Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

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

Chapter 37

Morning of the fourth day at sea

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Van sat at the sofa, which he and Hitomi had moved next to the bed shortly after his return. He stared off into the fire considering the events of the past few hours. He had hoped Hitomi would sleep longer but the moment he walked back in the room she sat up. They moved the sofa in order to keep watch over Merle. Covered in the blanket the teen from the Mystic Moon curled up next to the man she loved and watched the funny little catgirl sleep a restless sleep. The poor little thing was assailed by nightmares as she tossed and turned all night long. When one or the other wasn't sitting next to Merle, holding her hand and whispering comforting words to her, they sat mostly in silence, torn between the concern they had for their friend and the joy they felt when they were together, close, like this.

As the hour grew very late, Van tried to convince the teen that it would be best if she went to his chambers and slept in his bed while he remained to keep an eye on Merle but she refused to leave his side. It wasn't till exhaustion finally caught up to her that he carried her sleeping form to his bed. That was only a couple hours ago. Now as he sat staring at the fire, he thought of how much he enjoyed just having Hitomi next to him, how much more complete he felt when she was near, and how empty he felt, now that she was just a few doors away. He thought of how it would feel when she decided it was time to return to her own world and the thought was a difficult one to bear.

He was roused from his thoughts when Merle began to stir. He looked over at her and waited to see if it was another nightmare before getting up to sit next to her on the bed. But instead, this time she slowly opened her eyes. A confused look spread across the girl's face as she took in her surroundings.

"Funny, I thought eternity would look different somehow." She commented to herself.

Van raised an eyebrow but remained silent.

Looking about slowly she noticed her king sitting quietly, just watching her.

"Please tell me we're both not dead." A look of genuine fear appeared in her eyes.

"No Merle, we're not dead." Van smiled. "And thanks to Hitomi, you'll live to see many more days."

She looked about but saw no one else. "Th… this is her room isn't it?"

The king nodded.

"Where is she?"

"She's sleeping in my room." He informed her.

"Oh." Her expression fell as her heart broke.

"It's not like that." He clarified. "She stayed up with me all night watching over you but she was finally too exhausted to stay awake so I carried her to my bed so she could get some sleep."

"Oh." The catgirl blushed a deep shade of red, embarrassed for having such wicked thoughts involving her king.

After a few minutes of silence, her king's words worked there way back to her. "Hitomi saved me." Her surprise was quite evident.

Van nodded. "She dove into the sea after you without hesitation. Then after getting you back on the ship, she breathed life back into your lifeless body."

Feelings of shame and regret filled the young catgirl as she recalled the hurtful words she said to her rescuer. "She did that for me? Why?"

"Because she cares about you Merle. She considers you her friend." The king explained. "And she would do anything for her friends, even risk her own life."

Merle rolled on her side, away from her king. "I don't deserve to be Hitomi's friend." She cried softly. "Not after the things I said to her."

Slowly, Van rose to his feet and walked over to the bed, sitting down next to the weeping girl. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze. "You know, you may be right. You may not deserve to be Hitomi's friend."

This statement caught the girl by surprise as she began to weep harder.

"But like it or not, she sees you as her friend. She understands how you feel. But you need to understand how she feels, how we both feel for each other."

Slowly Merle rolled back over to look at the man she loved.

"You'll always be special to me Merle. You've been with me longer than anyone I know and I want you to always be with me. But you realized it even before I did, that I love Hitomi. You said so yourself. I do love her and she loves me." He carefully wiped way her tears. "And nothing, and no one can ever change that."

Merle nodded her understanding as his words imprinted themselves in her memory. A faint smile began to creep across her face when she realized all of what he had said. "You want me with you always, Lord Van?"

A soft smile made its way across his face. "Of course, what would I ever do without you?"

"You're just teasing me now." She pouted.

"No, really. I'd be lost with you around Merle." He grinned.

She considered his words for a moment the replied. "No, you wouldn't. You have Hitomi now. But thanks for saying so anyway." She smiled back.

He gave a soft laugh. "You really do see things clearly don't you?"

"Better than you know Lord Van." She reached out and took his hand. "Better than you know."

"And that's why I need you. Who knows me better than you? Who'll be there to keep me honest to myself?" He countered.

"Maybe you're right, but it will only be a matter of time till Hitomi knows you as well as I do. She's a strange girl but she's smart too. It won't be long." She added.

"Perhaps you're right, but who'll be there for Hitomi?" He gave her a pensive look.

She returned the look as she considered his question. "Good point. She knows no one in this world other than us, and to be perfectly honest Lord Van, you can be pretty clueless sometimes."

"Thank you Merle. I always enjoy having my faults thrown in my face." He said with a sarcastic smirk.

"Sorry, but it's true." She grinned meekly.

"Well, all the more reason why both Hitomi and I need you." He concluded and before she could respond he continued. "But now, you need to get some rest." He stroked her cheek tenderly. "Go back to sleep and when you wake up; I'll have some food ready for you."

"Mmm, I'd like that." She smiled as she turned on her side facing him this time, and closed her eyes.

Van got off the bed and sat back down on the sofa.

"Lord Van?" She said without opening her eyes.

"Yes Merle?"

"Thank you... for being my friend."

He got back up, walked over to her and kissed her on the temple. "How can I be anything else? Sleep now."

She nodded as a happy smile crossed her face.

Sitting back down he stared at her for a while till he noticed her breathing turn regular and deep. He went back to staring at the fire as he considered his good fortune, that which he once considered his misfortune to have two women who loved him so.

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AN: Sorry no Hitomi in this one but I felt V/M needed some time together to work things out. This will mark a turning point for Merle. While the change won't be immediately evident, because Hitomi will be returning to her world in the next few chapters, it will be very obvious in later chapters.

I'm glad you liked my last chapter. As someone who doesn't know how to swim, the idea of being in water that is too deep for me to touch the bottom and still be able to breath is terrifying. My youngest son earned BSA Life Guard last year during Summer Camp then followed that up by participating in a mile swim which he completed while suffering two leg cramps less then a quarter into the swim, this in water that is over 40 feet deep. He didn't seem to think it was anything that great but I was so proud of him. He did something I couldn't ever imagine me doing.

Anyway, thank you for your comments. You really make writing this fic a joy for me. I use to think I only wrote because I had something I wanted to say, ideas I wanted to express. And having written some works that have received few reviews, didn't really bother me because while I wanted people to read them, the joy of writing the stories was satisfaction enough. I must say, you people have spoiled me ( in a good way ^_^ ). Not only do your comments and reviews inspire me to continue with this story but it even gives me the motivation to continue with the other stories I'm working on even though they don't get the responses this one does.

Speaking of other stories ( shameless plug ), I will have another story coming out soon. It is an Eva story and is a sequel to Random1377's Crimson and Azure. I wrote it with Random1377's permission and will be posting soon with his blessing. It is called, Any place can be Heaven, if you let it. Like Crimson and Azure, it is a S/R fic, but it is really a story about family and the different kinds of love that exist within it. If you're a fan of Random1377's work, a fan of Crimson and Azure or just like a nice romantic drama, be sure to check it out. I hope to have it up by the end of the weekend or the middle of next week. ^__^

A. Amishi