He just hoped that the mermaid hadn't been scared by them. As far as he could tell, her reactions had been favorable.

He leaned over the stern, looking out at the sea. Hitomi…she was happy on the Mystic Moon, and he was stuck in this world, trying to heal his own heart. He didn't even know the mermaid's name, because he had thought it was rude to ask unless she offered it.

"You look melancholy today. Is something the matter?"

He turned his head to see the sea maiden leaning against the railing on his right side. "I was thinking about the girl I was in love with before."

"You never told me her name."

"It was…Kanzaki Hitomi."

"And your name?"

"Van Salazar de Fanel."

"Oh…I'm Kuroko Tenshi. You can laugh if you want. My name means 'Angel Black child'. A contradiction when you think about it. My mother must have been thinking of what I could be, yet what I was, when she named me."

Van considered the name and smiled. "It's beautiful. Tenshi is perfect for you."

"I'm the child of compromise, how could I have such a pretty name? Sometimes I think, with every pirate coming after me, that I was never meant to be."

He took her hand, the smile on his face warm. "No, you were born with a purpose, just like everyone else. You just have to find it, Tenshi-san."

"You're too kind Van-san, but we don't need such formalities with just the two of us. You can call me Tenshi and I'll call you Van."

"All right, Tenshi."

"So, I want to hear about your life, Van. What were you doing before we met? And don't think you're being rude, I'll be telling you about my life after yours."

Van nodded and started telling her everything he could remember, and described things that Tenshi wasn't familiar with. He used gestures to help with his explanations, seeing how engrossed she was and knowing that she wasn't bored.

"Well, now that I'm done with my story, what about you? You have to tell me everything about yourself."

Tenshi was about to, when Kenshin pounced, throwing a steel net over her. Her eyes flashed bright red, and it melted as if it were made of wax. She hissed and yelled, "You won't get the best of me, demon man!"

Kenshin locked his arms around her, and she struggled, but knew she was trapped, unless she were to knock him unconscious. He grinned and murmured, "Now you will be mine, demon mermaid. And no one else will have you."

Van knew that it wouldn't happen that way, but he wasn't about to burst the captain's bubble. That would happen soon enough, when Tenshi proclaimed that she felt for him, not Kenshin.

That would be the day that he would probably have to leave, to escape the murderous rage of the redheaded demon.

There you have it, or will it turn out that way? Will Kenshin somehow prevail over Van in love?

Please review!