Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

Escaflowne: All you need is Love, Isn't it?

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Chapter 8

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In Hitomi's chambers within the castle

"Are you going to stand there all night?"

Opening her eyes quickly, Hitomi looked over at the bed to see Merle sitting up like a cat on it.

"Merle, how long have you been sitting there?" Hitomi asked, glad that it was too dark in the room for the young feline to make out her crimson face.

"Mmm, not long." Merle purred as she licked that back of her hand. "I was up on the roof before coming here."

"WHAT!" Hitomi screamed moving further away from the bed. "What did you see?"

"If you're scared that I'm going to turn you into a scratching-pole because you were in Lord Van's arms, don't worry about it." She said calmly.

This stopped the teen, dead in her tracks. "What?"

"I said don't worry about it." She put her hand down on the bed. "I know Lord Van loves you and I know you love him too." She looked away from the older teen, who was working her way towards the bed. "I've learned to accept it." Besides, I get to spend more time with him than you do, so I guess I can't complain too much." She jumped off the bed and spring over to the bay window. Looking out over the city, she continued. "Ever since we were children, I dreamed that someday, Lord Van would make me his bride. It's a dream I've had since I can remember. But ever since you returned to the Mystic Moon the first time, I knew Lord Van's heart didn't belong to me anymore. To be honest, I don't know if it ever really did." She turned to look at Hitomi. "No, what I want to know is what you saw in your vision. I know it was about me. I could tell be the way you were looking at me at dinner and later on the roof. I know you were talking to Lord Van about me, I just couldn't make out what exactly you were saying." She stepped closer to the bed. "So tell me, Hitomi. What did you see?"

Hitomi turned away, unable to endure the power of the young catgirl's gaze. "Nothing, it was nothing, really. I just got overexcited, that's all."

Merle stepped in front of the teen, forcing the girl to meet her powerful gaze. "Do I look that stupid to you? I'm not an idiot, Hitomi and I'm not a child you have to protect from the truth. Now tell me what you saw." She insisted.

The girl from the Mystic Moon gasped slightly. The catgirl had always been forward and outspoken but this took her by surprise. She looked to one side trying once again to avoid the Merle's gaze.

"Stop that!" She yelled stepping into Hitomi's line of sight again. "Stop playing games with me and tell me!"

This time Hitomi looked squarely into the younger girl's eyes. 'So much sadness, so much fear; fear of the unknown. Should I tell her? Yes, she deserves the truth, I owe her that much.' Hitomi drew in a breath and steeled herself for Merle's reaction. "I had a vision of our voyage to Asturia. Everything goes along just fine until we go to return to Fanelia. Four days into the voyage, we'll be caught in the middle of a terrible storm. Van will be in deck and…"

"Something terrible happens to Lord Van?" Merle jumped back, holding her clinched hands to her mouth.

"No, no. Van is fine… It's you, Merle. You get thrown overboard by a wave that nearly capsizes the ship. We never see you again." The teen said sadly.

"What do you mean, you never see me again? Where do I go?" Merle's puzzled expression told Hitomi the feline really didn't understand.

'About as sharp as a bowling ball.' Hitomi sighed. "Don't you get it, Merle? You don't go anywhere, except to the bottom of the sea. You drown, you… you die."

Merle just stared at the brown-haired girl for a minute then gave a crocked smile. "Is that all?"

"What do you mean, is that all? Don't you understand? If you're on that deck when the storm hits, you're going to die."

"So," Merle turned around and waved her off, "I just won't be on the deck that's all. Gosh, Hitomi, you sure know how to get a person all worked up over nothing." She said over her shoulder as she walked to the door.

"Nothing! I hardly think your death is nothing." An angry Hitomi insisted.

"Like you said, I die because I'm on the deck. So, I won't be on the deck. I can sleep through just about anything. So on the fourth day at sea, I'll go below and take a catnap. By the time I wake up, the storm will be over and no one will be dead, least of all me." She pulled open the door and turned to give teen one last look.

"You know, you worry way too much. It is times like these that make me wonder why I missed you so much." With that she closed the door behind her.

With clinched fists and gritted teeth, Hitomi rose to a not so slow boil. Finally, unable to contain herself any longer, she yelled. "It is times like these I wonder way I even care if anything happens to you at all, you weird catgirl!" She spun around and plopped down on the bed. "HUMPH!" She folded her arms over her chest and fumed for a few more minutes. 'Stupid catgirl.'

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To Be Continued…

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AN: Well, that's it for tonight. I hope to have another three chapters posted during the week but don't hold me to that. ^_^

Author's Note update 8/4/2013: Sorry it has been a while since I've updated any chapters. There were a number of minor changes to this one but nothing major; mostly just clean-up. On a side note, I am working on a prologue that addresses in more detail why Millerna and not Eries becomes Queen of Asturia, and probes a bit deeper in the relationship Van and Millerna share.